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NURS study shows grieving men pressed to ‘man up’

ECE prof creates digital doctors for your phone

MECH prof interviewed for new helmet technology

SoE prof recognized for research excellence

MTRL prof to become CIM Fellow

Landscape architect lauded for professional service

CHBE prof honoured for excellence in water research

ECE prof receives Killam Teaching Prize

NURS faculty receive provincial awards of excellence

Engineering students recognized

NURS co-hosts Live for the Moment

NURS prof comments on Alberta PCs’ controversial clinic plan

CHBE engineers analyze polluted soil or water for its recovering

APSC alum partner with First Nations to create engineering company

APSC Class of 2012 rising stars

NURS prof concerned about welfare of homestay students

ECE prof receives prestigious fellowship

Iron ring ceremony held in the Okanagan

MINE prof awarded CMIC medal

IGEN student Sean Heisler, UBC’s most powerful student

ECE student creates Peeked Interest photo creeping

APSC dean Search continues, but no clear end in sight

NURS study shows abused teens engage in more risky sexual behaviour

EUS Pres co-organized successful UBC Block Party Bash

ECE student receives second IEEE Best Paper Award

Engineering Co-op students, faculty and employers recognized

APSC Class of 2012 rising stars

NURS scholar researches on sexual abuse

CIVL engineer tries to make biking cool in Beijing

SCARP joins the Faculty of Applied Science

SCARP prof comments on potential sale of farmland

NURS prof finds Gay Asian youth often harassed

UBC centre and alum receive engineering awards

SALA panel shares five paradigm shifts to enhance a city

SoE presents sustainable transportation engineering

SoE students show ingenuity in design competitions

SoE Engineering One design competition shows innovation

SCARP faculty disagrees that race is basis of real estate prices

APSC in the News

The Faculty of Applied Science often finds itself in the local, national and international media spotlight when its faculty and staff members, students and alumni make breakthroughs in research, reach out to make a difference in their community, or achieve exceptional status in professional or community organizations.

A summary of these news articles for April 2012 are provided below for your interest. For complete stories, contact the APSC Communications Manager.

April 2012

Grieving men feel pressed to ‘man up’
Vancouver Sun
Fri Apr 27 2012
Page: A12
By: Kim Pemberton
Link to full text

Young men feel pressure to grieve in a masculine way and worry they’ll be rejected if they don’t behave stoically, according to a UBC study (conducted by a team of researchers from the UBC School of Nursing and UBC Dept. of Education) that looked into how men deal with unexpected death.

The stereotype that men shouldn’t show their emotions holds true with them, said Genevieve Creighton, one of the UBC researchers involved in the project. The study involved 25 young men who had all lost a male friend and were asked questions about grief and dealing with it as a man.

“One of the interesting findings was their feeling they had to ‘man up.’ They wouldn’t consider grieving in the traditional way like crying or getting together with friends to mourn, but they would do something physical, like build a memorial or have a tattoo [to commemorate their deceased friend],” she said.

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The Digital Doctor is in … your phone
Vancouver Sun
Sat Apr 28 2012
Page: F2
By: Gillian Shaw
Link to full text

The digital health sector is growing and there are more and more wellness apps. It’s a sector that’s bringing together game makers and medical experts, engineers and researchers.

Mark Ansermino [with ECE Prof Guy Dumont] has led a team that created a phone oximeter, a low-cost device that combines a smartphone with a FDA approved pulse oximeter sensor to measure oxygen levels in blood.  The phone oximeter could be used for monitoring in remote areas where patients can’t drop by a local hospital or clinic to get tested.

Daniel Schwartz, a clinical assistant professor at UBC’s medical school, is the co-founder of QxMD, a company that makes mobile software for health care professionals. QxMD has six different products ranging from the diagnostic tool Calculate to a soon-to-be released newsreader app for tablet computers that delivers a customized package of research and journal publications.
UBC’s eHealth Strategy Office focuses on developments both at the university and in partnership with outside companies that use technology to enable and enhance health and wellness.

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MECH prof interviewed for new helmet technology
CBC
Thu Apr 26 2012

Peter Cripton, an associate professor from UBC mechanical engineering, co-invented a helmet that could help prevent injury in a number of sports. The result of research supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), this helmet contains a patent-pending device to provide protection from spinal cord injuries.

In a common type of motorcycle accident, “if you were wearing an approved helmet, you might have a concussion or a sore head,” said Peter Cripton, “And if you were wearing a beanie helmet, you might have a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain. So it could be that kind of difference.”

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UBC engineer recognized for research excellence
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 26 2012

UBC Okanagan Engineering Asst. Prof. Cigdem Eskicioglu has received the 2012 Early in Career Award from Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia (CUFA BC) for her work on processing organic waste into renewable energy and organic fertilizer.

For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/I7o4uf.

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Materials engineering professor to become CIM Fellow
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 26 2012

Akram Alfantazi, professor in the Dept. of Materials Engineering and associate dean, Research and Graduate Studies of the Faculty of Applied Science, has been selected to be a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) in recognition of his contribution to the metallurgical industry, through his work on corrosion and electrometallurgy. He joins previous CIM Fellows from the department: Keith Brimacombe (1988), Indira Samarasekera (1999) and David Dreisinger (2009).

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/HYbZVi.

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UBC landscape architect lauded for professional service
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 26 2012

UBC Landscape Architecture Assoc. Prof. Patrick Mooney has received the Exceptional Contribution Award from the B.C. Society of Landscape Architects (BCSLA) for his service contribution to the BCSLA and for enhancing the relationship between UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the profession.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/ITs63A.

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UBC engineer honoured for excellence in water research
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 26 2012

UBC Chemical and Biological Engineering Prof. Madjid Mohseni is this year’s recipient of Excellence in the Water and Waste Community – Individual Award from the B.C. Water and Waste Association (BCWWA) for his contributions in safeguarding public health and the environment by advancing excellence in the water and waste community.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/K6Y25F.

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UBC Killam Teaching Prize awarded to engineering prof
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 26 2012

Electrical and Computer Engineering Prof. Leo Stocco has been recognized for outstanding achievement in teaching with the UBC Killam Teaching Prize. Faculty members are nominated by students, colleagues, and alumni for this award.

For more information, visit http://www.ece.ubc.ca/news/201204/dr-stocco-wins-ubc-killam-teaching-prize.

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UBC nursing faculty receive provincial awards of excellence
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 26 2012

UBC School of Nursing faculty members Lynda Balneaves, Alison Phinney and Elsie Tan were recognized by the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC) for their contributions to the profession and for demonstrating excellence in relation to the CRNBC Professional Standards for Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/IwnUv5.

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UBC engineering students recognized
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 26 2012

Electrical and Computer Engineering student Harshul Srivastava has received the Larry K. Wilson Regional Student Activities Award in recognition of his exemplary service to the UBC IEEE Student Branch. For more information, visit http://www.ece.ubc.ca/

Chemical and Biological Engineering student James Butler has received the 2011/12 UBC Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award which recognizes UBC graduate students for their outstanding contribution to teaching and learning.

Chemical and Biological Engineering graduate students James Butler and Nagu Daraboina were awarded the John R. Grace Graduate Scholarships for demonstrating academic excellence and performing research on energy, the environment, and/or multi-phase systems.

Mining Engineering students were awarded Canadian Mineral Industry Education Fund (CMIEF) Scholarships. Kyle Buckoll, Brad St. Pierre and Mike Myers received the Futter award traditionally given to one student with the most potential from across Canada. UBC Mining received 21 CMIEF scholarships, the highest number of scholarships awarded across Canada.

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Live for the Moment
B.C. Almanac
Mon Apr 23 2012
Link to full text

A UBC study is providing a unique window into the worlds of 25 young men as they struggle to find ways to grieve their male friends. Live for the Moment is an exhibition at The Fall Gallery in Vancouver, featuring photos taken by research participants to answer questions about grief, loss and dealing with it as a young man.

UBC post-doctoral researcher Genevieve Creighton, a member of the team that conducted this study, says that she wanted to investigate whether young men are unable to grieve a loss and engage in their own sadness.

“There is a lot of social science research that goes on in the School of Nursing that does investigate broad social determinants on health, looking at how gender does effect people’s health behaviour,” said Jennifer Matthews, with the UBC School of Nursing and the project coordinator for the study called Live for the Moment.

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Alberta PCs’ controversial clinic plan finds traction in poll

Globe and Mail
Sat Apr 21 2012
By: Josh Wingrove
Link to full text

Of the dozens of promises rolled out on Alberta’s campaign trail, few have proven more controversial than one: family care clinics. The collaborative care clinics – a model used in several other provinces- would put nurses, doctors and other practitioners under one roof.

The notion of more community-level health care is, of course, popular in theory, and experts agree multidisciplinary care is a worthy goal. “[Doctors] do a great job in what they’re doing, but people’s needs are greater than just that,” says UBC associate professor Sabrina Wong (School of Nursing), who studies primary health care.

A version of this story also appeared in the Edmonton Journal.

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Mother Nature, heal thyself
Globe and Mail
Fri Apr 20 2012
Page: E11
By: Marjo Johne
Link to full text

Sumas Environmental Services works in bioremediation – using microorganisms to bring polluted soil or water back to its original state.

“There are many plants and microbes that can do different things,” says Susan Baldwin, an associate professor at UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. “Understanding how they work and then using that knowledge to clean the environment is what bioremediation is all about.”

At UBC, Baldwin and her team are using gene sequencing technology to analyze microorganisms in soil to find out how they might interact with particular toxic chemicals.

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First Nations band partners to create engineering company
Business in Vancouver
Thu April 19 2012
Link to full text

Further evidence that First Nations groups are open for business came April 18 when news broke that the Lax Kw’alaams Band will partner with established engineering firm Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. (KWL, employers include civil engineering alum President Michael Currie, VP Mike Dickens, VP Chris Johnston and VP Anton Benes) to create Embark Engineering.

The Lax Kw’alaams Band will own a majority stake in Embark, which will work with KWL and other partners to provide infrastructure planning, design and construction, project administration and resource management to government, industry and First Nations. Embark will also introduce an academic program and scholarships to help create careers for aboriginal people.

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New profiles posted for Applied Science’s Class of 2012 Rising Stars
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 19 2012

Graduating students of Applied Science’s Class of 2012 are featured on http://www.apsc.ubc.ca/stars/congregation12/index.php

New profiles include:
Jacob Bayless, Engineering Physics
Saba Farmand, Masters in Landscape Architecture
Emily Landry, School of Engineering
Jared Whitehead, School of Engineering

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Chinese students in Winnipeg overcharged for rooms
CBC
Thu Apr 19 2012
Link to full text

A former University of Winnipeg recruitment agent has been charging foreign high school students as much as $3,000 a month for a small room and a meagre food allowance in his home, according to students.

Elizabeth Saewyc (School of Nursing), a UBC professor who has studied students in homestay programs, said there is generally little to no oversight of the people who take care of those students while they are in Canada.

“We’re very concerned,” said Saewyc, the university’s chair of applied public health research. “This lack of sort of figuring out who’s in charge really creates the opportunity for kids to fall through the cracks.”

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People on the Move
University Affairs
Wed Apr 18 2012
Link to full text

This year’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships have been announced. The fellowships are awarded to enhance the career development of outstanding and highly promising university faculty who are earning a strong international reputation for original research.

This year’s six winners are: Alisdair B. Boraston (biochemistry and microbiology, University of Victoria), Sheelagh Carpendale (computer science, University of Calgary), Mark MacLachlan (chemistry, University of British Columbia), Randall V. Martin (physics, atmospheric science and chemistry, Dalhousie University), Robert Schober (electrical and computer engineering, University of British Columbia), and Robert Seiringer (mathematics and statistics, McGill University). Each of the six winners receives a research grant of up to $250,000 over two years. The host university also receives up to $90,000 a year to fund a replacement for the fellow’s teaching and administrative duties during the course of the fellowship.

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Iron ring ceremony honours hard work and obligates UBC engineering students
Okanagan Exchange
Wed Apr 18 2012

Engineering students proudly show their rings. For the first time, the iron ring ceremony was held at the Okanagan campus under their own camp.

It is a lot more than just ornamental jewellery. It is an honour and a tradition that dates back decades, and for new engineers the iron ring represents the culmination of many years of work.

The rings symbolize an accomplishment and acknowledgement not many have reached and for the first time the iron ring ceremony for engineers was held at UBC's Okanagan campus under a newly formed B.C. Interior camp.

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Mining players pursue the elusive ideal at CMIC signature event
CIM | March April 2012
Wed Apr 18 2012
By: Virginia Heffernan

This timing could not have been better: just as Prime Minister Stephen Harper lamented the sorry state of research and development in Canada and pledged to make innovation a key element of the upcoming budget, the mining community gathered to hammer out solutions to this age-old Canadian problem.

At the end of January, representatives from industry, government and academia met in Toronto to discuss the need for innovations that could solve the nagging challenges of water shortages, deeply buried deposits, and energy availability and conservation. At the event, CMIC President Engin Ozberk presented a medal to former director Malcolm Scoble, a professor from the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at UBC.

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Our Campus: Sean Heisler, UBC’s most powerful student
The Ubyssey
Mon Apr 16 2012
Page: 2
By: Jonny Wakefield
Link to full text

Sean Heisler doesn’t hesitate when he describes his first meeting with the most powerful people at UBC.
 
“Oh it’s terrifying. It’s so terrifying,” he said of his first time at the Board of Governors (BoG). “There are all CEOs of different companies, people who sit on four different boards: their life is being a board member. Then there’s me.”
 
Heisler is the outgoing student representative on BoG—UBC’s final decision making body on big picture issues like finance and land use. He found his way there haphazardly, deciding to run in election the night before applications were due. He managed to win the seat, and walked into the first meeting with little more than a coffee date with the two outgoing UBC-Vancouver students for guidance.

Out of those early sink or swim moments, Heisler has grown into an experienced navigator of UBC’s top-level bureaucracy. He helped make decisions with millions of dollars. He held a coveted All-Access BoG parking pass. And he had lunches with the university president.

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Year in Review: Peeked interest photo creeping
The Ubyssey
Mon Apr 16 2012
Page: 3

It is almost impossible to guess what will captivate the attention of students on any given day, but an anonymous photo-sharing site did the job earlier this year. Peeked Interest, a website that allows you to upload a photo of an attractive stranger in the hope that they will see it and respond, was launched by UBC student Frans Kouwenhoven (software engineering) and former University of Victoria student Darryl McIvor.

The Ubyssey’s story about Peeked Interest quickly went viral after being posted in March, racking up nearly 5000 page views since then. The website has now been taken offline to work on improvements over the summer, but it reports that 450 photos were uploaded over a six-week trial period and 45 people reached out to a submitter after recognizing themselves in the photo.

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Search for new Applied Science dean continues, but no clear end in sight
The Ubyssey
Sun Apr 15 2012
By: Oliver Longman
Link to full text

Although the dean of Applied Science, Tyseer Abounasr, resigned from her position in December, the search committee has yet to find a replacement.
 
Tagg Jefferson, an integrated engineering student on the search committee, said the process will take between 18 months to two years, with a new dean optimally assuming the position by 2014.
 
He said the timeline is intended to provide adequate time for the incoming dean “who, say, in what would be a high level role in another institution…[needs] to transfer out of that particular role effectively and then come into this role.”
 
In the meantime, the interim dean is the previous associate dean, Eric Hall. “From my perspective, it has been lots of fun […] thinking about new issues and new problems, and meeting new people, and in addition to that I’d say it has been a real acceleration in the level of activity of my day,” he said.
 
As for the time it will take, Hall said it’s normal to take a long time to find a new dean. “I wouldn’t say it’s an emergency, and normally these dean search processes take a considerable amount of time… What is important is that there be a dean in place all the time.”

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Study shows abused teens engage in more risky sexual behaviour
The Ubyssey
Thu Apr 12 2012
Page: 3

A new UBC study found that young males who have been sexually abused are more likely to be teen fathers, and to engage in more risky sexual behaviour.

The study found that boys who have been abused are twice as likely to have unprotected sex and three times more likely to have multiple sexual partners.

“Boys are far less likely to tell someone when they have been sexually abused,” said study co-author UBC professor Elizabeth Saewyc (Nursing). “Yet it’s clear they too need support and care to cope with the trauma from sexual violence.”

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Block Party Bash
The Ubyssey
Thu Apr 12 2012
Page: 8
By: Jonny Wakefield
Link to full text

Everything seemed to come together for the fifth annual AMS Block Party. More than 5500 students attended the sold-out concert – which benefited from beautiful weather and big name bands like MSTRKRFT and Mother Mother.

This celebration of the last day of class hasn’t sold out since its second year, when The Roots headlined. Only 2900 students attended in 2010 to see the Barenaked Ladies, and the AMS lost $103,000 on the concert that year.

EUS President Ian Campbell (third-year, Electrical and Computer Engineering), who sits on the Student Life Committee (SLC), said the AMS made a bigger push on promotion for Block Party this year. The SLC is in charge of coordinating inter-constituency events.

“Every time I talked to somebody in the lead up to Block Party, they were excited about it,” said Campbell. “Because there were two headliners, it brought out a bigger cross section of campus. It was nice to see more of a diversity of artists.”

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Graduate student receives second IEEE Best Paper Award
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 12 2012

UBC graduate student Derrick Wing Kwan Ng received the best paper award at the IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference in Paris. This is Kwan’s second best paper award in four months– the first was received at IEEE Globecom 2011. Kwan, along with his colleagues and Ph.D. supervisor Robert Schober, research innovative designs to ensure wireless security.

For more, visit http://www.ece.ubc.ca/news/201204/best-paper-award-wcnc-2012-derrick-wing-kwan-ng

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Engineering Co-op students, faculty and employers recognized
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 12 2012

The Engineering Co-op program recently held awards ceremonies for outstanding graduating students, faculty and industry partners at both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

• Employers of the year: Klohn Crippen Berger (Vancouver) and Stantec (Okanagan)
• Faculty of the year: Prof. John Howie (Civil Engineering, Vancouver) and Prof. Andre Phillion (School of Engineering, Okanagan)
• Students of the year: Madeleine Schaefer (Electrical Engineering, Vancouver), Matt Sauer (Civil Engineering, Okanagan) and Alexander Winardi (Mechanical Engineering, Vancouver)

To read about the award winners, visit http://www.coop.apsc.ubc.ca/

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Faculty of Applied Science’s Class of 2012 rising stars
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 12 2012

Over the next few months, Faculty of Applied Science’s Class of 2012 will be featured on their homepage—their experiences at UBC, their plans for the future and how they will make a difference in the world.

Read more on the graduates at http://www.apsc.ubc.ca/

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Sexual abuse may put boys at risk for unsafe sex
MSN
Tue Apr 10 2012
By: Robert Preidt
Link to full text

Male teens that were sexually abused are more likely to have unsafe sex, a new study by UBC researchers finds.

Compared to those with no history of sexual abuse, young males who were sexually abused were five times more likely to cause teen pregnancy, three times more likely to have multiple sexual partners and two times more likely to have unprotected sex.

“Our findings show that boys are also vulnerable to the traumatic effects of sexual abuse, which can lead to sexually transmitted infections or teen pregnancy,” said lead author Yuko Homma, a recent Ph.D. graduate from UBC’s School of Nursing.

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The NGO trying to make biking cool in Beijing
The Atlantic
Mon Apr 9 2012
By: Adam Martin
Link to full text

In Beijing, some people have no interest in riding a bike if they can possibly afford a car. So the solution for bicycle and clean air advocates is to try to make biking cool in Beijing.

Research by Jinhua Zhao (CIVL) of UBC found that “bicycle use in Beijing has dropped from about 60 percent in 1986 to 17 percent in 2010. At the same time, car use has grown 15 percent a year for the last ten years.” Some people love their cars because the cars symbolize arrival in the middle class, Jinhua said.

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UBC SCARP joins the Faculty of Applied Science
UBC This Week
Thu Apr 5 2012

The UBC School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) joined the Faculty of Applied Science, effective April 1, 2012.

SCARP migrated within the UBC organizational structure from the College for Interdisciplinary Studies (CFIS) to Applied Science. SCARP will retain its current name and remain an autonomous school with its own director, reporting to the dean of Applied Science.

The alignment of SCARP within Applied Science provides enhanced opportunity for new collaborations especially in the areas of sustainability, transportation engineering and with the School Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

For more information, visit: http://blogs.apsc.ubc.ca/apscnews/2012/03/30/ubc-scarp-joins-the-faculty-of-applied-science/

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Metro rejects potential sale of farmland
Vancouver Sun
Thu Apr 5 2012
Page: A7
By: Kelly Sinoski
Link to full text

The battle to save Metro Vancouver’s agricultural land is heating up, with regional officials pushing back at the potential loss of 600 acres of prime south Delta farmland for port expansion.

Professor Lawrence Frank (School of Community and Regional Planning), the Bombardier chair in sustainable transportation at UBC, said the situation comes down to a trade-off between health and quality of life versus preserving agricultural land and there should be a special plan in place to determine where and why expansion is happening in a certain area.

“We have to be very careful of the loss of any agricultural land at this point; it’s critical,” said Frank. “But there’s a need to deal with competing interests…Our local economy benefits from being a port city.”

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Gay Asian youth more likely harassed: study
Xtra
Thu Apr 5 2012
By: Beth Hong
Link to full text

A study released from UBC found that lesbian, gay and bisexual Asian Canadian youth are 30 times more likely to face harassment than their heterosexual peers. They are also more likely to use drugs or alcohol, according to the study conducted by professor Elizabeth Saewyc.

Another key finding of the study is the importance of relationships, particularly with teachers and family, in potentially alleviating some of the negative effects of racist and homophobic bullying.

“Family connectedness really does make a difference for sexual minorities,” Saewyc said. “Unfortunately, many feel that they have to deal with it themselves, which is a shame because they deal with homophobia, racism, and discrimination.”

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2012 ACEC-BC Awards
Vancouver Sun
Wed Apr 4 2012

Each year, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-BC presents the Awards for Engineering Excellence.

UBC alumnus Mike Homenuke (BASc ’03, CIVL/ENVE), of Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd., is the winner of the 2012 ACEC British Columbia Young Consulting Engineer Award. The award is given to a young professional who demonstrates excellence in their field while increasing the awareness of the value of young professionals in the BC consulting engineering industry.

Among the winners of the awards for Engineering Excellence was the UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability. The overall goals for CIRS are to be a net-positive energy producer and a net-zero carbon building.

The UBC Biological Sciences Complex received an award of merit in the buildings category. The South and West blocks of the aged UBC Biosciences complex, both over 40 years old, were most recently refitted in the UBC Renew program, a program to modernize, rather than replace, outdated and obsolete buildings. An environmental impact study showed the Renew approach saved 49 per cent in construction energy used, 85 per cent in material use, and reduced emissions by 60 per cent.

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Five paradigm shifts to enhance a city
The Tyee
Wed Apr 4 2012
Link to full text

A recent panel held as part of the UBC School of Landscape and Architecture’s fall lecture series asked 15 experts to describe the one paradigm shift that would have the greatest positive effect on the future development of Vancouver.

Patrick Condon, a professor at UBC, suggests making changes to transit in the city.  He argues that instead of using the “big pipe” concept for transit, which takes people to and from the centre of the city, Vancouver should have a net of “little pipes.”

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Student transportation engineering presentations organized
Okanagan campus Exchange
Wed April 4 2012

Engineering students will be presenting new sustainable and safe transportation research on April 13 as part of Gordon Lovegrove (School of Engineering)'s Transportation Engineering course this semester.

Three third-year students -- selected as the best from Lovegrove's ENGR335 course -- will be presenting in front of a panel of judges from UBC and the greater community. The presentation topics will be:
• Okanagan campus Staff/Faculty U-Pass: survey results, analysis and recommendations
• Okanagan campus traffic calming: hot-spot analyses and recommendations for improving pedestrian safety
• Kelowna road user equity: are pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, transit riders, car poolers getting treated equitably?

The event begins at 2 p.m. on April 13 in the Engineering Management Education building (room EME4218). This event is sponsored by the Interior Chapter of the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers.

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Engineering ingenuity gets workout in design competitions
Okanagan campus Exchange
Wed April 4 2012

UBC Okanagan Campus School of Engineering students Rebekah Wirch, from Kelowna, and Ben Weishaupt, from Saskatoon, take a close look at their team hovercraft The Pirate Ship Tuesday during the annual hovercraft competition.

First and second-year engineering students were tasked with designing and operating a hovercraft using only a set list of materials. The hovercrafts must also carry a certain payload along a short course.

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Engineering One design competition
Okanagan campus Exchange
Wed April 4 2012

Call it the invasion of the machines.

First-year engineering students will showcase some of their innovations tomorrow in the second leg of the annual School of Engineering Design Competition.

There will be 45 teams of first-year Engineering students demonstrating different concepts in mechanics -- and different ways to crush beverage cans. Teams of five students can spend up to $150 for materials to build their crushing machines.

Date: Thursday, Apr. 5
Time: 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Location: Engineering Management Education building

To find out more contact the School of Engineering at 250-807-8723.

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Race is the unspoken issue surrounding real estate prices
Vancouver Sun
Tue April 3 2012
Page: A4
By: Pete McMartin
Link to full text

A study of Vancouver real estate prices by Andy Yan, an urban planner with Bing Thom Architects and an adjunct professor with UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning, plotted Vancouver homes assessed at over $1 million in 2011 and again in 2012. In a single year, the number of million-dollar homes had increased by 10 per cent.

Many believe that nouveau riche Chinese nationals are the main reason for the price increases. Yan doesn’t necessarily subscribe to that theory.

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# # #

For complete stories please contact:
ErinRose Handy
Communications Manager
UBC Faculty of Applied Science
Tel: 604.822.1524
E-mail: erinrose.handy@ubc.ca

 

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