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.

Nov. 21, 2003

• UBC board hears initial consultation proposal for South Campus
• UBC wins National Wildlife Federation green campus award
• UBC computer science students beat top U.S. technology schools
• Three UBC music students advance in Metropolitan Opera auditions
• Dermatology program gets pharmaceutical boost
• Architecture professor receives U.S. award for environmental service
• David Dodge presents development education award to UBC club
• December 9 seasonal concert for UBC staff and faculty

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UBC board hears initial consultation proposal for South Campus

On Thursday, November 20, the UBC board of governors received a proposed Consultation Plan Outline that maps out the process for engaging community groups in the development of the initial South Campus Neighborhood Draft Plan. Moodie Consultants Ltd., a firm with extensive community planning experience in projects with multiple stakeholders, developed the outline, which anticipates that the neighbourhood plan will be developed by May 2004. South Campus is one of eight neighbourhood areas that make up UBC’s emerging University Town.

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UBC wins National Wildlife Federation green campus award

UBC is the only Canadian university out of thirteen to win the National Wildlife Federation Green Campus Recognition award for exemplary work in demonstrating sustainable practices during the 2002-03 academic year. UBC is being recognized for its efforts to open more green buildings, and for the $35 million EcoTrek program making mechanical and electrical upgrades to university buildings and infrastructure. EcoTrek is the largest energy retrofit of its kind in Canada.

The annual award recognizes work by students and administrators to green their campus and considers projects to design green buildings, conserve energy, preserve landscape for wildlife and develop environmentally preferable purchasing policies.

For more details: http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/dspYearbook.cfm

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UBC computer science students beat top U.S. technology schools

Beating out more than 80 other teams from Canada and the United States, including the traditionally dominant teams from Stanford and Berkeley, three teams of students from the UBC Department of Computer Science took first, third, and fourth places respectively in the 2003 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Programming Contest in Portland, Oregon.

The annual five-hour competition presents teams with programming problems they must solve using C, C++ and Java. Using only one computer, each team is given nine problems to solve. UBC’s first place team was the only team to complete 8 of the 9 problems. The top UBC team now moves on to the World Finals in Prague, The Czech Republic, in March 2004.

For more information about the contest and the final standings visit: http://www.acmcontest-pacnw.org/

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Three UBC music students advance in Metropolitan Opera auditions

UBC music students took three of the four spots at the recent western Canada auditions for the Metropolitan Opera. Rhoslyn Jones, Justin Welsh and Neema Bickersteth will advance to the next round of auditions in Seattle February 29, 2004.

The purpose of the National Council Auditions Program, sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera, is to discover new talent for the Metropolitan Opera, to assist exceptionally talented opera singers, and to search for possible participants in the Young Artist Development Program.

Rhoslyn Jones will be a featured soloist in the UBC School of Music performance of Orff's Carmina Burana on Nov. 29. She will also be cast in the title role in Manon, The UBC Opera Ensemble's fully staged opera in March 2004. Justin Welsh performs the role of Sarastro and Neema Bickersteth performs the role of Pamina in the UBC Opera Ensemble production of Mozart's The Magic Flute (Dec. 10 through 14 at the Chan Centre).

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Dermatology program gets pharmaceutical boost

Galderma Canada, a leading pharmaceutical company, has provided an unrestricted grant to UBC to support both teaching and research in dermatology. Totalling $50,000, the Galderma Canada-UBC Dermatology grant will be awarded to Jerry Shapiro, clinical professor of medicine in the Division of Dermatology. Prof. Shapiro is an international expert in hair disorders and the director of the UBC Hair Research and Treatment Centre at the Vancouver General Hospital and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

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Architecture professor receives U.S. award for environmental service

Raymond Cole, professor in the Environmental Research Group (ERG) at UBC’s School of Architecture, was awarded the Green Public Service Award by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) at a gala awards ceremony held during the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, in Pittsburgh, PA. last week.

As leader of the ERG, Cole spearheaded the development of one of the predecessors to the LEED Green Building Rating System-Building Environmental Performance Assessment Criteria (BEPAC) for commercial buildings in British Columbia, Canada. His tireless efforts to develop a standard of green building measurement for Canada has led to the formation of the Canada Green Building Council and future adoption of the LEED standard.

Cole was selected as North American Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor for "sustained commitment to building environmental research and teaching" in 2001, and in 2003 he received the Architectural Institute of British Columbia Dalrymple Memorial Award for Community Service.

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David Dodge presents development education award to UBC club

At the 57th World University Service of Canada Annual Assembly in Ottawa last month, the UBC-WUSC student club was presented with the Local Committee Award for 2003. Student Syma Khan received the award on behalf of the club from David Dodge, Governor of the Bank of Canada.

Dodge recognized UBC’s annual Africa Awareness Symposium, which features speakers on Africa and ends in a cultural night called Afro-Fest. UBC students also organize an annual Global Fest, an event that allows participants to learn about several different regions in one night.

WUSC local committees are run by volunteers who work on development education and sponsor refugee students. The UBC WUSC committee was founded right after World War II and is one of the oldest student clubs at UBC. The university offers three scholarships each year for sponsored refugee students to help fund their entire undergraduate education.

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December 9 seasonal concert for UBC staff and faculty

All staff and faculty are cordially invited to attend a seasonal concert on Tuesday, December 9, 2003, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

Performers include the University Singers, the Cascades Brass Quintet and the UBC Opera Ensemble. Tickets for this free concert may be picked up at the Chan Centre Ticket Office 12 to 5 p.m. (Monday - Saturday) starting Saturday, November 29, 2003.

More information: Contact the Ceremonies Office at 604-822-2484

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