Students face off at fifth annual Roger Watts Debate

What: Roger Watts Debate
Who: UBC student debaters
When: Wednesday, March 28 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts 421 Cawston Avenue, Kelowna

UBC Okanagan’s top debaters face off against one another Wednesday at the fifth annual Roger Watts Debate.

The topic up for debate this year is ‘Be it resolved that Western democracies are failing’. A panel of community leaders will judge the student debaters, with a top prize of $1,000 awarded for first place and $500 for the runners-up.

The debates are named after the late Roger Watts, a respected member of the Okanagan’s legal community, and a skilled orator and strong advocate.

This event is free to the public and supported by donors and community sponsors. Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-annual-roger-watts-debate-tickets-42371588562

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Audience to learn about the early expansion of the universe and the role of CHIME in deciphering its mysteries

What: Learn about the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment
Who: UBC astrophysicist Professor Mark Halpern, and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
When: Saturday, March 24 at 7 p.m.
Where: Okanagan Innovation Centre Theatre, 460 Doyle Ave, Kelowna

For anyone who has ever looked into the night sky and wondered how it all came to be, UBC Okanagan is hosting an evening with UBC astrophysicist Mark Halpern.

Halpern, who teaches on UBC’s Vancouver campus, will be in the Okanagan to explain the potential of the newly established Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). His talk titled ‘CHIME: Lullabies of the Infant Universe, and characterizing dark energy in the Okanagan’ will explain the role of the new telescope in today’s study of modern astronomy.

The telescope, located at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory near Penticton, began operation last fall. CHIME will help scientists learn more about how the universe grew and expanded by detecting and measuring the remains of sound waves in intergalactic gas.

“The CHIME telescope will measure the expansion history of the universe and we expect to further our understanding of the mysterious dark energy that drives that expansion ever faster. This is a fundamental part of physics that we don’t understand and it’s a deep mystery. This is about better understanding how the universe began and what lies ahead,” explains Halpern.

There will be a Q&A session after his talk and, weather permitting, the audience will be invited to use telescopes—courtesy of the Kelowna Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada—located on the rooftop patio of the Innovation Centre.

This event, co-presented by UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, is free and open to the public but pre-registration is required: chime-2018.eventbrite.ca.

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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Three professors named Researchers of the Year

From smart building materials, to innovative public art, to improved palliative care, UBC Okanagan’s Researchers of the Year are pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and developing new ways to improve their communities.

UBC’s Okanagan campus announced this week that the Researcher of the Year awards would be awarded to three faculty members. Awardees include Associate Professor Shahria Alam in the category of natural sciences and engineering, Associate Professor Nancy Holmes in social sciences and humanities and Professor Barbara Pesut in health.

“I’m thrilled to be highlighting the world-class work of our researchers,” says Vice-Principal, Research Philip Barker. “Professors Alam, Holmes and Pesut are making an enormous impact here in the Okanagan and globally, and UBC is delighted to recognize their important contributions”

Student researcher awards were also presented this year to MA student David Lacho and PhD student Ryan Hoiland.

“Our campus is home to some incredible talent, in our faculty and in our students,” adds Barker. “The work they’re doing today is creating important new knowledge in their disciplines and will have a lasting impact.”

About UBC Okanagan’s award-winning researchers

Associate Professor Shahria Alam, Natural Sciences and Engineering Researcher of the Year

Engineering professor Shahria Alam develops smarter, safer and greener construction materials and structural systems. His work has led to important advances in the construction of sustainable infrastructure, particularly in seismically active regions.

“Prof. Alam’s research perfectly exemplifies the core values of our school, which are to improve the social well-being of our community, province, country and planet,” says Rehan Sadiq, associate dean of the School of Engineering at UBC Okanagan. “His work is helping to build safer structures around the world and I’m excited to see where his research goes next.”

Associate Professor Nancy Holmes, Social Sciences and Humanities Researcher of the Year

Bringing together skills as a writer, researcher and organizer, creative writing professor Nancy Holmes’ research focuses, in part, on developing community-driven eco-art projects. The Border Free Bees Project is Holmes’ most recent work and invites hundreds of people, organizations and businesses in Kelowna to learn about native bees and to commit to creating and preserving habitat for them in backyards and public lands. This project was the recipient of the 2017 Pollinator Advocate Award for Canada.

“Prof. Holmes brings a profound depth of knowledge of literature and poetry to her eco-art projects,” says Sharon Thesen, professor emeritus of creative writing in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. “Her work is distinguished by its commitment not only to art and literature, but to the role the arts play in the health of the community and the environment.”

Professor Barbara Pesut, Health Researcher of the Year

Barbara Pesut, professor of nursing in the Faculty of Health and Social Development is part of a research team at UBC’s Okanagan campus focused on improving palliative care. Working with patients and families in rural communities to better understand their experiences and needs, her work is helping to build rural capacity for end-of-life care by working with hospice palliative care societies from throughout the B.C. interior and across Canada.

“As Canada Research Chair in Health, Ethics and Diversity, Prof. Pesut is one of the foremost experts in palliative care in Canada and internationally,” says Marie Tarrant, director of the School of Nursing at UBC Okanagan. “She is developing innovative and meaningful programs to improve end-of-life care for underserved populations.”

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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UBC Okanagan prof. says the technique is a valuable new tool

Researchers from UBC’s Okanagan campus hope to make advances in tissue replacement and cancer research through a new technology that can produce living, 3D printed bio-tissues.

“One of the ultimate goals in biomedical engineering is to recreate viable, healthy and living tissues,” says engineering professor Keekyoung Kim. “The applications are staggering and could range from helping people suffering from ailments such as severe burns or organ failure to creating artificial tissues for research into diseases like cancer.”

Much like weaving a tapestry, Kim and his team devised a method of using an inexpensive laser diode to solidify a water-based gel into a complex cross-linked pattern. The engineered tissue provides not only strength but also a structure where living cells can live and thrive.

The new system, called direct laser bio-printing, is able to print artificial tissue at a much finer resolution than what’s currently possible and can support healthy, living cells with 95 per cent effectiveness.

“These findings show a promising future for tissue engineering and medical research,” says Kim. “We’re already looking at applying the technology to cancer research.”

According to Kim, there is considerable demand for biological models where researchers can grow cancer cells in three dimensions. He says that living cells are highly sensitive to chemical, mechanical, and biological conditions that are only present in a 3D environment.

Kim’s research, which was an interdisciplinary project from UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering and Department of Chemistry, tested the artificial tissue’s ability to support healthy cells by building a pattern that encapsulated a commonly used line of breast cancer cells.

“The tissue pattern, which has extremely fine features and high cell viability, firmly demonstrates that our system has real potential to create functional, engineered tissue,” he says. “I’m excited by what this could bring to biomedical research.”

Kim worked with fellow engineering professor Jonathan Holzman and chemistry professor Fred Menard along with graduate students Zongje Wang and Xian Jin to develop the new system.

According to Holzman, this field of research is perfectly suited to interdisciplinary research.

“Bio-tissue printing applies knowledge in biology, chemistry, and microfabrication toward the health sciences,” says Holzman. “I think our recent success in bio-tissue printing came about from the multidisciplinary nature of our team.”

The research, published recently in Advanced Healthcare Materials, was supported by Discovery Grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Opportunity Fund.

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

The post Newly developed 3D printed tissues could advance cancer research appeared first on UBC's Okanagan News.

Press freedom and justice in the age of terror 

What: Presentation and panel discussion
Who: Mohamed Fahmy, MP Stephen Fuhr and Sarah Penton
When: Monday, March 5, starting at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Ballroom (UNC 200), University Centre, 3272 University Way, UBC’s Okanagan campus

Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian-born Canadian, will share his experiences as an imprisoned journalist at a special event at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

Fahmy is award-winning journalist and author who spent almost two years in an Egyptian prison, alongside hardened extremists. His ordeal led to an international effort to secure his release, and the lengthy legal struggle made headlines around the world.

Fahmy wrote for the Los Angeles Times and covered the Iraq War in 2003, later working extensively in the Middle East covering events like the Arab Spring for CNN. In September 2013, he accepted a new post as the Al Jazeera English Bureau Chief based in Egypt. Just four months later he was arrested and jailed on false terrorism charges for 438 days.

He was given a full pardon and released in September 2015.

On Monday, March 5, Fahmy will be part of a panel discussion, sharing his experiences and talking about the growing threat to a free press and how social media is reshaping reality. Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr will be on the panel and CBC Radio’s Sarah Penton will moderate.

Co-presented by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, this event is free and open to the public. Pay parking is in effect.

Free registration is available at: fahmy.eventbrite.ca

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Industrial Research Chair partnership will advance sustainability measurement and management

As a leading Canadian expert in sustainability, UBC’s Nathan Pelletier has been awarded a prestigious Industrial Research Chair by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The award will advance Pelletier’s research activities that focus on sustainability measurement and management, life-cycle thinking and resource efficiency, with an emphasis on the Canadian egg industry.

Pelletier, an assistant professor at UBC’s Okanagan campus, teaches in both the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences and the Faculty of Management. He has spent roughly a decade researching the science of sustainability, with a focus on food systems. Since 2016, he has collaborated with Egg Farmers of Canada as their Research Chair in Sustainability, exploring opportunities to improve resource efficiencies and reduce the environmental impact of egg supply chains.

“I am passionate about the development of food systems that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable and that contribute to our health and well-being,” says Pelletier. “Achieving this in modern food systems requires considering food supply chains in their entirety, from the beginning of production to the consumer’s end use of a product—in other words, a truly holistic evaluation of sustainability risks and opportunities.”

Only a handful of researchers are awarded an Industrial Research Chair from NSERC each year, making it a great honour for Pelletier, explained Marc Fortin, VP Research Partnerships at NSERC. This support will allow Pelletier to grow his research program as the first-ever NSERC/Egg Farmers of Canada Industrial Research Chair in Sustainability.

“NSERC’s Industrial Research Chair program provides for dynamic research and development collaborations between Canada’s brain trust and partners,” says Fortin. “We are proud to support this chair, which is developing the knowledge and supporting innovation necessary to advance the success of the sector and improve the sustainability of that production. The results this team will deliver could have broad benefits across Canada.”

“We are very proud that Nathan is doing his innovative work at UBC Okanagan,” says Phil Barker, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “His insights on sustainability and agriculture are benefiting industry, our community and the environment. This cutting-edge and relevant research will have direct impacts on our region and on global production methods. His work is a wonderful example of the outstanding and impactful research performed at UBC’s Okanagan campus.”

“Food systems sustainability is a subject of increasing importance. Egg Farmers of Canada strives to promote innovation and the continuous improvement of egg production through the latest scientific research,” says Tim Lambert, CEO of Egg Farmers of Canada. “His work helps us understand the link between environmental sustainability and egg production, while developing processes and technologies with environmental and social impacts in mind.”

Local MP Stephen Fuhr also wanted to highlight the significance of the partnership and the good work coming out of UBC Okanagan.

“Food systems and sustainability are two topics that are very important to our government,” said Fuhr. “We know that partnerships like the one between UBC Okanagan’s Nathan Pelletier and Egg Farmers of Canada, supported by organizations like NSERC, lead to discoveries that benefit all Canadians.”

Marc Fortin, VP Research Partnerships at NSERC, Tim Lambert, CEO of Egg Farmers of Canada, Nathan Pelletier and UBC Okanagan’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal Deborah Buszard at this week’s funding announcement.

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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Mould on a substance will affect its strength and durability

When something goes mouldy in the fridge, it is annoying and wasteful.

However, at UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering, mould is proving increasingly important in the domain of engineering materials and can lead to early deterioration and structural failure. This is especially the case as manufacturers adopt more bio-derived materials in the drive towards a greener future, explains researcher Bryn Crawford.

At UBC’s Okanagan campus, a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the Composites Research Network and the Department of Biology, in collaboration with MIT and the National Research Council of Canada, have been studying the development and application of bio-sourced composites—specifically flax and hemp fibres. These materials are plentiful in Canada and can be mixed with other materials to create cheaper, recyclable, and effective composite material products that are used by a range of industries, including in transportation.

“Canada has a lot of biomass that can be used to produce materials that are both light and inexpensive,” explains Crawford. “We’re looking at ways of using biomass in engineering, but there is a level of natural deterioration in these products that is still not fully understood.”

In the study, researchers conducted a number of experiments to determine if and when mould will grow on bio-materials and how it might affect the final product.

“When we bring microbiology into engineering, it raises some extra questions; some questions we’ve never thought about before,” says Crawford. “But because we’re now using biological matter, we have to think of fungal growth and how this fungal growth will affect a product.”

The research team examined flax and hemp fibres alongside other natural materials to determine what would happen over time to these fibres. They created ‘fibre sheets’ and then added fungi to some, water to others, and left another group of sheets untreated.

Crawford says they are not surprised that the materials grew mould; the idea of the project was to determine the types of environment where the fungal spores would grow and then test mechanical properties of the affected materials. The team conducted a variety of tests examining them for strength, stiffness, or the amount of energy that can be absorbed before the materials failed. They also used scanning electron microscopy to take an extreme close-up of the interior of the sample to determine fungal growth patterns, examine fractures, and failure zones.

“It was a huge experiment and we found that in both the hemp and flax fibres, when no fungi were added, we still had fungi growing,” Crawford adds. “Basically, when raw natural fibres are exposed to high relative humidity, mould will grow and the potential for premature structural failure can occur.”

Crawford says that this susceptibility to mould growth is important for supply chains and factories to understand and manage in order to ensure they’re creating robust products.

“Bio-composites made from natural fibres are good for both the environment and the economy and could help usher in the next revolution in manufacturing. More inter-disciplinary research of this kind is vital to producing high-quality and durable bio-materials that help make that leap.”

The research was recently published in Materials and was partially funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Nature et technologies. It was conducted in collaboration with Sepideh Pakpour, Negin Kazemian, John Klironomos, Karen Stoeffler, Denis Rho, Joanne Denault and Abbas Milani.

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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Kratom may be valuable tool in addressing epidemic

As the opioid crisis in Canada reaches alarming new heights, claiming the lives of 2,800 Canadians in 2016, new research suggests that the controversial psychoactive plant kratom could help provide the relief patients, clinicians, and policymakers are looking for.

The study, led by researchers at UBC’s Okanagan campus and the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), reviewed 57 years of international scientific data and determined that kratom has a substantial history of use as an alternative to opioids, and that it may also help manage withdrawal symptoms among people trying to reduce their opioid use.

Kratom is a tropical plant form of the coffee family that grows in South East Asia and has been used medicinally for centuries.

However, according to Zach Walsh, associate professor of psychology at UBC Okanagan and co-author of the study, the use of kratom is not without controversy.

“Over the past decade we have seen increasing interest in kratom as an effective way of easing pain and curbing opioid use,” says Walsh. “We are concerned that this potential might be overlooked amongst the hysteria and misinformation that often accompanies the emergence of an unfamiliar plant-based drug that does have some potential for misuse.”

Study lead author Marc Swogger, associate professor in URMC’s department of psychiatry, agrees. He says that clinicians and the public are receiving conflicting or confusing information that seems to be unfounded.

“This study clarifies that there is no good scientific basis for claims that kratom causes psychosis, suicide, or violence, and the available data do not indicate that kratom is a significant public health problem,” says Swogger.

According to Walsh, many individuals are being left behind without effective alternative treatment as many of the current approaches to addressing the opioid epidemic are falling flat.

“We need to explore all options, and our findings suggest it’s time to carefully examine the potential of this ancient plant,” says Walsh. “Our review suggests that kratom is not as powerful or addictive as widely used opioids and is far less likely to lead to fatal overdoses. We would be remiss not to take a closer look.”

The study was published recently in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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Toxin found in Cyanobacteria during periods of bloom

A new study from UBC’s Okanagan campus has found that BMAA—a toxin linked to several neurodegenerative diseases—is present in high concentrations during cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Winnipeg.

“Cyanobacteria blooms have become increasingly common in Lake Winnipeg since the 1990s,” says Susan Murch, associate professor of chemistry at UBC Okanagan and study lead author. “These bacteria have also been known to produce BMAA under the right conditions and we wanted to establish whether this could be happening in one of Canada’s largest and most important freshwater lakes.”

Murch says BMAA has been associated with everything from Alzheimer’s to ALS and can have serious public health implications if it permeates food and water supplies.

“It’s very difficult to detect BMAA directly in water samples using current methods,” says Stephanie Bishop, a graduate student in chemistry at UBC Okanagan and study co-author. “We decided to look for its presence in the cyanobacteria itself using samples collected from across the lake with the help of our partners from the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium.”

Murch and Bishop analyzed samples collected in July and September of 2016 and found that BMAA was present in highest concentrations in the areas of the bloom that are impacted by pollution and farming.

“Agricultural and human activities along with factors like climate change are very likely behind the increased size and frequency of blooms,” Murch adds. “We now know that with these blooms comes the very real risk of increased exposure to BMAA and the public health impacts that follow.”

She warns that cyanobacterial blooms are not isolated to Lake Winnipeg and that she would expect to see similar results in other freshwater lakes.

“We’re seeing a greater number of blooms in lakes in both the US and Canada. Especially in the Great Lakes region,” she says. “It wouldn’t surprise me to see BMAA in cyanobacteria from lakes that serve a huge number of people.”

“We hope that an increased awareness of risks of BMAA along with a better understanding of the human impacts on algal blooms will help us better manage the potential consequences to public health.”

Susan Much is an associate professor of chemistry at UBC Okanagan.

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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UBC Okanagan is embarking on the largest fundraising campaign for students in its 12-year history. The Blue & Gold Campaign for Students aims to raise $100 million across both UBC campuses over three years to give promising students access to a life-changing education.

“Donors in the Okanagan have already played a crucial role in building our campus and shaping what it is today,” says Deborah Buszard, Deputy Vice-chancellor and Principal of UBC’s Okanagan campus. “We are equally committed to building greater supports for students to ensure the best and the brightest from near and far have access to a world-class education right here in the Okanagan, regardless of financial circumstances.”

The Blue & Gold Campaign for Students will support a range of student awards, including scholarships, bursaries, and experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. The awards will support students in need, students from under-represented communities, and leadership-based awards.

Tushar Dave, a recipient of the Deepak Binning Foundation Community Builder Scholarship and now a third-year undergraduate in medical biochemistry and molecular biology at UBC Okanagan, is one student who is benefitting from a UBC donor-funded award.

“The biggest factor for me was getting a UBC education here at home. I live in Kelowna and it is wonderful for me to have a UBC world-class education at my doorstep” said Dave. “Scholarships allow me to focus on what matters most: my studies. It’s important to continue supporting students so that we can give back to our communities. So that we can go to work and actually make a change in the world.”

Haley Seven Deers, a third-year history and anthropology student at UBC Okanagan, is another.

“These awards are truly life-changing for students,” said Seven Deers, who received a UBC Okanagan Aboriginal Entrance Award. “Every bit, no matter how small or large that you donate is going to have a huge impact on people’s lives. And not just on the students, but on all the people they will affect later in their careers. It’s such a beautiful thing that has such a far-reaching impact within society.”

UBC is providing matching funds of up to $5 million for new endowed donations to select Blue & Gold campaign priorities, which include bursaries and renewable entrance awards for students with high academic standing, known as Presidential Scholars, as well as for outstanding students recognized for their achievement and leadership who demonstrate financial need.

The campaign will also focus on the graduate student experience including opportunities to pursue research in collaboration with community partners and organizations to provide real-life applications for public benefit.

“The student awards that I have received have really helped me to focus my time and energy on engaging with communities in a meaningful way and also to focus on field work,” said Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz, a graduate student who studies wildfires at UBC in Vancouver. “My dream for the future is to help enable communities to co-exist with wildfire. Fire isn’t going away, but our people and our landscapes can be more resilient to fire and learn how to co-exist with it better.”

For information about the Blue & Gold Campaign for Students, visit: support.ubc.ca/blueandgold

About UBC’s Okanagan campus

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning in the heart of British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. Ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world, UBC is home to bold thinking and discoveries that make a difference. Established in 2005, the Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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