Updates, news and stories

Announcing the search for a new President and Vice-Chancellor

A message from Nancy McKenzie, Chair, UBC Board of Governors; Kate Ross, Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Services and Registrar

Changes to support inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism academic portfolios at UBC Okanagan

A message from Rehan Sadiq, Provost and Vice-President, Academic pro tem, UBC Okanagan I am pleased to provide an update on some recent changes in the Provost and Vice-President, Academic portfolio to support the important work underway on anti-racism and inclusive excellence at UBC Okanagan.

Workday Student: Changes to pre-requisites, co-requisites, course equivalencies, and course restrictions

As you are aware, fall 2023 sees the first release of the new Workday Student system. In preparation for this change, Faculties are being asked to review a number of curriculum elements. These elements include pre-requisites, co-requisites, and course equivalencies.  It is anticipated that units will need to submit curriculum proposals to adjust some aspects of their courses in preparation for the 2024 Winter Session. Both Senate Curriculum Committees will be facilitating a modified approval process related to these changes.

UBC team deploys pollution-sniffing mobile lab

Dr. Naomi Zimmerman, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a portable mobile laboratory that will be used to measure concentrations of air pollutants across Vancouver, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ground-level ozone, black carbon, methane, volatile organic compounds, and various sizes of ultrafine particles that can affect air quality.

Apply to the Teaching Development Program for new faculty

The Teaching Development Program for new faculty is a 10-month long faculty development program offered by the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology.

How artificial intelligence can make our food safer

Apply for the Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador program at UBC Vancouver by Sept. 2

The Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador program helps drive wellbeing and wellbeing practices at UBC and is a key strategic priority for the university. Faculty and staff at UBC Vancouver who are interested in championing this initiative within their area of the university are invited to submit an application. Applications to the program are open until Sept. 2. The program aims to:

UBC Connects at Robson Square offers funding to drive community-focused programs

UBC Connects at Robson Square is a brand-new initiative aiming to provide students, faculty and staff with the support required to collaborate with community partners in delivering innovative, community-focused programming. All applications will be assessed based on the following criteria, with the aim of running one to two events at UBC Robson Square each month:

Call for proposals for the Health After 2020 program

Faculty members at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan are invited to submit proposals for Health After 2020. This program is aimed at promoting interdisciplinary collaborations that raise awareness about health and health equity, fostering an exchange of knowledge and dialogue, and creating engagement opportunities between researchers and the public.

30-second bio: Anirudh Asuri Mukundan

As a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematics at UBC Vancouver, Anirudh develops numerical methods to understand human blood flow. Find out why he believes he received the best advice from his PhD advisor.

UBC engineers develop nano-copper to quickly kill superbugs

A team of UBC researchers led by Dr. Amanda Clifford, an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Engineering, have designed a nano-copper coating that includes bacteria-killing nanoscale features and zinc. The nanoscale features are tiny bumps that can kill bacteria by rupturing their cell wall. Zinc, which is also antibacterial, selectively oxidizes in the presence of copper and helps kill bacteria more quickly compared to pure copper alone.

UBCO researcher points to gap in Indigenous health equalities

A UBC Okanagan researcher is calling attention to the looming gap in health equality when it comes to Indigenous populations living off-reserve in Canada — specifically, Indigenous women. New research by Dr. Min Hu, an assistant professor in the Department of Economics, Philosophy and Political Science at UBC Okanagan, confirms that a particular population group has the worst health outcomes of any resident in Canada.