Bachelor of Science (Honours), Life Science, Minor in Sustainability • McMaster University

Bio

Yinan was born in China and came to Toronto, Canada when she was 12 years old. Ever since she was young she always preferred being surrounded by nature. Her love for science leads her to pursue an Honors Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University. She developed her interest in sustainability through her curiosity towards behavioral ecology, which allowed her to sustain a position working as a student researcher at ABEL ( Aquatic Behavioral Ecology Lab) at McMaster where she had the firsthand experience in developing and learning about species fitness in relation to the surrounding environment by enumerating and categorizing different reproductive stages. Through this experience, she was made aware of the impact of man-made changes to the natural environment. She is determined to be part of the solution.

As an undergraduate student, she often partakes in opportunities that can further deepen her knowledge in current sustainability efforts. Serving as a Coordinator of McMaster’s MACgreen club, she found the importance of sustainability in everyday life. The simple ideas of prolonging a product’s lifetime can create a positive ripple effect in the community and encourage student’s participation in these events.

 Volunteering as a business development associate for Sustainable Hamilton and Burlington, gave her the confidence in delivering what she has learned in class into practice. During this experience, she reached out to business in the Hamilton and Burlington area to join their effort in the creation of the climate action toolkit. She went to networking events, attended conferences and made other efforts to reach out to business. 

Outside of academics, Yinan has a variety of hobbies. She currently practices Muay Thai regularly and she also enjoys other physical activities such as hiking and swimming. She enjoys music and can often find her playing around on her guitar trying to learn a new song. Yinan is always learning and discovering new wonders in life.