Iwonaa Szpakowicz

 

[photo, Fall 2000]   [photo, Fall 2000]

[photo, February 2003]   [photo, October 2006]

Personal data

Name
       Iwonaa (Yvonne) Szpakowicz
Citizenship
       Canadian, Polish
Languages
       English, Polish, Russian
Address
       2023 Gatineau View Crescent
       Ottawa, Ontario
       K1J 7W9
       Canada
       tel. home +1-613-744-6691
Email
       pakszpak at hotmail dot com

Education

  • MSc in Biology (Plant Physiology), Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland, 1974.

  • Senior-level courses at the University of Ottawa, 1986-1987 (Physiological Ecology of Plants, Environmental Physiology of Plants).

  • Medical and Laboratory Assisting, Career Canada College, 1988-1989.

  • Ontario Certificate of Laboratory Assistants (from the Ontario Society of Medical Technologists), June 1989.

Interests and activities

My first novel was published in Poland in March 1999, and has been long out of print. My second novel can be found here. A third novel is on my computer. I have also published travel pieces in popular magazines.

I am a bonsai enthusiast, and I was an active member of the Ottawa Bonsai Society for over seven years. I abandoned this hobby when a thief helped himself in late summer 2002 to all my prize trees.

I am also the proud owner of two spinning wheels straight from New Zealand: an Ashford Traditional and a Majacraft Little Gem, which I use with some skill. I have a third wheel, and a large Ashford tapestry loom. I spin all kind of wool (especially qiviut), silk and cotton, I knit and make tapestry. Some of my pieces were exhibited in various countries. I am active in the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild. I also am a member of the fiber art group Harmony; visit our exhibitions.

Finally, I am an amateur photographer. Some of my pictures illustrated my travel pieces. Here is a small souvenir from one of my European trips, to the lovely town of Montepulciano. And see the albums with th epictures of my grandsons Nathan and Matthew.

Employment history

Dec. 1991 - July 1993: University of Ottawa, Health Sciences, Loeb Medical Research Institute at the Civic Hospital.

Responsibilities

  • Primary cells culture, cell-cell interaction, cell differentiation, cloning techniques, harvesting cells, medium preparation.
  • Administrative duties: ordering supplies, maintaining the culture room.

Dec. 1989 - June 1990 : Bradson (part-time).

Apr. 1989 - Dec. 1989 : Para-Med Health Services (part-time).

Dec. 1988 - June 1989: volunteer, Riverside Hospital, Diagnostic Imaging unit.

Apr. 1987 - June 1987: research assistant, Dept. of Biochemistry, University of Ottawa.

Responsibilities

  • Yeast material cultivation, preparation of enzymes and lipids, assay procedures, using spectrophotometry and chromatography methods (HPLC, TLC, column chromatography, gel electrophoresis).

May 1975 - Sep. 1984: lecturer and researcher in the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, Warsaw, Poland.

Responsibilities

  • Teaching courses in nutrition, human ecology and environmental protection.
  • Research in nutrition of athletes.
  • Research in microbiological and parasitological pollution of swimming pools.

Professional experience

  • Propagating cultures of true preadipocytes and fat-derived microvascular endothelial cells, primary culture of skin fibroblasts and muscle cells, RNA and DNA extraction from harvested cells, fixing and staining cells. Macintosh literacy (MS Word, basics of MS Excel).
  • Biochemical methods in biology (plant, animal and microbiology material preparation, cell components isolation, enzymatic extraction and purification of enzymes), greenhouse cultivation, experiment design and interpretation of experimental results.
  • Applying helminthological methods in environmental protection (sampling, microorganism cultivation, fungi cultivation, classification of pathogenic organisms), experiment design and interpretation of results.
  • Studying air and water pollution.
  • Applying microbiological methods to the testing of pharmaceuticals (cultivation of pathological organisms).
  • Cultivation of laboratory plants, animals and microorganisms.
  • Techniques used in plant physiology, including biochemical methods; preparing plant material and microbiological material, isolating cell components; assay procedures, enzyme preparation; techniques of spectrophotometry and chromatography.

Publications

I have five scientific publications from my work at the Academy of Physical Education, Warsaw, Poland (the list is available upon request), and one publication with Drs. Lau and Shillabeer from Loeb Medical Research Institute.

Updated on February 27, 2011