In this issue, I interview a fairly new professor at the university of Waterloo. Evelyn Yim is part of the department of Chemical Engineering, and does a lot of research related to biological systems and nanotechnology. She is extremely passionate about her research, and has an impressive background education. I was lucky enough to sit down with her and discuss her position at Waterloo.
How long have you been teaching at Waterloo?
I’ve only been teaching here for 1 year, but I have been faculty in Singapore for 8.5 years.
How was your time in Singapore?
I’ve been to a lot of places, and usually people ask where I’m from. It’s a long answer. I was born in Hong Kong, and moved to Canada. I did my grad school in USA, then went to Singapore. It’s very nice, and extremely different from Canada. However, they are both multicultural. Lots of Singapore-born Chinese, as well as Malaysians, Indians, and other Asians. The main language is English. Also, the food is REALLY good, and I’m actually going back next week to visit. You can find food anywhere, any time. If Canada’s national sport is hockey, I’d say Singapore’s is eating and shopping. There are a lot of opportunities for travel, which was good for collaborations. It was also relatively cheap. In terms of school and work, it’s a very good place to work due to a lot of hard working people. They’re almost always working. Although I liked it a lot due to the diversity and opportunity there, my family is here in Canada, so being here makes me happy too.
What courses do you teach?
I teach 2 courses: NE489 (Special Topics in Nanoscale Biosystems) and a chemical engineering graduate course, CHE760 (Special Topics in Biochemical Engineering).
What is your favourite course to teach?
I can’t really decide, since it’s about the same. Similar topics are introduced in each course because both focus on research, specifically my research in biomedical engineering. However, the focuses are different. The nano course is more focused on design and concept. You identify a problem and propose a solution to solve the problem. The grad course, on the other hand, is more knowledge based. Since they’re graduate students, there’s more reports, writing, etc. The class dynamic is also very different.
How’d you end up as prof?
I always knew I wanted to research. I knew what I wanted to do, and I knew how to do it. It was going to be related to the biomedical field, and I wanted to do research. I figured all this out during my last year of undergrad. I drifted towards academia, and just took the different opportunities that came my way. Now I’m here, doing my research and teaching my students what I love.
Favourite part of being a professor?
I like both research and teaching. Doing research and academia is my favourite because I get the freedom to follow my own path, so it’s perfect. Lots of work, but I really like it, so everything’s fine. In terms of teaching, the teacher student interaction (in class, outside class, in lab, et cetera) is fun.
Hardest part?
Bureaucracy is painful, but its everywhere. I guess it’s not hard being a prof, but different types of challenge occur at different stages of my career. Paperwork may be difficult for some, but I don’t find it too bad. Not painful after a while, since you get used to it. However, sometimes things we do in faculty are activities we don’t have training for. Eg. management of lab, starting up business, et cetera. There’s a lot of learning on the job as we go onwards. New challenges come up all the time.
What is your teaching philosophy?
I would say, for students in a sense, different generations are different. Catering to each individual is hard, and you have to remain student-centric. Learning goals are set for the class, so I make sure the method used in class is helpful for learning goals. Not just course material, but I also want to make sure things are useful so they can apply them later in life outside of class. Ten years later, you won’t remember everything you’ve learned, but hopefully they still know stuff from my course, then I’ll be happy.
If you weren’t a professor, what would you be doing?
Hard to say. I’ve wanted to go biomedical since I was in high school. So I’d be involved in something that area, maybe industry. I’d probably try new things like med school, dentistry, et cetera; so long as I was in that area. Other than that, my faculty friends talk about their hobbies, and second careers after retirement, and I can never relate because I wouldn’t know. It’s too tough for me to choose.
So interviews are upcoming. Do you have any tips for 1B students?
Start to search EARLY. A lot of the positions are first come first serve. Secondly, try everything, especially something you like. Be happy, and positive with something you like and have a good attitude. In terms of interview, be prepared, and use the Tatham centre to your advantage. Things I have seen in the past other from Waterloo students is that they were not prepared. Know about the company beforehand. During interview, it might not be that fancy or uptight, so let your potential employer that you’re passionate to learn and you’re open to learn whatever is coming your way. Whatever they can teach you, you’ll learn.
Can you share three tips for undergrads?
- Make a lot of friends! Know your friends and build your network. These are lifelong friends. Could also be business partner, spouse, et cetera. Just know them well.
- Waterloo is good on this, but in general, still a lot of undergrads realize they need reference after graduation. Ask for references and reference letters! For your first job/grad school, these are super important and can come in handy.
- Studying is important, but make sure you have fun and have university life. After you start working, it will not be the same. You won’t have the same opportunity to enjoy what you have now.
What is your favourite memory of your undergrad?
It was very enjoyable, I had a lot of good friends. I remember having a design project, it was a fun experience because everyone spent time in the lab and worked together. It was a good bonding experience. I guess it was also the first time we really made something and used something we learned in class to make it. But overall, it was most memorable because of my friends.
Anything else?
Just work hard and enjoy university!
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