Lisa McDonnell

Lisa is one of the new guest authors for this blog. She is exploring video and other ways to explain science concepts. Please give her a warm welcome!

One of the reasons I love science so much is that you can use it in so many ways. My career in science thus far has involved many different activities, all of which I have enjoyed, including research, teaching, and a bit of project management. I have been involved in research for many years, completing my MSc and PhD in biology-biotechnology. I’ve studied genes, the proteins they code for, and many things in between (cell biology, plant physiology, fluorescence microscopy to image protein complexes, DNA, RNA, tissue culture, genetic transformations, you name it!). Along the way I had the opportunity to explore teaching at pre- and post-secondary levels.

Teaching science is so much fun! Teaching definitely kept me going through the (sometimes) dark days of PhD research. We cannot ignore that science is all around us: it influenced history, it is affecting our lives now, and it will continue to influence our futures. One reason I love science education is because I think it’s very important for people to have the opportunity to learn about science, and to have access to the information and resources they need to gain this knowledge. As a scientist and educator I want to provide some of the information that can help others learn about a science. One new way that I’m exploring science education is by making short videos to explain some genetics concepts or experiments.

First video: DNA extraction