UBC Reports | Vol. 55 | No. 7 | July 2, 2009
Highlights of UBC Media Coverage in June 2009
Compiled by Sean Sullivan
UBC law professor Benjamin Perrin says Canadian officials must do more to crack down on human trafficking – photo by Martin Dee
Perrin hailed as ‘hero’
UBC Law professor Benjamin Perrin was among seven people in the world recognized by the U.S. State Department for their work to fight human trafficking.
Perrin’s recognition by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was reported by CTV, the Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press and the Vancouver Sun.
Perrin was a university undergraduate working as a volunteer in Cambodia when he first saw Canadian men entering brothels for sex with minors. Ashamed for his country, he became a spokesperson for the cause, conducting research and lobbying Canada’s politicians to push for tougher laws, the Globe and Mail said.
Rats learn to play the odds
Researchers have found rats are able to “play the odds” in a gambling task designed to test the biology of addiction.
Lead author Catharine Winstanley says the findings will help scientists develop and test new treatments for gambling addiction, a devastating condition that affects millions worldwide.
The study, reported by the BBC, CBS, The Canadian Press and the CBC, also finds that gambling decisions can be impaired or improved with drugs that affect brain dopamine and serotonin levels, suggesting that these neurotransmitters may moderate gambling behaviour.
Breakthrough in battle against ovarian cancer
Researchers have discovered that a single genetic mutation is behind one of the deadliest forms of ovarian cancer in a new technique that could lead to a whole host of new treatments, the Daily Telegraph reported this month.
Dr. David Huntsman, a genetic pathologist at UBC, said the find described as a “Eureka” moment shows the power of new DNA sequencing technology.
“By identifying the singular mutation that causes granuloma cell tumours, we can now more easily identify them and develop new ways to treat them,” he said. The findings were also reported by Forbes, the Vancouver Sun and ABC.
Ancient bones and huge teeth
UBC researcher Nicholas Pyenson was interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle and U.S. News and World Report for his study in the journal Geology.
Pyenson was among the researchers investigating the famed Sharktooth Hill Bone Bed in California, a vast, 15-million-year-old graveyard.
“It’s a fantastic natural feature, and our work there is a synthesis of evidence about the Earth’s history, the ocean’s history and the history of biology,” Pyenson said.
Jane Rule remembered
The Globe and Mail and Vancouver Sun were among the media that reported on a $1.7 million donation to UBC in honour of lesbian literary icon Jane Rule.
The donation will create Canada’s largest university endowment fund for the study of human relationships and sexuality.
Rule, the late pioneering Canadian author and former UBC educator, contributed to two major social and cultural revolutions: the decriminalization of homosexuality and the rise of Canadian literature on the world stage.
