Jan 31, 2013
UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is hosting the Davis Cup this weekend. Tennis fans will flock to UBC to cheer on Canada and Spain in the World Group first-round tie. Canadian team members include Milos Raonic, Vancouver’s Vasek Posposil, Frank Dancevic and Daniel Nestor. They will compete against Spain’s Albert Ramos, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez.
For the second year in a row, UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sport Centre was selected as the venue to host the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first-round tie. The facility, which boasts three ice rinks and was a hockey and sledge hockey venue during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, went through a surface and technology makeover to become a world-class tennis venue. For more information, including an event schedule and parking, click here. Tickets are available for purchase here.
Mark Strahl, Member of Parliament for Chilliwack–Fraser Canyon, was at UBC to sign a new partnership with UBC that will foster advanced materials research and development. This new Collaborative Research Agreement (CRA) will strengthen research and contribute to new technologies relevant to the automotive, steel and pipeline industries.
Strahl was joined by UBC’s Helen Burt, Associate Vice President, Research; Akram Alfantazi, Associate Dean Research, Applied Science; and Warren Poole, Department Head, Materials Engineering. For more information, click here.
The Cancer Research Society (CRS) has awarded $717,245 in new grants to six Faculty of Medicine researchers to enhance understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the development of cancer, the means of controlling different types of cancer, and to improve treatments and the quality of life of patients. The grants, among 42 awarded nationwide by the CRS, were announced at a ceremony at UBC’s Life Sciences Centre Jan. 24. For more information, click here.
Carolyn Gotay, professor and CCS Chair in Cancer Primary Prevention, School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her research on cancer prevention, cancer control, and survivorship. Gotay was one of six in B.C. selected by the Canadian Cancer Society for this award. For more information, click here.
UBC Engineering student teams placed in five of the six categories at the 28th Western Engineering Competition (WEC) held January 23-27 at the University of Victoria. The competition connected nearly 200 engineering students from 12 schools across Western Canada to develop problem solving, teamwork and communication skills through peer competition. All first and second place finishes will represent UBC and the West at the Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC) in Ottawa in March. Students participating in the joint UBC and University of Northern British Columbia Environmental Engineering program will also represent UNBC at the CEC. For more information, click here.
In this free public lecture, HIV/AIDS expert Dr. Mark Wainberg, professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at McGill University and director of its AIDS Centre, will review the progress that has been attained worldwide in the use of antiretroviral drugs, and discuss how the development and transmission of drug-resistant strains threatens to undermine this progress. He will also explain why this problem may be more severe in developing country settings, such as in sub-Saharan Africa, and why this situation is unlikely to change for at least several decades.
Date: February 12, 2013
Time: 3 – 4 p.m.
Place: Life Sciences Centre, Room 1002, 2350 Health Sciences Mall
Info: Click here.
In an annual tradition at the Faculty of Education, teams of staff, students, faculty, and community members will participate in Walkabout 2013, a nine-week walking challenge to promote good health and fitness. Members will wear pedometers to track the number of steps they’ve taken and kilometres they’ve traveled. In partnership with the Year of Indigenous Education, participants will also have the opportunity to take a virtual walking journey through First Nations territories in British Columbia.
For more information, including the indigenous communities, organizations and nations that participants can visit on their virtual adventure, visit the Walkabout website here.
UBC Bookstore and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre have made the difficult decision to conclude the Robson Reading Series at the end of March 2013. This step was taken in light of the 2012 closure of UBC Library’s Robson Square branch, and the coming closure of the UBC Bookstore at Robson Square. More information is available here.
For more than 10 years, the Robson Reading Series has helped the University share knowledge and engage communities at UBC and beyond. The series featured seasoned and debut writers reading from their works in various genres, and gave them a platform to discuss their works with the audience in a warm and welcoming environment – indeed, the motto has been “live literature and cozy conversation.” UBC Bookstore and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre remain committed to providing books by Canadian authors to the community. In addition, readings remain scheduled until the end of March –visit the Robson Reading Series for more information.
From February 3 to 9, UBC engineers will participate in E-Week, a week-long competition between engineering departments in events such as chariot racing, dodgeball, and student relay races. The UBC Chapter of Engineers Without Borders will also be hosting a Fair Trade Pancake Breakfast to raise funds for their projects. For more information, click here.
As part of E-Week and in conjunction with Outweek, the Engineering Undergraduate Society, Women In Engineering, Engineering Student Services, and Access and Diversity are launching a new campaign called Be an LGBT ally. An ally is someone who stands up, speaks out and offers support for a person or group that is targeted, stereotyped and discriminated against. Those who would like to support this initiative can request buttons and cards to distribute by contacting CJ Rowe at cj.rowe@ubc.ca or Margot Bell at margot.bell@ubc.ca.