1 - MARCH SCAVENGER HUNT
The ZGSA, are really excited to announce that we will be running a Scavenger Hunt for the entire month of March! The style of the scavenger hunt will be as follows: we will be providing you with prompts weekly throughout the month, for which your team need to take a photo that matches the criterion. Completion of a prompt nets your team points, and the team with the most points at the end of the month wins prizes! For all of the information you need and an example, please refer to the event guide.
Once you have formed a team of 3-4 individuals (non-Zoology students, staff, and post-docs are welcome), please sign your team up here (there is no strict deadline to register your team by). The first set of prompts will be released on March 3rd.
2 - 3MT - Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025:
This year's Zoology 3 Minute Thesis Competition was a success. Despite some technical issues, the event proceeded with 9 Zoology graduate students presenting their work to an audience of faculty, post-docs, graduate students, and staff.
A warm congratulations goes to:
Zachary Marshall (Gordon lab): for winning 1st place and People's choice
Michaela Honing (Milsom/Brauner lab) for winning 2nd place.
Both Zachary and Michaela will be moving on to the 3MT UBC Semi-Finals on Tuesday, March 11 @ Dodson Room, Irving K. Library from 10-12pm and 2-4pm.
Make sure to cheer them on!
A special thanks also goes to Samuel Snow and Sylvia Heredia for graciously agreeing to be our judges, and to Mimi Yu and the Zoology Graduate Student Association for organizing the event.
3 - BAKE A CAKE for Darwin day - Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025:
The Bake a Cake for Darwin day is an annual tradition at the Biodiversity Research Centre that has withstood the test of time. This year, graduate students and post-docs from the department brought in cakes of all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavours for our judges and departmental members to taste.
Congratulations to:
- Derek Tan for winning most artistic and people's choice
- Jacelyn Shu for winning most delicious
- Bernadette Johnson for winning best Biology theme
- Sivanna Trainer for winning Darwin's favourite!
Thank you to Angie O'Neill, Mimi Yu, Jeff Richards for judging the event, and to the various organizers (shoutout to Jacelyn, Derek, and Angie, and the members of the Zoology Graduate Student Association).
This year's event was dedicated in memory of Greg Bole. Greg Bole was an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Departents of Botany and Zoology at UBC. He combined his love for evolution, teaching, theatre and the history of science to write a Darwin monologue and present it as Charles Darwin. Greg's presentations as Darwin were a wonderflu blend of Darwin's scientific work and personal life, drawn from his publications and personal correspondence, and brought to life with Greg's acting talent and humour. Greg always looked forward to the annual Bake a Cake for Darwin event, when he, as Darwin, would help to judge the cakes a read aloud a few favourite paragraphs from On the Origin of Species. Greg truly loved this fun tradition of celebrating evolution, creativity, and cake. The Darwin's Favourite Cake was awarded in honour of Greg.
4 - CLUSTER COMPETITION - ongoing:
Cluster points so far!