UBC News Digest

Oct 18, 2002

The UBC News Digest is a weekly summary of news stories about UBC
people, research, learning, community, and internationalization
initiatives. News Digest past
issues are also available on-line.

Oct. 18, 2002

UBC gains $46 million for high-tech facilities

UBC will receive $46 million in provincial funding for facilities
to support students in high-tech programs, Premier Gordon Campbell
has announced.

“This is a strong endorsement of UBC’s leadership in high-tech
education,” says UBC President Martha Piper. “The expansion
builds our capacity for learning and research and allows us to make
an even greater contribution to B.C.’s economy.”

The funding is part of a $95-million capital expansion program
at B.C.’s four public universities to support the provincial
government’s commitment to double the number of B.C. graduates
from high-tech programs.

The funds will support the construction of the Chemical and Biological
Engineering Bldg., a six-storey, 10,000 sq. metre-structure that
will be located between East Mall and Health Sciences Mall immediately
south of the Health Sciences Parkade. Construction will start in
December, 2003.

In addition, two facilities will be expanded with construction
starting April 2003.

The Computer Science Dept. expansion will see 6,500 sq. metres
of new office, research and instructional space. The building will
be located east of the Institute for Computing, Information and
Cognitive Systems at the site of the Vivarium.

Also, the Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering Dept. will
be expanded by about 7,000 sq. metres. The new facilities will adjoin
the north face of the MacLeod Bldg. and the Civil and Mechanical
Engineering Bldg. on Main Mall.

“Through this outstanding commitment, UBC will be able to
dramatically improve and expand its programs in electrical and computer
engineering and computer science – which are essential in fueling
the high tech industry,” says Michael Isaacson, dean of the
Faculty of Applied Science. “The end result will be a critical
mass of highly skilled graduates and an intensive research and development
environment that will stimulate innovation and development in B.C.”

The announcement follows on the provincial government’s April
announcement of funding that allows UBC to add 455 new undergraduate
spaces in Computer Science and 652 spaces in Computer Engineering
to be added by 2006/07. The funding will also provide an additional
204 graduate spaces.

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UBC poll shows Canadians feel greenhouse gas,
global warming top environmental concerns

Four out of five Canadians believe reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and global warming effects should be the government’s top environmental
priority, according to a poll released Thursday by the University
of British Columbia.

The poll, conducted in September by Ipsos-Reid and included in the
university’s just-released 2001/02 annual report, indicates that
43 per cent feel greenhouse gas emissions should be the top priority,
while 38 per cent feel that the resultant global warming and climate
change should take precedence. Loss of old growth forests, fisheries
and genetically altered food finished behind these priorities.

"Research indicates that we have an opportunity in Canada
to very substantially reduce emissions through sustainable development
policies that will meet other societal objectives as well,"
said Prof. John Robinson, of UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment
and Sustainability. "This increase in public concern is evidence
that citizens want their political leaders to take action on this
issue."

"It is especially interesting to see that global warming is
moving up in the public’s consciousness," said Daniel Savas,
Vice-President of Ipsos-Reid. "Three years ago, 28 per cent
felt it was a top priority, compared with today’s figure of 38 per
cent." Savas added that the increased importance attributed
to global warming issues is likely due to the current national debates
regarding the Kyoto Accord.

Savas noted that the UBC poll findings reflect research showing
that the environment has moved up the public’s agenda of top public
policy issues. In July of this year, he said, 10 per cent of another
poll’s respondents believed environmental issues should receive
the greatest attention from Canada’s leaders – three times the number
who shared this view one year ago.

"The University of British Columbia is committed to research
that improves people’s lives and the human condition in general,"
said UBC President Dr. Martha Piper. "We show our accountability
to the public by publishing the annual report, and this year wanted
to take that accountability a step further, by relating our work
to the issues of greatest concern to Canadians."

The UBC poll also posed questions about healthcare, global security
and education. Some key findings include:

  • 70 per cent think more funding and medical staff are required
    for the healthcare system
  • 64 per cent believe poverty and injustice are the roots of international
    terrorism
  • 58 per cent believe that society in general benefits the most
    from university education, compared with 27 per cent who feel
    that students themselves benefit most and 14 per cent who feel
    business benefits.

Complete poll results are published in UBC’s online annual report
at www.ubc.ca/annualreport.
The online version of the report also includes an interactive feature
that allows individuals to submit their own views on key poll questions.

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Advanced Systems Institute recognizes outstanding
UBC grads

The BC Advanced Systems Institute (ASI) awarded 16 scholarships
to UBC Applied Science graduate students on October 17.

Each scholarship recipient received $5,000. Since 1987, ASI has
awarded $730,000 in scholarships to more than 160 UBC graduate students
through the Graduate Recruitment Assistance Program (GRAP).

“The program was initiated to assist in recruiting and retaining
highly skilled researchers to BC universities and to aid in building
the human resource base for the technology sector in BC,” said
Victor Jones, President of ASI.