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"...the possibility exists of...creating an institutional expression of interdisciplinarity that would be unique on the global scene. In doing so, the University of British Columbia would demonstrate its world leadership in thinking about the future of the university."

CFIS EXTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
DECEMBER 3, 2010

A YEAR IN - AND OF - REVIEW

Welcome to the Annual Report of UBC's College for Interdisciplinary Studies.

We have had some tremendous successes in research, learning and public engagement at CFIS over the past year, with collaborations within CFIS, across UBC, and across the globe. We're pleased to share highlights of these successes:

Student learning: The Learn and Win campaign was a great success (and a marketing communications award-winner to boot), driving prospective students to five of our graduate programs. Your Degree in 3 was a hit, with nineteen CFIS grad students given three minutes to pitch their thesis to the judges. One of the winners, Guang Yang, went on to take second prize at the all-UBC 3 Minute Thesis competition. CFIS was proud to announce four Vanier Canada Graduate Scholars out of 25 awarded to UBC. In May we recognized 66 graduates (51 masters and 15 PhDs) at CFIS graduation.

Community engagement: The kind of research we do at CFIS often involves community engagement, one of the three main commitments in UBC's Place and Promise. For example, we had the pleasure of interviewing HELP's Assoc. Prof. Paul Kershaw, who believes that teaching students about policy-relevant interdisciplinary research requires out of the box thinking and practice that engages diverse communities. The Institute of Asian Research launched the Asia Pacific Memo (APM), a bi-weekly e-publication on current issues in Asia and across the Pacific. Finding the best way to get diverse voices to the table to solve community issues has taken Prof. Leonora Angeles, Associate Professor at the School of Community and Regional Planning and Women’s and Gender Studies from the Fraser Basin Council in Vancouver to Brazil.  The results could change the way we govern metropolitan regions all over the globe.

Research: Nereus - Predicting the Future Ocean Program was announced in December 2010, a $13 million, 9 year project in partnership between The Nippon Foundation and UBC. CFIS researchers made a big impact at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting this February. Fisheries Prof. Villy Christensen held a media conference announcing initial results of work that will form the basis of Nereus, resulting in over 35 media interviews. Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES)/CWAGS Asst. Prof. Leila Harris describes her research showing that  the democratization, commodification, and privatization of water – often a result of government policy – is creating dramatic shifts in gender power balance, identity, and citizenship in Turkey and other countries around the world. Asst. Prof. Anita Ho (CAE) is exploring trust and health care, and asks, What influences our decision-making? We examine the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), a collaborative, interdisciplinary research network that brings together diverse scientific viewpoints to address complex early child development issues.The Liu Scholars Program brings PhD students from disciplines as varied as Law, Forestry, Education, Engineering, Health and Political Science together to collaborate on cross-disciplinary research addressing today's complex problems.

Awards and recognition: Clyde Hertzman was named the 2010 Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Health Researcher of the Year; Peter Danielson was granted $50K from UBC's Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund for "Computer Enhanced Experimental Applied Ethics Education"; health researcher Prof. Annalee Yassi was recognized for her contribution to health research by CIHR and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) in the CIHR-CMAJ Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Awards and Dr. Murray Hodgson received a $1.65 million NSERC CREATE grant for the Sustainable Building Science Program.

The CFIS Development team has been the second most successful fundraising team at UBC. Highlights include donations from Modern Green, Power Corporation of Canada, SCARP's 60th Anniversary, the Real Estate Association of BC and David Mowafaghian.

External Review In the fall of 2010, an External Review Committee comprised of four experts in interdisciplinary research and administration reviewed CFIS administration, research and teaching. Their External Review Report was delivered in December 2010, and stated what many at UBC already knew - that CFIS is a unique entity in North America, that UBC was a leader in interdisciplinary research, and that in overcoming current challenges,

"…the possibility exists of…creating an institutional expression of interdisciplinarity that would be unique on the global scene. In doing so, the University of British Columbia would demonstrate its world leadership in thinking about the future of the university."

For a printable, abridged version of this Report, see the Printable Annual Report link on the website. The printed version is an 8 page, 11x17 document you are free to print yourself. We hope that you enjoy!

Throughout this report, look for the CFIS YouTube icon (below)), which means that there is video about that story within the relevant section.