UBC This Week 01-March-2012


 

Recent UBC Media Releases

Mar 1 UBC expert panel to explore US election
Mar 1 Tangential Vancouverism exhibit offers playful, bold ideas on city’s future
Mar 1 Sauder School of Business unveils $70M facility revamp into global education hub
Feb 29 Graduate students turn years of research into three-minute speech
Feb 28 UBC researcher invents “lab on a chip” device to study malaria
Feb 27 Traces of listeria found in Vancouver ready-to-eat fish products: UBC study
   
 

Upcoming Event Highlights

Mar 2 Anthropology Graduate Conference – Culture and Change: Towards a Dynamic Anthropology
Mar 3 Botanical Watercolour Course
Mar 4 Campaign 2012: UBC Perspectives on the U.S. election
Mar 4 Wild Guppies are Way Cool Because…
Mar 5 Celebrate Research seminar: Systems Health: Taking personalized medicine beyond the genome
Mar 5-9 UBC Fair Trade Week
Mar 6 UBC Workplace Experiences Survey Result Town Hall
Mar 6 A Walk on the Darkside of Work
Mar 7 Men in Heels Fundraiser
Mar 7 News Beyond Journalism: Social Media and the Recurring Rhythms of Storytelling
Mar 8-9 Heart + Lung Health Fest 2012: Two-Day Scientific Symposium
Mar 8 What are my career options with my graduate degree?
Mar 9 The Nature of Everything! Journey from the smallest to largest imaginable scales to explore our understanding of the physical world
   
  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.

 

UBC People


UBC People

Pharmaceutical Sciences researchers awarded CIHR grants

Pharmaceutical Prof. Larry Lynd and colleagues have received a five-year $1,466,018 grant through Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)’s Emerging Team: Rare Diseases – Health Services Program. Lynd’s team will address the need to create funding policies for the developmentand subsidy of drugs to treat rare diseases. A formal announcement was made by the Harper Government on the support of rare disease research.

To read more, visit http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/aboutus/faculty-news#CIHRgrants.

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UBC professors receive 2012 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships

UBC chemistry professor Mark MacLachlan and electrical and computer engineering professor Robert Schober have received the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

MacLachlan explores the potential for invention through supramolecular chemistry—a discipline that takes advantage of the fact that molecules with specific shapes and properties will self-assemble to form new materials. For more information, visit http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/Steacie-Steacie/Profiles-Profils/MacLachlan-MacLachlan_eng.asp.

Schober’s research has helped ensure that wireless network capacity keeps up with the demand for services. His latest efforts build on the growing trend towards designing co-operative wireless networks. For more information, visit http://blogs.apsc.ubc.ca/engineeringnews/2012/02/29/ubc-engineer-receives-national-research-award/.

Steacie Fellowships are awarded to outstanding university faculty who are earning a strong international reputation for original research. The Fellowship includes a research grant of up to $250,000 over two years, as well as $90,000 per year to fund a replacement for the Fellow’s teaching and administrative duties during the course of the fellowship.

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Fisheries portal wins UBC Library’s Research Dissemination Award

Three members of UBC’s Fisheries Centre are the 2012 recipients of UBC Library’s Innovative Dissemination of Research Award. The award honours UBC faculty, staff and students who expand the boundaries of research through the creative use of new tools and technologies.

The submission from Dirk Zeller, Ar’ash Tavakolie and Daniel Pauly highlighted The Sea Around Us Project portal (http://www.seaaroundus.org/). Each month, thousands of people access the portal, which provides detailed information from 1950 onward about the world’s fisheries, including the catch and its value and fisheries subsidies. The portal and its supporting databases are a major source of fisheries information for scientists, environmental conservationists and many intergovernmental agencies around the world.

The winners will be formally recognized by Ingrid Parent, UBC’s University Librarian, at the Celebrate Research Awards Gala on March 8, 2012. For more information, visit http://scholcomm.ubc.ca/events-awards/award.

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Education student wins digital media scholarship at Microsoft Research New England

Chelsey Hauge, a PhD student in the Dept. of Language and Literacy Education (LLED) at the Faculty of Education has won an all-expense paid Digital Media and Learning Institute scholarship at Microsoft Research New England to participate in a Summer Institute, “Thinking In and Out of the Box: How Innovation and Policy Shape Networked Learning.” This one-week institute, hosted by social media superstar, danah boyd, is designed to support the development of junior scholars working in digital media and learning.

Microsoft Research New England, located in Cambridge, is an emerging destination for scholarship in social media.

For more information, visit http://lled.educ.ubc.ca/congratulations-chelsey-hauge

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UBC student delegation participates in World Model UN conference

For the first time, a student delegation from UBC’s Okanagan campus will take part in the World Model United Nations Conference. The international academic simulation of the United Nations, sponsored by Harvard University and hosted by UBC, takes place in Vancouver from March 11 to 15.

The eight-member delegation from UBC’s Okanagan campus will include Tim Krupa, third-year Science student, Biology and Chemistry; Oliver Eberle, second-year Arts, International Relations; Braden MacDonald, fourth-year Science, Honours Physics; Nick Gunn, third-year Management; Savannah Hallworth, third-year Arts, International Relations; Leah Donatiello, third-year Human Kinetics; Dominique Gelineau, third-year Arts, Economics; and William Wei, fourth-year Arts, Economics.

The gathering unites 2,200 students from 270 world universities to learn the art of diplomacy and become better educated in current events. This is the first time the symposium has taken place in North America.

For more information, visit https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2012/02/24/okanagan-campus-sends-delegation-to-world-model-un-conference/.

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UBC hosts pulp and paper students from the flooded Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand

The worst flooding Thailand has experienced in years began in August and reached the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in October. With their campus recovering from being flooded with two metres of water, the UBC’s Pulp and Paper Centre has made it possible for a group of AIT students to complete their masters studies at UBC.

The students arrive March 1 and are expected to graduate in September.

For more information, visit http://www.ppc.ubc.ca/2012/02/29/ubc-hosts-pulp-and-paper-students-from-the-flooded-asian-institute-of-technology-in-thailand/.

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Engineering students win major undergraduate scholarships

UBC engineering students, Jacob Bayless (fifth-year, Engineering Physics) and Connor Schellenberg-Beaver (third-year, Mechanical Engineering) have received UBC Wesbrook Scholars and Premier Undergraduate Scholarships.

The Premier Undergraduate Scholarships and Wesbrook Scholars are given to senior students with outstanding academic performance, leadership, and involvement in student and community activities. Awards range from 20 Wesbrook Scholar designations worth $1,000 each to renewable scholarships worth $20,000 over two years.

For more information, visit http://blogs.apsc.ubc.ca/engineeringnews/2012/02/28/two-engineering-students-win-wesbrook-and-premier-undergraduate-scholarships/.

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UBC Engineering recognizes exceptional B.C. teachers

UBC Engineering pays tribute to outstanding teachers in British Columbia through the McEwen Family Teacher Recognition Award. The award celebrates teachers who go above and beyond teaching the curriculum to ensure students succeed not just academically but personally.

Short-listed nominees for 2012 include: Mike Clift, R.C. Palmer Secondary School, Richmond; Brad Harwood, Hugh McRoberts Secondary School, Richmond; and Brian Outerbridge, South Delta Secondary School, Delta.

The award was established through a $36,750 donation by Vancouver biomedical engineer Jim McEwen (BASc ’71, PhD ‘75) who believes strongly in the importance of celebrating our teachers.

For more information, visit http://www.engineering.ubc.ca/alumni/reunions-events/engineeringexcellence.php

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UBC IT offers information security awareness training

UBC Information Technology is offering information security awareness training to all staff, faculty and graduate students. Topics will include internet security, creating strong passwords, mobile devices, social networking,and how you can protect yourself, your computer and the information stored on your computer from malicious attacks and other cybercrimes.

To find out more about this free course and other security information, visit http://www.it.ubc.ca/security. Please ensure that the latest version of Flash and Java Runtime are installed and enabled in your browser and also disable pop-up blockers for the site. More information on browser specifications and set-up for Vista can be found at http://kb.blackboard.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=45581177.

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UBC Engineering Excellence recognize those who make a difference

UBC Engineering will host the third annual Engineering Excellence Celebration on March 1, 2012. The event recognizes students, alumni and faculty within engineering who make a difference throughout their careers and vocations.

Dan Doyle (BASc ’69) will receive this year’s Engineering’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Colin Smith (BASc ’65) will receive the Community Leadership Award. The Outstanding Future Alumnus Award will go to Sean Heisler and Annelies Tjebbes.

For more information, visit http://www.engineering.ubc.ca/alumni/reunions-events/engineeringexcellence.php

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2012 Urban Futures Survey

Area residents are invited to participate in the 2012 Urban Futures Survey. The first such survey was held in 1973, and the second was held in 1990. Now, the third Greater Vancouver Urban Futures Opinion Survey is online at http://www.urbanfuturessurvey.com/.

A series of geographically-specific research studies that measure the importance of a number of issues to residents across the Lower Mainland, previous surveys have helped inform the creation of the Livable Region Plan and the Choosing our Future program.

The survey is being conducted with the sponsorship of Lambda Alpha International, Vancouver Chapter and the support of the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver, the City of Surrey, the City of North Vancouver, Translink and Vancity Credit Union.

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Leading scholar of secularism in France gives UBC talk

Jean Baubérot, a leading scholar of ‘la laïcité’ (secularism) in France will be giving a talk (in French) at UBC. Baubérot has been in the news about inserting the Law of 1905 (on the separation of Church and State) into the French constitution, as well as the increased use of the principle of “laïcité” to denounce or discourage Islam in France.

Date: March 6
Time: 4 – 6 p.m.
Place: Buchanan Penthouse 
Info: Please note, this talk will be in English and French. 
http://wire.arts.ubc.ca/events/jean-bauberot-contemporary-challenges-to-french-secularism/

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School of Nursing’s Celebrate Research Week events

Infant sleep expert Prof. Wendy Hall and pediatrician Dr. Osman Ipsiroglu review how to identify and reduce biological and behavioural sources of infant and child sleep difficulties at a Celebrate Research event titled “Getting to the Root of Your Kids’ Sleep Problems”. Question and Answer session to follow.

Date: March 5
Time: 1 – 2 p.m.
Place: Lillooet Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall

UK researcher Prof. Kate Hunt discusses the specifics of designing gender-targeted approaches to weight management and lifestyle change for overweight and obese men in Scotland at a Celebrate Research event titled “Football Fans in Training”.

Date: March 6
Time: 12 – 1 p.m.
Place: Room T206 (3rd Floor of the UBC Hospital), 2211 Wesbrook Mall

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World Water Day Seminar

The UBC community is invited to attend a seminar organized by Engineers Without Borders and the Canadian Water Resources Association on March 12. The day of discussion will be about water and food security in Vancouver, B.C. and beyond.

Date:  March 12
Time:  8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Place: Performance Works, Granville Island
Info: Registration and details:   www.regonline.com/cwraewbworldwaterday2012seminar

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Asia Pacific Memo update – Chinese Migrants Overseas / Filipina Immigrant Girls in Japan

Twice-weekly, Asian Pacific Memo publishes short text memos or video interviews on current issues in Asia and across the Pacific at http://www.asiapacificmemo.ca/.

• Feb 28 – Why do Chinese Migrants Have to Pay so Much to Work Overseas, by Oxford University Lecturer, Biao Xiang

• Feb 23 – Filipina Immigrant Girls’ Lived Experience in Japan, by University of Maryland College Park PhD Candidate, Tomoko Tokunaga

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