{"id":94027,"date":"2024-06-18T14:33:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T18:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=94027"},"modified":"2024-06-19T00:22:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T04:22:05","slug":"math-and-science-awards-recognize-teaching-research-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2024\/06\/math-and-science-awards-recognize-teaching-research-excellence\/","title":{"rendered":"Math and Science awards recognize teaching, research excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the first day he lectured at Brock University, Ali Emami caught himself searching for a seat among the students instead of heading to the front of the auditorium to teach the course.<\/p>\n

Having recently completed his PhD, he felt more like a fellow learner than the educator.<\/p>\n

The moment was the catalyst for a vow he made to approach teaching with passion, relevance and a student-like curiosity for learning. He believes that philosophy led him to receiving the 2024 Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences (FMS) Excellence in Teaching Award less than three years later.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I get older, I\u2019ll naturally relate less to the students, but I\u2019ll never forget that I belong there in the auditorium with them,\u201d says the Assistant Professor of Computer Science. \u201cMy students often say it’s as if I\u2019m really on their side. I stop myself in the middle of my lecture and metaphorically go and sit with them to see the lecture through their eyes. I gauge their reactions, thoughts and feelings and ask them for their opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emami fell in love with natural language processing during his PhD studies but felt he had limited opportunities as a student to share his enthusiasm. As a professor, he can passionately highlight his research interests, which focus on the development of intelligent machines for everyday use. He hopes to enhance large language models for better communication, reasoning and practical application, ensuring they are trustworthy and effective.<\/p>\n

While he initially held back from referencing his research in his lectures, the feedback Emami received from students affirmed that his enthusiasm inspires them to be passionate about their own aspirations, even if they aren\u2019t directly connected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be afraid of being proud and passionate about our field, thinking it\u2019s not relevant to others, because the common denominator we share is our passion for our own work and interests,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Emami also incorporates different teaching methods into his courses. In Internet Technologies (COSC 2P89) for example, he supplements theoretical lessons by demonstrating code in real time on a projected screen and leads an improv-like coding session every other week in which students take turns trying to solve a coding problem with each adding on to the previous student\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps students to develop the muscle memory needed for coding,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I think they like the challenge and uncertainty of it. We don\u2019t always solve the problem. But we\u2019re all working on it together and encouraging each other, which makes the experience much more engaging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also recognized this year is Professor of Chemistry Tony Yan, who received the 2024 FMS Research Excellence Award.<\/p>\n

\"Brock

Tony Yan, Professor of Chemistry, is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty of Mathematics and Science Research Excellence Award.<\/p><\/div>\n

As a synthetic organic chemist, Yan focuses his research on the chemistry, biochemistry and biophysics of nucleic acids, which are biomolecules that are crucial in all living organisms. His work involves chemically modifying nucleic acids to introduce what is not natural to them to better understand their structures and how they function in the biological system.<\/p>\n

Some of his work has involved chemically synthesizing a type of nucleic acid called cyclic dinucleotides to examine their ability to augment immune responses in mammalian species.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe compounds turned out to be outstanding adjuvants for vaccines that are given mucosally \u2014 administered through nasal spray or orally \u2014 instead of through injections,\u201d he says. \u201cHistorically, it has been really challenging to induce immune response mucosally with vaccines without the use of killed or attenuated pathogens.\u201d<\/p>\n

More recently, Yan has become interested in understanding how nucleic acids behave in conditions that represent those typically found in biological systems rather than the \u201coverly simplified diluted conditions\u201d he says are used in experiments. With 30 to 40 per cent of cell\u2019s cytoplasmic fluid occupied by molecules, he says the environment in cells is much more \u201ccrowded\u201d than the conditions used in most investigations.<\/p>\n

Yan says this research could have real-world implications, potentially impacting how medicinal chemistry is conducted and how pharmaceutical companies can improve the way they identify new drug candidates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drug discovery process has become so expensive, and the failure rates are so high, that the industry is hoping for different ways to look at this process,\u201d he says. \u201cAn understanding of the differences in the structures and properties of biomolecules in diluted and crowded conditions offers the potential to optimize the drug discovery process where the conditions more accurately represent what actually happens in the cellular environment where these drugs operate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emami and Yan were presented with their awards at a FMS gathering Tuesday, June 18. Also recognized at the event were:<\/p>\n