Political observers have noted an ongoing global decline in democracy over the past two decades. And now, the world’s most powerful nation is led by a president who is openly challenging the democratic ideals on which it was built. What are the roots of this backsliding, and how can democracy be strengthened for the 21st century?

Photo of people protesting and holding up signs. One sign says: "Accountability."

Democracy: Down, but not out

Despite the backsliding, public support for democracy remains strong.

Spotlight Archive

Arts

$Test$

How I went from loathing math to loving it

A UBC math major’s take on one of our most misunderstood subjects.

Athletics

UBC students paddling in canoe for Day of the Longboat

Test your knowledge of UBC athletics

Put your brains (but not your brawn) to the test!

Business

Close-up of wheat crop growing in a field

Canadian crops beat global emissions—even after 17 trips across the Atlantic

Canadian-grown wheat, canola, and peas have some of the world’s lowest carbon footprints.

Campus

Crowd of people outside a building with canopy tents in front

UBC Okanagan kicks off 20th anniversary year with record domestic enrolment

September is back-to-school time—for everyone, it’s a chance at new beginnings.

Careers

Two women talk in front of laptop in office

How UBC helps students and grads navigate the shifting job landscape

The job market in Canada continues to evolve in unpredictable ways.

Community

This scientist’s side hustle is creating crosswords for The New York Times

Dean by day, cruciverbalist by night.

Environment

Man in coat stands in front of trees and building

Rethinking the ethics and politics of landscape architecture—by design

A UBC professor asserts that all landscapes and design choices are political choices.

Give UBC

Hugo Mota Santos seated on a deck with water and trees in the background

In his 30s with a baby on the way, Hugo found his calling

“Even 30...40 years from now, I will remember this award and the importance it had in my life.”

Health

UBC Okanagan researchers create 3D-printed living lung tissue

This innovation could transform how scientists study lung disease.

Humanities

Coloured silhouettes of two custodians wiping school tables

New audio project gives voice to UBC’s unseen custodial community

Experience campus through the stories of those behind the scenes who keep it running.

Life

Plates of food with drinks, flowers, and cutlery

An excellent source of protein: Health, hype, and hard truths

Does the hype about protein match the science?

Science

Scuba diver floats near measuring tape over sea stars on rock

Solving the decade-long mystery of what was killing sea stars in the Pacific

In 2013, a mysterious epidemic swept across the Pacific Coast of North America.

Technology

Robots to help greet and treat UBC Vancouver bookstore customers

It’s a first-of-its-kind technology pilot project on a Canadian university campus.

afterwords

alumni UBC’s afterwords is a digital conversation series that shares the stories of some of UBC Okanagan’s extraordinary alumni.

Allisha Heidt

Meet a UBCO alum and entrepreneur whose business is helping to save the planet.

Changemakers

UBC grads defining the future

An image of Sophia Yang standing in front of a crowd with her arms up, wearing a lanyard, black top, and quilted red, green, and white top.

Threading change

The future of fashion is youth-led.

Class Acts

News from your old classmates

Collective Wisdom

One pressing question. Multiple expert perspectives.

Headshots of the six experts, with a white capital letter Q juxtaposed on top

How should democracies adapt for the 21st century?

One pressing question, multiple expert perspectives.

In Memoriam

Lives and legacies

My Town

Insider travel tips from alumni around the world

Dr. Amy Dawson on Signal Hill with her dog Watson

St. John’s, Canada

Explore the capital of Canada’s easternmost province with a UBC Medicine alum and resident.

Opinion

Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris during her concession speech for the 2024 presidential election, with American flags in the background

Hope in precarious times

As democracy in America faces its greatest test, this is the hope that I’m holding on to.

President’s Highlight

Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon reflects on the people and places shaping UBC

The Gordon B. Shrum Building on University Boulevard

From stem cells to robots

A look inside the new home of UBC’s School of Biomedical Engineering.

Readers Write

Stories, advice, and snapshots of life from UBC Magazine readers.

Why these 17 concerts on campus will stay with alumni forever

Readers share their most memorable and magical (and sometimes rainy) concert memories.

Rewind

A glance into UBC’s past

The Wally Wagon

A sustainable car designed by UBC engineers in 1972 was years ahead of its time.

Short Fiction

Winning entries from our annual writing contest for UBC alumni

An illustration of students in a classroom practicing calligraphy, while outside the window other people march beside red flags

2025 Winner: Magnificence

Winner of the 2025 alumni UBC Short Fiction Contest.

The Big Picture

More show, less tell

Robby the robot

The newest member of UBC’s Athletics & Recreation team is a line-painting robot.

The Last Word

Q&As featuring well-known individuals with a UBC connection

Susan Musgrave

Wild heart, kind spirit.

Test - Loud mouths, linguists, and leaders

1 MIN | November 21, 2023

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The earliest cheerleaders at UBC were all male and known as yell leaders. The chief yell leader was called:

Old Yeller

Yell King

Lieutenant Loudmouth

Yeller in Chief

The outside of UBC Vancouver’s Biological Sciences building is covered in:

A living wall of succulents

Solar panels that power the building

Mirrors that bounce sunlight inside to provide lighting

Tiles that change colour with the weather

Christine Schreyer, an associate professor of anthropology at UBCO, developed which fictional language?

Kryptonian, from Man of Steel