Apr 23, 2015
UBC has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2015, for the fourth straight year.
UBC’s many sustainability oriented initiatives include the Sustainability Coordinators Program involving over 80 staff and faculty, the Sustainability Ambassadors Peer Program for students, and the zero waste program which has successfully diverted 67 per cent of waste. Learn more on other UBC green initiatives here.
Over 200 researchers from three energy intensive lab buildings—Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, and Pharmaceutical Sciences—participated in the fourth annual Shut the Sash competition. Researchers formed 41 teams to compete for the highest amount of energy savings. The results: 6,780 kWh of electricity savings, 210 GJ of natural gas savings, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 10.6 tonnes, equivalent to six round trip flights from Vancouver to St. John’s Newfoundland. More information here.
During his visit to Canada in mid-April, Indian Prime Minister, the Honourable Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a joint statement about the bilateral relations between the two nations. In the statement, they gave special mention to the India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability (IC-IMPACTS ).
IC-IMPACTS, led by UBC civil engineering professor Nemy Banthia, brings together researchers, industry innovators, community leaders, government agencies, and community organizations across India and Canada to work to find solutions to the challenges that affect the quality of life of Indians and Canadians. More information here.
Associate professor Alfred Hermida has been appointed the next director of UBC’s Graduate School of Journalism. Hermida takes over from outgoing director Peter Klein on June 1. Since joining UBC in 2006, Hermida has co-led the development of a multiplatform approach to journalism that prepares students to work in a variety of media. He also developed an undergraduate course in new media and an award-winning social media course offered in partnership with the Sauder School of Business. His new book Tell Everyone: Why We Share and Why It Matters received the 2015 National Business Book Award. More information here.
UBC has launched a flexible learning website, a place to find information and resources related to how the UBC teaching community is transforming teaching and learning at the university. The new site features information on:
For more information, visit http://flexible.learning.ubc.ca.
UBC has launched a new institute with the goal of providing education and research towards safer pipelines. Supported by partners from government and industry, the Pipeline Integrity Institute is expected to contribute to the global search for pipeline best practices and innovation. More information here.
UBC.ca has been selected as an official honoree in the 19th Annual Webby Awards in the Websites: School/University category. With nearly 13,000 entries received from over 60 countries, the honoree distinction is awarded by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences to the top 20 per cent of all work entered that exhibits remarkable achievement. More information on the Webby Awards here.
Laura Wegener Parfrey, an assistant professor in the Departments of Botany and Zoology, has been awarded a Young Investigator Grant from the Human Frontiers Science Program. The $375,000 grant over three years will support research on the beneficial microorganisms that live in our gut. The study could lead to a better understanding of the role microorganisms play in developing new treatments for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease. More information here.
School of Population and Public Health professor Erica Frank has received the inaugural Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award from the American College of Preventive Medicine. The award honours a medical school faculty physician who exemplifies the qualities of a caring and compassionate mentor in the teaching and advising of medical students.
Frank has also received the 2015 Velji Emerging Leader in Global Health Innovation Award from the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. More information here.
Civil engineering professor Yahya Nazhat‘s recent peer-reviewed paper titled The kinematics of granular soils subjected to rapid impact loading has been recognized by Advances in Engineering as a “key scientific article” contributing to excellence in engineering, scientific, and industrial research. More information here.
After suffering a devastating loss of their two cars last year, UBC Supermileage has bounced back to win silver in the 2015 Shell Eco-marathon Americas. The engineering design student team specializes in building ultra-energy efficient gasoline-powered cars, and this year, they achieved a mileage of 138 km/l of gasoline with “Zoticus” in the Urban Concept category. More information here.
Preservation Week on April 27 to May 1 at UBC Library highlights individual and collective efforts to preserve personal and shared collections. This year’s focus is on the Papal Bull, a 13th century medieval manuscript acquired by Library Rare Books and Special Collections in 2014. The Brown Bag series includes talks from history professor Richard Pollard and library conservator Anne Lama. More information about the events here.