The Vancouver Summer Program in Kinesiology welcomed the biggest cohort to date this summer, with 89 visiting International Students across three programs, Sport and Exercise Performance, Coaching Science, and Clinical Kinesiology.
Developed to provide international students with a cross-cultural learning experience, the program provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to learn about the field of Kinesiology in Canada, while also exploring Canadian society and culture through interactive lectures, various social activities and intercultural workshops.
The course included a city tour, visits to museums, Vancouver tourist attractions, dragon-boating, a beach BBQ, sporting events, and optional field trips to Whistler, Victoria and the Rocky Mountains.
Carlos Cantu, Coordinator of International Affairs explains, “Five years ago, we started with two packages and 46 students. Looking at this year’s registration, it’s clear the program continues to grow and expand. This year we were proud to offer three packages, with 89 students in total, from 9 countries and 21 different universities. This has been possible thanks to the international partnerships the school has formed over the years. Through our international programs, we seek to increase the degree of internationalization of all of the School’s major areas, and to enhance the position of UBC School of Kinesiology in the world and to increase the opportunities available to our students to study and work internationally”.
The Vancouver Summer Program in Kinesiology runs each summer, with applications opening in early November. For more information, click here.
international, Students, UBC
Sept. 18, 2017 – Read about the Run to Quit program with new fall clinics starting this month.
Bill Sheel, Professor and head of the Health and Integrative Physiology Laboratory, was among researchers at UBC who met with Minister of National Defence, Harjit Sajjan, on behalf of the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan, to announce more than $42 million in support of fundamental research at the University of British Columbia. The funding is provided through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) 2017 competition for the Discovery Grants program, scholarships and fellowships.
Read more and view photos from the event here.
Awards and Achievements, Bill Sheel, Research, UBC
Sept. 13, 2017 – The Pop-PA lab invites applications for a one-year full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in the School of Kinesiology in the area of physical activity and applied public health. For more information, please refer to the Postdoctoral Research Fellow position pdf.
Sept. 13, 2017 – “Joining a running group can help you quite smoking. That’s the conclusion of a new UBC study that found that half the people who completed a 10-week program were able to successfully quit smoking.” Read more here.
Congratulations to the 13 graduate students who received their Graduate Certificates in High Performance Coaching and Technical Leadership (HPC&TL) on Monday, August 28, 2017.
The HPC&TL is a one-year, 12 credit specialized program for experienced elite sport coaches and technical leaders. This online program offers development of skills in analysis and evidence-based decision-making: it is designed to help develop the next generation of coaches and technical leaders for Canada. The students will now go on to complete their Masters.
Maria Gallo, Instructor, and Director of Masters of High Performance Coaching & Technical Leadership explains, “This very applied year has provided them with a strong foundation to progress into their Masters. The strength of this cohort is their diversity and impact they will have in the Canadian Sport System.”
Aug. 22, 2017 – New paper out by Dr. Guy Faulkner examining access to alcohol and tobacco around school and its relation to odds of cigarette smoking and binge-drinking among Ontario high school students. Read it here!
Cait Haggarty, a Victoria native and 2008 UBC Kinesiology graduate, has the distinction of being an integral member of three Canadian champion UBC basketball teams.
While playing for coach Deb Huband, Cait was a record-setting guard on Thunderbird teams who won CIS national titles in 2004, 2006 and 2008, a rare feat indeed. As of 2017 she still holds UBC’s record for most assists in a Canada West season. She was a three-time Academic All Canadian as well as Thunderbird co-captain during her final two seasons. Cait also served as the team’s assistant coach in 2009-2010 and 2012-2013. In the words of coach Huband, “Cait made an indelible mark during her university days at UBC . . . (her) drive to excel and commitment to team was demonstrated daily through her work ethic, commitment to excellence and team comradery.”
Following UBC Haggerty earned her Masters Degree in Education in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership from the University of Washington while working as a graduate assistant with the women’s basketball team. More recently Cait has worked as a personal trainer and has completed the Fire Fighter Technologies Certificate Program.
In 2017 it was announced Cait will be the new head coach of the Camosun College women’s basketball team of the Pacwest Conference. Responding to Cait’s recent appointment coach Huband said (she) “ . . . undoubtedly will take her passion, knowledge and work ethic to face the challenge of building a championship basketball program.”
Fred Hume, August 2017
Alumni
The late Brian Upson was a stellar Thunderbird basketball player in the early 1950s and a 1953 graduate of Physical Education now referred to as Kinesiology. However, Brian is best remembered as a high school basketball coach, in fact a storied career which stands out among such careers of those from UBC.
Photograph By Bill Cunningham photo.
Upon graduating from UBC Upson taught and coached at West Vancouver high school for nearly 30 years until his untimely passing in 1982. But a story still told to this day was when the gravely ill Upson coached his West Van team to the BC High School championship – a first for a North Shore school – an exciting 49 – 48 victory in what is considered by many as the most unforgettable title game in the tournament’s history.
It was the evening of March 20, 1982 that Upson, thin and gaunt yet gamely battling cancer, was cheered at the conclusion of the final game by a huge crowd of emotionally drained fans, both teams applauded for their efforts but especially for those of this one individual. By this time Upson, in a great deal of pain and defying his medical team, was confined to a wheelchair but discarded it when coaching from the bench. Unbelievably he was even able to stand for the tournament’s entire closing ceremonies. It was a competition between life and death.
According to his assistant coach “ . . . when he went home the night we won, he never got out of bed again . . . he died two weeks to the day after the final game.” A memorable event which in 2016 became the movie documentary “Long Shot” teaching us of will, endurance and courage.
Fred Hume, August 2017
Alumni