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 4 8 | N U M B E R 1 2 | O C T O B E R 1 0 , 2 0 0 2

U B C R E P O RTS2 Royal Visit 3 UBC in the News 5 M yste ry Killer Fungus 9 Robo Fin 10 E u r e ka Moments 12 More Royal Visit Cove ra ge

On October 7, the Royal Couple

visited the UBC campus to cele-

brate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee

of 50 years on the throne.

This is the fourth time the

Royal Couple has visited UBC.

(more Royal Coverage on pages 2 & 12)

T H E R OYA L V I S I T

The Queen and the President :HRH The Queen and UBC President& Vice-Chancellor, Martha Piper, sharea moment during the plaque dedicationceremony at UBC’s Main Mall.

The (Now Royal) Engineers:UBC engineering students create another honorary engineer by presenting The Queen with her ownengineering sweater. It features the initials HRH on the sleeve.

The real crowd pleaser:The Queen wins more hearts (left) during her UBC walkabout. B.C.Premier, Gordon Campbell, escorts The Queen (right) as she makes herway along UBC’s Main Mall.

2 | ubc reports | october 10, 2002

During her UBC visit, the Queenunveiled a bronze book commem-orating her visit as part of theRoyal Jubilee celebrations. Thebronze depicts the Jubilee Emblem,the B.C. Coat of Arms and theUBC Crest and it dedicates thenaming of a special room in theQueen’s honour in the Irving K.Barber Learning Centre. Thebronze book will be on permanentdisplay in the room.

Ornamental Bronze Limited, a75–year–old, Va n c o u v e r- b a s e dcompany that specializes in memo-rial and dedication plaques, creat-ed the bronze for the Queen’s ded-ication. The Company has devel-oped statues and projects forVancouver City Hall (the CaptainVancouver statue), the GastownClock, the Coat of Arms for theB.C. Parliament Buildings inVictoria and numerous plaquesaround UBC campus. ■

Queen dedicates bronzebook as a tribute to literacy. BY KATE JOBLING

This year’s Royal Visit was not the first the Royal Couple has made tothe UBC campus during the past 50 years of The Queen’s reign.

In October, 1951, the then Princess Elizabeth and HRH, The Duke ofEdinburgh arrived in time for Homecoming festivities and watched theirfirst Canadian-style football game in Thunderbird Stadium.

In July, 1959, The Queen opened the new Faculty Club on campus.The University took advantage of that trip to announce the newly fundedHR MacMillan Scholarship for graduate students.

In March, 1983, The Queen again visited UBC. Her Royal Highnessand Prince Philip visited several of the university’s significant sites includ-ing the Museum of Anthropology, the Asian Centre and the HealthSciences Centre Hospital. ■

Royal Couple Repeat Visits to UBCThis was their fourth time.

The Queen’s Dedication

Despite the flurry of activity on campus during the past few weeks, TheQueen’s visit was treated like the visit of any other dignitary or, indeed,similar to what is done for congregation.

“We have not been doing anything that we don’t normally do exceptperhaps moving up the schedule on the repainting of the lamp posts andremoving some of the more obvious campus graffiti,” said UBC FacilitiesManager, Doug Napier. “We’ve also dedicated more bodies to working thenorth end of the campus, which is where the Queen’s visit to campus wasfocused.”

“Quite frankly, there’s not much we had to do to the campus. The clean-liness of UBC grounds on any given day is still much better than any pub-lic plaza in London,” said Napier.

For many of UBC’s almost 40,000 students, the Queen’s visit was busi-ness as usual. No buildings were shut and no classes were cancelled. ■

Ground Crews Worked toRoyal DeadlineFresh paint and clean walls greet the Queen.BY KATE JOBLING

Queen Elizabeth and PremierGordon Campbell get their firstlook at a bronze book commemo-rating the royal visit and theQueen’s commitment to raisingawareness about the importanceof literacy. Below: Local schoolchildren present a royal bouquet.

Mounties in red serge greeting a smiling royal couple have become a common sight at UBC.

Some UBC onlookers include: UBC Board Member Ben Pong; Ike and Jean Barber and Chancellor Allan McEachern; Eilis Courtney, UBC Ceremonies and RCMP Staff Sgt. Bar ry Hickman.

Kids can jump their wayto strong bonesSomething as simple as jumping offand on to low platforms can make achild’s bones stronger. It can beaccomplished in as little as 10 min-utes, three times a week, andre q u i res nothing more high-techthan platforms 10-50 centimetres inheight, UBC Asst. Prof. of HumanKinetics Heather McKay told theNational Post. However, bone thatis not stressed in exercise can losedensity, so the children will have tomake exercise a lifetime habit tokeep the benefit, McKay said.

More foreign studentschoose UBCApplications by foreign studentswanting to attend UBC are up 43per cent this year, to 4,029 from2,814 last year. Don We h r u n g,director of UBC’s international stu-dent initiative, attributes part of theincrease to fallout from the Sept. 11terrorist attacks in the U.S.

“The U.S. is sending a signal thati t ’s being more circumspect ingranting student authorizations.For international students, the per-ception is that it will take longerand they’ll have a harder time.”Wehrung told the Vancouver Sun.He added that Canadian schoolsare also benefiting from years ofmarketing themselves overseas,from relatively inexpensive tuitionand living costs and from the goodreputations many Canadian schoolshave abroad.

All fat is not badCanadians can look forw a rd togreater flexibility in tailoring a dailydiet that appeals to them but alsofits a healthy lifestyle, according toa major North American nutritionstudy released yesterday. UBC Foodand Nutrition Prof. Susan Barr,who led a re p o rt subcommittee,told the Toronto Star that the reportmakes it clear that a healthy dietdoes need some fat. The report byCanadian and U.S. scientists recom-mends wide ranges for healthy lev-els of carbohydrates, fat and pro-tein to provide the necessary dailycalories for normal eating.

Schools of higher earningYears of putting off much-neededmaintenance work and rising enrol-ment levels have made universitiesabout as desperate for cash as fresh-men at a year-end pub crawl.Considering how poorly equitiesare performing, pension funds andinsurance companies have vora-ciously gobbled up the universitydebentures – rated as investmentgrade by the various bond agencies– as a safe way to invest in theirown futures. UBC’s associate treas-urer Peter Smailes told Canadian

Highlights of UBC Media Coverage in September 2002. COMPILED BY MICHELLE CO O K

UBC Reports is published monthly by the UBC Public Affairs Office310 – 6251 Cecil Green Park RoadVancouver BC Canada V6T 1Z1

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Brian Lin brian.lin@ubc.caKate Jobling kjobling@exchange.ubc.ca

Hilary Thomson hilary.thomson@ubc.ca

AdvertisingCristina Calboreanu mccalbor@exchange.ubc.ca

B u s i n e s s magazine that havingbonds allows UBC to go aheadwith projects without donations.“Donors see that, and they want tocome in.”

The debenture issues range insize from $125 million at UBC to$225 million at Concordia inM o n t real. So far, only fourCanadian institutions have issuedbonds: UBC, Concordia, U of Tand York University.

UBC positioned to be aglobal leaderUBC President Martha Piper’skeynote address to 800 part i c i-pants of the Sept. 4 GlobalCitizenship conference was reprint-ed on the Vancouver Sun editorialpage. In it, Piper said 9/11 was aharsh wake-up call, and if we areto live in one world we must allassume and fulfill our responsibili-ties as global citizens.

“This is a fight that a university,every university, must join. And,we believe that the University ofBritish Columbia, located in one ofthe world’s most culturally diverseand tolerant cities and linked to thew o r l d ’s most advanced re s e a rc hand educational institutions is ide-ally positioned to assume a leader-ship role,” Piper said.

Unfriendly fire in the Far EastA year after 9/11, the search forculprits and co-conspirators inSoutheast Asia has yielded meagreresults. UBC Director of Canada-Asia Policy Studies Paul Evans toldthe Far Eastern Economic Reviewthat the U.S. war on terrorism hasmeant less to Southeast Asia thanthe 1997 regional economic crisis.

With ruling political parties tak-ing advantage of the U.S. anti-ter-rorism programme for their own

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purposes, “the overall result is amore conservative order” in east-ern Asia, says Evans.

Wine Library opensUBC’s newest library doesn’t haveany books in it, only thousands ofbottles of wine donated from B.C.and around the world. The collec-tion in the Wine Library, part ofthe UBC Wine Research Centre,will help researchers evaluate howwell B.C. wines age and how theyc o m p a re to other intern a t i o n a lvarieties.

“ We only select those [B.C.wines] that have the potential toage and we approach the wineryand they donate 24 bottles of eachwine and we put it in here and ageit in the temperature- and humidi-t y - c o n t rolled conditions. Everyyear we taste one bottle and wealso analyze a bottle from that lineusing sophisticated analyticalmethods,” explained UBC Pro f .Hennie van Vuuren, the Centre’sdirector, to Global TV.

UBC economist one of Canada’s bestA Toronto Star business re p o rtcalls UBC Economics Prof. JohnHelliwell “one of a handful of trulyable economists” that “Canada isfortunate in having.”

“Helliwell deserves attention notjust because he has outstandingeconomic credentials but alsobecause he is an innovative thinkerwhose research often ends up lead-ing to conclusions quite differentfrom conventional wisdom,” saidthe Star’s economics editor DavidCrane.

UBC remembers 9/11The Global TV Noon News Hourbroadcast live on Sept. 11 fromU B C ’s Robson Square campus,w h e re a memorial was held toremember those lost on Sept. 11,2001.

In acknowledging the tragica n n i v e r s a ry, UBC Pre s i d e n tMartha Piper told those assembled,“As a university, I think we see theonly way that we can respond oract is through increased knowledgeand understanding and developinga sense of respect and trust as acommunity. So our role is really toeducate the future citizens of theworld.”

Can Lit’s man of themoment

In an article about the release ofthe The Encyclopedia of Literatur ein Canada, the book’s editor, UBCEnglish Prof. Bill New, told theVancouver Sun he’s ready for crit-ics who point out omissions in thebook. “I’d be delighted to hearfrom anyone who feels that anentry ought to be added.” ■

ubc reports | october 10, 2002 | 3

M a rtha Piper told the Va n c o u v e rS u n 9/11 was a harsh wake-up call

IN THE NEWS

UBC REPORTS

4 | ubc reports | october 10, 2002

Colin Campbell will build a brain trust of U.S. specialists at new centre.

Think you can learn all you need toknow about the United States fromwatching the West Wing? Thinkagain says the head of UBC’s newU.S. Studies program in theFaculty of Arts.

How has the terrorist attack ofSept. 11 affected American Studiesresearch?

It’s had a vast effect. If you backup, we had a period of uncertaintyabout whether Bush was going tobe president. He took office amidvery serious questions about thelegitimacy of his mandate. Initially,the administration advanced veryquickly in its core agenda items,but then it began to drift. ThenSept. 11 happened and that galva-nized support for the president.

Because of concerns for home-land security, the U.S. is placingvery serious challenges at the matof its allies with regard to individ-ual rights and protections. ForCanada, where the Charter ofHuman Rights has only existed for20 years, we’re under tremendouspressure to reverse course by thenation that provided us with theexample of a Charter of Rights tobegin with.

In addition, we’re dealing withan attitude toward trade which hasbecome considerably more protec-tionist than anybody would havethought in such a small time frame.With the momentous shift inAmerica’s view of external reality,we have to make myriad adjust-ments in our own perceptions oftrade relations, national securityand even human liberties.

It sounds like an ideal time to bestarting an American Studies pro-gram.

I think most people realize that

we can’t be ostriches in regard tothe United States. Even before9/11, people in the business com-munity and anyone in a leadershipposition in Canadian society hadto be aware of the U.S. UBC’s pro-gram has a strong rationale inde-pendent of the events of last year,but they have driven home moreclearly the need for a program likethis.

How is UBC’s U.S. Studies pro-gram unique?

It will be the only program of itssize in Canada. We hope to pro-vide a location for leading scholarsto do cutting-edge research. Ourobjective is to fund seven researchchairs in U.S. studies. This willprovide the critical mass for morefocused undergraduate and gradu-ate training in U.S. Studies. Forinstance, we could offer under-graduates majoring in other fieldsbut who have a strong interest inthe U.S. the opportunity to do aminor concentration in U.S.Studies. I have begun consultingwith interested Arts facultyd e p a rtments about developingsuch a curriculum.

Recently, the U.S. has opted outof some high-profile internationali n i t i a t ives like the InternationalCriminal Court and Kyoto Accord.Will our knowing more about theU.S. make a difference?

I think it has made a hugeamount of difference already. TheCanadian diplomatic core hasp roven to be historically verysavvy about how to do businesswith the U.S. and how to negotiateand lobby on Capitol Hill. InWashington, the CanadianEmbassy has an exceedingly goodreputation for its effectiveness. In

fact, senior British diplomats havealways used the CanadianEmbassy as a model. Now thatother embassies are figuring outthis type of diplomacy, Canada isgoing to have to understand theU.S. political system even better tobe taken seriously.

The U. S . has been Canada’sneighbour for a long time. Why isthis kind of program only appear-ing now at a Canadian university?

When I was teaching at YorkUniversity during the ’70s, therewas strong anti-Americanism dueto the Vietnam War. Apart from

the war, there was stro n gCanadian nationalism, and majorconcerns about U.S. ownership ofCanadian industry and media, andso the mood was quite different.

Now, we’re formally integratedwith the United States with respectto trade. However much youmight object to free trade, it’s partof our institutional frameworkand that’s unlikely to change. Withthe current war on terro r i s m ,we’re being asked to achieve ahigher degree of military integra-tion with the U.S. If it’s not man-aged properly by our leadership, it

The face of Chinese mental health-care is changing rapidly with theadoption of evidence-basedapproaches to diagnosis and treat-ment in place of traditional Chinesemedicine and treatments importedfrom the Soviet era.

The interest of Chinese cliniciansand re s e a rchers in psychologicalwork at UBC began in the early1990s. Mental health professionalsf rom the Suzhou PsychiatricHospital and Hangzhou Universityapproached UBC psychologist andpsychiatrist Dr. W. John Livesley,then head of the Dept. ofPsychiatry.

This past July, a group of UBCpsychologists were invited to the1,000-bed Anhui Pro v i n c i a lHospital in Hefei to give a series ofworkshops on the re s e a rch andt reatment of mental disord e r s .Lying west of Shanghai, Hefei isabout the size of Vancouver, and isa major industrial centre andresearch base in China.

Unlike psychiatric depart m e n t sin many Canadian hospitals,Chinese hospital departments aret ruly interd i s c i p l i n a ry. AlthoughChinese mental health practitionersare keen to adopt Western methodsof diagnosis and tre a t m e n t ,Western practitioners can benefit

by learning about Chinese systemsfor integrating mental health care.

In July a series of meetings andseminars at Anhui hospital wasorganized to discuss Western andChinese approaches to mental dis-orders. Dr. Kerry Jang from theDivision of Behavioural Science,UBC Dept. of Psychiatry, Dr. AmyJaneck, Clinic Director at the UBCDept. of Psychology, and Dr.Steven Taylor, from the Division ofBehavioural Science in the UBCDept. of Psychiatry, all made pre-sentations.

Academic exchanges are impor-tant to Chinese hospitals becausethey help fulfill criteria Chinesehospitals need to be upgraded bythe Chinese government. Anhuimental health workers have askedto visit UBC next year in order toextend their training in psychiatricdiagnosis and treatment. Theseexchanges provide unprecedentedo p p o rtunities for cro s s - c u l t u r a lresearch. This kind of research hasi m p o rtant implications for theCanadian health-care system asC a n a d a ’s population becomesincreasingly multicultural. ■

Steven Taylor is a professor andKerry Jang is an associate professorboth in the Dept. of Psychiatry.

UBC Psychologists ForgeLinks With ChinaBY STEVEN TAYLOR & KERRY JANG

could very substantially reduce thesovereignty of our country. If peo-ple don’t mobilize some sort ofinterest, then they’re going to wakeup one morning and see that if theydidn’t like free trade, they certainlyw o n ’t like the new Nort h e rnCommand. ■

A Calgary native, Colin Campbellcomes to UBC from GeorgetownU n ive rsity in Wa s h i n g t o n , D. C.where he taught for 19 years. Heholds a Canada Research Chair inAmerican Studies with expertise onthe U.S. presidency.

BY MICHELLE COOK

Colin CampbellFive Questions for

Ed.’s Note: The following is a submission to UBC Reports by membersof the Dept. of Psychiatry following their recent trip to China.Annual General Meeting

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

The 2002 AGM will be held at the Robson Square campus, celebrating

UBC’s accomplishments of the past year and our expanded downtown

presence. Dr. Stephen Jarislowsky, CEO of Jarislowsky Fraser & Co. Ltd.,

will be the guest speaker.

The entire proceedings will be Webcast – all staff, students

and faculty are invited to view and participate in the event.

There will be an opportunity to submit questions to the speakers and

university administration via the Webcast .

Monday, October 21 12:15 – 1 p.m.

Link to the Webcast from 12 noon onwardon October 21 at www.ubc.ca

ubc reports | october 10, 2002 | 5

Ike BarberDonates $20 Millionfor LearningCentreMajor expansion plannedfor Main Library

UBC’s Main Library will be trans-formed into a revolutionary newlearning centre thanks to a $60-million gift from UBC alumnusand B.C. entrepreneur Irving K.(Ike) Barber, Founding Chairmanof Slocan Forest Products.

The B.C. government will con-tribute $10 million to the $50 mil-lion Centre, and both donationswill be matched by UBC.

The Irving K. Barber LearningCentre will be constructed aroundthe core of the Main Library, toadd more than 18,000 new squaremetres of inside floor space andtwo square kilometres of outsidespace to the facility, all fullyequipped to support wireless tech-nology.

Once complete, the Centre willbe the first facility in Canada tointegrate information re s o u rc e s

and services and interdisciplinaryl e a rning support facilities underone roof. It will be open andstaffed 24 hours a day, seven daysa week.

The Centre will house “smart”classrooms, open computer labs,seminar rooms, distance learnings u p p o rt activities, and some ofU B C ’s interd i s c i p l i n a ry learn i n gprograms such as Arts One andScience One. The Centre will boasta laptop loan program for UBCand community users, Canada’sfirst automated storage andretrieval system for the library’sprint collection, and a fireproofand climate controlled vault for thelibrary’s rare books, archives andspecial collections. ■

Irving K. Barber graduated fromUBC in 1950. He says his careerhas left him with“disposableincome” that he would like toshare with the people of B.C.

How did a potentially lethal fungusspread by koala bears end up onVancouver Island? That’s the mys-t e ry that UBC re s e a rcher Kare nBartlett is trying to unravel.

Bartlett, an assistant professor inthe School of Occupational andEnvironmental Hygiene, has beentraveling since March to VancouverIsland tracking down Cryptococcusneoformans var. gattii. It is a micro-scopic yeast typically found in euca-lyptus and other tropical and sub-tropical trees. It started showing upon the Island in 1999 – the first timeever the tropical fungus has beenfound in a temperate climate.

When fungal spores are inhaled,they can produce a rare infectioncalled cryptococcosis. Affecting thelungs and nervous system, symp-toms include prolonged cough andweight loss and the infection cansometimes lead to potentially fatalmeningitis or swelling of the brain.

About 59 cases, including twofatalities, have been diagnosed onthe Island since 1999 – an incidencehigher than anywhere else in theworld. More than 35 cases in petsand wildlife have been diagnosedsince 2000.

Although health risks associatedwith the fungus are low, physicianswere educated about the diseasethat is complicated by patients innorthern climates having no anti-bodies to fight the infection.

“This is a fascinating puzzle for aresearcher,” says Bartlett, who is anexpert on fungi and building mate-rials. “It’s exciting to be so directlyinvolved in finding out how this dis-ease is spread and to be working ina natural lab out in the forest.”

The mystery started in late 1999when Island veterinarians identifiedan unusual airborne infection in lla-mas, ferrets and other animals.Samples were sent to the B.C.C e n t re for Disease Contro l(BCCDC) in Va n c o u v e r. UBC,BCCDC and the Vancouver IslandHealth Authority have been work-ing together to deal with the prob-lem.

Reports of illness originated onthe east side of the Island andB a rtlett has tested trees fro m

UBC Research Unlocking the Keyto Mystery Killer FungusNo one knows yet how it got here. BY HILARY THOMSON

Parksville and Rathtrevor Beach toVictoria. She is examining samplesof tree pulp taken from holes creat-ed by birds and insects and alsotesting bark and the air around thetrees.

Eucalyptus did not show evi-dence of the organism but someDouglas Fir, arbutus, Garry Oak,big-leaf maple, cedar, alder and bit-ter cherry have tested positive forthe fungus. While the yeast hasactually colonized in some of thetrees, nearby trees may also havetested positive simply due to wind-blown spores landing there .Bartlett has tested trees in NorthVancouver and the Sunshine Coast,all of which have been negative.

She suspects birds may carryfungal spores from tree to tree. Shehas also found that the yeast sur-vives well in salt water, which sug-

gests other methods of transmis-sion.

Future investigations will look atthe range of the fungal spore s ;determine if the fungus is alwaysp resent or seasonal; and gaugeexposure risks for people workingwith infected trees, lumber or woodproducts.

“We’re going to see more unusu-al infectious diseases because of cli-mate change, increased mobilityand other factors,” says Bartlett,who is the recipient of a 2003Scholar Award from the MichaelSmith Foundation for HealthResearch. “We need to take thee n v i ronment seriously, allocateresources and make changes to keepthe next generation safe.”

For more information check theB.C. Centre for Disease ControlWeb Site at www.bccdc.org. ■

The UBC Learning Exchange is presenting two free concerts fea-turing 20 performers from the community and UBC’s School ofMusic on Oct. 19 and 21.

This is the second year for I love the Downtown Eastside – anuplifting coming together of musicians, actors and poets to explorethe theme of love in their community through poetry, music andpersonal testimonials.

Performers celebrate the beauty, value and worth of friends andneighbours who they feel have been marginalized by society simplyby living on the eastside of Vancouver. Despite this rather serioustheme, the show takes the opportunity to poke fun at locationswhere ‘the needle raptors’ converge and celebrates the residents’artistic expression in the form of homemade crack pipes and back-alley graffiti art.

I Love the DTES was developed and produced by the SavageGod Theatre Company. Producer Donna Wong-Juliani says theshow started as a pilot project to bring arts and culture to the heartof the city and it is back by popular demand. This year’s perform-ance has been re-worked to include more music, specifically per-formers from UBC’s School of Music at the Point Grey campus.

“There is so much in the news about people who live in theDowntown Eastside, but we never hear or see stories through theireyes. That’s why we decided to pursue this,” says Wong-Juliani.

I Love the DTES will be staged on Saturday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m. atUBC’s Robson Square Campus and on Monday, Oct.21, 12 noon,in the Dodson Room (adjacent to the Chapman LearningCommons) at the Main Library of the Point Grey campus. ■

Uptown Meets Downtown

in Free ConcertsMusic of the streets mingles with UBC Music School

BY KATE JOBLING

Students and faculty launched theU n i v e r s i t y ’s 2002 United Wa ycampaign with a lunch-time BBQat the Student Union Building’sSouth Plaza on Sept. 25.Organizers say the event raised$480.00 towards this year’s over-all campus campaign goal of$400,000.

With its successful kick-offbehind, the campaign takes off infull force throughout the monthof October.

“A number of universitydepartments have planned fund-raising and aware n e s s - r a i s i n gevents to take place throughoutthe month, ” said DeborahAustin, United Way’s UBC cam-paign chair. “And we’re hopingthat all students, faculty and staff

United Way Launchwill participate in the manyevents.”

Events in October include aFriday noontime speaker series inthe Faculty of AgriculturalSciences, a custodial BBQ at theLand and Building Services build-ing, a Pancake Breakfast hosted bythe Health Sciences group and aBake Sale put on by the Faculty ofEducation.

This year’s United Way drive oncampus is expected to incre a s eemployee participation by at leastsix per cent over last year. Driveo rganizers say that staff shouldhave received their pledge cards bynow. For pledge card inquiries con-tact UBC’s United Way office at822-8929 or go to: www.unitedway.ubc.ca■

Karen Bartlett samples B.C. trees for deadly tropical fungus

6 | ubc reports | october 10, 2002

Peter Hochachka

Pe ter Hoch a ch ka OC, PhD,LL.D, FRSC died at his home inVancouver on Sept.16 cared forby those he loved the most: hiswife Brenda and his children,Claire, Gail and Gareth. Withhis family’s unfailing support,Peter had waged a gallant battleagainst cancer with a fortitudeand good humour that was aninspiration to his many friendsand colleagues.

Peter was born in Bordenave,Alberta in 1937 and was intro-duced to the wonders of natureby his father and grandfather.He cre d i ted his gra n d fa th e rw i th te a ching him “to seen a t u re” and his fa ther withte a ching him “to understa n dit.” We are all the beneficiariesof the fruit of these childhoodexperiences.

Peter became Canada’s fore-m o st zoologist, and one ofthose most fortunate of scien-tists able to weld a researchcareer with a national and inter-national career in science, com-munication and service. For thishe received many awards, buttwo were especially dear to hisheart: the Fry medal from theCanadian Zoological Societ ybecause of the influence F.E.J.Fry had on his re s e a rcha p p ro a ches and philosophy,and the Order of Canadabecause it represented the sum-mation of his achievement. Hewore the ‘snowflake’ faithfullyand with great pride.

Peter was the father of thefield of adaptational biochem-istry, which was described in aS c i e n c e rev i ew of his re c e n tbook with George Somero(Biochemical Adaptation) as“ h ow molecules make orga n-isms work best within their owns p e c i f ic enviro n m e n tal condi-tions.” Adaptational biochem-istry is Peter’s legacy to science,Canada and the world.

Peter recognized the implica-tions of his research in areas farb eyond narrow disciplinaryboundaries. He provoked andfacilitated interactions betweenpure and clinical research fields,becoming one of the world’sleading th e o reticians ond e fense mechanisms aga i n stlow oxygen. This resulted in anumber of cross appointmentsw i th departments at UBC,including the Prostate Centre atVGH. The latter association ledto a groundbreaking paper onthe hypoxia connection inp ro sta te cancer with his sur-geons as co-authors.

Peter was the most peripatet-ic of scientists. The world wasboth his laboratory and his lec-ture hall. He dealt in superla-tives; the fastest swimmer, theslowest walker, the fleetest flyer,the highest climber, the deepestdiver and, with colleagues andstudents, he put a girdle roundthe globe in search of new sub-jects, spreading the scientifi cwo rd, igniting ideas with hisi n fectious enthusiasm, anda l ways f inding yet furth e ravenues to pursue.

Peter was one of a kind. Lifewas an adventure and cancerwas a new challenge, ultimatelyleading Peter to ack n owl e d gehis future assignments in afarewell to his colleagues: “tocheck out the concept of paral-lel universes and the implica-tions of enta n g l e m e n t .” Thatwas Peter, and he will be sorelymissed.– DR. DAVID R. JONES

Dr. David R. Jones is a professorof Zoology at UBC and was along-time friend and colleague ofDr. Hochachka’s.

Males get pregnant. Couples dancedaily after dawn. A tail holds yourhand.

Welcome to the curious world ofthe seahorse and the fascination ofProf. Amanda Vincent.

The new Canada Research Chairin Marine Conservation, Vincenthas recently arrived at UBC fromMcGill University. She calls the sea-horse a charismatic rallying pointfor advocacy and action.

“These curly-tailed little beastsact as a flagship for marine conser-vation issues,” she says. “To savethe seahorse, we must save theseas.”

Vincent is the first biologist tohave studied seahorses underwater,the first to document their tradeand the first to start a seahorse con-servation program.

At UBC she will work at theAquatic Ecosystems Researc hL a b o r a t o ry. Now in the designphase, the unit will be located onMain Mall and will include theFisheries Centre that Vi n c e n tdescribes as ‘world-class’ and a bigpart of her decision to come toUBC. She also looks forward to thei n t e rd i s c i p l i n a ry possibilitiesoffered by the Faculty of GraduateStudies.

The co-founder and director ofan international group calledProject Seahorse, Vincent leads ateam of 35 biologists, social work-ers and other professionals – as wellas Filipino villagers and scholars –working in eight countries promot-ing marine conservation.

Eight team members moved withher from McGill and three morestudents will commute regularly toUBC.

Their re s e a rch has five majorthemes: biological research; manag-ing marine populations and fish-eries; monitoring and adjustingconsumption of marine life; devel-oping conservation policy; and edu-cating and promoting awareness ofthe need for conservation.

Thanks to Vincent’s efforts, 160countries will vote in November onan international proposal to man-age seahorse trade. Countries trad-ing in seahorses include Canadaand the U.S. with the larg e s texporters being India, Philippines,Thailand and Vietnam. Vincent andher team work with both fishersand consumers to establish sustain-able use of the seahorse.

Found in tropical and temperatewaters – as far north as Baja-California on the west coast – sea-

horse numbers are declining rapidlydue to habitat loss, accidental cap-ture in non-selective fishing gearand sales for traditional medicines,aquariums and curios.

There are about 300 species inthe seahorse family, including seadragons, pipefishes and pipe horses.Ranging in size from less than aninch to a foot in length, they havethe ability to change colour to cam-ouflage themselves. In addition, aprehensile tail allows them to gripand anchor themselves to seaweedand underwater plants to hide frompredators. They feed on live foodsuch as brine shrimp, which theysuck through their snout.

And most intriguing from ahuman perspective, only the malebecomes pregnant.

Pairs of most seahorse species aremonogamous and re i n f o rce theirbond with elaborate early morningg reeting dances involving colourchanges, promenades and piro u-ettes. Eggs are fertilized in themale’s brood pouch. He providesoxygen and nutrition throughoutthe 10-40 day-pregnancy beforegoing into labour.

One of Vincent’s favourite sea-horses is James, a Caribbean sea-horse that she studied while atCambridge. James took the recordfor re p roduction when he gavebirth to 1,572 babies from a pouchabout half a teaspoon in size.

This is the Year of the WaterHorse, according to the Chineselunar calendar, and Vincent hopesto co-operate with Va n c o u v e r’sChinese-Canadian community toadvance marine conserv a t i o n .Traditional Chinese medicineaccounts for the largest consump-tion of seahorses.

Canada could show more leader-ship in marine conserv a t i o n ,Vincent says. In issues such as eco-logically sensitive aquaculture, sus-tainable fisheries and the establish-ment of marine protected areas, thiscountry’s track record is poor.

“Marine conservation is every-o n e ’s re s p o n s i b i l i t y,” she says.“Oceans are in crisis and we needto engage urgently on nearly everyissue.”

Designed to build Canada’sresearch capacity, the federal gov-ernment will invest $900 million tosupport the establishment of 2,000Canada Research Chair positions atCanadian universities by 2005.UBC now has 58 faculty membersdesignated as chairs from a totalallocation of 156 positions. ■

University Women’s Club of VancouverOPEN HOUSE

Wednesday, October 9 from 5:30 - 8:00pm

The University Women’s Club of Vancouver is part of a nation-al and international organization of women graduates. Its objec-tives are to stimulate intellectual activity, promote an interest inpublic affairs and educational issues, and to enjoy fellowshipand social activities. We support education for women throughscholarships and bursaries and are involved in community out-reach programs.

The club is located in Hycroft, a beautiful heritage house. Wewelcome women graduates of any university or college whoenjoy friendship, intellectual stimulation and social activities.Come and find out what the club has to offer potential members.

RSVP604-731-4661 Email: uwcvanc@telus.net

University Women’s Club of Vancouver at Hycroft1489 McRae Avenue (at 16th & Granville), Vancouver

Saving the Seahorse by Saving the Seas

UBC prof starts first seahorse conservation programBY HILARY THOMSON

ubc reports | october 10, 2002 | 7

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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.

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

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Here is the perfect alternative for a stay in Va n c o u v e r. 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 Va n c o u v e r, the West Coast Suites is a wonderful retreat from

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Former UBC PresidentKenneth Hare RememberedMeteorologist guided university through stormy seas

It was the ’60s, one of the most turbulent times inUBC’s history, when Dr. F. Kenneth Hare succeed-ed Dr. John B. Macdonald to become the universi-ty’s fifth president.

It was a time when protesting students acrossNorth America were demanding a greater say inuniversity affairs. It was a time made worse at UBCby rising enrollment coupled with some facilities soovercrowded and out of date that Hare wouldeventually dub them “deplorable.”

Those who were close to him remember him as agentle man who probably was quite surprised todiscover what was waiting for him at UBC. As soon as he arrived he waspresented with a document from students that outlined their dissatisfac-tion with many aspects of university life and called for substantial changesin the way the university functioned.

The conflicting pressures of the job soon took their toll. On Jan. 31,1969, just a year and a half after he accepted the presidency, he resigned.In his letter of resignation he said that he had found the job impossible fora man of his temperament.

A native of England, Hare came to UBC from London where he wasMaster of Birkbeck College of the University of London. In addition toUBC, his academic career included 19 years on the faculty of McGillUniversity where he was dean of arts and sciences. He was a professoremeritus in Geography at U of T, a recipient of the Order of Ontario and11 honorary degrees and was Chancellor of Trent University and Provostof Trinity College.

An internationally respected environmental scientist, he was known forhis expertise in the disposal of nuclear waste and global warming. He waswell known for his work in the field of meteorology and was the author ofa widely used textbook on climatology The Restless Atmosphere. Helen,his wife of 49 years, says her husband’s most treasured skill was singingbass in the church choir.

Born in Wylye, Wiltshire in 1919, he died peacefully at his home inOakville, Ontario on Sept. 3. ■

We stand corrected

In the interest of historical accura-cy, I wanted to clarify the claimmade in the Sept. 5, 2002 issue ofUBC Reports in the article “UBCLaunches its First On-line Master’sDegree.” UBC actually launched itsfirst two on-line master’s degreesthis fall; which was “first” isarguable. Both are innovative andboth were developed collaborative-ly with partner universities in othercountries. While the article focusedon the Masters of Educational

O U R R E A D E R S W R I T ETechnology (MET) developed byUBC and Tec de Monterrey inMexico, it failed to mention thenew MEd in Adult Learning andGlobal Change (ALGC) thatreceived Senate approval at thesame time as the MET and alsoenrolled its first students this fall.

The ALGC program was devel-oped collaboratively with theUniversity of the Western Cape inSouth Africa, LinköpingUniversity in Sweden and theUniversity of Technology, Sydneyin Australia. The cohort enrolled

this fall includes 40 students fromAustralia, Austria, Canada,Iceland, Mauritania, Netherlands,South Africa, Spain, Sweden, andThailand.

M o re information about thisp rogram can be found atwww.edst.educ.ubc.ca.

Thomas J. Sork, Professor andGraduate AdvisorDepartment of Educational StudiesFaculty of Education2125 Main Mall, UBC(604) 822-5702 ■

Local HighSchool

StudentsOfferedMentors

UBC mento ring opport u n i-ties for local high school stu-dents will soon be made avail-able via a web-based servicecalled UBC Mentor Centre.

The virtual centre is beinglaunched this month and isdesigned to help teacherssecure mentoring experiencesfor their students.Opportunities include guidedgroup visits, supervised use oflab equipment, and e-mailconsultations with facultymembers on school projects.

Originated by Asst. Prof.Jane Roskams of the Dept. ofZ o o l o g y, the gateway We bsite will also be linked toother community learn i n gresources.

UBC Mentor Centre is apilot project of the VancouverSchool Board and the facultiesof Medicine and Science.

For further information orto volunteer as a mentor, con-tact Lucia Wilson at lwil-son@cmmt.ubc.ca. ■

8 | ubc reports | october 10, 2002

Helping Canadian soldiers over-come the effects of post-traumaticstress disorder (PTSD) and makethe transition to a civilian career isthe aim of a three-year study head-ed by UBC counselling psycholo-gist Marv Westwood.

A $104,000 grant from theSocial Sciences and HumanitiesR e s e a rch Council (SSHRC) willallow Westwood and colleagueProf. Bill Borgen to evaluate theTransition Program for Canadian

Peacekeeping Soldiers, a gro u p -counselling program that helaunched in 2001.

“Little research has been doneon how exposure to traumatizingevents affects soldiers’ ability tomake the transition to home andwork life,” says Westwood, whoworks in the CounsellingPsychology program in the Facultyof Education.

He will work with three groupsof 6-8 soldiers that have served aspeacekeepers and as soldiers inVietnam. The original program hasbeen expanded to include a careerstrategies component as well aspartner awareness sessions.

Westwood will evaluate the pro-gram’s immediate and long-termeffects through personal interviewsand questionnaires conductedbefore and after participation inthe program and at a six-month

follow-up. The results will helpcounselors better understand theprocess of change and transition inthe aftermath of traumatizingevents, he says.

Peacekeeping soldiers areexposed to events such as atrocitiesand torture, and retrieving and dis-posing of human remains. Theyexperience stress-related reactionssuch as PTSD at rates as high as 35per cent, says Westwood. Leftu n t reated, these reactions may

result in aggressive behaviour,troubled relationships, withdrawaland depression.

“ R e t u rning peacekeeping sol-diers have not been well-served byexisting counselling pro g r a m s , ”says Westwood. “We hope thisresearch will help develop thera-pies that recognize the significanceof their experiences.” ■

Apple festThe UBC Botanical Garden’s pop-ular Apple Festival takes place Oct.19–20 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thisyear there will be more than 35varieties of apples for sale and 50varieties of apples available totaste. Other activities include applecider pressing and grafting demon-strations, face painting, and a har-vest marketplace. Admission to theg a rden is free. The BotanicalG a rden is located at 6904 SWMarine Dr. For more informationcall 604-822-9666. ■

Helping TraumatizedSoldiers cope with

Civilian LifeT h ree-year study looks for answers. BY HILA RY THOMSON

Left untreated, these reactions may result in aggressive behaviour, troubled relationships,

withdrawal and depression.

k u d o sNew Garden Directo rQuentin Cronk took the helm asdirector of the UBC BotanicalGarden and Centre for PlantResearch on Sept. 1.

Cronk,who comes to UBC fromthe Royal Botanic Garden,University of Edinburgh, is interna-tionally renowned for his researchon flower form,the conservation ofrare plants on oceanic islands, andplants in the African Violet andGinger families. He has collaboratedwith researchers in universities andbotanical gardens in Australia,NewZealand, Sweden and the UnitedStates.

Cronk was educated atCambridge University and his mostrecent research work in Edinburghhas been focused on understandingthe evolution and biodiversity ofvascular plants.

UBC’s Botanical Garden is theoldest university garden in Canadaand contains a worldwide collectionof plants from temperate climates.

Help for ChildrenA UBC-based research partnershiphas received $2.5 million from theB.C. Ministry of Children and FamilyDevelopment to improve under-standing of early childhood devel-opment.

The Human Early LearningPartnership (HELP) is an interdisci -plinary network of faculty,researchers and graduate studentsfrom B.C.’s four major universities.Directed by Dr. Clyde Hertzman, aprofessor of Health Care andEpidemiology, HELP will trace howa child’s environment affects learn-ing,social,emotional and behav-ioural development.

By linking university, governmentand community programs through-out the province, the project willserve as the centre of B.C.’s earlychildhood development researchefforts.

For more information on HELP,visit the website at www.earlylearn-ing.ubc.ca. ■

ubc reports | october 10, 2002 | 9

T H E VA N C O U V E R I N S T I T U T EFREE SATURDAY NIGHT LECTURES AT UBC

FA L L P R O G R A M 2 0 0 2

The third series of an annual lectureship in honour of William John Laing

Globalization, Religion & C u l t u r ewith Peter Berger

November 5–6, 2002Free & Open to the Public

Join Regent College in welcoming world-renowned sociologist Peter Berger to the University of BritishC o l u m b i a ’s campus for this three-part lecture series that will examine how the current phenomenon ofglobal pluralism impacts culture and religion. One of the most interesting writers on religion and society,Berger has played a key role in issues of development, public policy and the role of religious belief in them odern world. Regent College professors Loren Wilkinson, Craig Gay a n d Paul Helm will provideresponses following each lecture.

Visit <www.regent-college.edu> and click on “conferences and events” for more informa -t i o n .

Questions?E-mail: conferences@regent-college.eduPhone: 604-224-3245Toll free: 1-800-663-8664

Dr. Peter Berger has written numerous bookson sociological theory, the sociology of reli-gion and Third World development. Dr.Berger is Professor Emeritus of Religion,Sociology and Theology at Boston Universityand currently serves as Director of theInstitute for the Study of Economic Cultureand the Institute on Religion and WorldAffairs.

Tuesday, November 5, 8:00 pm Globalization and Cultur eTotem Park Residence Commonsblock, UBC

Wednesday, November 6, 12:00 pmGlobalization and ReligionTotem Park Residence Commonsblock, UBC

Wednesday, November 6, 8:00 pmTheological Implications of GlobalizationThe Chan Centre, UBC—free tickets areavailable from the Chan Centre box office

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UBC ALUMNI

Illuminating AchievementUBC Alumni Association8th Annual Alumni Achievement Award DinnerNovember 14, 2002Fairmont, Waterfront HotelCall 604-822-3313 for details.

The Annual Alumni Dinner was a Fall tradition in Vancouver from the early 1920s until the changing timesof the ’60s brought them to an end. The Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street was the venue of choice,and grads can tell stories of meeting future wives and husbands at the dance.

The modern day series of annual dinners began in 1995 with the first Alumni Achievement Dinner at theVancouver Hotel. This year’s dinner will be held at the Fairmont, Waterfront, and will honour UBC gradsand friends who have achieved great things at this university and in the community.

Join us in “illuminating achievement” at this year’s dinner.This year’s award winners are:Victor Ling, PhD’69, Alumni Award for ResearchRoy MacLaren, BA’55, Alumni Award of DistinctionHaig Farris, BA’60, LLD’97, Blythe Eagles Volunteer Leadership AwardSusan R. Harris, Faculty Citation Wallace Chung, DSc’94, Honorary Alumnus AwardMartha C. Piper, Honorary Alumnus AwardGarde B. Gardom, QC, BA’49, LLB’49, LLD’02, Lifetime Achievement AwardMiranda Lam, LLB’02, Outstanding Student AwardJanice J. Eng, BSR’85, Outstanding Young Alumnus

Victor Ling, PhD’69Dr. Ling is an international star in medical research.He was part of the team, with Michael Smith andFred Sanger, that pioneered a method for rapidlysequencing DNA, leading to the human genomeproject and breakthroughs in genetic therapies. Hiscurrent research focusses on molecular mechanismsthat render chemotherapy ineffective. He is assis-tant dean, Cancer Research, in the Faculty ofMedicine, and a professor in the departments ofB i o c h e m i s t ry and Molecular Biology, andPathology and Laboratory Medicine.

A LU M N I S P OTLIGHT >

D o n’t be alarm e d if you spotsomething fishy in the basement ofthe Hennings Building. It’s justRobo-Ray, a robotic fin built by ateam of UBC Engineering Physicsundergraduates looking for a bet-ter method of underwater propul-sion.

Renee Boileau, Lilian Fan andTim Moore created Robo-Ray lastyear. The little electromechanicalfin won the Engineering PhysicsDept. prize for top senior projectbut its potential to influence futuresubmersible designs is what hasreally sparked interest.

“What we were trying to dowas find a way to move under-water that is more efficient than apropeller,” says Boileau. “The rayfish is flat and skinny and doesn’tcarry a lot of energy but it canmove fast. It’s incredibly powerfuland graceful, and we were lookingfor a way to mechanize a robot

Is That a Fin in the Water?Robo-ray points the way to better

underwater propulsion. BY MICHELLE COOK

that would swim through the waterwith similar grace.”

By mimicking the flapping andrippling movements, called rajiformmotion, that rays use to swim, itmay be possible to design moreflexible, energy-efficient unmannedsubmersibles for use in oil riginspections, ocean floor surveys andeven wildlife conservation activities,Boileau explains.

The team’s choice of fishstemmed, in part, from a projectdone by some Physics students and,in larger part, from Boileau’s long-time fascination with rays – some-thing she acquired from watchingocean researcher Jacques Cousteauon television.

Using re s o u rces in theEngineering Physics Project lab,Boileau along with Moore, anaspiring naval architect, and Fan,the team’s electrical whiz, beganexperimenting with cables, motors,gears and pulleys to re-create a fin.

“It got very bulky very quicklybecause rays have many bones,”says Boileau, who took a zoologicalphysics course to help understand aray’s physiological structure.

The team’s breakthrough camewhen Fan found an unusual type ofwire while surfing the Web. CalledShape Memory Alloy, the wire’sp ro p e rties allow it to contractwhen heated – perfect for mimick-ing the muscles of a swimming ray.

The group fitted a fin-shaped

piece of yellow sailcloth with aseries of shape memory wires, andran electricity through them in atimed sequence to produce theflapping motion of a ray on themove.

Robo-Ray was born. A big challenge was getting the

fin to “behave” by controlling thewires’ shape and their heat up/cooldown rate, says Fan. But the biggerquestion was: could Robo-Rayswim?

The team took it to the B.C.Research Inc. 66-metre tow tankon campus and released it.

It took to water, well, like a fish. Although the members of Team

Robo-Ray all graduated in spring2002, the trio plans to continueworking with current undergradu-ates to build a more complexmodel with better propulsion. Asfor Robo-Ray, it’s still lurkingsomewhere in the depths of theHennings Bldg. ■

Engineers Renee Boileau and Lilian Fan hoist their robotic creation

10 | ubc reports | october 10, 2002

Kishor Wasan (top), JaymieMatthews and Indira Samarasekerarecall the moment when it all madesense.

L e gend goes that whenA rchimedes discovered how tomeasure the volume of an irregularsolid and thereby determine thepurity of a gold object, he jumpedout of the bathtub, running intothe street, buck naked, yelling“Eureka! I have found it.”

While slightly less dramatic,some UBC re s e a rchers’ eure k amoments are no less inspiring.

“For me it happened at about 3a.m. when I was feeding my niece,”remembers Pharm a c e u t i c a lSciences Assoc. Prof. KishorWasan, who was doing research onhow hydrophobic drugs interactwith plasma lipoproteins. “Inoticed how the baby was suckingon the nipple, in a sort of pursedlip motion, and it hit me that thedrugs partition the lipoproteins ina pursed movement. The nextmorning, I woke up and read mynotes and was delighted that itwasn’t gibberish. It actually madesense.”

For VP Research IndiraSamarasekera, whose area ofresearch is continuous casting ofsteel, a baffling moment quicklyturned into an unexpected discov-ery when she realized that not onlywas the shape of the mould impor-tant but the dynamic interactionwith the newly solidifying shellwas a factor, too.

“The results were exactly oppo-site to our predictions based on theshape of the mould alone,” recallsSamarasekera. “But we tested thenew theory and it paved the wayfor a set of changes in the designand operation of continuous cast-ing moulds that led to qualityimprovements.”

Physics and Astronomy Assoc.P rof. Jaymie Matthews’ eure k amoment consisted of absolutelynothing.

“My colleagues and I had com-pleted an ambitious program tomonitor the subtle brightness vari-ations of a rapidly pulsating mag-

Eureka Moments in ResearchWhen the light goes on. BY BRIAN LIN

netic star in a remote observatoryin the Andes Mountains of north-ern Chile in 1989,” says Matthews.

“We used two telescopes simul-taneously to capture the star’s radi-ation both in visible and infraredlight,” Matthews explains. “In ourvisible-light observations, we wererewarded with the expected sig-nal.”

“In the infrared, we saw – to usea technical term – diddly-squat.”

“It’s been almost 13 years sincethose observations,” saysMatthews. “Last month, Ireviewed a South African PhD stu-dent’s thesis, which was inspiredentirely by that null result. In thiscase, finding nothing was one ofthe most satisfying discoveries wecould have ever hoped to make.” ■

What makesa goodresearcher?BY BRIAN LIN

Curiosity, persistence and an openmind are some of the traits UBCresearchers tell us make a goodinvestigator.

“As a researcher, we’re seekingthe truth about everything that’saround us,” says PharmaceuticalSciences Assoc. Prof. KishorWasan, who also heads the facul-ty’s summer student research pro-gram. “Never try to prove yourhypothesis, just try to test yourhypothesis. Let your data showyou the way.”

Agricultural Sciences Assoc.Prof. Dan Weary says that thesecret in getting great ideas testedand into action is having a strongresearch team.

“Your productivity is only asgood as the people that you attractinto your research group,” saysWeary. “Give them the resourcesthat they need to make the projecta success.”

“Great ideas are good but oneneeds to really painstakinglydevelop and follow them,” saysCivil Engineering Prof. NemyBanthia.

“Curiosity, drive, and especiallypersistence,” offers PediatricsAsst. Prof. Christine Chambers.“You need to persist when youbelieve in your ideas, and whenothers – such as funding agenciesand journal editors – don’t.”

“Good imagination distinguish-es great re s e a rchers,” says VPR e s e a rch Indira Samarasekera.“To wrestle with the unexpectedand arrive at new understandingthat challenges old ways of think-ing is the crux of good research.”

“Keep you mind open and keepyourself up with the new informa-tion and techniques,” saysP s y c h i a t ry Asst. Prof. We i h o n gSong. “Be positive and do not beafraid of failure.” ■

Frustrated with slow-moving air-port security lineups?

A team of UBC studentre s e a rchers has a plan to makethose lines shorter and faster.

Consulting to the Va n c o u v e rI n t e rnational Airport Authoritysince January, the team designed asystem that could complete the pre-board security screening for 90 percent of passengers in less than 10minutes.

A group of five undergraduates,grad students, a faculty memberand recent alumni from a variety ofdisciplines conducted the project atU B C ’s Centre for OperationsExcellence (COE) in the Faculty ofCommerce.

“It was a big step from classprojects to professional consulta-tion,” says Bailey Kluczny, whograduated this spring with aBComm and has been involved inthe project as a work-study assign-ment. “I don’t know of too manyclassmates who have had the sameexperience.”

Kluczny – who served as theteam’s technical analyst – and otherteam members spent a lot of time atthe airport, observing the screeningprocess and collecting data.

They created process maps andbuilt an animated computer simula-tion of the process. It generates ani-mated passengers that movet h rough the simulated pre - b o a rd

UBC Researchers Find a Way toShorten Waits at Airport SecurityStudy suggests a better method. BY HILARY THOMSON

screening. The tiny figures repli-cate the number and timing of pas-sengers arriving for a flight, cover-ing everything from the passengerwho arrives an hour early to theperson racing to board with onlyfive minutes to spare.

“It has been so satisfying to beable to work on a project thatlooks at a real and current prob-lem,” says Kluczny.

Work on applied projects likethis encourages students to go onto graduate studies in operationsre s e a rch, adds Prof. Mart i nPuterman, COE director.

After adding a floor plan andanimation, the team can see exact-ly what is needed to keep thescreening process moving smooth-

ly. The simulation has allowedthem to experiment with variousstaffing and demand levels to findthe optimal number of peoplerequired to do the job quickly ande ff i c i e n t l y. In addition, theylooked at the best way to config-ure the staff working at the X-ray,luggage inspection and metaldetector stations.

Results from the simulationwere used to develop a staff sched-uling system for the pre - b o a rds c reening process. For a givenflight schedule, the team cand e t e rmine staff re q u i rements ateach of the airport ’s scre e n i n gpoints and what combination ofwork schedules are effective atminimum cost.

“This model is proving to be avery powerful tool for improvingthe overall process – it will defi-nitely be used in future planning,”says Paul Levy, director, Securityand Emergency Planning atVancouver International AirportAuthority.

The project has been presentedto the authority and may be pre-sented to the Canadian Air TravelSecurity Agency that was formedafter 9/11 to improve airport secu-rity.

The project was presented atU B C ’s recent Underg r a d u a t eM u l t i d i s c i p l i n a ry Researc hConference. ■

Research FundingHighlightsUBC consis tently per forms well in securing research funding. In2001/02 alone there was more than $260 million in research activ-ity at the university, including the following key peer-reviewedawards:CIHR: $33,066,902NSERC: $33,205,540SSHRC: $6,237,585CFI: $15,156,255

As well, UBC was awarded $76 million in Canada Foundationfor Innovation funding in the January 2002 round of grants. Thesefunds will support a variety of research projects from across thespectrum of the humanities and sciences. This grant from CFI wassignificantly higher than funding received by any other university.

Bailey Kluczny helped design aprogram to reduce YVR lineups.

ubc reports | october 10, 2002 | 11

Turning patients into pincushions when students are learning toinsert a needle may be a thing of the past once a UBC medicaltraining tool becomes available.

Currently in development, the computer-based virtual realitysimulator will help medical students master the art of needleinsertion in a safe and realistic environment.

“Medical students now have to learn the procedure throughtrial and error,” says Simon DiMaio, a PhD student in the Dept.of Electrical and Computer Engineering who is building the sim-ulator as his thesis project. “With an increasing number ofadvanced therapies being delivered by needle, it’s becoming crit-ical to be precise.”

The simulator has two components: an on-screen computermodel of tissue and a robotic arm no bigger than a shoebox. Themodel allows the student to see where the needle is going.Moving the robotic arm replicates the sensation of needle mov-ing through tissue to help students learn the degree of pressureand steering required to get the needle to its target site.

Biopsies, anesthesia and various cancer treatments require nee-dle placement to be accurate within millimetres. Surgeons mustguide needles that may be long and flexible through complexanatomy solely by feel and experience. Inaccurate placement canlead to significant complications such as biopsy false negatives,incorrect medication or radiation dose, longer procedure times,patient discomfort and tissue damage.

DiMaio and supervisor Prof. Tim Salcudean are developing thetechnology to include various types of needle and sites compris-ing complex layers of tissue. ■

UBC research offersmed students injection of virtual realityNew training tool is welcome news for patients.BY HILARY THOMSON

We often hear about the emotion-al trauma suffered by those wholose their jobs in mass layoffs, butdownsizing can be just as stressfulfor those left behind, and compa-nies need to address this for suc-cessful re s t ructuring, sayre s e a rchers in UBC’s Educationfaculty.

In a study being published thismonth, Education andCounselling Psychology professorsWilliam Borgen and Norm a nAmundson found that thosespared the axe during mass layoffsoften experience feelings of anger,fear, confusion and loss of controlsimilar to colleagues who losetheir jobs.

“To hear the sad and movingstories, the depth of that, and thestress of continuing to work in adownsized environment was a sur-

Research reveals downsizingsurvivors need support, tooTime to grieve and adjust essential for successfulrestructuring. BY MICHELLE COOK

prise because, in many ways, inour culture, we think they’re thelucky ones,” says Amundson.

The pair interviewed 31 down-sizing survivors working in gov-e rnment and private org a n i z a-tions in B.C., Alberta andOntario. Interviewees were askedto describe workplace incidentsthat either helped or hindere dtheir ability to cope in the sixmonths following layoffs.

While those interviewed oftenexpressed mixed feelings abouttheir situation, the number of neg-ative incidents they reported wasmore than double the number ofpositive incidents. Manyexpressed grief for those who hadbeen laid off, and felt resentmentand anger at employers for notgiving them adequate time to saygood-bye or acknowledge theloss.

The survivors told researchersthat watching how those laid offw e re treated had a pro f o u n dimpact on those left behind, rat-tling their sense of worth andtrust in their employer, and lead-ing them to question their hardwork, commitment and loyalty tothe company.

Borgen and Amundson foundthat increased workload and lackof adequate re–training and team-building exercises are other majorsources of stress for workplacesurvivors.

According to the study, whats u rvivors want most are goodinternal communications and asay in the re-shaping of theirorganization.

Some positive commentsemerged from the interviews, too.Survivors reported welcoming theopportunity to try new tasks, andappreciating the value of supportfrom family and friends duringthe restructuring period.

Borgen and Amundson will usetheir findings to help developemployee assistance pro g r a m sand other counselling materialsand services. Their recommenda-tions to companies underg o i n gdownsizing include focusing onthe survivors, making the transi-tion process transparent, givingemployees the information theyneed to make informed decisions,and offering teambuilding and re-training workshops for thoseremaining behind.

The study will be published inthe U.S. journal C a r e e rD e velopment Quarterly i nOctober. ■

Singing may not be considered ascience, but opera students canhold their own – not to mentionsome very high notes – when itcomes to research.

Preparing to perform an operarole involves more than memoriz-ing lyrics and costume fittings,according to Stephen Bell, Paula

MacNeil, Rhoslyn Jones and JustinWelsh. The students, all from theSchool of Music’s opera perform-ance program, presented operaticexcerpts at UBC’s re c e n tU n d e rgraduate MultidisciplinaryR e s e a rch Conference to demon-strate the work that goes intointerpreting characters on stage.

“I think there’s a perception thatopera singers don’t do research,”says Jones, who was the lead inMassenet’s Manon, performed byUBC’s Opera Ensemble during a

Opera Hits a High Note with ResearchSingers study characters, storylines and history. BY MICHELLE COOK

tour of the Czech Republic in June2002. “But it’s the perf o rm e r’sresponsibility to find out every-thing associated with their charac-ter and all the references that con-tributed to the composer’s writingof an opera.”

It’s a big task, even for thosewith smaller roles, and opera

singers can spend anywhere from afew months to more than a yearresearching their character and theopera they will be performing.

Work begins by reading thel i b retto, the opera’s text. Then,since most operas are based onmyths or historical events, per-formers hunt for the novels, poetry,plays, diaries and historicalaccounts behind the opera’s storyto help them get to know theircharacter and the time period.P e rf o rmers also look at how a

character has been interpre t e dbefore. For this, previous record-ings of an opera can be valuablebut, Jones says, “it’s sometimesdangerous because singers can tryto imitate what other singers aredoing and we can’t do that; wehave to create our own role.”

Most operas are sung in lan-guages other thanEnglish, and per-f o rmers must workwith a diction coachto get accents right.

“If you have a rolein Manon, [a Frenchopera] you can’tsound like you’ref rom Langley, ”Welsh laughs.“When you go onstage, the audiencehas to believe they’reseeing someone whospeaks French.”

And, say the fouraspiring stars, all thismust be done inaddition to actuallylearning to sing thepart.

Unlike other aca-demics, who keepwritten re c o rds oftheir research, all anopera singer mayhave to show fortheir hard work is arecording and, hope-

f u l l y, rave reviews. But Jones,Welsh, Bell and MacNeil agree thatre s e a rch and rehearsals are farm o re important than the actualp e rf o rmance. The academic andartistic value is in the process.

Upcoming performances by theUBC Opera Ensemble includeRossini’s Italian Girl in Algiers, inNovember, The Merry Widow, inD e c e m b e r, and Smetana’s T h eBartered Bride, in March 2003. Formore information, v i s i twww.music.ubc.ca ■

UBC opera singers Justin Welsh (centre) and Rhoslyn Jones (r) in character

Profs. William Borgen (l) and Norman Amundson help layoff survivors

Bull’s eye! Simon Di Maio’sinjection simulator will help students hit the mark

12 | ubc reports | october 10, 2002

More than 600 performers from12 different arts groups celebratedThe Queen during HRH’s recentvisit to campus. The performancesrepresented a number of nationsincluding Africa, Japan, Ire l a n d ,China, Bali and Canada’s FirstNations.

Vancouver-area Girl Guides andUBC-based artists also performed.But, it was the exotic acts that wonthe hearts of the campus crowd.From the Musqueam Warriors tothe Strathcona Chinese DanceCompany, fast-paced, high-energymusic and dance ruled the day.

The Masabo Culture Company,a group of traditional West Africanperformers, filled the air with driv -ing rhythms as they took centrestage and performed the Senouforite of passage and celebration of aboy from youth to manhoodt h rough a leopard mask dancecalled Boloye´.

Dancers, singers and Girl Guides part of the RoyalPageant. BY KATE JOBLING

Performers from Many NationsEntertain the Queen

60 performers from the StrathconaChinese Dance Company (above)perform fast-paced dance routines to the delight of the crowd and HRH The Queen.

Traditional step dancers from thePeggy Peat School of Dance perfor mon the Main Mall (left).

While the Queen and cro w d swatched performers outside, HRH,The Duke of Edinburgh spent sometime in the Walter C. Koern e rLibrary meeting with faculty andstudents from UBC’s Institute forR e s o u rces, Environment andSustainability.

The Duke was told about thehuman impact on Vancouver’s rap-idly growing and expanding regiont h rough a presentation on thee ffects of intensive agriculture ,c o n s t ruction of impervious sur-faces and the subdivision of ruralproperties throughout the LowerMainland.

HRH also was shown a modelpresentation on the impact of tech-nology and globalization on west

HRH, The Duke of EdinburghMeets Faculty and StudentsThe Duke briefed on West Coast environment issues BY KATE JOBLING

coast fisheries, which predicts theeffects of prolonged fishing on aparticular species and the conse-quences of other species groupswithin the food web.

A third presentation focused onthe coastal zone being transformedby the invasion of exotic plantsand animal species, which hasaltered the natural ecosystem. TheDuke was told that some marinemammals are among the most con-taminated animals in the globalmarine environment.

The presentation included infor-mation about B.C.’s coastal com-munities and how they are lookingat economic alternatives, includingecotourism, to replace their currentresource-dependent economies. ■

Taiko drummers beat out theirversion of celebration as Japaneseyouth from the Chibi Taiko grouph o n o u red The Queen. TheU n i v e r s i t y ’s Gamelan Ensembleperformed a ceremonial Balinesefanfare composed in a traditionalwelcoming style. (The music wascomposed by UBC’s Assoc. Prof. ofMusic, Michael Tenzer.) Hundredsof Girl Guides draped with flagsflanked the Queen as she made herway through the crowd in a briefwalkabout.

The perf o rmance ended withmore than 250 chorale singers –f rom the Magee SecondaryChamber Choir, the MountainSecondary School Choir, the UBCChoral Union and the UniversitySingers – singing a rousing rendi-tion of Canada: This is My Home –a patriotic piece that was composedand written for Expo ’86 by BobBradley and Brian Gibson. ■