For many years, my love of teaching biology was tempered by the discomfort of administering high-stakes exams. I strove to go beyond multiple-choice trivia contests by assessing students’ application of their knowledge to novel problems; however, to ensure that these problems were novel, I kept them well-hidden until the exams. This secrecy led to much student anxiety and frustration, as well as my own concerns that my assessment methods might be inequitable. Here I will discuss how a backward design process led to the creation of the Test Question Template (TQT) framework.

This seminar will explore the ingredients behind a healthy classroom environment. By creating a supportive atmosphere, promoting a growth mindset, and integrating metacognitive practices, all students are given the opportunity to succeed. When students feel empowered and supported, they are more likely to engage with the material and gain resilience when faced with academic challenges. Metacognition, or learning how to learn, is central to this approach, as it equips students with skills that extend beyond the classroom.

Teaching is a marathon, not a sprint. That’s a metaphor I take seriously—not just as a long-distance runner, but as an educator learning to pace myself in a career that demands constant reinvention. In this seminar, I’ll explore how both teaching and learning unfold as long-term processes—ones that require reflection, repetition, and resilience.

Given the diversity of student experiences, identities, and academic backgrounds, how can we cultivate classrooms that are both welcoming and rigorous? My teaching philosophy is built on five core principles: setting high expectations with structured support, fostering a culture of belonging, ensuring accessibility through flexibility, investing in the teaching team, and committing to continual informed improvement.

Undergraduate students in the biological sciences are often preparing for careers in areas where racial inequalities loom large, like public health, the medical professions, and education. And yet, as educators in higher education, we are often reluctant to talk about race, deeming it irrelevant or possibly even inappropriate for courses in the biological sciences. I argue that biology educators have the expertise and an obligation to help students understand why biological races with fixed differences have not evolved in humans.

In Canada's winters, animals must contend with subzero temperatures. Some species migrate, others find warm microhabitats, and yet others just develop the impressive ability to either prevent or survive ice crystal growth at very low temperatures. Our lab studies the ability of boreal forest pest eastern spruce budworm as well as West Coast intertidal invertebrates to survive and thrive in subzero conditions. We work on everything from the biochemistry of ice binding proteins and the biosynthesis of cryoprotectants through to the impacts of winters on population growth and distribution.

The Hehnly Lab investigates how cellular and intracellular mechanisms establish the Left-Right Organizer (LRO) in vertebrates, a critical structure for body axis formation. Using zebrafish as a model, the lab explores how motile and non-motile cilia within the LRO generate fluid flow or potentially sense it, impacting asymmetric organ development. Open questions include how cells differentiate to form motile versus non-motile cilia and the roles these cilia play in development.

In 2002, author Robin D.G. Kelley published the book "Freedom Dreams," examining the efforts of various social movements across the African Diaspora. In this text, Dr. Kelley posed the questions:

“How do we produce a vision that enables us to see beyond our immediate ordeals?”
“How do we transcend bitterness and cynicism and embrace love, hope, and an all-encompassing dream of freedom, especially in these rough times?”