the university of british columbia volume 49 | number … · the editor, ubc reports ubc public...

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A V O L U M E 4 9 | N U M B E R 1 1 | N O V E M B E R 6 , 2 0 0 3

UBC REPORTS2 UBC in the News 4 New Science Dean 5 Homelessness and Health 8 Institutional Memor y 9 New Faces 11 Shanghai Cyber Class

Sacha Trudeau onGlobal CitizenshipDocumentary filmmaker tells UBC AGM it’s never been more difficult to understand each other as humans

Speaking at UBC’s annual general meeting, Alexandre (Sacha)Trudeau, filmmaker and boardmember for the Pierre ElliottTrudeau Foundation, told thecapacity Robson Square crowdthat while we live in an age ofinformation, our limited under-standing of each other remains afundamental problem. That concern is the driving force behindhis journalism, he said, and theresearch foundation that bears hisfather’s name.

The challenges facing our globalcommunity were addressed by arange of speakers, including Ginger

Gibson, a UBC PhD student inmining engineering and TrudeauFoundation scholar, who describedher research experiences inNorthern Canadian and LatinAmerican communities impactedby harmful mining practices.

President Martha Piper, in herreport on the year, shared her conviction that universities have akey role to play in preparing students to overcome these challenges.To read UBC’s 2002/03 annualreport, titled Influencing a NewGeneration of Global Citizens,visit: www.ubc.ca/annualreport. ■■

Alexandre Trudeau (above) speaking at UBC’s annual general meeting; Trudeau scholar Ginger Gibson (above right) with her son Haimish, a member of the next generation of global citizens;Anthony Chung (right) playing the violin with the Infinitus String Quartet at the AGM.

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Highlights of UBC Media Coverage in October 2003. C O M P I L E D B Y B R I A N L I N

UBC Reports is published monthly by the UBC Public Affairs Office310 – 6251 Cecil Green Park RoadVancouver BC Canada V6T 1Z1

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IN THE NEWS

UBC REPORTS

UBC cuisine and culture instructor Eric Arrouzé uses the Internet to teach cooking.

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Papal Illness ShowsDr. Jon Stoessl, director of UBC’sPacific Parkinson’s ResearchCentre, told the Globe and Mailthat the Pope’s doctors may beunder-medicating him in order toreduce the risk of the drug’s sideeffects, and as a result, making hissymptoms more apparent.

Stoessl said medical scientistsknow how much L-dopa, aParkinson’s medication, to admin-ister, but haven’t figured out howto target the drug effectively to thepart of the brain where it’s needed.

“So as the medication wears off,the speech could decline.” Andwhen it improves, “it is also possi-ble that his medication dose [hasbeen] adjusted in response to poorperformance the day before.”

New Discovery in HIVA study in the October issue of thejournal Nature Neuroscienceshows that HIV can activate a previously unknown biochemicalpathway that leads to nerve celldestruction in the brain.

Researchers from UBC and theUniversity of Calgary have foundthat activation of the pathwaycould be a major contributor tosuch HIV-related conditions asdementia, seizures, depression, lossof memory, and loss of motorskills, reports The Advocate magazine.

Benefits of Working inAntarcticaUBC psychology professor PeterSuedfeld is taking advantage ofAntarctica’s effects on those whowork there.

Suedfeld studies the psychologi-cal impact of sensory deprivationand separation from family andfriends at home.

Suedfeld told the Toronto Starthat the beneficial long-term psychological effects of working insuch remote circumstances out-weigh some adverse short-termimpacts.

Many people return from stintsin Antarctica with significantchanges to personal philosophiesor religious beliefs, Suedfeldadded. And that can cause frictionwith families who stay home anddon’t have similar profound expe-riences.

Online Chef Lends Help inKitchenUBC Continuing Studies instructorChef Eric Arrouzé offers a safetynet for new cooks, and a place forkitchen enthusiasts to connect withan expert, on his online cookingschool, 911cheferic.com.

Arrouzé told the New YorkTimes that a couple of hundredstudents have signed up for hisonline service, which costs $7 amonth. For that fee, they getunlimited access to several hun-dred QuickTime clips showingArrouzé at work.

In addition to basics, he offerstutorials on making exotic fare likeescargots à la bourguignonne andpan-seared duck breast.

Bugs in the ForestAfter the tough summer B.C.’sforests have just endured, there’sword that a huge infestation of atiny and treacherous beetle isbeginning.

Barely larger than a pinhead, themountain pine beetle is destroyinghundreds of millions of pine treesevery year.

“What it lacks in size it makesup for in numbers,” UBC forestryprofessor John McLean told CBCTelevision.

“Right now the area that’s beingattacked in the interior is fourtimes the size of Vancouver Island.That’s a huge amount of our forestindustry or forest inventory whichis at risk.”

Newest Airline HoldsPromiseUBC Sauder School of Businessprofessor Tae Oum tells CanadianBusiness magazine that as a small,private operation, HMY Airwayshas an inherent cost advantageover some rivals.

Oum estimates that with lowoverhead, HMY could operate inthe first few years at about 50 percent of Air Canada’s overall perpassenger cost.

“If they can sell tickets, say 80

per cent or 90 per cent of the seats,then they will make money.”

University Report Card1,217 UBC students participated inthe Globe and Mail’s UniversityReport Card 2003 survey.

One student told the Globe andMail that UBC is a “highly com-petitive university.”

According to one student,“intramurals at UBC rock!” with“great choices and the “biggest...program in Canada.”

Described as a “very reputableuniversity,” most UBC studentstake pride in their soon-to-be almamater. The future appears bright inthe opinion of most UBC grads,thanks to co-op placements insome programs and a “faculty thatwill open doors for you.”

Bioethics LegislationNeededUBC medical geneticist PatriciaBaird told Canada.com that she’sconcerned the long-debated federallegislation banning human cloningis headed for the back burneragain.

“It’s tragic,” said Baird, whoheaded a $30-million royal commission that called for a banon human reproductive cloningmore than a decade ago.

Baird added that the lack of legislation would result in greatercommercialization of such repro-ductive technologies as surrogacyand egg and sperm donations,something the bill would outlaw.

“If we really want to have socialpolicy decide how we use thesetechnologies, rather than the market, we really need to put inplace some kind of regulatoryagency,” she said. ■■

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ubc reports | november 6, 2003 | 3

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTREGARDING GRADUATE THESIS SUBMISSION

Effective Monday, December 1, 2003, the Dean’s Office in the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FoGS) will assume the responsibility for acceptingand processing all final copies of Masters and Doctoral theses. RareBooks and Special Collections, located in Main Library, will continue to accept theses until November 30, 2003. Microfiche copies of theseswill continue to be catalogued and shelved as they are now.

This change is being implemented to improve service to students and ispart of FoGS ongoing commitment to review and revise their systems toensure that graduate students receive the best service possible. The newprocedure will enable FoGS to incorporate thesis submission into theoverall process of graduation eligibility checking. This will streamlinethe entire graduation process and provide a single reference point forgraduate students with respect to thesis formatting, thesis submission,and in the case of doctoral students, the coordination of their final doctoral oral examination at the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

For more information on thesis submission at FoGS, please contactTeresa Jones, Doctoral Exams Coordinator, at [email protected].

Frieda Granot, Dean of Graduate StudiesCatherine Quinlan, University Librarian

An expert in natural disasters, awine yeast researcher and a special-ist in consumer behaviour areamong UBC’s six new CanadaResearch Chairs.

Designed to build Canada’sresearch capacity, the program offederally funded research positionsis now halfway to its goal of estab-lishing 2,000 Chairs at universitiesacross the country by 2005. The

federal government has invested$900 million to support the program.

“We are delighted to mark thismilestone by adding to our growing body of outstandingrecruits,” says Barry McBride, UBCvice-president, Academic andProvost. “To gain these individualswhen top universities around theworld are competing for them is atestament to the academic researchenvironment in this country and this university.”

The UBC chairs are among 118such positions at 37 universities —representing an investment of$102.2 million — that have beendistributed across Canada to universities, their affiliated researchinstitutes and hospitals. UBC hasnow designated 83 Chairs of the155 allocated to the university.

Kathleen Vohs, who comes toUBC from the University of Utah,is the Canada Research Chair inMarket Research and ConsumerScience. She will investigate thepsychological basis for consumer

Newest CRCs Part ofNational MilestoneB Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

behaviour. She will focus on per-sonality traits, self-image and situa-tional factors that determine spend-ing patterns and attitudes aboutmaterial goods.

Stephanie Chang, from theUniversity of Washington, is anexpert in natural disasters. AsCanada Research Chair in UrbanSustainability and DisasterManagement, she will study and

develop disaster mitigation programs that have environmental,social and economic goals. Herwork in looking beyond dollar losses to planning for disaster-resilient cities will helpguide more effective public spending on disaster preparedness.

Vivien Measday is the CanadaResearch Chair in Enology/YeastGenomics. Part of her researchinvolves identifying genes in yeastthat are most important for winefermentation, key information forthe B.C. wine industry. In addition, her studies of chromo-some segregation in wine yeast willprovide insight into diseases —such as cancer and Down syn-drome — whose hallmark is abnormal chromosome numbers.Other chair appointments are:

Geoffrey Wasteneys is from theAustralian National University. AsCanada Research Chair in PlantCell Biology, he will study how toimprove plant cell walls, informa-tion that will help the forestryindustry to improve fibre proper-

It’s now the mid-point of the 2003UBC United Way campaign, andsupport is building in the quest tomeet this year’s $500,000 target,according to co-chairs EilisCourtney and Deborah Austin.“Support from the campus community has been tremendous-we’re already halfway to our goaland the donations continue tocome in,” says Courtney.“What’s really exciting is that wehave a number of departments whoare running first-time campaigns inaddition to continuing efforts inplaces like Supply Management,the Faculty of Arts and Brock Hallthat are growing again this yearthrough tremendous boosts ofenergy.”

And for the second year in a row,volunteers from across campushave participated in a Days ofCaring event to offer direct andvery personal help to a UnitedWay-funded agency. This year, theUBC team was matched withCamp Alexandra, a Crescent BeachCommunity Services operationthat caters to seniors, school-agedchildren and toddlers. UBC’s vol-unteers gave a day of scrubbing,cleaning, painting, plumbing anddoing general fix-it jobs.

“The reactions were outstandingfrom the staff at Camp Alexandra— they really appreciated the workwe were able to get done — andthe UBC staff walked away with anunforgettable experience,” Austinsays.

For more information about thisyear’s United Way campaign and afull report on this year’s Days ofCaring event, have a look atwww.unitedway.ubc.ca. ■■

CampusEnergyBoostsUnited WayEfforts

ties. He will also develop methodsfor hybrid seed production in cropspecies.

Dominik Schötzau, CanadaResearch Chair in NumericalAnalysis of Multiphysics Problems,is from the University of Basel inSwitzerland. He is a mathematicianwho is developing new computa-tional tools for mechanical engi-neering and science.

Jeremy Heyl, from HarvardUniversity, is the Canada ResearchChair in Origins. He is a physicistwho studies the early universe and isan expert in neutron stars and blackholes.

For more information on CanadaResearch Chairs, visitwww.chairs.gc.ca. ■■

Fall CongregationStarts Nov.26More than 2,600 students willgraduate at UBC Fall Congregation,to be held Nov. 26 and 27 at theChan Centre for the PerformingArts. Ceremonies will take place at8:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4p.m. each day.

Honorary degrees will be conferred upon microbiologyresearcher Julian Davies, UBCProfessor Emeritus, on Nov. 26 at11 a.m. and upon Rafael RangelSostmann, president of Sistem Tecde Monterrey, Mexico’s 33-campustechnical institute that has partnered with UBC on a 200-bedresidence on campus, on Nov. 27 at1:30 p.m.

Live webcast of the ceremonies,detailed schedule and other information can be found atwww.graduation.ubc.ca. ■■

Stephanie Chang will be helping the GVRD become more resilient to disasters such as this 1999 earthquake in Taiwan.

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John Hepburn is an internationallyrecognized powerhouse in thefields of laser chemistry and laserspectroscopy research who studiedunder Nobel prize-winning chemistJohn Polanyi at the University ofToronto. He’s also a 48-year-oldfather of three who commutes tocampus daily by bike.

Now, almost three years afterarriving at UBC from theUniversity of Waterloo to head upthe Chemistry department,Hepburn has taken the reins asdean of the Faculty of Science.

UBC Reports sat down withHepburn shortly after he acceptedthe job.

When did you decide tobecome a scientist?

I’ve always been interested in sci-ence. When I was quite young, mydad came back from a business tripwith a glossy book on dinosaurs. Itwas something like WalterCronkite Talks About Dinosaursand it came with a little plastic 45-rpm record narrated by Cronkiteand I just loved that. From that dayon, I was going to be a paleontolo-gist, which is not so unusual for aseven-year-old boy, but I kind ofstuck with it.

Throughout high school, I hadthe good luck to have good andenthusiastic science teachers muchmore often than disinterested ones.As a result, I hadn’t decided whatkind of scientist I wanted to beother than I wanted to be one.Then I got a scholarship [from theUniversity of Waterloo] to studychemistry so, in Grade 13, I said,“Well, I’m going to be a chemist.”

As the new Dean of Science,you’re following in the footsteps ofMaria Klawe, a dynamic force whochampioned women in science andspearheaded innovative scienceprograms at UBC. What are yourtop priorities for the faculty?

What I want to tackle is raisingboth the profile and substance ofthe research effort at UBC. I thinkthat Maria did a tremendous job ofinvigorating the science faculty as awhole. I see where we could nowhave really explosive growth is inthe research effort and that’s verychallenging because that’s a muchmore expensive enterprise.

In terms of improving theresearch efforts here, I view as atop priority forging a stronger

partnership with the provincialgovernment, which up to now hasbeen a bit on the sidelines withresearch. They tend to put moneyinto research through things likethe B.C. Knowledge DevelopmentFund but they don’t really involvethemselves in the research enter-prises at universities — not in thebasic sciences — and that’s some-thing I’d like to change.

How could the B.C. govern-ment be more involved in research?

The example would be in compar-ison to other provincial govern-ments. In Ontario, the equivalentof the B.C. KnowledgeDevelopment Fund is the OntarioInnovation Trust, a stand-alonefund that only exists to match CFI[Canada Foundation forInnovation] grants. And that’s anautomatic thing; you don’t evenhave to apply. You just forwardyour CFI application to them. InB.C., you have to write a separateapplication that’s time consumingand, in the end, they match the CFIgrant anyway.

Ontario has the Research andDevelopment Challenge Fund [afund that supports non-CFI sup-ported research projects]. Ontariohas always had a system of gradu-ate scholarships. Ontario hasprovincial Centres of Excellencethat existed before the federalNetworks of Centres of Excellence.The Quebec government has anindependent funding agency forscientific research in universitiesthat is, in some ways, superior toOntario, and Alberta has a verystrong history of funding universi-ty and medical research.

So in order to compete withinstitutions in those provinces andensure we’re also attracting thebest and the brightest we need sim-ilar funding?

There are people at the Universityof Toronto who I would love toattract to UBC. . . but you’d haveto convince them not only to giveup the infrastructure that’s avail-able there, but to give up literallyhundreds of thousands of dollarsper year of Ontario governmentfunding for their research pro-grams. This is not an exaggeration.

Researchers at UBC can getmoney through the federal Centresfor Excellence, but there are noprovincial Centres of Excellence

and there’s no Research andDevelopment Challenge Fund, no[provincial] graduate student schol-arships. When you look at the levelof support available to someone atthe University of Toronto, you can’tduplicate that level of support here,so there’s no point in offering thema job.

Will you be spending a lot oftime in Victoria?

I’ll spend as much time in Victoriaas I have to, if necessary. I don’t getthe impression that the provincialgovernment hates us. I think theysee the value of universities but theystill haven’t worked out the detailsof what it is to “like” universities. Itwould be good to convince theprovince to go that next step.

You’ve been appointed for asix-year term. What’s your visionfor the faculty by the end of yourterm?

I think that being successful wouldbe not bothering to compare our-selves with the University ofToronto but comparing ourselves— without having people smirk atus — with major American univer-sities. Why can’t we be comparedwith the University of Washington?Right now we wouldn’t do thatbecause the University ofWashington is a monster researchenterprise. I don’t see any reasonwhy we can’t be a monster researchenterprise. It’s going to be a littledifficult to become a Caltech or aHarvard because we don’t have themultibillion dollar endowments butI don’t see any reason why we can’taspire to be as good as any of thebig state universities in the U.S.

It’s an admitted sign of inferioritywhen you constantly worry abouthow you’re doing compared toUniversity of Toronto because theydon’t lose any sleep about whatUBC is doing. If, at the end of sixyears, I can be in a position of notreally caring what the University ofToronto does, except if it’s academ-ically interesting to me, then thatwould be successful.

What are your academic plansfor the faculty?

I’d like to expand the size of thegraduate program in science. We getvery good students now, but I’d liketo get more of the good ones andlarger numbers. The mark of suc-

New Science Dean: More ResearchFunding, Less U of T Envy John Hepburn charts a new course for the faculty. B Y M I C H E L L E C O O K

B Y M I C H E L L E C O O K

cess would be if a Canadian gradu-ate student would agonize over thechoice of going to the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley or UBC. Theywould weigh the pros and cons,and it would involve a head-oncomparison of what kind ofresearch they would get done at thetwo universities. I’d like to haveUBC win a large fraction of thosecomparisons.

What about undergraduates?

We already get extremely highquality students but I don’t thinkwe give them a great undergradu-ate experience because the labs arein terrible condition. They’ve beenunder-funded for so long that peo-ple have forgotten what properlyfunded labs are.

Right now, it’s clear that thehonours bachelors degree — thetop quality undergraduate degree— is considered by some to be abooby prize compared to gettinginto medicine. I’d like students toenter first-year science with theidea that they’d be equally happygetting into medical school or get-ting an honours bachelors degree.Science is a key discipline and ifour society is going to move for-ward we need to have excellentstudents interested in studying sci-ence for itself. That’s what they

should take away from UBCScience; that it was a wonderfulexperience.

What role does a UBC-indus-try partnership play in your visionfor the Faculty of Science?

It plays a very strong role. We wantto have high-level technical jobsavailable for our graduates. Beyondthat there’s a natural tie because thedriving force — particularly in thehigh-tech industry — is research. IfB.C. is going to move forward as amodern economy, we need morehigh-tech industry and historically,everywhere else in the world wherehigh-tech industry has prospered,there’s a university which producesa skilled labour force and also produces ideas. Small companiescan’t do all their own research andlarge companies, even if they cando their own research, need a con-stant supply of fresh ideas.

If those in industry say, as theyrecently did with the [B.C. government’s] “Doubling theOpportunity” initiative, thatthey’re going to die unless some-thing is done to help UBC prosper,you’ve got two groups — the university and industry — tellingthe government they’ve got to giveus more money and support. That’scritical. ■■

If you’ve ever gotten lost in UBC’svast 600-hectare campus, memorize the following Webaddress: www.maps.ubc.ca.

The new site, built using PHPand mySQL, two open-sourceprogramming tools, is completelydatabase-driven. The foregoingtech-talk just means that the site isvery easy to update, an importantfeature for a campus undergoingmore than $600 million in newconstruction.

Based on the user’s query, aunique Web page is dynamicallygenerated for every request

from a massive database of morethan 500 campus buildings andlandmarks.

Users can search by buildingname, address and keywords orsimply click on any point on a mapto zero in on their destination.

The site also allows users to maptwo locations simultaneously anddisplays information on

Way FindingEasier atmaps.ubc.caA big place just got smaller. B Y B R I A N L I N

nearest parking, occu-pants, accessibility,road closures andeven a brief history ofthe buildings andlocations of payphones.

For John Lane, whospearheaded the mas-sive revamp, theimprovements repre-sent an ideologicalshift in the site’sdesign.

“The idea is todesign things to meetthe needs of the max-imum number of

users, rather than making stereotypical assumptionsabout a subset of the populationand provide a remedy especiallyfor them,” says Lane, a physicalaccess advisor from UBC’sCampus & Community Planningdepartment.

In other words, rather thanbuilding a series of customized

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Web sites, all accessibility infor-mation is available from onesource.

Minute details such as entrancelocation, names of building occu-pants and operating hours giveusers all the information they needto access a building. Cross-link-ages between other UBC Websites, including Student Services’online course schedule, meansdirections to classroom and examlocations — complete with photos— are just a click away.

“The project isn’t completeyet,” says Lane. “There are gapsin the data we need to fill and weare working on the addition ofupdated main and building foot-print maps. These will provideusers with a graphical view ofbuilding entrances and accessibili-ty features,” he noted.

For the amount of functionalityavailable on the site, the cost toinventory campus buildings andbuild the site — at $21,000 — wasquite reasonable, says Lane, who

asked UBC Public Affairs WebStrategist Rob Wilson to developcustom software to run the site.

“We chose Public Affairs overtwo external proposals becausethey already know how the university systems work,” saysLane. “They also put together apackage that involved summerstudents and turned out a site bet-ter than we had anticipated, underbudget, and ahead of schedule.”

Wilson’s involvement is part ofa Public Affairs initiative to provide counsel to campus unitsthat are redeveloping or redesign-ing their Web presence.

“We try to suggest intelligent,cost-effective, and, where possi-ble, collaborative alternatives,”says Wilson, who is working withother campus Web professionalsto develop common tools andstandards for UBC Web sites.

More information on PublicAffairs’ Web initiatives can befound at www.publicaffairs.-ubc.ca/ubcweb/. ■■

John Hepburn balances his new duties as science dean with a daily bike commute.

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They are cold, dirty, hungry menhuddled under cardboard andblankets with buggies full of popcans at their side.

That image is what most peopleassociate with the word homeless.But the image is out of date,according to researchers at UBC’sInstitute for Health PromotionResearch (IHPR) who are workingto gather data that will improvethe plight of B.C.’s homeless.

Jim Frankish, IHPR associatedirector, notes that persons withdisabilities, seniors and single par-ents are among today’s homeless.Also, more children are homelessnow; in a 24-hour GreaterVancouver Regional District(GVRD) survey of homeless peo-ple, 71 kids were found to be liv-ing on the street.

“Homelessness is more complexand diverse than it used to be even10 years ago,” says Frankish. “Theold solutions just don’t work anymore. We need to take anotherlook at what’s happening on thestreet.”

Community-based research datais urgently needed to help serviceand housing providers, programplanners and policy-makers createeffective interventions, saysFrankish. He and colleagues

recently completed a review ofresearch data concerning home-lessness in the GVRD for HumanResources Development Canada.The work led to a provincialresearch resource called theHomelessness Virtual Library andlaid the foundation for the cre-ation of the B.C. Homelessnessand Health Research Network.

Network partners, includingIHPR members, are holding

forums throughout B.C. to gaininformation on homelessnessexperienced in communities out-side the GVRD, raise awareness ofhomelessness and build researchcapacity by connecting with localhospitals, colleges and othersinterested in reducing homeless-ness and improving the quality oflife for homeless people.

Encampments of homeless peo-ple in Vancouver — including atent city camped outside ScienceWorld, one of the city’s majortourist attractions — havesparked recent media coverageand much debate, however, thefacts about today’s homelessnessmay be surprising.

A July 2002 report prepared forthe GVRD by a local consultingfirm showed that between 1991and 1996 the number of people at

What we Don’t Know about the HomelessChildren, seniors and single parents are joining the ranks. B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

risk of homelessness rose from39,000 to 57,600. Almost half ofthose at risk were immigrants andrefugees. Elements of risk includeliving in substandard or unsafehousing, spending half or more ofgross household income on hous-ing, or staying temporarily withfriends or family — a practiceknown as couch surfing.

Also, use of emergency sheltersand housing is skyrocketing with

almost 6,000 people turned awayin 2002/03 from Vancouver’sLookout shelter alone. Turnawaysin the previous year were 2,200.

Reasons for homelessness arealso changing, according to thoseinterviewed for The View Fromthe Sidewalk, a 2001 researchstudy on homelessness conductedby homeless people.

“Social housing is not availablefor me because I’m a single father.It’s only for single mothers. Thereshould be services for all singleparents,” said Vince, a homelessman in Prince George.

A single, middle-aged womansaid that she is “in a jam of sevenjobs in five years. The bit of sav-ings I had vanished even though Itried my hardest to go without,but finally I had nothing and hadto move out of my home. The few

friends I had let me sleep on theircouches but I felt uncomfortableand started to become verydepressed. When I finally gotsome social assistance they onlyallowed my $325 for a place tocall home — where does such aplace exist?”

It is not surprising thatVancouver is a leader in homeless-ness research. In one of Canada’spoorest neighbourhoods, Van-

couver’s Downtown Eastside,housing and health issues are adaily reality. There are homelesspeople in every municipality inthe GVRD and the high demandfor affordable and safe housing isreflected in the region’s 13,000-person wait list for socialhousing.

Poor health, assaults andinjuries combine with ambulancecalls, trips to the emergency roomand other medical attention tocreate an expensive revolvingdoor of ill health among homelesspeople. Some researchers havecalled it the “$800 ham sand-wich”, referring to the costlypractice of addressing homeless-ness through emergency healthfacilities. A bed in a psychiatricward costs approximately $500per day and a jail holding cell

TIME PIECE 1927– reprinted from the 1927 issue of TOTEM

You’ve been ill for years, seendozens of doctors and live withsymptoms that affect everyaspect of your life. Yet it oftenseems you have little to sayabout any of it.

That’s the usual scenario formany kids with chronic illness.It’s a situation that GladysMcPherson wants to improve.

“Children tend to be excludedfrom many decisions where theycould reasonably be involved,”says McPherson, a School ofNursing PhD student and pedi-atric nurse. “Kids’ voices oftenget lost in the dialogue betweenparents and health-care profes-sionals. Especially in our highlytechnological medical environ-ment, a child’s opinion may bethe last thing to be considered.”

In an 18-month study,McPherson will interview 40Lower Mainland children agedseven to 11 who are sufferingfrom chronic illnesses thatinclude diabetes, epilepsy, asth-ma and rheumatoid arthritis. Shewill also interview their parents.Participants from a variety ofcultural backgrounds will berecruited.

She wants to know how children see their contribution todecision-making and to under-stand parents’ views of children’sparticipation. She will also analyze how participation variesaccording to the type of decisionand the nature of the illness.

Kathy O’Flynn-Magee’sdaughter, now 14, was diagnosedwith Type I diabetes at age three.

“The actual choices havechanged over time, but I’vealways tried to give her someinput,” she says. “Even when shewas little, she could make thechoice of where to inject herinsulin. Now, she makes daily

Giving Voice to Sick KidsB Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

choices about food, exercise andinsulin doses by herself. It’s beena bit hard for me to make thattransition, but I think it’s crucialfor me to think about her as anadolescent first and as an adoles-cent with diabetes second.”

There is little guidance forhealth-care professionals tounderstand and evaluate whatchronically ill children want andneed. McPherson’s research willexpand and deepen insight intowhat children think about theiropportunities and abilities tomake decisions about their treat-ment. Findings will also guidepolicy-makers looking for waysto provide optimal health care.

“Some people would say it’sinappropriate to have kids contribute to decisions aboutserious illness,” say McPherson.“We have an ethical commitment, however, to makesure that children’s perspectivesare considered in all matters thataffect them.”

Parents are often torn betweentheir beliefs about the child’sneeds and the child’s wishes andfeelings, says McPherson. Parentsand health-care providers tend tolook at long-term health require-ments, but kids focus on day-to-day experiences like wanting toshare in birthday cake or hopingto fit in with their friends.

Many chronically ill childrenhave very regimented routinesand are eager to have some control in their own lives. Theirinput can be as simple as determining timing of therapiesor the way therapy is delivered.

“It may be something as simpleas being able to say ‘I’ll take themedicine in 10 minutes — notright now,’” says McPherson.

Research participants will beidentified with the help of SurreyMemorial Hospital, part ofFraser Health Authority, as wellas BC Cancer Agency and B.C.’sChildren’s Hospital, sites of theProvincial Health ServicesAuthority. ■■

about $125 per day.Housing that offers counseling

and other support, however,ranges from only $20 to $90 per day.

“Supportive long-term housingwould reduce the burden onhealth services,” says Frankish.“Decent housing is cheaper in thelong run than emergency roomcare and ambulances.”

In addition, supported housing

offers opportunities to stabilizeillnesses and reduce the need formore intense levels of service —benefits not realized by construc-tion of more shelters.

Community and governmentpartners in the new research net-work include Vancouver CoastalHealth; GVRD; Canada MentalHealth Association; SocialPlanning and Research Council;Three Bridges Health Clinic;Lookout, Triage and CovenantHouse shelters; ShelterNet, theUnited Chinese CommunityEnrichment Services Society(SUCCESS); the MultilingualOrientation Services Associationfor Immigrant Communities(MOSAIC), and Solutions.

For more information on home-lessness, visit www.hvl.ihpr.ubc.caor www.bchhrn.ihpr.ubc.ca. ■■

“Social housing is not available for me because I’m a single father. It’s only for single mothers. There should be ser vic-es for all single parents,” said Vince, a homeless man in Prince George.

ubcr4911_03nov03 11/03/03 11:30 AM Page 6


1. A student cheated on a midterm examination by copying the work of another student.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course and a suspension from the University for 4 months*.

2. A student substantially altered answers on his/her quiz paper and returned the quizpaper to the instructor requesting that it be re-evaluated.


3. A student was involved in two incidents of academic misconduct; specifically that(1) he/she brought unauthorized material (printed notes) into a final examination;and (2) he/she plagiarized from the unauthorized material.


4. A graduate requested to have his/her degree, which was conferred many years earlier, rescinded by the University, due to an academic misconduct he/she committed. In particular, as a student he/she submitted someone else’s essay ashis/her own material in a course.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course, with transcript being amended accordingly, and a suspension of the degree until the course, or anequivalent, is successfully completed.

5. A student allegedly plagiarized a paper from papers found on the Internet.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course and that the student’s major be removedfrom his/her degree*.

6. A student (1) brought unauthorized material (handwritten notes)in to a final examination and (2) he/she submitted work as his/her own that was the work ofanother person, which was substantially plagiarized from the web.


7. A student copied material from the examination paper of another student during a final examination.


8. A student was intoxicated and acted in an inappropriate manner in front of a Campus building and failed to show respect to the Campus Security personnel.

Discipline: A letter of reprimand.

9. A student submitted a paper that was completely plagiarized from two sources on the Internet.


10.A student committed plagiarism in four incidents.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the four courses and a suspension from the University for 12 months*.

11.A student cheated during an examination by verbal communication with two other students.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course and a letter of reprimand*.





14.A student cheated during an examination by verbal communication with another student.


15.A student cheated during an examination by verbal communication with another student.


16.A student altered answers on a midterm examination and returned the exam to the instructor requesting that it be re-graded.


17.A student submitted an assignment that was essentially identical to the same assignment submitted by another student, and both students exchanged sections of the assignment and copied from each other’s work.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course and a letter of reprimand.

18.A student submitted an assignment that was essentially identical to the same assignment submitted by another student, and both students exchanged sections of the assignment and copied from each other’s work.


19.A student requested to have his/her undergraduate degree, which was conferredyears earlier, rescinded by the University due to his/her academic misconduct during his/her last two academic years. In particular, the student submitted essaysand dissertations written by someone else in a number of courses.

Discipline: A mark of zero in all of the courses with the transcript being amendedaccordingly and the degree be annulled.

20.A student cheated during an examination by copying answers from a student sitting in front and from a student who sat beside him/her.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course and a suspension from the University for12 months*.

21.A student allegedly cheated during a final examination by attempting to consultnotes in a washroom during the exam. The notes were left in the washroom priorto the exam.


22.A student failed to disclose his/her previous attendance at a college, where he/shewas under academic probation, at the time he/she applied for admission to UBC.Had the student’s academic record from the college been taken into account,he/she would not have been admitted into UBC.

Discipline: In order for the student to be re-admitted to his/her program at UBC,he/she must re-apply for admission as a new applicant and that he/shemust meet the requirements for a new applicant.

23.A student allegedly altered some answers on a midterm examination that had been returned to him/her and that he/she submitted the examination for re-grading.

Outcome: The allegation was dismissed and no disciplinary action imposed.

24.A student cheated by submitting his/her midterm examination for marking, claim-ing that it had been handed back unmarked, when the exam in fact had beentaken from the examination room and not submitted at the time of the exam.


25.A student collaborated inappropriately with another student in producing his/herassignment answers.


26.A student collaborated inappropriately with another student in producing his/herassignment answers.


27.A student submitted a forged enrolment letter in support of an application for employment and forged the signature of a university employee.

Discipline: A suspension from the University for 8 months*.

28.A student: (1) altered some answers on a midterm examination and returned theexamination to the instructor for re-grading; and (2) collaborated with anotherstudent on some assignments.


29.A student plagiarized a portion of his/her assignment.


30.A student misappropriated laboratory specimens belonging to other students in the course and submitted them as having collected them him/herself.


31.A student cheated by bringing unauthorized notes (crib sheet) into an examinationand referred to them during the exam.


32.A student allegedly did not hand in his/her examination to the invigilator at thetermination of the exam period and that he/she removed the examination from the exam room.

Outcome: Allegation could not be substantiated by the available evidence and was dismissed.

33.A student plagiarized an essay from an Internet source.

Discipline:A mark of zero in the course and a suspension from the University for 8 months*.

34.A student allegedly: (1) plagiarized an assignment by using answers obtained froman official marking guide for a similar assignment used in the previous year in thecourse; (2) had unauthorized access to an official marking guide for a final exami-nation; and (3) his/her official grade for a course that was contained in a file in anoffice computer was altered in an unauthorized manner and his/her grade raised.

Outcome: The allegations could not be substantiated due to the lack of clear andconvincing evidence. However, the President’s Advisory Committee onStudent Discipline concluded that the student had lied to a Professorwhen he/she denied knowledge of any other classmates in the course

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Under section 61 of the University Act, the President of the University has authority to impose discipline on students for academic and non-academic offences (see pages 48 & 49 ofthe 2002/2003 University Calendar). Discipline cases are summarized on the website of the office of the University Counsel, www.universitycounsel.ubc.ca, on a regular basis, andthis annual report is published in the UBC Reports.

In the period September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2003, 75 students appeared before the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline and 66 were subsequently disciplined.For each case, the events leading to the imposition of the discipline and the discipline imposed are summarized below. Discipline may vary depending upon the circumstances of aparticular case.

Student Discipline Report(01 September 2002 to 31 August 2003)

ubcr4911_03nov03 11/03/03 11:30 AM Page 7


and that the student’s answers were evasive and unconvincing. A letter of reprimandwas issued.

35.A student allegedly cheated in a final examination by breaching the regulations for the exam that forbade having at the place of writing a calculator, and by havingchemical formulae written in pencil on the calculator.

Outcome: Allegation could not be substantiated by the available evidence and was dismissed. No disciplinary action imposed.

36.A student committed plagiarism by submitting work that was nearly identical to another student’s.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the assignment and a letter of reprimand.

37.A student allegedly committed several academic misconducts in four courses, and failed to respond to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Disciplinewith respect to these allegations.

Outcome: The student is not permitted to register at the University until he/shemeets with the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline and that a freeze be placed on his/her academic transcript pending themeeting.

38.A student allegedly failed to disclose his/her previous attendance at a CanadianUniversity at the time he/she applied for admission to UBC, as he/she was requiredto do.

Outcome: Allegation was dismissed and no disciplinary action imposed.

39.A student cheated during an examination by collaborating with another student.


40.A student cheated during an examination by collaborating with another student.


41.A student submitted falsified transcripts from an out-of-country language institute in support of his/her application to UBC.


42.A student failed to disclose his/her previous attendance at a Canadian Collegeat the time he/she applied for admission to UBC, as he/she was required to do.


43.A student allegedly committed plagiarism by submitting work that was nearly identical to another student’s.

Outcome: Allegation was dismissed and no disciplinary action imposed.

44.A student plagiarized an answer to a question on an assignment by copying material from a website.

Discipline: A mark of zero on the assignment and a letter of reprimand.

45.A student cheated during an examination by having unauthorized material (a cheatsheet of notes) relating to the course material in his/her possession and by referringto it in the locker room while the exam was in progress.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course, a suspension from the University for 12 months* and a recommendation that the student seek counselling.

46.A student allegedly committed an act of plagiarism in that several answers on his/herassignment appeared to be in the same order and often contained the same wordingas on a marking guide used in the previous year.

Outcome: The allegation was dismissed, and no disciplinary action imposed.

47.A student collaborated with another student beyond the agreed-upon course limitswhen submitting his/her assignment. The student signed a statement that he/she wasaware of the course policies, but failed to report the collaboration on the submission of the assignment.


48.A student collaborated with another student beyond the agreed-upon course limitswhen submitting his/her assignment. The student signed a statement that he/she wasaware of the course policies, but failed to report the collaboration on the submission of the assignment.

Discipline: A suspension from the University for 4 months*

49.A student committed an act of plagiarism by handing in an essay that included sections taken from sources on the Internet that were not credited in the essay or inthe bibliography.


50.A student committed two academic misconducts: (1) he/she committed plagiarismwhen he/she produced an assignment using information obtained directly from astudent who had taken the course previously and (2) the student cheated on another assignment.

Discipline: A mark of zero in each course and a suspension from the University for12 months*.

51.A student committed an act of plagiarism by copying answers to a series of assignments from another student’s answer key and submitting them as his/her ownwork.


52.A student cheated in two incidents: (1) by writing a quiz in another tutorial sectionthe day before his/her actual quiz was to be written, and handing in his/her examwith a false name and fake student number; and (2) by speaking to another studentduring a quiz in the actual tutorial section in which he/she was registered.


53.A student brought unauthorized material (hand-written notes) into a final examination.


54.A student forged a note from a doctor and submitted it as grounds for beingallowed a standing deferred examination.


55.A student plagiarized a term paper by using material copied directly from websitesand submitted the paper as his/her own work.


56.A student falsified facts in a report for a course.


57.A student stole money from another student while they were in a co-op placement.


58.A student arranged for another person to write his/her examination.






61.A student submitted a term paper that was substantially plagiarized from the text of two books.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course and a letter of severe reprimand*.

62.A student submitted an essay that was substantially plagiarized from a publicationfound on the Internet.

Discipline: A mark of zero in the course and a letter of severe reprimand*.

63.A student submitted a term paper that was substantially plagiarized from a journal article.


64.A student submitted a term paper that was substantially plagiarized from a number of websites.


65.A student submitted a term paper that was substantially plagiarized from a number of websites.


66.A student admitted to submitting a term paper of which a substantial portion was copied from a published book.

Discipline: Taking into account extenuating circumstances, a letter of reprimandwas issued.

67.A student arranged for another person to write his/her exams.


68.A student brought unauthorized material (a computer disk) into a final examination and made use of it during the exam.


69.A student committed plagiarism by gaining access to another student’s assignmentsolutions from the previous term, without his/her knowledge and consent, andusing the solutions to draft his/her assignments and submitting the assignments ashis/her own work.


70.A student was suspected of giving another student access to assignment solutionsfrom the previous term which were used by another student to commit plagiarism.

Outcome: The student was found not to have given access to the assignmentsolutions and the allegation was dismissed and no disciplinary actionimposed.

71.A student breached course policy by giving his/her user name and password tohis/her computer account to another student.

Discipline: A letter of reprimand.

72.A student brought unauthorized material (index cards) into a final examinationand made use of the material during the exam.


73.A student arranged for another person to write his/her exam.


74.A student marked several questions of his/her exam paper in red pen during the exam in order to falsify grades and then handed it in to the invigilator.


75.A student was verbally abusive towards a Professor; struck the Professor’s cabinetwith his/her fist; and threatened and spat at a Teaching Assistant.

Discipline: A letter of severe reprimand.

* In all cases indicated by an asterisk, a notation of disciplinary action is enteredon the student’s transcript. At any time after two years have elapsed from thedate of his or her graduation the student may apply to the President to exerciseher discretion to remove the notation.Students under disciplinary suspension from UBC may not take courses at other institutions for transfer of credit back to UBC.

ubcr4911_03nov03 11/03/03 11:30 AM Page 8


FACULTY OF ARTSUBC KILLAM TEACHING PRIZES

Once again the University is recognizing excellence in teaching throughthe awarding of prizes to faculty members. Five (5) prize winners will beselected in the Faculty of Arts for 2004.

Eligibility: Eligibility is open to faculty who have three or more years ofteaching at UBC. The three years include 2003 - 2004.

Criteria: The awards will recognize distinguished teaching at all levels;introductory, advanced, graduate courses, graduate supervision, andany combination of levels.

Nomination Process: Members of faculty, students, or alumni may suggest candidates to the Head of the Department, the Director of theSchool, or Chair of the Program in which the nominee teaches. Thesesuggestions should be in writing and signed by one or more students,alumni or faculty, and they should include a very brief statement of thebasis for the nomination. You may write a letter of nomination or pickup a form from the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Arts in BuchananB130.

Deadline: 4:00 p.m. on January 19, 2004. Submit nominations to theDepartment, School or Program Office in which the nominee teaches.

Winners will be announced in the Spring, and they will be identified aswell during Spring convocation in May.

For further information about these awards contact either yourDepartment, School or Program office, or Dr. J. Evan Kreider, AssociateDean of Arts at (604) 822-6703.

Do You Recall an Excellent TeacherFrom Your Past?

FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCEUBC KILLAM TEACHING PRIZE

The University is again recognising excellence in teaching through the awardingof teaching prizes to faculty members. Two prize winners from the Faculty ofApplied Science will be selected for 2004.

ELIGIBILITY: The prizes are open to full-time tenure-track faculty in Architecture,Engineering or Nursing who have five or more years of teaching experience atUBC.

CRITERIA: The awards will recognise sustained teaching accomplishments at alllevels at UBC, and will focus on those faculty who have demonstrated that theyare able to motivate students and are responsive to students’ intellectual needs,or have developed innovative laboratory or lecture materials.

NOMINATION PROCESS: Students, alumni or faculty members may nominatecandidates to the Head of their department, the Director of their School, or theHead of the unit in which the nominee teaches. Letters of nomination and supporting information may also be sent directly to:

Dr. Helmut PrionChair, Killam Teaching Prize Committee 2003-2004Department of Civil Engineering, 2324 Main Mall

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4E-mail: [email protected]; Tel: 604-822-3864

DEADLINE: January 12, 2004

WINNERS: Winners will be identified in Spring 2004, and will be honoured during the Congregation in May.

For further information about the awards, please contact the Dean’s Office,Faculty of Applied Science, your Department or School office, or the KillamTeaching Prize Committee Chair.

Remember the last time youwent through your old papersand photographs looking forthat something you just couldn’tfind and you promised yourselfyou’d figure out a way to keep itall organized? Just imagine howdaunting a task it is to try topreserve the organizationalmemory of an institution likeUBC.

This task falls to theUniversity Archives, home to

institutional records of the university, the AlumniAssociation, and the AlmaMater Society, as well as person-al papers of individual facultymembers, administrators, andalumni.

Although records are created,altered and destroyed every day,it is the identification andpreservation of the permanentlyvaluable, reliable and authenticrecords that most interests theUniversity Archives.

To this end, this summer, theUniversity Archives has begun aRecords Survey to determinewhat records are being created,used, and maintained by theUniversity’s approximately 225record-creating units. This survey, explains UniversityArchivist Chris Hives, will helpdetermine the steps needed toencourage the use of standard-ized records management principles.

“The University is a largelydecentralized bureaucracy whereunits operate independently,”Hives says. “We need to providesome guidance as to what sortsof records should be preservedand how.”

Dr. Luciana Duranti, profes-sor in the UBC School ofLibrary, Archival, andInformation Studies, agrees thatthe most difficult obstacle toovercome is institutional ratherthan technological.

“The main challenges arerelated to the nature itself of theuniversity,” she explains.“Unlike government, the univer-sity hierarchy breaks down

when it comes to centralizing thecontrol of the records, becausethis goes against the grain of theacademic mindset.”

One of the most importantissues for the survey is the classi-fication, use, and preservation ofelectronic records. The amountof electronic records is growing,but, according to RecordsSurvey Project Co-ordinatorAlan Doyle, paper is still pre-dominant. “Where there are two

copies of a record, one electron-ic and one paper,” says Doyle,“the paper one is going to trumpas far as being preserved,because the systems are in placeto preserve it.”

Preservation of electronicrecords is complicated by theirunique nature: digital materialsare fragile, and their viabilitydepends on technologies thatchange rapidly and continually.“With electronic records,”explains Duranti, “preservationis an active endeavour. Youcould put a piece of paper in abox in the basement and forgetabout it for twenty years — butif you forget about an electronicrecord, it’s lost. Preservation ofelectronic records is possible,but very expensive, because itrequires refreshment of themedia every year, and migrationto new technology every three tofive years.”

Further complicating the issueis the fact that electronic recordscan be easily altered. “The problems are enormous, ” saysDuranti. “They are particularlysignificant not so much in relation to the preservation ofinformation as such, but in relation the preservation of theability to prove, for accountabil-ity purposes, that that information is the original one,that it has not been tamperedwith, manipulated, or accidentally changed.”

Prof. Duranti is the ProjectDirector of the InterPARES(International Research onPermanent Authentic Records inElectronic Systems) Project, a

Preserving our Collective MemoryB Y C R I S T I N A C A L B O R E A N U

major initiative in which archivalscholars, computer engineeringscholars, music, moving images,photographs, theatre and dancescholars, national archival insti-tutions and private industry rep-resentatives are collaborating todevelop the knowledge requiredfor long-term preservation of theauthenticity of electronicrecords.

The InterPARES Project,whose first phase was concluded

in 2001, is based in the UBCSchool of Library, Archival andInformation Studies, and,according to Duranti, it is “theleading project in preservation ofelectronic records in the world.”

Governments and institutionsaround the world (from theNational Archives of the UnitedStates to Yale University) haveimplemented the InterPARESfindings, but Canadian universi-ties still have a long way to go.“We have had enormous finan-cial and moral support from theuniversity for this research,” saysDuranti. “What we don’t have,because it would require moneywell beyond any money we havefor research, is the ability toimplement the findings of theresearch project in the context ofthe university.”

But if we are to preserve theinstitutional memory of theUniversity, Duranti cautions, wemust act soon, because, in her words, “time is running out and we are losingmore records than we are keeping.” ■■

Even though UBC is home to the world’s leading project to preserve electronic records, keeping good digital and paper institutional

memory is no task for the faint-hearted.

The university’s AnnualRemembrance Day Ceremonywill be held on Tues. Nov. 11 inthe foyer of UBC’s WarMemorial Gym for members ofthe campus and surroundingcommunities as wells as veteransand members of the ArmedForces.

The 45-minute ceremony willstart at 10:50 a.m.

The program includes readingsand music by a brass quintetfrom the UBC School of Music,as well as guest speaker RichardVedan, director of the FirstNations House of Learning.

During the ceremony, wreathswill be laid by 14 communityorganizations, including theRCMP-University Detachment,UBC Locals of the CanadianUnion of Public Employees andthe Royal Canadian Legion,Branch 142.

Doors open at 10 a.m. Lightrefreshments will be served fol-lowing the ceremony.

The university has held a Nov.11 ceremony since the opening ofthe War Memorial Gym in 1951.For more information visitwww.external-affairs .ubc.ca/ceremonies. ■■

RemembranceDay Ceremonies

GREEN COLLEGE THEMATIC LECTURE SERIESGreen College invites applications from members of the UBC community to hold an interdisciplinary thematic lecture series duringthe 2004-2005 academic year. The series can be on any interdisciplinarytheme, and should consist of eight lectures over the period September2004 to March 2005. The organizers will edit an anthology to be published in The Green College Thematic Lecture Series. The College willsupport travel expenses of invited lecturers to a maximum of $10,000,and publication. Wherever possible, applicants should seek co-sponsorship of the series with other relevant bodies.

Applications must include the following:1. Title, brief description of the series, and a list of proposed speakers and

topics.2. A budget that estimates the total cost of least expensive excursion

airfares for all invited speakers. (Speakers will be accommodated atGreen College. No honoraria will be offered.)

3. Actual or potential co-sponsors.

One or two lecture series will be funded. Questions about this programshould be directed to Carolyn Andersson, Event Coordinator.Email:[email protected].

Send completed applications by no later than January 31, 2004 to:

The Academic Committee, Green College6201 Cecil Green Park RoadVancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1

ubcr4911_03nov03 11/03/03 11:30 AM Page 9


You’d be hard pressed to find another historian with anacting credit on the Internet Movie Database, the popularentertainment industry Web site.

But check the listing for Nutcracker: The MotionPicture and you can spot Alejandra Bronfman’s namebeside the role of Commedia in the 1986 production.

“It was very interesting to see how a film was made,”says Bronfman, one of five new faculty additions to UBC’shistory department. “I had never witnessed the processbefore. It was a lot of sitting around all day, very stop-and-start. We had these extraordinary sets designed byMaurice Sendak, who wrote Where the Wild Things Are.

“It ended up being a really bad movie. But it was a funexperience — and I made a lot of money.”

At the time, Bronfman was a soloist with the PacificNorthwest Ballet in Seattle. She had joined the companyin 1984 following stints with the Washington Ballet inWashington, D.C., and Finis Jhung’s Chamber Ballet inNew York City.

“I felt drawn to it. I guess I’m a tiny bit of a masochist,”she says of her dance career, which began once she completed high school. “It is very hard work and youhave to be really self-critical.”

While she loved to perform and travel, Bronfman decid-ed to hang up her point shoes after a decade at the barre.

“I always knew I wouldn’t do it forever,” she says. “Ididn’t want to be on the stage longer than I should. Itbecame clear I had to do something else.”

At 28 years old, college beckoned. She completed aBachelor of Arts in History at Cornell University inIthaca, New York, and her Master of Arts and PhD inHistory at Princeton. After a preliminary interest in earlymodern Europe, she soon switched to Latin America.

From Toe Shoesto Tenure TrackBallerina turned Historian of Latin America joins UBC. B Y E R I C A S M I S H E K

“I wanted to be more connected to what I wasresearching,” Bronfman explains. “In part it was mybackground [she was born in Argentina and raised outside Washington, D.C. by a Spanish mother and anArgentinean father, and speaks fluent Spanish]. But whenI thought about what kind of writer I wanted to be, Iwanted to be more political.

“The cultural history of Latin America appealed to me,the way that people understand the world they live in andhow it’s constructed. I was interested in race and racialideology — and how scientists write about it.”

Bronfman specializes in 20th century Cuban historyand has conducted extensive field research in theCaribbean country, to which travel is restricted for mostAmericans.

“The access was fine. I never had any problem going

there and getting into the archives. I have a strong relationship with Cuban scholars. But when I was teaching at the University of Florida and at Yale, I had toget over people’s stereotypes of Cuba. There are so fewreally good ideas about Cuba in the United States. Peoplespin these ideas without knowing anything about thecountry, its people or its culture.”

Bronfman has settled in Vancouver with her nine-month-old daughter and her husband, AlexanderDawson, also a historian of Latin America and a new faculty member at Simon Fraser University.

“I didn’t know much about the city before movinghere,” she says. “I had performed here with the PacificNational Ballet and my husband, who is Canadian, hadprepped me a little bit. Now I’m interested to discovernew places and new cultures. It’s all good.” ■■

N E W FAC E S >

In the fast-paced world of hockey,there isn’t a coach — or fan — alivewho hasn’t at one time wished formore insight into why some playsunfold perfectly while others end indisaster.

Now, thanks to a UBC computerscientist who can’t even skate,coaches may soon have a sophisti-cated new tool to help themanalyse and predict how playerswill perform during a game, oreven choose their top draft picks.

Before Kenji Okuma, 25, cameto Canada from Japan in July2000, he’d never seen a hockeygame or set foot on a rink. Threeyears later, he’s watched hundreds

of hours of NHLaction on videotape —paying special atten-tion to goal highlights— in order to build anunusual database.

Okuma is part of ateam of UBCresearchers workingto develop a computersystem capable ofplotting player move-ments in hockeygames. Its membersinclude computervision specialistsJames Little, DavidLowe and RobertWoodham, and datamining expertRaymond Ng — allprofessors in the computer sciencedepartment. Okumacompleted his MSc incomputer science earlier this year, andhas been working as aresearch assistant inthe department’s Lab

for Computational Intelligencesince then.

The research team’s goal is tocreate a large database of NHLplayers in motion that can bequeried to extract the paths — ormotion trajectories — of individ-ual players. The patterns couldthen be analysed to determine howa player moves and how he wouldbe likely to move in future plays.Similar systems already exist forbaseball, soccer, football and ten-nis.

Woodham says that hockey wasthe sport of choice for the project,in part, because of the interest in ithere in B.C. and also because he

He Shoots! He Scores!Here’s How! B Y M I C H E L L E C O O K

and fellow researcher Little are die-hard fans of the game.

Nonetheless, Okuma says he wasdrafted for his off-ice skills.

“Jim (Little) was my thesis advisor. I told him I knew nothingabout hockey,” Okuma says. “I’dnever played hockey but I was living in Canada and thought Ishould know what Canada’sfavourite sport was like.”

Okuma quickly learned whatavid fans already know: profession-al hockey is a fast sport, and keep-ing an eye on the puck can be hardwork. When a game is broadcast,cameras tilt, zoom and pan andswitch between different locations,but they only capture a side or endview of the rink. To accuratelyunderstand the way players movearound the ice, the best viewpointfor a coach is looking down on therink from above.

With little overhead gamefootage available to the researchers,Okuma created software thatremoves the camera motion, andisolates and tracks each player’sroute. The software then transforms regular broadcast videofootage into a digitized top-downview of the players’ movements thatis useful for coaches and other ana-lysts.

“The human eye can only trackthree people at a time so this datawould give a coach a fuller pictureof where and how most playsoccurred in a game,” Okuma says.

He adds that the research teamwould like to get access to moregame footage than is currentlyavailable on television broadcasts.An increased number of cameraangles around hockey rinks wouldallow them to capture a greaterrange of movement on the ice, andhelp them to more accurately repli-cate human motion in digital form.The researchers would also like toget professional coaches interestedin trying out the system.

Hockey coaches and sports

analysts are the most obvious end-users of the research, which isbeing funded by the Institute forRobotics and Intelligent Systems(IRIS) as part of a larger nationwide project of intentionalmotion and data archiving, but thework being conducted has widerapplications.

Sports broadcasters could use itto give TV viewers a more dynam-ic experience by providing newvantage points and analysis ofgame play. Off the rink, the systemcould aid the computer game andfilm industries to create more realistic animated characters, or beused in the development of smartrobots capable of imitating human

motion or anticipating people’sactions.

With his contribution to theproject almost complete, Okumawill be heading back to Tokyo inDecember with plans to pursue aPhD. And, he says, after watchingtwo full seasons of NHL action ontape, he’s had his fill of TSNbroadcasts and Hockey Night inCanada and will be happy to getback to his sport of choice — soccer.

Still, he thinks he might like togo down to GM Place just oncebefore he leaves. Despite the hundreds of games he’s viewed,he’s never seen a game of hockeyplayed live. ■■

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Alejandra Bronfman spent 10 years on the professional dance stage before turning her attention to academia. She joins UBC'shistory department as an assistant professor specializing in Latin America, with an emphasis on 20th century Cuban history.

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Kenji Okuma’s computer software program couldhelp hockey coaches.

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What’s in a name?

You probably wouldn’t call it a balcony. Similarly, if you’d like

the space of a second bedroom, but don’t need the bedroom,

it’d be up to you to call it what you like. Study. Entertainment

Room. Guest Room. It’s your home. Use it, and name it, how-

ever you choose. So, what’s labeled as a study could become a

wine cellar, or a tech room. But whatever you call it, there are

two names that you won’t want to change – Chancellor House

and West Point Grey.

And with over 70% of the homes sold, you’ll want to act

soon or you’ll just have to call it gone. Remaining homes are

priced from $439,900.

Stop by our Discovery Centre at 1715 Theology Mall

(at Chancellor Blvd)

Open noon til 5pm daily (except Fridays)

www.chancellorhouse.ca

or call 604.228.8100

What would you call an outdoor space that’s larger than many living rooms?

The path you choose can make all the difference.

Economic Crime Studies

Traditionally called “white-collar” crimes, financial crimes involving fraud, embezzlement and the like are steadilyon the rise. So, too, is the demand for professionals trained to detect, identify and investigate these types of economic crimes.

At BCIT we offer a unique blend of academic learning and applied skills. A different path of learning. Our instructors are highly qualified and have industry-specific credentials and experience.

If you have the prerequisite academic or professional foundation in the areas of business, economics or accounting, consider this distinct program of studies.

Attend one of our upcoming information sessions or contact us to learn more about the economic crime studies option of the Forensic Science Technology program.

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NEWS TV | RADIO

UBC Public Affairs has opened both a radio and TV studio on campuswhere you can do live interviews with local, national and internationalmedia outlets.To learn more about being a UBC expert, call us at 604.822.2064 andvisit our web site at www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/experts/signup

UBC ALUMNI

Mui is an assistant professor inthe department of surgery atUBC, as well as a research scientist for both the VancouverHospital Sciences Centre andthe B.C. Transplant Society. Shehas distinguished herself inresearch that examines howhormones produced by certaincells in the immune system regulate the function of othercells. The research may lead toa better understanding of theproliferation of cells in blooddiseases such as leukemia, andto effective approaches for preventing rejection in organtransplants. A paper describingher research was featured in the“Hot Paper” section of thejournal The Scientist, a spotreserved for findings that havean unusually high impact on theresearch community.

She completed post-doctoralstudies in California beforebeing recruited by UBC in1999. In the department ofSurgery, she works with clinicalresearchers to translate herwork into improvements inpatient care.

Respected for her outstandingscience, Mui has been a keynote

The UBC Alumni Association will honour accomplished members ofthe UBC community at its Ninth Annual Alumni Achievement Dinneron November 20 at the Fairmont Waterfront in downtown Vancouver.For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the websiteat www.alumni.ubc.ca or call 604-822-3313.

speaker for three internationalscientific societies and is soughtby several professional journalsas a manuscript reviewer. She isassistant editor of ExperimentalHematology, an internationaljournal on blood disorders, anda reviewer for the journalBlood. She is a magnet forgrants and awards and is a current recipient of a CanadianInstitute of Health ResearchScholarship.

Mui is supervisor and mentorto masters and doctoral candi-dates and is a keen teacher withconsistently high evaluations;students often seek her out forhelp. Two of her graduatecharges were chosen for podiumpresentations at internationalscientific symposia in Montrealand Torino. She sits on fiveprovincial and national scientificgrant review panels, is a member of the department ofsurgery’s division of GeneralSurgery Resident EducationCommittee, the AdvisoryCommittee of the VancouverHospital, the Grant ReviewPanel for the Canadian CancerResearch Society and manyother scholarly committees. ■■

Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

Alice Low-Fung Mui, BSc’86, PhD

ubcr4911_03nov03 11/03/03 11:31 AM Page 11


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The SARS outbreak may have suspended physical travel to Asiaearlier this year but it never stoppedvirtual travel.

Thanks to new technology andsome determined creative minds, theSauder School of Business at UBCwas able to use the Web and videobroadcast technology to offer acourse in its International MBA(IMBA) program in Shanghai.

For two very early mornings andtwo brutally long nights in July,Assoc. Prof. Carson Woo stood infront of a camera, computer athand, in a television studio at UBC’sPoint Grey campus and taught 21IMBA students seated in a classroom at Shanghai Jiao TongUniversity.

It was done by Internet Protocol(IP) videoconferencing, a systemthat uses the Internet to transmitvideo and audio data, and allows forinteractive, two-way communica-tion. Students had two computerscreens in front of them — one forWoo’s videoconference and anotherfor his PowerPoint presentation —as well as a camera, which they acti-vated with a button to relay theirquestions or responses back to Woo.

While UBC has been using the IPvideoconferencing system for abouttwo years, it was the first time it hadbeen used by an instructor to teachan entire course to a class in a dis-tant location. Everyone involvedtermed the innovative experiment asuccess.

“It was a good example of collab-oration among many individuals. Ittook a lot of people to pull off,” saysMark Zuberbuhler, executive pro-ducer and director for UBCTelestudios, the new-media produc-

tion facility that utilizes technologiesfor the creation and development ofe-Learning initiatives.

“The professor had never done itbefore. The students had never doneit before. We were utilizing new tech-nology in a new way for teaching.”

The 24-month IMBA programbegins each January with 12 classdays in Shanghai. Students thenreside at UBC for four weeks inFebruary to attend full-time classes.The program continues on a part-time basis with 18 four-day monthlymodules, with Sauder faculty mem-bers travelling to Shanghai to teach.All classes are offered in English.

Following the SARS outbreak andsubsequent travel advisory by theWorld Health Organization, nomodules were offered in April orMay of this year. By June, studentswere getting restless and frustrated,and approached both Grace Wong,assistant dean of InternationalPrograms at Sauder, and representa-tives of the Master’s program to dis-cuss alternatives.

“The students were getting veryanxious,” Wong says. “So we pre-sented them with the option of avideoconference module. It’s some-thing that could be a good modelanyway, not for full-time teachingbut certainly as an alternative.”

Students suggested that theInformation Technology coursemight particularly lend itself to thetrial, so Woo, who teaches BusinessModeling for Information Systems inthe IMBA program, was broughtinto the mix.

After three tests and the purchaseof some new software in Shanghai,the kinks were ironed out and it wastime for Woo to really get to work.

Given the time difference betweenVancouver and Shanghai, he taughtfrom 3 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. on aThursday and Friday. Then he wenthome for a sleeping pill and a longnap before starting again on Fridayat 5:30 p.m. and teaching until 1:30a.m. Saturday. He did another 8-hour stint Saturday evening throughSunday morning.

Hands across the Ocean, Bytes across the Sea

Grounded by SARS travel advisory, technology allows professor in UBC studio toteach students in Shanghai classroom. B Y E R I C A S M I S H E K

“Friday was very painful,” Wooadmits. “By the time I got to mid-night, I didn’t know what I wastalking about.

“I was eating dinner at breakfastand breakfast at dinner. By the end,my stomach was really complain-ing.”

Despite the physical challenges,Woo says the project went smooth-ly. The system was only disconnect-ed twice due to network traffic col-lisions and took only five minuteseach time to reconnect. He had senthis PowerPoint notes to Shanghailong in advance so they would havebackground information if technol-ogy failed. And students were sup-portive of the initiative from thebeginning.

“One wrote to me afterward andsaid he was very happy to be in thefirst group to ever experience this.”

While Woo acknowledges it is anintriguing learning alternative, hewould prefer to teach his students inperson or at least be able to meetthem face-to-face prior to everappearing on video.

“I lost the shy student who nor-mally would come up after class orduring a break to discuss things,” hesays. “Some students were just tooshy to speak when everyone elsecould see or hear them. They didhave the option of emailing mequestions after the class but Ireceived very few. So I lost thatwhole touch with those students. Tome, that doesn’t feel good.”

Given the experiment’s success,Wong says the Sauder School isexploring other possible applica-tions for the videoconferencingtechnology, including meetings andinterviews.

While it cannot replace theunique nuances of interpersonalcontact, she says it’s an appropriatealternative when travel is not anoption.

For more information on UBC’sstrategy to support work, learningand research through the use of newInternet and Web technologies, visitwww.estrategy.ubc.ca ■■

Carson Woo, of the Sauder School of Business, was the first UBC faculty member to use Internet videoconferencingto teach an entire course to a class in a distant location.

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W H Y A U N I V E R S I T Y T O W N ?

U N I V E R S I T Y T O W N

You care about your child’s future. So do we.

It’s why we’re building University Town, for future UBCstudents, faculty and staff who will need more from auniversity campus than just a destination with class-rooms.

University Town will consist of eight neighbourhoods toenrich campus life with a mix of housing, shops, parksand other amenities that will make the campus as vital inthe evening as it is during the day.

While half of the new housing is earmarked for campus members, our vision is to make University Towna true community that allows others to enjoy the breath-taking surroundings and live closer to attractions such asthe Museum of Anthropology and the world-class ChanCentre for the Performing Arts.

Plans are proceeding carefully with widespread public consultation to create an environment that is assustainable as it is vibrant, while preserving the mostbeautiful university campus in Canada.

UBC’s innovative U-Pass transit discount for studentshas already dramatically reduced car traffic to campus. By building housing where students, faculty andstaff can live where they work and study, traffic will bereduced even further.

Revenues from University Town will be used to createendowments to ensure that UBC remains affordable and accessible with leading-edge teaching and research,placing B.C.’s largest post-secondary institution in theforefront of Canadian universities.

University Town. Preparing for the future.

For more information visit www.universitytown.ubc.ca or call 604.822.6400

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