UBC Reports | Vol. 48 | No. 4 | Feb.
21, 2002
Range of arts, science research to be celebrated in March
The cosmic connections between art and astronomy will be revealed
in the first presentation of UBC’s Celebrate Research lecture series
to be held March 11 as part of Research Awareness Week (RAW) March
9-15.
Jaymie Matthews, associate professor of Physics and Astronomy and
English Prof. Dennis Danielson will explore “The Arts and Science
of the Cosmos” in a one-hour lecture at 4 p.m. in Main Library’s
Dodson Room, one of many events being held on- and off-campus during
the week.
“This lecture series fits in well with the spirit and purpose of
research awareness week,” says Indira Samarasekera, vice-president,
Research, who will host the series. “We want to demonstrate the
breadth and excellence in research and scholarship across campus
and stimulate dialogue across disciplines.”
Conveying abstract ideas is one of the important connections between
astronomy and literature, says Matthews. In addition, concepts such
as perspective and vanishing points, usually associated with arts,
are also used in astronomy to measure distance to star clusters.
Danielson edited the anthology The Book of the Cosmos: Imagining
the Universe from Heraclitus to Hawking. It was one of Amazon.com’s
top 10 science books for 2000.
Other RAW activities include the launch of a series of
health policy forums at UBC at Robson Square. Roy Romanow, head
of the National Royal Commission on Medicare will present “Medicare,
Then and Now” at 12 noon on March 13 in an event co-hosted by UBC’s
Continuing Studies Dept.
“University research helps to influence and inform different kinds
of policy locally, nationally and internationally,” says Sid Katz,
RAW organizer and UBC’s executive director, Community Affairs. “We’re
pleased to present this aspect of research to the community.”
The downtown campus is also the site of a transportation public
symposium at 12 noon on March 11. Organized by the Faculty of Commerce
and Business Administration, a discussion moderated by Commerce
Dean Dan Muzyka features a panel of Lower Mainland transportation
experts.
University Killam Professors Zoology Prof. Peter Hochachka and
English Prof. William New will discuss their books at 12:30 p.m.
in Main Library’s Dodson Room on March 13, part of UBC Author’s
Week which coincides with RAW.
Hochachka has written Biochemical Adaptation which looks
at how animals survive in extreme conditions.
New has written two books published in 2001: A History of Canadian
Literature and Stone/Rain:Poems.
Also at the library will be a showcase of recent productions by
UBC filmmakers on Thursday, March 14 from noon to 1 p.m.
A tour of UBC’s Wine Research Library, located in the basement
of the Food and Nutritional Sciences Building, will be held March
15, starting at noon.
Visitors will learn about wine faults — errors in production
that yield distinctive odours — and will be given an opportunity
to sniff out some faulty vintages.
A gala invitational event, Celebrate Research, will be held at
the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts March 14. The evening honours
the achievements of UBC’s researchers. For more information on RAW
check the Web site at www.research.ubc.ca/RAW.htm.
