Cynthia Feng

Cynthia Feng has recently completed her MSc in the Faculty of Science [Biochemistry]. She began her journey as a TEAM peer mentor for the freshman physics course working for Professor Ken Ragan. Her involvement in student-centered pedagogies deepened when she was selected for the Students as Partners (SaP) in Higher Education Change Institute at McMaster University, part of the OSE project under the guidance of Professor Tamara Western and Director Marcy Slapcoff. Based on this experience, and still an undergraduate, Cynthia continued as a volunteer member of the Working Group on Students and Staff as Partners, the report presented at SALTISE 2019 conference. She is a founding member of the SciComm Collective, growing out of the Microbiology undergraduate student society. 

Cynthia has been involved with the FRezCa (Freshman Residence Cafeteria) initiative almost since its inception: first as a participating student learner, then as an undergraduate mentor, and upon graduation as a member of the administration team. Cynthia has been a key contributor to the creation of a Virtual FRezCa platform. She created a sense of community in an online environment by leading engagement and learning activities in a Virtual Café. As a graduate student, Cynthia became one of the central organizers of the entire FRezCa (Freshman Residence Cafeteria) program and expanded her efforts to support faculty in promoting learner-centered strategies and evidence-based pedagogical practice, on top of conducting her own MSc. research project in Biochemistry. She has been a student fellow at the Office of Science Education since 2019, and most recently involved in the design and implementation of the Virtual FRezCa TA and peer mentoring space. She has been a co-facilitator to SciLearn, McGill’s first Undergraduate Poster Showcase and involved with the BUGS (Biochemistry Undergraduate Society).