Episode 21: Species at Risk
UBC’s Vancouver campus sits at the tip of one of the most important estuaries in the province, the Fraser River. In this estuary alone, there are 102 species at risk of extinction. My guest today, Tara Martin of the Faculty of Forestry, studies this area, as well as how to best save species at risk. […]
Episode 20: Thunderbikes are Go!
Bhargav Thoom and Daniel Zhao are both mechanical engineering students at our Vancouver campus. They’re also the leads of the UBC Thunderbikes, a student design team working on electric bikes. In this episode of the Blue & Goldcast they talk to Santa about the Thunderbikes electrical bike project. Download the transcript here.
Episode 19: Kevin Golovin’s Cool COVID 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.
Episode 18: Everything You Wanted to Know About UBC’s 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.
Episode 17: Introducing the CanMask!
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.
Episode 16: EDI in Applied Science
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 just […]
Episode 15: Let’s Talk About Mental Health
In this episode of the Blue and Goldcast, I talk to Kathryn Gretsinger about students and mental health. Kathryn and her team of 80 students, journalists, and academics have been working on a cross-border investigation into mental health issues with 10 journalism schools in Canada and the US. Download the transcript here.
Episode 14: Fostering Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UBC
In this episode of the Blue and Goldcast, I talk to Karen Ragoonaden about the complexities – and the necessity – of fostering equity, diversity and inclusion at a modern university. Download the transcript here.
Episode 13: Order in the Court
UBC President Santa Ono talks to Professor Camden Hutchison from the Peter A. Allard School of Law about the differences and similarities between the Supreme Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of the USA. Download the transcript here.
Episode 12: UBC as a Climate Leader
This week on the Blue & Goldcast, Santa talks to Dr. Walter Mérida, the president’s senior advisor on climate, as well as the director of the Clean Energy Research Centre. Dr. Mérida and Santa sit down to discuss how UBC can continue its role as a climate leader in Canada and beyond. You can learn […]
Episode 11: Land & Food Systems Roundtable
Blue and Goldcast · Episode 11: Land & Food Systems Roundtable This week on the Blue and Goldcast, join Santa and guests for a roundtable discussion about how the Faculty of Land and Food Systems is integrating anti-racist and social equity frameworks into the natural sciences, while partnering with communities along the way. Dr. […]
Episode 10: The Indigenous Strategic Plan
Blue and Goldcast · Episode 10: The Indigenous Strategic Plan On September 14th, UBC launched its 2021 Indigenous Strategic Plan. On this episode of Blue & Goldcast, Santa Ono sits down with Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot. She was one of the driving forces behind the strategic plan, and is Santa’s senior advisor on Indigenous Affairs. […]
Episode 9: Congressional Hearings
The Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences was hosted at UBC from June 1st to the 7th, 2019. It’s the largest academic conference in Canada. As delegates shared big ideas, Santa and Margot discuss the future of higher education with Jessica Riddell of Bishop’s University. Blue and Goldcast · Blue And Goldcast Episode 9: […]
Episode 8: Mental Health
Emily Jenkins still remembers the basketball coach that changed her life. Now, she’s an assistant professor at UBC’s School of Nursing, and works in youth mental health. Emily joins Santa and Margot to discuss how she wound up in this career, her collaborative work with young people, and how universities can help students and faculty […]
Episode 7: Squeezed
Why are younger Canadians feeling more squeezed than ever before? In this episode, UBC Associate Professor and founder of Generation Squeeze, Paul Kershaw, discusses the barriers between advocacy and academia. And we meet the new co-host of the Blue & Goldcast, Allard School of Law professor Margot Young. Blue and Goldcast · Blue And Goldcast […]
Episode 6: Living Lab
Can parking garages help us tackle climate change? On this episode, we look at how UBC has turned itself into a Living Lab. UBC Mechanical Engineering Professor Walter Merida explains to Santa Ono how UBC experiments with itself — with its buildings, its operations, and its surroundings — to develop innovative green technologies. Blue and Goldcast […]
Episode 5: No More Silos
On the fifth episode of The Blue and Goldcast, Santa and Jen meet two professors who are charting a new path for higher education in Canada. Dave Ng, a biologist and associate director of the Michael Smith Laboratories and Allen Sens, a Professor of Teaching in UBC’s political science department teach ASIC 200, a class […]
Episode 4: “Women’s Brains Aren’t Wired That Way”
In the fourth episode of The Blue and Goldcast, Jen and Santa talk about women in STEM, the importance of mentorship, and ways for institutions like UBC to encourage diversity. They hear a story from UBC Mathematics Professor Stephanie van Willigenburg about her struggle to find a place in a disproportionately-male field. Blue and Goldcast […]
Episode 3: A Knock to the Head
As the NHL and NFL struggle with an epidemic of concussions, we talk about brain science and sports policy. Santa, Jen and their guest, Dr. Naznin Virji-Babul, discuss mysteries of the brain, the social impact of concussions, and the role that Universities like UBC should play in making sports safer. Blue and Goldcast · Blue […]
Episode 2: The Next Industrial Revolution
Will artificial intelligence usher in the next industrial revolution? In this episode, we look at the social, political, and economic consequences of AI. We profile UBC professor’s quest to make a ‘smart wheelchair’ for patients in long-term care. Blue and Goldcast · Blue And Goldcast Episode 2: The Next Industrial Revolution Download the transcript: Blue […]
Episode 1: Indigenous Ways of Knowing
In the first episode of the Blue and Goldcast, we focus on indigenous research methodologies: how can we include traditional ways of knowing into the university? Blue and Goldcast · Blue And Goldcast Episode 1: Indigenous Ways of Knowing Download the transcript: Blue and Goldcast Episode 1 transcript