Corree Laule Honoured with 2024 Killam Teaching Prize

November 20, 2024
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Field trip to STEMCELL Technologies (July 2024, photo is courtesy of STEMCELL Technologies https://www.stemcell.com/)

The PHAS Department extends heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Corree Laule for being awarded the 2024 Killam Teaching Prize. This prestigious accolade honors her exceptional work in creating and advancing the innovative seed2STEM summer research program for Indigenous youth, which began in 2018. This program empowers Indigenous students with hands-on laboratory, research, and project planning experiences, offering them full autonomy over their learning journey.

Corree holds appointments in the Departments of Radiology, and Pathology& Laboratory Medicine within the UBC Faculty of Medicine, and she is an associate member of PHAS. She is also Associate Director of Education & Training at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD). With a Ph.D. in physics and 27 years of expertise in nuclear magnetic resonance and imaging, her research spans a wide range of topics including brain and spinal cord disorders, MRI, neurodegeneration, and multiple sclerosis.
 

seed2STEM

The seed2STEM program, initiated by Corree and her ICORD colleague Cheryl Niamath in 2018, aims to inspire and support Indigenous high school students by providing them with paid research placements. The program was designed in response to a lack of Indigenous representation in STEM fields and the need for early exposure to these disciplines. Initially starting with just one student, the program has grown significantly, with 60 participants in 2024 successfully placed in science and engineering research labs at UBC-Vancouver and UBC-Okanagan.

Through collaborations with ICORD, UBC's Faculty of Medicine, the School of Biomedical Engineering, the Departments of Radiology and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Provincial Health Services Authority, Centre for Disease Control, Gynecologic Cancer Initiative and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, seed2STEM offers students experience in areas such as engineering, chemistry, clinical research, environmental science, cancer, and medical imaging. It also includes a comprehensive curriculum that fosters communication, teamwork, and research skills, culminating in a research poster presentation.

Global Orthopaedics hands-on interactive demonstration of cast setting and removal (July 2024, photo courtesy of ICORD at https://orthopaedics.med.ubc.ca/about/global-orthopaedics/)

Corree’s commitment to creating a positive and inclusive STEM environment is further supported by cultural safety and trauma-informed training sessions for lab members hosting seed2STEM students. These workshops are led by Sam Nock, Educational Resource Developer from the UBC Centre for Teaching and Learning Indigenous Initiatives. seed2STEM also includes part-time Indigenous support workers in both Vancouver and Kelowna to assist students with any personal issues while in the program.

For Corree, this program is more about kids getting a positive experience in STEM than counting how many seed2STEM participants go on to post-secondary education in science-related fields (even though many are). As she states: “If students decide STEM isn’t for them, that’s ok. But at least they’ve had a chance to try it in a fun, supportive environment. So if they choose to go in a different direction, it’s not because they didn’t feel welcome, or because they think they can’t do it.”

End of program poster celebration session (August 2024, photo courtesy of ICORD)

This Killam award is one of a series of significant honors for Corree especially as she has recently been promoted to full professor and received a mentorship award through UBC Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. As a role model for women in STEM, she is passionate about demonstrating that leadership and success are attainable for everyone. Although she prefers to work behind the scenes, Corree is proud of the recognition and sees it as an opportunity to highlight the importance of seed2STEM. Despite the program’s funding challenges, she is dedicated to ensuring its continued success and hopes other institutions will adopt similar models.

We commend Corree’s belief in the innate scientific curiosity within everyone, which drives her commitment to Indigenous education and mentorship, making the seed2STEM program one of her most cherished accomplishments.

Congratulations again, Corree!

 

Killam Trust

Founded in 1965 by Dorothy and Izaak Killam, the Killam Trusts support institutions such as UBC, the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, Dalhousie University, the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University, and the Canada Council for the Arts. The Killam Teaching Prizes are awarded annually to recognize outstanding teaching and to provide financial support for research, scholarship, and teaching. Recipients are selected based on their potential to contribute to the advancement of learning and the global dissemination of knowledge.

 

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