Mar McM

“When one teaches, two learn”.

Hey all! My name is Amara, but most of my friends call me Mar.

People know me to be ‘the mom of the friend group’. I like to think that it’s because I’m a true team player, with exceptional communication skills, who just so happens to have literally everything you could possibly need ever in her backpack at all times. Young and impressionable, I enjoy learning, and the knowledge and perspective that being open to new ideas brings to my existence. ;)

You can catch me zoomin’ around the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre, the Summerlee Science Complex, and the Thornborough building, Mondays through Fridays. I’m currently in my 4 year of undergraduate studies in biological sciences with a specialization in neuroscience. Throughout my undergraduate degree, I’ve had the opportunity to take a multitude of courses from diverse disciplines, which has allowed me to develop a solid foundation for future learning and personal growth. While the majority of my courses are BIOL, BIOM, and PSYC, I’ve enjoyed the having the chance to enrol in classes outside of my field of interest!

When I’m not wandering around on campus, odds are you’ll find me at home tending to my plants. As such, one of my primary hobbies entails collecting and maintaining innumerable quantities of exotic plants, cacti, and succulents. I’m not too sure how it happened, but it did. And now my entire home workspace has been overrun with greenery – sorry I couldn’t get my homework done, mydogplant ate my homework…

A scientific field that fascinates me is endocrinology; specifically, neuroendocrinology and pharmacology. I am interested in strengthening my understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind disease processes, and subsequently how we as scientists can learn how to apply our ever-growing knowledge of the endocrine system to develop better pharmaceutical treatment options for individuals suffering from endocrine disorders.