UBC This Week 30-May-2013

 

Recent UBC Media Releases

May 30 Sharks worth more in the ocean than on the menu
May 30 UBC study explores why students with learning disabilities excel in opera
May 29 Coursera founder joins professors at UBC to discuss open, online courses
May 27 When perks don’t work: Unearned upgrades embarrassing for consumers

Upcoming Event Highlights

May 31 Teaching, Learning, and the MOOC
May 31 Students as Content Creators: Perspectives from Instructors and Students
Jun 1 Psychology of Creativity
Jun 1 The Second Inter-University Graduate Seminar in Educational Research
Jun 2 Elements of a Transcendent Quest in Architecture: Nature, Culture and Spirituality in Architecture
Jun 2 Cycling Resource Centre – Kitsilano Farmers Market
Jun 3 WordPress Clinic
Jun 4 Seventh annual ‘Hack & Whack’ golf tournament
Jun 4 Hassan and Nazhat Khosrowshahi Distinguished Lecture Series: Daniel Roehr and Hossein Amanat
Jun 5 Staff & Faculty Appreciation Day – UBC Bookstore
Jun 5 Work in Progress Seminar: The Cedar Project
Jun 6 Staff Pension Plan 2013 Pension Fair
Jun 6 Ten Commandments for the New Therapeutics
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

Ashley Howard the new Managing Director, Athletics

International sport program leader Ashley Howard will join UBC as the new Managing Director of the Athletics Department beginning July 8, 2013.

Most recently, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Swimming. Her vision led to a three-fold increase in the number of paid coaches, certified teachers and trained volunteers, an ambitious commitment to swimming education, and the highest level of government investment in the organization.

Prior to Scottish Swimming, Howard was Director of Achieving Excellence (Performance) for sportscotland, the national agency for sport, where she was responsible for a $30m annual budget and the vision for multi-sport performance and high-performance sport development for Scotland. She successfully merged two teams, streamlined the investment process for athletes, governing bodies and local authorities, and established a strategy to achieve ambitious national performance medal targets.

Howard also co-captained the Canadian Women’s Ultimate team to a gold medal in Germany in 2000. For more information, click here.

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Inter UBC places second at 2013 World Clubs Tournament

The Inter UBC Over-50s Football team placed second out of 12 international teams at the fifth World Clubs (over 50s) Tournament in Barcelona. Led by player-coach Harry Hubball, a professor in the Faculty of Education, the Inter UBC team played 11 five-a-side soccer games over the three-day tournament, and met the FC Barcelona team in the World Clubs Cup Final. The second place finish adds to the team’s previous successes: two tournament wins, one second and one third place finish.

Competing against teams from England, Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, Spain, Wales, Hungary, Ireland, Morocco, USA and Greece, the Inter UBC team is the most successful team in the history of the tournament.

This competitive soccer program integrates research on sports science, physical activity and wellness, and team and player development. For more information, click here.

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Applied Science educators receive Killam Teaching Prize

Applied Science professors Perry Adebar, Geertje Boschma and Matthew Yedlin received UBC Killam Teaching Prizes during the May 28, 2013 convocation ceremonies in honour of their contributions to teaching at UBC.

Adebar was honoured for his ability to convey complex principles to students, link theory with practice and demonstrate concern for the progress of individual students despite large class sizes.

Boschma is recognized for her ability to engage School of Nursing students in critical thought. Her capacity to encourage them to explore solutions beyond their comfort zones is a testament to her teaching ability.

Yedlin is a champion of the ‘flipped classroom,’ asking students to teach each other and solve problems in groups and use electronic clickers to give live feedback to the instructor. He is honoured for his ability to incorporate all learning styles and for his interest in seeing his students succeed.

For more information, click here.

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UBC and Cisco collaborate on Smart+Connected Buildings and Smart Energy

UBC and Cisco announced May 27 that an arrangement will see the two parties collaborate on a number of initiatives focused on smart energy technologies and converged network solutions. A key component of the collaboration will be Cisco’s direct involvement in the university’s Campus as a Living Lab Initiative to accelerate the development, demonstration and commercialization of new technologies and solutions.

Together, UBC and Cisco aim to help create smarter, more energy-efficient buildings while identifying best practices and innovative solutions to reduce UBC’s net greenhouse gas emissions and associated carbon costs. For more information, click here.

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SALA faculty member to help reshape Metro Vancouver public spaces

Matthew Soules Architecture (MSA) has been awarded two projects to help reshape Metro Vancouver public spaces. With Nick Milkovich Architects as the prime consultant, the interdisciplinary team of MSA, Hapa Collaborative, and Urban Forum Associates has been awarded the design of a new civic plaza for the City of Vancouver: the redevelopment of the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza, which sits on Georgia Street between Hornby and Howe.

MSA has also won the commission for a permanent public art installation for Simon Fraser University Properties Trust, located along University High Street on Burnaby Mountain.

Matthew Soules is an assistant professor in the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. For more information, click here.

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CHBE faculty member receives a 2013 Standards Developer Award

Chemical and Biological Engineering Adjunct Professor Shahab Sokhansanj is one of the recipients of the 2013 Standards Developer Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). Sokhansanj will be recognized for his leadership and work at the 2013 ASABE Annual International Meeting in Kansas City on July 22. For more information, click here.

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ECE professor receives NSERC grant for i-Guide-U

Nearly 60,000 patients per year experience complications associated with inaccurate placement of the needle applied for anesthetic purposes. Ultrasound-guided techniques have been proposed for more accurate placement of the needle. Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) professor Purang Abolmaesumi‘s research introduces Intuitive Guidance for Intervention and Diagnosis with Enhanced Ultrasound (i-Guide-U), which combines medical image registration and ultrasound tissue typing to dramatically improve ultrasound image interpretation.These methods will be integrated and evaluated in the context of spinal needle injection for improved visibility of critical anatomical structures and targeting. For more information, click here.

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Mitacs-Accelerate intern partners with EcoPlan International to assist Aboriginal communities

Through the UBC Mitacs-Accelerate Program, EcoPlan International partnered with UBC School of Community and Regional Planning Masters student Juliet Van Vliet to develop a custom Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map database for several Métis communities in Alberta. Through this project, Aboriginal families can share the common histories of their traditional territories and band leaders can use the interview transcripts and GIS database to determine the needs and desires of the communities they are planning for. For more information, click here.

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School of Nursing gala honours award recipients, alumni, and supporters

The School of Nursing hosted its second annual gala celebration and awards ceremony May 2 at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. Nearly 160 guests joined the School’s Director Dr. Suzanne Campbell to celebrate the successes of the School and honour five award recipients. For more on the award recipients, click here.

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2013 SALA Graduating Awards announced

The award recipients for the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture’s (SALA) 2013 graduates have been announced. View a list of the recipients here.

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Sailbots embark on journey to defend first place win

An interdisciplinary group of UBC engineers will combine their expertise to build a two-metre, unmanned robotic sailboat to compete in the 2013 International Robotic Sailing Regatta in Gloucester, MA this June.

The robotic sailboat must successfully navigate through a series of challenges in a highly variable environment with limited – and in some cases zero – human control. After their decisive victory at home over the reigning champions in 2012, the pressure will be on for the UBC Sailbots to defend their title.

For more information, click here.

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2013 UBC faculty and staff start an evolution appeal

The dedication of UBC faculty and staff supports the talent and inspiration of UBC students and researchers who engage in thinking that can, and does, change the world.

All faculty and staff who make a donation between May 21 and June 28 will be automatically entered in a Faculty and Staff Appeal Draw to win prizes that include a travel package ($1,400 value) or Apple product prize pack ($650 value). Faculty and staff can also enter the contest without making a donation.

For more information on the projects you can support and to enter the contest, click here.

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