UBC This Week | August 13, 2009

UBC Feature Web Site

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre:

www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/

UBC This Week is a weekly summary of UBC people in the news, recent media releases and upcoming event highlights. UBC This Week past issues are also available on-line.

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Recent UBC Media Releases

Upcoming Event Highlights

Visit UBCevents, UBC’s new campus-wide calendar: www.events.ubc.ca

Find out what else is happening at UBC this week. For sports events, visit the UBC Athletics site at www.gothunderbirds.ca/schedule.asp.

UBC People


UBC People

UBC Workplace Experiences Survey results now online

In February 2009, UBC launched its first Workplace Experiences Survey. More than 20 per cent of UBC’s workforce responded, sharing their concerns, suggestions, and comments. The survey results were presented at two town hall meetings in June and are available on line for viewing at www.focusonpeople.ubc.ca/sharingconnecting/workplacesurvey/results.html

In the fall, a more detailed analysis of the results will be shared with UBC executives to determine the next priorities for the university’s Focus on People workplace practices.

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UBC scientist garners award for research and community contributions

Assoc. Prof. Art Bomke, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, has received the Canadian Society of Soil Science 2009 Soil Science for Society Award. Bomke was honoured for contributing outstanding research and activities that foster sustainable agricultural practices and for inspiring generations of students with his long-term vision for stewardship of land and community.

Since the 1990s, Bomke has taken the lead on student-learning initiatives on UBC’s South Campus. He currently serves as the advisory committee chair at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm.

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UBC engineers place third in international ASHRAE Competition

UBC’s ASHRAE Design Team—Ara Beittoei, Brent Kavelaars, Chu Lin, Jensen Metchie and Tapio Pikkarainen—placed third in the 2009 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Student Design Project Competition. The project was supervised by Dept. of Mechanical Engineering instructor Nima Atabaki.

For more information, visit www.apsc.ubc.ca/news-events/article.php?page=/2009/08/ubc-engineers-place-third-in-ashrae.html.

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UBC students receive accolades

For research excellence, Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS) graduate students Rachel Strivelli and Christian Evans were each awarded $500 travel grants from the Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS) during its annual general meeting held at the University of Guelph. For her MSc thesis, Strivelli developed an innovative, web-based teaching tool to illustrate land use impacts on soil quality at UBC campus. Evans’ graduate project explored the long-term impacts of grazing on soil quality of grasslands in BC.

Among undergraduate awards, Colin Dring, who received his BSc from LFS this May, won the 2009 CSSS Student Book Award.

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UBC Library launches Canvas Treasures project

UBC Library will launch the Canvas Treasures project, which features canvases printed with images from the Library’s special collections. Proceeds from the sale of canvases will support the UBC Library.

Date: Sept. 21- Oct. 12
Place: Gallery on Level 2 of Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Info: To view canvases: www.ubcvault.ca/canvastreasures

The Library will host a launch reception featuring Pat Unruh and Vancouver Viols, who will give a musical recital based on a medieval Spanish chant manuscript first digitized by the Library. Speakers will include new University Librarian Ingrid Parent and noted music scholar Evan Kreider.

Date: Sept. 3
Time: 3 – 4 p.m.
Place: Lillooet Room, Level 3, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Info: RSVP to library.development@ubc.ca by Aug. 20