Author Kevin Chong, a UBC Okanagan professor in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, says Asian Heritage Month can present challenges and opportunities for Asian Canadian artists. Credits: Author photo by Iris Chia. Book cover courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

In The Double Life of Benson Yu, author Kevin Chong’s protagonist navigates a complicated future and a traumatic past by blurring the lines between fiction and reality as a graphic novelist.

As a creative writing professor in UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Chong must remain realistic when it comes to discussions around identity and self-discovery, especially during May—Asian Heritage Month.

He appreciates the nuanced ways the month can serve as both a spotlight and a platform for Asian-Canadian content while acknowledging the emotional and intellectual labour involved in representing one’s culture and heritage.

They are comparable to the issues Chong balanced delicately in Benson Yu, a novel that earned him a place on the Giller Prize Shortlist. Here, he discusses both his personal and professional insights into Asian Heritage Month.

How do you see Asian Heritage Month affecting the identity and self-perception of younger Asian Canadians?

I think a lot about my eight-year-old daughter and how I want her to learn about her Chinese and Asian-Canadian heritage. Cultural events like the Lunar New Year are certainly part of the equation. When there’s school programming tied to that or Asian Heritage Month, it allows her to know a little more about herself.

It’s nice to see yourself in the media one consumes—whether it’s on a screen or a page. I didn’t have that growing up. At times, I would have to find it in Asian culture from Asia—in Haruki Murakami novels or Hong Kong action movies like A Better Tomorrow. At other times, I think it gave me a more whitewashed sensibility. Nowadays, I feel as though younger Asian Canadians have more opportunities to see themselves in media.

What does Asian Heritage Month mean to you as an author and educator?

It’s a springboard for my work to be shared and discussed at events as well as online and print publications. Earlier in my career, I shied away from my heritage. I wanted to be a writer, first and foremost. In contrast, I see so many younger writers voluntarily placing their backgrounds and orientations in the first lines of their biographies. I’m sort of in awe of that pride. But I’d find Asian readers through this springboard. And more recently in my career, especially in my newest book, The Double Life of Benson Yu, I’ve leaned into what it means to be part of the Asian diaspora.

As an educator, it’s a reminder and a prompt to share Asian-Canadian content.

But there can be some emotional labour called upon to bloviate on being Asian and Asian Canadian. Not only does it take time away from my research, but it also makes me spiral into thinking about whether I’m qualified to speak about Asian-Canadian culture, what I should do to feel more qualified and whether I’m a “good” Asian Canadian. For better or worse, I’ve chosen to speak on the topic.

How do you believe Asian Heritage Month contributes to the appreciation of Asian culture?

Through the awareness it raises and the content of Asian-Canadian creators, Asian Heritage Month reveals the long history and lasting impact Asians have had as settlers in this province and country.

On my mother’s side, for instance, I have two great-grandfathers who emigrated to Canada—one in 1916, the other in 1920. To my delight, I was able to find them on the UBC Library’s Register of Chinese Immigrants to Canada, 1886-1949.

I found their height, weight, occupation and the names of the ships they boarded to cross the Pacific. Because of the Head Tax, they raised their families in China—which is why I was born in Hong Kong and can claim to be both a fourth and first-generation Canadian. And yet, like every other Asian Canadian, I will always be considered a foreigner.

As we come to more deeply understand the histories of Asian Canadians, we learn there are so many different communities, many of whom had to overcome many racist obstacles and so many different waves of immigration.

How do Canadian academia and literature reflect Asian history and identity, and can Asian Heritage Month contribute to this?

According to Google, Chinese and South Asians, along with the Black community, form the three largest visible minorities in Canada. If we’re not properly represented in Canadian academia and literature—and I feel we aren’t—there’s something wrong with Canadian academia and literature.

Asian Heritage Month increases consciousness but can also be an excuse to ignore us for the other 11 months of the year.

Moreover, as I’ve learned of Asian-Canadian history through the novels of Wayson Choy, Paul Yee and William Ping, and the nonfiction of writers like Cheuk Kwan and Lily Cho, the more deeply I appreciate the courage and ingenuity of these earlier generations of Asian Canadians.

How can communities navigate celebration and appropriation during such heritage months?

If it’s led by an Asian group, then let them lead it. Wearing a culturally specific item of clothing can be appreciated in some contexts and then considered over-the-top or offensive in others. I could probably use the same Canadian politician as both a positive and negative example. When in doubt, you should consult with the event organizer.

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White-tail deer are expanding north as the climate changes, putting pressure on existing predator-prey dynamics in North America’s western boreal forests.

As the climate changes, animals are doing what they can to adapt.

Researchers from UBC Okanagan—which includes partners from Biodiversity Pathways’ Wildlife Science Centre, the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, the University of Alberta, and Environment and Climate Change Canada—wanted to evaluate why deer densities in the boreal forest are rapidly increasing.

Over the past century, white-tailed deer have greatly expanded their range in North America, explains Melanie Dickie, a doctoral student with UBC Okanagan’s Wildlife Restoration Ecology Lab.

In the boreal forest of Western Canada, researchers have considered that both changing climate and increased habitat alteration have enabled deer to push farther north. Climate change can create milder winters, while habitat alteration from forestry and energy exploration creates new food sources for deer.

As they conclude their study, researchers caution that what is good for the deer isn’t necessarily suitable for other species, such as the threatened woodland caribou.

Dickie, as well as fellow UBCO and Biodiversity Pathways researchers Drs. Adam Ford, Michael Noonon, Robin Steenweg and Rob Serrouya, have monitored the white-tailed deer’s movement into the western boreal forest for more than five years.

As global temperatures climb, the researchers note that deer expansion is uprooting existing predator-prey dynamics.

“The expansion of white-tailed deer into the boreal forest has been linked to caribou declines,” explains Dickie. “Deer are ecosystem disruptors in the northern boreal forests. Areas with more deer typically have more wolves, and these wolves are predators of caribou—a species under threat. Deer can handle high predation rates, but caribou cannot.”

Understanding white-tailed deer populations continues to be one piece of the caribou recovery puzzle.

“The trick is that human land use and climate are often intertwined. As we move northward, the climate becomes harsher and human land use decreases, making it difficult to isolate these two factors,” says Dr. Serrouya. “The debate over the relative effect of climate or habitat change isn’t unique to deer in the boreal, either; it’s one of the most pressing issues facing applied ecologists globally.”

The researchers determined that the northern Alberta-Saskatchewan border provided a convenient experimental location. While both sides have a consistent climate, habitat alteration is, on average, 3.6-fold higher on the Alberta side.

Between 2017 and 2021, the research team maintained 300 wildlife cameras throughout the region to collect motion-triggered images of large mammals. These images were used to estimate white-tailed deer density.

Key findings from the study include that deer density was significantly lower in areas with colder, snowier winters. While human land use was associated with higher deer densities, the effect of human-caused habitat change was much smaller than that of climate.

Winter severity is expected to decline as climate change progresses. This means that deer are expected to keep expanding northwards and increase in abundance, adding an increased risk to the caribou.

“When planning for caribou recovery, we need to consider these new forest residents,” says Dr. Ford. “We are now well into the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, but when doing restoration, we have to account for new pathways of species interacting in the food web.”

The research was published today in the journal Global Change Biology.

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New research from UBC Okanagan’s Dr. Clayton Lamb examines how to preserve southern mountain caribou populations until the animal’s habitat can sustain greater numbers. Photo credit: Line Giguere/Wildlife Infometrics.

Thanks to drastic and evidence-based solutions, more southern mountain caribou roam Western Canada today than in previous decades; however, herd numbers are too fragile to sustain themselves without continued intervention.

That begins the conclusion of a new research paper published in Ecological Applications on Thursday by a team of wildlife and biodiversity researchers led by Dr. Clayton Lamb, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC Okanagan and Wildlife Scientist at Biodiversity Pathways.

“We did this analysis with full understanding and agreement that habitat loss is the primary driver of caribou declines,” says Dr. Lamb. “But the reality is that habitat restoration, even once complete, will take decades to produce the mature forests and low predator densities caribou need to survive. In the meantime, we need evidence-based actions to sustain caribou while we expedite habitat conservation and restoration.”

Researchers found that while caribou have declined dramatically over the past few decades, there are 52 per cent (or less than 1,500) more caribou on the landscape than if no recovery actions had been taken.

Southern mountain caribou are among the most threatened large mammals in Canada. The ultimate reason for caribou decline is human-caused habitat loss and increased predation. It’s thought that it will take decades to restore enough habitat for populations to recover, and the outcomes of restoration are still unknown.

Across BC and Alberta, managers have tried maternal penning, supplemental feeding, translocation and reducing predator density to help stabilize caribou populations.

“Caribou declines have been drastic, and the actions required to keep them from completely disappearing have had to be bold, and many have been understandably contentious,” says Dr. Lamb. “Our task was to assess whether and how these recovery actions have helped southern mountain caribou in their struggle to survive.”

Researchers from across BC and Alberta pooled and analyzed over 50 years of data on the species, using population estimates from aerial surveys and information on caribou mortality from collared animals.

Though the earliest data comes from 1973, data collection began for most populations after 1991. The team found that the southern mountain caribou abundance declined by 51 per cent between 1991 and 2023. Still, without recovery actions, the decline would have been even more significant.

“We have 1,500 more caribou than we would have had without these actions,” says co-author Dr. Rob Serrouya, Co-Director of the Wildlife Science Centre with Biodiversity Pathways. “There is strong evidence that predator reductions have increased caribou populations and avoided further caribou extirpation events. We’ve seen this increase under current levels of climate change; high levels of habitat loss also contribute.

“Actions such as maternal penning and supplemental feeding were most effective when coupled with predator reduction. Other actions, such as prey reduction, wolf sterilization or translocations, had a lesser impact.”

Researchers from both UBCO and Biodiversity Pathways analyze and report on the status of caribou populations, offering clear data to inform the conversation on conservation efforts and support the best outcomes for ecosystem health.

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UBC Okanagan, TRU in Kamloops, and UNBC in Prince George have renewed an MOU to foster collaborative research based in the BC interior.

British Columbia’s three interior universities have strengthened their commitment to research and innovation by extending their partnership with the Interior Universities Research Coalition (IURC).

The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (UBCO) announced on Thursday they’ve renewed their Memorandum of Understanding for an additional five years.

“We’re eager to continue collaborating with our research colleagues in the BC Interior to drive discovery and innovation further,” says Dr. Philip Barker, UBCO’s Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President of Research and Innovation.

“Each of the IURC institutions brings research specialties and strengths to this agreement that create connections and maximize the partnership’s benefit for BC interior communities and industries.”

Since its inception in 2017, the IURC has boosted research initiatives throughout the BC interior. The coalition has secured nearly $8 million in funding for joint research projects and fostered collaboration between the universities.

Projects have tackled pressing regional issues such as disaster prevention, rural aging, COVID-19 effects, education and wildlife stewardship.

“The IURC has set the groundwork to advance important research in our regions—the collaboration between our institutions is critical in building capacity for new research opportunities in our communities,” says Dr. Shannon Wagner, TRU’s Vice-President of Research.

“The renewal marks the beginning of what we envision as a blueprint towards inter-institutional partnerships across Canada, inspiring a future where collaboration paves the way for discovery and growth.”

The IURC’s next phase will focus on community-based research, expanding research capacity, developing shared educational opportunities and building upon the successes of the past five years. This partnership fosters talent, increases student and faculty mobility, and strengthens connections to communities across the region.

“The IURC facilitates partnerships among scholars at all three institutions. They work with community partners to identify solutions to pressing issues in our region and beyond. The knowledge generated through these projects builds capacity for healthy, productive and thriving interior communities,” says Dr. Paula Wood-Adams, UNBC’s Vice-President of Research and Innovation.

“We support this initiative and share the IURC’s commitment to making post-secondary education more accessible, responsive, and relevant for people across British Columbia. The IURC is a leading example of institutions finding collaborative solutions to enhance educational opportunities and solve regional challenges so we can build stronger and more resilient communities in B.C.”

— Minister Lisa Beare, Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills

“B.C.’s post-secondary institutions and research centres are world-class, and this continuing collaboration ensures our province draws and retains the talent needed to drive innovation to make life better for people, and to create good jobs. Through the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund and other provincial programs, our province is supporting our post-secondary research infrastructure and we’re looking forward to hearing more from the partnership.”

— Minister Brenda Bailey, Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation

The IURC is a dynamic partnership between UNBC, TRU, and UBCO, designed to enhance research and innovation ecosystems within the BC interior. Learn more at IURC.ca.

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Drs. Adam Ford, Lesley Lutes and Wendy Wong have been named UBCO’s researchers of the year.

UBC Okanagan is celebrating three inspiring faculty members whose research is making a difference on some of the most pressing issues in society.

The prestigious Researcher of the Year awards recognize individuals who are making the world a better place through excellence in research and scholarly activity.

Three outstanding faculty members have been honoured: Dr. Adam Ford for natural sciences and engineering research, Dr. Lesley Lutes for health research and Dr. Wendy Wong for her research in the fields of social sciences and humanities.

Dr. Adam Ford

Dr. Ford is an Associate Professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, and studies how humans affect predators and prey, as well as the interactions between the two. His Wildlife Restoration Ecology (WiRE) Lab often supports Indigenous-led conservation and restoration and works with communities and governments to directly affect wildlife in the field.

Dr. Ford’s study on chronic wasting disease—a fatal disease that affects the brain, spinal cord and other tissues of deer, elk and moose—identified areas where the disease could cross borders and infect BC’s deer populations. As a result, the BC government changed its areas of mandatory testing. When chronic wasting disease was first detected in the province in early 2024, it was in one of the very hot spots Dr. Ford’s lab had identified.

Being named Researcher of the Year is an honour, he says, that is due to years of hard work from not just him, but everyone in the WiRE Lab.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work of my students and staff, and the trust our partners have put in us. We’re tackling problems that matter to people, and we’re making a difference.”

Dr. Lesley Lutes

A Registered Psychologist and Professor of Psychology in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dr. Lutes has become an advocate for increased public access to evidence-based mental health care in BC.

Her work includes the creation of the first-ever public walk-in mental health clinic on a BC university campus at UBC Okanagan, and the expansion of psychological services into the school’s student health clinic.

Currently, Dr. Lutes is working with the provincial government in hopes of completing a proof of concept for integrating psychologists into primary care practices to treat physical and mental health together, a model that’s shown significant success in improving health outcomes.

“This award is a reminder of the power that science can have in advancing meaningful change,” says Dr. Lutes. “The research is clear that giving people access to effective mental and behavioural health services for things such as anxiety, depression and obesity saves time, money and lives. My hope is that by continuing to put the science of mental and behavioural health front and centre, that policy change and appropriate financial investments will follow.”

Dr. Wendy Wong

In an increasingly digital world where data and artificial intelligence (AI) seem to progress by leaps and bounds every week, Dr. Wong calls for extending human rights into the digital sphere.

A Professor of Political Science in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, she notes this major technological disruption can have significant effects on people’s lives and wants to help people better understand the implications of AI, including its inherent human biases. She advocates for government and technology creators to be aware of, and responsive to, the potential harms of AI and increasing digital data.

“I’m hoping that the more I talk about data and human rights, the more people will start thinking about technology differently. These AI technologies have been created by people who haven’t been forced to think about the social and political ramifications of their inventions. Now we have to do that.”

This year marks the 19th annual Researcher of the Year award at UBC Okanagan and Dr. Phil Barker, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation, says he is continually impressed by the research taking place at UBCO.

“Every year I am inspired by the incredible researchers working at our campus,” says Dr. Barker. “This year’s Researcher of the Year recipients are addressing critical challenges in our society, from biodiversity to mental health to artificial intelligence. Their research leadership and innovative approaches to complicated problems are advancing their fields and are having important impacts locally and globally.

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A UBCO researcher is studying why many new mothers choose to feed their infant expressed breast milk.

While health-care professionals and researchers have long maintained that direct breastfeeding is the most healthy choice for infants, it is not always possible for many new mothers.

Dr. Heidi Sze Lok Fan, a postdoctoral researcher with UBCO’s School of Nursing, recently published a study that describes the benefits and struggles of expressing breast milk—and the impacts not only on the infant but also the mother.

Dr. Fan conducted much of her research in Hong Kong and says until recently, maternity leave was limited to 10 weeks. It has now been extended to a 14-week leave, and Dr. Fan says Chinese mothers are ideal candidates to study when it comes to expressing milk because they often return to work when the infant may still be relying solely on breastmilk.

“Along with a short maternity leave, new mothers also have a one-month confinement after delivery where they are expected to stay at home with their infant,” she explains. “They usually don’t go out of the home except to visit a health clinic, so during those first few weeks more than 90 per cent of their time is at home with their baby.”

During this confinement time, it is expected they develop a breastfeeding routine. For her study, Dr. Fan interviewed new mothers at 1.5 months postpartum.

“We thought this might be an ideal time as mothers spend most of their time at home with the baby and can have direct breastfeeding as they do not need to go out often or return to work,” she explains. “However, these mothers chose to feed their baby with expressed breast milk. This study looks into their reasons for choosing expressed breast milk feeding and their experiences.”

Most mothers choose to express their milk because they are having difficulties breastfeeding. Other women start expressing breastmilk as they try to establish a routine for when their maternity leave ends.

“In Hong Kong, the breastfeeding initiation rate is high at more than 84 per cent,” she says. “However, sustaining breastfeeding poses challenges, and less than one-half of new mothers continue to breastfeed their children at six months postpartum.”

Dr. Fan also points to previous research that shows almost 85 per cent of breastfeeding women expressed milk at some point during the first six months postpartum and about 15 to 20 per cent exclusively feed their child expressed milk.

“Understanding the experiences of a new mother who has high levels of expressed milk feeding may help to identify how this is associated with breastfeeding duration,” she says. “Understanding the experiences of those who feed expressed milk may also help improve breastfeeding support strategies.”

Previous research conducted by Dr. Fan followed women who had just given birth. They were recruited shortly after delivery and were followed for about six months. This second research paper, published recently in Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, stems from qualitative interviews with those participants and examines why they express and how they feel about it.

“We do find that expressing milk does give many women a greater sense of control, especially for time management, because the infant’s feedings can be scheduled. With expressed milk, a woman can have more freedom, allowing family members to feed the baby. And that also helps with the preparation of returning to work.”

Many women also said that knowing the amount of milk an infant consumed during a feeding, and having a stored milk supply ready at any time, provides a sense of security. However, expressing doesn’t come without complications. Specialized equipment is needed and studies have shown more health problems for infants not fed directly from the breast including ear infections, asthma and rapid infant weight gain.

Dr. Fan notes many parents who have expressed milk have a shorter breastfeeding duration as they tend to stop breastfeeding earlier than parents who do not express milk. She also says that breastfeeding women need support and, she would like to see an improvement in strategies provided by health-care professionals to support post-partum women.

“We know that direct breastfeeding is the best option, and that expressed breastfeeding is still better than providing the infant with formula,” she adds. “That’s why it is crucial to strengthen the breastfeeding support programs provided in the early postpartum period to ensure that all breastfeeding women can feed directly for as long as they choose.”

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Fourth-year Bachelor of Fine Arts student Audrey Allen has been hard at work in her studio, preparing her paintings for the year-end show that starts on April 19.

Who: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Media Studies students
What: Context Not Included, student art exhibition
Where: Creative and Critical Studies Building, 1148 Research Road, UBC Okanagan
Opening Reception: April 19, 6 to 9 pm
Exhibition: April 20 to 26, daily from 10 am to 8 pm

Each spring, graduating students in UBC Okanagan’s visual arts and media studies programs prepare a final exhibition of their work as they complete their program. This year’s show, Context Not Included features more than 40 students from both the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Media Studies programs.

UBCO is proud to be a leading force for the blending of arts and technology in the creative community, says Visual Arts Instructor Andreas Rutkauskas. He also notes this is the first year this number of students are presenting work at the year-end show.

“Watching these two student bodies seamlessly meld and work tirelessly together to showcase everyone’s work has been really inspiring. We are excited to see how the show will come together,” says Rutkauskas. “This exhibition will highlight our students’ very best, and participants will be amazed at the diversity on display. We’re so thrilled that the community will be able to experience this show.”

Being the largest ever, this fourth-year exhibition will showcase works from many disciplines including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, design, printmaking, computational art, filmmaking, animation, video game development as well as interactive augmented and virtual reality media.

“The range of talents on display in one exhibition is kind of wild,” says media studies student Liam Davidson. “You can watch a short film, then play a game, then turn around and find yourself in a virtual environment, then turn again and be surrounded by stunning paintings and sculptures. There’s just so much to experience.”

UBCO’s Creative and Critical Studies Building will be transformed into a gallery space at the end of the term to accommodate the exhibition, explains Shawn Serfas, Creative Studies Department Head.

“All of the students work hard as a group for a week to get our building ready for the show. Then each student is given a dedicated space to install their work to create a dynamic exhibition where we get to see what they have created over the year,” he says.

The community is welcome to the opening reception on April 19, from 6 to 9 pm. Context Not Included is a free, public exhibit and is open daily from April 20 to 26, from 10 am to 8 pm.

For more information visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/bfa-exhibition

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Faculty of Management Professor Annamma Joy’s goal is to connect academia and industry, addressing the significant challenges toward a more equitable and ecologically sustainable future.

In the vibrant worlds of art, fashion and wine, sustainability is no longer a mere trend but a fundamental necessity for cultivating a globally conscious and responsible marketplace.

Professor Annamma Joy, a prominent figure in the study of luxury goods at UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Management, studies consumer behaviour, marketing and brands with an eye toward sustainability.

Her goal is to connect academia and industry, addressing the significant challenges toward a more equitable and ecologically sustainable future. Further, alongside colleague Dr. Donna Senese and their jointly supervised doctoral student, Pallbi Sharma, they’re going as far as investigating social sustainability in the wine industry.

Joy’s latest contribution to the issue is a new book she’s edited. In Sustainability in Art, Fashion and Wine: Critical Perspectives, she’s collected some of the industry’s leading thinkers on issues of equity and sustainability.

Here, she answers pressing questions about capitalism, consumerism and conservation.

You write that these industries need “sweeping transformative change.” What does that involve?

It means radically rethinking how we approach sustainability in art, fashion and wine. It’s about supporting the integration of sustainability with digital innovations and the way art influences our society. This change considers the environmental impact of technologies like blockchain in art and luxury fashion. It aims for more sustainable production and consumption in fashion to reduce waste and addresses the challenges of making the wine industry more sustainable amid global issues like water scarcity.

How do you propose solutions for climate change while promoting social good?

To tackle climate change and enhance social good, we need a multifaceted approach. Though innovative technologies such as blockchain significantly impact our environment through power demands, we’re exploring ways to mitigate this. The fashion and wine industries need help with waste, like microplastics.

Addressing these issues means understanding their historical and economic origins and adopting an ethos of care and social justice, particularly in combatting exploitation in the fashion industry.

Can capitalism and sustainability co-exist?

Creating a non-exploitative version of capitalism is essential for sustainability. It requires us to be mindful of race, gender and cultural differences, employing an intersectional approach to grasp and address oppression. This approach reshapes how brands interact with communities, moving toward practices that foster brand integrity without exploiting societal vulnerabilities. It’s about challenging deep-seated issues in industries like fashion and wine through a lens of diversity and fairness.

Can capitalism change?

The intersection of capitalism and sustainability presents a paradox; while one focuses on growth, the other emphasizes minimizing environmental impact. To reconcile these, capitalism must integrate sustainability, valuing ecological and social considerations alongside economic ones. This shift requires moving beyond human-centric views to a broader environmental perspective, embracing all forms of life and the health of our planet.

What issues are still revealing themselves to us?

Discussions on sustainability will increasingly address diversity and intersectionality. The focus on environmental and economic aspects has so far overshadowed social sustainability. Addressing that gap is imperative for fostering a sustainable global community that values social justice and equity.

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Seven BC writers are in the running for this year’s Okanagan Short Story Contest sponsored by UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and the Central Okanagan Foundation.

What: Wrap-up event for Okanagan Short Story Content
Who: Fiction writers across BC’s southern interior
When: Wednesday, March 27, at 7 pm
Where: The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna

Seven BC writers are in the running this year for the Okanagan Short Story Contest’s top prize.

The contest, co-sponsored by UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS) and the Central Okanagan Foundation, received 90 entries in the adult category and 39 in the high school category.

“It is always great to see how many submissions we get for the contest,” says Nancy Holmes, Associate Professor of Creative Writing. “We all had a great time reading the submissions and narrowing it down to this shortlist.”

Shortlisted authors: Adult Category

• Adam Carter—Kelowna, BC
• Aly K. Benson—Kelowna, BC
• Clare Thiessen—Vernon, BC
• Debbra Mikaelsen—Penticton, BC
• Elenna Hopes—Nelson, BC
• Finnian Burnett—Princeton, BC
• Tyler Finley—Kelowna, BC

Shortlisted authors: High School Category

• Alyssa Clayson—Summerland, BC
• Cesca Frouws—Kelowna, BC
• Dania Wilson—West Kelowna, BC
• Hazel Calder—Vernon, BC
• Matea Massa—Vernon, BC
• Maylyn Tarves—Kimberley, BC
• Sara Gray—Kelowna, BC

Tyler Finley (UBCO, English) and Aly K. Benson (UBCV, Art History and Visual Culture) are alumni. Adam Carter is a Bachelor of Media Studies student, and Clare Thiessen owns and operates Broke Press in Vernon.

The Okanagan Short Story Contest awards the best new short stories by fiction writers in the southern interior of British Columbia. Past winners have gone on to publish with Penguin Random House, Arsenal Pulp Press and NeWest Press, as well as numerous international and national magazines and journals.

FCCS is offering cash prizes to the top three stories—$1,000, $400 and $200. The first prize winner also earns a one-week retreat to The Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre in Kelowna. The top story by a high school student receives a cash prize of $200.

The winners of the Okanagan Short Story Contest are to be announced by celebrated Canadian author and contest judge Shelley Wood. To learn more, go to fccs.ok.ubc.ca/short-story

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UBC Okanagan researchers want to train you for a triathlon—as long as you’re between 18 and 39 and you’ve never trained seriously before.

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 39, and you’ve never engaged in serious exercise training but you’re looking for a challenge that may change your life, UBC Okanagan researchers want to meet you.

Researchers from the School of Health and Exercise Sciences at UBCO want to understand how the body adapts and responds to endurance exercise training.

Although researchers know that competitive athletes have more highly developed hearts, lungs, and blood vessels, making them “fitter and healthier” than the average person, they know surprisingly little about how the body responds to exercise training over time.

That’s why Drs. Rob Shave and Neil Eves want to track the physiological response of an average participant to a prolonged triathlon training program.

“The novelty of the project will be the individuals being examined, the intensity and duration of the training program and ultimately the exercise challenge that individuals will complete,” says Dr. Eves. “Instead of your average couch-to-5K event, this will be couch-to-long-distance-triathlon.”

For one full year—August 2024 to August 2025—a team of researchers will train and support a group of relatively exercise-naïve men and women so that they are able to complete a long-distance triathlon—a 3.9-km swim followed by a 180-km cycle and 42.2-km marathon all in one day.

Along the way, participants will take part in a range of studies that will enable the researchers to fully understand the changing physiology of individuals as they transform from beginners to active to extremely well-trained. Each individual will receive a tailored training program, regular physiological assessments and ongoing training advice and monitoring.

“We know that we will be asking a lot from the participants; this is a huge commitment and a huge effort, but in return, we are going to provide an elite-level service,” says Dr. Shave. “Our research team has decades of combined experience in endurance training and has worked with everyone from complete beginners to Olympic athletes.”

While the specific details of this exciting project are being finalized, you can register your interest at ultra-project.com.

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