UBC News Digest

The UBC News Digest is a weekly summary of news stories about UBC people, research, learning, community, and internationalization initiatives. News Digest past issues are also available on-line.

Oct. 18, 2002

• UBC gains $46 million for high-tech facilities
• UBC poll shows Canadians feel greenhouse gas, global warming top environmental concerns
• Advanced Systems Institute recognizes outstanding UBC grads

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UBC gains $46 million for high-tech facilities

UBC will receive $46 million in provincial funding for facilities to support students in high-tech programs, Premier Gordon Campbell has announced.

“This is a strong endorsement of UBC's leadership in high-tech education,” says UBC President Martha Piper. “The expansion builds our capacity for learning and research and allows us to make an even greater contribution to B.C.'s economy.”

The funding is part of a $95-million capital expansion program at B.C.’s four public universities to support the provincial government’s commitment to double the number of B.C. graduates from high-tech programs.

The funds will support the construction of the Chemical and Biological Engineering Bldg., a six-storey, 10,000 sq. metre-structure that will be located between East Mall and Health Sciences Mall immediately south of the Health Sciences Parkade. Construction will start in December, 2003.

In addition, two facilities will be expanded with construction starting April 2003.

The Computer Science Dept. expansion will see 6,500 sq. metres of new office, research and instructional space. The building will be located east of the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems at the site of the Vivarium.

Also, the Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering Dept. will be expanded by about 7,000 sq. metres. The new facilities will adjoin the north face of the MacLeod Bldg. and the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Bldg. on Main Mall.

“Through this outstanding commitment, UBC will be able to dramatically improve and expand its programs in electrical and computer engineering and computer science - which are essential in fueling the high tech industry,” says Michael Isaacson, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science. “The end result will be a critical mass of highly skilled graduates and an intensive research and development environment that will stimulate innovation and development in B.C.”

The announcement follows on the provincial government’s April announcement of funding that allows UBC to add 455 new undergraduate spaces in Computer Science and 652 spaces in Computer Engineering to be added by 2006/07. The funding will also provide an additional 204 graduate spaces.

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UBC poll shows Canadians feel greenhouse gas, global warming top environmental concerns

Four out of five Canadians believe reducing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming effects should be the government's top environmental priority, according to a poll released Thursday by the University of British Columbia.

The poll, conducted in September by Ipsos-Reid and included in the university's just-released 2001/02 annual report, indicates that 43 per cent feel greenhouse gas emissions should be the top priority, while 38 per cent feel that the resultant global warming and climate change should take precedence. Loss of old growth forests, fisheries and genetically altered food finished behind these priorities.

"Research indicates that we have an opportunity in Canada to very substantially reduce emissions through sustainable development policies that will meet other societal objectives as well," said Prof. John Robinson, of UBC's Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. "This increase in public concern is evidence that citizens want their political leaders to take action on this issue."

"It is especially interesting to see that global warming is moving up in the public's consciousness," said Daniel Savas, Vice-President of Ipsos-Reid. "Three years ago, 28 per cent felt it was a top priority, compared with today's figure of 38 per cent." Savas added that the increased importance attributed to global warming issues is likely due to the current national debates regarding the Kyoto Accord.

Savas noted that the UBC poll findings reflect research showing that the environment has moved up the public's agenda of top public policy issues. In July of this year, he said, 10 per cent of another poll's respondents believed environmental issues should receive the greatest attention from Canada's leaders - three times the number who shared this view one year ago.

"The University of British Columbia is committed to research that improves people's lives and the human condition in general," said UBC President Dr. Martha Piper. "We show our accountability to the public by publishing the annual report, and this year wanted to take that accountability a step further, by relating our work to the issues of greatest concern to Canadians."

The UBC poll also posed questions about healthcare, global security and education. Some key findings include:

• 70 per cent think more funding and medical staff are required for the healthcare system
• 64 per cent believe poverty and injustice are the roots of international terrorism
• 58 per cent believe that society in general benefits the most from university education, compared with 27 per cent who feel that students themselves benefit most and 14 per cent who feel business benefits.

Complete poll results are published in UBC's online annual report at www.ubc.ca/annualreport. The online version of the report also includes an interactive feature that allows individuals to submit their own views on key poll questions.

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Advanced Systems Institute recognizes outstanding UBC grads

The BC Advanced Systems Institute (ASI) awarded 16 scholarships to UBC Applied Science graduate students on October 17.

Each scholarship recipient received $5,000. Since 1987, ASI has awarded $730,000 in scholarships to more than 160 UBC graduate students through the Graduate Recruitment Assistance Program (GRAP).

“The program was initiated to assist in recruiting and retaining highly skilled researchers to BC universities and to aid in building the human resource base for the technology sector in BC,” said Victor Jones, President of ASI.

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