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.
Apr. 24, 2003
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CTV to Kickstart Careers of UBC Students
CTV British Columbia has donated $225,000 to UBC to initiate an
innovative program that will give students in any faculty their
first break in broadcasting.
Through the new CTV Career Launch Program, the media company will
identify internal project opportunities and match them to the particular
talents of students selected through the UBC Co-op program. "It
is our goal to provide real, challenging work and to open the door
to launch students' careers," says Jim Rusnak, Vice President
and General Manager for CTV in British Columbia.
"We have many partners who support the University with much
of the focus on research," says Dr. Neil Guppy, Associate VP,
Academic Programs. "What makes this donation so special is
that it offers experiential learning, where people can apply what
they've learned in the classroom."
Students will be hired full-time for eight-month terms. The first
UBC student to work at CTV is Gary Poon, a second year Computer
Science student. He is revamping their website to make it inviting,
interactive, and easy to maintain after he leaves.
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UBC to host Canadian Critical Race Conference
May 2-4
From May 2-4, 2003, UBC will host the Canadian Critical Race Conference
2003: Pedagogy and Practice. This annual conference offers more
than 40 workshops focused on strategies for a racially just society,
and brings together Indigenous scholars, community activists, theorists,
practitioners, students, academics and various community organizations
from across Canada.
- The goals of the conference include:
- creating a link between theory and practice on critical race
issues
- exploring various forms of knowledge, what's legitimized and
how it's transmitted
- creating partnerships with indigenous communities and communities
of colour
- fostering an inter-connected community of global citizens working
towards a racially just society
- examining current global issues within the context of critical
race theory
All members of the community are invited to participate. For more
information, including a list of keynote speakers go to www.lib.sfu.ca/ccrc.
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Animal Welfare Program Head wins International
Award
Professor David Fraser, Head the Agricultural Science faculty's
Animal Welfare program, was recently presented the 15th annual Animal
Welfare award by the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) and
the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (RSPCA).
The award cites Fraser's outstanding contribution to the science,
philosophy and practice of animal welfare.
From designing better pigpens to reducing road accidents involving
moose, Fraser's research has contributed to numerous animal welfare
issues. Fraser also serves as an advisor on animal welfare issues
to many organizations including the Animal Welfare Foundation of
Canada, the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food Marketing
Institute and the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the
Burger King Corporation.
Fraser joined UBC in 1997 to launch the Animal Welfare Program.
Since its inception, the program has attracted some 50 graduate
students, research associates and visiting scientists from around
the world.
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UBC Chemist Wins Kudos for Research Contributions
to the Wider Community
Professor David Dolphin will be named Academic of the Year by the
Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C. (CUFA/BC)
at this year's Distinguished Academics Awards for exceptional research
that contributes to the wider community
Dolphin will be honoured for developing the drug Visudyne, which
successfully treats a common type of age-related blindness. He has
worked throughout his career on compounds called porphyrins, which
are pigments found in both animal and plant life. They are involved
in the formation of many important substances in the body including
hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood.
Dr. Dolphin used his ability to synthesize these compounds to create
a porphyrin to absorb a specific wavelength of light. When injected
into tissue and exposed to laser light, this compound was found
to be effective in killing skin cancer cells.
In the course of clinical trials, it was discovered that the compound,
called Visudyne today, also stopped the growth of new blood vessels,
thus closing down the nutrient source for the cancer cells. This
unintended effect proved effective in treating age-related macular
degeneration (AMD). The "wet" version of this disease
results in spontaneous growth of new blood vessels in the retina
of the eye, which kills off the normal cells, thereby causing blindness.
By using Visudyne and laser light to stop the growth of new blood
vessels, vision is preserved.
The clinical trials of Visudyne to treat AMD -- the most common
cause of vision loss in people over age 50 in the Western world
-- were successful and the treatment has now been approved for use
in 70 countries. The causes of AMD are unknown, but thanks to Dolphin's
work in creating Visudyne, millions of people worldwide will be
able to keep their sight.
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