UBC Food Innovation Challenge: powered by BC Hydro

Do you like to stir up new recipes? Do you care about the link between how food is made and a healthy planet? If so, the UBC Food Innovation Challenge could be for you!

UBC undergraduate and graduate students are invited to bring their ideas to this challenge, hosted by the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. We are looking for new solutions in sustainable food processing created through interdisciplinary teamwork, industry mentorship, and prototype development.

BC Hydro has generously funded this competition. Student teams are invited to submit a Concept Proposal for their sustainable food processing or food packaging idea. Each shortlisted team will receive up to $3,000 for prototype development, while the winning team will be awarded up to $15,000 to advance their idea, focusing on feasibility, sustainability impact, and commercialization potential.

Here’s a chance to take your idea beyond the kitchen or lab – with support from professional mentors!

Timeline for the UBC Food Innovation Challenge: powered by BC Hydro:

• Feb. 7 to March 9, 2025:  Teams register and upload a Concept Paper.
• April 1 to Sept. 5, 2025: Shortlisted teams to develop prototypes, with mentorship support.
• September 2025: Presentations and final selection of top team.

Learn more here:
fbic.landfood.ubc.ca/ubc-food-innovation-challenge-powered-by-bc-hydro/
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Karen Lee (She, Her, Hers)
Director of Marketing and Communications
Faculty of Land and Food Systems
The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus | Musqueam Traditional Territory
2357 Main Mall | Vancouver British Columbia | V6T 1Z4 Canada
Phone 604 827 5297 | Cell 604 312 6343
karen.lee98@ubc.ca | @ubcLFS
http://www.landfood.ubc.ca

Karen Fong is hiring a PhD student for some bacteriophage/nanoparticle work in blueberries.

This position is jointly supervised with Rishi Burlakoti in Agassiz and will require a move mid-degree from Summerland to Agassiz.

• English Link: PhD student
• French Link : Étudiant(e) au doctorat

All the best,

Tom

 

Thomas Brenner, PhD

Food Scientist | Horticulture, Dairy, Meat, Fish

Food Safety Science Unit

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness

519-400-4758 | thomas.brenner@ontario.ca

 

The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) will be offering a Graduate Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) on April 5, 12, & 13, 2025.

The Grad ISW is a 24-hour, fully participatory, and peer-based professional development workshop for graduate students that is beneficial to both new and experienced instructors.

Please note: You must attend all sessions and complete all independent work for the complete duration of the workshop, (i.e. the entire 24-hour workshop).

To apply for the waitlist for April 5, 12 & 13, 2025 ISW click here: https://events.ctlt.ubc.ca/events/graduate-instructional-skills-workshop-april-5-12-13-2025/

Application opens on February 21 at 9 am and closes on April 2 at 4:30 pm. By clicking this link, you are applying for the WAITLIST only and this DOES NOT register you for the workshop. Graduate ISWs at UBC are in high demand. To create an equitable registration process all graduate students who apply for an ISW will first be enrolled on a waitlist, from which participants are randomly selected. If a participant has applied for more than one ISW waitlist, their name will appear more frequently when generating the participant list, giving them a higher chance of being selected for an ISW. If you are accepted into the workshop, you will be contacted by our office to confirm your registration. For more information and a list of all upcoming sessions visit: http://ctlt.ubc.ca/gradisw

Workshop Eligibility:

Please read the application process and workshop eligibility prior to applying.

A participant who wishes to take the Grad ISW is eligible if they are:

• a full-time or part-time registered graduate student at UBC during the academic term when the ISW is offered
• a graduate student at UBC who has completed degree requirements but has not yet convocated
• a joint degree graduate student who is enrolled at UBC and another institution
• a graduate student at UBC pursuing non-degree studies
• a visiting graduate student that is eligible to take courses

A participant who wishes to take the Grad ISW is not eligible if they are:

• not a graduate student at UBC
• a graduate student at UBC who has on-leave status
• a visiting graduate student that is not eligible to take courses

Audrey Castillo (She/Her/Hers)

Event Coordinator

Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology

The University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus | xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Traditional Territory

214 – 1961 East Mall | Vancouver BC | V6R 1Z1 Canada

audrey.castillo@ubc.ca

https://ctlt.ubc.ca/

Next week’s IRES Seminar is in the Beaty Museum Allan Yap Theatre:

February 6, 2025: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. David Hardisty

Twice as nice? A Longitudinal Field Study of Separate vs. Combined Nudges for Household Laundry Behaviours

Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Location: Beaty Museum Allan Yap Theatre (Basement, 2212 Main Mall). Please check in at front desk on main floor before going downstairs.

Absolutely no food and no drinks allowed in the Beaty Museum.

Available on Zoom

Talk summary:

Are energy conservation nudges more effective when focusing on benefits for the self, benefits for the planet, or both? And is it better to target one behavior at a time, or many different behaviors simultaneously? We addressed these questions using decals to nudge laundry behaviors in a longitudinal field study. Preliminary data analysis indicates that all decal interventions significantly increased energy efficiency behavior change intentions, and the “environmental benefit” decal induced greater behavior change compared to the “self benefit” decal. Additionally, making multiple behavior change requests was more effective than making a single behavior change request. Energy meter data showed weaker effects than behavioral measures, perhaps due to negative spillovers.

 

  Dr. Dave Hardisty, Associate Professor and SMEV Chair of Marketing & Behavioural Science

Bio:

Dave Hardisty is Associate Professor and SMEV Chair of Marketing & Behavioural Science at The University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business in Vancouver, BC. Dave studies consumer behaviour change, especially in the domains of sustainability and financial decision making. He co-founded the Decision Insights for Business and Society (DIBS) group, and the Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions (IBioS) research cluster.

 

See you next Thursday in the Beaty Museum Allan Yap Theatre!

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Bonnie Leung

RES Program Support (she/her/hers)

Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES)

University of British Columbia | Vancouver Campus | Musqueam Traditional Territory

Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory (AERL Building)

Room 429 – 2202 Main Mall | Vancouver, BC | V6T 1Z4 | Canada

 

Email: bonnie.leung@ubc.ca

Tel: 604-822-9249

 

Check out our IRES Seminar Series!