UBC Reports | Vol. 48 | No. 12 | Oct.
10, 2002
New Garden Director
Quentin Cronk took the helm as director of the UBC Botanical
Garden and Centre for Plant Research on Sept. 1. Cronk, who
comes to UBC from the Royal Botanic Garden, University of
Edinburgh, is internationally renowned for his research on
flower form, the conservation of rare plants on oceanic islands,
and plants in the African Violet and Ginger families. He has
collaborated with researchers in universities and botanical
gardens in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States.
Cronk was educated at Cambridge University and his most
recent research work in Edinburgh has been focused on understanding
the evolution and biodiversity of vascular plants.
UBC’s Botanical Garden is the oldest university garden
in Canada and contains a worldwide collection of plants from
temperate climates.
Help for Children
A UBC-based research partnership has received $2.5 million
from the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development
to improve understanding of early childhood development.
The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) is an interdisciplinary
network of faculty, researchers and graduate students from
B.C.’s four major universities. Directed by Dr. Clyde
Hertzman, a professor of Health Care and Epidemiology, HELP
will trace how a child’s environment affects learning,
social, emotional and behavioural development.
By linking university, government and community programs
throughout the province, the project will serve as the centre
of B.C.’s early childhood development research efforts.
For more information on HELP, visit the Web site at www.earlylearning.ubc.ca.
