Bio-X

Soap Carving Session

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:49:49 -0400

We have arranged for a soap carving session to be held on Tuesday, April 3rd at 5:30pm in the Marion Basement. For those of you who are interested in attending, please sign up by going to http://guestli.st/97725.

Hope to see you there!

Dentistry Night Slides

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:48:55 -0400

Hey everyone,

Thanks for coming out to Dentistry Night! For those of you who couldn’t make it, I have uploaded the DAT slides under the events tab. Feel free to take a look!

Dentistry Night

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:07:59 -0400

Hey everyone! Our next event is quickly approaching. The details for Dentistry Night are as follows:

When: March 22nd, 5:30-6:30pm

Where: BSC 140

Why: Because Dentistry is awesome

We will have a Dentist coming to speak, as well as a Kaplan representative to discuss the DAT exam.

Refreshments will be served

Hope to see you there!

Passion For Science Scholarship Winner

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 11:50:40 -0400

Bio-X would to congratulate Sylvia Wilson for being the recipient of the first ever Bio-X Passion For Science Scholarship! We had a number of great entries, so it was very hard to determine a winner. Thanks to everyone who submitted their essay. Please see below for Sylvia’s essay.

Passion for Plants

It was in my second year at the University of Ottawa when I experienced the moment that not everyone has had where you realize exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life. This moment was during my second year Plant Biology course when a guest lecturer came in to speak about his research in ethnobotany. Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between culture and plants. I was especially interested in how medicinal plants recommended by traditional healers could potentially lead to therapeutics and drugs to combat disease in hopes of relieving the suffering of people around the world. After this life-changing lecture, I went to speak with my Plant Biology professor, Dr. Arnason, to try to gain more insight on this subject which I found absolutely fascinating. His passion and knowledge further catalyzed my passion for medicinal plants and eventually I was able to work for him during my first summer COOP position.

During my COOP position, I fell even more in love with plants and was able to appreciate the complexity of their active ingredients and phytochemicals. My work focused on doing research on medicinal plants recommended by Cree healers to be used to fight the symptoms of Diabetes. Diabetes affects millions of people around the world and is becoming an ever growing problem. One of the main reasons for having such a passion for plants is the fact that they can help the health of society and the idea that something natural to the earth can help all of us on earth holds a special place in my heart. After learning so much about ethnobotany, phytochemistry and medicinal plants that summer, I focused my studies in third year on plants. My fascination and passion for them stems from their complexity, beauty and intense potential to contribute to the overall well-being of our society. Plants truly are a gift that Mother Nature has given us and I look forward to further studying their great potential.

Kaplan Promotion Extended

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:48:10 -0500

Hey everyone,

See below for another message from Kaplan regarding their rebate promotion:

SUBJECT: EXTENDED $240 REBATE on KAPLAN Canada MCAT courses

To: ALL Canadian MCAT writers

If you are thinking about taking an MCAT course this spring, think no more! Enroll with Kaplan today!

Receive a $240 Rebate*

Enroll by March 16th, 2012

*Offer valid in Canada only on MCAT courses.

Classes are offered starting in April and May in all major Canadian Cities.

Visit us at www.kaptest.com or call us now at 1-800-KAPTEST(527-8378)

Kaplan looks forward to giving you the opportunity to prepare for the MCAT and your future with great tools and resources to help you begin your preparation for medical school.

Sincerely,

Kaplan Canada Team

UOHS

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:33:35 -0500

Hey everyone,

Below is a note from the execs of UOHS:

Dear students,

Are you interested in health and healthcare related issues? Planning to pursue a career in a health-related field? If so, UOHS is right for you!

The University of Ottawa Healthcare Symposium (UOHS), due to be held on March 24th, 2012, is a one-day speaker event that aims to promote student interest in healthcare. This year, the UOHS event will feature seminars by a variety of renowned healthcare experts, including health policy experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Students in the Biomedical Science program should be particularly interested in this event; UOHS not only allows you to learn about aspects of healthcare not taught in the classroom, but also gives you the opportunity to meet and network with leading Canadian healthcare experts.

If you are interested in finding out more about this amazing event, please join the Facebook group (search “UOHS”). Early registration is now open for only $15!!! Space is quickly running out, so register now to guarantee attendance!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by email at uohsregister@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

UOHS Executive Team 2012

2012-2013 Exec Applications

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:22:00 -0500

The Bio-X team is now accepting applications for the Bio-X executive team for the 2012-2013 school year.

Please send us an email to biox@uottawa.ca including a short paragraph about yourself, why you would like to be a part of the Bio-X team, and what position you are interested in. Also attach your most current curriculum vitae or resume. Please refer to our website for the roles and responsibilities of each position.

Positions for Bio-X: President, Vice-President, Chair of Organizing Committee, VP Communications, VP Finance, VP Advertising, VP Contests, and VP Website.

Deadline: March 9, 2012 at 11:59pm

Good luck!

New Kaplan Offer

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:43:51 -0500

TAKE A FREE MCAT PRACTICE TEST in FEBRUARY AND GET UP TO A $340 REBATE ON YOUR MCAT COURSE!

SIGN UP NOW!

Kaplan is holding a series of FREE Practice Test for the MCAT. These events will be more convenient than ever as you’ll be able to take the exam live and online in our Classroom Anywhere environment, available from anywhere you have internet access.

As space is limited, this event does require pre-registration. Once registered, you will receive unique log-in information that you will use to enter Kaplan’s live, online classroom and begin the exam. Take the test from home, the library, a coffee shop, or even an open computer lab on campus.

Each test will last up to 4 hours and will be proctored like an actual exam. Students will receive their score immediately following the exam. After the test, one of our expert instructors will give a short workshop on test-taking strategies and will answer any questions that you may have.

This is a great opportunity for you to see how you might score on the real test, and also to become familiar with the kinds of questions. For most students, this exam will be a more realistic test-taking experience as you can practice in the format that mirrors nearly all graduate school exams.

To register for this free event, fill out the following web form:

http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1163877-WsVml3kFPv

For additional information, visit www.kaptest.com/practice or call one of Kaplan’s test experts at 1-800-KAP-TEST.

Before the event, we will send you an email confirming your registration and providing you with instructions for checking in.

REBATE: By taking an ON LINE MCAT Practice Test in February, you will receive up to a $340 REBATE on your MCAT course registration. A great saving!

uOttawa Med School Info Session

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:42:40 -0500

Hi All,

The 1st and 2nd year medical students at University of Ottawa are offering a comprehensive interview prep session, where you get to ask any questions or advice individually about the medical school interviews and any other application related questions.

This event will be taking place in University of Ottawa, Main Campus, on Feb. 16th from 6-8 pm, Room: Hagen 302

Cost is $10 and you can register up till Wednesday Feb. 15th by emailing anika.maraj@uottawa.ca

Med Night Slides Posted

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Hey guys! Sorry about the delay, but the slides from 2 of the 3 presenters from Med Night have been posted under the Events tab to the right. Dr. Hollingworth’s presentation will unfortunately not be uploaded, but all of the key information is available at http://www.med.uottawa.ca/eng/general_admissions.html.

Med Night Registration

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:06:00 -0500

Registration for Med Night has now opened. Please visit http://guestlistapp.com/events/85260 to reserve your spot at this event. Like all of our other events, this one is free! This is our biggest event of the year, so you don’t want to miss it!

Bio-X Passion For Science Scholarship

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:15:08 -0500

Bio-X is presenting a scholarship worth $250 which will be awarded to a candidate which best demonstrates his or her passion for science. Applicants must be University of Ottawa Undergraduate students in the Faculty of Science. In the application, please include a 200-400 words telling us about your passion for any area(s) of science and how it has led you to where you are today. Please include an updated resume which includes your program, and year of study.

Please email applications to biox@uottawa.ca by Sunday, February 26^th, 2012 at 11:59 PM.

MCAT Info Sheet

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:08:00 -0500

MCAT Quick info

The MCAT is a standardized test required by many Canadian Medical schools. It consists of 4 sections, Physical Sciences (PS), Verbal Reasoning (VR), Essay Writing (EW), and Biological Sciences (BS) and takes about 4.5 hours to write and cost $235USD to write. For PS, VR, and EW, a score between 1-‐15points can be earned for a total maximum of 45. Legend has it 45 has yet to be broken. Based on your performance relative to other test takers, you will receive a score. The average writer will receive 8 out of 15. The essay writing is given a score of J-‐T based on the number of points your essay scores which vary from 2=J – 12=T.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each section and scores suggested to be competitive applicant.

Most students take this test in the summer following there 2nd or 3rd year of studies but there is no best time take it. It is suggested that one studies for 15h+/week for the three months preceding the test date. Some student opt to study the material on their own, but many opt to take prep courses such as those offered by Kaplan (http://www.kaptest.com/MCAT/Home/index.html) and other companies such as the Princeton Review, Oxford Review, and Prep101. Bio-X members enjoy a special $200 Kaplan discount. Please email us for the discount code.

Note, as of 2015 the MCAT will be changing format-‐ losing the essay section and adding an extra 1.5 hours of testing time. (https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/)

Site Updates

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:04:45 -0500

Just a quick note that comments have now been enabled on all posts/pages on the site, so feel free to let us know what’s on your mind!

Pharmacy Night Slides

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:03:09 -0500

Thank you to everyone that came out last night! Cameron’s slides on how to get into Pharmacy School have been uploaded under the events tab on the right. Check back shortly for the PCAT slides as well!

Kaplan MCAT Instructors

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:39:36 -0500

Kaplan Test Prep is looking for a select group of candidates with great MCAT scores to hire as part-time MCAT Instructors. Hiring now for Summer 2012 and have positions in cities across Canada.

To qualify, you must have an official MCAT score at or above the 90th percentile in any section of the MCAT you plan to teach.

Visit www.kaptest.com/teach to learn more and apply today. If you have any questions or want to talk to someone about the process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Gabe Mott, Faculty Manager for Ottawa, at gabe.mott@kaplan.com.

Kaplan MCAT free class

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:30:40 -0500

Hey guys! For those of you looking to write the MCAT in the near future, this email from Kaplan may be of interest to you:

Subject: Try a Kaplan MCAT Class– for FREE!

According to most admissions officers, your MCAT* score is the single most important factor for gaining entrance into Medical School. This makes your decision about how to prepare for the MCAT critical.

Kaplan is giving you the opportunity to preview a Free MCAT Class. At this event, you will learn valuable strategies from an MCAT expert and discover the reasons why twice as many doctors prepared with Kaplan for the MCAT than with any other course. ‡

Want to see one of our MCAT experts in advance? Watch Owen Farcy, a 95^th percentile instructor who is rated highly by 99% of his students here!

Choose to attend one of our free MCAT classes from Anywhere™ live and online:

· Sunday, November 20^th 2PM ET

· Wednesday, November 23^rd 6PM ET

Visit kaptest.com/tryus or call 1-800-KAP-TEST to register.

Take advantage of this opportunity to experience valuable instruction that will help you succeed on the MCAT, and learn why Kaplan is the ONLY choice when it comes to your MCAT preparation.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Kaplan Canada

*Test names are the registered trademarks of their respective owners. ^‡Doctors refers to US MDs who were licensed between 2001-2010 and used a fee-based course to prepare for the MCAT. The Alpha Detail, Inc. online study for Kaplan was conducted between Nov. 10 – Dec 9, 2010 among 763 US licensed MDs, of whom 462 took the MCAT and used a fee-based course to prepare for it.

Contest Deadline Extension

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:05:28 -0500

Hey guys! Just a heads up that our mnemonic contest deadline has been extended until Nov. 21st. See below for a description.

Are you the type of person who likes to have a little fun with words? If so, this challenge is for you! Put your thinking cap on and create a mnemonic for the first 5 elements of the periodic table (H, He, Li, Be, B). The participant who comes up with the most creative mnemonic will win $25!!!

Deadline: Monday, November 21, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Please send submissions to biox@uottawa.ca or in person at Pharmacy Night

*Bonus points if your mnemonic is science-related!

Have fun!

Speaker Bios

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 14:21:05 -0500

Speaker bios have been added for our two upcoming speakers for Pharmacy Night. You’ll find them under the speaker’s tab on the right sidebar. Be sure to keep checking back for more updates, and make sure to check out Pharmacy Night on Nov. 21st at 6pm!

Pharmacy Night Update

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:59:01 -0500

Just a quick update - Pharmacy Night has now been moved to Monday, November 21st from 6-7pm. Be sure to come check it out, it’s going to be an event you won’t want to miss!

What: Pharmacy Night

When: Monday, November 21st, 6-7pm

Where: BSC 140

Stay tuned for updates in the near future!