UBC’s trailblazing biologist, Dr. Gertrude May Smith

Dr. Gertrude May Smith in 1926, the year she received her MA in biolology from UBC. Photo: Frederick Louis HackingUBC Science’s first female professor was unceremoniously let go during the Great Depression — but her contributions live on in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum collectionsBy Ildiko SzaboIf you open the Beaty Biodiversity Museum cabinet containing rough-skinned newt specimens, the jar...

Continue reading


An AI-powered revolution in clean energy chemistry

UBC chemists Drs. Jason Hein (left) and Curtis Berlinguette (right) founded Project Ada, the first self-driving lab to combine AI and robotics to accelerate clean energy materials discovery.UBC’s Project Ada, the first self-driving lab to fast-track clean energy materials discovery, has come of ageBy Geoff GilliardWith the signing of the Paris Climate Accord, most of the world’s...

Continue reading


Crowd-sourced science sheds light on how new species form

The fall webworm is a moth found from Mexico to Canada. Photo: Alison Hunter.Pandemic lockdowns couldn’t stop two UBC zoologists from tracking how climate influences evolutionBy Katie Marshall and Emily BlackImagine a jungle. It’s probably a lush forest, filled with different bird songs and the hum of thousands of different kinds of insects. Now imagine a tundra:...

Continue reading


UBC students wade into Lost Lagoon’s water woes

UBC Science students Samantha Kortekaas and Logan Hwang sampling Lost Lagoon’s water on a cold February afternoon.UBC students wade in to Lost Lagoon’s water woesAfter carp die-offs in Vancouver’s Lost Lagoon, UBC Science students are testing the human-made lake’s murky watersBy Geoff GilliardLost Lagoon is a watery jewel gracing Vancouver’s Stanley Park. It’s one of the main attractions...

Continue reading