UBC This Week | Feb. 1, 2007

UBC This Week is a weekly summary of UBC people in the news, recent media releases and upcoming event highlights. UBC This Week past issues are also available on-line.

Sign up for UBC This Week and other UBC Public Affairs e-mail services at www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/eservices.

Upcoming Event Highlights

• Feb. 2-3: Men's volleyball v. Trinity Western at War Memorial Gym
• Feb. 5: Blues: Southern Legacies on the Colour Line with Rick Halpern
• Feb. 7: Bookstore event - Staedtler Day Plus
• Feb. 8-11: UBC Opera Ensemble “La Boheme”

Find out what else is happening at UBC this week. For sports events, visit the UBC Athletics site at www.gothunderbirds.ca/schedule.asp.

UBC People

• UBC professor awarded essay prize
• UBC Engineering students honoured at EWB national conference
• Canadian engineering students gather at UBC for WEC 2007
• What's the Plan? UBC Vancouver Campus Plan Speaker Series
• UBC faculty member to open Berlin Film Festival
• Alumni Affairs Web Site Wins CASE Gold
• UBC Student Development Awards
• President's Award for Public Education through Media
• Paetzold Fellowships for graduate students
• UBC Faculty member honoured by Uppsala University (Sweden)
• Leadership of the Faculty of Forestry
• Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Academic Resources pro tem
• Leadership of the UBC Library and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre

UBC People

UBC professor awarded essay prize

English Assoc. Prof. Mary Chapman recently won the 2006 Yasuo Sakakibara Prize from the American Studies Association for her essay on writer Sui Sin Far, believed to be the first Eurasian to publish in Canada and the US. Entitled In the Land of the Free, the paper is part of a book-in-progress on American suffrage literature, and examines Far’s work during the Progressive Era, a period of reform from the 1890s through the 1920s that saw many Americans push for social justice, equality, and public safety.

For more information, visit www.arts.ubc.ca.

to top

UBC Engineering students honoured at EWB national conference

UBC Engineering students brought home two awards from the 2007 Engineers Without Borders (EWB) National Conference held in Calgary, Alberta, in January. The UBC Chapter received Chapter of the Year honours, and UBC Chapter President Michelle Murphy, a fourth-year civil engineering student, was named Volunteer of the Year.

The UBC Chapter is currently organizing Bridging the Gap, a one-day conference March 10 on International Development.

For more information, visit: http://ubc.ewb.ca.

to top

Canadian engineering students gather at UBC for WEC 2007

More than 200 engineering students from nine universities across B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan gathered at UBC in January for the annual Western Engineering Competition (WEC 2007). UBC Engineering students took home the bronze in four of six competitions, showcasing their engineering design skills, communication skills, and talent for impromptu debate.

For more information, visit wec2007.wesst.ca.

to top

What's the Plan? UBC Vancouver Campus Plan Speaker Series

The Speaker Series is a part of the UBC Vancouver Campus Plan process. The lectures begin Feb. 5 with William J. Flynn, Managing Director US National Council for Continuing Education & Training (NCCET), speaking on Teaching, Learning and Research: Future Trends and Implications for Physical Learning Environments. On Feb. 7, Fred Kent, President of the New York based Project for Public Spaces, continues the series with Place Making: Methods for Improving the Public Realm.

For more information, visit www.campusplan.ubc.ca. Registration is recommended.

to top

UBC faculty member to open Berlin Film Festival

The Tracey Fragments, scripted by Creative Writing Program Assist. Prof. Maureen Medved and based upon her first novel, will open the prestigious Panorama program of the 57th annual Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale 2007). It is the newest feature film from Canadian director Bruce McDonald.

For more information, visit www.thetraceyfragments.com.

to top

Alumni Affairs Web Design Wins CASE Gold

UBC Alumni Affairs has won a Gold CASE award in recognition of excellence for their web site redevelopment in the annual Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awards. Kudos to Alumni Affairs’ Elisa Cachero, who developed the design; Public Affairs’ Adrian Liem, who handled much of the technical work; and Public Affairs’ Scott Vrooman, who programmed several backend tools and application logic.

You can view the site at www.alumni.ubc.ca.

to top

UBC Student Development Awards

The Campus Advisory Board on Student Development (CABSD) recognizes exceptional contributions or significant improvements to the student experience and learning environment at UBC. Several awards are open for nominations from UBC students, faculty and staff for the 2006/07 UBC Student Development Awards. Nominations should be directed to the Office of the Vice President, Students by Feb. 16. Award winners will be announced on March 19 and will be honoured at a special ceremony.

For award details, criteria and nomination requirements, visit: www.vpstudents.ubc.ca.

to top

President's Award for Public Education through Media

This award is an initiative of the VP Research Office with judging by the Faculty Research Awards Committee. Nomination forms must be received at the VP Research Office by February 16. The first recipient will be honoured at the Celebrate Research Gala March 8.

Details can be found at www.research.ubc.ca.

to top

Paetzold Fellowships for graduate students

The Faculty of Graduate Studies hosted a reception in January to recognize donor Cordula Paetzold. Since 2002, 124 Paetzold Fellowships have been awarded to UBC graduate students. Through endowed funds, 26 students from areas such as music, forestry, art history, genetics, and sociology are awarded this prize annually.

to top

UBC Faculty member honoured by Uppsala University (Sweden)

Prof. Gaalen Erickson will join the company of Kofi Annan, Prof. James Watson and Prof. Noam Chomsky to receive an honorary doctorate from Sweden’s Uppsala University at this spring’s Conferment Ceremonies as part of the Linnaeus Festival, celebrating the Tercentenary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus.

Prof. Erickson is a Professor and Director of the Centre for the Study of Teacher Education. His interests embrace the areas of student and teacher learning specifically in the fields of science education and teacher education.

to top

Leadership of the Faculty of Forestry

The Board of Governors has approved the reappointment of Dr. Jack Saddler as Dean of the Faculty of Forestry until June 30, 2010. Over the past six year’s of Dr. Saddler’s leadership, the Faculty’s focus has broadened to include programs in conservation, wildlife, First Nations, forest science, government forest policy, innovative wood products, ecology and much more.

to top

Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Academic Resources pro tem

Effective February 1, 2007, Prof. Wes Pue will take on the role of Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Academic Resources until a new Vice President Academic and Provost takes office. Holder of four degrees, Prof. Pue joined UBC’s Faculty of Law in 1993 as the first incumbent of the Nemetz Chair in Legal History and is currently the Assoc. Dean, Graduate Programs and Research in the Faculty of Law. His research interests include the histories of legal professions, comparative legal history, and constitutional and policing issues. He is Editor of the Law and Society series, published by UBC Press.

to top

Leadership of the UBC Library and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre

Catherine Quinlan has offered her resignation as University Librarian, effective March 17. Highlights of her 10-year tenure include the development of the Library’s digital collection and collection of rare and special materials, the establishment of a three-year strategic planning cycle for the Library, developing and obtaining funding for the Chapman Learning Commons, leading the development of the UBC Okanagan Library, initiating and obtaining funding for e-help, and developing the Learning Centre. She was pivotal in obtaining a gift of more than $20 million from Dr. Irving K. Barber to support the construction of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

to top