UBC This Week 14-Mar-2013

 

Recent UBC Media Releases

Mar. 14 Announcement of CIDA-UBC partnership to improve children’s health in developing country
Mar. 14 Largest number of medical residents to be trained in British Columbia
Mar. 12 $30M partnership of Canadian, Indian institutions officially launched at UBC
Mar. 12 Friend or foe: Babies choose sides early
Mar. 11 Ready. Set. Go. The Three Minute thesis is back

Upcoming Event Highlights

Mar. 15-16 2013 Relay for Life UBC
Mar. 15  The Hungry Ghost: A Biospsychosocial Perspective on Addiction, from Heroin to Workaholism
Mar. 15 UBC Symphony Orchestra – Solo singers from the Voice and Opera Division
Mar. 16 UBC Archeology Day 2013
Mar. 16-17 THINKfast 2013
Mar. 18 Spring MECH department lab tours
Mar. 18 Genomes, feathers and flight: comparative genomics of birds and other reptiles
Mar. 19 Breast Cancer Prevention & Risk Assessment Clinic
Mar. 19 Mindful Approaches – Preparing Students for Exams
Mar. 20 Islam and Music: A Mystical Journey
Mar. 20 Literature between Bookspace and New Literacy Space: Towards a Connective Ethnography of Children’s Literature and Digital Media
Mar. 21 Navigating “A Wasting World”: Perspectives on Environmentalism and Sustainability in Canada
Mar. 21 Canadian Studies First Ever Alumni Event
May 28 India in the Chinese Buddhist Imagination
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

Clyde Hertzman Celebration of Life

The family of Clyde Hertzmann and the UBC Human Early Learning Partnership invites the community to a memorial to celebrate Hertzmann’s life.

Family and colleagues of Hertzmann have established the Clyde Hertzman Legacy Fund to support academic investigation and community initiatives that strengthen the social and emotional development of young children. Donations to the fund can be made at the event or by clicking here.

Date: March 17, 2013
Time: 2 p.m. (guests welcome to arrive at 1 p.m.)
Place: The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Road
Info: Public welcome.  Reception to follow.  Click here for more info.

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UBC Science professor wins research support from Canadian Safety and Security Program

Roland Stull, a professor in the UBC Dept. of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS), has won research support from the Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP), announced March 12, 2013 by The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defense.

Collaborating with Natural Resources Canada, British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment, and Parks Canada, Stull’s research team will help enhance Canada’s ability to predict and track smoke from forest fires and provide guidance to health agencies with regards to evacuation decisions.

For the past six years, Stull’s team has run the BlueSky wildfire smoke forecasts for western Canada, initially supported by the B.C. Ministry of Environment, and more recently with support from all the western provinces (see here).  This new funding from CSSP will allow full Canadian coverage of wild-fire smoke forecasts.  For more information, click here.

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UBC prof receives 2012 Significant Body of Work award by the Queer Studies Special Interest Group

Prof. Mary Bryson, Language and Literacy Education, has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 Significant Body of Work award by the Queer Studies Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association.

The Queer Studies SIG annually recognizes a renowned scholar in LGBT / queer studies for her or his contribution to the field, in terms of scholarly research and activism work for the LGBT / queer community.

For more information on Bryson’s work, click here.

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Psychiatry professor awarded CIHR Catalyst Grant

Erin Michalak, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, received a $100,000 Catalyst Grant: eHealth Innovations from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).  The grant will support the development of a web-based tool to help people with bipolar disorder and their healthcare providers in the self-management and management of the condition. For more information, click here.

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UBC engineers accelerate production of new, plastic fuel tank systems—reducing auto weight and emissions

A team of Canadian engineering researchers led by UBC Chemical and Biological Engineering Prof. Savvas G. Hatzikiriakos is partnering with Kautex Corp., McGill University and the National Research Council to optimize a process to manufacture a complete fuel system in a single production step. This Canadian team first is expected to produce a new generation of tanks within five years that meet North America’s most stringent emission standards.

Hatzikiriakos’ research focuses on identifying appropriate engineering layers of plastics to best prevent carbon gas emissions from the new type of fuel tanks. By coupling material knowledge with predictive software they are developing, the researchers are optimizing the modeling and control of the fuel tank process to make it suitable for mass production at a competitive cost. For more information, click here.

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UBC stroke education reaches Chinese homes in B.C.

UBC’s Intercultural Online Health Network (iCON), in partnership with Fairchild TV, is producing a series on stroke prevention and management in Cantonese. “Enjoy Your Life Again: Stroke Prevention and Management,” a six-episode series, will highlight stroke prevention, emergency care, recovery and rehabilitation, caregiver support and mental wellness, in a talk-show format hosted by Mary Lo.

The series will air on Fairchild TV (check local listings) every Wednesday at 6:50 p.m. starting March 20. Episode summaries will be available for download after each episode on iCON’s website. For more information, click here.

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Engineering research recognized by Biotechnology and Bioengineering journal

An article that presents the results of a multi-disciplinary study led by UBC Chemical and Biological Engineering Prof. James Piret’s group has been recognized as Top Cited Research by the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering. Piret’s group collaborated with the groups of Prof. Michael Butler (Microbiology, University of Manitoba), Assoc. Prof. Hélène Côté (Pathology, UBC) and Dr. Sharon Gorski (Genome Sciences Centre, B.C. Cancer Agency, and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University). For more information, click here.

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UBC Engineering student teams place in competitions

UBC Engineering students Kevin Sipila, Jesse Neufeld, Andrea Palmer and Tagg Jefferson took first place in Consulting Engineering and Junior Design at the 28th annual Canadian Engineering Competition held in Ottawa, March 7-9. As the winning team, they will represent Canada in the first annual International Engineering Competition in September 2013.

A team of students enrolled in the joint UBC-UNBC Environmental Engineering program won first place in the Junior Design category: Kayden Peters, Kathleen Horita, Kris Nicherson and Stephanie Doherty. For more information, click here.

The UBC Materials Engineering undergraduate team of Tegar Wicaksono, Jeremy Wells and Gabriel Fortin finished second in the Materials Bowl, the academic trivia competition at the 2013 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition held earlier this month in San Antonio. The team won $500 for their efforts to support the local TMS chapter. For more information, click here.

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Computer Science student wins U Mobile App competition

Computer Science third-year student Bio Cho is the winner of the UBC Digital *U Mobile App Competition. Cho’s UBCme app won first prize as well as the Best Startup award.

UBCme is an iOS app that helps students on campus connect with one another by allowing them to easily view, share, and compare their timetables. Students log in with their Campus Wide Login and UBCme will automatically input students’ schedule and class locations.

UBCme can also be integrated with students’ Facebook accounts so that they could share schedules among friends. The goal of UBCme is to improve students’ educational experience at UBC, as well as increase collaborative learning on campus. For more information, click here.

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UBC Reports is looking for a graduate who’s most likely to change the world

UBC Reports is looking for a graduate who is most likely to change the world. The winner will be featured on the cover of UBC Reports and will receive complimentary rental of regalia for spring congregation, courtesy of UBC Ceremonies and Events; and a diploma frame, courtesy of UBC Alumni Affairs.

To nominate, visit http://www.ubc.ca/changetheworld and receive a chance to win two tickets to a Davis Cup quarter-final game, courtesy of UBC Athletics and Recreation; and a $50 UBC Bookstore gift card.

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