Document prepared by Bob Malyk, April 2018

The Robert J. Malyk Scholarship for Biology

The Robert J. Malyk Scholarship Prize for AP Biology (original name) was endowed in 2000 and the first presentation was made at the Prize Day ceremony in 2004 with the intention of the scholarship to be awarded to a student who not only achieved the highest ranking in AP Biology in a particular year but was also continuing on to study the Biological Sciences in a post-secondary institution. These criteria changed in 2014 to accommodate the school's changing the focus of the academic program from Advanced Placement (AP) to the International Baccalaureate (IB). Beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year, the Robert J. Malyk Scholarship for Biology (new name) of $1000.00 will be presented to the student in Senior Level Biology (OSSD or IB2) who foremost is continuing on to a post-secondary program in the Biological and Life Sciences and has achieved a recognized level of excellence in their studies of Biology at Ridley College.

What are they doing in 2018?

Dr. Mary Rose Bufalino ’04 (AP Biology) Mary Rose received a B.Sc. (Hon.) in Biology and Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Ph.D. in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto where she researched neuroscience and cell biology. During her Ph.D., she developed an interest in business when she took a field-based consulting course at the Rotman School of Management. This led her to management consulting where she was a Manager in the Strategy & Operations group of KPMG Canada. Mary Rose has worked with clients across a variety of industries – including health care, non-profit, and consumer markets – to improve customer experience, facilitate change, and manage business transformation. Currently, she is a Senior Manager at TD Bank where she works with the digital team on their customer experience strategy.

Dr. Caileigh Pilmer ‘05 (AP Biology) Caileigh received her BSc. Honours from McGill University and her MD from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, at the University of Western Ontario. She completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of Toronto, and then a combined Women's Health/Breast Disease fellowship. She now has her own family medicine practice, works as a GP-Oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital, and teaches first year medical students clinical skills at Women's College Hospital.

Dr. Alexandra Chung ’06 (AP Biology) Alex received her B.Sc. in life science and a M.Sc. in medical biophysics from the University of Toronto. She recently completed a medical degree in Queensland, Australia and is currently working as a medical intern at a regional hospital in central Queensland. Document prepared by Bob Malyk, April 2018

Dr. Michael Dorrington ’06 (AP Biology) Michael received his B.Sc. in Life Sciences from the University of British Columbia and his Ph.D. in Infection and Immunity from McMaster University. His work at McMaster was supported by multiple scholarships from the Ontario government and the Canadian Lung Association. Michael is currently a post-doctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Systems Biology at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease in Washington, D.C. Michael’s current main project is trying to tease apart interactions between immune cells and intracellular bacteria during the process of pathogen uptake and the subsequent immune response. By sequencing all of the messenger RNA in an infected cell, he can sort the host cell genes as well as the bacterial genes that are most active at a given point in infection. His team can then look at how gene activity in the host cell is driving a subsequent response in the bacteria and vice-versa. The tools he has available at the NIH are incredible and it's sometimes difficult to decide how to approach a problem.

Dr. Christy Walker ’07 (AP Biology) Dr. Christy Walker '07 (AP Biology) Christy received her B.Sc. (Hon) with a specialization in animal physiology from The University of Western Ontario and recently completed her veterinarian studies at The University of Guelph. Christy is now practicing veterinary medicine in Niagara Falls. She mostly works with cats and dogs but occasionally enjoys taking care of ferrets, rabbits and hamsters.

Michael Szpejda ’08 (AP Biology) Michael received his B.Sc. from McGill University in life sciences with a major in physiology and a minor in kinesiology. Michael is currently studying medicine at St. Georges University in Grenada. He is currently completing his core clinical rotations at the St. Barnabas healthcare system in Livingston, New Jersey. He plans on writing his USMLE Step 2 and Canadian MCCEE in May. In the fall he will be completing electives in Canada and the United States with plans to apply for residency in anaesthesiology or Internal Medicine.

Clark Robertson ’09 (AP Biology) Clark received his B.Sc. from McGill University majoring in Anatomy and Cell Biology. He recently received his MBA from Queens University in December 2017. Clark is currently an Associate in RBC’s Personal and Commercial Banking Leadership Program in Toronto working in Strategy Development.

Ji Hyun (Heather) Yoon ’10 (AP Biology) Ji Hyun received a BSc. in life sciences at McGill University majoring in virology and oncology. During her undergraduate years she spent some of her time as a research assistant at a molecular virology lab with a focus on papillomaviruses working on a project where they are trying to identify a region that is undercover in the origin of replication of the SV40 virus. Her research interest has been more in the field of immunology, in particular immune tolerance. She is enrolled at The Catholic University of Korea, School of Medicine and is in her third year. Ji Hyun is currently in the radiology department, and for 2 years she will be rotating through 20 different departments in 8 different hospitals. In her own words, “It's amazing to see how things I've learnt through textbooks and lectures come together in a clinical setting. I Document prepared by Bob Malyk, April 2018 feel like I'm finally getting closer to my dreams. “ Currently, her goal is to become a clinician that also does medical research. Ji Hyun wants to utilize her undergraduate major and study immune tolerance. She is considering returning to Canada or the US to get a PhD. Jordan Meyers ’11 (AP Biology) Jordan received a B.Sc. from the University of Guelph and will be graduating from the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University this summer. He will be attending the University of British Columbia in the fall for a residency in anaesthesiology. Jordan has a research interest in critical care, and is currently studying operating room ventilation outcomes in ICU patients. He has been accepted into a cardiac anaesthesiology residency at the University of British Columbia.

Linda Yu-Ju Huang ’12 (AP Biology) Linda has returned to her hometown Taipei, Taiwan after completing a B.S. degree in Biology with Honors at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is now working as an executive assistance to the president at a trading company that manufactures beauty tools, hair accessories and beauty products. She is directly involved with projects to launch a new beauty accessories line in the Philippines and India, and connecting with tech company to transform and digitalize internal and factory operations. She is keeping her options open and when she is financial independent she plans to apply to the Taiwanese Medical program. She is currently exploring healthcare, medicine and scientific research, and remains confident that there are possibilities to jointly pursue business and healthcare. One of her professors said that innovation happens when discipline intersects.

Heather Petrick ’13 (AP Biology) Heather graduated from the University of Guelph with a B.Sc. degree in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Nutritional and Nutraceutical Sciences. She is an MSc Candidate at the University of Guelph. As part of a collaborative research team, her research focuses on the effects of acute and chronic exercise in respect to both molecular adaptations and whole-body physiology. More specifically, on a cellular level, Heather is studying the regulation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial substrate provision and bioenergetics function to further understand the coordinated shifts in fuel metabolism during exercise. In addition to basic mechanistic work, Heather's research extends to the study of cardiometabolic outcomes associated with exercise, in which she is conducting an exercise intervention trial in pre-diabetics comparing the efficacy of multiple exercise regimes in respect to improving health.

E Chin Mak ’14 (IB 2 Biology) Echin is the first International Baccalaureate (I.B.) recipient of the Robert J. Malyk Scholarship. She is currently completing her fourth year at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in a degree program in Medicine. This is a 6-year program, and she has started clinical rotations, which she enjoys very much. Currently her focus is on general medicine and surgery, with a short 6 week research block in which she will take part in a research project at the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University. She recently completed a research internship with the RCSI Tissue Engineering Research Group, namely with Dr. Fergal O’Brien and Dr. Document prepared by Bob Malyk, April 2018

Alan Ryan. Echin finds time in her busy academic schedule to go on hiking trips with her climbing club and has been through most good mountains of Ireland.

Dane Sisinni ’15 (IB 2 Biology) Dane was honoured with the Schulich Leadership Scholarship, which is assisting him in completing his undergraduate studies at The University of Western Ontario. He is majoring in Computer Engineering Studies, specializing in Software Engineering. His goal is to enter the Ivey School of Business for a combined dual degree in Software Engineering and Business. He is competing in various National and Provincial programs where recently his Western Team came in first amongst all Ontario Universities. He has secured a summer Internship with Microsoft in Seattle as a Software Intern and will be working with the Cloud Azzure Team. After the internship he will have 2 years remaining at Western in the Dual Degree Ivey HBA combined Software Engineering programme.

Eduardo Deliyannis ’16 (IB 2 Biology) Eduardo is entering his third year attending the University of Bristol in the U.K. where he is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Medicine and Surgery. He has a strong interest in neurology and psychiatry. This past year he has been focusing on his consultation skills and practicing performing examinations on patients in hospital. He is taking his elective on "Alternative and Complementary Medicine", with a primary focus on the potential health benefits of acupuncture. Currently he is on placement shadowing an acupuncturist and learning some basic techniques.

Benjamin Johnson ’17 (OSSD Biology) Benjamin is studying at Brock University in pursuit of a BSc degree in Neuroscience. He is one of the few students enrolled in the Neurocomputing stream, which has given him a chance to explore computer science and discrete mathematics in addition to neuroscience. This unique combination of courses has inspired Ben to consider research in future years, which investigate the intersection of biology, psychology and computer technology. He is very involved on campus and has earned a seat on the Brock University Students’ Administrative Council. Ben has gotten involved in a student start-up business, HoloEducate. He is the Director of Media & Outreach, and currently works on their upcoming release, LifeAR, set to come out Spring 2018. Next year, Ben will tackle his second year in neuroscience while holding the position of a Residence Don at Brock and serving as the Vice President of French club.