UBC Okanagan is introducing a professional master’s program that combines coursework, laboratory training and internships to prepare students for fulfilling careers in the biotechnology industry.

The Master of Biotechnology (MBtec) is a 16-month, course-based program ready to welcome its first cohort of students in September 2025.

Created in consultation with industry partners, the program was designed to deliver a comprehensive education in disciplines core to biotechnology while emphasizing life-long skills in critical thinking, hypothesis testing, project management, leadership and communications, says Dr. Perry Howard, Professor and Head of UBCO’s Biology Department.

“This is a program that truly has it all,” says Dr. Howard. “One of the unique features is that 70 per cent of program credits come from hands-on training that students receive from our world-class faculty members in areas like microbial, plant and animal cell culture, molecular cloning, genomics and bioinformatics, and advanced techniques like organoid production.”

“This focus on agricultural technology and biomanufacturing will prepare graduates for a wide array of roles in the sector.”

Dr. Rehan Sadiq, UBCO’s Provost and Vice-President Academic, says the creation of the MBtec was made possible by an investment from the provincial government that added 200 new student seats on UBC’s Okanagan campus in biotechnology, data science and engineering—all part of a long-term plan to meet the growing demand for talent in the province.

“This significant investment from the Province of BC provides new pathways for UBC Okanagan students to develop the skills and expertise needed to address complex challenges,” says Dr. Sadiq. “As UBC Okanagan moves towards its 20th anniversary, the launch of the Master of Biotechnology program builds on nearly two decades of growth and interdisciplinary collaboration, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to preparing our students to lead in dynamic and critical sectors and explore innovative solutions that will shape a better future.”

BC is home to Canada’s fastest-growing life sciences sector, generating $2.6 billion in gross domestic product. Currently, the industry employs more than 20,000 people and, by 2027, is projected to experience a 10-fold increase in its talent gap, translating to a shortage of 5,500 skilled workers.

“Post-secondary education and training is the fastest and most reliable way to grow and strengthen the middle class here in BC. Our government is thrilled to partner with UBC to offer this program,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.

“These graduates will be the fuel of the economy. They’ll have the technical skills needed to drive innovation and economic growth and develop health care to improve the lives of British Columbians while building a strong foundation to thrive long into the future.”

The high demand is one of the many reasons Dr. Howard says this program makes sense for recent graduates and working professionals.

“It’s a well-paying industry—we know the average compensation for those working in life sciences is 21 per cent higher than other wages across B.C. Training in a small, supportive cohort with a low faculty-to-student ratio is also beneficial. In just 16 months, students can receive a highly regarded graduate degree from UBC. From there, the possibilities are endless,” says Dr. Howard.

Applications for the Master of Biotechnology program are now open.

A Master of Biotechnology information session will be held virtually on January 9. More information and registration can be found at https://events.ok.ubc.ca/event/master-of-biotechnology-virtual-information-session-2/.

Learn more about the program at biology.ok.ubc.ca/graduate/biotechnology.

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Grizzly bears are doing more than building fat reserves as they feast on huckleberries each summer in the Canadian Rocky Mountains—they’re playing a vital role in plant ecology.

A study led by researchers from the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, published in PLOS ONE, reveals the ecological importance of bears as long-distance seed dispersers.

“Bears don’t just eat huckleberries—they help them grow in new places,” says lead researcher Aza Fynley Kuijt, from UBC’s Faculty of Forestry.

“Our findings show that this mutual relationship is crucial for both species, especially as climate change shifts suitable habitats for huckleberries.”

The study focuses on how bear digestion enhances huckleberry germination and spreads seeds across vast areas, a process called endozoochory.

Researchers found that seeds consumed and defecated by bears had significantly higher germination rates (up to 28.5 per cent) compared to seeds left inside intact berries (0.2 per cent). The key factor is the removal of germination inhibitors in the berry pulp during digestion.

Using GPS data from 74 collared grizzly bears, the study estimated that bears disperse 50 per cent of consumed seeds at least one kilometre away from their feeding sites, with potential maximum distances of up to seven kilometres.

This movement creates a “seed shadow” covering areas as large as 149 square kilometres, enabling huckleberries to expand into new territories.

The implications are significant. Huckleberries are a key food source for bears, providing essential energy during late summer.

In turn, bears help huckleberries adapt to changing climates by dispersing seeds into new, potentially more suitable habitats. However, human activities such as urban development, resource extraction and increased recreation in bear habitats can affect this critical ecological partnership.

The study underscores the intricate relationship between large mobile mammals and the food they eat. Disrupting the bear-huckleberry relationship could have knock-on effects on both species and the broader ecosystem.

“Wildlife conservation is not just about protecting certain species, but about looking after ecological processes and relationships. As we show here, looking after grizzly bears and movement corridors can also help huckleberries, which people and bears both adore,” adds Clayton Lamb, co-author and UBC Okanagan biologist.

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What: Mindfest—A dynamic event featuring presentations, competitions and interactive audience games focused on community health and wellbeing
Who: UBCO Department of Psychology
When: Wednesday, 6 to 9 pm
Where: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna

Explore the world of psychological research at UBC Okanagan’s Mindfest on June 26.

This event will spotlight innovative studies on the use of cannabis and psychedelics for mental health treatment, inventive community health strategies and novel mental health interventions.

Witness firsthand how these advancements are poised to transform understanding and approach to mental wellbeing.

“We are thrilled to be organizing this unique event that will feature some of the brightest minds in psychology at UBCO,” said Dr. Michael Woodworth, Professor of Psychology.

“Mindfest is an opportunity to see how our research directly improves mental health and community wellbeing. We are excited to share our findings with the public,” he added.

Mindfest will feature five psychology labs presenting their cutting-edge research.

Topics will include the potential of cannabis and psychedelics as treatments for mental health conditions, innovative approaches to improving community health, and new methods for addressing common psychological issues.

The event will also include a competition where attendees can vote for the most compelling research presentation, with one lab being crowned the top presenter of Mindfest.

Interactive games highlighting psychological principles and their applications will engage the audience throughout the event.

Up-and-coming country music singer Ben Klick will also perform live and light refreshments will be available.

To find out more, visit events.ok.ubc.ca/event/mindfest.

 

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Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais isn’t going to rehash what everyone in the Central Okanagan already knows about wildfires when he opens the three-day Wildfire Coexistence Symposium in Kelowna next week.

The Assistant Professor in UBC Okanagan’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences says the event is tailored toward innovative wildfire solutions.

“We want to move beyond recognizing the problem to finding and implementing solutions that address the whole-of-society issue of wildfire,” he says.

“This is about understanding what’s happening around our communities and making us better prepared.”

Dr. Bourbonnais as well as his colleague and co-presenter from UBC Vancouver, Dr. Lori Daniels, have tailored the symposium to as broad an audience as possible. They will touch on new technology and new tactics.

They’ve designed the symposium to be engaging, with panels, moderated questions and audience interaction with over 20 experts in various fields.

“We want to bring together different segments of society, including First Nations, health sciences, forestry, wildlife ecology, the insurance sector and the economy to discuss solutions,” Dr. Bourbonnais says.

They’ll also take participants to sites affected by recent wildfires to show both worst-case scenarios and successful mitigation efforts. It’s meant for anyone living in the wildland-urban interface, firefighters, policymakers, foresters or urban planners, offering practical solutions for wildfire resilience.

Dr. Bourbonnais will also update participants on the research happening around the Okanagan. His team is building affordable sensors and distributing them to provide accurate, real-time data closer to the community.

For example, during the McDougal Creek wildfire in 2023, there were only a handful of weather stations in the entire valley providing operational information. UBCO had 15 of its sensors in the middle of the fire.

Six of them didn’t survive, but they provided valuable data until they were destroyed, showing wind speeds, temperatures and other critical information.

“This data helps us understand where our highest risk areas are around Kelowna and how to address them,” he says.

“Our team has been collecting data and validating results for three years as we continue to build and develop our system of affordable, easily deployed sensors. The system is filling real gaps in our understanding of wildfire risk and how we can use the data operationally with wildfire management agencies and fire departments.”

The June 3-5 event is happening in Kelowna. Free tickets to the Monday night event, Ashes to Action: Learning to Live with Wildfire, are moving quickly. Full symposium passes are still available.

“Knowing as much as possible about wind speed, wind direction and temperature on the ground helps shape strategies,” says Dr. Bourbonnais. “For proactive work, it’s about identifying where we see the highest risk around the Okanagan and getting ahead of it.”

Learn more at wildfire-symposium.forestry.ubc.ca.

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New research reveals a surprising truth about rivers: plants play a key role in shaping their very form.

Dr. Alessandro Ielpi, an Assistant Professor of Geomorphology in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science at UBC Okanagan, has found evidence supporting the theory that vegetation influences whether rivers flow in graceful curves or straighter paths.

“That plant life aids in shaping river landscapes is a notion that has been entertained for many years in the scientific community,” Dr. Ielpi says. “This kind of research helps pinpoint with a higher degree of confidence just how vegetation does that.”

The research, recently published in the journal Nature Communications, highlights a clear connection: rivers with healthy vegetation tend to meander more easily than those flowing through landscapes barren of plant life.

He says this discovery has significant implications for managing the environment, adapting to climate change and designing sustainable communities.

This notion is best demonstrated in the relation between the curvature of river bends—how tight any bends are—and the pace at which the river flow erodes its banks.

The research was based on a compilation of more than 50 rivers from around the globe. It used high-resolution satellite imagery of river landscapes analyzed sequentially over years.

“This difference in shape a river channel can attain has cascading effects,” Dr. Ielpi says. “Disturbances like wildfires in floodplains can disrupt vegetation patterns, leading to channels adapting their shape and potentially altering flooding patterns and ecosystem health. In a similar fashion, climate-driven changes like the greening of northern regions may alter river channels, impacting regional ecosystems and water flow.”

He explains that the benefits of healthy river vegetation extend far beyond shaping riverbeds. Healthy plant life along rivers can act as a natural defence against floods, mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events driven by climate change. This knowledge can be used to build climate-resilient communities.

Furthermore, insights from this research can inform greener urban design principles. By understanding how vegetation can influence rivers, planners and engineers can create cities that work harmoniously with natural systems, promoting healthier waterways and more livable urban environments.

Dr. Ielpi notes this research can empower communities. By understanding river dynamics, communities can take informed action for conservation and restoration efforts. This enhances recreational opportunities and protects vital ecosystems for future generations.

“The research serves as a reminder of the importance of interdisciplinary science,” Dr. Ielpi says. “By combining expertise in spatial analysis and remote sensing, ecology and environmental science, researchers gain a deeper understanding of our planet’s complex systems.”

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As the climate changes, animals are doing what they can to adapt. Researchers from UBC Okanagan—which includes partners from Biodiversity Pathways’ Wildlife Science Centre, the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, the University of Alberta, and Environment and Climate Change Canada—wanted to evaluate why deer densities in the boreal forest are rapidly increasing. Over the past century, white-tailed deer have greatly expanded their range in North America, explains Melanie Dickie, a doctoral student with UBC Okanagan’s Wildlife Restoration Ecology Lab. In the boreal forest of Western Canada, researchers have considered that both changing climate and increased habitat alteration have enabled deer to push farther north. Climate change can create milder winters, while habitat alteration from forestry and energy exploration creates new food sources for deer. As they conclude their study, researchers caution that what is good for the deer isn’t necessarily suitable for other species, such as the threatened woodland caribou. Dickie, as well as fellow UBCO and Biodiversity Pathways researchers Drs. Adam Ford, Michael Noonon, Robin Steenweg and Rob Serrouya, have monitored the white-tailed deer’s movement into the western boreal forest for more than five years. As global temperatures climb, the researchers note that deer expansion is uprooting existing predator-prey dynamics. “The expansion of white-tailed deer into the boreal forest has been linked to caribou declines,” explains Dickie. “Deer are ecosystem disruptors in the northern boreal forests. Areas with more deer typically have more wolves, and these wolves are predators of caribou—a species under threat. Deer can handle high predation rates, but caribou cannot.” Understanding white-tailed deer populations continues to be one piece of the caribou recovery puzzle. “The trick is that human land use and climate are often intertwined. As we move northward, the climate becomes harsher and human land use decreases, making it difficult to isolate these two factors,” says Dr. Serrouya. “The debate over the relative effect of climate or habitat change isn’t unique to deer in the boreal, either; it’s one of the most pressing issues facing applied ecologists globally.” The researchers determined that the northern Alberta-Saskatchewan border provided a convenient experimental location. While both sides have a consistent climate, habitat alteration is, on average, 3.6-fold higher on the Alberta side. Between 2017 and 2021, the research team maintained 300 wildlife cameras throughout the region to collect motion-triggered images of large mammals. These images were used to estimate white-tailed deer density. Key findings from the study include that deer density was significantly lower in areas with colder, snowier winters. While human land use was associated with higher deer densities, the effect of human-caused habitat change was much smaller than that of climate. Winter severity is expected to decline as climate change progresses. This means that deer are expected to keep expanding northwards and increase in abundance, adding an increased risk to the caribou. “When planning for caribou recovery, we need to consider these new forest residents,” says Dr. Ford. “We are now well into the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, but when doing restoration, we have to account for new pathways of species interacting in the food web.” The research was published today in the journal Global Change Biology. The post Deer are expanding north, and that’s not good for caribou appeared first on UBC Okanagan News.

Thanks to drastic and evidence-based solutions, more southern mountain caribou roam Western Canada today than in previous decades; however, herd numbers are too fragile to sustain themselves without continued intervention.

That begins the conclusion of a new research paper published in Ecological Applications on Thursday by a team of wildlife and biodiversity researchers led by Dr. Clayton Lamb, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC Okanagan and Wildlife Scientist at Biodiversity Pathways.

“We did this analysis with full understanding and agreement that habitat loss is the primary driver of caribou declines,” says Dr. Lamb. “But the reality is that habitat restoration, even once complete, will take decades to produce the mature forests and low predator densities caribou need to survive. In the meantime, we need evidence-based actions to sustain caribou while we expedite habitat conservation and restoration.”

Researchers found that while caribou have declined dramatically over the past few decades, there are 52 per cent (or less than 1,500) more caribou on the landscape than if no recovery actions had been taken.

Southern mountain caribou are among the most threatened large mammals in Canada. The ultimate reason for caribou decline is human-caused habitat loss and increased predation. It’s thought that it will take decades to restore enough habitat for populations to recover, and the outcomes of restoration are still unknown.

Across BC and Alberta, managers have tried maternal penning, supplemental feeding, translocation and reducing predator density to help stabilize caribou populations.

“Caribou declines have been drastic, and the actions required to keep them from completely disappearing have had to be bold, and many have been understandably contentious,” says Dr. Lamb. “Our task was to assess whether and how these recovery actions have helped southern mountain caribou in their struggle to survive.”

Researchers from across BC and Alberta pooled and analyzed over 50 years of data on the species, using population estimates from aerial surveys and information on caribou mortality from collared animals.

Though the earliest data comes from 1973, data collection began for most populations after 1991. The team found that the southern mountain caribou abundance declined by 51 per cent between 1991 and 2023. Still, without recovery actions, the decline would have been even more significant.

“We have 1,500 more caribou than we would have had without these actions,” says co-author Dr. Rob Serrouya, Co-Director of the Wildlife Science Centre with Biodiversity Pathways. “There is strong evidence that predator reductions have increased caribou populations and avoided further caribou extirpation events. We’ve seen this increase under current levels of climate change; high levels of habitat loss also contribute.

“Actions such as maternal penning and supplemental feeding were most effective when coupled with predator reduction. Other actions, such as prey reduction, wolf sterilization or translocations, had a lesser impact.”

Researchers from both UBCO and Biodiversity Pathways analyze and report on the status of caribou populations, offering clear data to inform the conversation on conservation efforts and support the best outcomes for ecosystem health.

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UBC Okanagan is celebrating three inspiring faculty members whose research is making a difference on some of the most pressing issues in society.

The prestigious Researcher of the Year awards recognize individuals who are making the world a better place through excellence in research and scholarly activity.

Three outstanding faculty members have been honoured: Dr. Adam Ford for natural sciences and engineering research, Dr. Lesley Lutes for health research and Dr. Wendy Wong for her research in the fields of social sciences and humanities.

Dr. Adam Ford

Dr. Ford is an Associate Professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, and studies how humans affect predators and prey, as well as the interactions between the two. His Wildlife Restoration Ecology (WiRE) Lab often supports Indigenous-led conservation and restoration and works with communities and governments to directly affect wildlife in the field.

Dr. Ford’s study on chronic wasting disease—a fatal disease that affects the brain, spinal cord and other tissues of deer, elk and moose—identified areas where the disease could cross borders and infect BC’s deer populations. As a result, the BC government changed its areas of mandatory testing. When chronic wasting disease was first detected in the province in early 2024, it was in one of the very hot spots Dr. Ford’s lab had identified.

Being named Researcher of the Year is an honour, he says, that is due to years of hard work from not just him, but everyone in the WiRE Lab.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work of my students and staff, and the trust our partners have put in us. We’re tackling problems that matter to people, and we’re making a difference.”

Dr. Lesley Lutes

A Registered Psychologist and Professor of Psychology in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr. Lutes has become an advocate for increased public access to evidence-based mental health care in BC.

Her work includes the creation of the first-ever public walk-in mental health clinic on a BC university campus at UBC Okanagan, and the expansion of psychological services into the school’s student health clinic.

Currently, Dr. Lutes is working with the provincial government in hopes of completing a proof of concept for integrating psychologists into primary care practices to treat physical and mental health together, a model that’s shown significant success in improving health outcomes.

“This award is a reminder of the power that science can have in advancing meaningful change,” says Dr. Lutes. “The research is clear that giving people access to effective mental and behavioural health services for things such as anxiety, depression and obesity saves time, money and lives. My hope is that by continuing to put the science of mental and behavioural health front and centre, that policy change and appropriate financial investments will follow.”

Dr. Wendy Wong

In an increasingly digital world where data and artificial intelligence (AI) seem to progress by leaps and bounds every week, Dr. Wong calls for extending human rights into the digital sphere.

A Professor of Political Science in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, she notes this major technological disruption can have significant effects on people’s lives and wants to help people better understand the implications of AI, including its inherent human biases. She advocates for government and technology creators to be aware of, and responsive to, the potential harms of AI and increasing digital data.

“I’m hoping that the more I talk about data and human rights, the more people will start thinking about technology differently. These AI technologies have been created by people who haven’t been forced to think about the social and political ramifications of their inventions. Now we have to do that.”

This year marks the 19th annual Researcher of the Year award at UBC Okanagan and Dr. Phil Barker, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation, says he is continually impressed by the research taking place at UBCO.

“Every year I am inspired by the incredible researchers working at our campus,” says Dr. Barker. “This year’s Researcher of the Year recipients are addressing critical challenges in our society, from biodiversity to mental health to artificial intelligence. Their research leadership and innovative approaches to complicated problems are advancing their fields and are having important impacts locally and globally.

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