UBC Reports | Vol. 48 | No. 12 | Oct. 10, 2002

Kudos

New Garden Director

Quentin Cronk took the helm as director of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research on Sept. 1. Cronk, who comes to UBC from the Royal Botanic Garden, University of Edinburgh, is internationally renowned for his research on flower form, the conservation of rare plants on oceanic islands, and plants in the African Violet and Ginger families. He has collaborated with researchers in universities and botanical gardens in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States.

Cronk was educated at Cambridge University and his most recent research work in Edinburgh has been focused on understanding the evolution and biodiversity of vascular plants.

UBC’s Botanical Garden is the oldest university garden in Canada and contains a worldwide collection of plants from temperate climates.

Help for Children

A UBC-based research partnership has received $2.5 million from the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development to improve understanding of early childhood development.

The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) is an interdisciplinary network of faculty, researchers and graduate students from B.C.’s four major universities. Directed by Dr. Clyde Hertzman, a professor of Health Care and Epidemiology, HELP will trace how a child’s environment affects learning, social, emotional and behavioural development.

By linking university, government and community programs throughout the province, the project will serve as the centre of B.C.’s early childhood development research efforts.

For more information on HELP, visit the Web site at www.earlylearning.ubc.ca.