James Sayre

Hi, my name is James Sayre. I am a 3rd year biology student with a keen interest for what I'm studying. Outside of school, I am a member of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserves. I have been in the armed forces for nearly three years, joining in 2010. I first meet Dr. Gunawardena in her Diversity of plants lecture. She had spoken about her research of PCD (Programmed Cell Death) in class and very quickly grabbed my attention with her work. I had always been interested in working in a genuine biology lab, and when I heard about Experiential learning, I had to take the opportunity which presented its self. Having sent out some introductory letters to some of the biology faculty to show my interest, Dr. Gunawardena replied asking if I was interested in pursuing research. I jumped at the chance and haven’t looked back since. I feel very lucky to be able to help with Dr. Gunawardena's work, and am looking forward to continuing to volunteer in her lab. My time doing experiential learning has been some of the most enriching work I have done to date, and I highly recommend others who are interested in research work to pursue it as well.