Re-imagining Homecoming in a virtual way
In a year with in-person gatherings paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic, planning for back-to-school events last September faced a reckoning – how are celebrations of campus spirit possible in a virtual space? The 2020 Homecoming organizing committees at UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses rolled up their sleeves to set about re-imagining the weekend with […]
In our DNA: Ethiopians taking African genomic research into their own hands
It started, like many great things do, with a simple conversation. Dr. Corey Nislow and Jamal Kurtu were talking one day in 2018 about public health – in particular, capacity building for genetic research around the world. “I have molecular biology experience and Jamal has a long history with Ethiopia,” says Dr. Nislow, professor at […]
UBC launches future-looking global engagement strategy, In Service
UBC is transforming to meet the challenges of today – and tomorrow. The university’s new global engagement strategy, In Service, outlines a bold new vision for collaborating with partners large and small, at home and abroad, spanning not only disciplines, but cities, countries and continents. Prof. Santa J. Ono, UBC President and Vice-Chancellor, opened the […]
Celebrating the 2020 Community-University Engagement Support funding recipients
The Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) fund has awarded $500,000 to 21 community organizations working with UBC faculty, staff, and students The 2020/2021-funded projects include a strategy and tools to ethically meet the research needs of the Haida Nation on Haida Gwaii; an urban farm in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side that addresses the acute food security […]
Designing strong cities, smashing silos and staying optimistic
Growing up in Vancouver, Parsa Shani always had a “lingering notion” that there was a lot more world out there. When he and his family, originally from Iran, moved back for a while during his middle and high school years, Mr. Shani experienced a country very different from Canada. The “massive, hectic, megacity of Tehran” […]
UBC Okanagan to offer Canada’s first bachelor’s degree of Indigenous language fluency
UBC’s Okanagan campus, located in the territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation, is set to become the first university in Canada to offer a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous language fluency. The Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency (BNLF) program, created in collaboration with the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) and the En’owkin Centre, is designed […]
Celebrate UBC global engagement at the strategy launch
We are delighted to announce the launch of In Service, UBC’s global engagement strategy. We invite students, faculty, staff and international partners near and far to join us for a virtual event, where we will share the strategy and vision behind In Service, host a lively discussion and honour this significant milestone together. In Service will serve as […]
Indigenous Repatriation Practices UN Expert Seminar held at UBC
In March 2020, the University of British Columbia hosted an expert seminar on the theme “Repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” in support of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP). The two-day event on March 4-5 brought together […]
Combatting social isolation during COVID-19
With visiting restrictions in place at long-term care facilities across Canada due to COVID-19, families in every community are facing challenges. As part of a new initiative, Connecting with Compassion, UBC faculty and students are looking to technology to help families stay connected with their loved ones and combat the social isolation being felt by […]
UBC Learning Exchange marks 20 years in the Downtown Eastside
Over the last 20 years, the Learning Exchange near Main and Keefer in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has quietly worked to become a trusted part of one of the most complex neighbourhoods in North America, an important academic unit of the university, and a model for university-community engagement. According to Kathleen Leahy, director of the Learning […]