What: World Water Day panel discussion — exSTREAMS: The Okanagan water story and you
Who: panelists from Global Water Partnership, Okanagan Nation Alliances, and the Okanagan Basin Water Board
When: Tuesday, March 22, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Laurel Packinghouse, 1304 Ellis Street, Kelowna

UBC’s Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystems Services, together with the Okanagan Basin Water Board and Okanagan WaterWise is marking World Water Day with a special panel presentation titled exSTREAMS: The Okanagan water story and you.

The panel will speak about the Okanagan valley’s droughts and floods from a historical First Nation’s perspective, and how extreme weather events are changing.

Panelists will look at how Okanagan communities are working together to address droughts and floods, and how individuals can be part of that effort. Special keynote address will come from Margaret Catley-Carlson, vice-chair of the Canadian Water Network Board. Catley-Carlson will provide an international perspective on what is a global and regional issue.

Panelists are:

• Margaret Catley-Carlson — past chair Global Water Partnership
• Sarah Alexis — Okanagan Nation Alliance, natural resources project coordinator
• Richard Bussanich— Okanagan Nation Alliance fisheries biologist
• Anna Warwick Sears — executive director Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB)
• Don Dobson—past-chair of the Okanagan Basin Water Board Water Stewardship Council

Along with the panel discussion, local organizations will have display tables set up to promote ideas such as low-water landscapes, high-efficiency home irrigation systems and more. Displays will be hosted by the Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystems Services; OBWB-Okanagan WaterWise; Okanagan Nation Alliance; Okanagan Xeriscape Association; the City of Kelowna and the Mission Creek Restoration Initiative.

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Registration is required. Light refreshments will be served. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., event starts at 6 p.m.For details and to register, please visit: exstreams.eventbrite.ca

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Prof. David Green

What: Decline and Recovery of Amphibian Populations
Who: David Green, McGill University
When: Wednesday, February 24, noon
Where: EME 4218, Engineering, Management and Education Building, UBC’s Okanagan campus.

The decline of amphibian populations worldwide was first widely recognized 25 years and ignited a firestorm of research into amphibian ecology. Initially, investigations were directed largely towards documenting decreases in numbers of individuals within populations and proposing proximate causes. Yet, there are many possible factors, including emerging diseases, UV radiation, chemical pollutants, introduced predators, habitat destruction, and climate change.

Prof. Green’s research concerns the ecology, conservation, and evolution of amphibians. He has particular interests in species at risk and amphibian population declines. He has authored 134 refereed publications (including 19 book chapters), six books and more than 100 miscellaneous other publications and reports.

This free presentation about the decline and protection of amphibian populations is open to the public, but will also be livestreamed. A webcast link will be available: vidyoreplay.computecanada.ca/replay/webcastShow

This event is organized by UBC’s Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services. For more information and to send a question during the webcast please contact: carolina.restrepo@ubc.ca

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From left: Miranda Hart, associate professor of biology, and Abbas Milani, associate professor of engineering.

Engineering and biology professors win top recognition from university

Soil ecologist Miranda Hart and composite materials engineer Abbas Milani have won UBC Killam Research Fellowships, which enable promising faculty to pursue full-time research during a recognized study leave.

The Fellowships will support the endeavors of two prominent scientists at UBC Okanagan; soil ecologist Miranda Hart, and composite materials engineer Abbas Milani.

“We are delighted that these outstanding faculty have been recognized by the Killam Foundation,” says Phil Barker, Vice-Principal Research at UBC Okanagan. “These recognitions show that research at UBC’s Okanagan campus is continuing its strong upward trajectory.”

Miranda Hart

Hart, associate professor of biology, teaches in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, and studies soil biodiversity. In particular, she is interested in the ecology of soil microbes and the role and applications of microbes in sustainable agriculture, viticulture, and ecological restoration.

ourstories.ok.ubc.ca/stories/miranda-hart
www.mirandahart.ca

Abbas Milani

Milani, associate professor of engineering, teaches in UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering, working with advanced composite materials and their manufacturing. Lightweight and yet strong, these materials have found applications in aerospace, sports equipment, boats, home appliances, among many others. 

ourstories.ok.ubc.ca/stories/abbas-milani
engineering.ok.ubc.ca/faculty/abbasmilani

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Sanjoy Ghosh is an assistant professor with the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences.

UBC researchers investigate the detriments of polyunsaturated fats

Dietary fat has dangerous alliances in the diabetes war, according to UBC researchers.

Their findings show that certain fats consumed in excessively high levels contribute to sedentary behaviour and a predisposition to insulin resistance, similar to that observed in Type 2 diabetes.

“We tend to think there’s an inherent, fixed capacity of each human or animal to exercise, but that may not be true,” says Sanjoy Ghosh, a researcher and assistant professor of biology in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. “The factors motivating physical activity can actually be influenced by our diet.”

Aptly named the Dietary Interventions and Better Exercise through Experimental Science lab (D.I.A.B.E.T.E.S), Ghosh studies the detriments of polyunsaturated fats (PUFA)—a cheap, go-to fat in mass-produced consumer products.

“Today, the amount of polyunsaturated fats in our world may be one of the leading causes of why we are so lazy,” says Ghosh.

This research was made possible thanks to funding from the Canadian Diabetes Association, the Michael Smith Foundation (Scholar), and the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

“While we have long understood the role of excess calories in the development of obesity and in turn the risk for diabetes, Ghosh’s work suggests the impact of some foods may not be that simple, says Dr. Jan Hux, chief science officer with the Canadian Diabetes Association. “His important findings shed light of the role of certain dietary fats on the impulse to exercise — thus both contributing to the consumption of calories and inhibiting the mechanism to burn them off.”

Essential for human survival, omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA, n-6 PUFA) should be consumed in about equal measure. But the Western diet has increasingly spun out of control with n-6 PUFA consumption, which can result in increased tissue inflammation and interfere with n-3’s healthy aspects.

“Based on our research we strongly recommend that particular attention be paid to controlling dietary fatty acid levels while planning lifestyle interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour and insulin resistance in susceptible populations,” says Ghosh.

North Americans ingest about 10-20 times the amount of n-6 fats as they do the n-3 variety — and mostly in the form of refined oils.

Ghosh’s team looks at the effects of n-6 PUFA on our health, which is prey to a vicious cycle of “over-nutrition” and physical inactivity, causing obesity. Indeed, North American cases of obesity and diabetes are rising on a pandemic scale, says Ghosh.

“It’s a cholesterol-centric world,” says Ghosh. “For a long time we measured cholesterol as a biomarker for everything. Maybe people should start measuring exercise, voluntary physical activity, inflammation, and other things, and really look at how unsaturated fats influence health.”

Ghosh’s work on dietary fats was recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

To learn more about Ghosh’s research, visit ourstories.ok.ubc.ca/stories/sanjoy-ghosh.

About diabetes

Today, there are more than 10 million Canadians living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Diabetes is a chronic, often debilitating and sometimes fatal disease, in which the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it produces.

Diabetes complications are associated with premature death. It is estimated that one in 10 deaths in Canadian adults was attributable to diabetes in 2008-09.

People with diabetes are three times more likely to be hospitalized with cardiovascular disease.

Key findings by the IDF in 2014 show that 415 million people worldwide have diabetes, and that by 2035 this will rise to 592 million. In the same year, diabetes caused at least $612 billion USD in health expenditure — 11 per cent of total spending on adults.

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UBC professor part of research team that identifies new, vulnerable species

And then there were two.

An international team of scientists has discovered there are actually two species of giant tortoises living on Santa Cruz Island in the centre of the Galápagos Archipelago. Until now, it was assumed that the two giant tortoise populations on the island were of the same species, just living on different sides of the island.

Michael Russello teaches with the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

However, genetic analysis, conducted by an international group led by Yale University’s Adalgisa Caccone, and including UBC Okanagan associate professor Michael Russello, has clearly identified two separate populations.

The new species, only found on the eastern side of Santa Cruz Island and occupying an area currently estimated at about 40 km² (one-tenth of the island’s size) has been called the Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise (Chelonoidis donfaustoi).

“The naming of this new species will increase efforts to protect and restore the Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise,” says Caccone. “Its low numbers, limited geographic range, and reduced genetic diversity make it vulnerable. As a newly recognized species, it will now receive the attention needed to ensure its survival.”

While the Western Santa Cruz Tortoise has a few thousand individuals, the newly named Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise numbers in the low hundreds. Its distribution, nesting zones, abundance, and potential threats are not well known.

Over the centuries, giant tortoises were devastated throughout the Galápagos Islands due to human exploitation, introduced species, and habitat degradation. The Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, a collaborative project of the Galápagos National Park Directorate, Galápagos Conservancy, and international scientists, is focused on the long-term restoration of all Galápagos tortoise populations to historical numbers. Special emphasis will now be placed on the Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise.

Research team member Russello, who heads the Ecological and Conservation Genomics Laboratory at UBC’s Okanagan campus, first started working on this project when he was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University.

“We initially reported cryptic species diversity in the giant Galápagos tortoises of Santa Cruz Island back in 2005,” he says. “The paper that came out this week formally describes the new species on this island, which will have important implications for conservation.”

The discovery also calls attention to a longtime Galápagos National Park ranger, Fausto Llerena Sánchez, who spent decades developing methods still used today for breeding endangered tortoises. Known to his friends and colleagues as Don Fausto, the new species’ Latin name, Chelonoidis donfaustoi, was chosen in his honour.

Park ranger Don Fausto dedicated 43 years (1971-2014) to giant tortoise conservation and was the primary caretaker at the Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center on Santa Cruz, which now bears his name. The restoration of several tortoise populations is due in part to Don Fausto’s dedication and efforts.

“It has been a privilege to work with this international team that now includes academics and in-country scientists and managers on four continents,” Russello adds. “Most importantly, it has been the continued collaboration of the Galápagos National Park and their commitment to scientifically-informed conservation that has enabled research results to be effectively translated into management strategies.”

Russello says the research team will continue to explore patterns of variation in Galápagos tortoises to investigate basic questions regarding speciation on islands, but also novel ways in which genetic and genomic tools can be used to assess conservation status and inform management strategies.

“This is an exciting moment in the history of Galápagos giant tortoises,” says Linda Cayot, science advisor for Galápagos Conservancy. “Over the last several years, the ever-growing role of genetics in guiding development of conservation strategies for Galápagos tortoises continually requires us to think in new ways.”

The findings were published online October 21, in the journal PLOS ONE.

A new species of giant tortoise, Chelonoidis donfaustoi, has been discovered on Ecuador’s Galápagos Archipelago. UBC biology professor Michael Russello was on the team of international scientists who identified this species. Photo credit: James P. Gibbs

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Personalized medicine and how it affects us all, is the theme for this year’s series

We all know that each one of us is different. But how does our individual uniqueness affect our health, and our health care?

UBC Okanagan is bringing back its popular Mini-Med Series and this year’s topic is Personalized Medicine. The four sessions, beginning Tuesday, October 27, will host researchers from both UBC campuses and will see discussion on what personalized medicine is and why it matters?

Personalized Medicine refers to customized health care based on a person’s unique genetic and molecular makeup. In this four-part lecture series, participants will learn the fundamental principles of personalized medicine, how it impacts disease detection and the drugs to treat it, and how it affects your health and health care delivery.

“UBC Okanagan is proud to offer the third annual Mini-Med series as it offers accessible opportunities for our community to learn from our acclaimed UBC researchers,” says Director of Development at UBC’s Okanagan campus Adrienne Nolan. “Mini-Med offers a unique opportunity to learn in a 21st century classroom about current medical issues and how the latest research can teach us more about our own health.”

Tuesday, October 27: Frontiers in Personalized Medicine — Dr. Marco Marra

In this lecture, participants will learn how personalized medicine approaches are influencing cancer care and research in B.C. and beyond. Dr. Marra is director and Distinguished Scientist, at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, B.C. Cancer Agency. Named by the Globe and Mail as the second most scientific mind in Canada, Dr. Marra, is Head of the department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine at UBC and a Canada Research Chair in Genome Science.

Tuesday, November 3: Pause on Personalized Medicine — Dr. Michael Burgess

Dr. Burgess will discuss how personalized medicine might change society and health-care, including discrimination, fair access, and undue emphasis on genetics. Dr. Burgess is professor and chair in Biomedical Ethics at the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics in UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, the department of Medical Genetics, and the Southern Medical Program at UBC.

Tuesday, November 10: The Microbiome — PhD Student in biology Candice Quin

Topics include definition of a microbiome, how we get it, and what role it plays in our health. Participants will learn how unique microbiomes can be manipulated, and what is involved in personalizing treatments for managing the imbalance between beneficial and harmful microbes.

Candice Quin is a PhD student and works in Dr. Deanna Gibson’s Centre for Microbiome and Inflammatory Research at UBC’s Okanagan campus. Quin’s research, funded by the Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society, examines how fish oil supplementation to maternal diets rich in unsaturated fats increases offspring susceptibility to infectious colitis.

Tuesday, November 17: Pharmacogenomics and Primary Care — Dr. Martin Dawes

Participants will learn about “TreatGx”, a clinical decision support tool that aims to reduce harmful drug reactions in people by incorporating their genetic data.

Dr. Dawes ran the UK Centre for Evidence Based Medicine at the University of Oxford and was professor and head of family practice at McGill University before coming to UBC in 2010. His research includes ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, implementation of pharmacogenomics in primary care, and lifestyle interventions to prevent diabetes.

The series of four Mini-Med lectures takes place at UBC’s Clinical Academic Campus at Kelowna General Hospital, each session begins at 7 p.m. Tuition: adults: $30; second Adult $20; seniors (65+) $20; students: $15. Single-class registration: $10. For more information, contact Shirley Hutchinson, Mini-Med coordinator, phone 250-808-9140.

UBC’s Mini-Med is presented by Development and Alumni Engagement with support from the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UBC’s Okanagan campus.

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Artist’s photos demonstrate the disconnect of industry and the environment

Canadian Geese fly over a Suncor millennium mine in Alberta. Louis Helbig photo.

What: Beautiful Destruction: Using Art to Grapple with the Alberta Tar/Oil Sands
Who: Louis Helbig
When: Thursday, October 1, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: Fipke 121, UBC’s Okanagan campus, Kelowna

Photographer and author Louis Helbig will discuss his latest book Beautiful Destruction: Using Art to Grapple with the Alberta Tar/Oil Sands at a special presentation at UBC Okanagan’s campus Thursday.

Helbig is hosted by Assoc. Prof. Greg Garrard who teaches Sustainability with the UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. The event is being organized by the Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services (BRAES).

Beautiful Destruction has more than 230 photographs, taken over five years from Helbig’s small plane as he flew over the oil and tar fields. Helbig’s work shows images of large bitumen mines, tailings ponds, steam piping, and refineries working directly beside the still unspoiled wilderness of Northern Alberta.

Helbig will speak at UBC’s Okanagan campus Thursday, October 1 at 11:30 a.m. at Fipke 121. This event is free and open to the public. Pay parking is in effect.

For more information please contact the BRAES Institute coordinator, carolina.restrepo@ubc.ca

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Time with his dying father leads to new book, and profound new quality of life

Award-winning musician, journalist, and writer Wab Kinew will talk about his new book The Reason You Walk when he visits Kelowna September 30. Kinew is the next speaker in UBC Okanagan’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Photo courtesy of: Katelyn Malo

What: Distinguished Speaker Series: The Reason You Walk
Who: Wab Kinew, Canadian journalist, author, hip-hop musician
When: Wednesday, September 30 at 7 p.m.
Where: Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water St., Kelowna 

A celebrated journalist, writer, musician, and hip-hop artist Wab Kinew knows what it’s like to be at a major crossroads in life. Growing up, initially on a reserve in northern Ontario and then in the inner city of Winnipeg, Kinew could have become a victim of circumstance and his family’s history. His father was raised in a residential school; stories of abuse, rape, alcoholism, and brutality were the constant shadows of his family’s background.

Kinew’s path could have taken any direction. He made mistakes. But he also asked questions. And he expected changes. When those didn’t come, he made his own changes and began speaking out about why Aboriginal people are treated differently than non-Aboriginals.

Already successful in his career, Kinew decided to spend time reconnecting with his dad shortly after his father was diagnosed with cancer. His book, The Reason You Walk, is the result of that time together and the conversations and healing that took place. This chapter in his life will be the main topic of Kinew’s talk when he visits Kelowna as part of UBC Okanagan’s Distinguished Speaker Series September 30.

Talented, passionate and smart, Kinew — who has a degree in economics — has become an accomplished journalist and a motivational speaker. He helped produce and host the acclaimed CBC series 8th Fire, has hosted Canada Reads, is an Aljazeera America correspondent, and at the same time is the Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Affairs at the University of Winnipeg. His hip hop music has won an Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Award, his journalism has won accolades, and he’s been nominated for a Gemini. Postmedia News has called him one of “nine Aboriginal movers and shakers you should know.”

Kinew will speak at the Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water Street on Wednesday, September 30 at 7 p.m. His visit is part of the UBC Okanagan’s Distinguished Speaker Series which is presented by the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required.

To register, visit: www.speakers.ok.ubc.ca

The Reason You Walk will be published this fall and UBC’s Bookstore plans to provide the book for sale at the event.

The Distinguished Speaker Series brings to the Okanagan compelling speakers, with unique perspectives on issues that affect our region, our country and our world. The theme of the series is A Civil and Sustainable Society.

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Award-winning writer and broadcaster Jay Ingram is UBC Okanagan’s next distinguished speaker. He will discuss the science of Alzheimer’s on Wednesday, February 25 at the Kelowna Community Theatre.

High demand in community for Alzheimer’s speaker

UBC Okanagan has added a second evening to its Distinguished Speaker Series presentation by Jay Ingram.

The iconic Canadian writer and broadcaster will speak about his new book The End of Memory: A Natural history of Alzheimer’s disease on Thursday, February 26 at the Mary Irwin Theatre. The talk, free and open to the public, will be his second presentation on the topic, as his first presentation the previous evening is fully booked.

This is the first time a Distinguished Speaker Series presentation has been extended to a two-night engagement.

"It's not surprising there is a thirst for knowledge about Alzheimer's disease,” says Ingram. “It's now the subject of plays and novels, but it is also important to understand the history of the disease and the science.”

In his latest book, The End of Memory, Ingram explores the mystery of Alzheimer’s and how it attacks the brain. Alzheimer’s is a growing concern as more and more people are being diagnosed with the disease as populations are living longer.

Ingram, the former host of popular science shows such as CBC’s Quirks and Quarks and Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet, will speak about the mystery of Alzheimer’s and the desperate need for more research funding.

The Science of Alzheimer’s Distinguished Speaker event is presented by UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, and takes place Thursday, February 26, at the Mary Irwin Theatre, 421 Cawston Avenue, Kelowna. The event is free and begins at 7 p.m.

Registration is required: dss-ingram-night2.eventbrite.ca

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Award-winning writer and broadcaster Jay Ingram is UBC Okanagan’s next distinguished speaker. He will discuss the science of Alzheimer’s on Wednesday, February 25 at the Kelowna Community Theatre.

UBC Okanagan’s Distinguished Speaker Series tackles mystery of the tragic illness

Jay Ingram describes Alzheimer’s as a wicked disease that society has ignored for too long. While much research has been done on memory loss, the cruelty of Alzheimer’s is the tragic effect it has on the life of the patient, and how it devastates those left to care for a person who no longer knows who they are.

In his latest book, The End of Memory, the award-winning science author explores the mystery of Alzheimer’s and how it attacks the brain. And he raises valid questions: where did it come from? Why weren’t we talking about it 50 years ago? Do we understand what is really going on in a patient’s afflicted brain?

German neurologist Alois Alzheimer first diagnosed the disease in 1906. While it’s been recognized for decades, Ingram argues research money set aside for Alzheimer’s still trails far behind funding for other deadly illnesses such as cancer and lung disease. And as society continues to live longer than previous generations, more and more people will be diagnosed and begin the long, lonely demise of Alzheimer’s.

Ingram says it’s time for a rethink on how we deal with Alzheimer’s. Being informed, he says, is a good thing and his goal with his new book is to help people understand the disease. Ingram will unravel some of the mystery of Alzheimer’s at UBC Okanagan’s Distinguished Speaker Series in Kelowna on Wednesday, February 25.

Ingram is an iconic Canadian writer and broadcaster, hosting several shows including CBC’s Quirks and Quarks and Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet. His book The End of Memory: A Natural history of Alzheimer’s disease will be available for sale and signing at the Distinguished Speaker Series event.

The Science of Alzheimer’s is presented by UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, and takes place at the Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water St. The event is free and begins at 7 p.m.

Registration is required: dss-ingram.eventbrite.ca

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