Student Resources

*NEW

Book each biology run space ⇒ click on the room number:

TA Office     DV2017   DV3019   DV4022

In addition to the TA office, DV2017, DV3019 and DV4022 are available. The capacity for each room is 3 people and bookings are not available over the lunch period (12-1) to allow for all users to access the fridge and warm up food. You may book it for one hour at a time, but can make multiple back-to-back bookings if you need to use the space for longer period on a given day.
Individuals utilizing these spaces must adhere to the following:
  • Access by T-Card
  • Utilize booking system to ensure max capacity of the room is not exceeded
  • Do not remove furniture from the room
  • Utilize sanitizer and disinfection wipes when necessary . For example, after using a shared appliance in the kitchen area.
  • Unless eating or drinking, a mask must be worn at all times
These spaces will be monitored to ensure proper practices are being followed. If non-compliance becomes an issue, these spaces may no longer be available for use by Departments.  Rooms are shared with Chemical & Physical Sciences and Psychology as appropriate.  To make a booking in one of the rooms please access the booking links above.  In addition, you will require T-Card access to these rooms, please email stephanie.dorego@utoronto.ca (UTORID and lab affiliation) if you foresee using one of the rooms. T-Card activations are currently processing in about 3-5 days.

Graduate students within the Department of Biology at UTM follow the rules and policies set out by both their affiliated graduate department and the School of Graduate Studies.
Graduate student life involves a wide range of activities that change in relative importance throughout the course of their program. Productive working relationships with supervisors, supervisory committee members, graduate students, staff, etc. are all of importance for success as graduate students proceed throughout their program. Notwithstanding the aforementioned rules and policies, the UTM Department of Biology would like to ensure that we provide an environment for graduate student success. Therefore, we would like to help graduate students identify and resolve problems that may arise. These problems might involve aspects such as academic, personal, and/or financial issues, and it is important to tackle any potential problem early, before it becomes untenable.
To help graduate students determine how to resolve their questions or avoid potential problems, the Department of Biology has identified four departmental members with whom they can discuss the issue of concern: the Chair, the Associate Chairs, and Departmental Manager. Please remember that we also encourage every graduate student to continue to discuss these types of issues with their supervisor, supervisory committee members, and/or peers.
Steven Short
Associate Professor, Chair of UTM Biology
Stephanie Melo
Manager, Operations & Finance

The Biology TA Handbook is a resource for Biology TAs, developed through the joint efforts of Cindy Short (Lab Coordinator), Fiona Rawle (Associate Professor, Teaching Stream), Christoph Richter (Associate Professor, Teaching Stream) and Diane Matias (Undergraduate Advisor).

The University of Toroonto has a myriad of resources for Teaching Assistants to draw upon in order to enhance their effectiveness as well as to make the most of their teaching experience. The goal of this handbook, therefore, was not to fill a gap, but rather to make it easier to benefit from these resources by collecting, and streamlining, them into a single place.

The handbook contains information that will hopefully be of value to both new Teaching Assistants as well as those with years of experience. As a first introduction to the Teaching Assistant role, this handbook will help new Teaching Assistants to better understand and prepare for the challenge of teaching for the first time. For seasoned Teaching Assistants, the handbook can serve as a refresher, an opportunity to reflect upon previous experiences and a source of useful information. Regardless of experience, the handbook will encourage Teaching Assistants to think critically about their teaching style and how they can maximize the experience for both themselves and their students.

As feedback on this resource is welcomed as the handbook is intended to be a living document that will evolve over time, please email it to biology.utm@utoronto.ca

Read the Biology TA Handbook

The Biology Graduate Student Society (BGSS) represents all graduate students within the Department of Biology at UTM. The BGSS membership is made up of students from diverse labs, backgrounds, and degree stages who work together with faculty and various departmental committees to continually improve the academic and social life of the department.

Events run by BGSS include but are not limited to: a welcome event to introduce incoming students to their new community at the start of the academic year; a fall retreat to the Koffler Scientific Reserve that includes career workshops and social activities to promote community building; monthly birthday celebrations; weekly Friday Socials; spring volunteer trips to the Riverwood Conservancy; and periodic events throughout the year including coding workshops, Bad Science Movie Nights, and grad student research talks.