UBC This Week 01-Aug-2013

Members of the UBC community are among 13 British Columbians who will be appointed to the Order of British Columbia. The Order of British Columbia recognizes accomplishments by British Columbians who have made a difference in their communities and to the province.

Paula Gordon, Clinical Professor, Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, is one of the early explorers of the use of breast ultrasound. She was a pioneer in the use of ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsies to determine whether a lesion was malignant or benign. Her technique reduced the need for surgery by using a small needle and local anesthesia.

Arthur S. Hara has devoted his career to building trade and fostering better understanding between B.C. and the nations in the Asia Pacific. Hara has served as chairman of UBC’s Board of Governors and was recognized with an honorary doctor of laws from UBC.

Robert Ho is a philanthropist who has donated millions of dollars to health care institutions and universities. His $4 million donation to UBC in 2005 established North America’s first centre of Buddhist studies. He has received an honorary doctor of laws from UBC.

George W. Hungerford helped raise $120 million during the B.C. Cancer Foundation’s Millennium Campaign, which allowed the establishment of the new B.C. Cancer Research Centre and the Genome Sciences Centre at the B.C. Cancer Agency. Hungerford has a long association with UBC for his continuing support.

Charles H. Scudamore, Associate Professor, Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, is an expert on the early recognition of pancreatic cancer as well as advanced colorectal metastases to the liver. He has led efforts to increase the number of liver transplants performed in British Columbia.

Gregory Fahlman is a world-renowned astronomy researcher and former professor of astronomy at UBC. He played a major role in Canada’s participation in international projects such as the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope, the Gemini Observatory and the Atacama Large Millimetre Array.

For more information on the recipients, click here.

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Two $50,000 Margolese National Brain and Heart Disorders Prizes are being awarded to scientist-clinicians in Ontario: Andres Lozano, Professor and Chair of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, and Peter Liu, Scientific Director of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and a Professor of Medicine at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at the University of Toronto.

The two prizes were created by an estate gift to UBC by Leonard Herbert Margolese to recognize Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration or cure of brain or heart disorders. Margolese, who died in 2000, was a Vancouver businessman who had a heart condition and whose brother had Alzheimer’s disease. For more information, click here.

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UBC’s Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies welcomes Prof. Larry Walker to the position of Associate Dean, Graduate Policy and Program Review. He will be responsible for chairing the Graduate Academic Policy Committee, overseeing the development and amendment of the faculty’s policies, overseeing the graduate and postdoctoral studies processes relating to periodic reviews of academic units, and providing academic decision-making and support in areas including doctoral exams, academic misconduct, thesis-related issues, and exceptions to policy. Walker takes over this role from Philip Loewen, who held the position since 2010. For more information, click here.

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UBC engineering student Armin Rezaiean-Asel has been recognized by Youth in Motion as one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20, an award that honours young Canadians who have demonstrated innovation, leadership and achievement. Rezaiean-Asel became the youngest person and only Canadian to obtain an internship with the Council of Europe in Belgium in 2012. Motivated by a strong desire to give back to others, he created Vawper International, a collaborative network for youth to promote community action. For more on Rezaiean-Asel, click here.

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Robyn Giffen, an anthropology student at UBC’s Okanagan campus, has earned a top prize for her oral presentation at the recent international Universitas 21 Undergraduate Research Conference in Amsterdam. Giffen is the third student from UBC’s Okanagan campus to win in the past four years. Universitas 21 is an annual conference that brings together more than 50 presenters from nearly 30 of the world’s leading universities. For more information, click here.

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Faculty of Land and Food Systems alumnus Jeffrey Liebert (‘12, B.Sc. Global Resource Systems) has received a Fulbright Canada award to conduct research in the U.S.

Fulbright Canada is a joint, bi-national, treaty- based organization created to encourage mutual understanding between Canada and the United States through academic and cultural exchange. Liebert will conduct research at Cornell University on a project titled “Effects of Cereal Rye and Barley Cover Crop Niche Diversification on Weed Suppression in Organic No-Till Planted Soybean.”

UBC will also host three Fulbright Canada award recipients from the U.S. in the 2013-2014 academic year. Arielle Gorin from Yale University will conduct research on a project titled “Borders Crossed, Bridges Burned, Balances Shifted: The Mid-1800s Pacific Northwest & the World.” Tyrell Edwards from University of Washington will conduct research in interdisciplinary studies on a project titled “Support Services for International Student Populations in Higher Education.” Karl Frost from University of California, will conduct research in anthropology on a project titled “Ritual, Group Formation, and Cooperation.”

For more information, click here.

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Nilufar Islam, a PhD candidate who earned her master’s degree in civil engineering at UBC’s Okanagan campus in 2010, recently won the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. The $70,000 award is presented annually to top-ranked, post-graduate students based on their academic excellence, research potential, communication skills, and leadership abilities. The award helps Islam continue her research into methods to improve water distribution networks. She is determined to find a way to ensure all households, especially those in small communities, receive safe drinking water. For more information, click here.

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elementslab, a research group within the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, is providing insight into the urban design and planning process. Magazine blog Spacing Vancouver covers the work of professors Cynthia Girling and Ron Kellett and the tools the research group have created to aid in the process of urban planning here.

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Nursing professor Jennifer Baumbusch was recently interviewed by Accessible Media Inc. about accessible playgrounds for children with disabilities. To watch the video, click here.

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