UBC This Week 06-Sep-2012

Eighteen UBC doctoral students have been awarded the 2010 Vanier Canada Scholarships, the Canadian equivalent of the Rhodes scholarships in the U.K. and the Fulbright scholarships in the U.S. The winners, announced by the federal government on August 30, will receive $50,000 a year for up to three years to support their graduate studies.

The 2012 cohort of 156 Vanier scholars recipients are from 29 universities. UBC’s Vanier Scholars come from Canada, China, Iran, Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Republic of Macedonia. They are pursuing research in a wide range of areas including coastal ecosystems in the face of climate change, next-generation wireless networks, the history and politics of Kurdish women, parenting, and mental health planning for addiction.

The Vanier Canada Scholarships is administered by Canada’s three research granting councils: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

A complete list of the UBC 2012 Vanier scholarship recipients is available at http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2012/08/30/eighteen-ubc-students-win-prestigious-vanier-canada-scholarship/.

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Three faculty members in the Faculty of Medicine have received Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals: Dr. Larry Goldenberg, Dr. Roy Purssell and Dr. Juhn Wada.

Goldenberg, professor and head of the Dept. of Urologic Sciences, has contributed to the research and treatment of prostate cancer in Canada. Purssell, professor in the Dept. of Emergency Medicine, was recognized for his contributions to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Canada, including research and knowledge translation on impaired driving. Wada, professor emeritus in the Dept. of Psychiatry, is a neuroscientist who devoted his career to research into the cause and treatment of epilepsy.

For more information, visit http://med.ubc.ca/faculty-members-awarded-queen-elizabeth-ii-diamond-jubilee-medals/.

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The City of Vancouver’s hoarding action response team is participating in a UBC study that will evaluate the team’s effectiveness and find ways to assist landlords, neighbours, friends and family to help hoarders stay safe and retain their tenancy.

Sheila Woody, a professor in UBC’s department of psychology, and her team of psychology students, are performing two studies on hoarding.

• A hoarding treatment study (sliding fee scale) in a training clinic beginning October. To participate, contact the UBC Psychology Clinic at 604-822-3005. Referrals will be accepted until Sept. 20.
• A cognitive study (not treatment) on hoarding. To participate as a member of the research registry, contact the research group at hoarding@psych.ubc.ca.

For more information, visit www.vancourier.com/health/City+hall+mobilizes+inspectors+against+hoarders/7191624/story.html#ixzz25i0focK7.

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UBC Pharmacy alumna Kari L. Olson has been awarded a 2012 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Foundation Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative Demonstration Grant. Olson is a clinical pharmacy specialist in pharmacy practice-based research and cardiovascular risk reduction at Kaiser Permanente Colorado in Aurora. To read more, visit http://www.pharmacy.ubc.ca/aboutus/faculty-news/2012-09-06.

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Each year, the President’s Office and Human Resources welcomes UBC staff to the new academic year with the Welcome Back Staff BBQ. Held in September and produced by Ceremonies and Events, the event is an opportunity to enjoy a complimentary lunch, live entertainment from Mazacote Latin band, information booths, and the camaraderie of fellow UBC staff colleagues.

Online registration is now closed. If you missed registering for the BBQ and would like to attend, please bring your UBC Card with you to the registration table on the day of the event. A limited number of wristbands will be available for late registrants who meet the eligibility criteria and have a valid UBC ID.

Date:  Sept. 12, 2012
Time:  11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Place: Flagpole Plaza [map]
Info: http://www.ceremonies.ubc.ca/staffbbq/

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There will be a Celebration of Life event to honour Basil Stuart-Stubbs, university librarian at UBC from 1964 to 1981, and director of UBC’s School of Library, Archival and Information Studies from 1981 to 1992. View this tribute for more on his life and legacy.

Date: September 16
Time:  2 p.m.
Place: Sage Bistro, University Centre
Nearest parking: Rose Garden Parkade [map] 
No RSVP required. Attendees are requested to arrive by 2 p.m.

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Shyam Selvadurai will be the Canada Council Writer-in-Residence at Green College from September to December of 2012. Selvadurai is the author of Funny Boy, a coming of age story about a boy within a wealthy Tamil family and Cinnamon Gardens, a novel set among the upper classes in the gracious, repressive and complex world of 1920s Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

He will give a reading from both books in early September and host a free, public lecture series of local and international writers. While at UBC, Selvadurai will be working on a new fantasy trilogy and providing creative writing consultations to graduate students by appointment.

To learn more, visit www.greencollege.ubc.ca/index/spotlight366.php

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