I've read about it and visited the website which has great graphics but I don't really understand much about it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I understand there's a combined aspect with the Honours Biochem program:

"The Origins Research Specialization curriculum may be taken in conjunction with the Honours program in Arts & Science, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics, or Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour."

Is there any combination for Origins and Chem Bio instead?


Thanks

I took Origins and I loved it! Think of Origins as a minor. You take core chem, core bio, or core phys, ..., and add origins on top. In origins, you take classes with students from all different majors, which makes it really interesting. I'm not sure how the Chem bio program is structured but it sounds like it's a major/minor combination.. check the course calendar thing and it will tell you if you can do that.

Other things about origins..
- The program is very student-oriented. Classes are smaller and you get a lot of time with researchers and professors from all over.
- Origins is interdisciplinary so you're studying subjects from all ends of Science (chem, phys, bio, geo..)
- It focuses on its six different themes. Origins of: structure in the universe, space time, the elements, life, biodiversity, and humanity
- The classes are structured so that it builds you up and supports you in prepararation for your thesis in fourth year.
- Each summer, Origins hosts a conference that brings in researchers from all around the world. These are awesome! Students are encouraged to participate in these.

You can also email Dr. Stone ([email protected]) and he'll tell you more about the program.

I'm really not that good at Physics, Temara..would you still recommend pursuing it versus a pure Chem Bio focus?
As well, do you get to pick which "origins" you get to focus on?

I would definitely recommend pursuing it because I loved it so much and fit all the criteria of what I wanted to get out of my university studies. You have to decide what suits you best. I chose Mac Sci going into first year because I didn't know which stream of Science I wanted to go into. By the end of first year, I still didn't want to cleave out all my studies in things like bio and chem just because I was going to focus on Physics.. Not to say that I chose Origins as a way of avoiding specializing. I chose it because it let me still study across the disciplines of Science. There were a lot of perks in this program that ultimately made me decide to choose it. That was just one of them.

When you're in the program, you can adjust it around your strengths. If you're not such a big fan of Physics, then don't take the Physics-based courses in third year. Then you'd be more than fine with throughout the entire program. You're really interested in the Chem/Bio side of science. So, you would likely enjoy the Origins of the Elements (third year), Origins of evolution (second year), Origins of Species (3rd), and the Origins of Humanity (3rd) classes. Then, when it comes time to do your thesis in fourth year, you can still combine both your interests in bio and chem even though you're enrolled in either the bio core or chem core programs.

I don't know much about the BioChem program but there will be a big difference between what each program focuses on. BioChem will focus on the chemicals of life (I think.. I may be getting it confused with ChemBio) where as Origins focuses on those six different themes that I mentioned in my last post. Think about what you want to focus on and that'll definitely help your decision.

Origins also has those seminar courses that you take through second and third year. In these, you will read research papers that cover all of the six different themes and then you'll also sit through colloquia presented by current researchers. In third year, you actually get to spend an hour with your class just talking to these researchers about their work, which was really really fun!

Another thing I liked about the origins program was that it really broke down barriers between students and current scientists. At the conferences in the summer, you'll find yourself sitting down for chats with scientitsts from many different disciplines.

I really recommend talking to Dr. Stone as he's really helpful when it comes to answering questions about this program!