News

Graduate students share love for chemistry at Science World

On a busy Saturday afternoon a group of graduate students from the Chemistry Department stand behind several activity tables, oozing enthusiasm and a passion for chemistry as they captivate children with giant bubbles and beakers filled with slime. Since 2011 this group of volunteers, headed by graduate student Susan Vickers with support from JM Lauzon, spend one afternoon a month at Vancouver’s TELUS World of Science running hands-on activities that entertain and educate kids of all ages....

Grad Student wins inaugural Edward Piers Memorial Award

Congratulations to graduate student Alexander Dauth, the first recipient of the Chemistry Department’s Edward Piers Memorial Award in Organic Chemistry. Alexander, a member of the Love group, is conducting research in the areas of organometallic chemistry and catalysis.

Chemistry Staff: John Ellis, Acquisitions

Another hard day at work in Chemistry Stores for John Ellis, Acquisitions.

Department celebrates summer with BBQ Fiesta

Despite Vancouver’s stifling heat, turnout was great at the annual Department BBQ. The fiesta-themed event was organized by the Chemistry Social Committee. Highlights included the hot pepper eating and costume contests, as well as two chemistry-themed piñatas in the shape of a beaker mug and “Got Chem?” t-shirt.

Grad Student wins Faculty of Science Achievement Award

Congratulations to graduate student Angela Crane, who was awarded the Faculty of Science Achievement Award for her work with chemistry outreach. Angela is a member of the MacLachlan group and has been with the department since 2008.

The Science Achievement Awards recognize staff, students and faculty whose contributions in areas such as service, administration, leadership and outreach have had a significant positive impact on achieving the goals of the Faculty of...

Student Awards - CSC 2012

Congratulations to the following chemistry students who won awards at the 2012 Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Calgary, Alberta:

Graduate Student Poster Competition
Philippa Payne: 1st place, Organic Chemistry Division
Erin Lindenberg: 1st place, Physical, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Division

Suzana Strauss awarded Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship

Associate Professor Suzana Straus was recently awarded a Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship. These awards, granted by the European Commission, are designed to attract top-class researchers to work and undertake research in Europe with the ultimate goal of developing mutually-beneficial research cooperation between Europe and Canada.

Grad student Lauren Keyes wins Best Oral Presentation

At the 95th annual Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in May, UBC chemistry graduate student Lauren Keyes was awarded Best Oral Presentation in the Symposium on Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis in Honour of Howard Alper. Lauren Keyes, a member of the Love group, is currently entering the final year of her PhD at UBC. Her research has focused on the development...

Grad student wins Killam Doctoral Scholarship

Congratulations to PhD student Chad Atkins who has been awarded a Killam Doctoral Scholarship for the upcoming academic year. Chad has been working with Michael Blades and Robin Turner on a project that involves the study of storage lesions in red blood cells using Raman spectroscopy.

Killam Doctoral Scholarships are provided annually from the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund for Advanced Studies. These are the most prestigious graduate awards available at UBC, and are awarded to the...

Reconnecting with Chemistry Alumni

Two successful alumni events bring May to a close in the Chemistry Department. It has been a busy month, first with our inaugural Alumni Reunion on Saturday May 12, followed by our family event for UBC’s Alumni Weekend on Saturday May 26. Both days featured perfect weather - uncharacteristic for Vancouver – bringing plenty of sunshine, energy and excitement to our events.

Stephen Withers elected Fellow of the Royal Society (London)

Congratulations to Professor Stephen Withers, who has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (London). The honour recognizes Dr. Withers’ contributions to our understanding of the reaction mechanism of enzymes.

Stephen Withers is one of the world’s foremost experts on the enzymes that assemble and degrade the carbohydrates that perform important biological functions such as storing energy and providing structural support for cell walls. The impact of this extends across many...

Chemistry Killam Award Winners

UBC Chemistry Killam Award Winners

Congratulations to the following UBC Killam Award winners!

Professor Greg Dake:
UBC Killam Teaching Prize

Amanda Musgrove, Graduate Student:
UBC Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Jason Wickenden, Graduate Student:
UBC Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Grad student featured in UBC Reports

Erica Kiemele, a member of the Love group, has been featured in the May edition of UBC Reports. The full story can be found here.

Bartlett Symposium Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Famous Discovery

On Friday, March 23, attendees travelled from as far as Nova Scotia to honour the 50^th anniversary of Dr. Neil Bartlett’s discovery of the first noble gas compound at UBC. The 2012 Bartlett Symposium brought together alumni, students, staff and faculty from chemistry departments in the lower mainland to celebrate this momentous event.

Opening remarks by Department Head Dr. Michael Fryzuk and David Farrar, Provost and Vice President Academic touched on the...

Ed Grant and coauthors make cover of Journal of Physics B

A paper authored by Professor Ed Grant, J. P. Morrison and N. Saquet has been featured on the cover of the Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. The paper, “Classical scaling and the correspondence between the coupled rate equation and molecular dynamics models for the evolution of ultracold neutral plasma” can be found here.

Research Scholarships Available for Incoming International Students

Scholarship money is available for international students (graduate and undergraduate) who are coming to study or conduct research at UBC for a period of 4-6 months. Applications for the CBIE Research Scholarships are due on April 5, 2012 and must be made through the UBC Go Global Office.

Eligibility:

Professor Mark MacLachlan honoured with National Award

Chemistry faculty member Mark MacLachlan has been awarded a 2012 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) honour that recognizes some of the nation's most promising scientific talent.

JACS Spotlight on Dr. Brian James and Coworkers

The recently published article "Thiol, Disulfide, and Trisulfide Complexes of Ru Porphyrins: Potential Models for Iron-Sulfur Bonds in Heme-Proteins" from Dr. James and coworkers, will be highlighted in JACS Spotlights, a new feature introduced to the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 2012. JACS Spotlights are intended to make JACS research more accessible to the broader community. Brief summaries by science writers explain the impact and significance of the...

Annual Staff Appreciation Lunch

On one of the few sunny days in February, staff left their desks, locked their doors, and made their way down to Cecil Green Park House for the second annual Staff Appreciation Lunch. Department staff – from administration to lab technicians – were joined by a number of faculty members and enjoyed delicious food, speeches, door prizes and stunning views.

Dr. William Cullen makes outside cover of Journal of Environmental Monitoring

Chemistry Professor William Cullen made the outside cover of the Journal of Environmental Monitoring (JEM), Issue 3, with the article “Arsenic speciation in freshwater snails and its life cycle variation”. The Journal of Environmental Monitoring (JEM), published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, covers research on environmental processes and impacts.

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