Science

White, circular dots have been popping up on UBC windows. And they are more than just decorative glass stickers. They could actually reduce birds’ collisions with windows, possibly saving their lives.

Net neutrality’s existence is currently on the chopping block in the United States. In response, the internet has imploded yet again, with calls to “Save the Internet” seen in mid-July by popular websites including Reddit, Amazon, Imgur and Google.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University partnered with Telus World of Science to create the KPU-Science World Speaker Series. This year, the speaker series started with two Amazon Field School leaders explaining the importance of forest conservation.

The study results indicate strong negative reactions against children that aren’t vaccinated. But we shouldn’t blame anti-vaxxers, because the majority of people who are under-vaccinated are just delaying vaccinations due to time constraints.

The UBC Sickle Cell team delivered oral and dental hygiene, nutrition and educational modules about sickle cell disease to schools around the Kathmandu valley and in the Dang District of Nepal. They learned valuable lessons about healthcare access.

A year ago, no one imagined that a team of amateurs from UBC would successfully send their rocket, Cypress, to an altitude of 10,000 feet. Above all, no one imagined that this team of underdogs would win their first rocket launch competition.

General relativity predicts that a large density of vacuum energy should cause the universe to explode. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet. Qingdi Wang and Zhen Zhu proposed a new theory about how this could be.

Career paths are as varied as the people who unfold them into existence: some lead clearly to a goal and some are completely unpredictable. But neuroscientist and social entrepreneur Dr. Grace Lee doesn’t let her own career path define her identity.

When scientists are asked to justify research based solely on the outcome, grad student Chantal Mustoe wonders, “Since when did the value of fundamental knowledge disappear? Why must I promise a grand discovery ... before I can pay my rent?”

The Vancouver Park Board recently banned cetaceans — whales, dolphins and porpoises — from Vancouver parks. While animal rights advocates rejoiced, scientists winced. The Vancouver Aquarium has launched a legal challenge in response.

A year ago, there was no Cypress the rocket, and no UBC Rocket team. Now, 60 members strong, they are competing for the first time at the Spaceport American Cup in Las Cruces, New Mexico from June 20 to 24, 2017.

A research group has taken a significant step towards solving workplace “interruptibility” with a device called FlowLight. The color of the light changes between green, red or pulsing red, to signal that you are available, busy or super engaged.

Three UBCers recently found out that they did not made it to the next phase of the Canadian Space Agency’s search for potential astronauts. We had the chance to follow up with the candidates after the release of the latest shortlist.

Using 3D bioprinting, neuroscientists at UBC and biotechnology engineers from Aspect Biosystems have been identifying the interaction between cancerous tumour cells and their environment in the brain. The public was invited to learn more.

To kick off the search, Provost Angela Redish hosted a town hall on May 8 for the science community at UBC. All humour aside, attendees stated that the new dean should be an excellent, courageous and communicative scientist.