This past year, UBC launched the most ambitious fundraising and alumni engagement campaign in Canadian history. The start an evolution campaign aims to raise $1.5 billion for students, research and community engagement, and to double the number of alumni involved annually in the life of the university by 2015.
Watch the new campaign video to learn the ways to get involved: http://youtu.be/Y1OyDjRcOAg
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has announced that Dr. Michael R. Hayden will join the company as the president of global research and development and chief scientific officer. In this new role, Hayden will lead all research and development for Israel-based Teva, combining the efforts of two teams focused on the development of both brand and generic medicines.
Hayden is Killam professor of Medical Genetics at UBC, and Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine.
For more information, visit: http://www.thestreet.com/story/11527187/1/teva-appoints-michael-hayden-as-president-of-global-research-and-development-and-chief-scientific-officer.html
Prof. Hennie van Vuuren, Director of the Wine Research Centre at UBC, has been honoured by the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation in Ottawa for major scientific breakthroughs that will prevent the formation of neurotoxins and carcinogens in wine.
Industrial wine yeasts have been genetically improved in van Vuuren’s laboratory and subsequently patented, licensed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada and Environment Canada for commercial application in the U.S. and Canada. These are the first two genetically enhanced yeast in the world that have been approved for commercial wine making.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation in Ottawa comprises the Canada Agriculture Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. A poster, archived equipment from van Vuuren’s laboratory and packaged malolactic and ethyl carbamate preventing yeast strains will be permanently incorporated into the Agriculture Museum.
School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) Asst. Prof. Jason Sutherland has been named the Canadian Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice. Sutherland will be working with leading U.S. policy makers, governments and researchers investigating incentives for improving coordination of care between settings and reducing the amount of ineffective and inappropriate care. For more information, visit http://spph.ubc.ca/?p2=modules/blog/viewcomments.jsp&bid=228
UBC Long-Term Service awards were given to SPPH senior administrator Virginia Anthony, who has been with UBC for 40 years and Clinical Prof. Mike Rekart who has been with UBC for 25 years.
Michael Brauer, Mieke Koehoorn and Stuart Peacock received 2012 Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Awards, which are nominated by department heads or school directors of the Faculty of Medicine.
The James M. Robinson Award was presented to Dr. Danuta Skowronski for her contribution to public health. Skowronski is a physician epidemiologist at B.C. Centre for Disease Control and a clinical professor with SPPH.
The George Elliot Award for lifetime contribution to public health in B.C. was presented to Dr. Sam Sheps, a professor with UBC SPPH and the director of the School’s MSc and PhD Program.
Three professors in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at UBC’s Okanagan campus were honoured with Teaching Excellence and Innovation awards.
Naomi McPherson, associate professor of anthropology, received a senior faculty award. The award for junior faculty member is shared by Erik Rosolowky, assistant professor of astronomy, and Paul G. Davies, associate professor of psychology.
Faculty members were also recognized with honour roll distinctions, as were teaching assistants and tutors.
For more information, visit https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2012/05/04/ubc-teachers-honoured-for-their-dedication-to-students/
As the first recipient of a new Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) Science Policy Fellowship, Noreen Kamal will have an opportunity to develop evidence-based provincial policy for emergency care. Kamal is an electrical and computer engineering PhD candidate studying human-computer interaction as it pertains to health.
The fellowship will embed Kamal for six months in the Ministry of Health to develop policy recommendations for emergency department care informed by research evidence and best practice.
For more information, visit http://www.ece.ubc.ca/news/201204/noreen-kamal-first-recipient-science-policy-fellowship.
Miguel Guillen Torres’ balance of approachability and professionalism as a teaching assistant has garnered him the 2011/2012 Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. As an Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) PhD student studying motion sensors, Torres has been a TA for undergraduate ECE courses.
For more information, visit http://www.ece.ubc.ca/news/201205/miguel-torres-wins-killam-graduate-teaching-assistant-award.
Two UBC engineering physics students have placed in the top 10 across Canada in the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) University Prize Exam. Chris Read and Kyle Boone, both in their fourth year, competed against 88 undergraduate students from 23 universities across Canada to take top spots in the national competition.
For more information, visit http://bit.ly/IkC6IX
UBC will honour 76 Japanese Canadian students whose university experience was disrupted in 1942 when they were forced to leave the B.C. coast. In a special ceremony, UBC will award honorary degrees to the students who were unable to complete their education in 1942, and will re-confer degrees on the students who completed their studies but may have missed their graduation ceremony.
Date: May 30
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Road
Info: http://japanese-canadian-student-tribute.ubc.ca/the-ceremony/
The UBC Faculty Pension Plan will host its first Pension Forum – an informal event for members to learn more about their pension plan and meet with the Plan’s trustees, management and staff. There will be a short presentation. Visit the Pension Forum invitation for event details.
Date: May 23, 2012
Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Place: Ponderosa Centre – Arbutus Room, 2071 West Mall
Info: RSVP by May 16 at (604) 822-8100 or pensions@hr.ubc.ca
UBC Library, in cooperation with the Ohio University Libraries, is hosting the fifth WCILCOS International Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies. This is the first time UBC has been invited to host the WCILCOS Conference, and the first time it has been hosted in Canada. Eleanor Yuen, Head of UBC’s Asian Library, has helped organize WCILCOS conferences since 2003.
The event will focus on “Chinese through the Americas.” More than 150 delegates from around the world will gather in Vancouver to present research and findings. Keynote speakers include Prof. Henry Yu, Dept. of History, UBC, and Prof. Guotu Zhuang, Xiamen University.
Date: May 16 – 19
Place: UBC Point Grey campus
Info: http://wcilcos.library.ubc.ca/
Conference presentations will be shared via UBC’s cIRcle
Two world-leading brain researchers will speak about the latest insights on how the brain changes as we age, what we can do about it, and new treatment opportunities for Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Max Cynader, Director of the Brain Research Centre and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, will share the latest research from brain scientists that suggests useful ways to improve brain function.
Dr. Howard Feldman, Executive Associate Dean Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine, will reflect on the effects of aging on learning and memory. He will discuss findings that help reveal when early Alzheimer’s disease begins and provide an update on emerging treatment opportunities.
This event is sponsored by the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, the Brain Research Centre, and UBC.
Date: May 20
Time: 3 – 4:15 p.m.
Place: Lecture Halls 1 & 2, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall
Entrance to lecture via the West doors of Life Sciences Centre only
Info: Free public lecture. http://calendar.events.ubc.ca:80/s/3NP
As part of UBC Alumni Weekend, WHO’S THERE? will honour Peter Loeffler, a theatre history professor who inspired generations of students at UBC. Theatrical shorts featuring alumni and students will showcase avant-garde theatre that Loeffler loved, followed by a party. All proceeds will go towards the Peter Loeffler Memorial Prize in Theatre.
Date: May 26
Time: 7:30 – midnight
Place: Frederic Wood Theatre, 6354 Crescent Road
Info: Tickets $10. Reserve tickets: 604.822.2678 or http://ubctheatre.universitytickets.com/. UBC alumni can reserve tickets at: www.alumni.ubc.ca/events/alumniweekend
The Baccalaureate Concert is an annual event that features graduating students from the UBC School of Music. The free concert occurs the evening of the first day of the spring congregation ceremonies.
Date: May 23
Time: 8 – 9:30 p.m.
Place: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Road
Info: Free admission. http://www.calendar.events.ubc.ca/s/3Fi
An exhibition that demonstrates the art of poetry from different Asian cultural traditions is on display at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. This year’s exhibition highlights young artists who are first-generation Asian-Canadians or new immigrants.
The Generation One exhibit is part of ExplorASIAN 2012, the 16th annual month-long festival to celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Metro Vancouver. Other Generation One venues include the International Arts Gallery in Vancouver’s Chinatown, and Amicus Lawyers and the River Market in New Westminster.
Date: To May 25
Place: Main foyer, level two, Ike Barber Learning Centre
For more info: http://www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/generation-one-art-exhibition
Twice-weekly, Asia Pacific Memo series publishes short text memos or video interviews on current issues in Asia and across the Pacific at http://www.asiapacificmemo.ca/
