Sci Talks | Science

Calling all Alumni and Friends!

Welcome to our Sci Talks... a great online event featuring some of our very own science alumni. This edition of Sci Talks takes on a chemistry focus as we highlight our chemistry and biochemistry alumni discussing projects close to their heart.

Our host for this Sci Talks is Alan Viau, PhD '84 (chemistry)

Alan Viau has over 30 years of experience in the Management of the Science, Information Technology and Creative Arts sectors. He worked 18 years in the private sector for Hewlett-Packard, Corel Corporation, and Xerox and finished off his professional career spending 15 years working with the federal government, mostly at Health Canada.

Our 3-5 minute presentations include:

Raman Spectroscopy and its role in fighting the Opioid Overdose Crisis

Maarij Baig BSc'16 (biochemistry)
Chief Scientific Officer at Spectra Plasmonics

Maarij is an innovator in life sciences with 8 years of experience in biological sensors and diagnostics. Maarij co-founded Medella Health and was the Chief Scientific Officer from 2013-2020 assisting the company with developing the world’s first non-enzymatic (solid-state) sensor capable of detecting glucose in neutral pH media. Currently, Maarij serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at Spectra Plasmonics, where he leads the research and development division in designing Raman spectroscopy solutions for point-of-care settings to overcome the many problems facing our communities.

Specialists vs. Generalists – the need for both and higher education’s role in training them

Patrick Diep, BSc '17 (biochemistry)
Founder & Program Director of the Canadian Synthetic Biology Education Research Group

Patrick is a knowledge integrator and founder. He was involved in a number of activities and clubs during his undergrad, the most important being the UW iGEM team where his involvement has continued as an advisor, mentor and competition judge for the iGEM community. He continues to advocate for the use of Synthetic Biology to solve some of the toughest issues facing our planet. Patrick is the founder and current program director of CSBERG, the Canadian Synthetic Biology Education Research Group. He is also a co-founder for Lyrata, a start-up engineering reusable 3D-printable grow media to help hydroponic crop farmers reduce their waste while diversifying the crops they could grow. Patrick balances both of these exciting roles while completing his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto where he was recently recognized for his research placing 3rd at the 60th Conference of Metallurgists hosted by the Metallurgy Society.

Scientific Methodology and Critical Thinking in the Steel Industry

Michael McCracken, BSc '02 (biochemistry)
Process Specialist, Algoma Steel Inc.

Michael is a 4^th generation Steelworker with Algoma Steel Inc., a fully integrated steel producer based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Graduating from the Honours Biochemistry program Michael began his career with Algoma as a Development Chemist, Quality Assurance & Technical Services and has progressed over the past 16 years to become a Process Specialist. Michael is a proud UW alumnus and while his work today is outside of a laboratory setting, it was the Biochemistry program that provided him with the analytical tools and critical thinking necessary to be successful in the Steel Industry.