UBC In The News

Study Finds Small Acts of Kindness Can Bolster Students’ Health and Wellness

A new study by Dr. John-Tyler Binfet, a UBCO education professor and kindness researcher, and Dr. Sally Stewart, a professor of teaching at UBCO’s school of health and exercise sciences, found that post-secondary students who completed at least three of five acts of kindness in their study reported higher levels of personal connectedness and in-person kindness.
Detroit Lake TribuneGood News NetworkiHeartRadio

Combatting climate change would create millions of jobs, study finds

Dr. Sandeep Pai, a recent PhD graduate from UBC’s Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability, talked about his recent research which explained how keeping the earth’s temperature from increasing more than 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels would lead to eight million new jobs in the energy sector by 2050.
BOSS Magazine

Billionaires like Jeff Bezos are throwing money at biodiversity. Will it work?

UBC geography professor Dr. Jessica Dempsey discussed whether the mega rich can stop species from dying out. She says “once the ultra-rich wake up to the extinction crisis, we might be able to solve it” and recommends a two-step approach to spending on biodiversity.
Vox

Some dogs blessed with a sense of humour similar to children's, says expert

UBC emeritus psychology professor Dr. Stanley Coren discusses the different personalities some dog breeds may have and why certain clusters of dogs have an incredible sense of humour.
ABC News

Mexico urges Haitians at US-Mexico border to give up and head south

UBC department of anthropology PhD student Caitlyn Yates, whose research focuses on migration, commented on the long wait times Haitians seeking asylum in Mexico are experiencing and said that “it [the system] basically pushes Haitians out.”
Reuters via Financial PostYahoo NewsDenver Gazette

Inside the Psychology of Overspending and How to Stop

UBC psychology professor Dr. Elizabeth Dunn spoke about the importance of addressing the psychological issues attached to spending money and recommended strategies to help cut personal overspending.
U.S. News

New Planet 9 Theory: Earth-Like Body Drifted and Hid in the Outskirts of Solar System

Dr. Brett Gladman, a professor in UBC’s department of physics and astronomy and Canada research chair in planetary astronomy, talked about the structure of the solar system and why the sequence of the planets is a bit baffling.
Science Times

Bringing Fisheries Back from the Brink

The Scientific American interviewed Dr. Daniel Pauly, a professor at UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, about whether fisheries are doomed or if there is still hope for sustaining them. The article also discussed some of his early experiences working in Southeast Asia and West Africa and his current research.
Scientific American

Sweet pineapples and a variety of trees nurture each other in this patchwork plantation

Dr. Joli Borah, a postdoctoral research fellow at UBC’s faculty of forestry, commented on a study that highlights the merits of an Indigenous agroforestry practice in India’s Assam district that grows pineapples with trees on shifting cultivation lands.
Mongabay (India)

Quebec offers bonus pay to retain nurses amid pandemic fatigue

UBC nursing professor Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc talked about the “dire” nursing shortage in B.C. which is hitting rural regions the hardest. She said “the latest estimates predict B.C. will see a shortage of 24,000 nurses in the next five years.”
Globe and Mail

B.C. nursing schools continue to enroll keen students despite pandemic challenges

Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, a professor and director of UBC’s nursing school, discussed how despite the nursing shortage they have seen the number of applications to nursing school increase. She says “the pandemic has been a motivating factor for potential students.”
News1130

Why these women say it's time to embrace fat bodies

Erika Thorkelson, an adjunct professor at UBC’s school of creative writing, discusses how diet culture, weight loss and body shame are a feminist issue. She says “valuing particular kinds of bodies is rooted not only in fatphobia, but in ableism as well.“
CBC Radio

Fact check: COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers

Glacier Media spoke with Dr. Deborah Money, a professor in UBC’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology, to help separate fact from fiction around COVID-19 vaccines and pregnancy.
Glacier Media via Vancouver is AwesomeNorth Shore NewsBurnaby NowDawson Creek MirrorPiquePrince George CitizenAlaska Highway News, and iHeartRadio