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Spotlight
The Clean Energy Revolution

The good news is we have most of the technological solutions for transitioning to low-carbon sources of energy. The biggest challenges to adopting them more widely and rapidly are social and political — from funding and investment, to international cooperation, to inspiring mass support for ambitious policies.

Simon Donner in a pink collared shirt, touching his chin with his finger, against a blurred grassy background.
Net zero: Go big or go home
A UBC climate scientist notes progress on emissions – but says we must be far bolder.
Spotlight Archive
Arts
Samantha Quan giving her acceptance speech with the cast and team of her Oscar-winning film behind her
How many of these Asian Canadian trailblazers do you know?
Hint: They’re all connected to UBC!
Athletics
Two hockey players compete on the ice
A homegrown player is worth an extra $4.8M annually to an NHL team
There’s more at stake than simply keeping the fans happy.
Business
Woman's hands on smartphone displaying stock market graphics
More investors are choosing stocks along political lines: UBC study
High net-worth investors aren’t only choosing stocks for financial reasons.
Campus
Two students pretend to box with boxing gloves
Meet 3 of UBC’s oldest surviving clubs
Here’s to the thespians, the mountaineers, and the journalists.
Careers
Mixed media image showing a hand holding a graduation cap, a stack of books, and other graphic elements
What advice do you wish you’d gotten when you started your first job?
Support new UBC graduates by sharing your career stories and advice by May 25, 2025.
Community
Parents with two girls in black and white photo
A dying wish, forgotten boxes, and a lost Holocaust archive rediscovered
A UBC Creative Writing professor uncovers his family’s hidden wartime history.
Environment
Hero Image
Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha
How concerned should we be about falling space junk?
Satellites bring tremendous benefits to society, but our reliance on them also carries risks.
Give UBC
Portrait of Mohammed Al-Seragi
From East Vancouver to biochemistry breakthroughs
“It was life-changing — not just for me but for my family.”
Health
Woman wears VR headset and gloves as another woman watches
UBC Okanagan students use virtual reality to transform stroke recovery
Psychology and computer science students are advancing brain injury rehabilitation.
Humanities
High-rise under construction rising above cityscape
Canada’s housing crisis stops millions from forming the households they want
Rising rents and housing shortages are changing how families live together.
Life
Shelves and dresser below "Seed Lending Library" sign
UBC’s Seed Lending Libraries grow community and sustainability
A seed lending library is an innovative concept that’s sprouting up around the world.
Science
View of Saturn from one of its moons
Saturn still reigns supreme as moon king with 128 new moons
Saturn has left its former rival, Jupiter, in the dust.
Technology
Transparent gates at entrance to convenience store
Fully autonomous store opens on UBC campus
It’s the first fully autonomous convenience store in the world to feature secure gates.
afterwords

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

Upper-body shot of Allisha Heidt standing by the front counter in her store
Allisha Heidt
Meet a UBCO alum and entrepreneur whose business is helping to save the planet.
Changemakers

UBC grads defining the future

Standing in front of a United Nations sign, Jennifer Duncan wears a white blazer and skirt with rose designs and a gold trim.
Hunting, fishing… and lawyering

The Dene lawyer devoted to securing self‑determination for First Nations.

Class Acts

News from your old classmates

Collective Wisdom

One pressing question. Multiple expert perspectives.

A collection of headshots of the six interviewees, with a white 'Q.' in the bottom right corner.
What developments in the transition to clean energy make you most optimistic?

One pressing question, multiple expert perspectives.

In Memoriam

Lives and legacies

My Town

Insider travel tips from alumni around the world

Rohma Khurram Nawaz with her dog Saiya on a snowy day
Fort Smith, Canada
UBCO alum Rohma Khurram Nawaz shares the beauty of northern living in this My Town feature.
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

Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon wearing a blue suit
More than a place of learning

Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, UBC President and Vice-Chancellor.

Readers Write

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

Gif of prof headshots — with 3 to 4 headshots per slide
The profs who changed us

Here’s to the UBC mentors we’ll never forget.

Rewind

A glance into UBC’s past

 Four people standing around a person in a bed. Attached to the bed is a sign that reads: "UBC Bed Pushing Marathon"
The Intellectual Stunts Committee

Meet the mischief‑makers who declared war on apathy.

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

Photo of Robby the robot.
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

A portrait of Meeru Dhalwala with curly black hair and her chin propped in her hand.
Meeru Dhalwala

Senses alive, kitchen thrives.

UBC100

UBC100

"There are few earthly things more beautiful and splendid than a university"

October 19, 2015

Selected Stories

Simon Donner in a pink collared shirt, touching his chin with his finger, against a blurred grassy background.
Net zero: Go big or go home
Jared Downing
10 Min
A graphic of a tree made of green conversation bubbles with people conversing underneath.
How to talk about climate change
Bruce Grierson
9 Min
The Uralkali Potash Mine: spiralling swirls of earth like nautilus shells, shot through with streaks of red.
Clean energy’s catch‑22
Richard Littlemore
11 Min
A futuristic depiction of a car plugged into a hydrogen fuelling station.
Hydrogen is touted as a climate solution, but can it be good business?
Tom Leslie
4 Min
A graphic of hands and people cleaning up the earth with a spray bottle, a cloth, plants, and chemicals.
Making petrochemicals... without the “petro”
Jared Downing
5 Min
A photo of Naomi Klein seated at a metal table against a dark background, wearing glasses and a russet overcoat.
A just transition
Naomi Klein
13 Min
See All

Podcasts

Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha
How concerned should we be about falling space junk?
38 Min
Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha
The truth about DEI and what backlash against it really reveals
23 Min
Scanning from afar: How a UBC innovation is improving ultrasound access
Scanning from afar: How a UBC innovation is improving ultrasound access
23 Min
Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha
Beyond “happy ever after”: The truth about love
29 Min
Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha
The adventurous life of a paragliding librarian
29 Min

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A Publication of UBC University of British Colombia