Dr Sho Jacobs 🍁

@shoshanahjacobs.ca

7065 Followers 3299 Following

Professor | #HigherEd #Biomimetics | Addicted collaborator | Transdisciplinary | they | EN/FR/SP | Writing shitty first drafts so others don't have to | Thinking a lot about climate adaptation: ManufacturedEcosystems.com for more details about our NFRF

Screen shot of landing page: Manufactured Ecosystems in Science Fiction, Manufacturing
Screenshot of the web page linked in the text of this post. It says: Manufactured Ecosystems Habitat on Mars
Screenshot of landing page linked in text of post.
A photo of me and my student in formal Academic Regalia
Screenshot of the hydroponics page in linked text.
Screenshot of the title of the article: Bilingualism predicts executive function resilience after COVID-19 in aging.
Forrester metal recipient Nida Ansari is graduating with an MSC and integrated biology examining the degree of social and community context, teaching and learning engineering curriculum
Me and snowball, the family donkey
As of April 1, 2026, Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) has clarified that prescription renewals completed without an appointment are considered an uninsured service and are not covered under OHIP. Beginning June 1, 2026, a fee of $26 will apply to prescription renewal requests made without an appointment, including requests sent by your pharmacy.
To be completely honest, at the beginning of the course I was unsure as to why such a detailed plan of my entire semester might be important for a biology class, and the whole task felt daunting. As the semester progressed, I was able to see the true purpose of this assignment, and it became a very helpful tool for my academic success. Since this was not something that I chose to do, and had to complete for quite a large portion of my grade, procrastinating the plan of my semester was not an option. Although this seemed quite frankly annoying to me initially, I ended up really benefiting from it, with a few tweeks along the way.
The cover of the volume featuring a zoomed in image of a springtail.
Screenshot of title and abstract: Biology Graduate School Pathways for Inuit Students and Lessons Learned by Southern Academics Bryan Vandenbrink 1 *, Thomas McIlwraith 2 , Shoshanah Jacobs 3 1 Polar Knowledge Canada 2 Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph 3 Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph Abstract The minimum requirement for admission to a master's program is normally the successful completion of an undergraduate or baccalaureate degree in an honours program or the equivalent from a recognized university. Inuk student Bryan Vandenbrink is an exception to these expectations. Here, in a loosely autobiographical format, Bryan tells his education story from early high school in Iqaluktuuttiaq through to completing an MSc at the University of Guelph. Co-authors Thomas McIlwraith and Shoshanah Jacobs add short reflections on the journey and identify barriers to postsecondary education for Indigenous students and how those barriers can be reduced. Keywords: Indigenous students, graduate school, barriers to education, alternative entry, colonialism, Inuit
Figure 7 of the article referenced in the post. Those PhD graduates with Master's degrees had more scholarship money, took less time to complete, but were older at the time of graduation.
Close-up photograph of a dried burdock burr with many curved hook-like spines against a black background. A translucent grey banner overlays the image with the text: “Article: Turning Bio-Inspired Ideas Into Patents. Brook Kennedy with Anna Bieri.” Footer text reads: “Zygote Quarterly 39 | vol 3 | 2025 | ISSN 1927-8314 | Pg 101 of 124.”
two social media posts, one after the other. The first is about the death of the Iranian girls, the next is about Trump saying that he is defending American children
Photo of a guy standing at a whiteboard with an XY axis of demand and support. He has drawn an X equals Y relationship and labelled the triangle underneath that line assholes.
Screenshot of a text message that says I’ve sent you both an invite for family day reoccurring forever
screenshot of the virtual exhibition for this artist. Her tapestries are circular, with representations of grass and tree species.
Screenshot of the digital animation window, a snail glistening in neon colour, and a quotation by the artist: The subject purports that much of nature is dimorphic, both biologically and genomically expansive, resisting the current moment in history that actively challenges free gender expression. Amanda Amour-Lynz
screenshot of article title and abstract
Program guide cover: Forecasting climate futures.
Screenshot of a text message from one of my students that says hey sho thanks a lot for the book scientists guide to writing. It just arrived.
check out the DORA framework website: https://sfdora.org/resource/rethinking-research-assessment-building-blocks-for-impact/
Screenshot of a twitter post saying that all vaccinated people will be dead by Dec 31, 2025
screenshot of the title and authors: Developing Transferable Skills: Does Disciplinary Topic Matter? Simone Boivin 1 , Daniel Gillis 2 , Soha Eid Moussa 3 , Steve Mattucci 3 , Sara M. Fulmer 4 & Shoshanah Jacobs 1 1 Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Canada 2 School of Computer Science, University of Guelph, Canada 3 School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Canada 4 Office of Teaching and Learning, University of Guelph, Canada Correspondence: Shoshanah Jacobs, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Canada. E-mail: sjacob04@uoguelph.ca Screenshot of the first graph in the article: Figure 1. Percentage of correct responses to two knowledge-testing questions following a scientific inquiry workshop delivered in two different contexts: general (teal) and biology (purple) The graph shows that students in the more general skills workshop performed better on the knowledge testing questions related to scientific methods.
a statement saying: * I confirm I have not uploaded the author manuscript to any third party tool and have not used a generative AI tool to produce this reviewer report.
A figure showing that 2 degree takes 6 years and 3 degree takes 5.5 years
Photo of exam room with place mats and pipe cleaners and play doh
The memorial plaque of the Montreal massacre
the viral image of that lab rat with giant genitalia
File Integrity and Metadata Policy To support academic integrity and ensure that submitted work reflects your own authorship, all assignment files must retain their original metadata (including creation date, modification date, and author information). You are responsible for submitting the original digital file you worked on, not a copy, export, or screenshot that may erase or alter metadata. Please follow the general file-handling expectations below: Create your assignment file directly on your device, or in an approved cloud platform. Name your file once at the beginning of your work and continue using the same file throughout. Avoid “Save As,” copying content into a new document, or exporting multiple times, as these actions may reset metadata. Submit your assignment as the same file you have been working with. Importantly: if you do not submit your documents with the metadata, we will still grade the document but we will not be able to provide any accommodations should there be a technological issue or accident.  Microsoft Word (.docx) Create the document on your device (File → New). Do not duplicate or “Save As” a new file near the deadline. Keep using the same file from start to finish. Submit the original .docx file unless the assignment explicitly asks for a PDF. Google Docs → Downloaded Submission If working in Google Docs: Work in a single document from start to finish. Do not copy text into a new document before downloading. When ready to submit, download once, using: File → Download → PDF (.pdf) or Microsoft Word (.docx) Upload the downloaded file directly to CourseLink. PDF Files Export to PDF only once at the end of your work. Do not re-export repeatedly, print-to-PDF, or convert via online tools — these actions may strip metadata. Avoid uploading scanned PDFs unless scanning is part of the assignment.
Screenshot of the list of authors: Ball, Demers, Okwusiuno, Jones, Jacobs, and Gillis Feelings of burnout, a psychological syndrome due to an imbalance in workplace or academic demands and available resources to address those demands, have been increasingly reported by undergraduate students. While not presently classified as a mental illness by the World Health Organization, burnout is associated with symptoms such as chronic fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. In Canada, rising reports of hopelessness, depression, and overwhelming anxiety among undergraduate students highlight a growing mental health crisis in higher education. Despite this, limited research has examined the prevalence and patterns of burnout among students, and none have considered the Canadian university context. This study examines the risk of burnout among undergraduate students at a medium-sized university in Ontario, Canada, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Student Survey (MBI-SS). The MBI-SS is a validated psychometric tool that measures burnout across three dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy. Students (n=1123) across various years and programs of study completed an online survey capturing demographic data, academic characteristics, self-reported grit, social network strength, general sentiments about university life, and the MBI-SS. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), implemented using the mclust package in R, was applied to the MBI-SS responses to identify distinct burnout risk profiles within the student population. The analysis revealed three latent sub-groups: a low-risk group comprising 51% of respondents, a medium-risk group comprising 21%, and a high-risk group comprising 28%. These findings suggest that while over half of students are managing academic demands without significant burnout symptoms, a substantial proportion is experiencing moderate to high-risk levels of burnout.
0 - No answer or missed point of the question 1 (novice) - Some, but not all, necessary information; and/or information is not well communicated; and/or inclusion of incorrect or irrelevant information 2 (progressing) - All information is there, but not well communicated; or most, but not all information is there, and, for the most part, well-communicated. 3 (progressing +) - All information is there and is well communicated. 4 (expert) - All information is present and in a coherent and logical form, there is evidence of having gone 'beyond' either in information, context, analysis, or creativity.
Screenshot of title, authors, and some of the affiliations: Are Ecosystem Services Replaceable by Technology Yet? Bio-Inspired Technologies for Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities Shoshanah Jacobs 1,* , Jindong Zhang 2,3 , Emily Wolf 2, Elizabeth Porter 1 , Shelby J. Bohn 4, Adam Maxwell Sparks 1, Marjan Eggermont 5 , Mindi Summers 4 , Claudia I. Rivera Cárdenas 6 , Heather Clitheroe 7 , Daniel Gillis 8 , M. Alex Smith 1 , Karina Benessaiah 9, Andria Jones 10 , Adam Davies 11 , Michael Helms 12, Dawn Bazely 13, Mark Lipton 14 , David Dowhaniuk 14 , Nyssa van Vierssen Trip 13 , Nikoleta Zampaki 15 , Peggy Karpouzou 15 and Kristina Wanieck
Chat GPT's miserable attempt at redesigning the pioneer plaque. There is a naked man with a hand-penis, a nuclear family, all white people, a disaster.
There was a study that was done, which was submitted as part of this study, and it states that 88% of all Canadian faculty in universities are left-leaning and that 12% are right-leaning. Do you see an issue with that?
Brief submitted to the House Committee on Science and Research; Impact of the Criteria for Awarding Federal Funding on Research Excellence in Canada Delete DEI. Invest in AI. Mikko Packalen CDASH Director, Associate Professor Department of Economics University of Waterloo 15 October 2025 Background: For two decades my research has focused on science policy. For over a decade, this work has been regularly mentioned in leading international news outlets (including in the New York Times last month). I’m a member of the National Institutes of Health Council of Councils Working Group on Science of Science, which gives advice to the world’s largest funder of scientific research. For nearly a decade, I have taught AI. My course is the most popular fourth year elective course. Fact 1. There is no high-quality evidence to support the idea that EDI policies advance scientific progress or benefit university students. Fact 2. Canada’s funding agencies’ and universities’ preoccupation with EDI has a significant opportunity cost. Canada is losing out on the AI economy. Fact 3. Leading U.S. universities now strongly reject social change goals and non- merit-based funding. Recommendation 1. Prohibit SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR from implementing EDI policies. Recommendation 2. Force SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR to publish data on hiring practices, applicant pools, and outcomes in Canada Research Chairs program. Recommendation 3. Give universities incentives to delete EDI from their activities and strategic plans, and to re-focus on education and discovery. Recommendation 4. Invest in AI instead of EDI
screenshot of my slides, where the slide about Franklin is before the slide about watson and crick
screenshot of the welcome slide for today's class that highlights that we are listening to the The Jerry Cans. Ther is also a fun search puzzle and a short announcement about a mental health break next week.
It would be an honour to participate. And here's the 'fine print' (but I'll keep it in large print 🙂 ) : I agree to support your efforts in whatever way that I can provided that there is evidence of inclusive and accessible practices throughout. I am happy to step aside as an authoritative voice should we decide that the voices of others are more important, and I reserve the right to step down should commitments to equity and access not be realized.
Screenshot of a text that reads “the Department of redacted text is deeply committed to equity and diversity“ Posts list of nominees for Chair’s advisory committee. All one demographic
BREAKING: Our PC government has issued a new directive requiring all schools to play the national anthem every morning. A simple tradition that builds pride in Canada and respect for our shared values.
Screenshot of two pages from the manufactured Ecosystems program guide located at the website URL included in the text.
A slide showing three patheways to accessing the annotate tools of zoom depending upon the tech that they use.
The specific issue was that a range of text and references written by one of the authors and used in their Master's thesis is directly copied into the manuscript that is offered as the result of the work of multiple authors. As this is clearly not the case, it raises issues of academic integrity for the journal (and the Senior Editor assessing the manuscript for consideration). Therefore, for this article to be considered as jointly authored, it requires either: a) the text and references directly copied from the thesis of one of the authors is included as direct quotes by this single author from their thesis; or b) the material that is directly taken from the thesis is reconsidered and rewritten by the joint authors to ensure it is legitimately the output of all those claiming authorship. Either of these options would effectively respond to the concerns raised by this decision.
Figure 3. The phylogenetic breadth of biological systems used for bio-inspired technologies. This phylogenetic tree has been developed, mapping predicted (blue) and described (green) diversity (phylogeny adapted from Dunn et al. [22]—a hypothesis of animal phylogeny, compiled across multiple studies and methodologies) against their usage frequency in bio-inspirations (purple) within the animal kingdom. The “Biomimetic Examples” (purple) illustrates the total frequency at which biological systems have been used as inspiration, based on the number of biological systems used for the inspiration of documented 379 products [ 20] combined with data from an extensive literature analysis [23 ], i.e., these frequency counts reflect the number of times models within each phylum were cited, rather than the number of distinct taxonomic groups utilized.
Screenshot of the article: A Call for Bio-Inspired Technologies: Promises and Challenges for Ecosystem Service Replacement
Welcome to BIOL*1500! I'm really excited to welcome you. Most of you are starting university for the first time. Some of you are joining us a bit later in your education journey. It's going to be a terrific mix of folks! Many students taking this course wonder if they have the biology background needed to keep up. The answer is: yes. No matter what your background, we gotcha. The course will be structured as follows: We'll have twice-weekly synchronous virtual sessions lasting 1 hour and 20 minutes. There will be readings to do from a private website that we've set up. Then, you'll have assignments to complete and hand in for grading. A real person will do all grading. With the current level of teaching assistant support, which has been reduced since previous years, we'll be able to grade 6 assignments. Each assignment is worth 15%, and we'll drop the lowest grade in the final calculation so that, if you're sick or unable to complete one, it won't count against you. This is a universal design approach for accommodation. Use it if you need it, and you don't have to write to us for accommodation. For the remaining 10%, we'll ask you to complete a time management plan for this semester. We want you to make a study plan and do your best to stick to it. Then, we'll grade it based on either how well you stuck to it or how well you reflected on the reasons for not sticking to it. Either way, you'll have a chance to get your 10%. Please see the course outline for details. If you would like to meet me and check out our virtual classroom before classes begin, you can join me here: https://zoom.us/j/92686477938 on Tuesday, September 2, between 2.30PM and 3.30PM. I'll be there to answer questions, help with any tech challenges, and show you around the courselink site. This is entirely optional. Please check out the Reading for week 1 (<-- LINK IS THERE) before you come to class on Thursday, the 4th. The readings are designed to be done before the week's classes, but …
Screenshot of a text message conversation that says no suggestions. It’s much better than a pie chart. And then the reply is keep talking dirty to me! And the response to that is the haha emoji
Poster describing the special issue: Bio-Inspired Technologies for ecosystem service support, enhancement, or replacement The journal is called Biomimetics and Kristina Wanieck and Shoshanah Jacobs are the editors. The deadline is Feb 15, 2026
Screenshot of title and abstract: Addressing Gaps in Ontario’s Sexual Health Education: Supporting Healthy Sexual Lives in Young Adults with Disabilities This study examines how Ontario’s Health and Physical Education curriculum addresses the needs of young adults with disabilities. A total of 54 individuals aged 18–35 years old with developmental, learning, or physical disabilities who had completed secondary school in Ontario participated in a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey. Participants were recruited through disability-focused community networks and a university psychology participant pool. They completed the Sex Education subscale of the Sexual Knowledge, Experience, Feelings and Needs Scale, a 35-item sexual knowledge questionnaire, and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests; qualitative responses were examined using thematic analysis. Participants reported limited factual knowledge, minimal classroom representation, and heavy reliance on independent learning. Barriers included inaccessible materials, teacher discomfort, and the absence of disability narratives in sexuality units. Findings point to three priorities: revising curriculum content, expanding educator training, and creat- ing disability-affirming resources. These measures will help ensure comprehensive and rights-based sexuality education that supports the autonomy and well-being of students with disabilities.
Selfie with a T-shirt that says underestimate me that’ll be fun
Manufactured Ecosystems presents… Collaborative Futures Artmaking for Climate Hope Queer Neurodivergent Futures Workshop July 28, 2025, or August 5, 2025 2 pm – 4 pm Zavitz Hall, University of Guelph Do you have climate stress? Looking for a positive outlet? Looking to connect with other people on the queer and autism spectrums. 2SLGBTQIA+ Participants (18-29) on the Autism Spectrum (medically or self-diagnosed) are needed for a study on queer justice, climate justice, and queer ecology. This study will involve: - One art/sci exhibition tour (45 minutes) of climate futures objects, and - One focus group, which is a co-creation art workshop ideating and prototyping new objects of the future. Your focus group worksheet data will be anonymized, and only de-identified research notes will be captured. Financial incentive of a $50 gift card for the focus group will be provided. Funding for this research is provided by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund. Dr. Mark Lipton’s salary and Dave Dowhaniuk’s salary are being paid for by Dr. Shoshanah Jacobs’ research funds. The Department of Integrated Biology and the School of Theatre, English, and Creative Writing at the University of Guelph are conducting this study. The Research Ethics Board has reviewed it for compliance with federal guidelines and for research involving human participants (REB-1493). Questions or concerns? - To find out more about the study, please contact Dave at ddowhani@uoguelph.ca
A very small wiener dog peering over our kitchen table
A screenshot of Melanie's shelterbelt