Grad Hosted Speaker

Mission

The Annual Biology Grad Hosted Speaker event aims to engage the Biology Graduate Students by inviting a scientist that the student body is excited to interact with by discussing science, supporting skills, and career paths. This enables students to meet and showcase their role models to their peers. Through nominations and polling to choose each year's speaker, the annual event prompts students to take ownership of their education.

History

In 2005, the Biology Graduate Caucus inaugurated the Annual Biology Grad Hosted Speaker event. In 2017/2018, the Biology Graduate Caucus invited two speakers for the first time in an academic year, which inaugurated the Annual Fall Grad Hosted Speaker, and continued the tradition of the Annual Spring Grad Hosted Speaker.

Speakers

Invited speakers will have contributed significantly to the field of Biology, and are often notable for their skills in science communication, advocacy, productivity, or other achievements. Over the course of a two-day stay, the invited speaker delivers a one-hour seminar, meets one on one with labs and graduate students, and hosts a skills or discussion-based workshop. The seminar usually highlights the speakers' scientific achievements, while the workshop focuses on other complementary skills or life experiences.

Going forward, the Biology Graduate Caucus is committed to nominating and inviting a variety of scientists; keeping in mind the diversity of voices that exist in science and Biology. We all benefit from a diversity of role models, and many of us (students) are further encouraged by being able to see and interact with such scientific leaders that we can more personally identify with. Furthermore, it's important that our hosted speakers also reflect the diversity of subjects that are encompassed in the Biology Department: molecules to ecosystems, and curiosity-based or applied science.

Past Fall & Spring Grad Hosted Speakers

Fall
2021	Dr. Andrea Reid	University of British Columbia
2019	Dr. Elena Bennett	McGill University
2018	Dr. Sara Brownell	Arizona State University
2017	Dr. Ray Huey	University of Washington
Spring 2023	Dr. Noah Ashley	Western Kentucky University
2020	Dr. Christine Bishop	Pacific Wildlife Research Centre
2018	Dr. Trevor Branch	University of Washington
2017	Dr. Meg Lowman	California Academy of Sciences
2016	Dr. Jeff Hutchings	Dalhousie University
2015	Dr. Tyrone Hayes	University of California at Berkeley
2014	Dr. Marc Mangel	University of California at Santa Cruz
2013	Nancy Baron	COMPASS
2012	Dr. Daniel Pauly	University of British Columbia
2011	Dr. Don Mackay	Trent University
2010	Dr. David Conover	Stony Brook University
2009	Dr. Locke Rowe	University of Toronto
2005	Dr. Robert Ricklefs	University of Missouri at St. Louis