Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies

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The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies is a research institute at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 1994, thanks to an endowment from a local businessman which at the time was the largest such donation the university had received, the Institute has a varied program of colloquia, workshops, scholars in residence, and a distinguished professorship. People associated with the Institute include significant scholars from a variety of fields across the Sciences and the Humanities.

Contents

[edit] Aims

The Institute's aims, as detailed on its website, are "to support fundamental, interdisciplinary research and creative activities expected to result in significant advances to knowledge."[1]

[edit] History

The Institute was founded in 1994, thanks to a CAD$15 million donation three years earlier from the Vancouver property developer, Peter Wall; at the time, this was the largest private donation the university had ever received.[2] As of 2007, the endowment stood at CAD$18 million.[3]

The intent was to create an Institute of advanced study modelled on Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study. Then UBC President, David Strangway, was quoted as saying "This remarkable contribution will allow us to create an institute that will help UBC and the province of British Columbia move to a new level of international significance".[4]

The Institute began "active operations" in 1996 and acquired its own facilities, at the University Centre, in 1999.[5] The Institute's first director was Kenneth MacCrimmon; its current director is Dianne Newell, a professor in History and expert in technology studies, industrial archaeology, and postwar science fiction.[6]

[edit] Programs

The Institute's programs include:

  • Exploratory workshops, which bring together researchers from UBC and elsewhere, to "assess basic research and research possibilities with major potential impact in a new way".[7] Recent symposia at the Institute include one on song.[8]
  • Major thematic grants, of up to CAD$500,000, "to support interdisciplinary, collaborative teams" over a period of several years.[9] Thematic grants have been on topics such as narratives of illness, and on mechanisms of infectious diseases.[10]
  • Colloquia
  • Theme development workshops.
  • the Peter Wall distinguished professorship. The university describes this as "one of UBC's highest honours".[11] The current Peter Wall distinguished professor is Brett Finlay, a biologist who is also Officer of the Order of Canada.[12] "This is huge" Finlay was quoted as saying upon receiving the professorship. "The Peter Wall Institute is a really special place at the University of British Columbia."[13] Finlay's work is on a vaccine to combat E. coli.[14]
  • a Distinguished Scholars in Residence program
  • an Early Career Scholars program
  • a Distinguished Visiting Professor program. The Institute's visiting professors to date have been the sociologist Arif Dirlik (in 2005) and the Nobel prize-winning chemist Roald Hoffman (in 2008).[15]
  • the Wall Summer Institute for Research

[edit] People

People involved in the Institute include the following UBC faculty associates: legal scholar Joel Bakan, philosopher John Beatty, oceanographer Stephen E. Calvert, chemist David Dolphin, astronomer Brett J. Gladman, geographer Derek Gregory, geneticist Judith Goslin Hall, computer scientist Alan Mackworth, historian Richard Unger, physicist Bill Unruh, and psychologist Lawrence Ward.[16]

The sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein is participating in a June 2008 event on "The End of the Peasant".[17]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ “Mission”, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/information/>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  2. ^ “UBC donation”, Financial Post (Toronto): 4, April 12, 1991, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=267746651&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=6993&RQT=309&VName=PQD>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  3. ^ The UBC Endowment: A Foundation for Excellence, University of British Columbia, 2007, p. 7, <http://www.treasury.ubc.ca/assets/pdf/endowment07s.pdf>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  4. ^ McIntrye, Greg (April 12, 1991), “UBC hits jackpot”, The Province: 7, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=237799011&sid=3&Fmt=3&clientId=6993&RQT=309&VName=PQD>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  5. ^ “History”, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/information/history.php>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  6. ^ “Director”, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/information/director.php>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  7. ^ “Exploratory Workshop Grant”, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/programs/workshop.php>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  8. ^ Lee, Jenny (June 16, 2007), “Singing: The 'Noise' that Heals Souls”, The Vancouver Sun: F.7, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1290515171&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=6993&RQT=309&VName=PQD>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  9. ^ “Major Thematic Grant”, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/programs/mtg.php>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  10. ^ “Grants”, The Vancouver Sun: C.14, November 8, 1999, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=223461241&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=6993&RQT=309&VName=PQD>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  11. ^ The UBC Endowment: A Foundation for Excellence, University of British Columbia, 2007, p. 8, <http://www.treasury.ubc.ca/assets/pdf/endowment07s.pdf>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  12. ^ “Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada”, Governor General of Canada, July 24, 2006]], <http://gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4828>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  13. ^ King, Anna (December 4, 2002), “This Prof Could Save Your Life: E. coli Research Results in Prestigious Award”, The Manitoban, <http://www.themanitoban.com/2002-2003/1204/news_5.shtml>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  14. ^ Fayerman, Pamela (November 26, 2003), “UBC Produces E. coli Vaccine”, The Vancouver Sun: B.3, <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=473474341&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=6993&RQT=309&VName=PQD>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008 
  15. ^ “Distinguished Visiting Professor”, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/awards/dvp.php>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  16. ^ “Faculty Associates”, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/information/associates.php>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 
  17. ^ “Gala Events”, The End of the Peasant? Global Capitalism and the Future of Agrarian Society, Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, <http://www.wsir.pwias.ubc.ca/2008/gala.php>. Retrieved on 27 May 2008 

[edit] External links

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