Daniel’s story
Having already been lucky enough to have the chance to talk with Laura Schmidt-Hong about her experiences with GTL in Wales, we were also fortunate to have the opportunity to talk to Daniel Zhang, another instructor from the GTL in in Wales 2022 cohort, about his experiences through the initiative. Looking to further build on his past teaching experiences, whose values of hands-on learning are highly compatible with GTL in Wales’ principles of education, Daniel has played a key role in developing sessions and workshops for the programme throughout Wales. Keep reading to learn more about how Daniel fits into this uniquely transformative programme!
Tell us a little about yourself and your journey in education so far!
Hello! My name is Daniel and I recently graduated from MIT with a bachelor of science in Biology. I’m originally from the sunshine state of California in San Diego, and I’m really passionate about scientific research and STEM outreach. Throughout my time at MIT, I conducted scientific research in Professor Tyler Jacks' Lab at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, helping to develop better genetic models of cancer. For the latter, I served as Co-Director of dynaMIT, a STEM outreach organisation that provides underprivileged students in the Greater Boston Area with opportunities to pursue science through hands-on activities. I’ve also co-founded a non-profit organisation, Future African Scientist, dedicated to providing mentorship and the foundational research skills to aspiring scientists and engineers in Africa. In my free time, I enjoy travelling to new places, playing and watching basketball, and listening to audiobooks!
How do you fit into the nexus of the GTL programme?
Through MIT’s Global Teaching Labs, I’ve had an opportunity to work with two amazing schools: Garth Olwg and Cardiff and Vale College. In particular, I helped lead interactive lectures on topics of human physiology, chemistry, and environmental science to pupils (Year 5 to Year 13). Rather than focusing on rote memorisation, I instead encouraged the learners to think critically about the various topics, and how they ultimately relate to the real world. I was excited to embrace MIT’s motto of learning through “mens et manus” to find common ground with the learners and inspire them to learn more!
Are there any sessions that have particularly stood out for you as an instructor?
This is definitely a tough one as I truly loved working with all the learners and classes. However, one in particular that stands out was a session I delivered on Biodiversity to secondary school students at Garth Olwg. Through this session, the learners had an opportunity to learn about the earth’s biodiversity, ways to measure diversity (e.g. Simpson’s reciprocal index), as well as threats to biodiversity. The learners were super engaged the entire time and asked fantastic questions. It was very inspiring to see the way they approached a topic that was fairly new to them, and even come up with their own ideas at the end on how certain lifestyle changes could aid in our global effort against biodiversity loss. Another highlight of the programme was getting featured in Cardiff and Vales’ Spotify Podcast “The Voice,” discussing the importance of global collaboration in sustainability. You can find a link to the podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1eI5XiZMNTUhmPmuuSPDbM?si=2b5229b0dbc847fa
How have you managed the combination of online and in-person teaching?
The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably had a significant impact on all of us, but some silver linings were the opportunity to really bolster our virtual teaching infrastructure! Despite the in-person GTL Wales program being cancelled due to the omicron variant, I felt very fortunate to still continue to mentor online via Zoom and Teams. I think there are some aspects of in-person learning that are really hard to replicate, such as the group work dynamics, interactive teaching, and the personalised nature of being in a classroom. However, it was incredible seeing how many of those attributes were still able to be adopted by the virtual platform. There were also some advantages to the virtual setup, such as the opportunity for students who are typically more shy to participate through the chat box. Overall, I believe the transition from online to in-person teaching worked out well, and I’m tremendously happy that many of the students were able to learn more about different topics in my disciplines of interest.
Do you have any advice for students looking to apply for degrees in your subject-areas?
As a biology student and aspiring physician scientist, I would encourage students to always stay curious and to seek out opportunities to learn more about the subject. For instance, I would highly recommend them pursue some activities in the laboratory. Being able to step foot in a research laboratory allowed me to translate the seemingly abstract concepts I learned in class into tangible reality – and come up with questions that no one else in the world has asked before. Having strong analytical skills is also very helpful when pursuing a degree in the biological sciences, as this will allow you to dissect the complexities of the surrounding world. Further, throughout my life, I’ve realised the importance of seeking out mentors. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had an incredible set of professors and teachers who have shaped me into the person I am today – and that couldn’t have been achieved without making an active effort to connect with them.
