The Faculty of Science held its 4^th annual Dean鈥檚 Special Advisory Board meeting on Thursday, June 19, at 91亚色鈥檚 Markham Campus.  

Board members鈥攄rawn from industry, academia, government, and healthcare鈥攐ffered strategic advice on key issues, including responding to industry demand for science programs, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and enhancing partnerships with local companies. 

Dean Rui Wang provided an annual progress report, highlighting the achievements of the Faculty of Science in the strategic areas of teaching, research, and service, including a total of $14.2M in philanthropic donations raised over the last five years.  The Board further brainstormed and advised on opportunities and challenges for the Faculty of Science in the coming years.  
 
The meeting also marked Dr. Mark Lievonen鈥檚 appointment as Board Chair, recognizing his leadership in the science and biotech sectors, having served as President of Sanofi Pasteur Limited, Co-Chair of Canada鈥檚 COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, and within numerous high profile industry boards and organizations.  

The Faculty of Science thanks all members for their valuable insights and looks forward to another year of collaboration and progress. 

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Students at 91亚色鈥檚 Markham Campus are taking their math skills beyond the classroom, thanks to a real-world teaching and learning initiative led by Assistant Professor Jessie Yang.

Under Yang鈥檚 guidance, seven first-year students host a bi-weekly math club at the Markham Public Library, offering tutoring sessions for children in grades 1 through 4. The students, who come from different disciplines of study, develop lesson plans, conduct math lessons and facilitate tutoring sessions. 

Their goal is to inspire young minds to enjoy and excel in math while making the learning process fun and engaging, says Yang, a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science. 

鈥淒espite being in their first year, these student leaders are already making a significant impact in their local community,鈥� says Yang. 鈥淏y applying their academic training in a real-world setting, they are gaining valuable experiential education that enhances their understanding of mathematical concepts and their ability to communicate effectively.鈥� 

The bi-weekly math club aligns with Markham Campus鈥� goal to foster community engagement and experiential learning.  

"The activities helped me connect with students, allowing me to learn how to nurture curiosity and showed the importance of enjoying what you鈥檙e learning,鈥� says Tharuk Ranasinghe, a computer science for software development student. 

Maria-Aim茅e Tat, a first-year science student, says the experience has given her an opportunity to see first-hand how teaching can spark insterest in learners 鈥� and reinforce learning in teachers.

"Seeing their excitement when a concept finally clicks has been incredibly rewarding,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful to be part of these young learners鈥� journeys and can鈥檛 wait to keep making math exciting.鈥� 

The  began Feb. 22 at the Markham Village Branch and will run until March 22, with two sessions per day that offer four classes for grades 1 to 4. 

Courtesy of聽YFile

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With 91亚色鈥檚 new Markham Campus now open, the campus is prioritizing opportunities that demonstrate 91亚色鈥檚 leadership experiential education (EE), which is increasingly a focus in Canada鈥檚 halls of higher learning. It is doing so with innovative new programs, including two rooted in biotechnology.

鈥淭he vision for the Markham Campus from the onset was to provide our students with access to high-level experiential education opportunities,鈥� said Dan Palermo, interim deputy provost, Markham. 鈥淭his vision aligns with the broader vision of 91亚色 to expand experiential education opportunities for students across the institution.

鈥淭his is also in response to what students want as part of their academic journey, even what parents want for their children as they go to post-secondary school. And it does prepare students better for the workforce,鈥� Palermo said.

The Markham Campus offers degree programs and micro-credentials focused on EE, digital technologies and entrepreneurship. Among the courses benefiting from the campus鈥檚 focus on EE are the brand-new Communication, Social Media & Public Relations course, the Digital Technologies course and the Computer Science for Software Development course, which will all include work terms in Markham-based industries or non-profits.

The Markham Campus鈥檚 new Master of Biotechnology Management (MBM) program and Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology will also advance the University鈥檚 EE leadership, closely aligning classroom education with what the industry has said workers need.

In the case of the biotechnology programs, the course experiences were 鈥� in fact 鈥� specifically designed that way.

Jade Atallah, graduate program director of biotechnology at Markham and an assistant professor in the teaching stream in the Department of Biology; and Luz Puentes J谩come, an assistant professor in the teaching stream in the Department of Biology, developed the curricula and pedagogical approaches of the biotechnology programs after listening to the industry. 

鈥淧edagogically, we knew that experiential education must be at the centre of curricular delivery,鈥� Atallah said. 鈥淏ecause we were working with new programs, it was a relief that no retrofitting was needed. We were able to start from the ground up, where experiential education was at the centre and everything else came around it.鈥�

Indeed, the graduate biotechnology programs incorporate immersive and multimodal experiential learning such as industry workshops, industry fireside chats, participation in biotechnology conferences, industry challenge questions, interdisciplinary capstone projects and industry internships.

鈥淲e bring in industry partners to act as industry mentors, and our graduate program students work in groups as consultants and try to solve a problem posed by the industry mentor,鈥� said Puentes J谩come.

鈥淚n that way, they鈥檙e working directly in an industry context. They go through the process of figuring out a solution for this program, doing some literature search and writing a white paper. Then they鈥檒l have a final presentation in which we will bring all the industry mentors together to observe the presentations and to network with our students.鈥�

The programs are interdisciplinary. In the case of the MBM program, students integrate management training with the biotechnology portion of the course. 鈥淭his would prepare the students to, perhaps, run a biotech startup,鈥� Puentes J谩come said. For example, she said, 鈥渢hey might work toward creating a water bottle with biology, not fossil fuels.鈥�

Marisol John is a student in the Master of Biotechnology Management program and is among those who have seen the many possibilities for a biotech career available to them through the program.

 鈥淚 have learnt so much about this industry, and I鈥檓 excited to continue this process of directly engaging with real-world industry problems,鈥� she said.

John is already envisioning ways she can apply her in-class experiences.

鈥淚 have a very deep passion for agri-bio and environmental biology,鈥� John said. 鈥淐oming from a Caribbean island, Dominica 鈥� the greenest island in the Caribbean 鈥� I think this program will afford me a diverse skill set to effect positive and sustainable change in my country.鈥�

Her undergrad thesis was based on the therapeutic applications of ginger, something John hopes to expand upon. Her grandparents treated flu and upset stomachs with ginger tea, and John鈥檚 research showed it鈥檚 used for many therapeutic reasons, including pneumonia, tuberculosis and asthma. But, she said, there is limited information available on these topics.

鈥淚 am using this to drive the rest of my career,鈥� said John. 鈥淚 am learning how various biotech industries can be integrated to bridge the knowledge gap and innovatively solve problems related to crops, agricultural sustainability, food processing and diversification. The possibilities are endless.鈥�

Thanks to the experiential education opportunities provided by the new Markham Campus 鈥� like those in biotechnology 鈥� the possibilities will be endless for other students, too.

With files from Julie Carl

Courtesy of YFile

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WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS PROGRAM?

Science trainees interested in careers in vaccine production, or professionals already working in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology sector interested in expanding their portfolio, should consider taking this course.

Eligibility

• Prerequisites: two university-level cell and molecular biology (or related) courses, or permission of instructor

DELIVERY FORMAT

Date & Time

• Start Date: Monday, January 26, 2027
• End Date: Monday, April 12, 2027
• 9 weekly modules completed over a period of 12 weeks (1 break week).

How Each Weekly Module Works

Every module follows the same one-week cycle:

Wed 12:00 p.m.	Module opens (the previous module closes)
Wed to Mon	Work through the activities on your own schedule, including the weekend
Tue 11:00 a.m.	Live online session with the instructor (optional, recorded)
Tue to Wed 12:00 p.m.	Finish and submit any outstanding work
Wed 12:00 p.m.	Module closes and the next module opens

Delivery

• Reading Week runs Sat., Feb. 13 to Fri., Feb. 19.
• Module 3 pauses during the break.
• An industry panel/networking event will take place this term. The date will be determined as we get closer.

Detailed Schedule

Module	Opens Wed 12:00 p.m.	Live session Tue 11:00 am (optional, recorded)	Closes Wed 12:00 p.m.	Notes
Introduction		Jan 26 (Tue)		Orientation
Module 1	Jan 27 (Wed)	Feb 2 (Tue)	Feb 3 (Wed)
Module 2	Feb 3 (Wed)	Feb 9 (Tue)	Feb 10 (Wed)
Module 3	Feb 10 (Wed)
Reading Week				Feb 13 (Sat) to Feb 19 (Fri). No classes.
Module 3 (continued)		Feb 23 (Tue)	Feb 24 (Wed)
Module 4	Feb 24 (Wed)	Mar 2 (Tue)	Mar 3 (Wed)
Module 5	Mar 3 (Wed)	Mar 9 (Tue)	Mar 10 (Wed)
Module 6	Mar 10 (Wed)	Mar 16 (Tue)	Mar 17 (Wed)
Module 7	Mar 17 (Wed)	Mar 23 (Tue)	Mar 24 (Wed)
Module 8	Mar 24 (Wed)	Mar 30 (Tue)	Mar 31 (Wed)
Module 9	Mar 31 (Wed) (pre-lab activities)			In-Person Laboratory Apr 9 (Fri) or Apr 12 (Mon) 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Markham Campus Room 6045

Assessment

• Pass/Fail

Technical Requirements:

• An internet connection that can support video streaming 鈥� broadband wired or wireless (at least 3G or 4G/LTE)
• A laptop or Desktop computer with:
  • Speakers and a microphone: built-in / USB plug-in / wireless Bluetooth
  • A webcam or HD webcam: built-in / USB plug-in
  • Or, HD cam or HD camcorder with video capture card
• Processor: Dual Core 2Ghz or Higher (i3/i5/i7 or AMD equivalent)
• Operating system:
  • Windows or macOS

INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Luz Puentes J谩come

Dr. Luz Puentes J谩come is an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) at the Department of Biology at 91亚色 Markham Campus. Her experience includes teaching various biotechnology courses at the University of Toronto and 91亚色. Dr. Puentes has also developed graduate-level Biotechnology courses and laboratories. Before joining 91亚色, Dr. Puentes was investigating how to scale up anaerobic biotechnologies in instrumented bioreactors. Dr. Puentes enjoys teaching and learning bioprocess principles applicable to the diverse areas of Biotechnology.

Dr. Jade Atallah

Dr. Jade Atallah is an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) at the Department of Biology at 91亚色 Markham Campus. Her experience includes teaching various cell and molecular biology and genetics courses at the University of Toronto, McMaster University and 91亚色, and developing graduate-level Biotechnology programs, courses, and laboratories.

CONTACT US

For registration inquiries, please contact Robin Metcalfe, Associate Dean, at sciadstu@yorku.ca.

For questions about the course content, please contact the Course Director at biot-mkm@yorku.ca. 

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Thanks to new funding from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges & Universities, the Faculty of Science is launching a new micro-credential in Vaccine Production and Quality Assurance in Winter 2025 at 91亚色鈥檚 Markham Campus.

The provincial funding comprises $50,000 from the and $75,000 from the , which will go toward the creation of the new micro-credential that will prepare trainees for jobs in vaccine biomanufacturing and processing.

鈥淥ur new programs in vaccine production and biotechnology aim to bridge talent gaps in the pharmaceutical industry in Canada and to offer students and professionals a variety of training options for upskilling for industry jobs,鈥� says Hovig Kouyoumdjian, associate dean of curriculum and pedagogy in the Faculty of Science.

Spearheaded by Kouyoumdjian and faculty members Jade Atallah, the Markham biotechnology graduate program director, and Luz Adriana Puentes J谩come in the Department of Biology, the micro-credential in Vaccine Production and Quality Assurance will provide accelerated, experiential and industry-centred training on the fundamentals of vaccine production, including emerging technologies.

鈥淚t will be offered as an eight-week, blended program, shaped by input from a variety of industry partners,鈥� says J谩come. 鈥淭he micro-credential offers more rapid, vaccine-focused training relative to the new Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology and Master鈥檚 in Biotechnology Management programs, which are broader in scope and completed in one year or two, respectively.鈥�

With the new funding, the Faculty of Science will also purchase new equipment that will not only benefit student training in the micro-credential but also the Master鈥檚 in Biotechnology Management and Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology programs starting this fall at Markham Campus. The equipment will include cell culture tools for various expression systems (bacterial, yeast, insect and mammalian cells) and novel vaccine platform technologies (DNA, RNA and recombinant proteins) that are highly aligned with current advancements in the vaccine industry.

鈥淕iven the focus of these biotechnology postgraduate programs on applied training, the new equipment will support a curricular delivery that is hands-on and highly experiential in nature,鈥� says Atallah. 鈥淥ur students will complete their training with the knowledge and skills they need to secure in-demand jobs in the biotechnology and vaccine production industry.鈥�

鈥淲e are grateful to the Ontario Ministry of Colleges & Universities for supporting the creation and enhancement of these important programs at 91亚色,鈥� says Kouyoumdjian.

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