Poh Tan, PhD
Educationalist, Scientist, Writer, Explorer
Dr. Poh Tan is an entrepreneur, a stem cell biologist, an educator, and a mother. She has made positive impacts on many people’s lives throughout her career. Poh’s current focus is on inspiring young children and their educators to use scientific thinking as a tool to open up their world and courageously walk into a bright future full of limitless possibilities.
Poh is part of the Community Scientist Initiative and Scientist in Schools Programs at the Telus World of Science, a graduate writing facilitator for the SFU library, an industry mentor for the Beedie School of Business and is active on the scientific panel at the Rare Genomics Institute.
You can email Poh at: poh [at] pohtanphd.ca
TEDx Talks
Poh is a two-time invited Speaker for TEDx. True to her strength as an interdiciplinarian, below are her talks as an academic expert on two different subjects: Education (TEDxUnisinos, Porto Alegre, Brazil), and Stem Cell Science (TEDx Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC).
Academics and Publications
Poh obtained her first PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia focusing on the biology of blood stem cells. After becoming a mother, she decided to pursue a second PhD from the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University to understand early learners development. Her research is focused on understanding early scientific literacy through self-study and reflective practices.
Research Partnerships and Outreach
Science World is Vancouver, Canada’s non-profit science museum located on the beautiful shores of False Creek. My research with Dr. David Zandvliet focuses on helping the community and public build deeper connections with False Creek, through stories, narration, and virtual experiences with the affordances of technology such as ArcGIS StoryMap. My research is focused on understanding ecological impacts on the creek through explorations of the TD Environmental Trail located just outside of Science World. (Current and On-going Project)
I am a second year research fellow at VanDusen Botanical Garden Association (VBGA) in collaboration with the Institute of Environmental Learning to explore and investigate curriculum and pedagogy on scientific and environmental literacy through VBGA programs. Together with two other fellow researchers, we apply an emergent research approach to understand how an urban garden setting can help created deeper connections between people and plants.
(Current and On-going Project)
Bloedel Conservatory is a dome shaped tropical garden and is part of Vandusen Botanical Garden Association (VBGA). In collaboration with Dr. David Zandvliet and the Director of Education at VBGA, my research current research focuses on understanding and building a virtual experience of Bloedel to foster deep and meaningful connections between local and global knowledge about plants found under the dome. This project seeks to explore how storytelling can bring together teaching and learning experiences that connects to curriculum, scientific understanding, and biodiversity.
(Current and On-going Project)
My work with Dr. Paula MacDowell seeks to eliminate human-created boundaries in science education to move towards an embodied STEM education which places equal importance on the relational connection between the scientist/student and what is being learned.
(Project Completed)
As a visiting scholar, at Unisinos University, Porto Alegre, Brazil, I engage academic discussions with faculty and graduate students about different methods of developing scientific literacy. Specifically, I held workshops for in-service and pre-service teachers from the public-school system to re-evaluate their science curriculum through more artful expressions. I continue to work with Professor Maria Eduarda’s group on the popularization of science and creating content for a scientific literacy magazine, LER.
(Project Completed, Collaboration Cont’d)
I work with the Grade 4/5 science teacher at Arnaldo Grin Elementary School, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil on developing her science curriculum informed through concepts of relationality to address the diversity of students in the classroom. Arnaldo Grin is located within a marginalized community where most of the students have different abilities, and challenges in the home. After one year of working together, students in her classroom are more engaged in science and retention of knowledge and understand improved.
(Project Completed and Published)
