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 5 0 | N U M B E R 5 | M AY 6 , 2 0 0 4

UBC REPORTS

SPECIAL ISSUE: CONGREGATION 2004

Nobel Laureates Receive Honorary Degrees from UBC

From left: UBC President Martha Piper, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi and UBC Chancellor Allan McEachern.

More than 5,000new graduates willreceive their degree from Chancellor AllanMcEachern at UBC’s Spring Congregation, to be held May 26 to June 2. Both undergrad-uate and graduate degrees from all 12 facultiesand schools will be conferred at 22 separateceremonies at UBC’s Chan Centre for thePerforming Arts. In addition, nine honorarydegrees will be given. Since the first degreeswere granted in 1916, UBC’s global alumnicommunity has grown to more than 200,000.Congregation ceremonies will be web cast,allowing family, friends and alumni aroundthe world to participate in the celebration. Formore information about UBC’s Congregation ceremonies, visit www.graduation.ubc.ca.

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY: MARTIN DEE

Canada’s national newspaper called it “a one-of-a-kind traveling road show, and we may never see its likes again.”

The Globe and Mail reporter was referring to the historicvisit to UBC’s campus of three Nobel Peace Laureates. HisHoliness the Dalai Lama, the exiled leader of Tibet and thewinner of the 1989 peace prize, South African ArchbishopDesmond Tutu who won the prize in 1984 and last year’swinner Iranian human rights activist Shirin Ebadi all gathered at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Theyjoined other spiritual leaders in a three-hour roundtable discussion of the importance of balancing educating the

mind with educating the heart. They also received honorarydegrees from UBC.

The world visionaries came to Vancouver at the invitationof Pitman Potter, the director of the Institute of AsianResearch, and his colleague Victor Chan a close associate of the Dalai Lama. The event also marked the officialbeginning of a new program being offered by the institutecalled Contemporary Tibetan Studies.

Thousands of British Columbians were able to see theDalai Lama, many in person at the various events where hespoke and many more on television and web broadcasts. ■■

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Highlights of UBC Media Coverage in April 2004. C O M P I L E D B Y B R I A N L I N

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

UBC Reports welcomes submissions. For upcoming UBC Reports submission guidelines, please seewww.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/about. Opinions and advertising published in UBC Reports do not necessarily reflect official university policy. Material may be reprinted in whole or in part with appropriate credit to UBC Reports.

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Brian Lin brian.lin@ubc.caErica Smishek erica.smishek@ubc.ca

Hilary Thomson hilary.thomson@ubc.caApril Wilson-Lange aprilw@exchange.ubc.ca

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U.S. Ready to See Change inChina-Taiwan Status Quo U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary ofState Matthew Daley recently saidWashington is not opposed to achange in the status quo involvingarch foes Taiwan and China butany alteration must be peacefuland mutually agreed.

UBC political scientist PaulEvans says such remarks signal aU.S. desire to see the two resumetalks frozen since 1999 and thusease tensions created by moves bynewly re-elected Taiwan PresidentChen Shui-bian towards inde-pendence and Chinese threats torespond with force.

“I think it’s a shift not just froma year ago, but a shift from evena month ago,” Evans told ReutersNews.

“That is the most direct state-ment I have heard from a seniorAmerican official that the U.S.government will not supportTaiwan independence,” he said.

“In the past it wasphrased in slightly moreambiguous ways relatedto supporting a OneChina policy.”

UBC honours ThreeNobel Laureates Hollywood actressGoldie Hawn joinedhundreds of others inApril to see the DalaiLama and fellow NobelPeace Prize laureatesArchbishop DesmondTutu and Iranian humanrights fighter ShirinEdabi receive UBC hon-orary doctorate of lawdegrees.

“People are hungry foranswers,” Hawn told CP Wire.“The human spirit, I guess youcould say . . . we innately feel it’sdrying up.”

Hawn, who lives in Vancouverwith husband Kurt Russell, saidpeople are more willing now toembrace the Dalai Lama’s mes-sage of compassion.

“I watch all political processesaround the world,” she said.“They’re driven by fear, the needto dominate. They’re driven byego, the need to conquer and pos-sess. These are all very dangerousthings we need to get over.”

3,000-Year-Old Story a New Pop Cult HitHollywood director WolfgangPetersen’s production of Troy willbe released next month amid pre-dictions that with a $200-millionU.S. budget, a timeless story andthe likes of Brad Pitt and PeterO’Toole headlining, the film can’thelp but be a blockbuster.

But the Hollywood hype isbeing preceded on all sides by aflood of renewed interest in theepic poem about the clash of twocultures that is one of the best-sellers of the past 3,000 years.

The appeal of Troy is eternal,but the film has helped pique even more interest, UBC classicsand archaeology professor HectorWilliams told The OttawaCitizen.

Williams knows of at least threeTroy documentaries in the mak-ing, all timed to coincide with therelease of the film.

Svend Robinson’s Fall From GraceNDP MP Svend Robinson tearful-ly confessed in a news conferenceto “pocketing” an expensive pieceof jewellery.

While no charges have yet beenlaid by police and the diamondring — valued in a report byBCTV as high as $50,000 — hasbeen returned to the Vancouverauction house, Robinsonannounced he won’t run for re-election in any near-term cam-paign and will be taking a medicalleave from his duties in theCommons.

UBC political scientist PhillipResnick said Robinson’s longrecord of zero-to-60 moral out-rage may be coming back tohaunt him.

“He’s sometimes taken posi-tions that have put his own partyin embarrassing situations andother times has actually been thestandard-bearer,” Resnick told CPWire. “There was a side of Svendwhich played to that very moraliz-ing, high moral road on broadissues of public policy.” ■■

Dr. Alan Bernstein, president of the Canadian Institutes of HealthResearch (CIHR), will visit UBC May 17-21 to meet with membersof the university’s research community.

In the inaugural CIHR Visiting Presidency at UBC, Bernstein willparticipate in an open forum on Monday, May 17th at 3 p.m. tobuild relationships with investigators at all levels. He will alsodescribe CIHR’s plans for the future and opportunities forresearchers.

For more information on the forum, visit www.research.ubc.ca . CIHR is Canada’s major federal funding agency for health

research. UBC attracted more than $42 million in funding fromCIHR in 2002/03. ■■

The Inaugural CIHR VisitingPresidency at UBC

Dr. Alan Bernstein, OC, PhD,FRSC CIHR Visiting President

Goldie Hawn was in the audience to seethe Dalai Lama at UBC.

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Yuka Asada has learned a lotsince she started her under-graduate degree at UBC in1999. And it’s not all schoolrelated.

Like many first year students, Asada, 22, didn’tknow what she was going todo with her life when shestarted university.

“I thought about wildlifepreservation,” says Asada,who graduates this monthfrom the Faculty ofAgricultural Sciences’ food,nutrition and health program,“but I didn’t have any ideasand I didn’t know what myoptions were.”

It wasn’t until she took the Nutrition Concepts andControversies course in second year that Asada foundher calling. “It was the firstcourse that really sparked myinterest and I felt compelledto learn more about it.”

But this was only the firststep of her journey.

Feeling she needed tobroaden her horizons further,Asada went to SophiaUniversity in Tokyo, Japan in her third year as part ofUBC’s Student ExchangeProgram. “I learned so muchabout myself the year I wasaway.”

One of the things shelearned was that she lovedteaching. To make some extramoney, Asada taught Englishat a local school.

“I enjoyed motivating people to learn and tailoringlessons to each student,” she recalls.

Wanting to share some of

UBC was a Journey of Self-discovery for Dietetics GradYuka Asada found her calling. B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

her knowledge and insights,Asada worked as a StudentAmbassador in her finalsemester at UBC, educatingVancouver students about thedifferent programs availablethrough Agricultural Sciencesand creating awareness aboutissues related to land, food

and the community.“A program like this would

have really helped me when Iwas in high school,” says theVancouver resident.

The next step on Asada’sjourney is a one-year internshipat RoyalColumbian Hospital in New Westminster. ■■

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Yuka Asada grabs a healthy snack her for her journey. Nutrition was the first course to spark her interest.

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While growing up in Saskatchewan, TamaraStarblanket of the Ahtahkakoop First Nation experi-enced oppression and racism first-hand. That’s whyshe wanted to study law.

“I saw the unfair way indigenous people weretreated by the legal system, the school system and bysociety,” says the 32-year-old. “I wanted to learnabout the Canadian legal system to understand howit oppresses aboriginal people.”

In fact, it was her mother’s death that strengthenedher resolve to study law.

“My mother’s death was ruled an accident eventhough there was evidence that she was murdered,”

Law Degree has Higher Purpose for Aboriginal StudentShe wants to eradicate racism and oppression. B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

she explains. “The police only spent 12 hours on theinvestigation.”

Starblanket, who graduates with a Bachelor of Lawsthis month, is committed to using her degree to help herpeople eradicate racism and oppression.

“Now that I have the legal understanding of treatyland entitlements, I’ll be able to understand how thegovernment undermines my people,” she says.

Starblanket would also like to use her degree to helpbridge the misunderstanding between non-native andaboriginal people. “A lot of misunderstanding is basedon ignorance,” she says.

Throughout her undergraduate and law studies,

Starblanket says she tried to help her fellow studentsunderstand her point of view; “I have a knowledgeand perspective that’s not taught in the classroom.”

While at UBC, Starblanket fulfilled her dream ofattending a United Nations meeting. In 2001, shewent to the World Conference Against Racism inSouth Africa and in 2002 she took part in thePermanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York.

She credits most of her success to the love andencouragement she receives from her sons Tylen, 13,and Jonas, 10.

Starblanket is hoping to article at a Vancouver-based law firm that specializes in aboriginal law. ■■

You’ve burned the midnightoil and sat through four-hourexams for it. But do youknow what makes up a UBCdiploma? Other than yourblood, sweat and tears, ofcourse.

Lisa Collins, assistant regis-trar of senate and curriculumservices, helps UBC Reportsdissect a typical Bachelor ofArts diploma from UBC.

The Coat-of-Arms, in colour and gold foil.

Designed in 1915, the Coat-of-Arms is UBC’s originalvisual identity. It consists of astylized book within a shield,containing the words Tuumest (it’s yours) and graphicsof the sun and waves.

The Seal, in gold foilThis more elaborate ver-

sion of the Coat-of-Armsadds an official, ceremonialpresence to the parchment.The seal is also key to verifying the diploma’sauthenticity.

References to and signa-ture of the Chancellor

Under Section 17 of theUniversity Act, theChancellor confers alldegrees on behalf of the university. Whengraduates cross the stage inthe graduation ceremony, theChancellor says “I admityou,” meaning that the stu-dent has been admitted tothe congregation of theUniversity.

The President, the dean ofthe faculty recommendingthe degree, and the registraralso sign the parchment.

Reference to the Senate As the university’s

highest academic governingbody, the Senate approves allcandidates for degrees beforethey may be conferred. Forthe May 2004 congregation,Senate will approve the can-didates for degrees at itsmeeting scheduled for May19. Senate approves the can-didates for degrees based onthe recommendation of eachstudent’s faculty.

Law graduate Tamara Starblanket plans on using her degree to help her people. She says indigenous people are treated unfairly by the legal system.

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After spending three years as arefugee during Bosnia’s civilwar, Amra Dizdarevic knowsthe value of a caring commu-nity.

Her experiences as arefugee, a survivor and animmigrant have shaped the25-year-old’s life choices,including her decision to enterthe School of Nursing inUBC’s Faculty of AppliedScience.

“My experience of war leftme with a determination tomake my life meaningful andto help others,” saysDizdarevic, who receives aBachelor of Science in Nursingthis month.

Dizdarevic and her familyimmigrated to Canada in1995 when she was 17. Sheearned a BSc at UBC in 2001,

Nursing Grad Survived Bosnia’sCivil War Determined to make life meaningful. B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

If you asked Geoff Gotto about the high point of hisacademic journey, he’d probably talk about the timehe spent at base camp on Mt. Everest.

Gotto – who graduates with a medical degree thismonth – recently completed a month-long electiveworking at the Khunde Hospital, caring for localSherpa villagers and climbers, including members ofa Canadian expedition.

“It’s been a life-long dream to go to Nepal andEverest,” says the 25-year-old Victoria native.“Practicing medicine while being on the mountaingave me the best of both worlds.”

A Wesbrook Scholar, Gotto has received manyawards and honours, including the UBC President’sScholarship and the Hamber Scholarship.

He obtained an honours BSc at UBC, majoring inmicrobiology and immunology. During his co-opplacements for the program, he worked with someof the university’s most eminent investigators – hiswork in microbiologist Brett Finlay’s lab was pub-lished in Cell Microbiology.

Gotto also has a passion for teaching. During hisfirst two years of medical school, he earned a teach-ing award from Kaplan Education Centre whilehelping more than 500 students to prepare for theMedical Colleges Admission Test and other exams.

A recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh’s GoldAward for leadership and community service, he hasalso been involved with the Community HealthInitiative by University Students in Vancouver’sDowntown Eastside as well as a high school out-reach program called Talk To Your Doc.

Athletics helps keep Gotto’s life balanced. Heplayed championship level rugby in high school andat UBC, earning the designation Academic All-Canadian.

A residency in urology is the next step for the newdoctor. The surgical specialty appeals to him becauseit offers a broad scope of care, ranging from medicalinterventions to cancer surgery and transplantation.

“I especially like the defined problems presentedin surgical cases,” he says. “I like fixing things.” ■■

New Doctor onTop of the World

Fulfills life-long dream. B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

majoring in cell biology andgenetics. An outstanding stu-dent, she is a member of theGolden Key InternationalHonour Society that recog-nizes academic excellence.

Discovering that she was“not a lab person,” sheswitched to nursing in 2002,taking advantage of theschool’s multiple entry pro-gram to enter at the third-year level. There she earned aperfect grade point averagewith special interest in infantand maternal health and afocus on community nursing.

“Back home, health-careservices were inadequatebecause of the war so peoplehad to keep themselveshealthy,” she says. “Seeinghow that worked triggeredmy interest in health promo-

tion and disease prevention.”In addition, she has worked

as a volunteer at UBCHospital’s palliative care unitand has twice earned theDetwiller Award which hon-ours outstanding student vol-unteers at the hospital.

An active member of theBosnian Cultural Associationof B.C., where she has per-formed as a soloist and choirmember, Dizdarevic is alsocommitted to helping othernew Canadians. She has vol-unteered since 1999 as a hostfor newcomers at theImmigrant Services Society ofB.C.

Planning to work inVancouver after graduation,Dizdarevic says she appreci-ates the city’s multiculturalenvironment. ■■

Climber Geoff Gotto’s month on Mt. Everest washis last step to a medical degree.

Amra Dizdarevic’s experience of war-time health care influenced herinterest in community nursing.

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By helping as many people ashe can, Chris Zappavignatakes the Dalai Lama’s mes-sage of love and compassionto heart.

As UBC’s Student Senatorfor the Faculty of Science,Zappavigna was part of theacademic procession at lastmonth’s honorary degree cere-mony for the Dalai Lama,Anglican ArchbishopDesmond Tutu and Iranianhuman rights activist ShirinAbadi.

“I felt excited and empow-ered to be there,” he says.“After hearing these peopletalk, I felt I could do a lotmore to help others. Thesethree individuals have donat-ed their lives to causes outsideof their own lives.”

Zappavigna wants to studymedicine because he feels it’sa profession where he can

Giving Back to the CommunityMotivates Science GradVolunteering for humanitarian causes. B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

have a positive influence on people’s lives and thecommunity.

But the integrated scienceundergraduate has alreadybegun his humanitarianwork.

As one of 12 Trek Leadersfor UBC’s Trek Program, he helps introduce fellow volunteers to Vancouver’sDowntown Eastside.

“Trek Leaders go over safe-ty issues, shatter stereotypesand help new volunteers feelcomfortable in this environ-ment,” he explains.

In addition, Zappavigna isa UBC volunteer at the TriageEmergency Shelter, a 28-bedhomeless shelter for peoplewith mental illness and sub-stance abuse.

“I want to learn how torelate to different people indifferent socio-economic

groups,” he says. “I hope todo this kind of workthroughout my career.”

For the past five years,Zappavigna, who graduatesthis month with a second sci-ence degree, has also volun-teered at the BurnabyGeneral Hospital’s geriatricward and emergency room.

Zappavigna graduated in2000 with a chemistry degreeand then went on to studybiochemistry and genetics.

In addition to his local vol-unteer work, the Vancouverresident spent four weeks inthe summer of 2001 buildinghouses for needy families in asuburb of Mexico City.“Volunteerism is important,you have to give back to thecommunity.”Zappavigna hopes to go toUBC’s School of Medicine inthe fall. ■■

Christopher Zappavigna sees a future filled with good deeds, volunteer work and humanitarian activities.

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Realizing her son was autisticand he was going to need aspecial education, CynthiaStark set out to learn every-thing she could about the dis-ability. She also asked herselfwhat she could do to helpother children.

“I decided to take educationso I could train other teachersto work with autistic kids,”says the 35-year-old.

Since last September, Stark,who also has learning disabili-ties, has trained to be ateacher in the Faculty ofEducation’s Fine Arts andMedia Education (FAME) pro-gram.

Stark has perception andsensory disabilities that makeit difficult for her to trackwords from left to right and tofocus on more than one thing

Single Mom ConquersLearning Disabilities to Teach OthersHer autistic son was her inspiration

B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

at a time. She also developeddyslexia, a language-based learning disability, after contractingmeasles at 17.

“Since I learn throughimages and feelings, Fine Artsand Media Education is gearedto the way I learn,” she says.

The program, she explains,integrates the arts and technol-ogy into every subject. Forexample, she used a Mac lap-top to produce a 26-minutefilm to help teachers under-stand autism and give themsome basic training tools.

“Many of the teaching meth-ods taught in this course comefrom teaching kids with dis-abilities,” she adds.

The FAME program incor-porates the theory of multipleintelligences, which advocates

that kids are good at differentthings and should be taughtaccording to their strengths.This is a technique that Starkuses everyday with her sonKieran.

“Autistic children don’tknow how to make sense ofthe world and they can’t mod-

ulate the different sensations,”she says. “They can be taughtbut it takes a long time. Youhave to find out what they’regood at and go from there.”

Stark dreams of one day creating an organization inCanada like the U.S.-basedCenter for Autism and Related

Disorders, which developsindividualized behaviouralprograms for children basedon their capabilities.

Once she finishes her program, Stark hopes to workas a substitute teacher untilshe finds a full-time teachingposition. ■■

What do professional ballet, pediatric psychiatry andpharmaceutical sciences have in common?

Sara Ingram. The 28-year-old former dancer grad-uates this month with a BSc in Pharmacy, her thirdacademic degree.

Originally interested in clinical psychiatry, Ingramobtained an undergraduate degree in psychology anda master’s degree in psychiatry, both from McGillUniversity.

After working with children with acute psychiatricproblems at Montreal’s Children’s Hospital, sheswitched paths to gain the flexibility and stability ofa career in clinical hospital pharmacy.

“With hospitals, you either love them or hate

Pharmacy Grad Prepared to Perform on a New Stage Former dancer starts new career. B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

them,” she says. “I love the activity, the involvementin patient care and the clinical research that takesplace in a hospital.”

But Ingram’s first career began not in hospital cor-ridors, but in front of the footlights. She starteddancing at age three and attended the School ofAmerican Ballet in New York as well as schools inCalifornia and North Carolina. She performed as asoloist for Ballet West in Montreal until she hung upher pointe shoes at age 21 to focus on her educa-tion.

The hardest part of earning her degree, she says,was recovering from back surgery she had in herthird year. Although she did manage to write her

finals last year, she is only now able to participate insports again. An avid swimmer and runner, Ingramhas participated in Iron woman and triathlon eventsat UBC.

She has also volunteered with Community HealthInitiative by University Students, and especiallyenjoyed “beauty nights” where students work one-on-one with women in Vancouver’s DowntownEastside to give them a rare evening of pampering.

After a year of residency training, Ingram plans towork as a clinical hospital pharmacist.

“Hospital care is very rewarding – the things youdo make a huge difference that you can see almostimmediately.” ■■

Cynthia Stark, with love and support from her son, Kieran, hopes to help children with autism.

Versatile athlete Sara Ingram overcameback surgery to complete her latest degree.

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LIVING AT UBCINFORMATION SESSIONS FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

ON HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES

If you’re like most faculty and staff, your day starts in traffic.Fortunately, there are other options. UBC is creating residentialneighbourhoods around the academic core that offer urban living,recreational and cultural amenities in a spectacular physical setting.

Faculty and staff could be among the first to have the opportunity to rent or own. For example, through the innovativeco-development housing program, you could join a group to purchase and develop your own home. To register for an informa-tion session, call 604.731.3103.

U N I V E R S I T Y T O W N

For more information visit www.universitytown.ubc.caor call 604.731.3103 to register.

For MBA grad Gregor Irvine-Halliday the business worldis a place where you can collaborate with interestingpeople from different backgrounds.

“I chose to pursue anMBA to equip myself with aset of practical professionalskills and for the opportuni-ty to work with people froma broad range of professionsand cultures,” says the 32-year-old.

With this in mind, Irvine-Halliday went to Shanghai in the summer of 2003 to do the summer placementrequired for graduation.

After finishing a placementat the Canadian Trade Office

in Taipei, Irvine-Hallidaywas supposed to start anoth-er job with Shanghai TunnelEngineering but was delayedbecause of the SARS crisis.As luck would have it, UBC’sInternational MBA programat Jiao Tong University inShanghai needed marketinghelp and he was able to stepinto the role.

“I learned a great dealconcerning the challengesfacing many state-ownedenterprises as they attempt

Join the MBA Program and See theFar East

B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

TIMEPIECE 1925

Conferring honorary degrees at UBC, as we did recently for the Nobel Peace Laureates, has a long tradition stretching back to 1925. These were the firstpeople to ever receive an honorary UBC degree. Fromleft: President of the University of Washington HenrySuzallo, Minister of Education J.D. Maclean,Chancellor R.E. McKechnie, B.C. Lieutenant-GovernorW.C. Nichol, Principal of McGill University Sir ArthurCurrie, former Minister of Education Henry EssonYoung and the director of the Dominion AstrophysicalObservatory in Victoria, Dr. J.S. Plaskett. ■■

to restructure to adapt to themarket economy,” he says.“And working with the staffof UBC’s International MBAat Jiao Tong was a great way

to meet local business peopleand develop my network.”

Irvine-Halliday also tookadvantage of the university’sexchange program. Aftercompleting his internship, hewent to the China EuropeInternational BusinessSchool (CEIBS) in Pudongfor his final term.

“I had worked in NorthChina before starting myMBA and CEIBS was a natu-ral choice as an exchangeschool,” he explains.

True to his adventurousnature, Irvine-Halliday tooka position as a businessdevelopment consultant forCHF International in

Mongolia when he complet-ed his courses at CEIBS.

“Working with peoplefrom different professionsand cultural backgroundsproduces far superior results,even though it requires a lotmore patience and wisdomthan when working withlike-minded people,” hesays.

Irvine-Halliday plans oncontinuing his work in busi-ness development in eitherCanada or Asia. ■■

Elizabeth Johnson, curator, Ethnology at the Museum of Anthropology, is one of 59 staff members who will be inducted into UBC's 25 Year Club that recognizes employees who haveworked for the university for a quarter century. Members will be congratulated by PresidentMartha Piper at a dinner on May 11. For a complete listing of the members, check the website at www.ceremonies.ubc.ca/25yearclub/

25YEAR CLUB

“And working with the staff of UBC’s International MBA at Jiao Tong was a great way to meet local business people and develop my network.”

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Riding on a horse in Mongolia, Gregor Irvine-Halliday is on his way to apromising career in business development.

Business grad embracescultural differences

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Lissette Torres has a passionfor life that’s fuelled by herculture and personal experi-ence.

Torres, 22, immigrated toCanada with her familywhen she was seven yearsold to escape El Salvador’scivil war.

“I’m amazed by my par-ents courage and selflessnessin deciding to immigrate toCanada,” says Torres, apolitical science major whograduates this month. “Theygave up everything for mysisters and I to have a betterfuture. What they didinspires me.”

Because of this experience,the Wesbrook scholar is fas-cinated with immigrationpolicy and law.

That’s why she jumped atthe chance to work as a poli-cy analyst for Citizenshipand Immigration Canada(CIC) in Ottawa. This wasone of five co-op work termsshe completed while at UBC.

“It was an exciting time towork for CIC,” she recalls.“The government was in theprocess of passing a newimmigration Act. This is animportant issue for Canadabecause we are a nationshaped by the strength anddiversity of people from all

Culture and Dance ShapedWesbrook ScholarWar drove her to Canada. B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

over the world.”The experience influenced

Torres’ academic work andresearch. She wrote a termpaper on Canada’s newImmigrant and RefugeeProtection Act that was pub-lished in the UBC Journal ofPolitical Studies.

After having a secondpaper published in the jour-nal, Torres became its editor-in-chief last fall.

Reflecting her passion forpublic policy, internationaldiplomacy and law, Torreshas attended several ModelUnited Nation (MUN) con-ferences across Canada. Lastyear, as director of UBC’sMUN-International CriminalCourt, she led the mock trialof General Augusto Pinochetfor crimes against humanityin 1970s Chile.

When not engrossed inacademic pursuits, Torresperforms in Vancouver for asemi-professional Cubansalsa dance troupe.

“I’ve danced my wholelife,” she laughs. “It’s part ofmy Latin culture.”

Though a Vancouverite atheart, Torres will relocate toOntario in the Fall to attendlaw school and hopes toeventually work with theCanadian Foreign Service. ■■

Stephanie Gerbrandt’s love oftravel and her desire to make adifference led her to architec-ture. Now she’s helping peopleone building at a time.

Gerbrandt’s interest in architecture began when the 29-year-old was in her last yearof her undergraduate degree atTrinity Western University inLangley, B.C. In this year, sheestablished a chapter of Habitatfor Humanity and led a team offellow students to Portland,Oregon, to renovate homes.

She also took part in aschool-run work project in theDominican Republic to buildlatrines and a foundation for alocal church, after the destruc-tion of hurricane Georges.

“These experiences confirmedthat I wanted to study architec-ture,” says Gerbrandt, who willreceive her Master ofArchitecture degree from theFaculty of Graduate Studies thisspring.

Gerbrandt’s graduate thesislooked at ways to create inex-pensive, sustainable housing forpeople in the DominicanRepublic.

“I’m investigating the use oflocal materials to improve theliving conditions of the people,”

UBC Architect Grad Builds a Better World Using her skills to help the less fortunate. B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

she says. She explains that aninexpensive resource like bam-boo can be used to build wallsthat can be used as storage space.

Wanting to learn how othercountries practice architecture,Gerbrandt did a seven-monthstudent placement in a small firmin London, England, in the sec-ond year of her program at UBC.

Directly after her work-term inthe United Kingdom, she went tothe Technical University ofSiegan in Germany as anexchange student. While there,she worked on a studio projectto convert a heritage factory inHamburg into a residentialbuilding.

Gerbrandt’s talent and desireto use her skills to help the lessfortunate caught the attention oflocal architect Arthur Erickson,who, thanks to his recentVancouver Arts Award, present-ed her with a $5,000 travelscholarship to further her career.

The grant will allow her topresent her thesis to Habitat forHumanity in DominicanRepublic and travel to SoutheastAsia.

Gerbrandt would like to work in Vancouver or abroaddesigning buildings for people inneed. ■■

Lissette Torres thanks her family and her culture for her academic andprofessional success.

Stephanie Gerbrandt hopes bamboo will improve the living conditions of people in the Dominican Republic.

ubcr5004_03may04 5/03/04 11:04 AM Page 10

10 | ubc reports | may 6, 2004

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When Lovedeep Kaur Randhawaaccepts her degree in dentistrythis month, it will mark the endof an educational journey thathas spanned 23 years and halfthe globe.

After obtaining a dentistrydegree in India,the 26-year-oldmoved fromPunjab to Canadain 2000 and toUBC in 2002 toparticipate in theFaculty ofDentistry’s two-year InternationalDental DegreeCompletion pro-gram.

En route, shelived with relativesin Toronto whereshe met her hus-band, Jaspreet, anRCMP officer.The couple weremarried in 2001and moved toVancouver.

Randhawa knew something ofCanadian culture from NorthAmerican students who attendedher university at home. She wassurprised, however, to findsamosas and other popularIndian food in local supermar-kets.

“Vancouver is so multicultural.I didn’t feel like an outsider

International Dentist Polishesher Degree with UBC PatinaGains greater experience with more training

B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

when I got here. It was easy tofit in.”

The oldest of three sisters,Randhawa’s education has beengreatly influenced by her father,a civil engineer. Encouraged toexcel, she started school at age

three and con-sistently placedfirst in her class-es. Last year, sheplaced in thetop 10 per centof her dentistryclass.

“My family isa huge supportfor me – I’mhere todaybecause of theway I wasbrought up,”she says. “Myparents inspireand motivateme.”

There aremany differ-ences between

Indian and Canadian dentristy,she explains. There is no insur-ance coverage for dental servicesin India and many people can’tafford treatment. This meansgeneral dentists do very basicdentistry with more interestingwork performed by specialistswho treat affluent patients.

“Here in Canada, the dentistcontinued on page 11

Lovedeep Kaur Randhawaenjoys the broad scope ofCanadian dentistry.

ubcr5004_03may04 5/03/04 11:04 AM Page 11

ubc reports | may 6, 2004 | 11

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UBC ALUMNI

Haig Farris is an earlyadapter. He's the guy whohas the latest breakthroughgadget before anybody else.He wore out his first PalmPilot before the rest of useven knew they existed.When they morphed intoall-in-one organizer-camera-video-audio-telephone-tele-vision-GPS-MP3 machines,he thought, “What's next?”

Maybe that's why he wasdrawn to venture capital-ism. The irresistible allure of“What's next?”

He’s considered an angelin the high-tech, start-upworld. When someonecomes up with a surefire,killer business idea that hasa tech focus, Farris and hispartners sit down with theidea people, work out abusiness plan and provideseed money. He has becomea key element inVancouver’s high-tech sec-tor, a man sought after asmuch for his desire to fosternew industry as he is for hisuncanny business acumen.

In a recent cover article inBC Business, Farris wasdescribed as someone whoknows everyone whocounts. With his network ofangels across the country, hehas contributed significantlyto the country’s economy.

Farris is also a strong

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Four years ago Stephanie Toppquit her job in Toronto, packedher bags and headed west tostudy conservation at UBC.

“I was working in an admin-istrative position in health careand I wasn’t happy,” saysTopp, who graduates from theFaculty of Forestry’s naturalresources conservation pro-gram this month.

But it wasn’t until the 31-year-old traveled to India,Singapore, New Zealand andAustralia with her sister, thatshe made up her mind tochange careers.

“This trip made me thinkabout nature and conserva-tion,” she says. “I really gotinto birds in New Zealand.”

Since New Zealand is anisland, Topp explains, there aremany unique species of flight-less birds that didn’t have natu-ral predators. Now, with theintroduction of rats and otherpredatory animals, these birdsare becoming endangered.

Topp has integrated herdesire to protect our featheredfriends into her work at UBC.

In her first year, she workedfor the Wildlife RescueAssociation where she spent alot of time handling birds.

“This experience sealed itwith the birds for me,” shesays. “Watching them growand develop is amazing.”

She also used two of herNatural Sciences and

Life has Gone to the Birds for Forestry GradSolving conservation problems in the field. B Y A P R I L W I L S O N - L A N G E

Engineering Research Councilof Canada (NSERC) scholar-ships to study the winter wrenon Mount Seymour. Topp wonNSERC fellowships in her sec-ond and third years. And thisyear she was awarded the high-ly competitive NSERC post-graduate scholarship.

One of the reasons Toppchose to study conservation atUBC was the program’s mix ofacademic and practical experi-

ence. Students are required toattend field school in the fallterm of their last year.

“Whatever I do in the future,I’ll have to do some field work,”she says.

After her winter wren researchends in July, Topp will beinvolved with a bird migrationstudy until October. Then sheplans to work on her master’sdegree at UBC next January. ■■

community supporter. He hasserved as chair of the ScienceCouncil of BC, as a memberof the Premier’s AdvisoryCommittee on Science andTechnology, as director of theVancouver Opera and theVancouver Playhouse. Healso served as president ofthe UBC Alumni Association,and is one of the university’sstaunchest advocates. He wasalso a close friend of CecilGreen, who died in 2003.

Farris’ UBC connectiongoes back to his mother,Evelyn, who was the firstwoman in Canada to be amember of a governingboard of a university. Shealso founded the UniversityWomen’s Club. ■■

B Y C H R I S P E T T Y

He d’ Man Haig DeB Farris, BA’60, LLD

International Dentistcontinued from page 10

is a primary oral health caregiv-er and there is greater varietyand scope of care,” she says. “Inow have much greater experi-ence in the procedures I wastrained in.”

Randhawa will work in gen-eral practice after graduationbut her academic journey maynot be over yet. She loves tostudy, she says, and may takefurther training as a specialist. ■■

A life protecting and studying birds suits Stephanie Topp.

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12 | ubc reports | may 6, 2004

As associate director, FacilityServices, Belle Dale-Wills isresponsible for planning, budget-ing, directing and evaluating theoperations of various facilitiesmanagement and custodial func-tions throughout campus.

Peers acknowledge majorchanges she has made, includinga shift to customer service, anemphasis on safety and trainingand redefining the role of facilitymanager to serve as a resource forcampus clients.

She has made numerousimprovements in the managementof workplace injuries and in2002, the Workers’Compensation Board recognizedher achievements in workplaceergonomics by featuring her intheir WorkSafe newsletter.

Dale-Wills’ attention to staff isexceptional. She regularly works10-12 hours per day to have contact with every shift andknows the name of each of our300 custodial workers.

A dedicated communicatorwho keeps staff motivated, recog-nized and valued, she also is thedriving force of her group’s highlysuccessful United Way campaigns.

Yashmin Kassam, advisingofficer and administrator for thefirst-year English program, isknown to her colleagues as a“miracle of energy and commit-ment”.

By listening to concerns, fixingproblems and answering a myriadof questions, she helps make newstudents’ experience at UBC apositive one. Well-known for herpatience, diplomacy and compas-sion, Kassam has a special skill inhelping international and multi-cultural students feel at home atUBC. She also co-ordinates the

program’s instructors andteaching assistants.

Kassam embraces the idea ofcontinuous learning and is pur-suing a Bachelor of Arts degreepart time. Her knowledge,organizational skills and spirithave prompted many col-leagues to regard her as theheart of the department.

Alumna Audrey Lindsay isassociate registrar and directorof student systems inEnrolment Services.

Since joining UBC in 1972,Lindsay has envisioned, devel-oped and provided technologysystems for students that havespanned punch cards, tele-phone and Internet registration.

The student information sys-tem she established is consid-ered the envy of universitiesacross North America. In2003, EDUCAUSE – a coali-tion of North American col-leges and universities dedicatedto advancing educationthrough better use of informa-tion technology – honouredher for the online student self-evaluation and self-admissionprogram she developed.

Known as a dynamic inno-vator, Lindsay’s co-workers sayshe puts her whole mind andheart into her work, whetherrecruiting student workers,motivating team members, orfostering interdepartmentalconsultation.

Suzanne Poohkay, associatedirector, facilities and capitalplanning, in the Dept. ofCampus and CommunityPlanning, is UBC’s acknowl-edged “doyenne of space.” Sheis responsible for planning and

Staff Members Receive President’s ServiceAward for Excellence B Y H I L A R Y T H O M S O N

budgeting construction andmaintenance programs for cam-pus buildings.

Since joining UBC in 1989, shehas headed projects ranging frombetter research labs to moreusable student social space. She isrespected across campus for herfairness, creativity, collaborativeworking style and energy.

She drafted UBC’s first five-year and 10-year capital pro-grams and her proposals haveinfluenced the provincial govern-ment to commit funds to UBCover and above its normal alloca-tion. She has also been instru-mental in developing an innova-tive agreement to rehabilitatecampus facilities – a $120 millionproject known as UBC Renew.

As founder and director ofUBC’s Arts Co-op Program,alumna Julie Walchli hasincreased the image and value ofan Arts degree to the communityand the university.

She has worked tirelessly forthe last five years at both campusand provincial levels to promoteco-op education and is recog-nized as having developed themost successful student co-opassociation in B.C. Key amongher accomplishments is campus-wide branding of all UBC co-opprograms.

Walchli is also an advisor tothe UBC chapter of the GoldenKey International HonourSociety where she guides andmentors some of UBC’s mostaccomplished students.

Her staff says she is passionateabout her work and a visionarypioneer whose leadership andcommitment have helped hun-dreds of students realize theirpotential. ■■

PSAE recipients for this year are (l–r) Yashmin Kassam, Julie Walchli,Suzanne Poohkay, Audrey Lindsay and Belle Dale-Wills (bottom right).

ubcr5004_03may04 5/03/04 11:02 AM Page 1