Insect Low Temperature Biology
The Sinclair Lab at UWO

Grad Students - Undergrads - Roll of Honour - Lab Alumni - Old Lab Photos

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Postdoctoral
Annegret Nicolai
 (PhD Rennes/Bremen)
Cold tolerance of Cepaea nemoralis
Hiroko Udaka
 (PhD, Osaka City University)
Insect cold tolerance

Technical Support
none at present

Graduate Students
PhD
Lauren Des Marteaux
 (MSc, Guelph)
Thermal biology of insect epithelial transport
Laura Ferguson
 (MSc, Acadia)
Eco-immunology in the cold
Heath MacMillan (BScH, UWO)
Mechanisms of chill coma in insects
MSc
Ruth Jakobs
 (BSc, Bielefeld University, Germany)
Overwintering biology of spotted-winged Drosophila and Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
Golnaz Salehipour-shirazi (MSc, Ishafan University of Technology, Iran)
Immune system responses to cold in Drosophila

Honours Thesis

None for 2012-2013 (Dr. Sinclair on sabbatical)


Undergraduates
Anne Bae Cricket wrangler
Michael Brown Fly wrangler
Peter Hanlon
 Fly wrangler-in-chief
Sarah Hinton
 Roach wrangler
Jennifer Ho
 All-purpose slug-gall-insect assistant
Zayn Khamis Cricket wrangler
Daye (David) Li NSERC USRA: Eurosta Bioinformatics
Mykola (Nick) Merkulov
 All-purpose everything assistant (i.e. work study)
Matt Spilka Honours student-to-be
Steven Villani Fly wrangler
Halima Warsame Fly chef


Lab Visitors




Halloween costumes
The Sinclair Lab as 'Mendel and his peas', Winners of the Biology Department Halloween costume contest 2008.  (L-R): Heath MacMillan (MSc), Lauren Strachan (MSc), Erfan Vafaie (Honours, back), Katie Marshall (MSc, front), Dr. Brent Sinclair, Dr Stephi Sobek (postdoc), Jill Crosthwaite (MSc), Caroline Williams (PhD), Diana Balmer (Honours).

Roll of Honour
 Chris Lee (2007) - UWO Gold Medal in Animal Physiology
Lauren Strachan (2008) - CSZ Travel Award
Lauren Strachan (2008) - ESO Travel Award
Katie Marshall (2009) - SICB Division of Invertebrate Zoology Best student Poster
Katie Marshall (2009) - SICB Adrian M. Wenner Strong Inference Award
Caroline Williams (2009) - 3rd Place, BioSciences posters, Western Graduate Research Forum
Heath MacMillan (2009) - Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Caroline Williams (2009) - Faculty of Science Graduate student research grant.
Caroline Williams (2010) - Robert and Ruth Lumsden Graduate fellowship.
Heath MacMillan (2010) - NSERC PGS-D (upgraded to Canada Graduate Scholarship)
Caroline Williams (2010) - Faculty of Science Graduate Student Teaching Award
Caroline Williams (2010) - American Physiological Society Scholander Award
Caroline Williams (2010) - APS Intersociety meeting best oral presentation
Katie Marshall (2010) - APS Intersociety meeting student travel award
Katie Marshall (2010) - Entomological Society of Ontario best oral presentation.
Katie Marshall (2010) - QEIIGSST (a scholarship, even though it sounds like an antioxidant)
Caroline Williams (2010) - Ruth Horner Arnold Graduate Fellowship
Katie Marshall (2011) - NSERC PGS-D
Caroline Williams (2011) - Epcor water CSZ travel award
Caroline Williams (2011) - Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Caroline Williams (2011) - FoS Graduate thesis research award
Katie Marshall (2011) - FoS Graduate thesis research award
Evelyn Boychuk (2011) - White Mountain Research Station research minigrant
Joe Stinziano (2011) - Metro Inc. Scholarship
Hiroko Udaka (2012) - JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship
Sarah Lake (2012) - Best speaker, Health and Physiology, Ontario Biology Day
Sarah Lake (2012) - Best presentation, Phys&Biochem, Biology Dept Honours day
Katie Marshall (2012) - Ruth Horner Arnold Graduate Fellowship
Hiroko Udaka (2012) - Honourable Mention, 3 minute research competition, Western Postdoctoral Forum
Katie Marshall (2013) - SICB Bruce Sidell Award for best presentation in Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry
Laura Ferguson (2013) - NSERC PGS-D
Lauren Des Marteaux (2013) NSERC CGS-D
Lab Alumni (Undergraduate volunteer and work study Alumni are found here)
Honours thesis/ mini-thesis Grad students and postdocs Technical
Chris Lee (2006-2007) Dr. Arun Rajamohan (Postdoc 2006-2008, now a postdoc at North Dakota State University) Daniel Dillon (2007)
Heath MacMillan (2007-08) Lauren Strachan (MSc 2009, now a part time instructor at UVic and a researcher in the agricultural industry) Heather Tarnowski (2006-2008)
Diana Balmer (2008-09) Martin Vezer (PhD student in Philosophy, lab visitor in 2009-10) Heath MacMillan (2008)
Erfan Vafaie (2008-09) Jill Crosthwaite (MSc 2010, now Assistant Conservation Biologist at the Nature Conservancy of Canada) Jill Crosthwaite (2008)
Chelsie Warshafsky (2008-09) Leigh Boardman (MSc exchange from Stellenbosch, 2010) Diana Balmer (2009)
Tony Renda (2009-10) Casper Nyamukondiwa (PhD exchange from Stellenbosch, 2010) Aimee Bazinet (2010)
Aimee Bazinet (2009-10) Dr. Stephanie Sobek (Postdoc 2008-2010, now a lecturer at Ryerson)
Xinyang (David) Bing (2010-11) Jian (Jane) Zhang (MSc 2010, now a PhD student at McGill).
Victoria Ransberry (2010-11) Dr. Caroline Williams (PhD 2011, now a postdoc at University of Florida)
Matt Clarke (2011-2012)
 Justin Saindon (MSc 2012, Analyst, UHN)

Sarah Lake (2011-2012)
 Evelyn Boychuk (MSc 2012)

Julia Ahn (2012)
 Litza Coello (MSc 2012)


Katie Marshall (PhD 2013)



The Sinclair Lab, November 30 2012
Sinclair Lab 10 May 2013. Back: David (Daye) Li (USRA), Ruth Jakobs (MSc), Golnaz Salehipour (MSc), Annegret Nicolai (Post-doc), Laura Ferguson (PhD), Lauren Des Marteaux (PhD); Middle: Magdalena Nicolai, Johanna Nicolai; Front: Emile Nicolai (strategic planning), Brent Sinclair (dogsbody), Hiroko Udaka (postdoc), Heath MacMillan (PhD).

Another view of the dinner on May 10th - the lab as drawn by Magdalena Nicolai.

Sinclair Lab 20 April 2013.  Hiking in Backus Woods with Dr. Rick Lee to celebrate Katie Marshall's defense.  (L-R) Golnaz Salehipour (MSc), Dr. Rick Lee (external examiner and all round insect cold tolerance hero), Brent Sinclair, Lauren Des Marteaux (PhD), Dr. Katie Marshall (new graduate!), Dr. Hiroko Udaka (postdoc), Laura Ferguson (PhD), Louie-the-dog (lab alumnus).

Sinclair Lab 30 November 2012. Back: Golnaz Salehipour (MSc), Katie Marshall (PhD), Litza Coello (newly-minted MSc graduate), Hiroko Udaka (postdoc), Emile Nicolai (randomly wandering creature of cuteness), Annegret Nicolai (postdoc); Front: Magdalena Nicolai (chaos part I), Johana Nicolai (chaos part II), Brent Sinclair (piper-payer), Lauren Des Marteaux (PhD-to-be), Laura Ferguson (PhD) Heath MacMillan (PhD).


Sinclair Lab 15 June 2012. Back: Golnaz Salehipour (MSc), Evelyn Boychuk (MSc), Heath MacMillan (PhD); Front: Katie Marshall (PhD), Annegret Nicolai (postdoc-to-be), Hiroko Udaka (postdoc).  Gone campin': Litza Coello (MSc).


Sinclair Lab 26 Movember 2011: Back row: Brent Sinclair (deputy-assistant wrangler), Evelyn Boychuk (MSc student), Dr. Hiroko Udaka (postdoc), Justin Saindon (MSc student), Matt Clarke (Hons student).  Front Row: Heath MacMillan (PhD student), Litza Coello (MSc student), Sarah Lake (Hons student), Caroline Williams (back before she was 'Dr.'), Katie Marshall (PhD student, with Liana Williams), Golnaz Salehipour (MSc student).


Sinclair Lab October 2011: Back row: Matt Clarke (Hons student), Brent Sinclair (general assistant), Justin Saindon (MSc student).  Front row: Hiroko Udaka (Postdoc), Katie Marshall (PhD student), Litza Coello (MSc student, but I think you'll agree she looks as though she's in charg in this photo), Caroline Williams (PhD student, Heath MacMillan (PhD student), Sarah Lake (Hons student), Evelyn Boychuk (MSc student).

The Sinclair Lab, April 2011. Back (L-R): Wesley Chick, Justin Saindon, David Bing, Heath MacMillan, Brent Sinclair + Liana Williams; Front (L-R): Hiroko Udaka, Katie Marshall, Caroline Williams, Litza Coello, Evelyn Boychuk, Victoria Ransberry.


The Sinclair Lab, December 2010. Back (L-R): Justin Saindon, Heath MacMillan, Brent Sinclair, Caroline Williams; Middle (L-R): Victoria Ransberry, Litza Coello, Katie Marshall, Hiroko Udaka; Front: Jian Zhang.

The Sinclair Lab at Canada's Wonderland, June 2010.  (L-R): Leigh Boardman, Jane Zhang, Jill Crosthwaite, Katie Marshall, Caroline Williams, Justin Saindon, Brent Sinclair, Joeseph Stinziano, Celina Lin, Casper Nyamukondiwa, David Bing.

The Sinclair Lab at CSZ in Vancouver, May 2010.  (L-R):  Jill Crosthwaite, Brent Sinclair, Leigh Boardman, Katie Marshall, Heath MacMillan, Caroline Williams.


The Sinclair lab, 23 April 2010.  Back (L-R): Jane Zhang (MSc), Brent Sinclair (paragraph rewriter); 2nd from Back (L-R): Jill Crosthwaite (MSc), Casper Nyamukondiwa (PhD exchange student from Stellenbosch), Stephi Sobek (Postdoc), Justin Saindon (MSc); 2nd from front (L-R): Katie Marshall (PhD/Crutcher), Jessie MacAlpine (Grade 9, Huron Park Secondary School), Heath MacMillan (PhD); Front: Wesley Chick (uber-volunteer), Caroline Williams (PhD), Leigh Boardman (MSc exchange student from Stellenbosch).


The Sinclair lab curling trip 21 February 2010.  Back (L-R): Caroline Williams (PhD), Jane Zhang (MSc), Jill Crosthwaite (MSc); Front (L-R): Liana Williams (vocal lab meeting participant), Brent Sinclair (lab cleanliness freak), Justin Saindon (MSc), Leigh Boardman (SA exchange student), Casper Nyamukondiwa (possibly Zimbabwe's greatest curler), Tony Renda (Hons).


The Sinclair Lab, 5 December 2009.  (Back, L-R): Martin Vezer (Philosophical interloper), Jill Crosthwaite (MSc); (2nd back, L-R): Tony Renda (Hons), Jane Zhang (MSc), Caroline Williams (PhD); (2nd Front, L-R): Aimee Bazinet (Hons), Katie Marshall (PhD), Heath MacMillan (MSc); Front (L-R): Brent Sinclair (gall cracker and account code provider), Liana Williams (vocal lab meeting participant), Wesley Chick (insect wrangler-in-chief).  Absent, presumed socialising: Stephi Sobek (postdoc).


The Sinclair lab minigolf outing, 26 July 2009.  (Back, L-R): Heath MacMillan (MSc), Jill Crosthwaite (MSc), Brent Sinclair (arranger and problem solver); (Middle, L-R): Jane Zhang (MSc), Stephi Sobek (postdoc), Alison Wardlaw (NSERC USRA), Katie Marshall (PhD); Front: Alex Ford (Dogsbody).

The Sinclair Lab, 4 April 2009.  (Back, L-R): Heath MacMillan (MSc), Brent Sinclair (paper wrangler), Jill Crosthwaite (MSc), Caroline Williams (PhD),  Katie Marshall (PhD); (Front, L-R): Diana Balmer (Hons), Jane Zhang (MSc), Dr. Stephi Sobek (Postdoc), Lauren Strachan (MSc), Chelsie Warshafsky (4th yr mini-thesis), Erfan Vafaie (Hons).

Click here to see pictures of the Sinclair lab at SICB in Boston in January 2009.

Sinclair Lab 26 Sept '08
The Sinclair Lab, 26 September 2008.  (L-R): Caroline Williams (PhD), Sanjay Rajamohan, Heath MacMillan (MSc), Lauren Strachan (MSc), Katie Marshall (MSc), Dr. Stephi Sobek (Postdoc), Jill Crosthwaite (MSc), Dr. Arun Rajamohan (Postdoc), Dr. David Renault (collaborator), Dr. Brent Sinclair (form signer).
This would have been a picture of the Sinclair lab.
The Sinclair Lab, 5 April 2008.  Back (L-R): Dr. Arun Rajamohan, Sourabh Arora, Heath MacMillan, Lauren Strachan, Dr. Brent Sinclair, Sanjay Rajamohan.  Front (L-R): Caroline Williams, Heather Tarnowski, Katie Marshall.
Photo of the Sinclair lab, Sept '07
The Sinclair Lab, 17th September 2007. Back Row (l-r) Caroline Williams, Arun Rajamohan, Lauren Strachan, Heath MacMillan.  Front row (l-r) Brent Sinclair, Jillian Walsh, Heather Tarnowski, Erfan Vafaie, Katie Marshall, Daniel Dillon.

The weird-coloured Sinclair Lab, 30th April 2007. (l-r) Heath MacMillan, Chris Lee, Heather Tarnowski, Arun Rajamohan, Brent Sinclair.  Missing (at brewery!): Crystal Bross.