Mackenzie King Memorial Scholarships

The Open Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in any discipline, in Canada or elsewhere. One Open Scholarship is awarded each year. The value has recently been approximately $8,500 but is subject to change. The Traveling Scholarship is available to graduates of Canadian universities who pursue graduate study in the United States or the United Kingdom in the areas of international relations or industrial relations (including the international or industrial relations aspects of law, history, politics and economics). Recently four scholarships of $10,500 each have been awarded annually, but the number and the amount is subject to change.

Students apply to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies directly.

Details about eligibility and application process: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/mackenzie-king-memorial-scholarships

G+PS application deadline: Thursday, 1 February 2018

Please contact G+PS with any questions or concerns you may have via graduate.awards@ubc.ca

Topic:                 Megasupramolecoles
Speaker:            Professor Julia A. Kornfield, Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology
Host:                  Prof. John M. Frostad
Time/Date:         January 12, 2018, 1:00-1:50pm
Location:           Chemical & Biological Engineering Rm 102

Abstract
Ultralong polymers (weight-average molecular weight Mw ≥ 5000 kg/mol) exhibit striking effects on fluid dynamics even at low concentration. For example, at 100 ppm, they can control mist and reduce turbulent drag, thanks to their ability to store energy as they stretch, such that the fluid as a whole resists elongation. Unfortunately, ultralong backbones undergo chain scission during routine handling because hydrodynamic tension builds up along the backbone to a level that breaks covalent bonds; this “shear degradation” continues until the their valuable effects are lost (Mw < 1000 kg/mol). After 9/11, we took a fresh look at polymers for mist control in the hope of discovering a polymer that might make it impossible to use a jumbo jet to bring down a skyscraper. For use in fuel, the polymer would need to be effective at very low concentration. Prior literature showed that self-assembly of end-associative polymers creates supramolecules that break and reassociate reversibly, but formation of ultra-long supramolecules at low concentration had never been achieved. Statistical mechanics showed us how to design polymers that self-assemble into “megasupramolecules” (≥5000 kg/mol) at low concentration (≤0.3%wt). Theoretical treatment of the distribution of individual subunits—end-functional polymers—among cyclic and linear
supramolecules predicts that megasupramolecules can format at low total polymer concentration if, and only if, the backbones are long (>400 kg/mol) and end-association strength is optimal. Viscometry and scattering measurements of long telechelic polymers having polycyclooctadiene backbones and acid or amine end groups verify the formation of megasupramolecules. They inhibit misting (the cause of fuel fireballs) and reduce drag in the same manner as ultralong covalent polymers. With individual building blocks short enough to avoid hydrodynamic chain scission (weight-average molecular weights of 400 to 1000 kg/mol) and reversible linkages that protect covalent bonds, overcoming the obstacles of shear degradation and engine incompatibility. Megasupramolecules confer a variety of benefits beyond mist control and are currently being evaluated for commercialization.

Biography
Julia A. Kornfield, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), is an expert in polymer science, particularly how polymers influence and are influenced by flow. She has applied small angle neutron and xray scattering to diverse systems, including end-associative polymers for aviation safety and security (Wei et al., Science 2015), flow-induced crystallization of polymers (e.g., Science 2007) and the effects of flow on polymer self-assembly (e.g., Science 1997). Since she joined the Caltech faculty in 1990, Kornfield has received the Dillon Medal of the American Physical Society and been elected Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among other honors. She holds 27 patents and is a cofounder of Calhoun Vision, which uses polymers developed at Caltech to customize vision by noninvasively optimizing a lens after it is implanted into a patients’ eye. Thus, her work spans from fundamental research on the molecular basis of polymer structure and properties, to commercialization of polymers that improve health and safety.

Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement 3rd Intake

The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement (CGS-MSFSS) Program supports high-calibre graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through the pursuit of exceptional research experiences at research institutions abroad. By accessing international scientific research and training, CGS-MSFSS recipients contribute to strengthening the potential for collaboration between Canadian and foreign institutions.

The Tri-Agency has launched a third intake for the 2017-2018 competition with the intention of awarding the remaining supplements from the two previous intakes. CIHR has sufficient funds for approximately 25 awards, NSERC has sufficient funds for approximately 18 awards, and SSHRC has sufficient funds for approximately 13 awards. Eligible applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Complete and eligible applications will be forwarded to the funding agencies as they are received by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Applicant eligibility: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents who hold a Vanier CGS or a Tri-Agency Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS) at the Master’s or doctoral level. Please note that international students who hold a Vanier CGS are not eligible for this award.

Award value: Up to CAD $6,000 for three to six months.

Applicant deadline: First come, first served – Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications well in advance of the deadline: 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 26 January 2018.

For details about this competition, please see: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/canada-graduate-scholarship-michael-smith-foreign-study-supplement-3rd-call

Please contact Sandra Shaw at sandra.shaw@ubc.ca with any questions you may have.

A Mechanical Engineering Distinguish Colloquium is taking place on Tuesday, February 6th, 12:30-1:30pm in CEME1203.

The shale gas revolution: green energy or a bridge to nowhere?
by Allen L. Robinson, Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract: In the United States and around the globe, the rapid expansion of oil and natural gas production from shale and other tight geologic formations brings significant opportunity along with questions and controversy about potential effects on people and the environment. This talk will begin with a brief overview of the shale gas revolution, its implications for the United States energy supply, and the key technologies behind it (high volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling). I will then explore some of the controversies surrounding the potential environmental impacts and benefits of shale gas development, focusing air quality and climate. I will present results from chemical transport modeling and field measurements to illustrate the potential impacts of natural gas production on local and regional air quality, including ozone, fine particulate matter, and air toxics. I will also discuss several recent national-scale measurement campaigns to improve methane emissions inventories (methane is the dominant component of natural gas and a powerful greenhouse gas). The results reveal that superemitters (abnormally high emitting sources) play an important role in both the air quality and climate impacts of natural gas development. This requires rethinking how we regulate and control sources.

Bio: Allen L. Robinson is the Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. His research examines the impact of emissions from energy systems on air quality and global climate, including substantial work on shale gas. He recently served on the Health Effect Institute’s Special Scientific Committee on Unconventional Oil and Gas Development in the Appalachian Basin.

View  the poster for this event here:

Seminar Event Poster

Speaker:  Yuanyuan Zhou, Professor, University of California San Diego Homepage:  https://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~yyzhou/

Date/Time:  Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 3:30pm

Location:  Hugh Dempster Lecture Pavilion – Room 110, 6245 Agronomy Rd.

Host:  Ivan Bestchastnikh, UBC Computer Science

Title:  To Err is Human

 Abstract:

Configuration errors (i.e., misconfigurations) are among the dominant causes of system failures. But unfortunately, developers typically blame users (sysadmins) for such errors instead of improving the configuration design to make them less prone to human mistakes.  Moreover, unlike software bugs, misconfigurations are not documented rigorously to retro-inspect how software can be improved to avoid or at least tolerate such misconfigurations.  In this talk, I will present our recent work on hardening computer systems to reduce and gracefully react to sysadmins’ configuration errors.

Bio:

Yuanyuan (YY) Zhou is a Qualcomm Chair Professor at University of California, San Diego, where she joined since 2009. Prior to UCSD, she was a tenured associate professor at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  From 2000-2002, she  co-founded a storage startup called Emphora in Princeton, NJ.   In 2007, She co-founded her second startup, Pattern Insight . Pattern Insight has deployed solutions used by many large companies and became cash-flow positive since 2010, with a good exit to VmWare in 2012.  She holds a Ph.D in Computer Science from Princeton University. She is an ACM fellow and an IEEE Fellow, and Winner of 2015’s ACM Mark Weiser Award.

The DLS series is sponsored in part by the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences

For more information, see:  www.cs.ubc.ca/dls

CAGS / ProQuest-UMI Distinguished Dissertation Awards

The CAGS / ProQuest-UMI Distinguished Dissertation Awards recognize Canadian doctoral dissertations that make unusually significant and original contributions to their academic field. Awards are offered through this spring’s competition for dissertations completed and accepted by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017. The awards include a $1,500 prize, a Citation Certificate and travel expenses of up to $1,500 to attend the 2018 CAGS Annual Conference in Winnipeg.

Each graduate program may nominate one dissertation for this award. Deadline for nominations to be received by admissions@mech.ubc.ca: 8:00 a.m. Monday, February 12 2018.

For further information and nomination procedures, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/cagsproquest-umi-distinguished-dissertation-awards

The contact at the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for this competition is Angela Rizzo (angela.rizzo@ubc.ca).

Governor General’s Gold Medal

One gold medal is awarded to the student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record as a doctoral student. A second gold medal is awarded to the graduate student who has achieved most outstanding academic record as a Master’s student completing a thesis. Students must have submitted the final copy of their thesis to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017. This is an opportunity to honour the best in the graduating class within the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, as there is only one award for more than 2,000 master’s graduates and one award for more than 500 doctoral graduates. Medals are presented on behalf of the Governor General of Canada, along with a personalized certificate signed by the Governor General. There is no monetary award associated with the medals.

Please be aware of the deadline for the Governor General’s Gold Medal competition, which is open to nominations from all graduate programs at UBC via their Faculty Dean’s Office. Deadline for nominations to be received by admisisons@mech.ubc.ca: 8:00 a.m. Thursday, February 1 2018.

For further information and nomination procedures, please visit: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/governor-generals-gold-medal

The contact at the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for this competition is Joanne Tsui (joanne.tsui@ubc.ca).

Speaker:  Dr. Ian Frigaard, Professor, UBC Department of Mechanical Engineering and UBC Department of Mathematics

Date/Time:  Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 6pm

Location: Chemical and Biological Engineering Room 102

Title:  Why do Wells Leak and Who Cares?

Abstract:

Oil and gas wells have used cement for zonal isolation and mechanical support for at least 80 years. A surprising number of wells leak, to varying degrees, which suggest that the cementing job is not effectively executed. Is leakage important, and if so why? What are some of the root causes of leaking wells and why is it that the industry has not “solved” this problem. We’ll review some of the technical reasons behind these questions and finally present some hypotheses about the technical reasons behind these questions and finally present some hypotheses about non-technical causes and how the industry should evolve in order to fix these problems.

Bio:

Dr. Frigaard’s research falls into two main categories: Non-Newtonian fluid mechanics and Industrial mathematical modelling.  His mathematical modeling work is industry-driven and his interest has been in processes combing thermal and fluid dynamic effects. Examples include oilfield cementing, spray deposition/forming, injection molding, continuous casting, Czrochalski crystal growth, image processing, wellbore hydraulics, slurry transport, well control.

All are welcome.  Refreshment (pizza) provided!

Please RSVP at:

http://ogi-frigaard.rsvpify.com

View the poster for this event here:

Dr. Ian Frigaard Seminar

Speaker: Professor James Dumesic, Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Date/Time: February 9th, 2018 from 1:00 – 1:50pm

Location: Chemical and Biological Engineering Room 102

Title: Catalytic Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Biofuels and Bioproducts

Please see images below for more info.

CS Distinguished Lecture Series

Speaker: Christine Alvarado, Associate Teaching Professor and Vice Chair for Undergraduate Affairs, UC San Diego

Homepage:
http://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/faculty/faculty_bios/index.sfe?fmp_recid=337

Date/Time: Thursday, February 8, 2018 at 3:30pm

Location: Hugh Dempster Pavilion – Room 110, 6245 Agronomy Rd.

Hosts: Steve Wolfman and Rachel Pottinger, UBC Computer Science

Title: Strategies for Bringing CS to All in Higher Education

Come by a few minutes early to enjoy some coffee, tea and cookies.

If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Alvarado, please email Holly Kwan <hmitchel@cs.ubc.ca>

Abstract:
In 2005, Harvey Mudd College made three changes that drastically increased the number of women who chose to major in computer science: a new introductory CS course, trips to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, and research experiences for first-year students. The effect of these changes was amplified by the student-centric, close atmosphere of a small college like Harvey Mudd. However, the majority of higher education takes place in much larger settings: at large public universities and, increasingly, in massive open online courses (MOOCs). It is an open question how we can achieve similar changes in these much larger contexts, with a much more diverse student body.
In this talk, I will give an overview of the programs we implemented at Harvey Mudd College that helped lead to gender parity in the major. Then I will present recent programs and pedagogies that we have implemented both at UC San Diego and in a massive open online course to increase students’ sense of community and belonging in computer science, particularly among women and men from racial, ethnic and/or socioeconomic groups underrepresented in computer science. Based on these experiences, I will reflect on the future of CS in higher education, on campus and beyond.

Bio:
Christine Alvarado is an Associate Teaching Professor and Vice Chair for Undergraduate Affairs in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of California, San Diego. She received her undergraduate degree in computer science from Dartmouth in 1998, and Masters and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from MIT in 2000 and 2004, respectively. Her current efforts are focused on designing curriculum and programs to make computing and computing education more accessible and appealing, with the specific goal of increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities who study computing. In 2013 she received the A. Richard Newton Educator ABIE Award from the Anita Borg Institute for her contributions diversity in computer science education. She is currently a member of the AP Computer Science Principles development committee and the CRA’s Education committee.

This seminar is proudly sponsored by the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative

For more information, see: www.cs.ubc.ca/dls

The Department of Mechanical Engineering wishes to promote undergraduate teaching excellence by annually awarding the Mechanical Engineering Teaching Fellowship to Senior PhD students who have demonstrated dedication to, and talent for, teaching. The Fellowship will provide a stipend of $10,000 and mentorship support to teach an undergraduate course within the department the following academic year. Applications are due 8:00am Wednesday, February 28^th, 2018 to admissions@mech.ubc.ca.

The competition for the Fellowship is open to PhD students registered in Mechanical Engineering in their 3^rd year and above.

Applications should consist of:

• CV
• Statement of teaching approach and interests (<600 words)
• 3 minute video uploaded to a private YouTube channel that you create for the application
• An email from your supervisor indicating their support of your application and awareness of the time commitment required (approximately 60% full time employment for the term that the course is taught)

Should you have any questions, please contact admissions@mech.ubc.ca.

You will not want to miss the last DLS talks this term!  Christine Alvarado (UCSD) will be presenting next Thursday, Feb. 8^th on “Strategies for Bringing CS to All in Higher Education”.

The following Thursday, Fernando Perez will be presenting on Project Jupyter.  (See below.)   Everyone is welcome to attend.  Come a few minutes early to enjoy coffee, tea and cookies.

If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Perez, please email Holly Kwan <hmitchel@cs.ubc.ca>

Speaker:  Fernando Perez, Assistant Professor in Statistics  at UC Berkeley and Faculty Scientist in the Department of Data Science & Technology at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Homepage:https://bids.berkeley.edu/people/fernando-perez

Date/Time:  Thursday, February 15, 2018 at 3:30pm

Location:  Hugh Dempster Pavilion – Room 110, 6245 Agronomy Rd.

Hosts:  Mark Greenstreet, UBC Computer Science and James Colliander, PIMS

Title:   Building an open platform for research and education in data science with Project Jupyter

Abstract:

Project Jupyter, evolved from the IPython environment, provides a platform for interactive computing that is widely used today in research, education, journalism and industry.  The core premise of the Jupyter architecture is to design tools around the experience of interactive computing. It provides an environment, protocol, file format and libraries optimized for the computational process when there is a human in the loop, in a live iteration with ideas and data assisted by the computer.

I will discuss both how the architecture of Jupyter supports a variety of workflows that are central to the processes of research and education. In particular, Jupyter supports reproducible scientific research and the communication of data-intensive narratives both within the scholarly community and with broader audiences.  By providing tools that can benefit research scientists as well as media practitioners and journalists, we hope to contribute to a more informed debate in society in domains where data, computation and science are key.

Bio: 

Fernando Pérez is an assistant professor in Statistics at UC Berkeley and a Faculty Scientist in the Department of Data Science and Technology at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. After completing a PhD in particle physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder, his postdoctoral research in applied mathematics centered on the development of fast algorithms for the solution of partial differential equations in multiple dimensions.  Today, his research focuses on creating tools for modern computational research and data science across domain disciplines, with an emphasis on high-level languages, interactive and literate computing, and reproducible research.  He created IPython while a graduate student in 2001 and co-founded its successor, Project Jupyter. The Jupyter team collaborates openly to create the next generation of tools for human-driven computational exploration, data analysis, scientific insight and education.

He is a National Academy of Science Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow and a Senior Fellow and founding co-investigator of the Berkeley Institute for Data Science.  He is a co-founder of the NumFOCUS Foundation, and a member of the Python Software Foundation. He is the recipient of the 2012 Award for the Advancement of Free Software from the Free Software Foundation.

The DLS series is sponsored in part by the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences

For more information, see:  www.cs.ubc.ca/dls

Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowship

The Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowships are available to Canadian citizens engaged in or about to start doctoral studies in Chemistry, Physics, or Electronics (including Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) at UBC. Approximately 25 fellowships, valued at $8,000 each, will be awarded each year among the participating universities. Deadline for complete applications to be submitted to G+PS is 4 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 2018.

Further information is available on the G+PS website at: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/walter-c-sumner-memorial-fellowship

The contact at the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for this competition is Sandra Shaw (sandra.shaw@ubc.ca).

Speaker: Professor Mike Schoen, Senior Instructor in the Departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Mining and Mineral Processing at UBC

Date/Time: Thursday, February 15th at 6pm

Location: Chemical & Biological Engineering Room 102

Title: Producing Bitumen from Oil Sands

Please RSVP at: http://bit.ly/2Ee6KDz

Please see images below for more info.

The SERB-UBC PhD Scholarship is open to students from India applying to UBC-V or UBC-O to study in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM), visit https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/serb-ubc-scholarship for details. Each academic year, up to five new PhD students per year will receive four years of stipend funding ($24,000 USD per year) from SERB. The UBC graduate program will be responsible for providing funding to cover their student’s tuition costs (which may be additional scholarships or teaching/research assistantships) during the four years of SERB funding.

UBC graduate programs can make admission offers to Indian PhD applicants that are either unconditional or contingent upon receipt of a SERB scholarship. An admission offer from UBC is required for the student to be eligible for the SERB scholarship.

What we need from supervisors by Friday, March 9, 2018:

Please provide the name and UBC student number of eligible applicants that have received an offer of admission to admissions@mech.ubc.ca. Our office will forward the details to G+PS, along with their offer letter. Graduate Awards will then prepare the list of eligible UBC applicants and submit the list to SERB for consideration.

Should you have any questions about the process, please contact graduate.awards@ubc.ca.

2018 Canadian Student Health Research Forum (CSHRF)

Entering its 31st year, the 2018 Canadian Student Health Research Forum will take place on June 11 to 15 in Winnipeg. The aim of the CSHRF is to provide a venue for the networking, research exposure and recognition of Canada’s most promising research trainees in the health sciences. Complete details are available online: http://umanitoba.ca/outreach/conferences/research_days/index.html

UBC has been invited to nominate our top PhD students in health sciences for participation in the forum. A limited number of invited participants will also receive travel award funding from CIHR; see: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/canadian-student-health-research-forum-cshrf-travel-award

The CSHRF and CIHR travel award are open to students from both UBC-V and UBC-O campuses.

Faculty – please submit your nominations to admissions@mech.ubc.ca by Friday, March 2, 2018

• Graduate programs may nominate up to 5% of their PhD students in health sciences (for instance, if a program has 40 PhD students in health sciences, it could submit up to 2 nominees). Appropriate selection criteria are to be determined by the graduate programs. Please note that the symposium theme rotates from year to year and should not bias student selection.
• Once the final nominees have been determined, the student(s) will be required to complete the 2018 CIHR National Competition Application Form by March 15, which our office will forward.

Should you have any questions about the process, please contact graduate.awards@ubc.ca.

The Graduate Global Leadership Fellowships enable promising leaders from developing countries to pursue doctoral studies at UBC. The fellowships are to support international students showing outstanding leadership in humanitarian and development work in their home country. Two fellowships will be offered; each fellowship provides an $18,200 stipend plus tuition each year for four years.

Applicants must:

• Hold a student visa at the beginning of the fellowship funding period
• Be a citizen of a developing country (see list of countries on website, link below) at the time of application for admission
• Be starting a PhD or DMA program at the UBC Vancouver campus in January 2018, May 2018, or September 2018
• Be starting their first doctoral degree

The deadline for faculty to submit nominations (student name and student number) to admissions@mech.ubc.ca: 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 30 March 2018.

For more information, please see the Graduate Awards webpage: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/graduate-global-leadership-fellowship.

Should you have further questions, please contact Angela Rizzo (angela.rizzo@ubc.ca).

The China Scholarship Council (CSC) is a Chinese government agency that provides scholarships to students applying to UBC-V or UBC-O to pursue graduate and postdoctoral studies. These scholarships support students across a wide range of disciplines.

For students seeking a doctoral degree at UBC, the China Scholarship Council (CSC) Doctoral Scholarship provides four years of scholarship funding (approx. $20,000 CAD per year) from CSC. The UBC graduate program will be responsible for providing funding to cover their student’s tuition costs (which may be additional scholarships or teaching/research assistantships) during the four years of CSC funding.

UBC graduate programs can make admission offers to PhD applicants from China that are either unconditional or contingent upon receipt of a CSC scholarship. An admission offer from UBC is required for the student to be eligible for the CSC scholarship.

For information regarding the requirements of supporting a potential applicant for the CSC doctoral scholarship, please visit: https://faculty-staff.grad.ubc.ca/group/3909/content/51121 (CWL authentication required).

What we need from faculty by Friday, March 23, 2018:

• Please provide the name and UBC student number to admissions@mech.ubc.ca.
• Note that the potential student must have received an offer of admission from MECH by March 20, 2018.

Should you have any questions about the process, please contact graduate.awards@ubc.ca. Thank you!