Erica Tiberia, the Makerspace Leader and Instructor at MakerKids, is a scientist by training, with a BSc In Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Waterloo. She is currently writing her MSc thesis on research done at the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. She has done molecular biology research at Cornell University, the University of Waterloo, the Hospital for Sick Children, and the Princess Margaret Cancer Center, and is an author of four peer reviewed scientific papers. She has been involved with tech education and scientific outreach in all of these positions. At MakerKids, Erica maintains the Makerspace, materials, tools, and equipment, collaborates with other MakerKids staff and outside partners to develop maker educational programming, and researches, develops and prototypes maker activities. She also instructs programs such as robotics and 3D printing, and sessions for educators. Making, technology, and libraries have been a huge part of her life so far, and she is excited to see all of these things come together in an amazing new way. |