In this epic 3 hour long conversation, Dr. Burke (or Mikhail) talks about his entire school and professional life from high school graduation to where he is now , the co-instructor of the Engineering & Social Justice Course and Dean’s Advisor on Black Inclusivity Initiatives at U of T FASE. We talk about his familial roots at U of T, feeling out of place at Skule before forging a community - NSBE, importance of the lab culture in a research experience, how he chose grad school, and his PhD experience of working at a satellite U of T hospital. Through this conversion, we discussed the idea of privilege and how it can affect one's pathways, the importance of building a learning experience focusing on objectives not grades, and how we can make research more accessible to the underrepresented communities. A theme we loved during this conversation was Mikhail’s propensity to question the status quo - beyond research. After earning a PhD at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at U of T, he combined his academic training with his long-term interests of empowering learning and creating pathways by continuing in his current work in inclusive pedagogy and higher education.
Introducing Dr. Mikhail Burke (MSE 1T2, IBBME PhD 1T8 @ University of Toronto)
Dr. Burke (or Mikhail as we’ll refer to him) he began his undergraduate journey at the University of Toronto as a Materials Science engineering student, and led the U of T Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) as their president. Later, he co-founded ENGage - a collaborative initiative between NSBE and U of T Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (FASE) targeting primarily African-Canadian youth to nurture their interest in STEM.
Mikhail continued his own STEM journey in the PhD program at the Institute for Biomedical Engineering in biomaterials on cancerous impact on bone quality.
Currently, he integrates social justice with his background as the Dean's Advisor on Black Inclusivity at the UofT FASE and is the co-instructor of TEP324 or Engineering & Social Justice, which is all about considering how different positionalities can be affected by our roles as engineers. Many of our listeners might know him from APS100 as the guest lecturer, or ESP (Engineering Strategies & Practice) as the engineering manager or his other involvement within the UofT community.
Notable Quotes
Resources Mentioned Links
How to Get in Touch with Dr. Mikhail Burke
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This podcast is generously supported by the Hart House Good Ideas Fund.
Music By : Zen Man