For some, a piece of licorice is a snack. For John Allingham, it is a teaching tool.
The Biomedical and Molecular Sciences professor likes to find fun ways to teach complicated things, such as handing out Twizzlers to students to help explain the flexible helical properties of the actin and microtubule protein filaments. Before they eat the Twizzler, Dr. Allingham gets the students to notice the similar characteristics between the protein and the Twizzler: like microtubules, they are hollow, and like actin, they have a twist.
“It keeps them interested and it gives them a physical thing to manipulate and help understand a fairly abstract concept,” says Dr. Allingham.
His creative teaching methods and passion for going above and beyond to help his students succeed are among the reasons Dr. Allingham is this year’s recipient of the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Queen’s University Alumni Association has given the award annually since 1975 to a Queen’s teacher who shows outstanding knowledge, teaching ability, and accessibility to students.
“Dr. Allingham clearly demonstrated a passion and dedication to teaching that is beyond that of any professor I have had in my four years at Queen’s. I truly feel there is no one at more deserving of this award,” says Justine Ring, Artsci’16, Meds’20, who nominated Dr. Allingham.
Dr. Allingham’s teaching style has evolved over the past 10 years since he joined Queen’s. He admits he was nervous when he started teaching a small fourth-year class but the switch to a much larger second- year biochemistry class with several hundred students had a positive impact on his teaching style.
“The larger biochemistry class just had an energy to it. I am normally a shy person, but I have a bit of a sense of humour that helps me keep students engaged and involved as active participants. It was that energy-rich environment that really turned around my idea of what teaching was about,” says Dr. Allingham, who is a Canada Research Chair in structural biology.
He is not the type of professor who stands in front of the class and talks for 50 minutes. He believes in active learning methods. So when topics are challenging, he creates eye-catching videos or brings in props so students can inspect them up close. He also embraces technology, incorporating programs such as Top Hat, which uses students’ mobile devices to make lessons more interactive.
Dr. Allingham believes that student engagement outside the classroom on projects is a great way to learn. Since 2012, he’s been the faculty advisor to the Queen’s Genetically Engineered Machine Team (QGEM), a group of students who work on a summer research project to engineer genes and/or microorganisms.
In 2015, QGEM won a gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. Their project involved engineering ice-binding proteins to help donated organs withstand extended cold-storage periods.
“Dr. Allingham has dedicated hundreds of hours above and beyond his regular teaching and research roles to mentor and lead us as students,” says Ms. Ring, who was a member of QGEM. “He ensured that each student on QGEM became a more knowledgeable, curious, and confident scientist over the course of the summer.”
John Allingham joins a prestigious list of outstanding and inspirational teachers who make Queen’s a leading academic institution.
