Dr. Zhong-Ping Feng, an Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto, and Director of the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience (CPIN), has demonstrated her commitment to young students for many years.

She is an experienced, passionate educator on multiple levels, including undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral programs. She is also responsible for the annual Toronto Brain Bee , which is the largest local Brain Bee in Canada.

In 2011 Dr. Feng received the Bright Lights Award from our foundation and began to develop Bright Lights in the Lab, which is currently in pilot and will introduce our first summer camp experience in 2013.

As someone who recognizes the  importance of training next generation of scientists, Dr. Feng places an emphasis on early education.   She has been involved in many high school outreach activities including organizing, hosting and teaching in workshops at 14th Annual TCDSB High School Gifted Program Conference and as teaching staff representative in the Annual Ontario Universities Fair since 2008.   She also consistently has found the time to a mentor high school students and offer summer internships in her lab each year since 2003.

At the university level, Dr. Feng has actively contributed to graduate and undergraduate education.  In 2008, Dr. Feng was awarded the University of Toronto's Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award. This award honors female professors who have made a continuing contribution to student education as an outstanding mentor, lecturer and leading researcher.

In 2010, she received Innovative Course Design Award and Excellence in Teaching Performance award by the Department of Physiology.  Last year, she won the prestigious Faculty of Medicine Graduate Mentorship Award, which recognized her outstanding teaching and mentorship.

Dr. Feng  exemplifies the value of leadership and outreach in science and continually encourages her students to adopt these same values - to excel in research but to also give back to our scientific community.  She is well respected and well liked by her students and we are proud to have the opportunity to collaborate with her on the Bright Lights program.