UBC This Week

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Find out what else is happening at UBC this week. For sports events, visit the UBC Athletics site at http://www.gothunderbirds.ca/calendar.aspx.

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UBC People

Prof. Stephen Toope off to India with 14 other Canadian university presidents

UBC President Prof. Stephen Toope is off to India this week with the presidents of 14 other Canadian universities to strengthen educational relationships on the subcontinent.

The mission has been organized by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and will include Gary Goodyear, Canada’s Minister of State for Science and Technology. Participants will meet with senior Indian government officials.

For UBC, the mission’s value will be to build on existing, and create new, partnerships with Indian institutions while exploring new ways to support Indian students who are pursuing degrees in Canada. 

More information: http://www.aucc.ca/publications/media/2010/Canadian-university_presidents_head_to_India_10_04_e.html

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UBC members make B.C.’s 100 most influential women list

The Vancouver Sun has published a list of B.C.’s 100 most influential women. 

Women with connections to UBC include: 

Tyseer Aboulnasr, Dean of Applied Science
Clinical Prof. Penny Ballem, Hematology and Bone-Marrow Transplant
Alumna May Brown, UBC Sports Hall of Fame
Natalie Dakers, CEO, Centre for Drug Research and Development
Clinical Prof. Karen Gelmon, Medical Oncology
Nitya Iyer, former associate professor, Faculty of Law
Prof. Emerita Julia Levy, Microbiology and Immunology
Prof. Joy Johnson, Scientific Director, Institute of Gender Health, School of Nursing
Sarah Morgan-Silvester, Chancellor
Alumna Katrina Pacey, Faculty of Law
Alumna Sue Paish, Faculty of Law
Assoc. Prof. Jane Roskams, Zoology
Prof. Natalie Strynadka, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Mary Lynn Young, Director, School of Jounalism
Susan Yurkovich, Board of Governors and Director of the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation 

To view a complete list, visit http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/influence/3751914/story.html

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UBC prof named 2010 “Albert Einstein” World Award of Science

The 2010 “Albert Enstein” World Award of Science will be presented to Julio Montaner, professor of Medicine and Chair in AIDS Research at UBC, Director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and Past President of the International AIDS Society (IAS).

Montaner was chosen for his relentless advancements in the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS since the early 1980s. He has pioneered the life-saving concept of “treatment as prevention,” which aims to dramatically increase testing and treatment for HIV using the best available diagnostic tools and medications. He recently published a landmark study in The Lancet, which showed that the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) dramatically reduces the likelihood of HIV transmission. At the recently concluded IAS conference in Vienna, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) cited the study findings as the basis for their radical new approach to HIV treatment dubbed “Treatment 2.0.”

“I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award,” said Dr. Montaner. “I share this recognition with my colleagues at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, whose dedication towards their work continues to help create and refine new approaches to HIV and AIDS treatment, the government of British Columbia, St. Paul’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia. I also share this award with my peers in the healthcare and research community who have inspired and influenced me throughout my career.”

For more information, visit  http://www.med.ubc.ca/about_us/Awards_and_Honours.htm#Montaner

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Campaign to end modern-day slavery reaches millions of Canadians

In October, UBC’s Prof. Benjamin Perrin travelled across the country to reach Canadians with the compelling call to action in his new book Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking.

Highlights from the campaign:

  • Nine public events in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal– reaching over 1,500 Canadians directly
  • Three press conferences (Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa) with a diverse coalition calling for greater action including the Canadian Police Association, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, non-governmental organizations, Joy Smith, MP, and activists
  • More than 100 media stories on television, radio, print and online media – coverage in every major national and regional media outlet
  • Provincial governments in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario and federal government called on Craigslist to shut down their erotic services section that has been infiltrated by sex traffickers
  • Dozens of MPs and Senators heard directly from Perrin and he also met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper as well as with Attorney General and Minister of Justice Rob Nicholson to make the case for a national plan. Official Opposition has called for a national action plan at the end of October
  • Invisible Chains made it on the bestseller list of the Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette and Winnipeg Free Press, with excellent reviews
  • Proceeds from Invisible Chains have been donated to help survivors recover from their ordeals and are already having a positive impact in their lives.

For videos, photos, and news stories about the campaign, visit: http://www.endmoderndayslavery.ca/.

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Do It in the Dark: UBC’s first energy-saving contest

More than 1,000 student residents of Totem Park will compete in Do It in the Dark, UBC’s first ever energy-saving contest. For three weeks starting Nov. 1, the students will do everything they can to reduce their electricity usage in a competition that pits them against other students, other houses in their residence and against 39 other universities across North America.

UBC will be the only Canadian university participating in Campus Conservation Nationals, a U.S.-based competition that aims to engage, educate, motivate and empower students to be better stewards of the environment. The annual contest challenges college and university campuses to achieve the greatest electricity and water reductions over a three-week period, from Nov. 1–19.

Winners will be announced at the Totem Park fall banquet and dance on Nov. 26. The competition collaborators will review the results and discuss ways to improve and extend the competition to include more student residences, starting with Place Vanier, and to add monitoring of both water and steam.

For more information, visit the Building Dashboard for Totem Park: http://www.buildingdashboard.net/ubc/ 

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UBC Library, Korea’s National Assembly Library to collaborate

Users of the UBC Library can now access one of the largest library collections in Korea, thanks to an agreement with their National Assembly Library (NAL).  NAL, located in Seoul, is one of Korea’s two national depository libraries. 

This first collaboration between the two organizations will allow UBC users to access more than 119 million full-text pages from books, journals, theses, newspapers and more. Printing of these materials is allowed, provided NAL is the copyright or license holder. Users can access databases through workstations at UBC’s Asian Library.  The two organizations will be discussing options for additional exchanges of materials and employees. 

For more information, contact Helen Kim, Korean Reference Librarian, at helen.kim@ubc.ca

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Master of Library and Information Studies students selected as ARL Diversity Scholars

A record four Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) students in the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies have been awarded scholarships from the Association of Research Libraries’ Initiative (ARL) to “Recruit a Diverse Workforce.” 

Mayu Ishida, Soyeong Jeon, Abraham de Jesus, and Qinqin Zhang were among only 15 students selected from across North America as the 2010-2012 ARL Diversity Scholars. Jeon and Zhang began their MLIS programs in September 2009; de Jesus began the MLIS in September 2010; and Ishida will join SLAIS as an MLIS student in January 2011.

The award includes funding, a formal mentoring program, leadership development training (held during ALA Midwinter Meetings), career placement assistance, and support for skills development. The full announcement is at www.arl.org/news/pr/Diversity-Scholars-28oct10.shtml

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Mining professor honoured as distinguished lecturer

Prof. Rimas Pakalnis of UBC’s Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering is one of this year’s chosen speakers for the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) Henry Krumb Lecture Series.

As a distinguished lecturer, Pakanis shares his research work conducted by the Spokane Research Laboratories and provides information which enables mine operators to better understand their workplace and provide a safer work environment.

SME helps bring outstanding speakers to local sections of the organization through the Henry Krumb Lecture Series to enhance their appreciation and understanding of important new methods and technologies.

For more information, visit www.smenet.org/page/index.cfm?title=Henry_Krumb_Lecture_Series 

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UBC materials engineers recognized for collaborations with industry

The work of materials engineering professor Tom Troczynski and his research team, in collaboration with Clayburn Refractories and Teck Metals, has been highlighted by National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) as an example of the benefits of industry partnering with university researchers. The partnership has been successful in transferring research knowledge to industry, delivering environmental as well as financial benefits.

Clayburn’s former Director of Research, George Oprea, is a research associate working with Troczynski on campus at UBC. In this role, he has provided valuable input to optimize the relevance of the work to Clayburn’s operations and customers.

For more information:
Saving money and the environment by extending product lifespans

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UBC professors author new book

UBC professors Meeko Oishi (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Ian Mitchell (Computer Science), and Mike Van der Loos (Mechanical Engineering) have written a new book titled Design and Use of Assistive Technology: Social, Technical, Ethical, and Economic Challenges published by Springer.

The book is the result of an interdisciplinary UBC workshop hosted by the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS) and the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies that the three researchers ran last year on assistive technologies. 

To view the book, visit:
www.springerlink.com/content/q58145/#section=780572&page=1

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Through the Barbarian Eye: Nov. 1-22

A collection of work from one of B.C.’s finest master printers is on display for the next three weeks at UBC Library.

Through the Barbarian Eye: An exhibition of works from Barbarian Press from the Mission, B.C.-based master printer includes early correspondence, samples of works produced throughout the decades and a pre-publication copy of The Play of Pericles, one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays.

Barbarian Press was founded in 1977 by husband and wife Crispin and Jan Elsted. The press is renowned among collectors worldwide for its exceptional work in printing wood engravings.

The exhibition runs from Nov. 1 – 22 at UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections, located on the lower level of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall.

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