Profile

Felicia Vulcu

Assistant Professor

Bio

Felicia Vulcu is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) at McMaster University. Her primary teaching focus is on laboratory-based courses and curriculum design. She constantly strives to create safe, nurturing environments conducive to life-long learning. She uses a number of teaching practices, such as team think tanks, flipped-classroom case studies, and Labster virtual labs, that allow students to apply basic biochemistry techniques to biomedical problems like drug discovery. She has also delved into online learning with the creation of an online Biochemistry course designed to introduce students to biochemistry fundamentals using customized e-learning modules, which afford flexibility with respect to the learning process. In the last three years, Dr. Vulcu was fortunate to be part of the design and implementation of a brand new program launched by the BBS department: Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization (http://bdcprogram-mcmaster.ca /). She is currently involved in BDC curriculum design and implementation. Of note is the creation of a full-year advanced BDC laboratory course aimed at exposing students to the inquiry process of research while emphasizing team-based learning, grit, perseverance, etc. She also uses this milieu to highlight the concept of failure: how failure in science often times leads to learning and success. Dr. Vulcu is a recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning (2017), McMaster Students Union Teaching Award (2016), McMaster Students Union Pedagogical Innovation Award (2013), and the McMaster Students Union Merit in Teaching Award (2009).

Courses - English