UBC This Week | Feb. 21, 2008

Feb 21, 2008

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UBC School of Journalism:

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UBC This Week is a weekly summary of UBC people in the news, recent media releases and upcoming event highlights. UBC This Week past issues are also available on-line.

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Recent UBC Media Releases

Upcoming Event Highlights

Find out what else is happening at UBC this week. For sports events, visit the UBC Athletics site at www.gothunderbirds.ca/schedule.asp.

UBC People

UBC People

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre opens Feb. 25

On Feb. 25, the second and final phase of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre opens to the public. (An official opening will be held in April.) Academic peer assistants will host a Welcome Desk near the main entrance until late March, where tours and information will be available. Dr. Barber will join the assistants throughout the day on Feb. 25.

Hours at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre will be as follows:

  • Monday through Thursday: 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.
  • Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  • Sunday: noon – 10 p.m.

Please note: individual unit hours vary – check www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/about/overview.html for further information.

Construction for most spaces will be completed by Feb. 25. Ike’s Café, a coffee shop, is planned to open in early March, while the refurbished historic Library core, including the Chapman Learning Commons, is planned to open later in March.

For more information, visit www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca.

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UBC professors win Killam Research Fellowships

Two UBC professors are among ten Canadian researchers awarded a total of $700,000 in the national Killam Research Fellowships competition, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Prof. Thomas Beatty, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, received a Killam Research Fellowship for his project: The High Resolution, 3-D Structure of a Protein Complex Essential for Conversion of Light to Chemical Energy in Photosynthesis.

Prof. Michael Tenzer, School of Music, received a Killam Research Fellowship for his project: Music and Periodicity.

For more information, visit www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2008/ib128479981836434630.htm.

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UBC researcher awarded Sloan Fellowship

Assist. Prof. Scott Oser, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Canada Research Chair in Solar Neutrinos, has been awarded a 2008 Sloan Research Fellowship for his work in the field of neutrino oscillations and insight into the properties of the core of the sun. This award is given to young faculty members in the sciences.

For more information, visit www.sloan.org/programs/scitech_fellowships.shtml.

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Graduate students recognized by Canadian Society of Zoologists

Jonathan Stecyk, Department of Zoology, has been awarded the 2008 TWM Cameron Award for best PhD thesis by the Canadian Society of Zoologists (CSZ). David Toews, an MSc candidate in the same department, has been awarded the Hoar Award for best student presentation by the CSZ.

For more information, visit www.csz-scz.ca.

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Heart Smart seminar at UBC

In recognition of February as National Heart Month, the Health Promotion Program in the Department of Health, Safety and Environment invites the UBC community to improve their heart health with help from a free seminar for faculty and staff: Heart Smart – A Guide for Healthy Living. 

Adj. Prof. Susanne Burns, UBC School of Nursing and clinical nurse specialist in St. Paul’s Hospital Heart Centre’s Healthy Heart Program, will lead 90-minute interactive sessions on the risks for heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The sessions will take place at 9 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. on Feb. 26 in Room 234, General Services Administration Building, 2075 Wesbrook Mall. 

To register for the seminar and/or to obtain posters and pamphlets for your own National Heart Month campaign, contact HSE Coordinator (Health Promotion Programs), Suhail Marino at marino@hse.ubc.ca or 604.822.8762.

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UBC to host 18th annual Canadian Mining Games

Mining engineering students from across Canada will be competing on campus Feb. 22 and 23 in the 18th Annual Canadian Mining Games. Events will include a simulated mine rescue and a jackleg drilling accuracy competitions (a six-foot-long hand-held rock drill with a four-foot, extendable telescoping leg).

For details on the various competitions, times and locations, visit http://mininggames.mining.ubc.ca.

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Visiting professor to speak at School of Journalism

Investigative journalist Robert Cribb will give a talk entitled Code of Silence: The Culture of Secrecy Inside Government at UBC Robson Square. Cribb is currently the CanWest Visiting Professor at the UBC School of Journalism.

The lecture will be in Room C-300, UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson St. on Feb. 26 from 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit www.journalism.ubc.ca/events/item/rob_cribb_lecture_robson_square_feb_26_7pm_to_9pm_code_of_silence/

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Award-winning author to read at UBC

Karen Connelly, a Canadian writer with seven books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction published, will give a reading at UBC next week as part of the Robson Reading Series, given in partnership with the British Columbia Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee. 

Connelly, a winner of the Governor General’s Award for non-fiction, will appear at the Tofino Room (156) at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre on Feb. 27 at 3 p.m.

No registration is necessary, but it is recommended to arrive early to ensure a seat. For more information, visit www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/ps/readingseries.html.

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UBC Botanical Garden takes on baskets and bio-refinery

On Feb. 24, Joan Carrigan will offer a ‘honeysuckle rib’ basketry workshop from 9 a.m. – noon. This basket is a traditional European style used for gathering and storage. Participants will be offered a variety of natural materials and dyed reed to incorporate into their basket, and will learn about the gathering and preparation of these materials.

Cost is $80 for members, $95 for non-members.

On Feb. 25, Dean Jack Saddler, Faculty of Forestry, will lead a seminar from noon – 1 p.m. on The Forest-based Bio-refinery: Technical and Political Challenges Associated with Wood-to-Ethanol Processes. Participants are welcome to bring a bag lunch; coffee and tea will be provided.

Both events will take place at the Botanical Garden Reception Centre, 6804 South West Marine Dr. For more information or to register, call 604-822-3928 or e-mail botg@interchange.ubc.ca or visit www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org.

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Lecture addresses U.S. presence in Korea

UBC’s Centre for Korean Research will host a lecture by Prof. Alon Levkowitz, visiting scholar from the Hebrew University, at the Institute of Asian Research, entitled The 7th Withdrawal: Has the U.S. Forces’ Journey Back Home from Korea Begun?

The lecture will take place on Feb. 28 from 4-5:30 p.m. in Room 120 of the C.K. Choi Building, 1855 West Mall. For more information, visit www.iar.ubc.ca/bulletin/seminarsFEB2008.htm.

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Graduate student conference on globalized Asia

From Feb. 28 – March 1, UBC’s Institute of Asian Research will host a three-day graduate student conference entitled Globalized Asia: Challenges and Opportunities. Along with papers presented by students, Dr. Mike Douglass, Director of the Globalization Research Center and Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawaii, will be the keynote speaker.

All papers from the conference will be published on the IAR web page. The conference will take place in Room 120 of the C.K. Choi Building, 1855 West Mall.

For more information, visit www.iar.ubc.ca/bulletin/Feb281-2008.htm or contact Pascale Massot at pmassot@interchange.ubc.ca.

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Choir sings for UBC scholarship fundraiser

On March 1, St. David’s Day, the Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir will perform at 8 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church as a scholarship fundraiser sponsored by the UBC Faculty Women’s Club. The club, which raises money for student scholarships, is celebrating 90 years of service to the UBC community.

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church is located at 2881 Main St. Tickets are $20. To order, call 604-878-1190 or 604-263-9567 or e-mail vwmc@shaw.ca

For more information, visit www.facultywomensclub.ubc.ca.