January 30

Super-black wood: How UBC researchers created Nxylon

Imagine sitting in the movie theatre, enveloped in complete darkness. The walls absorb every speck of light, immersing you fully in the cinematic experience. This sensory journey may soon be made possible by Nxylon (pronounced niks-a-lawn), a new material created by researchers from the Faculty of Forestry that absorbs over 99 per cent of visible light.

Stuti Sheth

January 29

UBC researchers propose six strategies for coexisting with wildfires

Earlier this year, UBC researchers from the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence released a study suggesting six interrelated strategies to help improve BC’s resilience to the impacts of wildfires. The study drew from 2023’s record-breaking fire weather, with 2245 active fires.

Kristen de Jager, Illustrations by Shavonne Yu

January 26

Let the light in: Seasonal affective disorder at UBC

As the days get shorter, the weather gets colder and the sun begins to hide behind grey clouds, it becomes harder and harder to stay positive, especially as a university student. With major deadlines happening as it seems to rain endlessly, it becomes harder to find a light at the end of the tunnel (literally).

Olivia Vos, Illustrations by Jerry Yin

January 15

Water, Together is empowering communities to be heroes in their water stories

Water, Together, a documentary by UBC alum and water treatment engineer Dr. Karl Zimmermann, features water stories and perspectives from water leaders worldwide and empowers local communities to lead their own water management solutions through a three-step process: awareness, education, and resources.

Shobana Shanmugasamy

December 13

New UBC research finds tool for filtering and destroying 'forever chemicals'

Dr. Johan Foster, an associate professor in the department of chemical and biological engineering, and his team have developed a possible solution to trap and break down highly resilient ‘forever chemicals’ found in water sources.

Harleen Randhawa

November 21

How səl̓ilwətaɬ eating traditions guide sustainability and stewardship

Our everyday diets provide insight into our way of life and surroundings. For archaeologists in the Lower Mainland, reconstructing the Səl̓ilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) diet prior to colonization is helping researchers understand the relationships between people and their territories.

Emily Choi, Illustrations by Tiana Khandelwal

November 18

Cracking calculus: Unpacking MATH 100’s difficulty

Whether they have taken it or not, most UBC students have likely heard about the difficulty of MATH 100: Differential Calculus with Applications.

Vicky Nguyen, Illustrations by Emilija Vītols Harrison

November 2

What’s eating you? Debunking nutrition myths

Nutrition information online is often inaccurate and can leave people more confused than where they started. Is it better to graze throughout the day or eat one large snake meal? What vitamins should I be supplementing? Where do the people on TikTok even get their information from anyway?

Gloria Klein, Illustrations by Abbie Lee

November 2

UBC research suggests fats could trigger insulin production

Research from UBC’s Laboratory of Molecular Signalling in Diabetes suggests insulin pathways could be more diverse than previously thought. The results have potential to inform personalized nutrition care for the management of diabetes.

Isha Dau, Illustrations by Matthew Chan

November 2

More than the bean: Bell Living Lab turns coffee skins into sustainable leather

Semeru Gita Lestari and Arka Irfani are adventurers at heart. As biologists, they spent a lot of time observing and appreciating the nature of their native Indonesia on expeditions where it quickly became apparent that, even in the depths of the nation’s jungle, plastic had integrated itself into the natural environment.

Fiona Sjaus, Illustrations by Emilia Onar

November 2

Bacteria, viruses and mold, oh my! How foods make us sick and how to avoid it

Navigating food safety can be confusing to say the least — what’s considered cross-contamination? Is the five-second rule real? Will raw cookie dough actually give me salmonella?

Lauren Kasowski, Illustrations by Ayla Cilliers

November 2

Who got (lab-grown) beef? The science behind alternative proteins

Between the long term health consequences of excessive meat consumption and the environmental impacts of the meat industry, recent years have seen an increased support for plant-based meat alternatives that mimic the textures and flavours people know and love.

Gloria Rahgozar, Illustrations by Aliza Hertzog

November 2

Indigenous forest gardens: A tradition of nourishing

For millennia, Indigenous communities have maintained forest gardens, a type of historically managed ecosystem, along the Pacific Northwest coast.

Vicky Nguyen, Illustrations by Ayla Cilliers

November 2

Eating empathetically: How food literacy and sustainability intersect

What do we need to consider about our food, beyond our own nutrition? Who and what is being impacted by the food on our plate? The framework for understanding the environmental, social and nutritional impacts of food is called food literacy.

Yomna Bedaiwy, Illustrations by Emilija Vītols Harrison

October 30

A century of silence: Sumas First Nation and UBC researchers propose return of Sumas Lake after 100 years

Once a vast expanse of water teeming with life, all that exists today of Semá:th Xo:tsa are hazy black and white photos of a lake no more. But that may change soon.

Krishna Narayanan