In collaboration with the Biochemistry Undergraduate Student Society (BUSS), we had the pleasure of inviting Gairdner Award recipient, Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou to speak about his path from working with CRISPR to winning the prestigious Gairdner award. Dr. Barrangou shared many tips on searching for the path that’s right for us and spoke about ways to achieve success and satisfaction in building our careers – ranging from setting goals to drawing out venn diagrams and writing tweets!

In succession was Board Games Night! Pizza, sandwiches and fries were served and there were so many board games to choose from. Kevin’s favourite game was definitely an old time, classic, Twister. Funny how the twister board seemed to be much larger when we were younger. Many LMP students came out to enjoy some great classics such as Scrabble, Yahtzee and Cards Against Humanity. You can never be too old for any of these games.

Since there were so many good photos to choose from, please enjoy this slideshow of pics from the seminar and board games night!

Some extra fun ones:

It was a cool and windy Tuesday afternoon and the med sci room begins to fill with eager LMP students. As they sit, they chatted amongst themselves,
meeting their mentors/mentees for the first time and the conversations buzzed on. As the execs are busy setting up the projector, we were joined by Dr. Templeton and Dr. Gotlieb.

We jumped right into exec introductions followed by a warm welcoming to the LMP program from both Dr. Templeton and Dr. Gotlieb. Remember guys: LMP is the name but pathobiology is the game.

This year, it was great to see many second year students attending the meeting and also running for an exec position. Each candidate had 2 minutes to introduce themselves and tell us what they hope to bring to the LMPSU this year. We began with the candidates for the 2^nd year reps, who were all very eloquent and enthusiastic speakers. Next up were the graphic designers and the competition was tough. All candidates were very well prepared whether it was showing us their previous graphic design work or a short speech on their philosophy and approach to design.

Candidates for 3^rd year rep and social committee member were also quite fierce. Each candidate was well equipped with previous experiences in connecting students through event organization. Even when asked difficult two-part questions from Sudarshan (our co-pres), all candidates responded confidently with a multitude of well thought out answers. It is safe to say that there will be some hard decisions to make when casting our ballots this year!

As the elections forum came to an end, we all headed over the Regal Beagle for Pub Night! The food was great, but what made it a stellar night was the people. Everyone was having a great time hanging out with old friends while making new friends, and getting to know their mentors/mentees. All in all, it was a splendid night.

If you missed pub night or the general meeting, don’t fret. There will be more great activities throughout the year hosted by your very own LMPSU – so be sure to come out then!

Yours truly,

Tsz Ying

As school is slowly creeping up on us again, let us reminisce and celebrate the great memories we’ve made at the 2016 LMPSU Summer BBQ.

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As the warm smell of freshly grilled patties filled the air, eager faces (both old and new) lined the grass slopes of the UTSU quad in hungry anticipation of the LMPSU’s freshly made, home-cooked burgers (from Costco)

Grilled by our very own Internal Affairs Officer, veteran BBQ chef, and all-round awesome guy, Alan Huynh, the annual LMPSU BBQ burgers were the perfect way to welcome in the new academic year, and of course, our incoming 2nd year LMP students (welcome!).
The tight-knit LMP spirit was apparent from the very beginning, with faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students alike mingling and making easy conversation with each other. A game of badminton was quickly initiated, with three people to a team as the rules were overthrown in favor of inclusivity.

Finally, as the sun dipped lower towards the horizon, a great day came to a great end with a communal Campfire-Song song singalong (featuring the guest appearance of a guitar and the absence of a campfire). As we come out of the summer haze and head into the school year, one thing remains certain: this will be another amazing year to be in LMP!

~Summary Courtesy of Sudarshan Bala

Another year, another grill. A bright, warm day rich with the hues of summer flooded Hart House Circle. Air was filled with the brilliant whirls of BBQ smoke which harmoniously accompanied the laughter of all those who attended. The patterned shapes cast by the lush of idle trees danced across the sun tanned skins of current and new LMP students, grads and undergrads alike. And with that, a new year was welcomed.

After much anticipation, especially from the unforeseen weather conditions, LMPSU’s annual summer BBQ day was finally happening. With a great deal of careful planning, the exec team was ready to deliver mounds of free food. Literally. Handmade beef burgers crowded the grill, so fat that they had to be cut in half to ergonomically fit in to the bun and in our mouths. Both burgers and hotdogs were paired with bakery fresh buns, really making the occasion feel even more special. The grill was fearlessly handled by our External Affairs Officer, Frank Hyun, and Co-president Charles Lee (with the help from the ladies of the exec team of course 😉 ). Together, all meat proteins were safely denatured (wooho!).

The most exciting part of the event rolled around when our lovely, eager and fresh faced (soon to be stress filled, sleep deprived) incoming second years arrived! Naïve, relaxed and innocent, they reflected what we senior students once were. Enjoy it while it lasts, kids. Upper year LMP students flocked about and helped welcome the incoming LMPers to the family. Some great bonding moments were fantastically captured by our super pro Internal Affairs Officer, Ashley Zhang.

With the foreboding fall semester approaching, we encourage all LMP students to enjoy and appreciate what is left of the summer. Relax! Breath it all in while the air isn’t stabbing your lungs and giving you pneumonia. Oh wait that’s winter. But let’s be honest, fall lasts like maybe 2 months. Maybe.

We hope to see you all, especially new faces, at all our upcoming events. Stay tuned!

AND YES I, YOUR WEBMASTER, IS BACK. *puts shades on*

Till next time,

Lisa

A couple dozen LMP students gathered to what became an extremely engaging, interesting and open discussion of mental health among U of T students. Dr. Andrea Levinson and Janine Robb, psychiatrist in chief and executive director respectively of Health and Wellness U of T, gave a talk on the importance of discussing mental health, the different forms that mental illnesses can take on and the opportunities available for students seeking help. 

Accompanied by a plethora of pizza and soda, Dr. Levinson opened with addressing the different forms of mental illnesses including bipolar disorders, schizophrenia and depression. She introduced the premise that current undergraduate students are at a transitional stage, facing many changes in major events of their lives (ie. living on your own, university classes, new relationships etc.). Basically, for many, this time of our lives is like the more serious, more subtle second round of those cringe-worthy teenage years some of us may have gone through.

Whether it may seem like it or not, it’s an important time to erase stigma associated with poor mental health and openly acknowledge when there’s something not quite right. Fortunately, both speakers agreed that U of T students did exceptionally well in regards to mental health and overall well being despite the added amount of extra stress we face. However, the seminar touched on an important concept: even though an individual may be flourishing, they may still suffer mental illness regardless of how outwardly invisible it may be. Many such things may be difficult to treat but in general, Janine suggests that a daily dose of mindfulness in a quiet setting, devoid of technology (I know, the thought of leaving your phones/computers at bay must already by giving some of you anxiety) is critical in diluting stress and mental illness symptoms.

The health and wellness centre is attempting to reform their programs to accommodate more students and undertake a wider variety of issues. They offer many services for counselling, therapy and workshops. Visit their website at http://healthandwellness.utoronto.ca/.

Till next time,

Your webmaster, Lisa

Now that the 2014-2015 academic year is coming to a close, we will be hosting general elections for the next generation of LMPSU executive members. Come join the forum on our facebook event page! There you will find all candidates’ personal statements and their responses to your questions. This year we’ve got a lot of qualified candidates and tough competition. Make sure to exercise your right to vote on March 26 and March 28-30!