From November 27 to November 29, UBC holds graduation ceremonies to students receiving their baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees. Everyone crossing the stage this fall has their own story of hard work, challenges, setbacks, and achievements.
Some of these year’s graduates include:
Dr. Warner, from Kinesiology, studied the effect of medications on recovery after spinal cord injury. Using secondary data, she performed analyses to identify the beneficial effects of a specific drug, as well as map the progression of pain after injury. Her research contributes to the search for treatments after spinal cord injury and their potential clinical applications.
Dr. Shumka, from School and Applied Child Psychology, examined social-emotional competencies in children with selective mutism and found that they have more difficulties labelling facial emotional expressions than other children their age. These results inform our understanding of how to treat this rare and under-researched anxiety disorder.
Mineral carbonation is a process that converts CO2 into harmless carbonates. Dr. Wang, from Materials Engineering, confirmed that it is possible to recover valuable metals released from silicate mineral during mineral carbonation. This research bridges the mineral carbonation technology for carbon sequestration and has potential application in mineral processing industries.
Dr. Soleymanian, from Business Administration, studied Usage-Based Auto Insurance in which drivers allow their private data to be monitored in return for potential lower premiums. He found that monitored motorists became safer and earned discounts, but more readily dropped out when their privacy concerns were raised, suggesting a complex link among privacy, price, and public policy.
Nuclear medicine is an important field of medicine, shining a light within the human body to facilitate diagnosis and therapy. Dr. Wang, from Chemistry, developed a new group of chelators based on "oxine" arms which showed a marked improvement from its previous counterpart. This work has significant potential for radiophamaceuticals in nuclear medicine.
In our global battle against drug-resistant superbugs, there is a limited arsenal of antibiotics. Dr. Behroozian, from Microbiology and Immunology, discovered broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities in a natural clay from Kisameet Bay, British Columbia, and clarified the active principal components and modes of action. Her contributions may lead to development of novel treatments.
For words of wisdom from UBC alumni, visit our alumni profiles.
Visit graduation.ubc.ca for a full schedule of all graduation ceremonies, and information on additional campus events.