Spring 2023

Black and white illustrations representing three questions in the quiz
Quaffles, quacks, and quirks
Which bird was nearly the UBC sports teams mascot before the name “Thunderbirds” was chosen?
Headshot of Jordan MacKenzie
Fantastic plastic
Jordan MacKenzie’s team has created a bio-based alternative to single-use plastic.
Rachel Glassman, BA'18, MA'20
3 Min
Photos of all six interviewees
Should Canada dispense with its tipping culture?
Six UBC experts share their perspectives.
6 Min
Elizabeth Denham standing in an office with her arms crossed
“Privacy has gone mainstream”
As AI permeates our lives, Elizabeth Denham has made data security a priority.
David Silverberg
6 Min
Dr. Bonnie Henry
Bonnie Henry

Kindness is her superpower, shoes are her weakness.

3 Min
A black and white photo of the Arts County Fair
Arts County Fair
Thousands of students + hundreds of kegs of beer = many, many porta potties
Rachel Glassman, BA'18, MA'20
3 Min
Dr. Kalina Christoff sitting down with a background showing some daydream-themed illustrations
The case for daydreaming
It’s time to put down your phone and let your mind wander.
Richard Littlemore
10 Min
Illustration of the upper half of the human body, with colourful diagrams showing brain and the stomach
Our second brain: More than a gut feeling
The human gut contains more nerve cells than the spinal cord and exerts influence on the brain.
Heather Gerrie
11 Min
Tanya Bennet, a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, uses a pipet while working on the development of an in vitro model of the injured spinal cord
Brainwaves
Serious disorders affecting the brain and nervous system can be complex to treat.
9 Min
Illustration of a person who is stressed out while holding their head with one hand and multiple bills with the other
When stress gets in your head
The links between stress and depression are strong and mysterious.
Jared Downing
5 Min
Professor Guangyu Wang standing in a forest, looking up at the trees
The science of forest therapy
Connecting with nature, particularly in forests, can benefit our mental and physical health.
5 Min
Illustration of a baby crawling, with symbols representing DNA and genes by the baby's brain
Getting under the skin with epigenetics

Unravelling the mysteries of gene expression in early brain development.

Chris Cannon
11 Min
Robyn Freiheit seated at a table outdoors, enjoying a beverage
Porto, Portugal
Explore the charming town of Porto from the perspective of UBC alum Robyn Freiheit.
5 Min