News Archive

Celebrating Teaching Excellence: Announcing the 2024/25 recipients of UBC Okanagan Teaching Awards

April 8, 2025

Dear colleagues,

Learning is a lifelong journey shaped, in part, by those willing to share their knowledge with us. The dedication of passionate teachers not only deepens understanding and knowledge but also sparks curiosity, supports critical thinking and inspires our personal and academic growth.

In recognition of these remarkable educators, UBC Okanagan is proud to celebrate teaching excellence each year and recognize those who make a lasting impact on teaching and learning within our academic community.

We are pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of the Killam Teaching Prize and the Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation:

2025 UBC Okanagan Teaching Award recipients

KILLAM TEACHING PRIZE

Dr. Bowen Hui, Associate Professor of Teaching, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

PROVOST’S AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION

Dr. Tanya Forneris, Professor of Teaching, Faculty of Health and Social Development

Dr. Heather Latimer, Assistant Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Dr. Mohammad Tiznobaik, Lecturer, School of Engineering

ABOUT THE 2025 RECIPIENTS

Join us in celebrating teaching excellence

We invite students, faculty and staff to join us on National Teacher Appreciation Day as we recognize the recipients of the UBC Okanagan Teaching Awards and celebrate the many significant contributions to teaching and learning that have taken place this year at UBC Okanagan.

Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Time: 4 to 6 pm | Award presentation followed by a reception
Location: UBC Ballroom | UNC 200

RSVP: If you have not received an invitation and wish to attend, please email okanagan.ceremonies@ubc.ca.

 

Thank you to this year’s recipients for your outstanding contributions to teaching and learning, and to everyone who has helped grow and strengthen our academic community throughout the 20-year history of our campus. We look forward to celebrating these accomplishments with you and continuing our journey of teaching excellence together.

Sincerely,

Rehan Sadiq
Provost and Vice-President, Academic
UBC Okanagan

Jackie Denison
Associate Provost, Teaching and Learning
UBC Okanagan

 

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Appointment of Alice Miller as Deputy Registrar, UBC Okanagan

May 15, 2025

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Alice Miller has been appointed as Deputy Registrar, Okanagan, effective July 2, 2025.

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Appointment of Alice Miller as Deputy Registrar, UBC Okanagan

May 15, 2025

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Alice Miller has been appointed as Deputy Registrar, Okanagan, effective July 2, 2025.

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Dr. Tomášková to support FASS transition as interim leader

May 7, 2025

Dear colleagues,

After a successful tenure as Dean of the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), Dr. Silvia Tomášková has informed me that she will not be seeking a second term. Dr. Tomášková’s term comes to an end on December 1, 2025. She has, however, graciously agreed to stay on as Dean pro tem until June 30, 2026, or until such time as a new Dean is appointed.

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Celebrating UBC Okanagan Authors and Editors

April 23, 2025

A women stands behind a podium while a screen beside her showcases her recently written book.

Dr. Shannon Ward speaking about her book, Amdo Lullaby: An Ethnography of Childhood and Language Shift on the Tibetan Plateau ath the 2025 UBC Okanagan Books of the Year event.

We are pleased to recognize the remarkable achievements of our campus community members who published books and creative works in 2024. Each publication represents countless hours of research, dedication and creativity that bring it to life. Please join us in congratulating our colleagues in the UBC Okanagan community as we highlight and celebrate their contributions.

 

2024 UBC Okanagan Authors and Editors

If you published a book in 2024 and are not included on this list, please contact ubco.provost@ubc.ca to be added. 

Maria Alexopoulos Reading Literature and Theory at the Intersections of Queer and Class: Class Notes and Queer-ies
Shahria Alam Collection of Conference Proceedings
Jeffrey L. Andrews Practical Guide to Data Analysis Using R: An Example-Based Approach
Heinz Bauschke Introduction to Convexity, Optimization, and Algorithms
Stephen Berg Doctoral Journey: Perspectives in Physical and Health Education
W. John Braun Practical Guide to Data Analysis Using R: An Example-Based Approach
Agnieszka Doll Political Activist Ethnography: Studies in The Social Relations of Struggle
Klara du Plessis Post-Mortem of the Event
Anne Fleming Curiosities
Susan Frohlick Bloom Spaces: Reproduction and Tourism on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica
Carl Hodge Ethics and Economics of Liberal Democracies: Foundations for PPE
Andrew Irvine Ethics and Economics of Liberal Democracies: Foundations for PPE

Lysistrata: Adapted from Aristophanes for modern performance

Annamma Joy Sustainability in Art, Fashion and Wine: Critical Perspectives
Christopher Martin Cadre Ethique et Legal de l’enseignement: Guide Pour les Professionnels de l’enseignement
Cole Mash Resistant Practices an Communities of Sound
Kh Md Nahiduzzaman Making Sense of Planning and Development for the Post-Pandemic Cities
Francisco Peña Expecting the End of the World in Medieval Europe: An Interdisciplinary Study
Matthew Rader Fine
Helen Sharp End-of-Life Care Considerations for the Speech-Language Pathologist
Shannon Ward Amdo Lullaby: An Ethnography of Childhood and Language Shift on the Tibetan Plateau

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Extension of appointment of Dr. Peter Simpson as Associate Provost, Academic Affairs and Strategy

April 17, 2025

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the extension of Dr. Peter Simpson’s appointment as Associate Provost, Academic Affairs and Strategy, for an additional one-year term, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. In addition to his continued responsibilities in this role, Dr. Simpson will also serve as Dean pro tem of the College of Graduate Studies during this period.

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2025 UBC Open Education Resources (OER) Excellence and Impact Award recipients

April 2, 2025

We are very pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Open Education Resources (OER) Excellence and Impact Awards.

The OER Excellence and Impact Awards recognize outstanding work by faculty who materially advance the use and impact of open educational resources in credit courses at UBC.

Recipients were selected based on their overall excellence in creating, revising or using OER in teaching and learning; the impact of their OER work on students, including addressing the affordability of educational materials; and their contribution to the greater open education community at UBC.

UBC Okanagan: Individual award

Dr. Ramon Lawrence

  • Dr. Ramon Lawrence, Computer Science, Faculty of Science

Dr. Ramon Lawrence, Professor of Computer Science at UBC Okanagan and a recipient of a 2020 Killam Teaching Prize, has been a passionate leader in Open Educational Resources (OER) since 2006. His OER materials have saved students over $500,000 in textbook costs, directly benefited more than 3,000 learners, and are adopted by instructors at UBC Okanagan.

He has integrated open educational resources in his courses since he joined UBC in 2006. His work exemplifies the principles and practices of accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and his efforts in developing and scaling OER have made significant contributions to student engagement and learning outcomes.

In addition to course content, his innovative open-source projects, such as the HelpMe AI support platform and PrairieLearn deployments, are improving student support and assessment, advancing accessible, engaging education at UBC and leading the integration of artificial intelligence in learning.

Dr. Lawrence’s tireless efforts to develop, refine and share OER have made significant contributions to student engagement and advanced the mission of accessible education. Through his innovative OER platforms and resources, mentorship, and collaborative spirit, he continues to strengthen the UBCO community.

UBC Okanagan: Group award

  • Team Lead: Dr. Claire Yan

    Dr. Claire Yan, Professor of Teaching, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science 

  • Dr. Casey Keulen, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science 
  • Dr. Amir M. Dehkhoda, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science 
  • Ali Doustahadi, Master’s Degree, Department of Materials Engineering
  • Hariharan (Hari) Umashankar, Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Candidate, Department of Materials Engineering

Project team: Dr. Casey Keulen (top left); Dr. Amir M. Dehkhoda (Top right), Ali Doustahadi (bottom left) and Hariharan (Hari) Umashankar (bottom right).

The Introduction to Engineering Thermodynamics open textbook and problem bank have transformed how foundational engineering concepts are taught, making high-quality, interactive content freely available. Through the development of accessible, innovative resources, the team has fostered a culture of inclusivity, empowered student engagement, and achieved substantial cost savings for learners.

Led by Dr. Claire Yan, Professor of Teaching, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan, the project team includes Dr. Casey Keulen, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science; Dr. Amir M. Dehkhoda, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science; and teaching assistants Hariharan Umashankar and Ali Doustahadi.

Designed with Universal Design for Learning principles and freely accessible worldwide, this resource features interactive H5P questions and programmable problem sets that foster inclusivity, engagement, and practical skill-building. Adopted by courses at UBC and Arizona State University, it supports over 750 students annually, saving them an estimated $32,500–$48,700 in textbook costs. These openly licensed resources, shared via GitHub and open repositories like UBC cIRcle, OER Commons, and LibreTexts, continue to inspire and empower educators and learners globally.

This work exemplifies the power of OER in enhancing student learning and advancing educational innovation. The team is proud to advance equitable access and pedagogical innovation in engineering education at UBC and beyond.

Read the full announcement

 

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Expansion of UBC Health on UBC Okanagan campus

February 26, 2025

Since 2018, UBC Health has served the UBC system to support interprofessional collaborative health education, enable interdisciplinary research and bring together university and health sector partners to improve the way we train people, develop knowledge and shape policy.

As the demand for innovative healthcare solutions continues to rise, UBC Okanagan and UBC Health are collaborating to enhance health outcomes, equity, and systems by expanding the UBC Health team to have a physical presence on the Okanagan campus.

We are pleased to introduce Marie-Elssa Morency, UBC Okanagan Health Partnership Manager. In this role, she will lead the coordination of new strategic collaborative and interprofessional education and research initiatives, support existing initiatives, and identify shared priorities and strategic partnership opportunities. Her efforts will begin with a comprehensive landscape analysis, followed by the creation of a campus-wide health strategy that will inform health-related research and teaching across all Faculties and Schools at UBCO. Additionally, she will drive key strategic activities and facilitate the development, integration and delivery of UBC Health education, research and systems initiatives at UBCO. This position reports jointly to the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal, Academic and UBC Health.

Two additional UBC Health roles that report to UBC Health and have system-wide responsibilities will also be newly situated in the Okanagan. The Director, Health Systems and the Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives positions will build relationships and collaborations in health at UBC and within the larger health care sector, working closely with the UBC Okanagan Health Partnership Manager.

Together, UBCO and UBC Health are building better health, laying a strong foundation for productive partnerships and the integration of collaborative health education, interdisciplinary research and health systems initiatives in the Okanagan now and in the years to come.

Learn about UBC Health’s Okanagan expansion

 

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Staff profile: Meet Carlos Diaz Molina

February 26, 2025

Meet Carlos Diaz Molina

Role: Workday Student Go-Live Support Coordinator

Carlos Diaz Molina joined the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic in November 2024, bringing his previous experience as a Workday Support Specialist with the School of Engineering to support the software implementation campus-wide. Carlos supported members of UBC Okanagan’s campus community for a number of years, serving as an Orientation Leader and Teaching Assistant during his undergraduate years and recently graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science in 2023.

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO IN THE OFFICE OF THE PROVOST.

I work as the Workday Go-Live Support Coordinator in the Office of the Provost, assisting faculty and staff members at the Okanagan campus with Workday Student by answering Workday-related inquiries and sharing critical updates with faculties, as well as collaborating with units on campus to ensure functional issues are resolved in a timely manner.

With academic processes such as Summer Registration and Sessional Evaluations starting in the next months, communication and collaboration across campus will be essential so that as a campus, we can continue to support students and help them achieve their academic goals.

WHAT UPCOMING PROJECTS OR CURRENT INITIATIVES ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?

With the continuous use of new Workday Student functions as part of the academic cycle, I am most excited about continuing to support units across campus to adapt to the new processes and ensure processes continue without disruptions for students.

WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE TO WORK AT UBC OKANAGAN?

During my undergraduate years at UBC Okanagan, I previously worked with the Student Experience Office for JumpStart and Create. I really liked the collaborative atmosphere at the Okanagan campus and the community I was able to develop here. Being able to work somewhere where I continue to grow and support is something that matters to me.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE OKANAGAN ACTIVITY OR SPOT AND WHY?

My favourite Okanagan spot would be Okanagan Lake. I really enjoy going swimming in the lake with friends in the summer, as well as resting the afternoons in the beaches near the lake. It is one of my favourite activities to do when summer arrives!

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Recognizing the 2024/25 Outstanding Instructors

February 24, 2025

Dear colleagues,

At UBC Okanagan, we are committed to recognizing and celebrating the outstanding contributions of our educators who inspire, engage and support our students throughout their educational journeys. It is with great pleasure that we announce the recipients of the 2024/25 Outstanding Instructor awards.

Nominated by their Faculties, recipients of the Outstanding Instructor award have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to supporting student success in their classrooms, creating meaningful and impactful learning experiences that benefit students across our campus.

2024/25 Outstanding Instructors
Peter Arthur, Okanagan School of Education Malcolm Metcalfe, School of Engineering
Shelly Ben-David, Faculty of Health and Social Development Paul Milton, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Lukas Bichler, School of Engineering Min Hu, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Kwame Boateng, Faculty of Management Hadi Mohammadi, School of Engineering
Hannah Connon, Faculty of Health and Social Development Lisa Moralejo, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Brendan Dyck, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Mostafa Mohamed, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Manfred Elfstrom, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Spencer Murch, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Scott Fazackerley, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Laura Patterson, School of Engineering
George Grinnell, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Katherine Pickering, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Ethan Guagliardo, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Tracy Ross, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Laura Hockman, Faculty of Health and Social Development Mehran Shirazi, School of Engineering
Katey Kyle, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Deana Simonetto, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Michael Landry, Okanagan School of Education Zoë Soon, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Eric Li, Faculty of Management Mayu Takasaki, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Maya Libben, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Ryan Wilson, Faculty of Health and Social Development
Patrick Lundeen, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Shawn Wilson, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Chris McNeil, Faculty of Health and Social Development Robin Young, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

 

Please join us in congratulating these exemplary educators in our teaching and learning community.

Sincerely,

Jackie Denison
Associate Provost, Teaching and Learning

Jannik Eikenaar
Academic Director, UBC Okanagan Centre for Teaching and Learning

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