College of Graduate Studies

College of

GRADUATE STUDIES

Vancouver

The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the 40 best universities in the world. UBC’s entrepreneurial perspective encourages students, staff, and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery, and explore new ways of learning.

At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.

Kelowna

BOLD THINKING

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

TRANSFORMATIVE DIVERSECONNECTED

UBC’s Okanagan campus is a young and distinctive learning community earning international recognition for excellence in research and teaching. Our campus is a model for new ways of thinking about interdisciplinary and innovative programs.

We provide students with a university experience that is transformative, challenging, and competitive, and we are committed to scholarship that drives economic, social, and cultural change.

213 public events hosted

328 students worked on 37 community service learning projects

1,200+ students met with employers at UBC career events

2014 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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OUR STUDENTS

UNDERGRADUATE

7,530 GRADUATE

682

OK ANAGAN CAMPUS 5

A PORTAL FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENTUBC’s Okanagan campus delivers enriched educational experiences abroad through research, study exchange, and learning connections around the globe.

International experience opportunities abound: 20 per cent of UBC Okanagan graduating students reported participating in an international learning experience in 2014-15.

UBC students have access to exchange placements with more than 200 partner institutions. With a vast network of partners and collaborators worldwide, the impact of our research and learning is transformative and far-reaching.

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10,000+ STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF FROM 80 COUNTRIES

OUR STUDENTS COME FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND ACROSS THE REGION

FROM BC

60%OTHER CANADIAN

23%INTERNATIONAL

17%

OK ANAGAN CAMPUS 7

A CENTRE OF RESEARCH INNOVATION

TRI COUNCIL & CFI COMBINED AMOUNTS

UBC OKANAGAN RESEARCH FUNDING

$4M

$5M

$6M

$7M

$8M

‘09–10 ‘10–11 ‘11-12 ‘12–13 ‘13–14

FUNDING

$18.5M PROJECTS FUNDED

633

A collaborative, entrepreneurial spirit underpins UBC Okanagan research and is advancing discoveries in fields of critical importance globally and locally.

The Survive and Thrive Applied Research (STAR) initiative exemplifies this spirit of innovation with cutting-edge projects, including control software for unmanned aerial vehicles. STAR brings to market technologies for human protection and performance in extreme, remote, or rural conditions.

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A CENTRE OF RESEARCH INNOVATION Faculty of Applied Science,

School of Engineering

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Faculty of Education

Faculty of Health and Social Development

Faculty of Management

Faculty of Medicine, Southern Medical Program

College of Graduate Studies

8 FACULTIES AND SCHOOLS

PROGRAM OPTIONS

UNDERGRADUATE

63 GRADUATE

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14 RESEARCH CENTRES AND INSTITUTES

OK ANAGAN CAMPUS 9

The College of Graduate Studies at UBC’s Okanagan campus supports graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in attaining personal, professional, and academic excellence. Students are empowered to explore their research interests; challenge ideas and theories; innovate; and help create new knowledge, understanding, and expression.

The College provides oversight for graduate programs and, in collaboration with academic and administrative units, works to coordinate and maintain high-calibre master’s and doctoral programs.

The College advocates on behalf of students and graduate programs within the broader academic community. We seek to ensure an efficient, transparent, and responsive administration of graduate programs and awards—and to uphold the standards of the globally recognized UBC degree.

EMPOWERED TO EXPLORE

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We offer a range of workshops and events to enrich the career development of our graduate students. Our diverse graduate population enhances the overall graduate-student experience.

Our extraordinary graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, staff, and growing alumni are an integral part of UBC’s dynamic community of scholars, thinkers, and leaders.

COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES 11

UBC’s Okanagan campus offers 14 graduate degree programs, including Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies.

BIOLOGY (MSc, PhD) Research-based degree programs provide students with theoretical, practical, and analytical expertise, as well as experience in the application of scientific results to real-world problems. Students train to be leaders in identifying and addressing biological questions.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (MSc, PhD) Students partner with faculty to conduct world-class research in neuro-chemical biology, natural products metabolomics, inorganic catalyst synthesis, simulation science, glycobiology, and enzymology.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (MSc, PhD) This program combines a strong faculty research cluster with the natural living laboratory of the Southern Interior of BC. Students develop the necessary skills required to conduct independent environmental research.

EDUCATION (MEd, MA) Students are immersed in a community designed to promote critical thinking around contemporary educational issues. Personalized programming and transformative instruction allow students to select coursework relevant to their career path.

ENGINEERING (MEng, MASc, PhD) Students work both autonomously and collaboratively in hands-on engineering environments that integrate project learning and promote interdisciplinary thinking.

ARRAY OF OPTIONS

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ENGLISH (MA) Students learn and apply theoretical and practical tools involved in advanced literary studies in English. Graduates are prepared for a variety of professions that value strong communication skills and competence in writing and textual analysis.

FINE ARTS (MFA) Students undertake advanced practice in three specializations: Creative Writing, Visual Arts, and Interdisciplinary Studies.

MATHEMATICS (MSc, PhD) Graduate students have the opportunity to conduct research in three areas of specialization: Mathematical Biology and Differential Equations; Optimization and Analysis; and Number Theory and Algebra.

MANAGEMENT (MM) Designed for the working professional interested in co-managing their education, students engage with faculty and peers through experiential, online, and face-to-face learning over a 25-month period.

NURSING (MSN) Students are prepared to meet future health-care challenges and to provide outstanding evidence-based care and leadership in nursing through innovative teaching approaches and integrated practice experiences.


PSYCHOLOGY (MA, PhD) Grounded in an applied scientific model, this program provides rich opportunities for students to be mentored by a distinguished faculty in the areas of research, teaching, and applications of psychological science.

SOCIAL WORK (MSW) Students participate in a unique clinical, educational experience that incorporates critical theory into social work assessment and intervention. Students develop a deeper understanding of the integration of individual, relational, community, structural, and global factors that respect diversity, promote resilience, and strengthen capacity.

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CUSTOMIZED STUDYTHE INTERDISCIPLINARY GRADUATE STUDIES (IGS) program allows students the flexibility to tailor their course of study toward one degree at either the master’s (MA, MSc) or doctoral (PhD) level. Course and curriculum requirements provide the structure within the thesis-based program.

UBC Okanagan’s strategic commitment to interdisciplinary programming encourages study across disciplinary boundaries. Our campus size enables students to work closely with faculty across a variety of departments and disciplines.

Students choose to complete a themed option or an individualized program.

Themed options include:• Indigenous Studies• Optimization• Health and Exercise Sciences• Latin American & Iberian Studies• Urban Studies

Individualized options allow students to be flexible and pursue their interests. Students propose a program of study and research compatible with the research program and expertise of a potential supervisor.


Alysha Baker PhD student, Psychology

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THE REMORSE CODEPhD student Alysha Baker asks tough questions about truthfulness and deception

Natural curiosity. Getting comfortable asking why. These traits, combined with opportunities in applied research and supervising undergraduate students, transformed Alysha Baker from an admittedly timid psychology student into the 2015 Graduate Researcher of the Year.

Under the guidance of professor Steve Porter, Baker saw applied forensic research as her passion after taking only one course. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside UBC’s top forensic experts on research areas in psychopathy, criminal behaviour, and deception,” says Baker. What came from these research collaborations was a question the second-year PhD student wanted to decode: How can you detect whether someone is feeling genuine remorse, versus fake remorse, especially as it applies to the criminal justice system?

Baker hopes to find the answers by deciphering “behavioural coding” in communication channels such as body language, facial expressions, verbal content, and physiological changes. Her findings could be instrumental in the education of judges, parole officers, and legal decision makers: properly assessing the truthfulness of remorseful displays means more valid conclusions and rightful outcomes.

The ultimate outcome Baker wants from her UBC experience is a diverse career in consulting, teaching, and research—all the while still fielding questions and stoking her curiosity.

GRADUATE STUDENTS 17

FROM THE GROUND UPCamilo Peña’s marketing research explores all facets of Okanagan winemaking

Camilo Peña has found a supportive community—and a place to explore his passion—6,500 km north of home.

Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Peña was working as a Corporate Planning Analyst for a large Colombian food company when he became interested in sustainable development projects and furthering his academic career. “I am passionate about sustainability,” says Peña. “I’ve always been interested in consumer movements and ethical consumption behaviours, which all relates to my studies.”

He completed an MSc at Technológico de Monterrey, exploring coffee sustainability in Mexico and Colombia. That led him to the Faculty of Management at UBC’s Okanagan campus, where he’s researching marketing, consumer motivation, and social and environmental sustainability in the wine industry. “This was the first I heard about the Okanagan and even of wine being produced in Canada, which piqued my interest.”

Peña is now immersed in holistic knowledge-gathering in Okanagan vineyards and wineries: investigating water-use management, chemical and pesticide reduction, soil, fertilizer, and waste management, energy efficiency, and the promotion of biodiversity. He also plants and nurtures grape vines to fruition.

Peña credits the close-knit campus community and the instrumental support of his supervisor Annamma Joy for easing the transition to an entirely new society and viniculture.

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Camilo Peña PhD student, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies


Casey Hamilton MSc student, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies

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PASSION PROJECTSCasey Hamilton juggles roles as an anti-poverty advocate and sustainability activist

Life is something of a juggling act for Casey Hamilton, whose individualized program is Urban Agricultural Policy. Two years ago, she founded the Okanagan Tree Fruit Project, salvaging excess produce from backyard fruit trees. The 2014 tally surpassed 35,000 pounds, the volunteer base swelled to 400, and hungry families were fed as far away as Calgary.

Pursuing a Master of Science degree in urban agricultural policy at UBC’s Okanagan campus, Hamilton tackled poverty by analyzing urban landscapes, identifying barriers, and devising novel policy ideas. “I want to help people understand they have opportunities in life. You show them by doing, instead of just talking about it,” she says. The Okanagan Fruit Tree Project has become a policy plank in Hamilton’s master’s thesis.

A dietitian and research coordinator with Campus Health, Hamilton also established the Central Okanagan Food Policy Council in 2010 to ease poverty by developing resource sharing among non-profits. “Her professional training as a dietitian, coupled with her graduate studies research on policy change, is a dynamite combination,” says School of Health and Exercise Sciences Assoc. Prof. Alan Davidson.

“I want to take part in changing the system,” says Hamilton. “I’m a passion-project person. I think it’s important to put your efforts where your heart is.”


FLOWING FROM NEPALGyan Chhipi Shrestha researches urban water sustainability at a higher level

The Okanagan Valley is a long way from Nepal but Gyan Chhipi Shrestha followed his passion for urban water sustainability to UBC—“an Everest of higher learning,” he says. Growing up in Kathmandu he experienced a polluted, inadequate water supply, which galvanized him around the sustainable supply of clean water. Following his master’s degree in Environmental Science, specializing in water, Chhipi Shrestha taught the subject as an assistant professor at Tribhuvan University in the capital city.

“Water is my life,” he says. “Physically, water is flowing into my blood, and spiritually, water is flowing through me as well.” He says urban water sustainability is a core global need given that freshwater sources are shrinking from climate change, pollution, and over-extraction, while cities and populations are growing.

At UBC, Chhipi Shrestha is inspired by professors Kasun Hewage and Rehan Sadiq, experts in life-cycle sustainability analysis and water supply systems, respectively. Developing and then applying an analysis tool on the water-energy nexus to the water system in the District of Peachland, they’re devising a net-zero water community, which means a balance of incoming and outgoing water in quality and quantity.

“My knowledge, thinking horizon, and behaviour were changed by university studies,” Chhipi Shrestha says. “It made me optimistic about life.” It also taught him three key things needed for success: “Hard work, hard work, and hard work.”

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Gyan Chhipi Shrestha PhD student, Civil Engineering


Jennifer Leason PhD student, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies

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MATERNAL INSTINCTSDoctoral researcher sustains dialogue about women’s health, from India to the Okanagan

Jennifer Leason’s journey stretches from Saskatchewan to South Korea to India, where, as part of an NGO, she taught Aboriginal women basic midwifery skills to reduce infant mortality rates. There she recognized the parallels indigenous women across continents were experiencing in terms of disparities and inequalities. “I wanted to understand why,” says Leason, a mom who self-identifies as Aboriginal.

Focused on the Okanagan Valley, Leason’s doctoral research examines women’s reproductive health and their experiences of maternity, and the kinds of constraints, barriers, and discriminations that prevent them from accessing appropriate reproductive care.

Leason’s PhD goal was to understand women’s experiences from their point of view, and to contextualize the complex social and cultural issues that affect the health of Métis and First Nations women. Her analysis underscored a number of important issues, including the exclusion of subpopulations of Aboriginal women, the frequency of stressors, higher rates of post-partum depression, and the need for public health awareness and support.

Leason advocates for collective solutions at a community level. “Through dialogue,” she says, “we can gain an understanding of Aboriginal women’s maternal health priorities, issues, areas of focus and intervention, as well as identify gaps and next steps in research, policy, and programming.”


FINE ARTIFACTSVisual artist Jordan Bennett mixes modish and ancestral ideas, bridging the past and present

Jordan Bennett is a multidisciplinary visual artist who plays with juxtaposition, creating new ways of storytelling about Aboriginal art, pop culture, technology, and the notion of time. “In my culture there is no difference in age,” he says. “We all share stories. There is a mutual respect for everyone.”

From Newfoundland and Mi’kmaq descent, Bennett landed in BC after a residency at the Banff Centre. At a Kelowna art exhibit, he met his future UBC graduate supervisor, Stephen Foster—the kind of professor who supports student work outside of school. Bennett says, “That continual connection with the outside community is important to a future art career.”

Bennett is at ease at the Aboriginal Resources Centre, where, “as indigenous artists, we don’t have to explain ourselves.” Being at the MFA level, too, helps Bennett to concentrate on a particular body of work, such as a new series of laser-cut seal skins. He’s also carved skateboards into snowshoes and hunks of hardwood into working turntables.

Next he’s taking a large-scale interactive installation, Ice Fishing, to the 2015 Venice Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition. “It is a huge honour,” he says. “My artwork is about community and family, and being able to share my community with the world is an amazing opportunity.”

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Jordan Bennett MFA student, Visual Arts


CLOSE-KNIT CAMPUSAt UBC’s Okanagan campus, students join a close-knit learning community where open dialogue reaches across disciplines and departments, cultivating bold new ways of thinking.

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CAMPUS CULTURE

STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO

20:1 UNDERGRADUATE CLASSES WITH

FEWER THAN 30 STUDENTS

46%

STUDENTS IN ABORIGINAL ACCESS STUDIES PROGRAM SINCE 2007

223

STUDENTS LIVING ON CAMPUS

1,676

OK ANAGAN CAMPUS EXPERIENCE 29

A PLACEFOR EVERYONE

From nature trails and coffee spots to comfortable student collegia, UBC’s Okanagan campus continues to add spaces that support well-being.The workout and studio space in the new Hangar Fitness Centre complement athletic courts, fitness stations, and the Nonis artificial turf sports field.Such vibrant environments in our UBC community are places to learn, work, and play.

ATHLETICS AND RECREATION

GYMNASIUM SQ.M.

1,561 VARSITY ATHLETICS

TEAMS

12STEPS TO NATURE TRAILS

100

30

LIBRARY

SEATS

674 STUDY ROOMS

14COMPUTER

WORKSTATIONS

114


Nishat TasnimMSc student, Biology

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CONNECTING THE WORLDUBC master’s student Nishat Tasnim is an International Leader of Tomorrow

A cross-pollination of disciplines and knowledge is a pattern of Nishat Tasnim’s world experience. “I am passionate about connection,” she says. “I am interested in research projects and academic discourses that connect dots.”

Born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tasnim was a child of many firsts: first child to leave home, first in her family to travel to Canada, and first to attend university. She dreamed of studying in Canada; UBC’s International Leader of Tomorrow award made it a reality. “I was drawn to the idea of this learning community, and eager to find my home there as a member,” she says. “On campus, I met other international students experiencing the same enthusiasm.”

Programs such as Campus Life, Community Service Learning, International Programs & Services, RezLife, and more became Tasnim’s community. “The broad range of opportunities I have had to deepen my experiences as a student have also shaped my interests and helped me develop leadership and research skills.”

Now poised for master’s-level research in biology, Tasnim is grounded in the processes of transformation and self-actualization. “I feel empowered and supported as I continue to ask questions and learn about my place in the world,” she says. “I am proud to represent UBC Okanagan in that quest.”

GLOBAL COMMUNITY

PERCENTAGE OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

THAT ARE INTERNATIONAL

29%


UBC’s Okanagan campus is situated between Kelowna’s lively city centre and stunning mountains, lakes, and trails of the Okanagan Valley. Embark on a trail adventure, savour the freshest produce at farm-to-table restaurants, take part in the thriving arts scene, and enjoy year-round access to the great outdoors.

OASIS IN THE VALLEY

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SUMMER WARM AND DRY

25C

WINTER COOL AND CLEAR

-1C

2,000 hours of sunshine annually4 seasons of outdoor recreation: skiing, golfing, hiking, and water sports5 of Canada’s largest ski resorts within 3 hours135 km length of Okanagan Lake30 beaches, 200 freshwater lakes

OK ANAGAN VALLEY 35

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College of Graduate Studies