News
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UBC-based math research and training network awarded $6.25 million
July 23, 2014
The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) has received $6.25 million in renewed funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The investment will help PIMS fund its scientific, training and industrial activities throughout Western Canada,… read more
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Researchers chart the ecological impacts of microbial respiration in the oxygen-starved ocean
July 23, 2014
A sulfur-oxidizing bacterial group called SUP05 will play an increasingly important role in carbon and nutrient cycling in the world’s oceans as oxygen minimum zones expand, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. University of… read more
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Mixed genes mix up the migrations of hybrid birds
July 22, 2014
Mixed genes appear to drive hybrid birds to select more difficult routes than their parent species, according to new research from University of British Columbia zoologists. "Instead of taking well-trodden paths through fertile areas, these birds choose to scale mountains and cross deserts," says… read more
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Atlantic salmon show capacity to adapt to warmer waters
July 17, 2014
Populations of Atlantic salmon have a surprisingly good capacity to adjust to warmer temperatures resulting from climate change, according to scientists at UBC and the University of Oslo. The finding adds to recent UBC-supported research on heat tolerance of Pacific salmon. The new study, a… read more
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John Demco, Canadian Internet pioneer, to receive honorary alumnus award
July 16, 2014
John Demco, the "godfather" of the Canadian Internet, will receive a UBC honorary alumnus award this November for his volunteerism and foresight in conceiving the dot-ca domain. Twenty-seven years ago, Demco, then a Computing Facilities manager in UBC's Department of Computer Science, established… read more
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High-performance weather forecasts for the Special Olympics
July 8, 2014
Extreme weather experts are using a station perched atop a UBC building and high-performance computers to provide tailored forecasts for the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games, being hosted at UBC this week. UBC researcher Roland Stull and his team are gathering the observations from equipment… read more
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New satellite data like an ultrasound for baby stars
July 3, 2014
An international team of researchers have been monitoring the “heartbeats” of baby stars to test theories of how the Sun was born 4.5 billion years ago. In a paper published in Science magazine today, the team of 20 scientists describes how data from two space telescopes – the… read more
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'Microbe sniffer' could point the way to next-generation bio-refining
June 30, 2014
A new biosensor invented at UBC could help optimize bio-refining processes that produce fuels, fine chemicals and advanced materials. It works by sniffing out naturally occurring bacterial networks that are genetically wired to break down wood polymer. "Nature has already invented microbial… read more
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Roger Beckie appointed head of EOAS
June 24, 2014
Roger Beckie -- an internationally recognized groundwater hydrologist -- has been appointed head of the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. The appointment is effective July 1, 2014 for a five-year term. Beckie earned his PhD at Princeton University in 1992 and joined UBC the… read more
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$2M RBC Foundation gift funds green tech, sustainable food systems
June 20, 2014
The University of British Columbia has received a $2 million donation from The RBC Foundation in support of a number of sustainability projects across its Vancouver campus. The gift, part of UBC’s start an evolution campaign, will be split evenly between The Centre for Interactive Research… read more