UBC This Week

Recent UBC Media Releases

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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

Education prof named Fellow of the American Educational Research Association

Bruno Zumbo, a professor of measurement, evaluation and research methodology in the Faculty of Education, has been selected as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Zumbo is the first UBC professor selected to be an AERA Fellow.

Fellows are selected in recognition of their exceptional scientific or scholarly contributions to education research and substantial research accomplishments. They are recognized nationally and internationally for their outstanding contributions to education research. AERA is an international professional organization with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application.

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Researchers awarded Garner Killam Fellowships at UBC

UBC chemist Prof. Chris Orvig and evolutionary biologist Prof. Dolph Schulter have been awarded 2011 Killam Research Fellowships, among Canada’s most distinguished research awards. The funded research will focus on the preclinical discovery and testing of compounds that will slow, halt or reverse the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s Disease, and investigate the changes that occur during evolution in three-spined stickleback fish in British Columbia’s coastal lakes.

For more information, visit http://science.ubc.ca/news/522

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UBC launches iPhone app

UBC’s first iPhone app is now available for download.  Students, faculty, staff and prospective students will be able to access up-to-date event information and news from around campus.  The app can also help users find their way around using a list of locations and maps. Prospective students can download the app to learn more about UBC, find program information and watch faculty and student testimonial videos.  It also allows prospective students to connect with UBC and receive information about creating an account on youbc.

UBC’s mobile app will be an ongoing project and additional features will be added to future versions.  UBC is working to make the app available in iPad, Blackberry, and Android formats in the very near future. 

To download the new app and for more information, visit: http://tinyurl.com/4ts7l7k

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UBC Law revamps LL.M. (common law) degree for foreign-trained lawyers

UBC Faculty of Law recently revamped its LL.M. Common Law degree to create an opportunity for foreign-trained lawyers to practice law in Canada. This year-long, course-based professional LL.M. program provides foundational training in Canadian law and the common law for foreign-trained lawyers or lawyers without common law training. The revised degree includes new courses designed to assist foreign-trained lawyers in meeting the course-work requirements for practice in Canada.

The program begins in May with intensive courses that introduce core common law concepts and the foundations of Canadian law.  For more information, visit http://www.law.ubc.ca/graduate/p-programs-LLM-CL.html or contact Joanne Chung at 604.822.6449 or graduates@law.ubc.ca

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Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder focus of international UBC conference

The prevalence, costs and prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are the focus of more than 1,000 participants from 14 countries during March 2-5.   Convened by UBC Interprofessional Continuing Education, the fourth annual conference on FASD will advance knowledge about diagnosis, assessment and support for those with FASD – the most common known cause of developmental disability in the western world. UBC experts such as Dr. Christine Loock, associate professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, BC Children’s Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, will explore new findings and strategies.

View the conference agenda at: http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/Brochures/FASD2011_Brochure.pdf

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Annual Distinguished Neuroethics Lecture at UBC

The 2011 Distinguished Lecture at this year’s Brain Awareness Week Neuroethics event at UBC will be delivered by Dr. Remi Quirion, vice dean and professor of psychiatry, McGill University, and former scientific director of the Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction, Canadian Institute of Health Research.

Date: March 16
Time: Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Place: Brain Research Centre, Koerner Pavilion, 2211 Wesbrook Mall
Info: Public welcome. Free admission http://calendar.events.ubc.ca:80/s/ny

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PWIAS public lecture series

The Wall Exchange presents a new public lecture series which will bring prominent writers, researchers, and humanitarians to Vancouver.  It will kick off on May 3 featuring pioneering scientific researcher Dr. J. Craig Venter, a genomic scientist and sequencer of the human genome.

In 1998, Venter founded Celera Genomics to sequence the human genome using new tools and techniques he and his team developed. This research culminated with the February 2001 publication of the human genome in the journal Science. Venter will speak on the construction of the first synthetic cell and global ocean sampling expedition followed by a moderated question period.

The Wall Exchange is a community program created by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (PWIAS) to provide a public forum for the discussion of key issues including genomics, the future of imagination, and children at risk. Events will be held each year in the spring and fall and will feature a well known public figure who has contributed new knowledge to the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities.

This event is sponsored in part by Genome BC and the Georgia Straight.

Date: May 3
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place:  Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville Street, Vancouver
Info: Public welcome.  Free admission.  Reservations recommended.
Limited number of tickets.   www.pwias.ubc.ca

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Applied Science events at Celebrate Research Week

What does the future with climate change, clean energy and low-carbon neighbourhoods look like?  How can we prevent broken necks in football and hockey? What do women have to do with men’s health? What exactly it is about recent Vancouver urbanism that is so popular?

The Dept. of Applied Science invites the community to learn from their experts during UBC’s Celebrate Research Week from March 4-11.  All talks are free and open to the public. 

For more information on their events, visit: www.apsc.ubc.ca/celebrateresearch

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Asia Pacific Memo update: Comparing Tahrir Square 2010 and Tiananmen Square 1989 / Is China the Next Domino?

The Institute of Asian Research (IAR)’s Asia Pacific Memo features accessible scholarly knowledge about contemporary Asia. They publish short text memos or video interviews every Tuesday and Thursday, at http://www.asiapacificmemo.ca/

  • Feb 24: Comparing Tahrir Square Demonstrations of 2011 and Tiananmen Protests of 1989, by Earl Drake, Canadian Ambassador in Beijing in 1989.
  • Feb 25: Is China the Next Domino? by Daniel Bell, professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University.

To read the memos, visit http://www.asiapacificmemo.ca/

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