June 5, 2005 - 5:00pm
When Chris Whipps graduated from Malaspina University-College’s Biology program in 1997 and received the department’s most outstanding student award, his instructors knew that he was "going places."
"And we were right," said Biology professor Dr. Tim Goater, one of Whipps’ former teachers and mentors.
Whipps is Malaspina’s first biology graduate alumnus to obtain a PhD. In recognition of his remarkable achievement, he received Malaspina’s Alumni Horizon Award at the spring graduation ceremony on Tuesday, June 7, at the Port Theatre.
Whipps, who grew up in Nanaimo and attended Nanaimo District Secondary School, enrolled in first year university studies at Malaspina in 1994. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1997, and upon graduation, landed a job with the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo as a Fisheries Molecular Biologist. Whipps won a prestigious federal scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and went to graduate school at the Oregon State University, where he is currently a Post Doctoral Research Fellow.
"Chris has excelled in his doctoral studies and is now highly regarded as an international leader in his field, dealing with the molecular biology and evolutionary history of an enigmatic group of economically significant fish parasites known as myxozoans," said Goater.
Whipps’ productive research record speaks highly of his professional work ethic, excellence and dedication, added Malaspina president Rich Johnston. He has published a total of eight scientific papers in four years, which have found their way into some of the world’s most prestigious fish disease journals.
"Chris is a wonderful ambassador for Malaspina," added Johnston. "He has not forgotten his academic roots and frequently alludes to the quality of undergraduate education he received at Malaspina, mostly due to the hands-on laboratory and research experience he gained at a small institution. All of us at Malaspina are extremely proud of his achievements."
Whipps attended Malaspina - his hometown university-college - with the original intent of majoring in chemistry. "I decided that it would be more affordable to spend two years at Malaspina and then transfer to another university to complete my degree," said Whipps.
"But once I started taking molecular biology classes in my second year, I was hooked. Around that same time, it became possible to complete one’s biology degree at Malaspina and I decided that was the path for me.
"Not only was I inspired by the enthusiastic way some of my courses were taught, but most students also had an excellent rapport with their instructors," he said. "This was likely a result of small class sizes and an overall commitment to instruction, and I am thankful for both. My education at Malaspina taught me the benefits of close student-mentor interactions which I strive to emulate in my own career even today."
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