Very Employable Person – Patrick Pathammavong

NAME: Patrick Pathammavong Contact email: ppathamm@uwaterloo.ca Degree: Bachelor of Science – Honours Biomedical Science. Candidate for Master of Science – Biology, specialization in Ecotoxicology Title of Thesis: Chronic Nickel and Copper Toxicity in the Hyalella azteca Cryptic Species Complex Institution and Advisors: University of Waterloo – Dr. Jonathan Witt and Dr. George Dixon Graduation Date: February 2016 Career Goals: To have a career in aquatic or mammalian ecotoxicology Connection with Laurentian SETAC: Student Member as of November 2015 Accomplishment I am most proud of: I am most proud of my independent trip to China for a month. I believe this to be an accomplishment because I managed to live alone in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai with only a carry-on luggage and unable to speak any Chinese. Big cheese I would most like to have a drink with: I would love to have a drink with Jackie Chan. I think he has a really fun, quirky personality and he sort of reminds me of my favourite uncle. Also, I think it would be the coolest thing to have a drink with the drunken master! Most people won’t guess that I: People are always surprised when I tell them I DJ as a hobby. I’ve grown up with hip hop/rap and electronic music, so I enjoy being behind the decks and sharing the music I love with other people. I can brag that I have bumped into: Angelababy – the Chinese actress, model and singer. I was exploring a mall in Hong Kong and ended up being in the middle of a photo-op for her. I didn’t even realize she was famous until someone on Facebook commented on my photo. Best laugh I had during my degree: One day in the lab, my lab mates and I were discussing our payment for the term, and it appeared that I was the only one who was paid incorrectly. My lab mates thought it would be appropriate to pump me up with Rihanna’s “Better Have My Money” before going to the grad office. Our supervisor rarely comes in to our office to check on us – it just so happened he decided to on this day. We were scrambling to close the window before he could reach the office, but failed miserably. His reaction was, “Are you watching the Kardashians?” Best weird science moment: In a course that I taught, the professor would always have intersex pig dissections. One of the pigs we had received ended up being an actual hermaphrodite where it had one testis and one ovary. Most memorable conference I have been to during my degree was: The SETAC North America 35th Annual Meeting was my most memorable conference because not only was it the first one I ever attended, lots of great events and connections happened in the beautiful city of Vancouver. Most memorable philosophical moment I had during my degree: I was talking to my supervisor about the future and to paraphrase his words of wisdom to me, “you have programmed yourself to fear change – change is inevitable. We must adapt to change and embrace it, otherwise we stagnate. Remember, adaptation or stagnation.” My graduate experience was more than just a degree because: it taught me a lot about communication. I learned different aspects of connection with other people through working in the lab with my colleagues, acknowledging my supervisor as someone more important than just my boss, and also being a mentor when I was a teaching assistant. Click here for Patrick's resumé.