January 21, 2025

THE UBYSSEY

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Dr. Ilsa Cooke scours the cosmos for the molecular origins of life

Joyce Park Senior Staff Reporter

“Most people, if they look at the sky, they want to know what’s out there,” said Dr. Ilsa Cooke.

In a hustling society where everyone’s attention is often glued to the ground, Cooke searches for answers in the sky, in a universe that spans billions of light years in observable distance.

Cooke is an assistant professor in UBC’s department of chemistry and studies astrochemistry — the study of space’s chemical composition.

Astrochemistry investigates the chemical processes that drive the evolution of stars, planets and galaxies. The field plays a crucial role in determining the chemical origins of life. It examines which molecules exist in space, how they’re formed and whether they could be incorporated into new solar systems.

Cooke's research focuses on the chemical origins of molecules that exist in between stars — and what role they might have played in creating life.

LAUNCHING INTO CHALLENGE

Since then, Cooke has made a name for herself in the field. After completing her PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Virginia as a Fulbright Fellow, she worked at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and at the Institut de Physique de Rennes at the Université de Rennes 1 in France as a Marie Curie fellow.

alumni or those in a suitable position (as determined by the opinion editor) to speak on UBC-related matters. Submissions must not contain

COVER

EMILIJA V. HARRISON & SAUMYA KAMRA

"I think I am a person that likes a challenge," said Cooke. Become a

As fascinating as Cooke finds astrochemistry, it wasn’t always clear she would end up in this field.

“I wasn’t that into science in high school,” Cooke said in an interview with The Ubyssey . “I found it was easier to be successful in the humanities, and [it was] much harder for me to be successful in the sciences.”

“I think I am a person that likes a challenge, and I don't think I would have been happy pursuing a career that just came easily to me.”

This drove Cooke, a first generation university student in her family, to pursue a degree in chemistry.

Cooke recalled the learning curve as a fresh PhD student responsible for designing her own experiments. At that point, she was used to completing formulaic labs in undergraduate classes with predetermined solutions. But in graduate school, Cooke had to come up with her own questions with no known outcomes.

“There’s no answer to those questions. That’s why you’re doing it,” she said.

It was the toughest time of her career, Cooke told UBC Science in an interview, and she debated leaving the program. Fortunately, Dr. Karin Oberg from Harvard University took Cooke under her wing and provided the guidance she needed to finish her PhD.

As an assistant professor, and now a principal investigator and supervisor herself, Cooke’s work brings a new set of challenges.

“The first year [at UBC] destroyed me,” Cooke said, laughing. “But now I’m on the uphill.” Cooke leads the UBC Astrochem Lab, where her team studies how complex organic molecules form on interstellar ice.

1. Attend three general meetings (Fridays at 4 p.m. in room 2208 in the Nest).

1. Attend three general meetings (Fridays at 4 p.m. in room 2208 in the Nest).

2. Contribute three times to The Ubyssey ! This can mean writing three articles, taking three photos or videos, making three illustrations or helping copyedit three times. Or you can mix and match!

2. Contribute three times to The Ubyssey ! This can mean writing three articles, taking three photos or videos, making three illustrations or helping copyedit three times. Or you can mix and match!

3. Attend your third general meeting with those three contributions, and The Ubyssey ’s staff members will vote you in! U Become

3. Attend your third general meeting with those three contributions, and The Ubyssey ’s staff members will vote you in! U

Even in the field of astrochemistry, Cooke finds opportunities to practice her passion of humanities and arts by creating posters, presentations and written reports. Writing and creativity are tools that elevate Cooke’s skills as a scientist.

By the end of her undergrad, Cooke was confident of her academic interests, but didn’t know which career would satiate them. She liked physical chemistry and spectroscopy — the study of light and matter — particularly piqued her interest. She also liked astronomy and the problem-solving nature of research. So understanding all this, she turned to an all-knowing source to determine the next step in her career.

“I typed it into Google … and it said astrochemistry. And I was like, ‘Ok I guess this is what I’m going to do,’” Cooke joked.

“I just thought it really appealed to me as a topic because it combined my interests, but I didn't know what it would be like day-to-day until I started to do research in that area as a grad student.”

Astrochemistry is a relatively young field. Half a century ago, astronomers didn’t think complex molecules could exist in space, believing they would be destroyed by radiation from star formations. That is, until the first interstellar molecules were discovered in 1937 and confirmed three years later by Canadian astronomer and UBC alumnus Andrew McKellar. Since then, with the help of radio telescopes, over 250 molecules have been detected in space by astronomers and researchers — Cooke is one of them.

In 2024, Cooke was part of a group of researchers that discovered the largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in space found using radioastronomy to date, in a distant interstellar cloud. The discovery showed that complex organic carbon compounds could survive the harsh conditions of our solar system’s formation, and offered insights into their origin.

SPACE IS MUCH MORE THAN A VACUUM

Alongside fascinating discoveries, Cooke’s journey in astrochemistry has been far from easy — just as she expected.

In addition to the academic jump, Cooke’s graduate studies took a heartbreaking turn when her PhD advisor passed away.

“Out there are some carbon molecules that potentially could make up a human or make up life,” said Cooke. Using a vacuum replicating the cold temperatures of deep space, around minus 260ºC, Cooke’s team observes how complex molecules form in frozen conditions where they typically cannot react efficiently. The Astrochem Lab’s research explores puzzling questions about the existence of prebiotic carbon molecules — the fundamental building blocks of life — in space beyond Earth.

These days, Cooke spends less time in the lab — taking on a managerial role. She described her day-to-day life as a juggling act between building a lab, recruiting graduate students, training them and figuring out how to teach a university course — something she was never taught to do as an astrochemist.

But what the field did train her for was to stay curious. As “a bit of a dreamer,” Cooke’s passion for astrochemistry is fueled by a desire to understand the universe around her, she said in an interview with News Talk 980 CKNW. Though her research centres around molecules thousands of light years away, she also explores questions at the heart of who we are: what we’re made of, where we come from.

If extraterrestrial life is ever found, Cooke’s research could help us understand it.

“Space isn’t really a vacuum … It contains all of these building blocks of life,” said Cooke. U

Here are your candidates for the AMS VP Academic and University Affairs by-election

Aisha Chaudhry & Viyan Handley News Editors

The AMS is holding a by-election this week to fill the position of VP Academic and University Affairs (AUA).

On November 6, Council approved a motion to immediately remove then-VP AUA Drédyn Fontana six months into his term, citing concerns about poor performance, including non-confidence to complete his goals and “misrepresentation to Council.” The AMS has not specified what “misrepresentation to Council” means. The AMS released a statement which said the society cannot release “further information on this decision … due to privacy reasons.”

The AUA elected in this by-election would hold office until May, after which they would be succeeded by whoever wins the AUA seat in the AMS’s general election in March.

The voting is open from 12 a.m. on January 21 to January 24 at 8 p.m. Results will be announced on the 24 at the top of the Lev Bukhman Theatre Lounge in the Nest.

The Ubyssey spoke to all three candidates about their campaigns, priorities and how they would get the job done, if elected. U

VP AUA BY-ELECTION //

Candidate profile: Renee Hui

parency with the student body.

Renee Hui is running on a platform based on affordability, engagement and ensuring student voices are heard.

The first-year science student said she is passionate about making UBC a place “where students can thrive both academically and personally.” She said when she told people she was running, many students did not really know what the AMS is and she hopes to increase the society’ s outreach and trans-

Hui said she plans to reach out to students through social media, classroom visits and hosting office hours. She said she’d also want to have surveys, but acknowledges that sometimes survey engagement is not very high and would have prizes to motivate students to complete them. This year, the AMS’s Academic Experience Survey broke the record for most responses. When it comes to affordability, Hui said she wants to make course resources, like textbooks, more affordable and accessible.

“I know textbook fees are very expensive, so one of the things I … [want] to advocate for [is] free textbooks,” she said. “[I want] to support students with financial challenges, to make sure that they have all the resources they need to be able to [succeed] in their courses.”

Hui also wants to work on advocating for affordable housing, food and tuition, if elected, but did not provide examples of how she would work toward these goals.

When asked about what UBC administration she plans to work with

SENATE POSTPONES

DISCUSSION ON AD HOC COMMITTEE ON INSTITUTIONAL NEUTRALITY

On January 16, the Senate met and heard an update on UBC’s strategic plan refresh.

UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon gathered over 5,900 data points through a variety of community engagement activities, workshops, pop-ups, targeted engagement sessions and survey emails for the first phase of the plan.

“I understand that at this time, 16 emerging themes have been identified [from these data points],” said Bacon. “These 16 themes are grounded in community voices. They provide a foundation for envisioning the kind of university we will strive to be over the next 25 years.”

Senator Paul Harrison moved a motion to postpone further discussion on forming an Ad Hoc Committee on institutional neutrality until the March meeting. He said he had not completed consultations yet and had insufficient background information and would hinder senators from making an informed decision. The motion was approved. U

to advocate for affordability — such as the VP Students Office or the Provost Office — Hui was unable to name any.

“I’m very enthusiastic, I’m very outgoing, and I really like talking to people, so I’m more approachable, and I have a more public personality,” said Hui on what differentiated her from her opponents. She hopes students “will feel welcome and heard” when speaking to her.

When asked about whether she would consider advocating to UBC to divest from weapon manufacturers — something that was in previous VP AUA Drédyn Fontana’s executive goals for the year — she said she would first want to collect data from students to ensure she is doing what the student body wants.

Hui cited gaining relevant experience running fundraisers, establishing her own music training foundation and being student council president in high school. She said as student council president, she worked to bridge the gap between students and the administration, which would be applicable in this role, too.

“During that role, I was able to gain a lot of leadership skills, whether it’s like organizational skills or working with other people.”

On challenges facing the position, Hui said on-boarding almost 9 months into the 12-month term would pose an issue because she would have limited time to plan campaigns.

“I really like to do things in a timely manner … once I get on-boarded, I would [still] be able to help to get things started.” U

— Himanaya Bajaj Senior Staff Reporter

AMS COUNCIL DISCUSSES NEW VP POSITION AND HEARS INTERIM SERVICES REPORT

On January 15, AMS Council began with an informal discussion about the potential of creating a new VP position: VP Student Life. President Christian ‘CK’ Kyle said the idea of creating this position has existed across several previous administrations.

“We’re quite on track to be on budget or slightly below budget in all services, except for one,” said AMS Senior Student Services Manager Kathleen Simpson.

Similarly to previous years, the food bank was the most used service by students, comprising 70 per cent of all student interactions. The food bank’s operating budget this year is $116,408, with the total cost to date at $60,768.

The food bank has seen a 14 per cent increase in user interactions from the same period in 2023/24. Overall, Simpson categorized this as a “manageable growth,” comparatively lower than that of previous years.

AMS Tutoring reported the service saw the majority of its popularity surrounding first year math courses, with these courses comprising 38 per cent of drop-in sessions in term one. MCAT tutoring was launched last year, but will discontinue this term because of its low interest rates. U

— Bernice Wong Senior Staff Reporter

ISABELLA FALSETTI / THE UBYSSEY

ISABELLA FALSETTI / THE UBYSSEY

SAUMYA KAMRA / THE UBYSSEY

Aisha Chaudhry News Editor

Hui said she wants to advocate for free textbooks.

Results will be announced on the 24 at the top of the Lev Bukhman Theatre Lounge in the Nest.

Candidate profile: Zarifa Nawar

Bernice Wong Senior Staff Reporter

Zarifa Nawar is running for AMS VP academic and university affairs (AUA) under a platform that advocates for increased affordability, accessibility and equity.

As a first-generation immigrant student pursuing a bachelor of arts in gender, race, sexuality and social justice, Nawar enters the election race with experience serving within the AUS and AMS, where she was the associate VP university affairs until November.

Nawar already holds direct experience in this role. She was appointed as interim VP AUA in November after former VP AUA Drédyn Fontana was removed from the position.

“I want to be able to continue representing students with the confidence of the entire student body and not just Council,” she said.

When she first came into the office in November, she recalls the lack of administrative support she had and the deliverables she needed to quickly produce.

Since then, she said she has filled the vacancies in her office and sent in the Student Priorities for Operating Budget 2025/26 Submission. ==

Building on these previous successes, she is campaigning on a platform divided into four sections: affordability, academic policy and career development, accessibility

VP AUA BY-ELECTION //

and equity.

One of her key platform points under academic policy is to create a formal report with recommendations drawn from the Workday Student Survey responses.

“I want to create a report with recommendations for what changes students are looking for,

and then use that to advocate to the university,” Nawar said.

This involves advocating for changes involving a term-by-term calendar view, ability to download the timetable into personal calendars, and a return to registration times based on academic averages from the previous winter session,

Candidate profile: Joe Vu

Aisha Chaudhry News Editor

Joe Vu is running to be your next VP AUA on a platform of affordability and engagement.

The urban studies major said he wants to advocate for limiting tuition, providing more housing and research grants, COVID-19 grants and textbook grants. Vu, however, did not say how he would limit tuition or for which students, as domestic student tuition is protected by the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Tuition Limit Policy.

He also said he wanted to expand open education resources to reduce financial burden on students, while “promoting innovative teaching practices.” He said in addition to textbooks, he would want to make notes from professors, midterm reviews and final reviews available to students.

On relevant experience he had for the position, Vu said, while he has been involved with UBC clubs, he has not directly been involved with the AMS, but has communication skills and dedication and cited founding the city of Richmond’s Youth Advisory Committee.

“I’m here to represent the real voices,” he said.

Vu explained his biggest challenge if elected would be adapting to the new environment quickly. He also said a difficult goal would be getting survey engagement, as the previous year’s Student Expe-

UBC Senator, and though Nawar does not hold a position on the Senate, she believes her strong relationship with the current student senators and continued dedication to keeping up with Senate materials will help her achieve these goals.

Nawar’s campaign also involves equity concerns surrounding environmental, social and governance considerations.

“My platform includes ensuring that UBC continues to prioritize social and environmental and risk governance principles in its responsible investment strategy,” she said.

Amid international conflicts and human rights violations, she wants to ensure the university is held accountable for its investment, not just during her time in office, but as a long-term goal with tangible outcomes that proceed her time in the AMS.

With only a few months left until the end of the school year, Nawar believes this is a crucial time for students to elect an experienced representative.

rather than the overall academic average.

Some of her other platform points involve working with senators to create an exam database for students and increase undergraduate research opportunities by the upcoming summer.

Usually, the VP AUA is also a

To engage with students, she plans to leverage the VP academic caucus, a network where all VP academics collaborate to address student priorities, while also providing updates and fostering engagement with the broader community through social media.

“I’m very passionate about doing the job, and I know how to do it.” U

Advisory Committee.

rience of Instruction (SEI) survey had low participants. However, the SEI is part of UBC’s engagement and outside the AUA’s role, and this year the AMS Academic Experience Survey, overseen by the AUA office, broke the record for respondents.

When asked about whether he would include advocating to UBC to divest from weapons

manufacturers — something that was in previous VP AUA Drédyn Fontana’s executive goals for the year — he said he is currently not in support of UBC divesting, but would reconsider including it in his goals if further protests continued.

He also said it would be difficult to do as he would only be in office for three months. Vu further added he is in support of students

protesting for human rights and peace, when protests are organized and not impacting the surrounding environment.

Vu also said he would advocate for increased transit and a SkyTrain to UBC — this is also outside of the AUA’s scope and is part of the AMS VP external’s job. When further questioned about transit advocacy falling under the external

portfolio and not the AUA’s, Vu said he was open to working with everyone.

On what motivated him to run, Vu said he turned 18 in December and with the new year he wanted “to try something new, and then I just shoot my shot to be the VP [AUA].” U

— With files from Viyan Handley

On relevant experience he had for the position, Vu cited founding the city of Richmond’s Youth

SAUMYA KAMRA / THE UBYSSEY

SAUMYA KAMRA / THE UBYSSEY

Narwar was appointed interim VP AUA this november.

‘What if I told you I’m a mastermind?’

The Taylor Swift effect

Leading up to the weekend of Taylor Swift’s Vancouver run of the iconic Eras Tour in December, the city lost its mind — and I was no exception.

I managed to snag a ticket to the second of three Vancouver Eras shows. These would be Swift’s first performances in the city since she took over BC Place for one night during the 1989 tour in 2015.

The fact that I would be seeing the same artist in the same venue nearly a decade later reminded me of a specific photo my mother took of me at her 2015 show: I was 11 years old and standing up in the nosebleeds wearing smeared red lipstick, a striped romper and holding a litup sign reading “1989” in neon yellow bubble letters. I ran a Taylor Swift fan page on Instagram. I knew her cats’ names, her relationship timelines and every conspiracy theory about her. I was obsessed.

Since then, my music taste has shifted away from mainstream pop and I’ve slowly drifted away from the Swiftie universe. But why do I keep listening to her songs and shelling out hundreds for a chance to see her perform? What about her captivates retired fangirls all these years later?

Dr. David Metzer, a UBC musicology professor and music historian specializing in popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries, spoke to me about the unique impact of Swift’s brand and music.

“Even from the beginning, [Swift] was very strongly aware of her image and how to present that image, and then built this huge commercial enterprise around herself,” said Metzer. “[It’s the] type of career that is

going to be significant.”

Looking back at notable female musicians throughout time, especially those that rose to fame as adolescents, Metzer pointed out that they are made into commercial products. They don’t write music — they are often just faces that can sell an album, singing other people’s songs.

But Swift leads the process behind writing her songs — she is the primary and sometimes only mind behind them.

Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo are taking hold of their careers in a similar way and finding great success, Metzer noted. While many will judge these women based on their appearance, they are using pop music as a vessel for their thoughts more than was common in earlier music of the genre.

That isn’t to say that music must be written completely independently for it to have artistic value.

Swift has been accused of taking songwriting credit where it isn’t due — Blur frontman Damon Albarn made this mistake and faced intense wrath from Swift’s loyal fanbase — and many mainstream artists are criticized for listing a substantial number of names in the credits of a song.

Jack Antonoff of workingwith-every-pop-artist fame and The National’s Aaron Dessner have been collaborating with Swift since 1989 and folklore respectively. For Metzer, this is a testament to her musical curiosity and interest in diversifying her sound.

“She still maintains her unique voice, but now she’s been able to add to it and enrich it with another person’s perspective … She’s very open about it. There’s no hiding it whatsoever.”

words by Elena Massing photos by Zoe Wagner

He noted how we hold household singer-songwriter names like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Leonard Cohen to a high regard, and definitely for good reason — but there’s also value in embracing the collaborative nature of pop music.

“If you look at a lot of mainstream pop music, it’s written by four or five different people, with six, seven producers, so that’s often viewed as not real music,” Metzer said. “We still maintain this idea of singer-songwriters, and Taylor does that — some of her best songs are just by herself. But I think this idea that she is willing to explore partnerships and draw upon partnerships is something that also sets her apart too.”

Swift does parallel artists like Mitchell in a lot of ways, particularly in their shared rejection of the idea that a musician should be confined to a single genre for their entire career.

“When Joni Mitchell first emerged, she was doing this folk music revival scene of the 1950s, 1960s,” said Metzer. “And then she got into what we call singer-songwriter music of the 1970s, and then she started exploring jazz idioms.”

That’s why the Eras Tour exists — Swift has experienced so many changes in image and sound that they can be separated into distinct “eras.”

“If you think about it, each of [Swift’s] albums is different in many ways. Each has a new kind of sonic world that it creates, a new emotional world that it

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creates ... With each album, she’s exploring new ideas and moving along. And that’s what kept me listening.”

In addition to having explored a number of genres, Swift is blurring the lines between them. Metzer recalled how a student asked how he might place Swift’s 10th album, Midnights , into a genre. Unsure, he turned to Wikipedia.

“I always joke with my classes about Wikipedia … they’re always trying to pigeon hole things into genres. But even this one defied them, because there’s all these different ways of viewing it,” said Metzer. “I find this quite fascinating, that she’s now in a sound world which I don’t know how to classify.”

You could never have predicted what The Tortured Poets Department would be like based on the direction she took her 2006 debut album. And maybe that’s how she reels people in and keeps them there — she’s changing as a person and that shines through in her art.

“She’s a musician with a rich and restless imagination, and she is constantly exploring new ideas in terms of both music and poetry, and she, of course, has the talent to realize those ideas in very interesting ways.”

While most aspects of her life are untouchable to the average person, she captures the experiences of growing up a woman in ways that count: in friendship bracelets, in sequined skirts, in feeling a bit too much and not being afraid to run with it. U

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Opinion: We should ditch final exams in favour of papers and projects

This article reflects the author’s personal experiences and views individually and does not reflect the views of The Ubyssey as a whole. Contribute to the conversation by visiting ubyssey.ca/pages/submit-an-opinion.

Bernardo Saboya

Contributor

Bernardo Saboya is a third-year student majoring in English literature and minoring in political science.

The first snowflake of winter is yet to fall, but the quickly approaching exam season is already sending chills down our spines. The dreaded month of November is the one in which we all slowly start to lose our minds trying to finish up pending assignments, midterms, catching up on what we missed, and inevitably, studying for exams. But before you think about that, let me tell you a little story.

My sophomore year was a turbulent one. I was struggling with classes and above all, struggling to fit myself into a major. Midterms were not great, and when finals season came up, I had this premonition that I would fail all my courses or at least remain at the mediocre level of C’s all around. There were two courses that semester that stood out, both were Economics, but two different forms of assessment. Course A consisted of a traditional final exam worth 50 per cent of my grade (criminal offense), while course B offered a presentation analyzing an economic paper related to the course content, worth 40 per cent of your grade.

I was faced with a dilemma: while I strongly oppose finals weighted and 50 per cent or more, public speaking is one of my biggest weaknesses. I worked as hard on both, and in the end, the final ended with a C+ while the presentation ended with an A+. My experiences with both forms of examination got me thinking. In the end, I came to the conclusion that relative to exams, papers and project-based assignments provide a more meaningful and practical measure of student learning. They foster creativity and skills that are essential for real-world success and personal growth.

A CASE FOR ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS

It has been my experience that projects and papers stick with you, while exams just feel like hoops to jump through. Pause for a moment: Try to remember a particular final exam and its contents. Now try to remember big projects or papers you have written.

I am willing to bet that most people will remember much more clearly the process and content of the paper/project.

Why is that? Projects push us to take what we learned in books and apply it to real scenarios and problems, encouraging hands-on learning, persistence and creative problem-solving. Papers and

projects do something special: they let us dive deep. They allow us to connect the dots between ideas that don’t seem related but are. We engage with theory learned in the lecture rooms within the creativity and exploratory tendencies of our own minds.

That is the kind of substance that helps you think on your feet, solve problems, and get ready for what’s out there in the job market.

And it’s not just students who benefit. Teachers get to see more than just how well we memorize facts. As a study conducted by Griffith University suggests, project-based assignments saw an improvement in academic performance as well as a more pleasant learning experience.

Remembering something is not the same as understanding it. Plus, schools that pump out grads who can think and do? They stand out. They are the ones who end up known for preparing students who are ready to hit the ground running.

EXTERNAL FACTORS

Struggles don’t discriminate. Everybody struggles. It is a universal part of the human experience. For lack of a better term, life sucks.

Life presents continual challenges, with negative experiences seeming to lurk around every corner, particularly during pivotal times like exams. It’s not merely the hours of dedicated studying that predict success, with external factors often playing a crucial role.

Amid a growing mental health crisis, sometimes we have to prioritize ourselves over any other obligation we might have. Struggles like depression and anxiety are draining and distracting and can make it tough to retain information and study appropriately. As well as mental health, physical health can be just as detrimental to your performance in an exam. We have all been there. Not feeling great, fatigued, headache, coughing, runny/ blocked nose. The only thing that one wants to do in that situation is lay in bed under some warm, cozy blankets and get some shut-eye. Sitting a final exam under these conditions is simply not ideal. Not only is it distracting but can also ramp up your anxiety, especially if you feel like you’re bothering others.

If all that was not enough, the pressures of daily life are also a factor in academic performance. Family responsibilities, such as

looking after younger siblings or dealing with household tensions, can steal time away from your studies. Financial worries are another burden. Stressing over tuition fees or affording textbooks can take up so much of your mental space that there’s hardly any room left for learning.

One of my fondest memories of my second year was the first lecture of another economics course where the professor had asked if anyone had purchased the textbook. One of the students told him that it was not yet available in the bookstore and mentioned the price tag of $170. The professor answered with the following phrase: “Oh wow. That is blatant extortion.” This guy gets it.

NOT ALL BELLS AND WHISTLES

It would be foolish of me to argue against the exam methodology without recognizing its worth. Exams have been around for a very long time, and it is still a popular if not the primary form of assessment in most academic institutions. In theory, they are objective and require fewer to mark them, saving a lot of the little time the professors and TA’s have as well as getting

results back to students quickly. It is easy to think that STEM disciplines would be better suited to final exams since they deal with precise, quantifiable and usually not argumentative answers. However, especially after the pandemic where modifications to assessments had to be implemented, evidence started to float that even in such fields, project/research-based assessments are still viable and efficient, as identified by a recent study at Stanford University. They are always a valuable option. I strongly believe that a more holistic approach to academic assessment will result in positive student outcomes. Minimizing stress and external interference creates a more even playing ground, and methods that prioritize deep learning, creativity, and practical application will help students in the long run, and hopefully defeat the “I will do just enough to pass the exam” mentality (don’t lie, we’ve all thought that). Educators and administrators should come together and continue looking into ways to modernize assessment so that education still remains challenging and requires hard work, but develops skills that a final exam might not. U

“I strongly believe that a more holistic approach will result in positive studedent outcomes,” writes Bernardo Saboya.

THE

“... CLEAR THE BUILDING.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT

What the recent evacuation of the Nest says about AMS safety protocols

It was a slow and quiet morning at CiTR 101.9 FM’s office on the lower level of the Nest on October 28, 2024. The radio’s Station Manager Jasper Sloan Yip and Music & Volunteer Manager Aisia Witteveen were the only people there when Witteveen noticed a stream of people rapidly moving toward the atrium’s exit outside the office window just after 11 a.m.

“Everyone got up at the same time and left the Nest, and then everyone was moving quicker and quicker. And I’m like, ‘Oh, I think something’s happening but I don’t really know because there isn’t an alarm,” Witteveen said in an interview with The Ubyssey

The two poked their heads outside the entrance and asked a passerby what was happening. The person responded that the crowd was being told to evacuate the building with no clear reason why.

As Yip recalled, he and Witteveen watched as people ran down the steps and across the whole floor, any which way that got them to the closest exit.

“It was pretty confusing,” said Yip. “We could sense that it was urgent … we’ve never seen people rush out like that.”

The Nest was evacuated due to what was believed to be an active gunman in the building. It was later confirmed in a Campus Security update that RCMP arrested a youth who had been carrying a water gun, not a firearm.

Though the youth wasn’t carrying a weapon, the Nest was evacuated with the belief they were — and the chaos and confusion that ensued in the moments before they were arrested spurs questions about what protocols are in place at one of campus’s busiest hubs in the event of an active threat.

‘THIS IS NOT A DRILL’

According to a November 2024 statement from AMS Senior Communications and Marketing Manager Eric Lowe, the Nest follows the same procedures as the rest of the university as outlined by UBC Safety & Risk Services in the event of an active threat.

UBC Safety & Risk Services’ protocol for an active threat is to run, hide and fight. According to Lowe, it was still unclear as to whether or not the suspect posed a real threat to the Nest’s occupants or what

Directly above CiTR 101.9 FM’s office, fourth-year student Cas Murray was working a typical shift at Blue Chip Cafe on the main level.

“We just saw everyone leaving the Nest, and we were like, ‘I guess we should go,’” said Murray.

“None of us actually heard the announcement,” Murray said. “Even if there was [one], I wouldn’t have been able to hear it because it was really busy at work.”

There are “speakers spread throughout the building, primarily in open spaces like

“NONE OF US ACTUALLY HEARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT.”

area of the Nest was dangerous at the time of the evacuation. Despite this, the only advisory given to students was to evacuate.

“May I have your attention please, clear the building, this is not a drill. I repeat, please clear the building, this is not a drill.”

This evacuation announcement played just after 11 a.m.

According to Lowe, the assistant building operations manager was instructed to make the announcement after being asked by the RCMP, who arrived within minutes of an independent call made by a student. The suspect was later apprehended on the third floor.

- CAS MURRAY

the hallways and atrium, large rooms like the great hall and performance theatre,” wrote Lowe.

But between Murray, who was working on the open area of the main level, and Yip and Witteveen in their lower level offices with the doors shut, none of them heard the announcement.

UBC also did not release an alert announcement during or following the incident. UBC Alert is the university’s mass notification system to send alerts in urgent situations that pose an immediate safety or security risk to the community, and is dispersed across the UBC Safe App, UBC’s main website,

UBC Media Relation’s X account ( @ubcnews ) and digital signage across campus.

According to a Safety & Risk Services statement sent to The Ubyssey , “This particular incident evolved very rapidly and was quickly and safely resolved by the RCMP. As such, it was not necessary or appropriate for UBC Alert to be triggered.”

But as relevant literature notes, mass notification that provides accurate and timely information, specifically combined with other forms of communication, may motivate building occupants to take appropriate actions, whereas ambiguous information might result in the opposite.

Those who didn’t hear the announcement, were in an isolated part of the building or didn’t cross paths with security sweeping the common areas may have completely missed instructions to evacuate. So what are the policies that govern such uncertain situations?

UNDERSTANDING POLICIES

Safety & Risk Services’ active threat response works closely in parallel with the UBC Disaster Management Policy, SC10, which draws procedures from the BC Emergency Management System, a recognized standard system for emergency response within the province.

SC10 outlines steps needed in the preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation of negative impacts toward UBC’s community, property and environment in the event of an emergency or disaster. According to Lowe, October 28, 2024 was considered an emergency evacuation, which corresponds to subsection 3.2.1 of the policy.

BUILDING. DRILL.

REPEAT,

words by Fiona Sjaus design by Emilija V. Harrison

NOT A DRILL.”

But SC10 doesn’t outline how this procedure is supposed to unfold from building to building on campus — the Building Emergency Response Plan (BERP) does, and as a page of the UBC Safety & Risk Services website states, all UBC buildings should have their own.

The BERP’s document template is easily accessible online through Safety & Risk Services. Among other objectives, it aims to “establish a systematic method of safe and orderly evacuation of an area or building, in case of fire, bomb threat, earthquake, explosions, fires, gas leaks, or release of hazardous materials.”

According to the SC10, which Lowe said the Nest is subject to in the event of a threat, “If a building evacuation or a fire alarm is activated, all occupants must evacuate as per the building’s BERP procedure.”

The Nest’s operations are overseen by the AMS, and Lowe wrote the AMS Health and Safety Manual outlines evacuation procedures for the Nest. When asked for more details about the AMS Health and Safety Manual, Lowe did not respond in time for publication.

“Every situation is unique and depending on the circumstances, a slightly different response may be required,” wrote Lowe. “In these emergency situations, we take direction from the RCMP … [and] do our best to ensure the safety of all those in the Nest.”

He went on to write that if a real threat was posed to the Nest, the AMS would work closely with UBC and RCMP to follow SC10.

But what about incidents like this one, where law enforcement and security cannot determine the level of danger during an active potential threat and are therefore underprepared to properly inform the public to maximize mass safety?

Since the incident, the AMS has met with Campus Security and RCMP to debrief the

situation, and Lowe said the AMS is currently reviewing policies to identify other muster points for “different scenarios.”

CONFUSION ON REDDIT

Murray doesn’t think the evacuation was handled well. Aside from emphasizing that no one knew why the building was being cleared, they remembered seeing people who had just

possibilities,” wrote another user within the same thread.

While the Nest has specific predesignated evacuation meeting points for fires and earthquakes, the incident last October highlights the importance of putting such protocols in place for active threats in the building.

The evacuation came just days after the RCMP reported an increase in weapons seized from teens by North Vancouver

“EVERY SITUATION IS UNIQUE .... A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT RESPONSE MAY BE REQUIRED.”

- ERIC LOWE

arrived at the Nest, unaware there was a potential threat, enter and leave the building.

“They didn’t secure the building properly,” said Murray. “The building was unlocked and wasn’t being secured at all, so people were walking in.”

Lowe wrote that Campus Security officers were stationed at various entrances to try and prevent people from entering the Nest, but that “there are many entry points to the Nest, RCMP were inside telling anyone that they saw to evacuate the building.”

Other students took to Reddit to express their confusion, with one user writing “Wtf I walked into the basement and nobody stopped me I was so confused that there was nobody there,” in an r/UBC subreddit on the incident.

“Trying to figure out what it was. No fire alarms went off or anything. Police/campus security was there first, telling people to leave. Way too many

Youth officers, a trend that has been on the rise in the Lower Mainland over the last few years. In 2019, Vancouver Police seized 163 replica firearms, and, in 2020, seized 213, with over 80 per cent of the people involved being offenders known to police.

Despite increasing numbers regarding youth weapons and replica firearm seizures, AMS Security patrols have not been restored since employees were laid off and placed on recall in August 2016.

Last October’s Nest incident also isn’t the first of its kind.

Following a Reddit post about a man with a firearm in the Nest in June 2018, The Ubyssey later confirmed with the suspect that the incident was a “big misunderstanding,” and that the suspected weapon was a pellet gun.

Comments from both the AMS and UBC suggest that very different measures would have been taken that day if

a legitimate active threat was identified. Each member of the AMS Health & Safety Committee is required to complete a daylong safety and response course offered by BCFED Health & Safety Centre.

According to the Safety & Risk Services statement sent to The Ubyssey , “students can also access relevant information through the srs.ubc.ca/emergency website and the UBC Safe App and at annual engagement events like ‘Ready Week’ and ‘ShakeOut’ where Emergency Management makes available hard copy materials that are also available in student residences and community centres.”

Also offered to students are a variety of emergency preparedness training workshops, including specific active shooter preparedness online training. The courses are offered online via the CWL login, or in a small group setting. The training gives students the opportunity to learn more about active shooter situations and UBC’s approach to maximizing campus safety.

But these resources are not widely distributed, presenting a potential knowledge gap between community understanding and institutional safety procedures.

As another Reddit user wrote, “Very lucky this was nothing extremely serious. This should be a wake up call to UBC that the emergency plans it has in place are not adequate.”

Though UBC’s evacuation protocols often relate to the AMS’s, the AMS remains responsible for its own guidelines, which are currently being reviewed to account for incidents that warrant an evacuation, regardless of their outcome.

“We will review our systems and procedures following this incident to determine if there are adjustments or enhancements required in consultation with UBC and RCMP,” Lowe wrote. U

RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOUR SCHEDULE IS FUCKED //

The impulse add/drop: A four-part saga

Joyce Park Senior Staff Reporter

You’ve completed a UBC rite of passage: ditch a class and swap into a new one right before the add/drop deadline. You flushed all the painstaking work of crafting the perfect schedule down the toilet, but that’s okay. Deep down, you knew this would happen.

We don’t judge for dropping a class. You had a career crisis. You didn’t check RateMyProf properly. You realized the 15-minute sprint from anthropology to forestry building was not a viable 9 a.m. activity. After the academic devastation that was term 1 (seriously, what was that?), you deserve a kinder new year.

Unfortunately, it’s January 21 and you’re the new kid on the block. This class might have a higher average, but you signed up for more than just a fun elective — you signed up for a jungle of alliances and foes, a society whose knowledge is advanced beyond your comprehension (by two weeks).

Your experience may look a little something like this.

‘I’M SO LOOONELYYYY’

Whether you’re alone as the new kid in class or you were dumped on December 11, you need more

THE CRUST OF BOTH WORLDS //

friends. There’s strength in numbers. There’s also strength in having people whose notes you can steal when you skip class. “But I’m not going to skip class,” you say. “It’s my New Year’s resolution!” Yes! With that sense of humour, you’ll make friends in no time! So put yourself out there, which is definitely not something only hypocrites who don’t put themselves out there say.

Sure, it feels like the entire class has forged an unbreakable bond in the first two weeks that has no space for you, but know this: only seven words have collectively been exchanged and four of them were, “Is this seat taken?” You have a shot.

SO YOU’VE MADE FRIENDS. BUT UH OH THE FIRST QUIZ IS TOMORROW???

You haven’t even caught up on the first lecture yet! You were too busy chumming it up with your new pals!

Solution: Go to office hours. (Seriously, go. This is simply good advice.)

Don’t worry, your prof won’t bite. According to undisclosed UBC statistics that were buried underneath the Engineering Cairn, only 1.7 per cent of office hours end in the student being bitten by the prof. Is this in a

vampire, sexual or how-the-fuckare-you-this-birdbrained way?

That’s classified.

CONSIDER CHANGING YOUR MAJOR

This elective class is so much more fascinating than the shit you decided to specialize in when you were a careless 17-year-old who didn’t even know what “undergraduate” really meant and maybe it’s absurd that society expects

you to figure out your entire life when you’re basically a child and maybe universities are just big fat Ponzi schemes that leech money from naive young things...

WAIT NO THIS PROF KINDA SUCKS (NOT IN THE VAMPIRE WAY )

That’s the only explanation why this elective is sinking your GPA like the Titanic, except everyone here refuses to draw you like one

of their French girls (you still haven’t recovered from December 11). You panic because the second quiz is coming up and you slept through lectures (shocker!) and turns out your friends were also depending on you for notes. How demanding. And after the last set of office hours, you don’t really wanna go back. But the add/drop date is long gone, so take the W on your transcript or just take the L. U

Hannah Montana lives in the Nest Freshslice

Fiona Sjaus Features Editor

Ok. I’m fully aware that lately I haven’t been ‘all there.’ I’d like to think of myself as a pretty active listener, but only visually — you’ll see me nod at you, furrow my brows like, “Oh wow, cool, and then what happened?” And then you’ll look hurt and confused because you were telling me about how your dog died.

If I’m nodding, just trust that somewhere in my mind, there’s a part of me that really cares about what you’re saying right now. Unfortunately, that version of my consciousness is busy competing with some impending thought like, “so it is your week to take out the gar-

bage” or “you better go make sure you didn’t accidentally address that email to your boss with ‘Hey babe,’ rather than ‘Hello.’”

You must know, Tuesdays are for ritual coffee breaks with the homies. Between 1:55 p.m. and 3:07 p.m., the three of us gab until one of us asks, “Welp same time next week?”

A few Tuesdays ago, we were settled on a crumby three-seater in front of the greasy Nest Freshslice. Homie to my left, let’s call them

Facetious Homie, is recapping the birthday party I missed through bites of Blue Chip bagel as their eyes dart between me and homie to my right — that’s Coloratura Soprano Homie (guess their major).

“Yeah,” they’re saying. “Maybe

partying ‘til 3 a.m. while on cough medicine wasn’t…” — oh no

It’s happening, I feel it, it’s taking over. Something is beckoning my attention… Oh I’m already gone. Facetious Homie is now a fleeting muffle, for their precarious clinical struggle is no match for mainstream corporate pop.

“Paint my nails cherry red, match the roses that you left…”

Suddenly my head’s doing that thing where I’m trying to attend to two things at once. Facetious Homie, I want to hear you speak, but “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus is blasting at the Freshslice.

“Ooh, I didn’t wanna leave you —” well that’s painfully ironic. For a second, I picture Miley at the Grammys that one time she cov-

ered her entire head in hair spray.

Something totally out of pocket Facetious Homie must have said snaps me back into reality. Ok, I’m so back as an active participant in this discussion. Nobody witnessed anything — including me, because I actually can’t remember what happened in the last 30 seconds.

Now we’re talking about boys and what is a socially acceptable amount of cream cheese to slap on a bagel. I wanna say something intellectual, but somehow I’m right back where I started.

“Paint my nails cherry red —” Hold up — weren’t we just here like one minute and 37 seconds ago?

“Started to cry, but then remembered I…”

I can buy myself flowers, right?

“I can take myself dancing,” Miley’s cig-laden rasp continues. Huh?

I watch as Facetious Homie inhales the last few bites of their bagel. Coloratura Soprano Homie is waiting for her tea to cool down, and she’s gesticulating and making really engaging eye contact. It looks like a fascinating conversation that Miley doesn’t want me to hear.

And then it dawns on me — I’m the only one who is ever going to know Freshslice’s secret. This location is playing a black market looped version of “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. I’ll never hear the chorus and I’ll never hear the end of the song. Until I think I will. But it’ll be too late, because I’ll be braindead.

“PAinT mY nAilS CheRry rEd —”

I consider going up to the Freshslice manager and asking if

there’s a man named Pizza Pied Piper working a shift but then I remember I don’t feel like dancing. I just want to hurl.

“I’m going to go get a glass of water,” I say, removing myself from the premises. I trudge to the bathroom, vision blurring, quietly affirming to myself that I could buy myself flowers if I really wanted to -- no one needs to tell me that, right? Right?

I’m in a cold sweat, man. The anticipation of the chorus is ringing in my ears. I imagine Miley Cyrus standing across from her disdained elementary school teacher after asking “can I go to the bathroom?” instead of, “may I go to the bathroom?” Now Miley can’t finish her line — she’s too afraid to say she can buy herself flowers because her teacher is right there, waiting for her to say, “I may buy myself flowers.”

And as the hypotheticals run in my head, I’m simply paralyzed. The homies are probably worried now, but Freshslice is too far away to hurt me.

Wait… I feel something breathing down my neck and — you guys, she made it to the bathroom. She’s in the bathroom. No, not just the song — Hannah Montana’s reflection is staring at me in the mirror with lifeless bloodshot eyes. I try to scream, but I too have been silenced.

And then she ate me. Yeah, I’m writing this from Hannah Montana’s stomach. And in case you’re wondering, she is able to buy herself flowers. She’s laying them on my pizza-shaped grave right now. U

After the academic devastation that was term 1 (seriously, what was that?), you deserve a kinder new year. GEOFF LISTER / THE UBYSSEY

Facetious Homie is now a fleeting muffle, for their precarious clinical struggle is no match for mainstream corporate pop.

ELITA MENEZES / THE UBYSSEY

Let the light in: Seasonal affective disorder at UBC

Olivia Vos Senior Staff Reporter

As the days get shorter, the weather gets colder and the sun begins to hide behind grey clouds, it becomes harder and harder to stay positive, especially as a university student. With major deadlines happening as it seems to rain endlessly, it becomes harder to find a light at the end of the tunnel (literally).

The good news is that there are ways to fight this heavy mood. But to find a solution, it’s important to know what the problem is.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, fittingly) is a psychiatric disorder identified by depressive episodes that begin during the colder months of the year and improve in the spring and summer. These episodes can include depressed mood, lack of energy and a loss of ability to feel pleasure. SAD can also increase sleep duration, appetite and weight gain.

Despite there being strong evidence for the disorder, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not rec-

ognize SAD as its own disorder, but rather a ‘specifier’ for patients with bipolar and major depressive disorder.

SAD can vary in intensity. Some patients show slight mood variation in colder months while others can become debilitated with depression.

Many factors can influence SAD, including where you live. Individuals who live in more northern latitudes — like Vancouver — are more likely to display symptoms of SAD.

SAD also affects university students at a higher rate than other members of the population. Even if students don’t have a diagnosis for SAD, they are at a higher risk to develop symptoms of the disorder, leading to subsyndromal SAD.

Although your bad mood might not be a direct symptom of SAD, it is still important to take care of your mental and physical health through the rainy months.

Dr. Kirby Huminuik, the co-director of UBC Counselling Services, recommends primarily taking care of ourselves.

“I think the first thing is to

AWARENESS, EDUCATION, RESOURCES //

make peace with the seasonal change and try to embrace it … We can notice the messages that the natural world is sending us, slow down, rest more, spend more time with special people, take time to reflect and feel gratitude. It’s time to bring out our ‘cozy’ clothes and rain gear, to dress in layers and be prepared for the weather,” wrote Huminuik in a statement to The Ubyssey.

Huminuik also recommended regular physical activity as well as light therapy to help students alleviate mood symptoms.

Light therapy works by lengthening individuals’ daily exposure to light and mimicking the effects of sunlight on the brain. Students can find light therapy lamps at both Woodward Library and the Biomedical Branch Library on a first-come, first-served basis.

Huminuik also highlighted therapy resources on campus.

“If you find that your poor mood doesn’t lift and begins to interfere with your daily life, UBC has a wide array of supports for students. Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) offers information and

tools for addressing mood, stress and more. There are a number of peer-led activities and programs on campus where you can [drop] into a friendly, safe space to connect with others, learn new skills, find out about resources, and talk about mental health concerns … You can always reach out to us at

Counselling Services for help.”

Seasonal mood changes can severely impact your daily life, including your academic career and social life. The most important thing to remember when dealing with these added stressors is you are not alone and sunnys days just around the corner. U

Water, Together is empowering communities to be heroes in their water stories

Shobana Shanmugasamy Contributor

Water, Together, a documentary by UBC alumnus and water treatment engineer Dr. Karl Zimmermann, features water stories and perspectives from water leaders worldwide. It empowers local communities to lead their own water management solutions through a three-step process: awareness, education and resources.

The film was born during the second part of Zimmermann’s PhD in environmental engineering where he travelled around the world, interviewing community members about the “social side of [their] drinking water systems.”

Recognizing that the typical academic outputs — paywalled scientific papers often in English — would be inaccessible to many

of the people and organizations he encountered, such as local non-governmental organizations, Zimmermann thought about alternative ways to collect and share stories that could overcome these barriers.

“I didn’t know if I could pull off a documentary, but I had a little idea in my mind right at the beginning of the research journey,” said Zimmermann.

He began asking people for permission to film them and recording videos and interviews.

The “jumbled up video clips” and “scribbled notes” later became Water, Together, with video editing help from UBC Studios.

In interviewing water leaders across the world, translators played a key role in making the documentary.

“Not only was I learning how to

do interviews and how to do qualitative research methods, I was learning how to do that through a translator,” said Zimmermann.

Throughout filming, he learned to be concise when asking questions and built trust with translators to allow for more complete stories from interviewees.

Trust was also crucial for implementing clean water solutions in local communities.

Rather than using what he called an “import model,” where technology for detecting contaminants and filtration is introduced without fostering a partnership, Zimmermann worked directly with community members to raise awareness about contamination in water and incorporate feedback to create culturally relevant safe water solutions.

According to Zimmermann,

one of the first steps in implementing clean water solutions in a community is identifying the local contaminants and their impacts on health.

“Iron is invisible. Fluoride is invisible. Bacteria are invisible,” said Zimmermann. “So it’s not inherently clear to people that what appears to be clear drinking water isn’t necessarily safe, and that clear glass of water could actually be causing the health impacts that they see.”

For example, he described a test to detect iron levels in water using guava, papaya or mango leaves. After putting leaves in water, the mixture would either turn black if the water had iron or green if the water had been filtered with a household sand filter. Visual proof that water was contaminated increased sales and use of biosand filters in these communities.

Biosand filters work simply — beneficial bacteria grow in a column of sand, consuming harmful bacteria while the sand removes iron, contaminants and cloudiness from the water.

By using sand from the Ganges, a river trusted to purify and provide clean water for generations, communities adopted the filter more readily.

In terms of future projects, Zimmerman detailed a desalination project in Madagascar that uses passive solar desalination — a water cycle in a box — rather than conventional desalination, which relies on solar panels, electricity, pumps and reverse osmosis.

The model takes advantage of the heat-absorbing ability of dark-coloured surfaces to evaporate saltwater from the ocean or salty rivers in southern Madagas-

car, then condense and collect the newly salt-free water for use.

Looking past water quality to water availability, the climate crisis has caused greater disparities, making dry areas drier and exacerbating droughts.

“We used to just try … to make it up by just pumping more water out of the ground. And that leads to land subsidence and it’s unsustainable,” said Zimmermann. “By definition, you’re pumping out more water than it’s recharging. So we need to look for other ways to find water sources.”

Since reducing water consumption on both community and industry levels comes at economic and health costs, Zimmermann pointed to using wastewater, where used water gets treated and recycled, as a possible solution, particularly for use in agriculture.

“Agriculture worldwide uses over 70 per cent of our freshwater extractions … When we extract fresh water that could be used for higher value applications, that’s maybe a missed opportunity. Instead, we can use wastewater treated to an appropriate standard and use that to irrigate fields, run industry and use it for cooling water purposes.”

Zimmermann acknowledged public resistance — commonly called the “ick factor” — as a challenge to widespread adoption. Some places, such as Singapore and California, have been making strides in utilizing wastewater, but there’s still a long way to go.

“As climate change affects our water availability, we need to get creative, and not just in the technologies, but also [with] involving people in understanding the problems and understanding the solutions.” U

Many factors can influence SAD. JERRY YIN /THE UBYSSEY

“I didn’t know if I could pull off a documentary, but I had a little idea in my mind right at the beginning of the research journey,” said Zimmermann.

COURTESY KARL ZIMMERMANN

UBC PhD candidate’s project ‘Silent Trails’ shows the powerful effects of immersing yourself in nature

Sophia Samilski Senior Staff Reporter

Vancouver produces a lot of noise — man-made noise. Even submersed in nature, the sounds of car traffic can be more common than birds chirping. Tara Brown knows this well.

“You shouldn’t have to leave the city to get away from the noise, right?” she said. “If we normalize this idea that cities are noisy, then we’re just going to keep losing these natural soundscapes, because there’s some expectation that we shouldn’t have them. My challenge is that it shouldn’t be true.”

Brown is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Forestry and the co-lead of Silent Trails, a Metro Vancouver pilot project featuring two trails that aim to enhance natural soundscapes, both for human wellbeing and environmental conservation.

I met with Brown at an entrance to Pacific Spirit Park on W 16th, and we walked to the entrance of Top Trail, one of the paths included in the project, along Huckleberry trail, where she told me about the project and her research.

The pilot project stemmed from a year-long research study where Brown took participants through four parks, including Pacific Spirit, in different seasons. The study aimed to explore the potential health benefits of nature immersion, examining how different environments and seasonal changes influenced participants’ wellbeing.

This is also known as studying the effects of forest bathing, the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, which is immersing yourself in a forest environment and intentionally using your senses.

“It was a very new experience for many of the participants. Many were familiar with the parks, but they may have been walking, get-

It remains uncertain if the initiative will become permanent but the feedback so far has been positive.

ting their exercise on or been social with a friend or a family member,” Brown said.

As we were walking, Brown stopped frequently to point out a western redcedar leaf or salal bush, and explained that the idea behind forest bathing is to slow down, and even stop, to smell, feel and listen to your surroundings.

Her dissertation research measured various health indicators before and after each participant engaged in forest bathing. These included blood pressure, heart rate, mood and connectedness to nature. In addition to quantitative measurements, individuals also recorded their personal feelings and experiences.

Many participants taken to parks in the city reported the high levels of noise they experienced, like people talking, traffic, garden maintenance or construction sites nearby.

Brown said participants would say, “‘Wow, it was a lot noisier than I expected,’ or ‘why can’t people be quieter?’ or maybe ‘you should have chosen a quieter forest.’”

Her research consistently showed that across the board, mood always got better and connectedness to nature increased.

Studies on forest bathing date back decades in Japan and Korea, but very little research has been done in Canada. Brown hopes her research on the “low-cost, low-risk

activity” can provide region-specific analysis on the benefits of forest bathing.

One of Brown’s committee members is Dr. Melissa Lem, who runs PaRX, a heath care initiative of the BC Parks Foundation that promotes prescriptions to access nature to improve physical and mental wellbeing — leveraging nature to improve health outcomes.

“We have 15,000 health practitioners across Canada that can prescribe nature now,” she said. “I’m hoping that [with] this research, they can use [it] as evidence-based research to prescribe things like forest bathing for their patients.”

Taking her study into account, Brown approached Metro Vancouver with the idea of Silent Trails.

Brown spent months searching for the perfect trails — those with less foot traffic, minimal connections to other routes, easy accessibility and soft ground. In Pacific Spirit Park, a portion of Top Trail stood out. Unlike most trails in the park, it is one of the only two that doesn’t have pea gravel — uniformed washed rock mainly used for decoration — and remains less manicured than the others.

“[Top Trail] is an original trail. When it was done, they plowed it, moved the dirt to the side and left it. This is important because it’s really quiet when you walk on the dirt,” Brown said.

At the trailhead, there’s a sign explaining the Silent Trail but Brown emphasized that its focus is on encouraging people to be mindful of nature’s sounds rather than restricting behaviour; it promotes awareness of how connecting with nature benefits both personal wellbeing and the preservation of the surrounding wildlife and soundscape.

“We are not telling people what not to do .… the idea is more like, if you explain and educate people on why something’s important, then you hope the community comes together to enforce it.”

During our conversation, she pulled out her phone and pulled up an app called Merlin, which highlighted different birds around us, including pine siskins, Anna’s hummingbirds and golden-crowned kinglets.

“This [project] is also about wildlife that require quiet in order to communicate, to forage, to mate, all those things that we disrupt if we have these urban sounds.”

Brown pointed out the importance of mixed vegetation at Top Trail. To maintain quieter trails, it’s not just about being far from roads but also about having both vertical and horizontal layers of plant life.

“We have our tree canopy, mid-layer and understory. You also want horizontal layers so you can see how far back the vegetation goes … You have the conifers that provide noise mitigation … and also an older tree with chunkier bark and moss is really good for dampening sound.”

Brown also emphasized the importance of light levels for health outcomes. This concept, known as komorebi, the Japanese word for light filtering through leaves, plays a key role in forest bathing. Observing how sunlight shines through the leaves or the beams of light breaking through the canopy can enhance the sense of peace and connection to nature people feel, according to Brown.

“Although we call this a silent trail, it’s not just about listening, it’s about noticing with your senses,” she said. “As long as it’s quiet, then you’ll slow down. And you might notice things.”

The pilot project concluded at the end of December when Brown finished her PhD, and while it remains uncertain if the initiative will become permanent, the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The hope is that there’s enough people that think this is important that the pilot will turn into a permanent designation.” U

SAUMYA KAMRA / THE UBYSSEY

“It’s not just about listening, it’s about noticing with your senses,” Brown said.

SOPHIA SAMILSKI / THE UBYSSEY

Are Guardian Caps football’s future?

Football has a big problem: concussions. While some of the sport’s biggest organizations initially dismissed or ignored their severity, namely the NFL, modern research has made the implications clear.

The repeated head trauma the vast majority of football players endure often has long-lasting consequences, with many severe symptoms such as impaired judgement or memory loss not becoming evident until up to 10 years after a player’s career has concluded.

According to Dr. Shelina Babul,

GRAB YOUR BROOMS //

a clinical professor in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and director of the BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit at BC Children’s Hospital, the reason head injuries are uniquely problematic is due to the importance of the brain.

“Your brain is a vital and fragile organ and is your information highway for your daily living and quality of life,” she wrote in a statement to The Ubyssey. “It controls everything you do from walking, talking, seeing, hearing, etc. and [is] the only organ that can’t be transplanted. Therefore, every effort needs to be made to minimize any potential concussion or TBI.”

Yet, TBIs, or traumatic brain injuries, and mild TBIs (mTBIs) are an unavoidable part of a sport that is built with intense contact in mind.

“Typically, concussions and mTBIs occur during a head-tohead, head-to-ground collision or collision of the body, resulting in an acceleration/deceleration/rotation of the brain inside the skull (typical to a whiplash motion),” wrote Babul.

To make matters worse, these impacts add up. More than 300 former NFL players have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after their deaths, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated injuries to the brain such as concussions.

At the worst stages, CTE can lead to depression, dementia and suicidal ideation. Many players who prominently struggled with their mental health — like Dave Duerson and Junior Seau — were diagnosed with CTE after their careers.

Given the severe consequences TBIs can have on a player’s health, finding ways to limit or prevent them has become a key movement for the sport as a whole. One of the technologies at the forefront of this movement is a new piece of equipment that has started to pick up traction in nearly all levels of football — the Guardian Cap.

Created in 2010, the Cap is a soft, padded shell that can be added to any helmet, aiming to absorb some of the impact from the repeated hits a player would take throughout a game. In 2023,

the NFL reported a 52 per cent decrease in concussions by players who have worn them compared to their non-wearing counterparts.

Babul wrote Guardian Caps are just one of many technologies she is seeing emerge in the field of concussion prevention and treatment. Although they minimize the severity of concussions, it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Like most injuries, no two are the same.

“The idea behind [the Guardian Cap] is to mitigate/minimize the severity of injury by absorbing the energy on impact as opposed to direct impact to the head,” she wrote. “There’s no such thing as a concussion-proof helmet, but the idea is to minimize the extent of injury by absorbing and dispersing the energy.”

While the NFL has been using the caps in practices since 2015, it wasn’t until this year that it began to allow in-game use. Even with those restrictions lifted, players have still hesitated to adopt the technology, often complaining of discomfort while wearing the caps or simply disliking their unconventional appearance.

But at UBC, the caps have been gaining some traction, with Thunderbirds football head coach Blake Nill noting their increasing popularity with players.

“We’re finding that more and more of our athletes want that added security,” he said. “It’s not a mandatory thing, but they are available. When athletes ask my opinion of them, I speak very positively for the use of them.”

When asked about whether

potential style or comfort concerns could hinder the increased usage of the caps, Nill envisioned a gradual normalization of their use.

“As the players become more comfortable and it becomes more of a norm, I think there’s the potential for them becoming just part of what the equipment is.”

However, while Nill advocated using the technology, he also emphasized it’s not the only way to prevent concussions. As a coach, he and his staff have an important role to play as well.

“You’ll see that at UBC the physicality of practice has changed over the years,” he said. “You just see less contact in practice and when there is contact, it’s in designated areas … I think the coaching fraternity over the last decade and a half has done a better job making sure that all players understand the tempo of various periods in practice.”

The fact of the matter is, barring a radical rule change, head contact and football are inextricably linked. While Guardian Caps or an altered practice structure limit the damage these hits impose, they aren’t a full solution. Yet, it’s important to recognize how far the sport has come — and, according to Babul, how far it might go in the future.

“Technology is advancing rapidly and through these new advancements, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality, I think we will be better equipped to identify concussions among players while playing the game they love and providing the right support and guidance to a full recovery.” U

Hockey teams sweep TWU in Winter Classic thrillers

Lauren Kasowski & Luiza Teixeria

Sports + Rec Editor & Staff Reporter

On Friday night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena, both the women’s and men’s hockey teams took on cross-town rivals, the Trinty Western University Spartans, for the sold-out Winter Classic festival.

WOMEN WIN IN OVERTIME

UBC’s women’s hockey team kept the crowd on their toes, winning 4–3 in overtime. TWU took the lead early, but were no match for third-year Jacquelyn Fleming who scored two goals, including the game winner.

To start, the Thunderbirds started looking a little too comfortable; they had poor passes and their skating lacked intensity. Play went back and forth, with both teams putting on lots of offensive pressure.

TWU got on the board near the end of the first period. Brooke Dorash managed a short-handed goal that went top down after an unfortunate turnover by UBC’s Mackenzie Kordic.

But just 16 seconds into the second period, Kordic pushed it past Spartan goaltender Kate Fawcett on a rebound for a 1–1 score.

Now tied up, both teams played with ferocity, the intensity and

speed the Thunderbirds usually play with coming back.

However, TWU took the lead after an ill-timed play by UBC goaltender Elise Hugens. The goal left the T-Birds once again trailing by one heading into the break.

Similar to the second period though, UBC tied it up early on — this time from Fleming. But a Kordic hooking penalty put the ‘Birds on the kill, and the Spartans took the lead once more.

Tensions were high as the clock counted down, and with just over a minute and a half left, it was nationally-leading goal scorer Grace Elliott who kept the ‘Birds in the game.

Overtime was tense as the crowd continued to grow — even the UBC men’s hockey team stopped warmups to watch and cheer on their counterparts with chirps like “Trinity Western has no business winning this game.”

With just thirty seconds left in overtime, Fleming went coast-tocoast, driving to the net with a quick shot that snuck past Fawcett for the 4–3 win.

“We’ve been talking about driving the paint a lot, getting pucks to the net, so I thought I’d shoot it on the net and luckily it went in,” Fleming said post-game.

The victory marked eight consecutive wins for the T-Birds, a streak they’ll look to extend when

they host the University of Regina Cougars on January 24.

MEN SLAY SPARTANS

The UBC men’s hockey team defeated TWU 3–1.

Both teams started the match aggressively, with the puck staying almost entirely in the Spartans’ zone for the first half of the first period.

The Thunderbirds had a few chances to score, but Spartans goalie Raphael Audet didn’t let himself get intimidated by the rowdy crowd, making incredible saves.

The scoreboard was finally lit up in the 17th minute, with forward Ben Kotylak scoring his first goal of the season after a pass bounced off a Spartans’ stick and into the air. Kotylak then gloved the puck down to his stick and sent it to the back of the net.

Despite a great disparity in number of shots on goal (22–5 for UBC), Jonathan Krahn managed to slip past the T-Birds defence to tie the score in the second period.

The third period saw the Thunderbirds score again in the fifth minute with defenceman Conner McDonald taking the lead after receiving a rebound from forward Carson Latimer, who had been blocked after a wraparound scoring attempt.

The Spartans came close to evening the score a few times, but were always stopped by thirdyear goalie Cole Schwebius. UBC cemented their victory in the final minute of the match, with Jake Wright hitting the empty net.

“Our fourth line got that goal early on, and they were outstanding all game long,” said UBC head

coach Sven

“And that makes a coach feel great when your fourth line gets on the scoreboard and plays almost the entire game in the offensive zone.”

The Thunderbirds’ next challenge will be an away game against the University of Regina on January 24 U

Makenzie McCallum takes a face-off. SAUMYA KAMRA / THE UBYSSEY

Football has a big problem: concussions

EMILIJA V. HARRSION / THE UBYSSEY

Butenschon.

Caleb Peterson & Danielle Simon Senior Staff Reporter & Contributor

WINTER CLASSIC 2025

Photos by Saumya Kamra & Lauren Kasowski

ACROSS

1. Muscle cramp

6. U of T community house

10. Finance bro’s favourite course code

14. Indian singing style

15. Multilingual Canadian broadcaster

16. Congregation place

17. American singer turned American president

20. Creepily ogle

21. Stimpy’s canine companion

22. Just manage

23. Heartstoppers

25. Wears away with friction

29. 2004 movie starring Jamie Foxx

30. Cannon action

31. Least basic

DOWN

1. Grave pillar

2. Father of Rome

3. More appropriate anagram of 2D

4. Eve was made from one

5. Charles Emerson Winchester and Margaret Houlihan share this rank

6. Domiciles

7. To which Ashley Banks says “A-woman!”

8. Hospitals have them

9. Quick! Do you snip the red wire or the blue wire?!

10. 60A’s family

11. It’s on the road

12. Kendrick says it stands for the other vaginal option

13. Preceder to maiden names

33. Where Burr wanted to be

35. Security company with a blue hexagonal logo

36. American baseball legend and American TV comic who share a first and last name

40. The, Spanish

41. The largest empire in South America

42. He greets you on the bridge out of Stanley Park

43. Greek muse of lyric poetry

46. Verb suffix

47. Radio Shack used to sell these

48. Slow musical tempos

52. He’s making his way down the old town road

53. Little Red Riding Hood’s saviour’s tool

18. Nickname for Arthur

19. 2018 Tyler, the Creator single

24. She’s a smooth operator

25. Greeting in Polynesian languages

26. Chemical compound first produced in 1858 by Peter Griess

27. Last part o’ the story

28. Maxwell Q. Klinger rank

31. You go ‘round one at some intersections

32. System of fixed social groups

33. OG Germanic writing system symbols

34. Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Allegra, Claritin, etc.

37. Retaliatively attacked

38. Radia’s buddy

39. White Temple at Uruk

54. 2014 cancon single by Lights

55. Racist confederate general meets an American director

60. Thoth has the head of this bird.

61. Recipient of 2024 Eisner award

62. Tropic of Cancer character married to Sylvester

63. Minor impressions

64. “... I say, or else!”

65. You can be in one of depression or fugue

40. The, French 44. Wilde wrote of his importance

45. If you’re not using this mirror, you’re driving wrong.

46. A French idea

48. Figure skating jumps

49. Allen Ginsburg wrote a jingle for this toothpaste

50. Stormzy/Ed Sheeran 2019 song

51. Bristles

53. The others, in “and others”

55. Disposed of 56. Kimono accessory belt

57. Get 55D of 58. Fall Out Boy genre

59. Canadian governmental hiring service through which “you access highly skilled global talent.”