UBC This Week

The University of British Columbia has been named Canada’s first “Fair Trade Campus” and will get its very own blend of ethically sourced coffee as a result of its national leadership on Fair Trade purchasing.

The designation, the result of a collaboration with UBC’s Engineers Without Borders chapter, is by Fairtrade Canada, the Canadian arm of a global non-profit Fair Trade certification system that supports producers in developing nations and encourages individuals and organizations to purchase ethically-sourced consumer goods.

With the accreditation, UBC joins the City of Vancouver – which last year was the first city in Canada to become a “Fair Trade Town” – and more than 100 global universities that have committed to buy Fair Trade coffee, tea, chocolate and tropical fruit from producers who guarantee higher social, environmental and pay standards for farmers and workers.

Students have played a key role UBC’s Fair Trade initiatives. UBC became the first Canadian university to adopt Fair Trade coffee – in Alma Mater Society (AMS) student union eateries in 2004 and UBC Food Services outlets in 2006 – as a result of student feedback. Since then, in collaboration with students, UBC has developed sustainable purchasing principles, a code of conduct for suppliers and has added Fair Trade chocolate, tea and tropical fruit to the menus of more than 20 campus food outlets.

UBC Fair Trade statistics (2010-2011):

• 8,975 kg of coffee, or nearly 1,436,000 eight oz. cups of coffee
• Approx. 429,000 tea bags
• More than 2300 chocolate bars
• More than 1,885 kg of bananas

For more information, visit http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2011/05/05/ubc-named-canada%E2%80%99s-first-fair-trade-campus/

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During Fair Trade Week next week, UBC will hold its first Fair Trade Day on May 11.  The community is invited to bring their own mugs and get a cup of fair trade coffee or tea for 99 cents at all participating UBC Food Services and Alma Mater Society locations (not valid at White Spot, Starbucks and Tim Hortons).

The event at the bookstore plaza will feature information booths, free samples and a chance to meet with Fair Trade Vancouver, Discovery Organics and Engineers Without Borders.

For more information, visit http://calendar.events.ubc.ca/s/yx

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A $62.2 million expansion of Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver will include space for the Faculty of Medicine’s growing numbers of medical students and residents, as well as a new acute mental health facility and an ambulance station for BC Ambulance Service.

The project, announced April 29 by Health Minister Mike de Jong and Advanced Education Minister Naomi Yamamoto, will provide new or larger clinical exam rooms, videoconference rooms, a library, administrative space and facilities for medical students and residents. Lions Gate Hospital is an affiliated regional centre of the faculty, one of 20 hospitals throughout the province that play a formal role in the faculty’s medical training programs.

“The additional academic space included in this project will allow the Faculty of Medicine to train more medical students and medical residents, enabling them to gain and enhance clinical skills, easily consult reference materials, and participate in learning sessions, either with each other or, thanks to videoconferencing technology, with other trainees throughout the province,” said Gavin C.E. Stuart, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and UBC’s Vice Provost Health. “Having doubled our medical program’s enrolment over the last six years, this expansion is a crucial step in making sure our students and residents have all the learning resources they need, wherever they may be located.”

The Province is providing $38.2 million in capital funding through Vancouver Coastal Health. The Lions Gate Hospital Foundation is also a project partner, and has committed to raise the balance – $24 million.

Construction is expected to get underway in summer 2012, with completion targeted for the end of 2013.

For more information, visit http://www.med.ubc.ca/media/201104/Lions_Gate_Hospital_expansion_makes_room_for_more_medical_training.htm

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Dr. Kishor Wasan from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC is this year’s winner of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences (CSPS) Award of Leadership in Canadian Pharmaceutical Sciences.

This prestigious honour recognizes scientists for leadership in advancing the cause of pharmaceutical research and development in Canada.

For more information, visit http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/aboutus/faculty-news

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Carolyn Labun, senior instructor in the School of Engineering, was honoured last Thursday with this year’s Teaching Excellence and Innovation Award at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

Laubin was applauded for being a passionate and dedicated teacher who uses novel assignments and projects to challenge students, and for her devotion to building a learning community.

The awards for Teaching Excellence and Innovation will be formally presented to the three winners at UBC’s Okanagan convocation ceremonies in June. The awards include cash prizes of $3,000 (to be shared by co-recipients).

The recipients will join UBC’s Okanagan Academy of Teaching Excellence and participate in the selection process for future teaching award nominees.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/m6kaKk

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Throughout the month of May, an online Applied Science Rising Stars feature will highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding students who are graduating this spring.

Read about these inspiring new graduates at www.apsc.ubc.ca/stars/congregation11

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2011 TechTrek Summer camps are being offered for students who are entering grade eight, nine, 10 and 11 in September 2011.  The TechTrek program is organized by the Dept.of Computer Science outreach committee and has been designed and run by computer science faculty and graduate students.  

These camps are designed to engage students to learn about the many uses of computers in robotics, web-design, and electronic games.  There are a range of fun activities including Java with Greenfoot, 3D Animation with Alice, Robot challenges, Video game design, Lab tours, demos, drive a NASA Rover and more.  The one-week, full day camps will have a mix of learning experiences, hands-on labs, and outside physical activities around UBC.

The camps will be offered the weeks of July 4, 11, 18, 25, Aug 8 and 15.  Students can choose between a General Computer Science Camp (for entering Grade 8-10 students) and a Robotics Camp (for entering Grade 9-11 students).  Grade 9 and 10 students can attend both camps. 

For more details and to register visit the website at http://www.techtrek.ca/, and click on “SUMMER CAMPS!”

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