Zoom a Grad Student
About
Zoom a Grad Student is a virtual outreach initiative, connecting high school students in the GTA to graduate students in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.
Contact: mbpcommunityoutreach@gmail.com
Request a session: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdN8QBpt-TIW-laO8q3epx0BgyYD1dkgZf5T5zbkmaw3-9Igw/viewform?usp=sf_link
What’s the purpose of this program?
To give high school students an inside look at the life of a full-time researcher.
Most high school students understand what a doctor or a dentist does every day. Other scientific careers, such as cell biologist or medical physicist, are mysteries. We aim to show your students what it’s like to perform research as a full-time job; to give them insight into the day-to-day life of a graduate student; and to talk about the scientific careers that they could pursue after earning a BSc., an MSc., or a PhD.
What does a typical session look like?
Two graduate students from the Department of Medical Biophysics will be matched with your classroom for a 60-minute session. The first 30 minutes will see the graduate students give an informal presentation, covering:
- The structure of graduate school and research laboratories.
- Their own stories of how they ended up pursuing graduate degrees and how they got into research.
- Their current research projects.
- Careers that are available after earning a BSc., MSc., or PhD.
The last 30 minutes are an open Q&A with your students. The conversation here tends to be free-flowing, driven by the individual classroom. For example, some classrooms are very interested in hearing about the undergraduate experience, whereas others have spent their time on an in-depth discussion on the physics of time travel.
Who are the graduate students my classroom will be matched with?
Our graduate students come from the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Research topics in this Department range from basic cell biology to the physics of magnetic resonance imaging, so we are well equipped to speak to a variety of student interests and topics. More information about the Department's research can be found here: https://medbio.utoronto.ca/research.
We are a group of students with diverse backgrounds, identities, and career aspirations. The graduate students matched with your classroom will ultimately depend on the availability of all parties, with various lived experiences sure to be represented.
Do high school students enjoy these sessions?
Yes! In feedback collected from classrooms thus far, all teachers have rated their general satisfaction with our program 5/5.
"The facilitators were fantastic! They were very engaging and enthusiastic about what they do, and it was clear that they had an interest in connecting with the students. They took the time to answer each student's question(s) with thought and care. The topics of their research were also extremely relevant to what students have been learning in class so that was a great bonus!" – Grade 12 class from Malvern CI.
"Everyone was engaged throughout the presentation and they answered a lot of questions that people had. They also made their research approachable and easy to understand." – Grade 11 class from Earl Haig Secondary.
"Just a big thank you. You were so well spoken and approachable." – Grade 9 class from Northview Heights Secondary.
How do I sign up for a session?
Fill out our request form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdN8QBpt-TIW-laO8q3epx0BgyYD1dkgZf5T5zbkmaw3-9Igw/viewform?usp=sf_link. Someone from our program will be in touch within 72 hours to confirm a match.
We look forward to speaking with your students!