News
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UBC and McGill researchers stir up a supervolcano
May 29, 2008
Using Plexiglas models filled with corn syrup, researchers from UBC have simulated the collapse of a volcano’s magma chamber—a catastrophic occurrence that can turn ordinary eruptions into so-called supervolcanoes. "There’s currently no way to predict a supervolcano eruption,"… read more
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UK's Royal Society Honours Physics and Chemistry Professor
May 20, 2008
UBC physicist and chemist George Sawatzky has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, joining the ranks of eminent scientists such as Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton. Sawatzky has made major contributions to the understanding of the important transition metal… read more
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Unearthing a Giant in PEI
May 14, 2008
A blue whale skeleton preserved under the soil of Prince Edward Island for 20 years begins a cross-Canada journey this weekend, when a team of UBC scientists exhumes its remains. The massive 25-metre skeleton, once unearthed and properly prepared, will become the centrepiece exhibit of UBC&rsquo… read more
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Computer Science Graduate Students Receive Google Diversity Scholarship
May 8, 2008
Two computer science students from UBC are among 17 inaugural Canadian Anita Borg scholars and finalists. The memorial scholarships, awarded by the Internet search giant Google, honour Dr. Anita Borg, a computer scientist who worked to increase the participation of women and under-represented… read more
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BC's Next Generation of Scientists Descends on UBC Campus
April 9, 2008
UBC Science plays host to more than 300 high school students from across the Lower Mainland this weekend at the annual Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair. Entries will explore biotechnology, environmental science, computers, and the health and life sciences, and students will compete for fun,… read more
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UBC Students in Top 25 at Cyber Super Bowl in Banff
April 7, 2008
Computer science students from UBC ranked among the world's brightest at this year's International Programming Competition, placing 23rd in a competitive field of 100 teams. "I'm very proud of what the UBC students have accomplished," said Bill Aiello, head of the UBC Department of Computer… read more
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Physics and Astronomy Profs Honoured for Peer Review Work
April 1, 2008
Professors Ian Affleck and Douglas Scott-both with the Department of Physics and Astronomy-have been named 2008 Outstanding Referees by the American Physical Society. This is the inaugural issue of the designation, which will go to roughly 130 of the Society's 42,000 active referees each year. The… read more
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Stick Insects and Natural Selection: Zoology Post-Doc Helps Prove Darwin Right
March 29, 2008
A post-doctoral fellow with the Department of Zoology has conducted the first in-nature experiments that show environmental adaption accelerates the development of new species. "As far as advancing Darwin's theory that natural selection is a key driver of speciation, this is the first experiment… read more
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Zoology Researcher Donates Research Prize Money to New Biodiversity Museum
March 21, 2008
Sally Otto, the 2007 Steacie Prize recipient, will donate the $15,000 in prize money that goes with the award to UBC's new Beaty Biodiversity Museum. The museum, set to open in 2009 on the Point Grey Campus, will be the first of its kind in Canada--a public education centre that focuses entirely… read more
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A Blue Whale's Cross Country Journey to Vancouver
March 18, 2008
Researchers with UBC's Beaty Biodiversity Museum are working to bring Canada's first blue whale skeleton to British Columbia. It's no small task to transport the remains of a massive 85-foot whale from coast to coast—but scientists at UBC are working to do just that. A team from the… read more