UBC News Digest

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.

Nov. 14, 2003

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Scientific American names director of UBC’s
Fisheries Centre a world leader in research

UBC professor Daniel Pauly has been named one of the Scientific
American 50 — the noted magazine’s annual list recognizing
outstanding acts of leadership in science and technology from the
past year. Pauly is the only scientist on the list from a Canadian
university.

Pauly has been studying the declining bounty of the seas for more
than 25 years. Among his major achievements are two of the world’s
most important fisheries projects. FishBase is a global database
packed with information on more than 27,000 species of fish. Ecopath
is an ecosystem-modeling program that predicts how fish populations
might respond to various pressures. Among his many honours, Pauly
was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 2003.

For more information, visit: http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2003/mr-03-104.html

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Prime Minister appoints UBC history professor
to advisory body

Canada Research Chair and UBC history professor Tina Loo has been
appointed to the advisory committee that will oversee the development
of the new Canada History Centre in Ottawa. The creation of the
new centre was announced on May 26, 2003 and has a mandate to increase
the accessibility of Canadians to their history through traveling
exhibitions, research and discussion groups, and by facilitating
access to National Library and Archives holdings.

Professor Loo is an expert in the workings of the social history
of law, nineteenth century Canadian history and environmental history,
has been widely published and received several prestigious awards.

For more information visit: http://pm.gc.ca.

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UN grant awarded to study important marine ecosystem

Asst. Prof. Ussif Rashid Sumaila, director of UBC’s Fisheries
Economics Research Unit, has received a grant from the United Nations
to conduct a two-year study of one of the planet’s most important
marine ecosystems.

For the project, Sumaila will head up a group of researchers looking
at economic, ecological and social issues related to fishing in
the Benguela Current. The ecosystem, located along the west coasts
of Namibia and South Africa, is extremely rich in marine resources
and the world’s third most productive fishing ground. Sumaila’s
group will focus on the best harvesting strategies for the hake
stock in the system.

The grant, valued at $100,000, is one of the first of its kind
to be awarded by the UN for this kind of research. Sumaila says
the goal is to study large areas of ocean to be able to better understand
how they function and help with managing fish stocks.

Sumaila specializes in marine ecosystem valuation, bio-economics
and the analysis of global fish trade, and he has worked on fisheries
and natural resource projects around the world. The Fisheries Economics
Research Unit is part of UBC’s Fisheries Centre.

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UBC medical genetics expert earns biomedical research
award

Medical Genetics Prof. Michael Hayden, director of the Centre of
Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the Canadian Genetic Diseases
Network, has been awarded the Henry Friesen Award for 2003 in recognition
of his outstanding contribution to biomedical research.

Hayden is honoured for his world-class molecular genetic research,
which explores the genetic underpinnings of disease and the development
of effective practices for the treatment and prevention of these
diseases. He focuses his research efforts on genetic illnesses such
as Huntington disease (HD), coronary disease and lipoprotein disorders.

Sponsored by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
and the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation, this award
is presented to a distinguished Canadian scientist who has demonstrated
leadership in developing novel biomedical research at local, national
and international levels.

Previous recipients of this award include the late Michael Smith,
Nobel Laureate and founding director of UBC’s Biotechnolology Laboratory.

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Former UN senior lawyer to present 2003 Douglas
McK. Brown Lecture

Alfred de Zayas, a former senior lawyer with the United Nations,
will present the 2003 Douglas McK. Brown Lecture on Wednesday, November
19 at 5:30 p.m. at the Faculty of Law. de Zayas will comment on
the legal status of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the detainees currently
held there by the United States.

de Zayas is the former secretary of the UN Human Rights Committee
and chief of the Petitions Division of the Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights. He is a Harvard lawyer and member of the New York
bar, and holds a PhD in history from Goettingen, Germany. de Zayas
has authored several books on history, international law and human
rights law. The lecture takes place in the Moot Courtroom of the
Curtis Building.