Weekly News 25

Posted on March 28, 2014 by JunSian Lee

Happy Friday! Globe 2014 was cool!
Lets get on to the news!

Professional Development Seminar NEXT MONDAY!

We are pleased to announce Dr. Eric Jervis as the speaker of the upcoming seminar in the professional development series. A short biography of him is HERE.
Seminar information:
Title: What do I wish someone had told me 20 years ago – and what has changed since
Date: March 31, 2014
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Place: CHBE 2.02 (2360 East Mall)

Chemical Waste and Sanitary sewer disposal guidelines

RMS Environmental Services would like to remind all CHBE researchers of the following chemical waste and sanitary sewer disposal guidelines:
· Chemical and biological waste MUST be disposed according to the appropriate disposal procedures, more information per links below:

o RMS Web Disposal Guide
http://www.riskmanagement.ubc.ca/environment/hazardous-waste-management/waste-disposal-guide
o RMS Laboratory Pollution Prevention and Hazardous Waste Manual
http://www.riskmanagement.ubc.ca/environment/pollution-prevention-and-hazardous-waste-management-manual
· Corrosive waste (strong acids or bases) that does not exhibit any other hazards MUST be neutralized to an acceptable pH range (5.5-10.5) before going down the drain.

o Dilution will not work for strong acids (or bases) due to the fact that the pH scale is logarithmic, so huge volumes of water would be necessary to dilute the pH to an acceptable range for sanitary sewer disposal (pH = 5.5-10.5 as required by Metro Vancouver’s Sewer Use Bylaw).
o Not neutralizing the acids/bases can cause serious corrosion to the plumbing system.
· To assist lab personnel in better understanding the strict limitations of drain disposal, the following information is available from RMS:

o RMS Sanitary Sewers webpage, including aqueous waste profiles. RMS will help determine if the waste can be disposed of via sanitary sewers after the completion of the aqueous waste profile by waste generators.
http://www.riskmanagement.ubc.ca/environment/sanitary-sewers
http://www.riskmanagement.ubc.ca/sites/riskmanagement.ubc.ca/files/uploads/Documents/Aqueous%20Waste%20Profile.xlsx
o RMS Non-Hazardous Chemical Disposal webpage. A list of chemicals that can be safely disposed of down the drain is available.
http://www.riskmanagement.ubc.ca/environment/hazardous-waste-management/waste-disposal-guide/chemicals

GSS Social Recreational

– 2014 GSS Summer Sports League is back! Create your team and come out and play either Soccer or Softball! Game day will be Fridays over the months of May-July. Click the link for details, then create your team and Register by May 1st!

– The GSS is looking to initiate a Persian Choral Music ensemble and introduce the fundamentals of Persian Music in theory and practice (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Base choir). The GSS will offer 7 workshops on Mondays starting March 31st. This is your last chance to sign up before the March 27th registration deadline! The class will only proceed if it generates sufficient interest. This opportunity is available to Graduate Students at: $35 and non-Grads at $50

– Try out our Belly Dance Fitness class these next two weeks. The GSS is offering a drop-in rate of $7 a class! Secure your spot online, or in cash at our office during business hours! The class takes place on Mondays between 5.30-6.30pm at the GSS Ballroom.

GPS/Mitacs Step* Workshop: Foundations of Project Management I: A Team Based Approach

April 02 & 03, 2014
9:00am to 5:00pm
(Note: students MUST commit to attending the entire duration of both sessions when registering).

For complete session information see: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/about-us/events/10769-gpsmitacs-step-workshop-foundations-project-management-i-team-based-approach
Please register at: https://www.surveyfeedback.ca/surveys/wsb.dll/s/1g3218

CHBE GSC Professional Development Seminar – Mar 31 – Dr. Eric Jervis

Posted on March 27, 2014 by JunSian Lee

Greetings from CHBE Graduate Students Club,

We are pleased to announce Dr. Eric Jervis as the speaker of the upcoming seminar in the professional development series. He is the Principal Scientist at Stemcell Technologies, leading the Bioengineering research group. Before moving to this industrial position, Dr. Jervis had been a Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He is an alumnus of CHBE and a member of Industrial Advisory Committee of the department. A short biography of him is HERE.

Seminar information:

Title: What do I wish someone had told me 20 years ago – and what has changed since
Date: March 31, 2014
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Place: CHBE 2.02 (2360 East Mall)

Professional development speaker series:

In this monthly seminar series, successful professionals such as faculty members and/or alumni of CHBE department share the stories of their career paths including making important career decisions. These highly interactive seminars provide an excellent opportunity to hear and learn from instructing and exciting experiences of the speakers. Also, we believe these seminars are beneficial for graduate students in developing the skills necessary for professional work environment in academia/industry.

We look forward to seeing you on March 31 at 12:00 pm in CHBE 202.

Kind regards,
CHBE Graduate Students Club,

A Panel Discussion: Should Canada Expand the Oil Sands?

Posted on March 25, 2014 by JunSian Lee

This is a special event notice.
Engineers for Sustainable World (ESW) is thrilled to announce that Dr. Mark Jaccard and Professor Michael Schoen will be joining us for a panel discussion in our oil sands speaker series finale on THIS Thurs, Apr 27 4 pm in Chemistry Building, CHEM B250 (Chemistry B Block, South Wing). LINK TO POSTER.

Dr. Jaccard is a professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU. He has a PhD from the Energy Economics and Policy Institute at the University of Grenoble. He has worked on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, and the Global Energy Assessment. If you’d like to be further overwhelmed by his achievements, read here: http://www.rem.sfu.ca/people/faculty/jaccard/

Prof. Schoen is a Technical Writing Instructor with the Faculty of Engineering at UBC. He has a Master’s in Petroleum Engineering and a Master’s in English from the University of Texas at Austin. Listed among his professional interests is petroleum exploration and development and he vocalizes his support for it often.

Please join us for the magic that will ensue when these two notable men come together to discuss the oil sands.

To RSVP, You can go the facebook link below to
https://www.facebook.com/events/285088344979302/?ref=51&source=1

Weekly News 24

Posted on March 21, 2014 by JunSian Lee

Hello everyone, Happy Friday!
Cherry blossoms (Sakura tree) are flowering around Vancouver! You can walk in UBC’s Nitobe Memorial Garden to enjoy the view of soft pink petals falling gently.

Perhaps because of the great weather, there isn’t much news in my inbox in week. Anyhow, below are the news for the week.

Professor David Wilkinson wins Grove Medal

The Grove Medal has been awarded to Professor David Wilkinson. The Medal will be awarded to Professor Wilkinson on 3rd April during the Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology Symposium when he will deliver the Grove Medal Address.

Volunteering for GSS Photo Shooting

Help GSS spruce up their communications! The GSS is planning a photo shoot on the afternoon of March 28th, and they’re looking for some volunteers to help them showcase the services they provide to graduate students and the larger UBC community. It will be fun! They won’t ask more than 2hrs of your time, and they will throw in a meal from Seedlings Cafe or Koerner’s Pub! Please drop them an email at: execassistant@gss.ubc.ca

Instructional Skills Workshop

Registration is open for the Instructional Skills Workshop April 26, 27, May 3, 2014. Please note that participants must be able to attend the entire 24 hour workshop.

The Instructional Skills Workshop is an internationally recognized program and students receive transcript notation for their participation. It is a 3-day intensive workshop that develops participant’s teaching skills and confidence. It is appropriate for first time teachers or those with years of experience. Join the thousands of students who have taken this workshop. This workshop is always in high demand. To register for the April 26, 27, May 3 ISW, please go to:

http://events.ctlt.ubc.ca/events/view/3269

GPS Time Management

Registration is now open for :

Graduate Pathways to Success (GPS)/Mitacs Step* Workshop: Time Management
Monday, March 24th, 2014 – 9:00am to 5:00pm
Graduate Student Centre, 6371 Crescent Road, Point Grey Campus

For more information on the session, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/about-us/events/11295-gpsmitacs-step-workshop-time-management.

To register, see https://www.surveyfeedback.ca/surveys/wsb.dll/s/1g3159.

Happy Persian New Year!

Posted on March 20, 2014 by JunSian Lee

Today March 20 is the Spring Equinox, also the Persian New year (Nowruz), which is celebrated by fellow Iranians and many other Middle East people.

Spring Equinox (Google Doodle)

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical Northward equinox (Wikipedia).

As I was informed by my office mate, there is a tradition “Haft Sin” of putting seven things with names started with “Sin (s)” on a table (or a tablecloth). The examples of seven items are apple, coin, garlic, sumac, hyacinth, greenery and vinegar. Besides these seven things, “Quran”, mirror, water, clock, a red fish, some colorful eggs, candle, fruits, confectionery and other things are also placed on the table for decoration. Each of the item has its own symbol, such as being new, fertility, cleanliness, wealth, superfluity.
In the time of entering to New Year, families come together around this tablecloth. They read Quran and a special prayer and they celebrate the New Year. (Most info written is based on this website)

When you meet a Iranian or a middle east friend, remember to wish them “Nowruz Mubarak“, which means “Happy New Year”.

Happy Persian New Year everyone! Nowruz Mubarak!
– CHBE Graduate Student Club

Weekly News 23

Posted on March 14, 2014 by JunSian Lee

Hello everyone,
Happy Friday! Did you enjoy the sunshine of the week? I’m sure the trees enjoy it as much as we human do! Speaking about trees,

The International Day of Forests

the Faculty of Forestry will celebrate next Friday the International Day of Forests (March 21) with an open house event (movie marathon, tree planting, etc.). Students, staff, faculty members, researchers – anyone interested in everything-forests is invited to join!

There are the exciting documentary such as MusicWood (screening at 11:30 AM) – and also some amazing acoustic guitar performances. Check out the schedule HERE.

Continue our road to sustainable word,

Oil Sands Speaker Series

Engineers for a Sustainable World UBC will be hosting the third instalment of our Oil Sands Speaker Series On Wednesday, March 12th at 4pm in CHBE 318, . The speaker will be Dr. Kathryn Harrison, a Political Science professor at UBC with a Masters in Chemical Engineering from MIT. Her talk is titled “The Politics of Tar Sands Expansion”. As usual, free coffee and snacks will be provided.

Check out UBC Engineers for a Sustainable World website at https://blogs.ubc.ca/sustainabilityclub/

UBC TACS Free Tax Workshop

UBC TACS will be hosting a free workshop at Marine Drive Residences to teach students how to file their own taxes. We would like to invite international students who live on campus to join us because we feel that this workshop will be invaluable to them. We would greatly appreciate your assistance if you could kindly pass on this opportunity through your channels. The details of the events are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Location: Marine Drive Ballroom
RSVP: http://bit.ly/tacsttt.

You can just learn how to fill your tax form for FREE and potentially get refund! which student doesn’t like free stuff? Seriously, let me know.

GSS Annual General Meeting

The GSS is holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday March 20, 2014. Open to all members of the Society, the AGM provides students with the opportunity to receive reports from Council with respect to activities of the preceding year, receive financial statements of the Society, and ask any questions regarding the future directions of the Society. The meeting will commence at 5:30 pm and will be held in the GSS Ballroom (6371 Crescent Road). Please click the link to download the AGM Agenda.
http://gss.ubc.ca/main/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/AGM-Agenda.pdf

If you have any suggestion for what you like to see on our weekly news, please email me at jslee@chbe.ubc.ca or comment on this blog post. Also please join the CHBE Grad Student Club Facebook Group on https://www.facebook.com/groups/chbegsc/ if you are a graduate student or a recent alumni of graduate program of UBC CHBE.

Have a great weekend!

Winners of February’s PPE Compliance Survey Monthly Draw

Posted on March 13, 2014 by JunSian Lee

Dear 5th and 6th floor lab users in CHBE,

If you want to win a starbuck gift card, put on your Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) in your lab!

Ivan, our safety officer will conduct monthly PPE check and those who had the highest PPE compliance level, will be put into a draw for a starbuck giftcard!
*The highest PPE compliance level simply means you have lab coat, safety glasses, waterproof footwear and appropriate gloves.

February’s winners are
Mahmoud Ansari
James Butler

Weekly News 22

Posted on March 7, 2014 by JunSian Lee

Hello everyone!
Happy Friday! 22 happens to be one of my favorite numbers.
Here are our news, (Note: I added an extra news on the CHBE Speaker Series)

Special Feature: UBC American Chemical Society (ACS) on Campus 2014 Event

ACS on Campus is pleased to announce that Dr. Jillian M. Buriak, Editor-in-Chief of Chemistry of Materials and Dr. Jin Z. Zhang, Senior Editor of The Journal of Physical Chemistry C will be talking
about the scholarly publishing process.

Two Events at different Times and Locations

(1) Science Cafe / Mahony & Sons, 5990 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC
April 2, 2014 6:00PM – 8:00PM
This is a networking event including a panel discussion on alternative careers in science.
Free food will be provided.

(2) ACS on Campus
April 3, 2014 9:00AM – 3:30PM
Graduate Student Society Ballroom
Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Register at http://acsoncampus.acs.org/event/?ee=106
For more information, go to:
http://acsoncampus.acs.org/events/university-of-british-columbia-04-02-2014/

Out of the Box: Celebrating Interdisciplinary! Graduate Conference 2014

Friday, March 21st, 2014 | Liu Institute for Global Issues | UBC
This annual conference was established in 2013 by graduate students in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program (ISGP) to foster, through sharing innovative research and expertise, a sense of community among interdisciplinarians across UBC. All conference presenters are graduate students, and while anyone is welcome to register and attend, graduate students are particularly encouraged.
Our sponsors have made it possible for this full-day conference to be highly accessible to graduate students: there is no registration fee and the conference includes catered morning and afternoon breaks, and lunch. Registration is now open, and we invite you to join us. (Note: Due to occupancy restrictions, conference participation is limited to 100 conferees.SIGN UP TODAY!)
More info:http://gss.ubc.ca/main/out-of-the-box-celebrating-interdisciplinarity-graduate-conference-2014/

Japan Kenkyukai

Looking for an opportunity to reflect on the Sochi Olympic? Interested in Japan or Asia? The UBC Asia Pacific Policy Studies Student Association and Asian Studies present “Japan Kenkyukai: Looking back at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Towards 2020 — A Cultural and Economic Perspective.” The event (and dinner), supported by the GSS, will be held at the Asian Centre Auditorium (607 – 1871 West Mall UBC Campus) on Friday, March 14th 4-6:30pm. An RSVP is mandatory to help with planning. Main speakers will be Dr. Julian Dierkes (MAAPPS), Dr. Sharalyn Orbaugh (Asian Studies)

Change to Thesis/Dissertation Licence for UBC Library

The UBC Library has developed a new online cIRcle Non-Exclusive Distribution License, very similar to the current UBC Thesis Licence Agreement which students have been using up to now. The License will be applicable to theses and dissertations as well as to all non-thesis work in cIRcle, and will likely go into effect on Friday March 7, 2014. The current UBC Thesis Licence Agreement form will be discontinued.
NOTE: This new online cIRcle Licence will be presented to students as part of the submission process. They do NOT have to submit a paper License form. None of the other procedures have changed. Key information:
· Students retain full copyright to their theses, as always.
· The new cIRcle License clearly states the restrictions on theses via a Creative Commons license. It specifies that, by default, works deposited in cIRcle will correspond to the most restrictive of the Creative Commons licenses. Links for details.

CHBE Speaker Series Seminar Next Monday

The department of CHBE will have a Speaker Series seminar by Professor Susan Muller, of University of California, Berkeley, this coming Monday March 10, 2014 from 12-1 pm in CHBE Room 202.The seminar title is “Microfluidic tools for the manipulation and analysis of molecules, vesicles, capsules, and suspensions”. Everyone is most welcome to attend this lecture.

Details of the seminar are HERE.