UBC This Week

On the unanimous recommendation of Prof. Dianne Newell and the Academic Advisory Committee of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at UBC, and with the unanimous approval of the Wall Institute Board of Directors, President Stephen J. Toope announces the appointment of Prof.Derek Gregory, Dept. of Geography at UBC, as a Peter Wall Distinguished Professor.

In appointing Gregory, Toope said: “I am delighted that we have this opportunity to recognize Derek Gregory for his dedication to excellence in research.”

A prolific academician and one of the most cited geographers outside and within the discipline, Gregory is an internationally renowned scholar in both the  social sciences and the humanities.

Gregory’s appointment is for a five year term, effective July 1, 2011, and renewable once. At the Peter Wall Institute, Gregory joins Brett Finlay, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Microbiology and Immunology, and a Peter Wall Distinguished Professor since 2002.

For more information, visit www.ubc.ca/news

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Alastair Bruce Macdonald, a former director of UBC Botanical Garden, has passed away following a long illness. Macdonald came to Canada in 1980 to take on the role of associate director at the Botanical Garden, with responsibility for horticulture and plant introductions. He became acting director in 1985 and director from 1987 to 2002. 

Macdonald was involved with the International Plant Propagator’s Society (IPPS), both in Britain and after he immigrated to Canada, eventually becoming international president. He was senior lecturer in nursery stock production at Hadlow College in England, and later during his tenure at UBC, taught plant propagation in the Horticulture Program. He was much admired for his encyclopedic knowledge of cultivated plants and plant propagation and production methods and for his enthusiastic, yet easy and relaxed teaching style.

Macdonald was well known in the nursery industry around the world through his work with IPPS, and as author of the widely acclaimed “Practical Woody Plant Propagation,” an exhaustive exposition of propagating methods. Throughout his years with UBC, he worked exceptionally hard, bringing together staff, industry and the garden’s volunteer organization, the Friends of the Garden, to make the Botanical Garden a viable, dynamic institution, sometimes, against considerable odds.

In 1998 Macdonald was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s most prestigious international award, the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal. The award is given for outstanding contribution to the advancement of the science and practice of horticulture. Among his many achievements, Macdonald helped develop the Botanical Garden’s innovative Plant Introduction Scheme, which selected and introduced new and improved plants to nurseries. This was the first time the medal had been given to a Canadian since first presented in 1922.

A memorial service is scheduled for March 18 at 1 p.m. at All Saints Anglican Church in Ladner (4755 Arthur Dr., Delta, BC). At the request of Macdonald’s family, UBC Botanical Garden will graciously accept memorial contributions in Macdonald’s honour at the service. Alternatively, donations can be made by contacting Marcia Thomson at UBC. marcia.thomson@ubc.ca 604-822-0623 

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UBC Campus Security has partnered with Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers to develop a campaign directed to university and college communities.  The campaign concentrates on texting and social networking as the medium of communication and reporting “tips.” The first of its kind in Canada and North America, the campaign uses a series of posters and electronic display screens around campus to communicate directly to the university community. 

The campaign developed at UBC is easily tailored for other campuses and will be shared to broaden the knowledge around Crime Stoppers. 

The BC Crime Stoppers Training Conference in Kelowna will take place May 12–14 and will feature a line-up of speakers including Christopher J. Schneider, assistant professor in the Dept. of Sociology in UBC’s Barber School of Arts and Sciences.  Schneider will deliver a keynote address entitled “Media and Crime: Beyond Borders and Barriers.”  The talk will address social media, how it has contributed to social changes and understanding generally and more specifically in relation to crime, deviance and social control.

To register and for more information on the conference, visit  http://www.crimestoppers.net/page.php?pageID=218

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In April 2009, UBC announced that the decision to pursue membership in the NCAA Division II would be deferred pending more information. Since that time, UBC has done research and the results of these efforts have been detailed in the UBC Vancouver campus and the NCAA Division II Membership: A Review of the Issues http://www.students.ubc.ca/ncaa/download/UBC_NCAA_review_issues.pdf.
 
As the university prepares to make a decision in April, a consultation process has been launched to inform and seek input from the UBC community through the consultation website http://www.students.ubc.ca/ncaa/  and feedback form, open forums and stakeholder meetings.   

Review the report and complete the online feedback form at http://www.surveyfeedback.ca/surveys/wsb.dll/s/1gc62  

The two open forums that will take place are:

• March 28, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Lillooet Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
• March 30, 5:30 – 7 p.m., Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre

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Professors Victor Leung and Panos Nasiopoulos, from the Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, along with Sauder’s Garland Chow are members of a research network that has been awarded a $5-million grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and an additional $3-million from industry partners towards a large-scale research program that will transform the way Canadians drive.

The collaborative research project called Developing Next Generation Intelligent Vehicular Networks and Applications (DIVA) will be supported by several government organizations, private businesses, and university researchers from UBC, University of Ottawa, Carleton University, Ontario Institute of Technology, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Queen’s University, University of Alberta and University of Waterloo.

The goal of the project is to design wireless networks and applications for Canada’s vehicles and roads that support high-speed communications among vehicles and between vehicles and ground-based infrastructure. The Canadian research team will work with and develop leading-edge communications technologies and systems that will significantly improve efficiency, safety, productivity and mobility on the road, while reducing threats to travel safety and security, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

The researchers envision a wireless communications network that will allow real-time information about the transportation environment to be delivered directly to drivers, from alerts about accidents and poor road conditions that can cause drivers to idle in traffic to information about what retail options are available.

For more information, visit this link.

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Seven new research projects on regenerative medicine and nanomedicine at Canadian universities received $16 million in funding. The studies, co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), were announced at the University of Toronto on March 16, 2011.

Nanomedicine delivers medical technologies that detect or function at the molecular level to diagnose and treat disease, while regenerative medicine stimulates the renewal of bodily tissues and organs or restores function through natural and bioengineered means. Various innovations in these areas have helped combat vascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other chronic diseases. 

This funding will enable two UBC researchers to potentially:

• create personalized nanomedicines that silence cancer-causing genes, Prof. Pieter Cullis, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• generate transplantable, insulin-producing cells from stem cells for diabetes, Prof. Timothy Kieffer, Surgery, Cellular & Physiological Sciences

For more information, visit http://www.med.ubc.ca/media/201103/Faculty_members_wins_CIHR_nanomedicine_and_regenerative_medicine_grants.htm 

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The Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, will be home to the neurovirology division of the Global Virus Network, a global authority and resource for the identification, investigation, and control of viral diseases posing threats to humankind. 

Under the leadership of Prof. Max Cynader, Director of the Brain Research Centre, and Adjunct Prof.  Chris Tan, Division of Neurology, the Vancouver research team will investigate emerging viruses and virus-like infectious agents that affect the brain. 

Other members of the local team include Dr. Neil Cashman, Division of Neurology; Prof. William Jia, Dept. of Surgery; and Dr. Joe Kates, chief scientific officer of Calidris Therapeutics Ltd.

For more information, visit www.brain.ubc.ca/news/news_archives/2011updates.htm#gvn_2011.

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UBC Engineering Co-op will celebrate their co-op achievements with free popcorn at the engineering co-op office during National Co-op Week. 

Co-operative education has been working in Canada for 50 years.  With over 80,000 co-op students in Canada, organizations are able to tap into a remarkable resource of newly developed skill sets, while at the same time enhancing their workforce by meeting a variety of staffing requirements. 

Students benefit through opportunities to test skills learned in the classroom, and to expand their knowledge through related work experience. This experience provides students with a chance to practice the latest theories and approaches in their particular discipline.

National Co-op Week will also be celebrated throughout the week at various events and activities. 

Date:    March 21 to 25
Time:    12 to 2 p.m.
Place:   UBC Engineering Co-op Office (Pulp and Paper Centre), 2385 East Mall

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UBC Engineering announces the short list of secondary school teachers nominated for the inaugural McEwen Family Teacher Award.

Created to highlight the contributions high school teachers make to students and communities through their mentorship, the award celebrates those who go above and beyond teaching the curriculum to ensure their students succeed not just academically but personally. Students currently enrolled in the UBC Faculty of Applied Science who attended secondary school in B.C.  or elsewhere in Canada are eligible to nominate an influential teacher.

The winning teacher will receive $5,000 to spend on school enrichment activities, programs or development. The winning teacher will also be asked to nominate a current high school student to receive a $5,000 scholarship to attend UBC. The UBC Engineering student who nominated the winning teacher will receive $250 in recognition of his or her efforts.

The award was established through a $36,750 donation by Vancouver biomedical engineer Jim McEwen (BASc ’71, PhD ‘75).

The finalists for the 2011 McEwen Family Teacher Award are:

• Todd Ablett, Electronics/Engineering, Gladstone Secondary School
• Brad Epp, Mathematics, South Kamloops Secondary School
• Weily Lin, Mathematics, West Vancouver Secondary School
• Rob Olson, Counseling/Tech, Balmoral Junior Secondary School
• Douglas Park, Biology/Video Production, Hugh Boyd Secondary School

For more information, visit this link.

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Those interested in current issues in Asia and across the Pacific are invited to subscribe to the Asia Pacific Memo (APM) series. Twice weekly, APM publishes short text memos or video interviews at http://www.asiapacificmemo.ca/

• Mar 17: UBC Japanese Geography Expert analyzes effects of Japan’s recent earthquake (video interview with Prof. David Edgington)
• Mar 15: Tough Choices Ahead for Global India, by Harsh Pant, Dept. of Defence Studies, King’s College.
• Mar 10: Sino-European Hope for the G20 in 2011, by Yves Tiberghien, Dept. of Political Science, UBC

Subscribe to the memos at http://www.asiapacificmemo.ca/subscribe

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The Biomedical Engineering Program presents: Assessing Effectiveness of Medical Technologies, a talk given by Prof. Charlyn Black, Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, on the topic of assessing effectiveness of medical technologies.

            Date:    March 22
            Time:    4 – 5 p.m.
            Place:   Kaiser Building, 2332 Main Mall, Room 2020

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