Thursday, August 27, 2009

Interview with a TAG staff member - #3

It's time for our third and final interview with one of the TAG staff members. This time, we are learning from Laura Park what it's like to be involved with the project.

What are you taking in school? What year are you entering?

I am going into the last (4th) year of my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, and my program consists of a Psychology and Human Biology Double major with a Physiology minor.

What made you apply to be a research assistant for Spit for Science?

First of all, who doesn’t want to be a part of a team called Spit for Science? More importantly, as a science student, I have always had interest in scientific research, learning about it at school. This research assistant position is an excellent opportunity for a student like me to actually be a part of the real research process and work with other students from different universities who have similar interests.

What is your favourite part of the job?

I love seeing the different reactions from children and parents when we ask for their spit, but my favourite aspect of the job may be the fact that I get the opportunity to fulfill children’s curiosity in science, especially the topic of genes. We get to meet all sorts of personalities; shy kids who would turn around to spit so we won’t be able to see them, or some who are able to fill up the test tube with saliva in one shot. All of this combined with the ethnic diversity of visitors coming to the Ontario Science Centre everyday makes it a fascinating work environment.

Why are you interested in science?

I have always been interested in science because it explains the world around us. Everything we do in a day involves science; what we eat and how our body regulates it, how we cook our food, how we learn at school, how cars work, how the sun rises…..it’s endless. It’s fascinating because science explains all the mechanics behind what we take for granted in our everyday lives. Also, science is interesting because it is such a dynamic field. It is never static; there are always new scientific findings to explore.

What surprising thing have you learned about yourself so far this summer, or what new skill have you learned this summer?

I have always been afraid of giving speeches or presentations in front of a large group of people. However, by giving hot spot presentations about genes and the TAG project at the Ontario Science Centre, I have been able to overcome my stage fear. Also, not having any younger siblings, I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to interact with young children. I was surprised and excited to see my energy and enthusiasm, combined with that of other TAG team members contributing to the project - attracting and recruiting children and adolescents, helping them play the computer game, and encouraging them to salivate in all sorts of ways particularly through vivid descriptions of their favourite food!

Exciting news - over 6000 participants!


We are happy to report that we have had over 6000 kids and teens "Spit for Science!" As always, a big thank you to everyone who has participated so far.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Stay tuned for a first look at the data...

Our database manager and the investigators have been busy looking at the survey data collected from participants during the early stages of the study. Check back in the upcoming week or so for a first look at some of the findings!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Interview with a TAG staff member - #2

As mentioned in an earlier blog posting, we asked several staff members about their experiences working on the Spit for Science project, so that blog readers can learn more about what it's like to be involved in research and science. Our second interview is with Kayla Hamel.

What are you taking in school? What year are you entering?

I am going into 3rd year at McGill University and I'm studying psychology.


What made you apply to be a research assistant for Spit for Science?

I decided to apply for a research assistant position for Spit for Science because I wanted research experience in my field of interest, psychology, and this opportunity seemed especially perfect for me because I love kids!


What is your favourite part of the job?

My favourite part of the job is interacting with children and their families and getting them excited about science!


Why are you interested in science?

I love science because I love to learn about the way things work. Science teaches us so much about the real world and how it all works!


What surprising thing have you learned about yourself so far this summer, or what new skill have you learned this summer?

This job has taught me how to work as part of a team. University teaches you how to work independently, so this job was refreshing in that we worked as a group and all made unique contributions. In the future, I will feel much more comfortable working with new people and as a team player!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

WOW - over 4000 participants!


We are very happy to report that to date we have had 4013 children and teens take part in our research. Thank you to everyone who has participated, we hope that your experience taking part in a real life science project was an exciting and fun one!