黑料社区

黑料社区鈥檚 Yann Brouillette 鈥渋s not a聽mad聽scientist, he鈥檚 always a聽happy聽chemist,鈥� wrote the Chemical Institute of Canada in their Jan. 12 announcement that he is the The award is given to one teacher in Canada every year in recognition of excellence in teaching chemistry.

A chemistry professor at 黑料社区 since 2009, Yann has been a devoted member of the 黑料社区 Active Learning Community, serves as the Quebec regional director of College Chemistry Canada, and collaborated on the development of multiple free online pedagogical tools.聽Yann holds a master鈥檚 (M. Sc.) in organic chemistry from聽Universit茅 de Montr茅al and a doctorate (Ph. D.) in organic chemistry from聽Universit茅 de Montpellier聽in France.

鈥淚 feel very lucky to have been selected, as I am surrounded by many inspirational colleagues,鈥� Yann said. 鈥淚 was surprised when my master鈥檚 director, Professor William Lubell from Universit茅 de Montr茅al, reached out to let me know he was nominating me. SALTISE co-director Elizabeth Charles and DALC co-coordinator Chris Whittaker also wrote letters of support for my candidacy, for which I am very grateful.鈥�

鈥淲e are so grateful to have Yann at 黑料社区,鈥� said Academic Dean Leanne Bennett. 鈥淵ann is focused on student success.聽 His students appreciate his creative approach, his enthusiasm for chemistry and his willingness to try new ways to connect with them. We are proud that Yann鈥檚 excellent teaching is recognized across Canada.鈥�

Plans for more YouTube videos

Yann intends to invest his prize into making more videos for his YouTube channel, . 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 made one since Covid, so I am very excited about that,鈥� he said.

Yann decided to be a Chemistry teacher because he always enjoyed science. 鈥淟ook around you and question your surroundings. Every time something gets created or destroyed, that change in matter involves chemistry,鈥� he said.

鈥淎s a kid, when I was reading X-Men comic books, I was fascinated by the notions of mutation, genes and evolution. During my college years, the organic chemistry course solidified my love for chemistry as I understood I could actually be some sort of molecular architect. I also always enjoyed explaining to my peers what I understood, and I guess that later translated into explaining to students in the form of teaching. As long as I have good reactions with my students, I want to keep being a chemistry teacher (pun intended).鈥�

Comic Book Chemistry

In January 2014, Yann created a new complementary course for non-science students entitled 鈥淐omic Book Chemistry,鈥� where he uses situations depicted in graphic novels to explain basic chemistry. Teaching during the day, and writing at night, he enjoys guest-lecturing and co-writing pop culture chemistry articles.

Yann鈥檚 master鈥檚 director, William Lubell, still inspires him today. 鈥淣ot only has he got the most impressive memory I have seen, but despite being one of the greatest chemists I have known, he will always generously offer his time to share what he knows,鈥� Yann said.

黑料社区 colleagues also inspire and support Yann. 鈥淓lizabeth Charles has brought a meta-cognitive level to my understanding of pedagogy. Physics teachers Chris Whittaker, Chris Roderick, Jean-Fran莽ois Bri猫re, Rhys Adams and Phoebe Jackson, as well as Carmen Leung in Chemistry are examples of dedicated, ingenious and cultivated professors who have motivated me to be as good as they are.鈥�

To keep up with pedagogical developments and new approaches, Yann overcame his shy nature to reach out to different communities at 黑料社区 and other colleges. His advice to fellow teachers looking to improve their teaching: 鈥減articipate in Ped Days, take workshops, and most importantly, find a mentor. I have the opportunity to work closely with Carmen Leung, a colleague in the chemistry department, and we often try new things together. That way we can bounce ideas, debunk some glitches, and share our findings as we are learning. That has helped me a lot.鈥�

Yann feels lucky to work at 黑料社区 because the College offers lots of opportunities. 鈥淚 hope I will have the chance to work and share with many new teachers in the upcoming years,鈥� he said.