Weekly Update, April 30, 2021: Let’s Bring SkyTrain to UBC
Dear members of the UBC community. I would like to begin by acknowledging that I am speaking to you from the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. Thanks to an unprecedented global effort, including leading work by UBC researchers to develop vaccines and strategies to combat COVID-19, the end of the pandemic […]
Universities Must Do More to Address the Climate Emergency
I was honoured to co-write the op-ed on universities, youth and climate change with Grace Nosek of the UBC Climate Hub. The original appeared on the Inside Higher Education website on April 26, 2021 (link). Universities Must Do More to Address the Climate Emergency Younger generations have been deeply impacted by the intersecting crises […]
Weekly Update, April 23, 2021: UBC and Global Engagement
Dear members of the UBC community. I would like to begin by acknowledging that I am speaking to you from the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. Earlier this month, UBC launched its new global engagement strategy, called In Service. We are unveiling this new strategy at a time of great change […]
Weekly Update, April 20, 2021: Planning for Fall 2021
Dear members of the UBC community. Last month UBC confirmed that we are planning for a return to on-campus activity for Winter Session, Term 1, with the guidance of the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and the public health teams in the health authorities. Dr. Henry has been clear that post-secondary institutions, such as […]
UBC and the Overdose Crisis
Five years ago, on April 14, 2016, the overdose crisis in British Columbia was declared a public health emergency. Today, on the anniversary of that declaration, the crisis is still very much with us, and indeed, is worse than ever. Its effects are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and it impacts all communities in the […]
Weekly Update, April 9, 2021: Vaccination Clinic at UBC
Dear members of the UBC community. As you know, the vaccination drive against COVID-19 is well underway here in BC, across Canada and around the world. Both the federal and provincial governments have committed to widespread vaccine availability. BC is now in Phase 3 of the vaccine roll-out plan. Anyone, 18 or over, who wishes […]
Launching UBC’s Global Engagement Strategy
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Santa J. Ono (@ubcprez) The world is grappling with immense challenges. Climate change, environmental degradation, poverty and inequality and racial injustice are just some of the issues we face. Here at UBC, we’re ready to help face those challenges. We have a research infrastructure […]
Episode 19: Kevin Golovin’s Cool COVID Protection
https://soundcloud.com/ubc_blue_and_goldcast/episode-19-cool-covid-19-protection In this episode, Santa talks to UBC Okanagan professor Kevin Golovin about his anti-fouling and anti-fogging face shields and his “cool” research. Download the transcript here.
Statement on Anti-Asian Racism
It is with sadness that I write, in my capacity as President of the University of British Columbia, to mourn the deaths of eight people murdered in an act of senseless violence in Atlanta, Georgia: Soon Chung Park, age 74 Suncha Kim, age 69 Yong Ae Yue, age 63 Paul Andre Michels, age 54 Hyun […]
Episode 18: Everything You Wanted to Know About UBC’s Senates!
https://soundcloud.com/ubc_blue_and_goldcast/episode-18-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-ubcs-senates UBC Okanagan professors Jan Cioe and Jannick Eikenaar talk to Santa about the university’s senates and why they matter. Download the transcript here.
Weekly Update, March 12, 2021: Planning for the Fall
Dear members of the UBC community. Earlier this week, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, provided information for B.C. public post-secondary institutions to guide planning for a return to on-campus activity this fall. Based on current immunization timelines and vaccine approvals, and with strong and effective safety plans in place, I can confirm that UBC […]
Weekly Update, March 5, 2021: International Women’s Day
Dear members of the UBC community. On Monday, we will be celebrating International Women’s Day. (See what’s happening at UBC: https://events.ubc.ca/international-womens-day/) But I believe that every day should be International Women’s Day. Everything we do as a society depends upon the skills, talents and contributions of women around the world. I wouldn’t have achieved anything […]
Episode 17: Introducing the CanMask!
https://soundcloud.com/ubc_blue_and_goldcast/episode-17-compostable-masks I’m joined by UBC engineering professors Johan Foster and Orlando Rojas who have been working with a multidisciplinary team of researchers and scientists to design what may be the world’s first fully compostable and biodegradable medical mask—the CanMask. Download the transcript here.
QS World University Subject Rankings Demonstrate UBC’s Breadth of Excellence
The prestigious QS World University Subject Rankings for 2021 have been released and I’m proud to say that the University of British Columbia continues to place among the best universities in the world. We placed among the top 10 universities in the world in four subjects and among the top 50 in 46 subjects (see […]
Weekly Update, February 26, 2021
Dear members of the UBC community. Next week, March 1 to March 5 is SDG Week at UBC. SDG stands for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by world leaders in 2015 at a historic UN summit and came into effect on 1 January 2016. The goals call […]
Weekly Update: February 19, 2021
Dear members of the UBC community. I hope that everyone had a good Family Day break. And, if you are a student, I hope that you had a relaxing Reading Week. Reading Week is not only a chance to recharge your batteries; it’s also a time to start thinking ahead to the end of term […]
COVID-19 innovations hold lessons for national policy
By Dr. Santa J. Ono and Dr. Gail Murphy As published in The Hill Times on February 17, 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in early 2020, we witnessed an unprecedented mobilization of the world’s scientific community to develop solutions. Canadian researchers and companies are making vital contributions to these efforts, especially in the area […]
Weekly Update, February 12
Dear members of the UBC community. As you know, a little over a year ago, on December 5, 2019, UBC declared a climate emergency. As part of the declaration, I established a Climate Emergency Task Force with a mandate to consolidate input from both in-person and online consultations into a public report. Despite the exceptional […]
Statement on Release of Loujain Al-Hathloul
We are heartened to learn that UBC alumna Loujain Al-Hathloul was released from prison today in Saudi Arabia. Ms. Al-Hathloul, who graduated from UBC in 2014, has dedicated her life to campaigning to advance women’s rights in her home country. She was arrested and detained in May 2018 along with several other women’s rights activists, and was […]
Episode 16: EDI in Applied Science
https://soundcloud.com/ubc_blue_and_goldcast/episode-16-sheryl-staub-french I’m joined by Sheryl Staub-French, the Associate Dean of UBC’s Faculty of Applied Science to discuss the Faculty’s equity, diversity, and inclusion strategies. Here at UBC, we’re committed to doing better by all of our students, faculty, and staff. That means advancing and prioritizing our understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion, or EDI, not […]