2007 Institutional Report

1. Reporting Institution: Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, The University of British Columbia , 6339 Stores Road , Vancouver , B.C. V6T 1Z4

2. Representative: Mary Lou Bevier

3. Changes

Programs/Courses

1. EOS successfully competed and was chosen as the first department at UBC to receive Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) funds; approx. $400K/yr/5 yrs will be used to apply innovative approaches to undergraduate science education and learning and curriculum renewal. See http://www.eos.ubc.ca/research/cwsei/ for information and news. We are actively hiring several full-time Lecturers to serve as CWSEI Teaching and Learning Fellows in the department, and there are needs for sessional lecturers to cover teaching while existing faculty develop new course paradigms. This is a very exciting initiative that is expected to quantify enhanced student learning and clearly establish EOS as one of the top institutions to study earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences in North America .

2. Environmental Sciences undergraduate program moves to EOS as of July 1, 2007. Director: Kristin Orians < korians@eos.ubc.ca >

3. Expanded summer course offerings: EOSC 110, EOSC 111, EOSC 114, EOSC 114DE, EOSC 314, EOSC 314DE, EOSC 315, EOSC 315DE (plus more for summer 2008) (DE = Distance Education)

4. Steer all prospective transfer students to www.eos.ubc.ca to examine the links to Undergraduate Programs, Advising, Courses, and Scholarships. We offer Honours degrees in Geological Sciences, Geophysics, Oceanography (Combined Honours programs only), and Atmospheric Sciences, Applied Science degrees in Geological Engineering, and broader Majors programs in Earth and Ocean Sciences and Atmospheric Sciences.

5. Advise transfer students of the Annual EOS Undergraduate Advising Meeting held during the first week of classes each September. Watch notices posted around the department for exact time and place (likely Thursday at 12:30pm in EOS Main lobby/museum area). In this meeting we go over UBC administrative procedures, scholarships and bursaries, EOS student clubs, and provide advising for all EOS degree programs.

6. Updated 2007-2008 Guide to Honours Geological Sciences Program at UBC and Honours Geological Sciences Course Template will be on department web site www.eos.ubc.ca sometime in June 2007; hard copies will be available from department office or undergraduate advisors.

7. Scholarships: In 2006-2007 over $105,000 in departmental scholarships was given out to approximately 70 deserving students. Reminder about Aho Entrance Scholarships (three $1K awards for students interested in mineral exploration who enroll in UBC-EOS Geol Sci, EOS, or GEOE programs who are transferring in from a community college with >75% for full course load, no failures). ***Have transfer students in Science and Engineering (Applied Science) contact Lori Kennedy lkennedy@eos.ubc.ca and send a copy of transcript in summer as soon as their grades are available so that we can consider them for Aho scholarships.***

8. Undergraduate student clubs: Dawson Club (Science students in EOS), Georox (Geol Eng students), Storm Club (Atm Sci students), and the Oceanography Society are all very active in the department, sponsoring speakers, first aid and firearms acquisition certificate courses, helping with the EOS Careers Fair, and arranging social and sporting events and field trips.

9. NEW EOS Undergraduate Learning Centre in EOS Main will replace Reading Room; expected completion spring 2007.

Staffing

1. New faculty : Ken Hickey (Assistant Professor, Mineral Deposits); Christian Schoof (CRC II Chair, Glacial Dynamics)

New staff : Paul De Leon, Department Manager, Administrator

Resignations: Claudio DiBacco, Dave Shorthouse (moved to Dean of Science office)

Retirements: Ron Clowes (summer 2007)

Current searches : none

2. Summer Sessional Lecturer positions in EOS : The department would like to identify Sessional Lecturers who are interested in teaching one or more summer courses an on-going basis. Possible courses include: EOSC 110, EOSC 114, EOSC 116, and EOSC 326, both in face-to-face and possibly Distance Education versions. Please contact Mary Lou Bevier (Chair, Summer School & Distance Education Committee) for more details if you are interested.

Enrolment Trends

About 292 students are enrolled in 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th year EOS programs; about 25% of these transferred from community colleges. This year we are graduating approximately 8 in Geol Sci (including Combined Honours degrees), 32 in Majors EOS, 24 in Geol Eng, 2 in Geop, 2 in CHN Ocgy+Another Science, and 6 in Atm Sci.

Facilities

1. Pacific Museum of the Earth : The Pacific Museum of the Earth (located in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at UBC) was pleased to announce the grand opening of The Vault and the Teacher's Resource Centre on February 28, 2007. The museum shop is now open 12-2 weekdays. For more information or to book a tour, call Mackenzie Parker < mparker@eos.ubc.ca > at 604-822-6992.

2. Fundraising campaign for new Earth Systems Science Building is underway. See http://www.eos.ubc.ca/home/UBC%20Earth%20Systems%20Science%20Building.pdf for details. Goldcorp recently announced a $5 million donation towards this building.

4. Issues/Challenges