Working working working on the Sir Ken video, although note that there will be some stipulations.
Also generally pleased that we can rest from what looks like a successful TEDx Terry talks event. If you want to see for yourself, check out here for the summary, here for pictures, and here for a review of the day.
Since I can find no previous mention on Terry, I thought I’d share one of my favourite webcomics. Hark, A Vagrant!, by Canadian Kate Beaton is in many ways to the Humanities what XKCD is to science and engineering (with suitably better illustrations).
In fact, one improvement is that Beaton, a History and Anthropology graduate from Mount Allison University, often accompanies her comics with a blog post explaining the obscure historical references sent up, so while laughing at her witty and hilarious illustrations, you can often learn something, too. Also, in true Terry spirit, she often pens works which deal with the history of science:
So if you’ve got some time after (or while) studying for midterms, why not start from the beginning? Also, post your favourite, if you have one. Here’s one of mine:
Terry Talks invites YOU to participate in the first annual Diversity in “Action!” film festival at UBC. How can you, your identity and your story contribute to improving interfaith and intercultural dialogue and collaboration on campus?
Submit a 3-5 minute film by March 26th by posting it on either Youtube or Vimeo (don’t forget to email us the link!) and your film could be viewed at this year’s inagural film festival. An added benefit? You will also be eligible to win prizes AND have your film showcased to all of UBC!
So bring out your inner director/actor/actress/screenwriter and get FILMING! Be sure to first register for the festival by clicking here so we to know to expect your film. Registration closes March 5th.
The Indian government has moved to establish its own body to address and monitor science surrounding climate change, saying it “cannot rely” on the official United Nation panel.
The move is a severe blow to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) following the revelation parts of its 3000 page 2007 report on climate science was not subjected to peer review.
A primary claim of the report was the Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035, but the claim was not repeated in any peer-reviewed studies and rebuffed by scientists.
India’s environment minister Jairam Ramesh announced that the Indian government will establish a separate National Institute of Himalayan Glaciology to monitor climate change in the region.
“There is a fine line between climate science and climate evangelism,” Ramesh said. “I am for climate science.”
So, the representatives of a billion+ people no longer recognize the IPCC as a valid and valuable source for information on climate change and related public policy. All of this over a single, albeit unfortunate, mis-reference that was caught via peer review. Holy shit.
Yes, it’s that easy. As mentioned before, I keep getting free books from TED.com, and we’ve decided to give them away at the Terry tales.
Here, we’re hoping a few people will volunteer 5 to 10 minutes of their time to tell the rest of the crowd a small story. It would be lovely to get maybe 4 or so stories on monday. If more volunteer then that’s great, but we may have to still limit it (you can always come out the next time, since we’re hoping to make this a regular event). Afterall, we do have time constraints, and it was also kind of cool to, you know, sit and chat.
But basically, if you tell a story, you’ll get to pick from a pile of books, and take one home.
This in the from VAG – the show opens this Saturday.
Leonardo da Vinci was the quintessential Renaissance man. He explored the world with an unrivalled spirit of curiosity, making discoveries centuries ahead of his time. Leonardo appears to have collaborated with the University of Pavia to participate in dissections of corpses, which in the 16th century were rarely performed. The resulting group of drawings, Leonardo’s 1510 masterwork Anatomical Manuscript A, are presented in their entirety for the first time. This exceptional body of work remains, to this day, one of history’s greatest triumphs of drawing and scientific inquiry.
Or so says a student housing demand study that was recently completed by McClanaghan & Associates.
Kera says:
In December, a student housing demand study was completed by McClanaghan & Associates. It was commissioned by Campus and Community Planning and Student Housing and Hospitality Services to forecast the need and demand for on-campus student housing. It also responded to requests from the AMS and GSS. The comprehensive study, which included a survey of over 5,000 students, focus groups, and benchmarking of other comparable universities, confirms that there is a high level of interest in living on campus, and that the level of demand could be even higher given the significant social and academic advantages that on-campus living brings to the university experience. For instance, 43% of students who live off-campus would live on-campus if they had the choice. Results of the study are being presented this Friday, February 5, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in SUB 211.
Just in case, you’re one to do a little light reading on the bus, you can also download the full report here.
The Olympics are coming to Vancouver… and whether you’re excited about the Games or not, there are going to be lots and lots of great events that you can attend. For example, the Sport and Society speaker series at the Chan on campus looks really interesting. The first speaker is Dick Pound, an outspoken high level anti-doping official who has publicly accused sportsmen like Lance Armstrong and pretty much all the NHL players of doping.
There will also be a chance to hear Stephen Lewis, one of the most eloquent and passionate speakers around. Stephen Lewis will be talking with folks from the Right to Play organization, a really cool international humanitarian and development organization that uses Sport to drive social change in communities. [As a bit of trivia, Clara Hughes, Team Canada for the flag bearer at the 2010 Games, is an athlete ambassador for the Right to Play - and she offers this perspective on what Right to Play means to her.]
See below for the full details. Tickets are $10 and you should also check out this facebook contest, where you can win tickets!
UBC presents Sport and Society, a provocative series of five dialogues takes place at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in February and March 2010.
Sport and Society presents Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have used theircelebrity to make a difference in the world. Together with panels of activists and champions, these dialogues explore the key questions related to Sport andthe Olympic Games.
Keynote speakers include:
- Feb. 8 at 8 pm: Richard Pound, former Chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency
- Feb. 12 at 11 am: Johann Olav Koss, CEO of Right to Play and former Olympic speed skater, and Stephen Lewis, Chair of the Board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and former United Nations’ special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa
- March 5 at 8 pm: Waneek Horn Miller, former Olympic water polo athlete
- March 10 at 8 pm: Rick Hansen, and CEO of the Rick Hansen Foundation which supports spinal chord research
- March 13 at 8 pm: Bruce Kidd, former Olympic track and field athlete, Dean of Physical Education at the University of Toronto and Derek Wyatt of the London2012 Olympic Committee
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca or you can enter the free ticket draw by searching for UBC Olympic Sport and Society on Facebook.
Terry readers, you know that lovely feeling of being in the midst of amazing conversations and wonderfully interesting people? And how that heady mix of excitement and energy and passion stays with you long after you’ve left the room? That’s what our first Terry Tales event was like. It was originally described as an evening of stories without notes (à la The Moth), but it quickly turned into a terrific evening of sharing stories, exploring different topics, and testing out new ideas, all while eating some delish cookies. It was pretty darn awesome. And luckily, the awesomeness continues all term long.
The dates for all the Terry Tales events are listed above on our poster, and aside from March 15th which starts at 5:30pm, all will run from 5-7PM in the Global Lounge. Which is at Marine Drive Residence, and is positively gorgeous. (Seriously).
No worries if you can’t stay for the whole thing, or you don’t want/feel shy to go up to the mic to tell a story, just come, soak in the atmosphere and participate in the great conversations. And if you are intrigued by the prospect of telling a 5-7 minute story without notes, we’d love to hear from you as well. Everyone’s welcome.
You’re awesome, other Terry* lovers are awesome, and it’s time to share the joy on a more regular basis. I can’t wait!
I recently came across a website, DNA 11, whose catchphrase is There is Only One Original. They are, of course, referring to you your genetic make-up which the company collects and creates artwork out of. It sounds absurd but this is how it works. Read the rest of this entry »
“We all know that a lot of exciting things happen on campus – and yes, you can go to the UBCevents calendar to find a lot of them…but what if you don’t have that much time? What if you only had one minute? Or, should we say, what if all it took were one minute to find out about the great things happening during a week at UBC?
A new project is firing up from Alumni Affairs and UBCevents to bring you a weekly video series called “UBC in a Minute” and we want to put the question to you: “How would you describe UBC in a minute?” (your comments are valuable, seriously!)
I’ll start – it needs to be fast paced, with lots of different things being showcased. This can be tricky to do without being high maintenanced or with high production values, but there are some video series that pull it off with some sharp media savy. This one called Grand Unified Weekly, I always thought had a clever way of presenting their material. With that style, you can hopefully show lots of things in the single minute.
So I just received an e-mail from UBC asking me to fill out a survey on tuition. There are three questions and they read as follows:
To what extent will the proposed 2% tuition increase ($88.59 on a base Arts/Science tuition) be an impediment to you continuing your studies at UBC?
Your tuition currently pays for 28%-30% of the operating costs of your UBC education. A government grant and investment income pays the balance. Choose one of the following to rate this 28%-30%:
What is the most important thing for UBC to invest in at this time?
I have several problems with these questions, especially the first two.
Question 1: Will an increase of 2% tuition ($89) impede you from attending UBC?
x – It would not be an impediment
x – It would create some financial pressure but I could manage the increase
x – It would seriously impact me and I would have to consider delaying my studies or not returning to UBC
I think that this is a perfectly appropriate question to ask. However, it is worded badly and even more worrisome, it could be used to misrepresent students.
The authors should really specify whether the $89 is for one semester or two. Not a big deal but important if they want to clarify. My bigger concern is the way most students will answer and how that could be used against them. I would guess that if most students answered honestly (without thinking about the consequences of their answers) they would answer that it wouldn’t really impede them from returning. As high as some claim that tuition is I don’t foresee a lot of students leaving university over $100. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s what I’m going to assume.
The concern with answering with the first option is that the administration will look at their results and say “Look AMS, here is proof that students can deal with larger increases.” That isn’t a good thing. And when the results are released the AMS, GSS, and students at large need to make sure that the questions aren’t used against them.
2. Your tuition currently pays for 28%-30% of the operating costs of your UBC education. A government grant and investment income pays the balance. Choose one of the following to rate this 28%-30%:
x – Too high
x – An appropriate range
x – Too low
Ahh the Goldilocks question. Too hot, too cold, or just right. The big problem with this question is that the issue is much to complicated to boil down to the three answers. I sympathize with the university on this but still think that this isn’t so much a question about tuition as it is a financial structure question. One that students at large and even those on the inside will have trouble answering.
Overall I’m quite upset by the survey. It strikes me as being very teleological (having a goal in mind before it is concluded). It is also possible that this was drafted up in response to the AMS tuition referendum question that passed. The university has subtly used the survey to show students that a) the tuition ‘increases’ that everyone is in a fuss about are very small and b) most of the money we get comes from outside sources (revenue or grants).
While I do agree with them that a 2% yearly increase is perfectly acceptable (I voted No on the referendum question) I disagree with the purpose of the survey and hope that the Administration didn’t mean it to be as nefarious as it could be interpreted.
O.K. This looks interesting. Tomorrow (Friday) on January 29 from noon to about 1:00pm, Liz Ferris from the Student Environment Centre will run a discussion session on Copenhagen (she was there!). Learn what the outcomes were, and where we can go from here. Bring lots of questions!
Anyway, it’s in SUB 42U (North side in the basement, by the deli), and there’s even a Facebook page you can check out (link).
As an aside, if you’re curious about coverage of Copenhagen generally, I found this series pretty amusing. It’s by Eugene Mirman (from Flight of Conchords), on behalf of grist.org. I especially love the “ZING!” part.
“Punkin Chunkin, for Christ’s sake,” added Bunting, referring to the popular program in which contestants launch oversized pumpkins into the air using catapults. “What more do you people want?”
also:
“People liked that the particle accelerators were really huge, but apparently the show didn’t have enough smashing to hold their interest,” said a former employee who wished to remain anonymous.
and:
“It’s like, just quit your yapping and dip the chain saw into the liquid nitrogen already.”
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Public Affairs and the Situating Science Cluster for the Humanist and Social Studies of Science (Jeez, that’s a mouthful – CCEPA.CA & SITUSCI.CA) present a national five-part series of presentations exploring the ethical questions that emerge as we examine our TRUST IN THE NEW SCIENCES.
This event looks pretty interesting – right at the intersection of Sciences and the Humanities – where Terry* loves to be. It’s at UBC, 7pm next Tuesday night, at Ike Barber. See you there!
The impact of revolutionary advances in genetics and genomics is being felt in all aspects of society. For each of us, the prospect of knowing our own DNA sequence has been proposed to influence our lives in every way, from choice of partner to response to medications. Is this hope or hype? How do our Canadian roots and culture influence our own experience and relationship to the genetic revolution?
Keynote: Dr. Michael Hayden
Canada Research Chair in Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine
University Killam Professor, Department of Medical Genetics
Respondent: Dr. Anita Ho
Assistant Professor, W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, UBC Director, Ethics Services, Providence Health Care
Terry friends, it’s here!! Terry Tales, our long awaited storytelling project, is finally, finally here! You may remember it described at TEDx Terry Tales 2009 as a chance to continue the wonderful conversations that happen at events like Sir Ken or TEDx Terry talks 2009, and to share your awesomeness with us. Because while conversations on the website are amazing, it’s even cooler meeting you in person, and we want a chance to do that more often.
Plus, the one piece of feedback we hear consistently from you is that you love Terry* projects, but you want more. You want to share ideas, meet like-minded individuals and have magical conversations on a regular basis. You want to join the conversation yourself.
Terry Tales, the newest addition to the Terry* family, is an answer to your call.
Keep reading for more details, and more importantly, show up!! Our first event is on Jan 25th, and we really want to see you there. Seriously.
When: Jan 25thfrom 5-7PM, and for the most part, every 2nd Monday thereafter!
What: At each Terry Tales event, come prepared with a 5-7 minute story that you can tell without notes. Before the event begins names will be drawn, and the speaker line up for the night created from participants themselves. No night will ever be the same, and the tales heard completely dependent on your energy and enthusiasm for storytelling.
Terry lovers, this Friday (Jan 22nd) a fundraiser to support Haiti Relief is being organised from 2-4 PM in the Freddy Wood Theatre, with all funds raised going toward MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and their efforts in Haiti. An incredible list of speakers, a very very important cause, and an opportunity to learn and show solidarity. Do come by and bring all your friends. Details below.
UBC Help Hear Haiti Showcase: A Fundraiser to Support Haiti Relief Efforts
Triple H, a coalition of student groups from across campus, together with staff and faculty from the University of British Columbia invite you to a discussion about the history, the current situation and the future of the country of Haiti and its people.
Speakers Include:
Allen Sens – Senior Instructor in the Department of Political Science and Chair of the International Relations Program
Jon Beasley-Murray – Assistant Professor in the Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies and teacher of Latin American Studies.
Alejandra Bronfman – Associate Professor, Department of History
Representatives from Haiti Solidarity for BC Senior Staff from Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)
Professor Stephen J. Toope will close the event and offer his remarks on the effort in Haiti.
Minimum Donation – $5 with 100% of all proceeds going to MSF (Doctors without Borders) and their efforts in Haiti.
Terry lovers, it is finally here! Africa Awareness Week 2010 is finally here and it looks beyond wonderful. Not that we should think about the beautiful continent for just one week, but it is an awesome opportunity to learn from amazing individuals and to celebrate, and then to take that energy and continuing learning for the remaining 51 weeks of the year.
Details below. And the conference website can be found here. Now go attend! The first event is tonight.
O.K. Now that we’re back in the swing of things – Talk number five from TEDx Terry talks. This might seem like a talk about science, but if you think about it, there’s a lot of the humanities when it comes to fully appreciating something as magical as wonder.
- – -
Name: Jennifer Kaban
Talk Title:“Sharing Wonder”
Notes: Unclassified Student
Topic: Jennifer believes that the most precious gift we can give each other is a sense of wonder. And she believes that the best way to achieve this is to share the world of science with non-scientists. She thinks maintaining wonder becomes more important as we move along in life, as we move away from childhood, through and then away from academia, and into the real world. Because its out there, in the real world where most of us live out our lives, wondering who we are, where we came from, and how we got here. These questions, taken out of the existential context, are the exact questions science asks.
There are so many things that happen around us, that she feels, science can only help us to appreciate more deeply. The way a flower grows, how it evolved; how our brains talk to our bodies, and how easily this can be disrupted or altered; how we dont really know how we, our earth formed, or how matter, for that fact, came to be, and how we may never know, but gosh darn, were going to keep on looking.
As it did when we were children, she believes, as adults, a sense of wonder is the best motivator we have. So much of our lives are filled with the mundane, she thinks its imperative to build excitement in the world. To look around and appreciate what we have, together, on one planet, in this cosmos. Without this sense of wonder, she thinks, we get lost as individuals and as a species. But with wonder, we keep going. We keep thinking, we keep growing, we keep asking, we keep existing, together.
Here’s part of what started this group: a friend of mine passed on this “letter to Santa:”
It quite nicely demonstrates an issue with advocates of biodiversity – that is, what can we do to get kids engaged with the wonderful creatures that are all around them? They obviously have the ability and the passion to care about such things, but it appears misplaced – they’ll spend a ton of resources and time tracking down fictional things, when they could easily do the same with the very wildlife around them. As a bonus, if they do learn a little more about biodiversity, they will hopefully appreciate their surroundings a little more, not to mention the possibility of just being outside a little more. Read the rest of this entry »
