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 5 0 | N U M B E R 2 | F E B R U A RY 5 , 2 0 0 4

UBC REPORTS2 UBC in the News 3 Injured Workers 5 Engineering a Solution 7 Kissometer 8 Teens in Crisis

From the romantic to the risqué, Valentine’s Day often takesthe blame for a surge in public displays of affection – or PDAs– among lovers who can’t keep their lips off each other.

We surveyed the campus for the best location to lock lips.Kisser discretion is advised.

Both the Rose Garden and the top of the Clock Tower seemto be big hits with students.

“Sitting on the wall at the edge of the Rose Garden, watch-ing the sail boats cruise by with the backdrop of a perfect sum-mer sunset,” says Megan Thomas, news editor of TheUbyssey. “But who you are kissing is really more importantthan the venue!”

Not citing any personal experience – nor that of his friends,for that matter – AMS VP External Affairs Sam Saini says theRose Garden would be his pick for a romantic kiss, while thetop of the Clock Tower “seems like a pretty wild place for thatsort of stuff.”

For a “highly artistic” kiss, AMS President Oana Chirilasuggests the top of the Buchanan Tower, but warns that it’s notfor the weak of heart.

The middle of the Pit dance floor and backstage at ChanCentre during a concert were among her top picks, followedby the backyard of the Cecil Green Park House.

Sauder School of Business Marketing professor KathleenVohs agrees.

“I attended a beautiful wedding at Cecil Green Park Houselast fall,” says Vohs, who was recently chosen one of 10 MostEligible Bachelorettes by The Vancouver Sun.

“It just made me want to get married there as soon as Icould.”

For more private displays of affection, Science student SarahKittle recommends the stacks in the bottom floor of the MainLibrary and “the cage” in the West Storage of the StudentRecreation Centre.

“My friends and I were just talking about it the other day,”says Kittle of the secured structure for athletic equipment. “Wethought it’d be a great place to make out.”

Korean exchange students and valentines YeohoonPark and Myung Suk Cha prefer Wreck Beach and theRose Garden for smooches.

University Counsel Hubert Lai can’t resist the beauty andtranquility of the Nitobe Garden.

“It’s one of the undiscovered gems of the UBC campus, with

many quiet nooks to sit with someone special and contemplateall that life has to offer.”

Community Affairs director Sid Katz has been in love witha spot right outside Cecil Green Coach House for more than25 years.

“It’s without a doubt the best place to kiss, especially sincethe recent addition of a park bench,” says Katz, who recallsdaily walks there from the Dept. of Pharmacy when he firstarrived at UBC in 1975.

“I was probably a lot more romantic then,” says Katz. “Butwho can resist the view overlooking Howe Sound, especiallyon an August evening when the sun is setting?”

For indoor lip-locks, Herbert Rosengarten, executive direc-tor of the President’s Office, says you can’t beat the old diningroom on the lower floor of the University Centre.

“This is where my wife Amanda – a UBC grad – and I weremarried many years ago, and where we exchanged our firstmarital kiss – in public, of course!” ■■

Best Places to Kiss on CampusYour choices for the most romantic setting. B Y B R I A N L I N

What do we read when we readauto/biography? And what exactly arewe watching when we watch auto/biog-raphical plays?

We commonly expect to find the truthin auto/biographical narratives andplays. But, as one of UBC’s experts inauto/biography studies explains, thatexpectation may not be entirely realistic.

“Auto/biography is something com-piled, written, or produced, by anotherhuman being, so it’s a form of art in itsown right,” explains English professorSherrill Grace. “And that is manifestlythe case when we’re talking about the-atre, because there are all these otherplayers who come in: playwright, direc-tor, actors, script, stage manager, lightsand stage designer.”

According to Grace, auto/biographi-cal plays have become more and morecommon in 20th century literature, butthe interplay between theatre andauto/biography, and the reasons for theprevalence of the genre have still to beinvestigated. That is what an innovativeexploratory workshop organized byUBC’s English and Theatre departmentswith support from the Peter WallInstitute for Advanced Studies, the UBCHampton Fund and the McLean Chairfor Canadian Studies, has set out to do.

The workshop, titled “Putting a Lifeon Stage”, will explore the challenges ofstaging and performing auto/biography.It includes keynote lectures, panel ses-sions, and roundtable discussions featur-ing a stellar cast of scholars from aroundthe world and some of Canada’s mostrespected playwrights, including SharonPollock, Joy Coghill, Mavor Moore andLinda Griffiths.

The focal point of the workshop is aperformance of Song of This Place, byrenowned UBC alumna Joy Coghill. Theplay, which explores a storyteller’s strug-gle to portray B.C. artist Emily Carr onstage, is, according to director RobertMore, “unique” in its approach and itscourage to examine “the creative processand the artistic vision in itself.” It containsboth biographical and autobiographicalelements, which are explored through theuse of Bunraku-style puppets, or animat-ed masks, held by manipulators visible tothe audience. Four UBC students will givelife to the 19 puppets.

“We’re moving across a divide here, byinvolving students in a live play produc-tion,” says Grace. “Working with RobertMore, who is Canada’s leading expert onpuppets, they’re getting a course in a veryspecialized area which is not part of theregular curriculum.”

Finding the truth is not easy. B Y C R I S T I N A C A L B O R E A N U

For the students, this is an opportunityand also a challenge. “The manipulatorsare walking, listening apparati,” explainsMore. “They must be an open channel toserve the mask and the script. All theacting dials must be dimmed downand the emotions released into themask, so that the audience canbelieve the mask is a living breath-ing being.”

And that’s not easy. SaysMore, “I can bring them tech-nique, but that isn’t going tomake you go, ‘God, that’sEmily Carr,’ and be astonished.They have to listen to the maskand respond, listen to the text andto their fellow actors, and be empa-thetic to everything around them.Learning to be that open and con-fident could take 20 years of act-ing.”

For Grace, this production ofSong of This Place is an experi-ment, but also a way of bringingtogether two worlds. “This eventdoesn’t fit into the academic mode and itbursts beyond the theatre production tobring the two together,” she explains.“We tend to live in disciplinary solitudes,but it is exciting and mutually beneficialwhen academia and theatre meet.”

10 favourite spots to kiss on campus:• Cecil Green Park House • Cecil Green Coach House• Student Recreation Centre • Nitobe Garden • University Centre

• Rose Garden • Clock Tower • Buchanan Tower • Chan Centre • Main Library

Sid Katz's quarter-century love affair with the Cecil Green cliff has been made easier with a new park bench.

PH

OT

O:

JOH

N C

HO

NG

Workshop Helps to Separate Fact from Fiction in Real Life Stories

The workshop runs February 18-22. For more information, visithttp://autobiography.arts.ubc.ca. ■■

PH

OT

O:

BR

IAN

LIN

PH

OT

O:

CR

IST

INA

CA

LB

OR

EA

NU

Robert More, Canada’s leading expert on puppets.

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:21 PM Page 2

2 | ubc reports | february 5, 2004

Highlights of UBC Media Coverage in January 2004. 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

UBC Reports welcomes submissions. For upcoming UBC Reports submission guidelines, please seewww.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/about. Opinions and advertising published in UBC Reports do not necessarily reflect official university policy. Material may be reprinted in whole or in part with appropriate credit to UBC Reports.

Letters (300 words or less) must be signed and include an address and phone number for verification. Submit letters to:The Editor, UBC ReportsUBC Public Affairs Office (address above); by fax to 604.822.2684; or by e-mail to paul.patterson@ubc.ca or call UBC.NEWS (604.822.6397)

Director, Public Affairs Scott Macrae scott.macrae@ubc.ca

EditorPaul Patterson paul.patterson@ubc.ca

Design DirectorChris Dahl chris.dahl@ubc.ca

DesignerSharmini Thiagarajah sharmini@exchange.ubc.ca

Contributors Cristina Calboreanu mccalbor@exchange.ubc.ca

Michelle Cook michelle.cook@ubc.caBrian Lin brian.lin@ubc.ca

Erica Smishek erica.smishek@ubc.caHilary Thomson hilary.thomson@ubc.ca

AdvertisingCristina Calboreanu mccalbor@exchange.ubc.ca

IN THE NEWS

UBC REPORTS

PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40775044RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TOCIRCULATION DEPT.310 - 6251 CECIL GREEN PARK ROADVANCOUVER, B.C. CANADA V6T 1Z1EMAIL: public.affairs@ubc.ca

Bounce at The BellUBC professor Heather McKay hasconducted a pilot study that fol-lowed almost 100 students who hadsimilar eating habits and physicalactivity levels. The only difference was that half of themjumped at the bell (just five jumps,three times a day) and half of themdid not jump.

McKay found that those who hadjumped actually built 3.2 per centmore bone mass in the hip region ofthe body than the other children.That could be enough to postpone,or perhaps event prevent, osteoporosis later in life.

“We’re talking about these children gaining in eight monthswhat we would see women lose inthree years around menopause,”McKay told ABC News.

“It takes no money to run theprogram,” said McKay. “It takes nospecial training, and we’re talkingabout an investment of about aminute and a half a day.”

Researchers StudyNewborns’ Pain at BeingCircumcisedUBC Nursing professor FayWarnock is leading a research studyon the pain babies sustain from cir-cumcisions. The researchers system-atically note and itemize the behav-iour of 10 baby boys during circum-cision, recording each head twitch,each leg kick, each eye squeezing.

Warnock told the National Postthat this kind of detailed data col-lection meant exhaustive and suc-cessive viewing of each of these 90-minute tapes on a second-by-secondbasis.

Warnock says her work “is verybasic in that it is focused on detail-ing normally occurring newbornpain-related distress behaviours...Its usefulness is conceptual and,hopefully, will result in a deeper andmore comprehensive descriptiveunderstanding of newborn pain

expression.”She says the study focused on cir-

cumcision because it is “an intenseform of newborn acute pain,” butstressed that further research in thisarea requires ongoing descriptionsof other kinds of acute pain.

Anorexia May CauseEmphysemaThe malnutrition that results fromthe eating disorder anorexia ner-vosa may cause emphysema,according to a study lead by UBCradiology professor Harvey O.Coxson, also a VCHRI member.

Researchers used a new methodof assessing computed tomography(CT) scans to analyze the lungs of14 anorexia patients and found themalnutrition in these patientschanged the physical structure oftheir lungs.

“There is a reduction in theamount of lung tissue in patients

with anorexia nervosa,”Coxson toldCBS News.

“It is unclear whether these struc-tural changes are permanent, but ifthey are, early therapy is importantin patients who have anorexia,”Coxson says.

Man bites dog? No, PlanetHeats SunUBC astronomer Evgenya Shkolnikhas found a planet that is actuallyheating up its sun.

Shkolnik’s study of a large planetorbiting a star 90 light-years awayshows that the magnetic field of theplanet is producing hot spots on itsparent sun, a reversal of the effectthe sun has on planets such as theEarth.

“The hotspot moves across thesurface of the star keeping pace withthe planet, but just a little bitahead,” Shkolnik told USA Today.She said measurements of more than100 orbits showed that the hot spot on the face of the star exact-ly matches the motion of the planet.

Use the ‘Force’For the many who sometimes walkinto a room and feel that somethingis not quite right, the answer may liein a sub-system of our visual experience, according to a new studyon visual perception by UBC psy-chology and computer science professor Ronald Rensink.

“Basically visual perception thenis two parts. It’s got the sort of pic-tures we all know and love, and thenwe’ve got this other thing, this feel-ing, this using the force, this sensingstream, and they work in parallel, Ithink. They both operate at the sametime,” Rensink told the NationalPost.

While you may not see anything,Rensink says the “sixth sense” or ashe calls it, “mindsight,” is basicallyanother kind of vision where peoplecan sense a change and have a visual experience of it. ■■

LETTERDear Editor:

As co-chairs of this year’s campaign, we aredelighted to announce that, thanks to the exceptional work of our volunteers and thanks to the continued support of our donors, we haveraised the phenomenal total of $511,150.08 forUnited Way of the Lower Mainland. Not onlyhave we hit our goal but we have exceeded it byover $11,000 - truly outstanding!

A campaign like this is a huge team effort andsuch a fabulous total could not have beenachieved without everyone being generous withtheir time, talents, creativity and money. Everyoneshould be very proud of their contribution to this

campaign, whether they are a donor, volunteer or supporter. Of the $511,150.08 raised,$350,000 was undesignated - so we can all feelgood about the impact these dollars will make in our community.

On behalf of United Way of the LowerMainland and all the people who will benefit fromour contribution, thank you!

Eilis CourtneyDeborah AustinCo-chairs2003 UBC United Way Campaign

Hush little baby: Fay Warnock’sstudy focuses on circumcisionbecause it is “an intense form ofnewborn acute pain.”

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:21 PM Page 3

ubc reports | february 5, 2004 | 3

www.ubcconferences.com

Stay, work and playIn our forest by the sea. We offer the best range of affordableaccommodation, meeting space and conference services in theLower Mainland. Come find out why.

ReservationsTel 604 822 1000Fax 604 822 1001

Group Sales and Conference ServicesTel 604 822 1060Fax 604 822 1069

5961 Student Union BoulevardVancouver BC V6T 2C9

The Iona Building at Vancouver School of Theology on the UBC campus. Photo: Perry Danforth

Vancouver’s Affordable and Most Accommodating AlternativeWEST COAST SUITES | THE GAGE TOWERS | THE RESIDENCES | PACIFIC SPIRIT HOSTEL | CONFERENCE SERVICES

Here is the perfect alternative for a stay in Vancouver. Surrounded by the

spectacular beauty of the UBC campus, our fully-equipped, quality suites

offer convenience and comfort for visiting lecturers, professors, family,

friends or anyone who wants to stay on Vancouver’s west side. Close to

restaurants and recreation both on and off campus, and only 20 minutes

from downtown Vancouver, the West Coast Suites is a wonderful retreat from

which to visit friends or make your stay on business a pleasure.

5961 Student Union Boulevard Vancouver BC V6T 2C9

www.westcoastsu i tes .com

Reservations Tel 604 822 1000 Fax 604 822 1001

An Affordable,Fully-Equipped SuiteRight on Campus

Open Year-RoundConvenient On-Campus Location

Research Awareness Week 2004 will highlight and celebrate theoutstanding research in all fields that is continually underway at the university. Innovation is encapsulated at UBC by crossingboundaries in four ways – from idea to product, from university to community, from discipline to discipline and from research toteaching.

UBC main campus, UBC Robson Square and our affiliated hospitalswill host numerous free public forums, symposia, research daysand exhibits on topics ranging from health research, ethics ofpatents and drug developments to the impact of advanced technology on the workplace. Key issues affecting cities and public policy will also be featured.

Please go to our online Event Calendar for full details and registration: www.research.ubc.ca

Research Awareness WeekMARCH 6 – 13 2004

UBC students have a new way to pay tuition and other feesonline – Electronic FundsTransfer (EFT). Students cantransfer funds from their bankaccount and pay whichever UBCfees they choose – whenever theychoose.

UBC is the first university inCanada to offer this form of EFT. It gives students completecontrol over how and when theypay their fees. It’s fast, user-friendly, and cheaper – forboth students and the university –than credit card payments, cur-rently the most frequently-usedform of online payment.

To pay by EFT, students log onto the Student Services Centreweb site. EFT is part ofEnrolment Services’ ConsolidatedBilling initiative. For details, visitwww.e-strategy.ubc.ca. ■■

No More Line-Ups: New Online Banking ServiceSaves Time and Money

An 18-year-old sawmill worker wasfatally crushed when a log he wasattempting to straighten rolled off theskid of an infeed deck.

A 21-year-old lumber piler entered ahazard area without turning off thepower. He sustained a crushing injuryto his foot resulting in five severed toes.

An 18-year-old power press operatorhad his right hand and forearmcrushed when he reached into the diepress to remove some jammed materi-al. He had been on this job for twoweeks at the time of the accident.

These real-life incidents taken from aWorkers’ Compensation Board of B.C.(WCB) report called Protecting YoungWorkers illustrate how young workers,15-24 years old, account for the high-est rate of compensation claims amongall age groups in B.C.

Besides being a tough way to beginworking life, these injuries may possi-bly be the start of long-term healthconsequences, according to UBCresearcher Mieke Koehoorn.

An assistant professor in the department of health care and epidemiology, Koehoorn has launcheda study that looks at the experiences ofyoung workers in B.C. She wants toknow if persistent symptoms fromearly work injuries result in increasedusage of health-care services in the longterm, beyond workers’ compensationbenefits.

“Young people have higher claimrates mainly due to inexperience,”says Koehoorn, who is a MichaelSmith Foundation for HealthResearch Scholar. “New workers maybe too intimidated to ask questionsabout safety, not yet prepared in termsof work or safety training or so eagerto prove themselves on the job thatthey perform tasks they’re unfamiliarwith.”

In addition, young workers areoften assigned low-end jobs that carrythe greatest risk factors. As new work-ers, they are often unable to recognizeworkplace hazards and are unawareof their rights as workers to operate ina safe environment.

In a two-year study, funded by theWCB, Koehoorn will examine datathat covers the 15-year period from1985-2000. Using WCB and provin-cial health records, she will assess ifyoung workers with a compensationclaim have more contact over timewith the health-care system than indi-viduals of the same age, sex and geo-graphic location.

She thinks young workers may seekcontinued medical attention outsidethe compensation system because,although they have symptoms afterthe claim is closed, they don’t knowhow to re-open a claim. Also, theymay be reluctant to take further timeoff work that will damage their fledg-ling work record.

Industries where young workers aremost likely to be injured include retail

UBC projects received morethan $1.6 million in fundingfrom the WCB ResearchSecretariat in 2003, out of atotal of $1.8 million awarded toall institutions.

The Research Secretariatlaunched its first annualresearch competition inNovember 2000. The missionof the secretariat is to supportscientific research that will leadto a reduction in the incidenceand severity of work-relatedinjury and disease. ■■

Protecting Young Workers from CripplingInjuries UBC researcher searches for solutions. B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

Did you know?

Line-ups have dramatically decreased in Brock Hall since the launch of theElectronic Funds Transfer service.

industries for 15-19-year olds, and forworkers 20-24 years old the majorityof claims come from the retail, manu-facturing, construction and forestrysectors. Common injuries include backand other strains, cuts and bruises.

Koehoorn hopes that her researchfindings will lead to a better under-standing of the impact of work-relatedinjuries and help to direct moreresources to prevention and regulatoryefforts aimed specifically at youngworkers.

For more information on injuries toyoung workers, visitwww.worksafe.bc.com/publications/reports and click on the focus reportcalled Protecting Young Workers. ■■

PH

OT

O:

BR

IAN

LIN

INNOVATION: IDEAS CROSSING BOUNDARIES

We would like to thank Discovery Parks for their generous support.

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:21 PM Page 4

4 | ubc reports | february 5, 2004

Villagers in Usu’un, East Timor live offthe land. They farm and they fish. It isnot easy being a farmer in a place likethis, what with rugged terrain, poorsoils, and unpredictable rainfall. And it’seven harder when you live in a countrywhere 70 per cent of the physical infra-structure was destroyed in an armedconflict in which nearly three quarters ofthe population was displaced.

Seemingly small things can easilythrow off the delicate balance of this life.Things like how long it takes to dry thefood that needs to be preserved.

It usually takes more than five days,during which time large amounts of fruitand fish are wasted due to parasitic con-tamination. That means there will beless to eat.

And that is what UBC third-yearIntegrated Engineering student MonicaRucki was trying to prevent during herfour-month internship with EngineersWithout Borders last summer. Ruckiworked to build solar dryers that wouldcut the drying time for fish and fruit toless than two days. Prototypes were builtfrom locally available, inexpensive mate-rials, and locals were trained how tobuild and maintain the dryers.

Rucki’s experience in East Timor wasjust one example of the work done byEngineers Without Borders (EWB),whose 3,700 members are working on30 projects in 20 countries to promotehuman development through access totechnology and a focus on buildingcapacity in the local communities.

“It’s an attempt at finding sustainablesolutions, as opposed to giving some-thing away and then leaving, which isnot particularly useful,” says BrendanBaker, a recent Metals and MaterialsEngineering graduate who will be trav-eling to Senegal later this year for aneight-month internship. He will helpdevelop and implement technologiesthat will allow locals to process thepeanuts and cashew nuts they grow,thus increasing their value. “They foundthat the nuts are worth next to nothingif sold as grown, in shells – but if theycan shell them, skin them, roast them

and then package them, then they’reworth much more on the local, nationaland international market,” explainsBaker.

The UBC chapter of EWB was founded in 2001 and is already one ofthe fastest growing and most active inthe country.

“We focus on promoting awarenessof international development and globalissues among students and theVancouver community,” says Rucki, co-president of the UBC chapter. “Wedo that through our internships abroad,through our local projects, and ourSpeaker Series here on campus.”

The UBC chapter is involved in avariety of overseas projects, such asScala, an EWB-owned Information andCommunications Technology (ICT)project developed in partnership withthe Filipino government. The UBCChapter is trying to raise 40 computersand $15,000 that will go towards settingup ICT training centres in thePhilippines, helping Filipino youth devel-op computer literacy skills and increasetheir employability. They are hopingsome of these youth will in turn becomecomputer teachers able to keep the ICTtraining centres alive. “The long-termhope is that the centres are able to self-sustain,” explains project leader JordanMarr.

As part of the UBC chapter’s localprojects, volunteers with the Scala proj-ect have partnered with the LearningExchange to offer free IT classes in shel-ters in the Downtown Eastside. EWB-UBC also organizes a High SchoolOutreach program aimed at educatinghigh school students about engineering,appropriate technology and internation-al development. The program is sup-ported by Aeroplan members donatingtheir Aeroplan miles through the MilesWithout Borders donation program.

Being involved in so many differentprojects, locally and across the world,has helped EWB-UBC move beyond theconfinements of an engineering club.They are now actively trying to recruitstudents from different fields (such as

UBC Engineering Students Raise theQuality of Life in East Timor VillageEngineers Without Borders is making a difference. B Y C R I S T I N A C A L B O R E A N U

Living and working in East Timor(clockwise from top): Inspecting the irrigation system in a rice field; a traditional “lulik” or magic hut; a bamboo fence weaving workshop; teaching locals how to make fertile soilfrom manure, legumes and compost.

FACULTY OF MEDICINEUNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

ASSOCIATE DEAN, CLINICAL FACULTY AFFAIRS

The Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia invites applications andnominations for the position of Associate Dean, Clinical Faculty Affairs. This is apart time position expected to be filled by an internal candidate and is availableJanuary 1st, 2004.

The incumbent will be a part of the senior management team of the Faculty of Medicine and report to the Dean. The senior management team provides support to the Departments, Schools, Centres and faculty members. The AssociateDean will provide leadership to the clinical activities of the Faculty of Medicine.This would include but not be limited to representing the issues of medical practice within the Faculty, ensuring that clinical faculty members have appropriate mechanisms for support and recognition of their key contributions to the Faculty, supporting the wellness of clinical faculty members and providingleadership for the Office of Clinical Faculty Affairs. The Associate Dean wouldprovide a key interface with other organizations related to medical affairs. Therole would also include consideration of the broader group of Faculty membersengaged in clinical practice within the distributed model of medical education in British Columbia and specifically, the Island Medical Program and the NorthernMedical Program.

The University of British Columbia hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified persons to apply.

Applications, accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae and names of threereferences, should be directed by February 29, 2004 to: Gavin C.E. Stuart, MD,Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Room 317, Instructional Resources Centre, 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3.

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

commerce or political science) whowould be interested in putting theirknowledge and experience to work.

“International development is multi-disciplinary,” says Rucki. “To developnew ideas, you need to involve peoplewith different backgrounds, differenteducations, and different experiences.”

Of course, you also need awarenessof international development and glob-al issues, which, they say, is conspicu-ously absent from the academic curricu-lum – at least when it comes to engi-neering.

“There is often a complete lack ofstudy of the social and environmentalissues surrounding what we do as engi-neers,” says Baker, the director of cur-riculum change for the UBC chapter.“UBC is very good technically, but theseaspects are often neglected to the detri-ment of some of the broader and morecomplicated issues.” That is why EWBis aiming to implement a student-direct-ed seminar on international develop-ment, based on their experience indeveloping countries and provided as afull-credit science and technology coursefor second-year engineering students.They’re hoping to promote awarenessof global issues and to educate engineer-ing students to recognize that interna-tional development is “a two-waystreet.”

“Often there is a perception thatwe’re sending people over there to teachand to impart our knowledge to thelocal people, and that’s not true,” saysBaker. “In fact, it may be even more sothat you’re learning how things aredone and how the world works, andyou can bring that back and use it here.We hope to see a huge difference in theway things are done here, in terms ofaddressing issues overseas and even interms of how we address issues here inCanada.”

“One of the greatest things I broughtback was just humility,” adds Rucki.“You gain an immense appreciation forthe fact that there are other ways to livethan just the way we live, that reallywork and that make people happy.” ■■

PH

OT

OS

: C

OU

RT

ES

Y O

F M

ON

ICA

RU

CK

I

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:21 PM Page 5

ubc reports | february 5, 2004 | 5

Anita Borg, founder of the Institute forWomen in Technology in Palo Alto,California, was passionate about usingtechnology to better people’s lives.Those who knew her say she was a bril-liant engineer with a compelling visionand a way of presenting it that wouldmake people sit up and listen.

When Borg was diagnosed withadvanced brain cancer in May 2000, herlong-time friend Maria Klawe, UBC’sformer science dean, says, “It felt like thesun had gone behind a huge cloud.”

Borg survived the cancer for muchlonger than expected but, by 2002, haddeveloped aphasia, a condition thataffects a person’s ability to process anduse language while leaving their mentalfaculties intact. It most often occurs aftera stroke but it can also result from abrain tumour or brain injury.

But cancer and aphasia could notdefeat Borg’s vitality and enthusiasm.She was determined to use her expertisein technology to find ways to overcomeher difficulties communicating. She andKlawe began brainstorming. Their dis-cussion laid the groundwork for aremarkable initiative now underway atUBC called the Aphasia Project.

“Anita was having increasing difficul-ty with speech, reading and writing,”recalls Klawe, now Dean of Engineeringat Princeton University. “[But] after real-izing that her ability to recognize imageswas still completely intact, we decided tosee if computing technology couldenhance her ability to function in a vari-ety of ways.”

Klawe shared the pair’s initial ideaswith Karyn Moffatt, a UBC graduatestudent, and convinced her to take onthe task of designing a computer-basedaid for people with aphasia as her mas-ter’s thesis project. Klawe alsoapproached Joanna McGrenere, anassistant professor of computer scienceat UBC and a specialist in human-com-puter interaction, to work with Moffatton her project in addition to exploringother possibilities.

McGrenere remembers being slightlydaunted by the scope of the challenge.

“Human-computer interaction (HCI)is a relatively young field. In HCI, wherewe’re trying to design technology to

work for a broad range of users, andone group that hasn’t received muchattention are people with disabilities,particularly people with speech and lan-guage cognitive disabilities,” explainsMcGrenere. “The reason this groupdoesn’t get the same coverage in HCI isbecause it’s difficult working with par-ticipants who have difficulty speakingand articulating their needs. It justmakes the job of designing technologiesfor them that much more challenging.”

From the start, it was clear toMcGrenere and Moffatt that, if theywere going to help Borg, they wouldneed a multidisciplinary team ofexperts. They brought in several otherUBC computer science students, alongwith psychology professor Peter Graf,and Barbara Purves, a clinical professorat the UBC School of Audiology andSpeech Sciences with more than 30years of experience helping people withaphasia.

The group wanted to understand thespecific effects the condition had onBorg’s ability to function. McGrenere,Moffatt and Purves flew to SanFrancisco to meet Borg and beganinvestigating preliminary designs andpotential applications.

Despite her failing health, Borgshowed an enthusiasm for the projectthat all three women remember fondly.

“Anita was really inspired to use hercondition in a way that could help otherpeople, even knowing that she probablywasn’t going to see the benefits of mostof this work,” McGrenere says.

But Borg also had specific needs thatshe managed to vocalize for theresearch team.

“Anita wanted to maintain an activeschedule and she increasingly had torely on family members to help manageher schedule and that’s not what shewanted,” says Moffatt. “She had veryreal needs so it was easy to envisionhow the technology could fit in – howit could help.”

Back in Vancouver, the team beganworking with existing technology in theform of an IPAQ pocket PC runningwith the Windows CE operating sys-tem. Their goal was to develop a devicethat would help Borg and others with

aphasia maintain their independence incarrying out small daily life tasks.

Purves estimates that there areapproximately 100,000 Canadianswith aphasia – about the same numberas suffer from Parkinson’s disease. Shesays the biggest frustration for thoseaffected is the impairment of their abil-ity to communicate with words andwriting and to some extent, with ges-ture and drawing, and with it theimpairment of their ability to commu-nicate who they are and what they arefeeling.

“Aphasia affects people in differentways but the thing that is common isthat they’re not unable to think, theyjust can’t get their thoughts out, andthey also have difficulty taking infor-mation in,” Purves explains. Thismakes simple activities like jottingdown a doctor’s appointment orremembering where to meet a friend fordinner very difficult.

With help from other team members,Moffatt and McGrenere have devel-oped a prototype for a daily plannerprogram that runs on a hand-held com-puter (much like a Palm Pilot). It isdesigned so that people who have lost

UBC Project Makes Life Easier for ThoseSuffering from Aphasia

B Y M I C H E L L E C O O K(with files from Gayle Mavor, Computer Science Dept.)

their ability to recognize words or writethem down can record meetings and appointments using a combinationof images and sounds and some text.

One of the team’s big challenges hasbeen to understand if people with apha-sia will be able to use the plannerthey’ve designed. Through the BCAphasia Centre and local stroke clubsin Vancouver, as well as the LifeEnhancement Aphasia Program inVictoria, they have enlisted the help of agroup of people living with the condi-tion to assess the prototype and incor-porate their ideas on how to improve it.Moffatt says the support and enthusi-asm from the local aphasia communityhas been overwhelming.

Sadly, Anita Borg passed away onApril 6, 2003 from brain cancer at theage of 54. The institute she founded hassince been renamed the Anita BorgInstitute for Women in Technology.

But the UBC Aphasia Project is real-ly just getting started. While Moffatt’smaster’s thesis – the genesis of the proj-ect – is almost complete, there is stillmuch work to be done on the proto-type. There are also several other spin-off projects and case studies in progress.

The team has recruited help fromother collaborators, including JeffRiley, an expert in assistive technologyat Vancouver’s G.F. Strong RehabCentre, and they plan to continueworking with B.C.’s aphasia community on new prototype tech-nologies.

McGrenere thinks the project couldcontinue for up to 10 years.

“We’re definitely in the foothills,”she says. “It’s a matter of trying touncover what the best platforms arefor this kind of work. [There are] vari-ous PDAs, cell phones that can sendimages back and forth, tablets and afair amount of mobile technologynow.

What is clear is that Borg’s vision oftechnology’s potential to help peoplelives on in an energetic, imaginativegroup of researchers who were moti-vated by a remarkable woman.

Klawe says her friend would bethrilled at what the UBC aphasia teamhas accomplished in its first year.

“Her family members and doctortold me that the project brought hermore joy than anything else in the lastfew months of her life.” ■■

A traditional sailors’ craft was the inspiration for a new technique to replace heart valves without major surgery.

Much like a ship in a bottle, the procedure involves inserting a foldable valve through a small incision and running the valve along a blood vessel into the heart where itis ‘unfurled’ and attached remotely – a virtually non-surgicalintervention.

Valve replacement surgery currently requires breaking ribsand breastbone to access the heart, a minimum of a week’shospitalization and considerable recuperation time.

Called Percutaneous Valve Replacement, the new procedure is being developed by Dr. John Webb, director ofthe cardiac catheterization laboratory at St. Paul’s Hospital inVancouver. Still in the experimental stages, the techniqueoffers promise for patients who are too ill to survive traditional valve replacement surgery.

The new method involves a small incision made in thethigh to allow a tube the size of a pencil to be inserted. Thetube is threaded along the veins up to the heart. Once the folded valve has been opened and attached in the heart, thetube is withdrawn. After a couple of stitches for the incisionand a day’s rest, the patient would be able to go home.

Sound simple? Not quite, says Webb, who is also a UBCassociate clinical professor of cardiology.

“The new remote procedure is still highly experimental.We haven’t yet tried it on a patient. The tube is about threefeet long and the placement of the valve within the complexstructure of the heart is critical. A few hair widths out of placeand the whole thing is wrong. We have to get it exactly rightevery time.”

If the technique can be perfected, it would mean hugehealth-care savings compared to current methods requiringan operating room and long hospital stays. Most important-ly, it would mean that individuals who are too weak for sur-gery and unlikely to survive might be saved.

Also, patients would be able to avoid the significant painand discomfort of heart valve replacement surgery.

“When they broke my breast bone and ribs to get at myheart it really hurt,” says 86-year-old Eleanor Wetherly. “I was in the hospital for a long time. It was two or threemonths before I felt better.”

Four valves direct blood to and from the body through theheart: the aortic valve, the pulmonic valve, the tricuspid valve,and the mitral valve. Any of these valves may malfunctionbecause of a birth defect, infection, disease, or trauma. Whenthe malfunction is so severe that it interferes with blood flow,an individual will have heart palpitations, fainting spells,and/or difficulty breathing. These symptoms will progressive-ly worsen and cause death unless the damaged valve isreplaced surgically.

Webb expects it will be at least two years before patientscan benefit from the procedure.

About 80 per cent of Canadians have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease and 11 per cent have threerisk factors or more, according to the Heart and StrokeFoundation of Canada. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease include smoking, lack of exercise, being overweight,and high blood pressure.

For more information on heart disease and treatment, visitww2.heartandstroke.ca. ■■

Old Skill Provides Modern Solution to Heart Valve ReplacementNew technique may mean no more broken breastbones. B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

Anita Borg inspired a group of UBC researchers to use technology to help people with aphasia.

Sailors’ art goes hi-tech with new non-surgical cardiac procedure.

PH

OT

O:

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

AN

ITA

BO

RG

IN

ST

ITU

TE

FO

R W

OM

EN

AN

D T

EC

HN

OL

OG

Y

Team designs communication aids

PH

OT

O:

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

PR

OV

IDE

NC

E H

EA

LT

H C

AR

E

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:21 PM Page 6

6 | ubc reports | february 5, 2004

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

WEST

BR

OO

KM

ALL

S.W

. M

PACIFIC SPIRIT REGIONAL PARK

UBCBOTANICAL

CENTRE

THUNDERBIRDSTADIUM

UBC MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY

WRECKBEACH

SPANISHBANKS BEACH

CHAN CENTRE

IONA BUILDING

UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENT LANDS

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

UNIVERSITYGOLF COURSE

UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

N.W. MARINE DR.

CHANCELLOR BLVD.

UNIVERSITY BLVD.

BL

AN

CA

ST.

16TH AVE. W.

AC

AD

IAR

D.

NICE YARD.

Imagine a 750 hectare park with over 50 kilometers of trails

as your front yard. And after a walk or a run, when you returned

to your home you’d be greeted by wide-open views of the

Pacific Ocean, Coastal Islands and Coast Mountains, surrounded

by countless cultural, social and outdoor opportunities. Now, pic-

ture all this in West Point Grey on the grounds of the University

of British Columbia. And finally, consider that this could be the

site of your new home.

Argyll House is a rare collection of apartment homes, penthouses

and townhomes built to the highest standards. And with all that

is best about living in Vancouver at your doorstep, living here

really could be a walk in the park.

For more information call us at 604.228.8100

or visit our website at

www.argyllhouse.ca

Argyll HouseAT CHANCELLOR PLACE

UBC ALUMNI

A lot of us love money, but not many of us relish the annualchore of working out our taxes – especially when our efforts don’tresult in a nice fat return. The Young Alumni Network is offeringrecent graduates a workshop that will teach them how to managetheir money efficiently and invest it wisely.

Just in time for the March 1 RRSP deadline, JonathanPagtakhan, BA’98, a financial advisor with CIBC, will teachworkshop participants new investment strategies and ways tokeep the taxman at bay. He’ll talk about goal setting, borrowing,cash flow management, RRSPs, investment planning and assetallocation. A representative from London Life will also be onhand to talk about different types of insurance.

Thursday, February 12thHSBC Hall UBC Robson Square6:00 pm to 8:00 pmCost: $15For tickets, please contact Sandra:aluminfo@alumni.ubc.ca or 604-822-3313

Jonathan Pagtakhan is a volunteer on the Young AlumniNetwork committee, helping to organize events that will be use-ful to recent graduates in their professional development (thereare also plenty of opportunities for socializing).

One of Jonathan’s favourite memories of UBC is of the couch-es at Sedgewick Library — perhaps a contender for the bestplace to kiss on campus?

For more information about the Young Alumni Network, aprogram offered by the UBC Alumni Association, please contactDianna DeBlaere at YAmentor@alumni.ubc.ca or 604-822-8917or visit the website: http://www.alumni.ubc.ca/programs/youn-galumni/index.html ■■

For the Love of MoneyA financial planning workshop for recent gradsjust in time for tax season!

B Y VA N E S S A C L A R K E

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:21 PM Page 7

ubc reports | february 5, 2004 | 7

Don ProteauB.Comm, CFPSenior Financial Planner

Assante FinancialMangement Ltd.

dproteau@assante.com

Frank DanielsonB.Ed., CFPSenior Financial Planner

Assante FinancialMangement Ltd.

fdanielson@assante.com

Retiring Within 5 Years?

The Assante symbol is a registered trademark of Assante Corporation, used under license.

Complimentary consultations available forUBC Faculty and Staff

Retirement and Estate planning

UBC pension expertise

References available

“I am completely satisfied with the service I am receiving from Don.”

M. Dale Kinkade,Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, UBC

“Frank and Don made me feel very comfortable with their advice and long range planning. Their knowledge of the faculty pension plan is also a plus for UBC professors.”

Dr. J. H. McNeill,Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, UBC

Call or e-mail today for a complimentary retirement analysis

604-638-0335

�

�

�

�

Large Format ColourPrinting

Digital Printing & Computer Imaging

Graphic Design & Illustration

Photography

Lamination

AV Equipment & Media Sales

AV Services & Maintenance

Video & Media Production

TIMEPIECE 1951

Joanne Driscoll (not her real name) hasa deteriorating disc in her spine. Toslow the deterioration down, doctorsmust insert a long needle filled with asteroid into her back every threemonths.

It’s an experience marked with fearand anxiety and sometimes, when theneedle misses its mark, excruciatingpain.

“I have heard others scream whenthis happens and I’ve wanted to screammyself. One time it felt like molten lavacoursing down my leg,” Driscoll says.“It is also very stressful for the personinserting the needle. Once after manypainful failed attempts, a resident actu-ally asked my supervising doctor to put

on his gloves and take over my treatment.”

Needle insertion is one of the mostcommon medical procedures. It canalso be one of the most nerve-rackingfor both medical practitioners andpatients – especially when it involvesthe 15-cm-long needles used to reachregions deep inside the human body.

Now, a group of UBC engineers hasdeveloped a steerable needle to helpdoctors hit their target on the first try – and save their patients the stressand pain of multiple insertions.

“What’s interesting about this needleis that instead of putting a straight nee-dle into the body and hoping it goestowards its target, we have a needlethat can steer itself from the tip. It canguide itself. It’s a very smart needle,”says Prof. Robert Rohling, a professorjointly appointed to the departments ofmechanical engineering and electricaland computer engineering and one ofthe needle’s inventors.

The steerable needle prototype lookslike a stainless-steel barbeque lighterwith a 15-cm hypodermic needleattached to it. What makes it unique isthat within its barrel, there is a second,flexible needle with a curved tip. Thesecond needle can be steered by a joy-stick on the needle’s handle, giving doc-tors greater accuracy in locating theirtarget, and make corrections along theway.

Rohling says the steerable needlewon’t change the basic aspects of thebiopsy procedure. Like a conventionalneedle, it is inserted into the body bypuncturing the skin at the best accesspoint, and pushed in until the tip reach-es the desired target. The big differenceis that, once inserted, the doctor can usethe thumb-controlled joystick to steer italong straight or curved paths.

He envisions doctors using thedevice in conjunction with ultrasound –another medical technique he is work-ing to improve.

“The steerable needle will give doc-tors an extra degree of control,”Rohling says. “We expect the firstapplications will be the more difficult,deeper insertions [but] it is also possiblethat the steerable needle will help anovice reach their target on the firstattempt – without trial and error.”

As the director of SurgicalTechniques Training Programs forUBC’s medical undergraduates, KarimQayumi has guided many residentsthrough the needle insertion procedure.He’s also performed countless needleinsertions himself. He says it’s not aneasy experience.

He says the main challenge for doc-tors is having to imagine where to directthe needle, without actually being ableto see where it’s going. It’s a skill thatcomes only with experience. The poten-tial dangers are numerous: a misplacedneedle can cause bleeding, pain, or seedhealthy cells with cancerous ones.

“There’s a certain anxiety when youinsert a big needle into someone and

you don’t know whether you’re goingto get results or not,” Qayumi says. “Ifthe biopsy is in a remote place, evenexperienced doctors can have difficul-ties. They’ve got to get to the target areawithout damaging tissue or causingcomplications.”

Although he has not used the steer-able needle, Qayumi welcomesRohling’s research, with fellow inven-tors Tim Salcudean, an engineering pro-fessor, and master’s engineering studentsRichelle Ebrahimi and StephenOkazawa, to improve the technique ofneedle insertion.

Okazawa says the biggest hurdle indesigning the steerable needle prototypewas getting the mechanical and electri-cal parts to work together with the com-puter software designed to run the nee-dle. But the result is a one-of-a-kinddevice that the research team hopes willtake some of the discomfort out of apainful procedure, and cut down on the

NewInventionSaves Painfor Patientsand DoctorsMaking needles easier togive and easier to take

B Y M I C H E L L E C O O K(with files from ErinRose Handy,Applied Science)

While there may be many popular places to kiss on campus,in 1951 UBC engineers were concerned with the quality of thekiss not the location. That year, at the annual Engineer's Ball,the most popular attraction was the Kissometer. Engineersclaimed it registered the intensity, heat, and pressure of thekiss, and then transformed them to a numerical rating on theneedle graph. When the needle hit ten, a large red neon signwith the letters "STOP" lit up. It was reported in the 1951UBC yearbook that few patrons of the ball missed out on atrip to the Kissometer. ■■

time needed to perform it. Rohling adds that while the cost of

the system is still more than a regular,disposable needle, the health-care sav-ings will be in the reduction of time ittakes doctors to perform a procedure.

The researchers’ next step is to pre-pare the prototype for clinical trials.

The steerable needle hasn’t beenused on humans – yet. Instead,

researchers have been trying it out ontissue phantoms – simulated pieces oftissue that Okazawa cooked up in hisown kitchen using agar, a gelatinoussubstance obtained from seaweed, andthen embedded with peas and grapesfor target practice.

Even before doctors get their handson the first prototype, its inventors arealready thinking about how to improvethe steerable needle’s capabilities.

“We look at these types of applica-tions and think ahead to even moreadvanced systems where we have com-puter-aided control,” Rohling says.“The first iteration has a little joystickand the control is all in the operator’s[doctor’s] hand. The second may be tolet the computer handle the joystickand monitor the needle’s progress andprovide the corrections. Eventually, arobotics system may take care of bothpushing the needle and steering the tip.” ■■

Robert Rohling demonstrates the steerable biopsy needles he and fellowinventors have engineered.

“There’s a certain anxiety when you insert a big needle into someone and youdon’t know whether you’re going to get results or not.”

PH

OT

O:

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

ER

INR

OS

E H

AN

DY

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:21 PM Page 8

Anne Martin-Matthews hasbeen appointed scientific director ofthe Canadian Institutes of HealthResearch (CIHR) Institute of Aging.

The appointment is effective forthe term Jan. 1 to July 1, 2004.

Martin-Matthews joined UBC in1998 and is a professor of familystudies in the School of Social Workand Family Studies. Her researchinterests include families and aging,intergenerational relationships, widowhood and health.

A fellow of the GerontologicalSociety of America, Martin-Matthews most recently served asvice-chair of the advisory board ofthe Institute of Aging.

One of CIHR’s 13 institutes, theInstitute of Aging is dedicated to supporting research that promoteshealthy aging. The institute links

8 | ubc reports | february 5, 2004

LIVING AT UBCINFORMATION SESSIONS FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

ON HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES

If you’re like most faculty and staff, your day starts in traffic. Fortunately, there are other

options. UBC is creating residential neighbourhoods around the academic core that offer

urban living, recreational and cultural amenities in a spectacular physical setting.

Faculty and staff could be among the first to have the opportunity to rent or own.

For example, through the innovative co-development housing program, you could join a

group to purchase and develop your own home. To register for an information session,

call 604.731.3103 or email info.universitytown@ubc.ca

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

For more information visit www.universitytown.ubc.ca, or call 604.731.3103 to register.

The STEPS-Forward Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Society

advocates for, and facilitates, the inclusion of students with

intellectual disabilities in post-secondary institutions in British

Columbia. The goals of the society are to advance the values of

inclusion, active citizenship, and diversity in all communities. In

September 2003, with the financial support of the Vancouver

Foundation, and the support and cooperation of UBC and Emily Carr

Institute of Art and Design, STEPS-Forward began assisting students

with intellectual disabilities to audit regular classes and participate in

campus life. In May 2004, STEPS Co-op will begin placing students

in summer jobs with the cooperation of local Rotary clubs and the

support of the Vancouver Foundation.

k u d o s

Youth in crisis in the Lower Mainlandcan now turn to their computers for help.

UBC Education professor ShelleyHymel is piloting Canada’s first web-based “hotline” for youth in collabora-tion with the Crisis Intervention &Suicide Prevention Centre of B.C. (CrisisCentre in Vancouver) and SAFER(Suicide Attempt Follow-up, Educationand Research) Counselling Service.

“Young people are increasingly com-fortable with computers and may use theweb to seek support in a time of crisis,”says Hymel, an expert on bullying andyouth in crisis. “We want to find an effec-tive way to reach them.

“Kids need to talk. If they’re talking on

the web, then that’s where we need togo.”

The web-based hotline is a place whereyouth can comfortably talk about issuesthey are facing at school, at home and inthe community, such as relationship orfamily problems, bullying, racial discrim-ination, mental health issues, victimiza-tion, addictions and more. The site allowsyouth to connect with volunteers aged 19to 25 who have been specially trained toprovide crisis intervention, psychologicalfirst aid, support and resource informa-tion.

The site went live in January and isbeing promoted in Burnaby secondaryschools through the 2003/04 school year,with the potential to expand throughout

the Lower Mainland. It features a one-on-one free and confidential linkenabling youth to talk to someoneonline, in real time (limited number ofhours); an e-mail address for youth towrite about their problems and receivea guaranteed response in 24 to 48hours; the 24-hour Distress Line phonenumber to the Crisis Centre inVancouver as well as links to other cri-sis centres in B.C.; a list of youth-pre-ferred resources available in the LowerMainland; and information and factsabout common problems that youthface, including bullying and harass-ment, stress, suicidal feelings andteenage pregnancy.

“We did a lot of brainstorming withkids about what would work,” saysHymel. “One of our graduate students,Rina Bonanno, conducted focus groupswith secondary students and askedthem what they wanted on the site.They said, ‘give us a professional sitethat says you mean it, that you reallycare.’”

Youth were brought in as consultantson content and design – Sean Carleton,for example, provided original artworkthat would become the basis for thelook of the site; a young person wholost a teenaged brother to suicide lastyear, shared her experience and ideas.

The initiative began more than a yearago following a talk on bullying Hymelgave at a local Vancouver communitycentre shortly after a young male victimof bullying committed suicide by jump-ing from the Patullo Bridge. She wasapproached by a local businessmanwho wanted to help victimized kids andkept after her to do something.

An inspired Hymel came up with theidea for an online hotline. The business-man provided $4,500 in seed money forthe initiative, and stepped away, neverto be heard from again. She perseveredand, through various serendipitous con-nections, including partnerships withthe Crisis Intervention & SuicidePrevention Centre of B.C. and SAFER(part of the Vancouver Coastal HealthAuthority), received $45,000 from

National Crime Prevention Canada’sCommunity Mobilization Program.Critical to the success of this uniqueonline resource was the support of AtLarge Media and Cossette InteractiveVancouver.

“We jumped in,” says Ian Ross, exec-utive director of the Crisis Centre inVancouver, a registered non-profitorganization that has provided free pro-grams and services, including a 24-hour,7-days a week Distress Line, to people ofall ages and walks of life since 1969.“We were on the same wavelength withShelley and SAFER. It was really naturalfor us to move into an online service.”

Distress Line volunteers receive 60

hours of crisis intervention training andon-going support from professionalsfrom the Crisis Centre in Vancouver

“We’re looking for people with thepotential to be good listeners,” Ross saysof volunteers. “We don’t do therapyonline. We focus on providing non-judg-mental support to callers through the‘art of listening’ and then if appropriateprovide options and resources.”

Kaylie, a 23-year-old UBC psycholo-gy graduate, volunteered in order to getexperience helping others with similarsituations in which she has found herself.According to her site profile, “The stressof school, a major break-up, and deathsin my family have made this year atough one for me. Also back when I was16, I found out I was pregnant. I had alot of friends to talk to but I really wishI had someone like the Crisis Centre tohelp me through it. There are so manytimes when you just need someone totalk to; someone who won’t judge youand can’t tell anyone else what you tellthem because they don’t know you.”

Researchers will monitor use of thesite through June to determine the effi-cacy of the online hotline. If the web-based focus proves successful, they hopeto secure more funding to keep the sitelive after June and eventually expandthis form of crisis assistance provinciallyand nationally.

For more information, visitwww.youthinbc.com. ■■

“We don’t do therapy online. We focus on providing non-judgmental support to callersthrough the ‘art of listening’ and then if appropriate provide options and resources.”

For Teens in Crisis, Help can be a Click AwayUBC Education professor pilots web-based crisis hotline for youth

B Y E R I C A S M I S H E K

Teenager Sean Carleton’s artwork is basis for look of site, developed by Cossette Interactive Vancouver.

researchers located in university, hospital and other research centresacross Canada.

CIHR is the Government ofCanada’s premier agency for healthresearch. ■■

ubcr5002_30jan04 1/30/04 1:20 PM Page 1