Dr. Lucy Lee has worked as the dean of the faculty of science at UFV since 2012. Holding a PhD in cell biology from the University of Waterloo, Lee specializes in fish cell culture and “fish muscle cell line development.” She has worked at such institutions as the University of Saskatchewan, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Waterloo, and after 11 years of working at UFV, has decided to retire from her position. Dr. Lee opened up about working in her position, the Lee Lab, her research, and what she hopes to see in the future for UFV.
Lee has been working predominantly in fish cell culture for several years, but it wasn’t her first choice back in high school. “It’s actually very convoluted because you’ve finished high school and you never know what you want to do.” Lee said that since she was good at many subjects, her high school counsellor told her, “you can do whatever you want.” One of her passions was art, and she’d initially decided to become an architect because she wanted to utilize both her math and drawing skills in her profession.
“Then the university that I wanted to go to was on strike,” said Lee, “so I didn’t go there, and eventually I changed into medicine and then to biology.” This change in career aspirations ultimately led her to UFV and her position as the dean of the faculty of science. “I just love the cell culture aspect of things that I have been doing for the last 30 years now.”
Lee ultimately made the decision to retire from her position this year. “You have to give the youth the chance to also move up.” After retiring, she will continue to work on different research projects. “I still have funding from the NSERC, which is the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. That funding will allow me to still do research until 2025 or 2026.”
The Cascade asked Dr. Lee about her work in the Lee Lab, named after her and her colleague, Dr. Justin Lee, where they conduct research on fish cell culture. Cell culture is a laboratory method of cell cultivation that enables their production and growth in a controlled environment outside of an organism’s natural habitat. Lee said she would “create the cell lines, which are continuous cultures of cells,” and her colleague would “change the genetic makeup of the cells using nanoparticles and transfecting them so that that can be used for various aspects of applied biotechnology… We provide all of the requirements [so] that cells can survive in the lab.”
This research is a big deal. There’s a growing demand for research into lab-grown meat, as many fish species people rely on as a food source, such as tuna, are increasingly becoming endangered. “If you can get the stem cells for the muscle cells by just doing a little biopsy, for example, you can grow them forever and ever if you get the right conditions. I think [tuna] are the ideal species to protect and to grow the muscle cells in the lab as opposed to harvesting from live animals.”
Lee would like to see more funding and space for research at UFV so that the institution can grow and expand. “People think of teaching as totally separate from research, and that is not the case. Teaching goes along with research, so research must be funded and nurtured for people to be able to become really good teachers. We don’t really have the space nor the funding for research all that much here at this institution, so unless that research money comes into the university, we are still gonna stay a small university. If we have the research funds and we become known, students will come.”
“I love interacting with the students,” said Lee. When asked if she had any advice for UFV’s students, she advised them “to be curious, always ask questions [and] don’t assume that professors know everything.” She also encouraged students to research what interests them, ask questions, get faculty support, and pursue their passions. “You guys have the information at your hands. You can Google, find things, and challenge the faculty.”
Rachel is working towards a BA with a concentration in English and Theatre. She has been employed at The Cascade since Fall 2021 as a Staff Writer and a Jr. News Editor. Currently, she is the sectional News Editor and enjoys meeting and interviewing people as well as taking long walks in nature. Rachel also likes to stay up to date on the latest trends and informs students through her fashion column entitled Campus Fashion.
