Applied Knowledge: UBC Research & the World Around You

Domestic Abuse Victims Face Cultural Barriers: A Role for Physicians

Illuminating the barriers surrounding domestic abuse among South Asian women is part of Dr. Amritpal Arora’s goal to help women in his community.
[MORE]

 

Fulbright Profile: What Makes Oceans, and Researchers, Resilient?

Jennifer Selgrath’s quest to study and restore the resilience of ocean habitats in the Philippines took a detour last year when she and her bike were struck by a car and thrown into oncoming traffic. [MORE]

Green Virtuoso

What do polar bears and violins have in common? If you ask renowned concert violinist Eugenia Choi, she’ll tell you they are both endangered species. [MORE]

Source for above articles: UBC Public Affairs [top]

Culling Whales Will Not Help Fisheries in Tropical Regions

Culling whales will not increase fisheries catches in tropical waters, according to a new paper supported by the Lenfest Ocean Program and published today in the journal Science. The authors include UBC zoology professor Daniel Pauly and two of his former PhD students, Lyne Morissette and Kristin Kaschner. [MORE]

Source for above article: Lenfest Ocean Program

The Future of International News

Prominent Canadian journalists discussed the future of international news at a debate held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of UBC's Graduate School of Journalism. They discussed "the challenges of covering international news in an age of economic and media globalization, amid constant public security concerns."

Tony Burman: managing director of Al Jazeera (English), former editor-in-chief of CBC News
Sarah Carter: CBS News Johannesburg bureau chief and Canwest Visiting Professor
Ayesha Bhatty: UBC alumna and BBC News online journalist

The conversation was moderated by Global National and Gemini Award-winning news anchor Kevin Newman, with Chris Tenove, a School of Journalism graduate, doctoral student in political science, and Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation scholar providing an academic perspective.

WATCH

Alumni Weekend 2009

Picture Yourself Here, May 22 – 24

Embark on a cultural, educational and social odyssey and make a weekend of it. Bursting with relevance, Alumni Weekend provides access to campus newsmakers and shakers.

Learn about the Innocence Project, a UBC initiative that investigates claims of wrongful convictions or attend a panel discussion on the current economic crisis featuring Globe and Mail Columnist, Jeffrey Simpson.

Indulge your senses and get your culture on with some wine appreciation at UBC's wine research library and a visit to the newly renovated Museum of Anthropology.

More than 50 cultural, social and educational events have been carefully planned so you can rediscover UBC. Take some time to stop and smell the rose garden and see campus through a new lens.

Registration is now open. Updates will be sent electronically so make sure we have your email address. To find out more about Alumni Weekend, or to register, check out our Alumni Weekend webpage or contact us at alumni.weekend@ubc.ca / 604.827.3081 or (toll free) 1.800.883.3088

Here’s a taste of some of the events:

IS THE NEW ECONOMY REALLY THE BAD OLD ECONOMY?
How did we get here? More importantly, how do we get out of here? Join Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson, former HSBC CEO Martin Glynn and Professor Maurice Levi  in a panel discussion on how we can fix today’s economy and what the future might look like.

WHAT IF GALILEO HAD A SPACE TELESCOPE?
Join UBC professor and physicist Jaymie Matthews as he explores this question and gives us an insider scoop on the MOST satellite, Canada’s first space telescope. This UBC treasure is capable of measurements beyond that of most observatories in the world.

EXPLORE THE CREATIVE MIND OF JACK SHADBOLT
One of Canada’s most important visual artists, Jack Shadbolt is known for paintings and murals that depict social and political collisions that have taken place in British Columbia. This exhibition at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery will feature more than 100 drawings, sketches, and archival materials from the 1930s to the 1980s that reveal Shadbolt’s technical and creative approach to his work. Witness how a small sketch is turned into a large mural, and the maturing of the themes in his artwork throughout his artistic career.

UBC ALUMNI SOFTBALL GAME
Grab your glove and bat and swing for the fences! Join us for an afternoon of softball fun with alumni and friends on the brand new UBC fields at Thunderbird Park.

TOUR THE TREETOPS
Visit the Biodiversity Canopy Walkway at the UBC Botanical Garden. Spanning 308 meters, rising 17.5 meters into the tree canopies and featuring nine treetop platforms, it will provide an in-depth view of the upper layers of second growth coastal rainforest eco-system, as well as vegetation on the forest floor below. An engaging activity for the whole family.

TOUR UBC TRIUMF
What is TRIUMF? It’s only Canada’s national laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics. Come witness the world’s largest cyclotron at work as physicists strive to discover the secrets of matter, subatomic particles, and even supernovas. Discover your inner nuclear physicist.

TIDEPOOLING
Tidepooling is back again this year with assistant professor of zoology Chris Harley. Bring the family out for a Sunday afternoon session near Brockton Point in Stanley Park to investigate some of the sea’s fascinating creatures.

UBC’s FUTURE
What is the role of a research-intensive university in an ever-changing world? How do we plan UBC’s future in the face of challenging economic times? What are the values of “global citizenship,” and how do we embed them in our research, teaching and learning. Join UBC president, Professor Stephen Toope, Deputy Vice Chancellor Doug Owram and Provost and VP Academic David Farrar in a town hall discussion on UBC’s strategic plan for the future.

UBC Engineers to Brave CBC's Dragon's Den

UBC students from the innovative undergraduate class New Venture Design were big winners at the Enterprize National Finals, held recently in downtown Vancouver.

UBC Engineering’s Jay Jagpal, Shane Miller-Tait and Greg Wong, and The Sauder School of Business' Ryan Fetterly, Crystal Hung and Max Miller placed second with their product, EasyPlug.

They won $10,000 in prize money and a guaranteed audition with the venture capitalists from CBC Television's Dragon’s Den. [MORE]

Engage Your Brain: Public Lectures and Events

UBC is a cornucopia of culture. It is home to art galleries, gardens, museums, theatres, music venues, and much more. Dozens of events are open to the public each month, and many of them are free. Learn how to Cha-cha, find an old friend at a reunion, see a new play, or attend an edifying lecture by a UBC expert.

Although most events take place on UBC’s campuses (including Robson Square in downtown Vancouver) active alumni groups across the globe mean it’s always worth checking to see if anything is happening in your part of the world.

Keep an eye on the new UBC events calendar (click on icon below) for more events and up-to-date details:

Upcoming Event Highlights:

(Click on event headings for full details)

washington, dc
Calgary
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Okanagan
Richmond
Vancouver
Toronto

save the date

 

washington, dc

• 33rd Annual All Canadian University Association Event
  April 18, Hyatt in nearby Arlington, 1325 Wilson Boulevard
  Don't miss this opportunity to network with fellow Canadian university alumni based in the US. Host: York University. Guest Speaker: Rob Bowman, Grammy Award recipient & professor of ethnomusicology in the faculty of Fine Arts at York University. $73/person, Attire: Formal.

Calgary

• UBC Dialogues: Is it possible to build vibrant neighbourhoods, cultural diversity and sustainable infrastructures in a rapidly growing city?
  April 16, Discovery Karsten Centre
  
  UBC Okanagan faculty discuss if it is possible to build vibrant neighbourhoods, cultural diversity and sustainable infrastructures in a rapidly growing city. They will provide insight on what the Okanagan is doing to address urban growth issues. Featuring UBC President Stephen Toope, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UBCO Doug Owram, and UBCO professors Mary Ann Murphy and Carlos Teixeira.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

• 2009 SHAW FESTIVAL: UBC Alumni Special Offer
  Various dates
  The Shaw Festival is celebrated for its vivid and exhilarating productions of plays by Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and his contemporaries, and plays about the period of Shaw’s lifetime. Located in historic Niagara-on-the-Lake near Niagara Falls, The Shaw presents 11 plays in four theatres from April to November each year. UBC alumni can purchase tickets for $40 to Brief Encounters and Sunday in the Park with George. (Offer is based on availability, applies to Gold and Blue seating only, is not applicable on previously purchased tickets and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offer ends May 21, 2009. Limit of four tickets per order. Regular $7.50 handling per order. Online orders $3.50 handling charge per order. To book, call 1-800-511-7429 and quote code 7255.)
  Brief Encounters: Repressed love after a chance meeting at a train station; flaming passion from a single dance across the floor; mistaken identity following a passing holiday acquaintance – three different stories inspired by three brief moments in time. Each story in Brief Encounters is a miniature delight only possible from the pen of Noël Coward.
  Sunday in the Park with George: Another award-winning musical from Stephen Sondheim, a compelling story about love, art and inspiration. Spend Sundays in the park with the French impressionist painter Georges Seurat as he creates his masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Hear from the figures in the painting about their lives and loves – especially Dot, the woman with the umbrella and Georges’ mistress and muse. A hundred years later, see his great-grandson, another artist, learn from the ghosts of the past.

Okanagan

• Lakers Home Game Schedules
  Basketball, soccer and volleyball fans can cheer on the Lakers on their home turf.
• Save The World
  March 23–27, Fipke Centre foyer (campus)
  Save the World is a showcase of global issues with an extensive list of information and action resources. Each problem is presented with the how, why, where and what we can do as individuals to build solutions. Not everyone has money to donate to global causes, but many individuals have skills and time. The community will have the opportunity to view an A-to-Z gallery of world issues, choose some to act on and leave with concrete tools they can use to help. For information contact Brianne Berchowitz, students events co-ordinator, at 250.807.9820.
• World Water Week
  March 24–27
  World Water Day is celebrated globally on March 22 as a day of action promoting the importance of water as a resource and a basic human right. UBC Okanagan is holding four days of events. Guest speakers, visual arts installations, music, theatre, and food vendors are just a few of the things that will be featured throughout the week. Opening ceremonies kick things off on Tuesday, March 24.
• Climate, Plant-Pollinator Interactions and Mating System Evolution in Fragmented Landscapes
  March 25, 2:30 to 3:30 PM, Science building, room SCI396
  Part of the Biology and Physical Geography Seminar Series. Elizabeth Elle, associate professor of Plant Evolutionary Ecology at SFU, is the featured presenter. Refreshments will be provided.
• Justice Frank Iacobucci on Canada's response to terrorism
  March 25, 7:00-8:30 PM, UBC Okanagan Library, room LIB317
  Justice Iacobucci was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1991 and retired in 2004. In 2006, he was commissioned to lead an official inquiry into the actions of Canadian officials in relation to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin. The inquiry's report was released in October 2008. Most recently, in November 2008, Justice Iacobucci was appointed facilitator for the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He holds degrees in commerce and law from UBC, is a former dean of the Faculty of Law and former vice president and provost at the University of Toronto, and has received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from UBC and the University of Toronto. He served as Canada's Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General from 1985 to 1988. Justice Iacobucci has been invited to speak at UBC Okanagan by Professor Carl Hodge and the political science program, which is building courses in a new Contemporary Canadian Law concentration.
• Just Looking: A UBC Okanagan Spring Production
  March 26–28, 8:00 PM, Student Service Centre Lecture Theatre, room SSC026, Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for non-students and can be purchased at the door.
  Created by Neil Cadger, associate professor in the Department of Creative Studies, and 23 of his students, Just Looking is a blend of live and recorded imagery and sound — somewhere between a dance performance and play — based on research done in several Okanagan malls. It is a one-of-a-kind production that toys with the ideas of commodification, material culture and the origins of urban myth. Simply, it’s a story about a little boy who disappears in a mall. Audiences are led to imagine all the possible places people go when they disappear. Dark, but also really fun, Just Looking raises questions about how people gather and how they relate to each other in public.
• Dividing the waters: Strategies for a Warming, Water-Stressed World (featuring Sandra Postel)
  March 27, 7:00-9:00 PM, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna
  The water strategies of the 20th century helped to supply drinking water, food, flood control and electricity to a large proportion of the human population. However, they also dismantled valuable ecological infrastructure — river systems, floodplains, watersheds and wetlands — that provide critical services to society. One of the biggest challenges the world now faces is figuring out how to satisfy the water demands of a human population headed toward nine billion people while at the same time protecting the aquatic ecosystems that support our economies and so much other life on this planet. With rivers running dry, water tables dropping, and droughts spreading around the globe, new strategies are urgently needed.
• The History of Jazz: Louis, Miles, and More
  March 31, 12:30-2:00 PM, Student Service Centre foyer
  The UBC Okanagan Jazz Collective, a group of student performers, will take the audience on a journey through all the major historical periods in North American Jazz throughout the 20th century.
• Baculovirus Gene Regulation: The Early Gene Kills the Caterpillar
  April 8, 2:30-3:30 PM, Science building, room SCI396
  Presenter: David Theilmann, research scientist on Molecular Insect Virology for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Refreshments will be provided.
• The Lake: A Reading Series (featuring Brian Bartlett, Alix Hawley and Cathy Mamo)
  April 8, 7:30-9:30 PM, Okanagan Regional Library’s downtown Kelowna branch, 1380 Ellis St., Kelowna
  Brian Bartlett has published five collections of poems, most recently The Watchmaker’s Table and Wanting the Day: Selected Poems. He teaches at St. Mary’s University in Halifax. Alix Hawley has a doctor of philosophy degree from Oxford University and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Her first book, The Old Familiar, was published in 2008. Cathy Mamo is a local mother, writer, and part-time librarian, residing in Peachland. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and has published poems in numerous literary magazines. She release her first book, Paperwhite, in 2009. Please contact Nancy Holmes at 250.807.9369 for more information.
• Diamonds by the yard: Luxury fever in the Peoples Republic of China
  April 9, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Library building, room LIB 312
  Presenter: Anamma Joy, a professor in the Faculty of Management. Refreshments will be provided. For more information contact the Research Services Office 250.807.9658.
• Explore Your Creativity
  Spring Workshops with UBC Okanagan Community & Continuing Studies range from innovative topics in creative writing to digital video, money management and astronomy. To check out the complete list of offerings in the Winter/Spring 2009 course calendar visit the Community and Continuing Studies website or contact program peader Elaine Crebo MacLeod at 250.807.9981 for more information.

Richmond

• UBC Dialogues: How will the 2010 Games affect the environmental, social and economic vitality of our communities?
  April 1, Richmond Olympic Oval
  
  Join fellow UBC alumni and friends for an evening of conversation as speakers Robert Vanwynsberghe and Margot Young along with moderator Wendy Frisby explore the topic: How will the 2010 Games affect the environmental, social and economic vitality of our communities? Refreshments will be served.

Vancouver

• UBC Film Society Presents . . .
  Norm Theatre, SUB (campus), various dates
  Doubt; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Frost/Nixon; Slumdog Millionaire
• Action - Camera: Beijing Performance Photography
  January 16-April 20, Belkin Art Gallery (campus)
  This exhibition is curated by Keith Wallace and explores an aspect of performance art that is prominent in mainland China and in particular Beijing. In mainland China, performance art is a relatively recent development with not much more than 20 years of activity. The exhibition examines the trajectory from the discreet underground performance art community centered in Beijing’s “East Village” in the early 1990s, to a current internationally recognized practice.
• Tatau: Samoan Tattooing and Global Culture
  March 25, Museum of Anthrology (campus)
  The contemporary significance of Samoan tattoo traditions is the focus of this insightful and provocative exhibit opening in Gallery 3 (adjacent to the Great Hall). Curated by Peter Brunt, Senior Lecturer in Art History at Victoria University of Wellington, the show features more than 40 photographs by distinguished New Zealand artist Mark Adams.
• The Idiots Karamazov
  March 25, Frederic Wood Theatre (campus)
  By Christopher Durang & Albert Innaurato. Director: MFA candidate Chris McGregor. This antic, outrageous and wildly comic send-up of Dostoyevsky's classic novel follows Constance Garnett, a feeble-minded literary translator who has difficulty translating The Brothers Karamazov. Also on stage are characters who perform the story as she translates it. As translations of the text begin to falter, they purée the whole Western canon before our very eyes.
• How Much is Enough? Reflections on Consumption, Community and the Art of Living
  March 26, UBC Robson Square
  Fantasies of effortless consuming surround us daily in the media, shaping our personal lives in countless ways. Are we rapidly losing the ability, well known to our grandparents’ generation, to find meaning and grace in a materially modest life? Slow down for an hour or two and take part in four thought-provoking and potentially inspiring conversations about life changes, choices, and finding the courage to take the road less-traveled in search of a better life.
• Examined Life: Screening and dialogue with Director Astra Taylor
  March 26, Norm Theatre (campus)
  Examined Life pulls philosophy out of academic journals and classrooms, and puts it back on the streets (featuring Cornel West, Avital Ronell, Peter Singer, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Martha Nussbaum, Michael Hardt, Slavoj Zizek, Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor). Filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas. Peter Singer’s thoughts on the ethics of consumption are amplified against the backdrop of Fifth Avenue’s posh boutiques. Slavoj Zizek questions current beliefs about the environment while sifting through a garbage dump. Michael Hardt ponders the nature of revolution while surrounded by symbols of wealth and leisure. Judith Butler and a friend stroll through San Francisco’s Mission District questioning our culture’s fixation on individualism. And while driving through Manhattan, Cornel West – perhaps America’s best-known public intellectual – compares philosophy to jazz and blues, reminding us how intense and invigorating a life of the mind can be.
• The 2009 Walter S. Owen Lecture: Professor Mary Condon
  March 26, Law Courts Inn, 800 Smithe Street
  Professor Mary Condon joined the Osgoode faculty in 1992. In April 2008 she was appointed by the Ontario government as a part-time commissioner of the Ontario Securities Commission. In the 2009 winter term, she serves as the Owen Chair at UBC's Faculty of Law, where she is also the co-director of the National Centre for Business Law. Professor Condon teaches Securities Regulation, Advanced Securities and Corporations and also directs and teaches in Osgoode’s part-time LLM program specializing in securities law. Professor Condon’s research interests focus primarily on the regulation of securities markets, investment funds, online investing, and pensions. She has been a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School and the University of Sydney's Faculty of Law. She is co-author of Business Organizations: Principles, Policies and Practice and co-author of Securities Law in Canada: Cases and Commentary, and author of Making Disclosure: Ideas and Interests in Ontario Securities Regulation (UTP). She has also written articles, book chapters and policy papers on topics related to securities regulation and pensions policy. Please RSVP to communications@law.ubc.ca or by phone at 604.822.0846.
• GreenNoir Cinematheque Film Screening: Spirited Away
  March 26, Green College (campus)
  Director: Hayao Miyazaki (Japan) In Japanese with English subtitles. Release date: 2001; Length: 125 min. Featuring an introduction by Anastasia Telesetsky, Green College resident member.
• School of Music Graduate Colloquium Series
  March 27, Music Building (campus)
  Kathryn Schmidt (DMA candidate in Piano, UBC). A lecture recital on Enrique Granados' Piano Suite Goyescas: Love, Death and Goya
• Sikiliza
  March 27, Asian Centre (campus)
  Come celebrate Africa Awareness' end-of-year bash. This will be the dance party of the year! The night will feature DJ Mmeli and DJ O playing the best beats of African, Afro-Caribbean, Top 40, Hip-Hop, R&B and other genres.
• UBC Symphonic Wind Ensemble
  March 27, Chan Centre
  Featuring Simone Osborne, soprano soloist (Winner 2008 Metropolitan Opera Young Artist Auditions). John van Deursen, conductor.
  Works include Leonard Bernstein, Slava; Eric Whitacre, Equus; Bernard Gilmore, Four Folk Songs for Soprano and Winds; John Phillip Sousa, Pathfinder of Panama; Morton Gould, Pavanne; Arias for Soprano by Verdi, Gounod, Lehar & Claude Smith, Festival Variations.
• Spring at the Chan
  March 28, Chan Centre (campus)
  Program includes glorious choral works such as Highland Cathedral, Bound for the Promised Land, Halleluia Chorus and features Paul Halley's Organ/Piano/Harpsichord Trio.
• Planting Community Seeds: A Night of Global Inspiration
  March 28, 7:00-9:00 PM, International House 1783 West Mall (campus) Cost: By donation, a minimum of $10. Parking is available at Rose Garden Parkade.
  This fundraising conference is led by UBC International Service Learning (ISL) students who be traveling to Uganda this summer to team up with local volunteer organizations and address development issues, such as improving literacy in the partner community by teaching English, or initiatives to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. The conference will include two or three inspirational speakers with experience in African development initiatives, African music/cultural entertainment, and short presentations by fellow students going to Uganda. Also, a mini-bazaar will be set up to sell products for the benefit of ISL Uganda students. Light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be served, free of charge. RSVP to bcinuganda@hotmail.com or Mandana at 604.780.0727.
• Storm the Wall 2009: Experience It!
  Sunday, March 29, UBC campus
  Be a part of the event that is the heart and soul of UBC, as UBC REC welcomes back alumni to take part in an exclusive Storm the Wall heat on Sunday. As the largest intramural event in Canada and the final event of the Triple Crown, Storm the Wall is something that everyone must try at least once. Men's, Women's, and CoRec teams of five compete in a swim, sprint, cycle and run relay before storming over one of two 12-foot high walls in the heart of campus.
  
• Afghanistan: A Case Study in the Changing Nature of Armed Conflict
  March 30, 9:30-noon, Liu Centre for Global Issues (campus)
  The panel will paint a broad picture of the current challenges during armed conflict from a legal, operational and humanitarian perspective. The panelists will present their general observations and answer questions from the public. (NB: This public lecture is part of a conference, Edges of Conflict, for invited participants only.)
• Well-Being and Sustainability: A One-Day Symposium
  March 30, Green College (campus)
  speakers:
  John Helliwell (Department of Economics, UBC)
  Kathryn Harrison (Department of Political Science, UBC)
  Larry Frank (UBC School of Community & Regional Planning)
  Liz Dunn and Lara Aknin (Department of Psychology, UBC)
  Michael Pennock (Vancouver Island Health Authority)
  Paul Kershaw (Human Early Learning Project, UBC)
  Vanessa Timmer (One Earth)
• In Conversation with Adrienne Clarkson
  March 31, Chan Centre
  Join us in welcoming former Governor-General, The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, to UBC as she sits down with host, Irfhan Rawji, BCOM’00, to talk about her new book Extraordinary Canadians: Norman Bethune. She will also share her insights about what it means to be an engaged global citizen. Born in Hong Kong, Madame Clarkson came to Canada in 1941 as a refugee. She served as Canada's 26th Governor-General from 1999 to 2005, following a successful career as a CBC journalist. She is credited with reinvigorating the office of the Governor-General, infusing the role with her unique sense of style, panache, humour and compassion. After answering questions from the audience, Madame Clarkson will participate in a brief book signing session in the Chan Centre's Glass Lobby. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to interact with this remarkable Canadian during her special campus appearance.
• Work of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy (ICCLR) in China and recent criminal justice reforms
  April 1, C. K. Choi Building (camps)
  This session will present the work of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy in the People's Republic of China and provide insights into the recent criminal justice reforms in China. The centre's approach to this work will be discussed from a variety of perspectives. Participants include: Kathleen Macdonald, acting executive director, ICCLR; Wang Shuiming, associate professor, South China Normal University School of Law and University of Victoria Faculty of Law visiting scholar; Annemieke Holthuis, counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice Canada.
• University Singers and University Choirs
  April 2 & 3, Chan Centre (campus)
  Works TBA.
• Peter Dauvergne: The Shadows of Consumption
  April 2, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (campus)
  UBC political science professor Peter Dauvergne maps the costs of consumption that remain hidden in the shadows cast by globalized corporations, trade and finance. He traces the environmental consequences of five commodities: automobiles, gasoline, refrigerators, beef and harp seals. Could it be that Dauvergne's analysis allows us to see why so many efforts to manage the global environment are failing even as environmentalism is slowly strengthening? Come join us for this important discussion, which takes place in the Lillooet Room (301) at the Chapman Learning Commons, located in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.
  Dauvergne is a Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Politics. He is currently on leave from teaching as he serves as Senior Advisor to the President of UBC (with a focus on sustainability and strategic planning).
  In addition, he is a member of the Publications Board of UBC Press and the founding and past editor (2001-2008) of the MIT journal Global Environmental Politics. Although no longer active in international tournaments, he is also a Canadian chess master.
• History of Japanese Nikkei Fishing Communities in Vancouver
  April 3, C.K. Choi Building
  With Paul Kariya, Geography, Trinity Western University.
• Piano Students of Corey Hamm
  April 3, School of Music (campus)
  Works TBA.
• UBC Botanical Garden Course: The Art of Dried Flower Arranging
  April 3, UBC Botanical Garden
  Learn the art of dried flower arranging with the Friends of the Garden. In this course, participants will learn the appropriate plants to grow and how to successfully dry them, as well as the tools and techniques for working with various plants to create beautiful dried flower arrangements. Flowers, foam and containers will be provided for participants to create their own dried masterpiece as a decoration for their home, and particularly nice as an attractive, fragrant, long lasting and low maintenance gift for friends or family.
• Second Annual South Asian Language Playhouse
  April 4, Asian Centre
  Theatrical performances by students of Hindi, Punjabi and Sanskrit at UBC.
• UBC Symphony Orchestra with Charles Lee, piano soloist
  April 4, Chan Centre (campus)
  Works: Micheal Daugherty Red Cape Tango; Franz Liszt Totentanz; Beethoven Symphony No. 7
• Opera Teas in the Garden
  April 5, UBC Botanical Garden
  The UBC Opera Ensemble bring you closer to the music you love, and to the star performers of tomorrow. Light refreshments are served, as you enjoy the magic of opera in a comfortable setting.
• UBC Botanical Garden Lecture: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - Behind the Scenes
  April 6, UBC Botanical Garden
  The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are internationally recognized, not only as a beautiful destination for visitors but also as an international centre for plant research and education. For 250 years the living collections at Kew have served as a showcase for plants from around the globe, while opportunities for research and education have drawn students and researchers from all over the world. The landscape, the iconic buildings, the rich botanical collections, and the influential people associated with these collections have all contributed to Kew’s rich history. Please join Jackie as she shares some of the highlights from her three years working and studying behind the scenes of this fantastic garden.
• Cecil H. and Ida Green Visiting Professor: Ludmilla Jordanova "Medicine and Identity: The Portraiture of William Harvey (1578-1657)"
  April 6, Buchanan building (campus)
  William Harvey’s discovery of the circulation of the blood puts him in a special class among British doctors. This lecture examines Harvey’s status through the rich materials provided by his portraits, including their provenance. These reveal the changing stakes in images of a man who enjoyed royal patronage, was closely associated with the Royal College of Physicians in London and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and who was feted in the second half of the nineteenth century for being an experimentalist. The Straker Memorial Lecture honours the memory of Professor Stephen M. Straker, an historian of science who was a member of the UBC Department of History for over thirty years. Ludmilla Jordanova is Professor of Modern History at King’s College London.
• An Ocean Revolution
  April 6, Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory (campus)
  Todd Jones on the conservation of leatherback turtles.
• UBC Compsers Concerts
  April 7, Music Building (campus)
  Works TBA.
• Cecil H. and Ida Green Visiting Professor: Ludmilla Jordanova "Historians and Interdisciplinarity"
  April 7, Green College (campus)
  How should historians use visual and material evidence? At one level it is obvious that this should be an interdisciplinary enterprise. There are disciplines that specialize in the study of visual and material culture; hence if historians want to use such sources, they need some familiarity with specialized modes of study. However, at another level, it is not at all clear what form these relationships between disciplines could and should take. In this talk Professor Jordanova will explore and reflect upon the range of roles that other disciplines play for historians in this case. Ludmilla Jordanova is professor of Modern History at King’s College London.
• AMS Great Farm Trek
  April 7, Student Union Bulding starting point
  From the organizers: "The UBC Farm has been an integral part of UBC since the Point Grey campus was founded in 1922. The UBC Farm is 24 hectares and is located on UBC Vancouver’s south campus. It is the last working farm in Vancouver and an irreplaceable resource for our future that once gone, is gone forever. The farm provides a unique centre for innovative teaching and research about sustainable food systems, food security and health. It serves as an important educational resource to members of the academic and non academic community, including a wide variety of aboriginal groups, school children and others. In addition, the UBC Farm is a complex ecosystem and home to many species such as coyotes, frogs, eagles, owls, snakes and over 70 species of birds. Why is the UBC Farm in crisis? UBC may use the farm land for other purposes. Students and community members have worked very hard in the past year to preserve the farm. UBC has acknowledged that the farm needs to be considered in their planning process; however, we still need the University to commit to: keeping the farm at its current size and location, providing stable funding, and including key users in determining the farm’s future."
• Offsetting for capital, climate or communities? A political ecology of carbon offsets in Honduras: transnational governance, material carbon reductions and local development
  April 8, Liu Institute
  Carbon offsets have emerged at the forefront of debates on strategies to mitigate global climate change. This research levels a political ecology approach and current geographic debates to explore the problem of carbon offsets. It examines the governance of international North-South carbon offsets, the ability for offset technologies to reduce carbon and make them legible in the international carbon markets, and the role of carbon finance in local community development in the global South. Using data from the carbon markets and case study research on two carbon offset projects in Honduras, this presentation will detail and discuss these principal components, and open questions for future research directions on the political ecology dimensions of carbon-development interactions.
• The Racial Unconscious of Assimilation Theory (with Moon -Kie Jung, University of Illinois)
  April 9, Anthropology & Sociology building (campus)
  In the past two decades, immigration scholars have revised and revitalized assimilation theory to study the large and growing numbers of migrants from Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean and their offspring in the United States. Neoclassical and segmented assimilation theories seek to make sense of the current wave of migration that differs in important ways from the last great wave at the turn of the twentieth century and to overcome the conceptual shortcomings of earlier theories of assimilation that it inspired. Examining some of the central assumptions and arguments of the new theories, this talk offers a critique of their treatment of race. It concludes with a brief proposal for a fundamental reorientation, replacing assimilation with politics of national belonging as the overarching object of analysis.
• Piano Cocktails - 2 Pianos! Up to 16 Hands!
  April 15, Chan Centre (campus)
  
• John Ralston Saul
  Aboriginals and New Canadians: The Missing Conversation
  April 22, 7:00 PM , Chan Centre (campus)
  Hosted by Paul Kennedy for broadcast on CBC Ideas.
  Join John Ralston Saul and distinguished panelists: BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Shawn Atleo and associate dean for Indigenous Education & acting director of the Native Indian Teacher Education Program, Joanne Archibald for a discussion on Aboriginals and new Canadians: The Missing Conversation. The evening offers the opportunity to continue the national dialogue launched with the publication of Saul’s book,  A Fair Country: Telling Truths About Canada. In this book, Saul delves into our history and argues that our ties to the Aboriginal are far stronger than our ties to the European. He suggests that we are a nation heavily influenced and shaped by aboriginal ideas of egalitarianism, a desire to resolve conflict with negotiation over violence and a commitment to maintaining a balance between the individual and the group. His provocative declaration that we are a “Metis nation” touches as much on the question of who we are as a nation as much as it does the roadmap to our future. Musical entertainment will be included in the evening.

Toronto

• Third Annual Great Trekker Alumni Luncheon in Toronto
  April 14, Park Hyatt
  Great Trekker Award recipients John Turner, BA’49, LLD’94, Alan Fotheringham, BA’54, and the late Pierre Berton, BA’41, DLit’85, met at UBC and maintained strong ties in Toronto by establishing an annual event. We’re continuing that tradition, with the Great Trekker Alumni Luncheon.
  Join us for an afternoon of great conversation filled with wit, intellect and certainly humour. The youngest Chancellor in UBC's history, and only the second female - Sarah Morgan-Silvester, BCom'82, will sit down in conversation with The Hon. Roy MacLaren, PC, BA'55. The Honorary event chair is The Hon. John N. Turner PC, CC, QC, BA'49, LLD'94.

Save the date

• Human Kinetics, Physical Education and Recreation celebrating 60 years
  May 23  
  Join us for fun, food and reminiscing. All grads, family and friends welcome. See the website or call 604.822.2767 for more info.
• UBC Child Care Services Celebrates 40 Years
  July 25, 3:00-9:00 pm, 5690 Osoyoos Cres (campus)
  UBC Child Care Services is celebrating 40 years of top quality care with a block party. Don’t miss the chance to reconnect with families and staff, enjoy great live music, food and family fun. For more details visit the website.
• Homecoming 2009: Help UBC Batter the Rams
  September 26, UBC Vancouver
  UBC Thunderbirds will be butting heads with the Regina Rams on September 26. Join current students and show some support for your old school. Get into the blue and gold spirit before kick-off with a tailgate party, BBQ, and live music. Details coming soon.
  

Lifelong Learning at UBC

This spring, let UBC Continuing Studies help you learn to manage conflict, develop your language skills or refine your taste for cultural discovery.

 

 

 

French and Spanish Immersion Weekend at UBC  
Saturday, April 4 to Sunday, April 5; UBC Point Grey. $350 (includes dinner and  two lunches).
An engaging weekend for those interested in practising French or Spanish in an immersion setting, offered at elementary, intermediate and advanced levels. Study with experienced, native-speaking instructors who understand the challenges of learning a language in an intensive setting.

Working with Conflict-An Innovative Training-Coaching Program
Starts Friday, April 24; UBC Robson Square.  $950+GST.
The ability to recognize and manage conflict is a core competency in the workplace and essential in personal and community relationships. Develop the knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of conflict head on and transform confrontation into collaboration. This powerful combination of interactive training and personal coaching enables participants to apply the knowledge and skills gained in this workshop to eliminate conflict in their lives. This six-week program features two full days of initial training, followed by weekly follow-up sessions. Call 604-822-0681 to find out more.

Discover a World of Languages and Cultures
The Languages, Cultures & Travel division of UBC Continuing Studies offers non-credit conversational courses in 15 languages. Join us for part-time courses beginning in April at the both the main UBC campus and downtown at UBC Robson Square. Or enhance your knowledge of world cultures through interactive courses in understanding wine or culinary arts workshops in a variety of international cuisines.

UBC Okanagan

Explore Your Creativity
Spring Workshops with UBC Okanagan Community & Continuing Studies range from innovative topics in creative writing to digital video, money management and astronomy. To check out the complete list of offerings in the Winter/Spring 2009 course calendar visit the Community and Continuing Studies website or contact program peader Elaine Crebo MacLeod at 250.807.9981 for more information.