Meet the faculty and staff members who serve with excellence and innovation in their roles.
The recipients of the Faculty of Science Award of Excellence for Support Staff and the Teaching and Learning Innovation Award have been announced, and they all have one thing in common: their appreciation for the people they get to work with.
The Faculty of Science Award of Excellence for Support Staff recognizes support staff who have served their units with distinction by contributing to the Faculty of Science's commitment to provide excellence in higher education and research.
What does this award mean to you?
This award means a lot to me. I consider this a Team award, as there are likely a couple of dozen FoS support staff using their creativity, dedication and hard work that result in making me look good (and as you can see from the photo, this isn’t an easy task). I consider my winning validation for all those who work with me.
What is your favourite part about your work?
My favourite part of my work is working with my team to solve problems that are often somewhat novel and for which there are no easy answers to. The sense of accomplishment we feel when the task gets done is the best.
What does this award mean to you?
Incredible people work for the Faculty of Science. Incredible people make it easier to do my job, and make the workplace a fun, safe, positive place to spend 35 hours a week. This award this feels like an official confirmation that I do the same for them, and that means everything to me. We are spoiled for choice when it comes to excellent employees, and receiving recognition for my work affirms that I am right where I need to be.
What is your favourite part about your work?
I started working for the Faculty of Science in 2022, very much still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. I remember saying in my job interview that we were seeing more than ever how much we needed science literacy and science in general. Today I am so proud to say I’m part of an amazing team that is passionate about bringing science to the community, getting young people interested in science, and sharing scientific advancements in a way that a person (like me!) without a science background can understand. The people I work with care about science and their programs, but they also genuinely care about one another. It’s an incredibly supportive workplace – I can think of no other group I could work in a big open fishbowl with all day!
What does this award mean to you?
This award represents years of teamwork and shared efforts. It reflects significant technical challenges which became opportunities for growth because of the supportive and collaborative environment among support staff in the STSS. Backed by Faculty of Science resources and people, we were able to turn demanding situations into tremendous successes.
What is your favourite part about your work?
My work requires adaptability. In a given day I can be faced with experimental setup, sudden urgent technical challenges, training students, analyzing data, or assisting other support staff across departments in their own distinct roles. No two days are the same, and the variety is exceptionally rewarding.
The Faculty of Science Teaching and Learning Innovation Award recognizes and celebrates faculty members, including instructors and professors of all ranks, who demonstrate exceptional innovation in their teaching or learning practices at the undergraduate or graduate level.
What does this award mean to you?
This award means a lot to me because so much of teaching happens through small, iterative changes that students may never see the work behind. I spend a lot of time thinking about how students experience a course, where they struggle, what helps them learn, and how I can make that experience better the next time around. Having that work recognized is incredibly meaningful, and it gives me even more motivation to keep experimenting, reflecting, and improving.
What is your favourite part about your work?
My favourite part is getting to work directly with students and watching their confidence grow. I love the moments when something finally clicks, when a student realizes they know more than they thought they did, or when they start to see themselves as someone who belongs in computer science. I also really enjoy that teaching is never finished; I get to keep learning from my students, trying new things, and figuring out how to make the next version of a course better than the last.
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