BIOCAPS Spotlight: Bee Tan
Technician for Undergraduate Teaching Labs
BIOCAPS Spotlight is a new regular feature about people in BMB & CPS and their outstanding work. Meet faculty and staff members from across the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences!
Bee Tan, our undergraduate teaching lab technician, has been the heart of our hands-on Biochemistry courses for 29 years.
Each year, around 200 students work and learn in our lab spaces. Bee’s work is crucial in the delivery of these practical courses efficiently, safely and reliably. Her meticulous planning, organization, and preparation are critical to our ability to offer valuable, advanced lab experiences and first-person learning for students. Beyond simply helping deliver our teaching content, Bee’s exceptional abilities as a research technician have been vital in ongoing development of new experimental procedures and lab projects.
Bee’s positive attitude, dedication and skill have been essential in our ability to offer high quality laboratory training and she is an invaluable part of the teaching team.
Tell us about your role as the Technician for Undergraduate Teaching Labs.
I manage and provide technical support to the two Biochemistry Undergraduate Teaching labs. In addition, I am involved in developing new teaching experiments for the fourth-year lab.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I usually start the day by organizing the student labs, setting up lab equipment and ensuring there are sufficient reagents for the students prior to start of the labs. I spend the rest of the day planning future experiments, ordering supplies, preparing reagents and carrying out prelab tests to validate reagents and experiments are working properly.
What is the favorite part about working for the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and UBC?
My favourite part about working for the department is the opportunity to continuously learn and grow.
Three words to best describe you
Organized, dependable and responsible.