The University of British Columbia

As we look ahead to the future, we see a number of priorities that will require investment for Electrical and Computer Engineering to realize the goal of becoming a globally renowned interdisciplinary hub and catalyst of technological and educational innovation. As we set forth on major initiatives such as curriculum reform, assessing and increasing the quality, quantity and overall impact of research, and building connections with industry and community, partnerships are critically important. Please consider supporting Electrical and Computer Engineering in the following priority areas:

Chair in Electrical Engineering Education
ECE’s reformed curriculum focuses on educating highly capable engineers to compete and work with the world’s best in developing solutions to some the world’s most complex challenges. A faculty member fully dedicated to student learning in ECE will continually assess and improve curriculum delivery and development, and support  faculty development in teaching, assessing and responding to student learning needs and expectations.

International Graduate Student Fund Attracting the very best graduate students to ECE through competitive scholarships and research funding will ensure our future success in contributing to the global community through advancements in technology and highly trained personnel.

Graduate Research Fellowships
Contribute to UBC’s strategic commitment to sustainability by engaging ECE students in developing and applying their research to the operational infrastructure of the UBC campus in collaboration with UBC staff. Students will test their ideas in a real-world environment and gain professional skills through liaising with operational staff.

Signature Projects
ECE is actively engaging in UBC’s Living Lab strategic initiative and plans to develop and pursue signature projects under this initiative.  Anticipated themes will include technology development and deployment that support sustainability.  A Smart Energy Grid on UBC’s campus is a pilot signature project we have initiated.  The project plans to look at real-time energy generation, distribution, storage and consumption on campus and to develop methods and strategies to optimize the system to meet specific goals, particularly those pertaining to green house gases emissions.   ECE researchers will lead and partner with various stakeholders that include graduate and undergraduate students, large and small local and multinational corporations.  Such signature project will also link to design initiatives and to commercialization initiatives through entrepreneurship@UBC to bring  innovative ideas to the marketplace.

Chair in Microsystems and Nanotechnology
ECE has invested heavily in attracting highly capable and promising individuals in the multidisciplinary area of micro- and nano-technology and systems.  The Chair will consolidate our initial efforts in this key area of research and leverage future donations toward the purchase of necessary equipment.

Chair in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Advancing human health through the development of medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of many types of cancer is an area where ECE can make enormous contributions. With the required resources and leadership, ECE will build on our current kernel of expertise and UBC’s network of cancer researchers to achieve this goal.

Community Engagement Fund
Nurture and develop new engagements with our future, current and past students, industrial partners, and ECE faculty members and staff. The fund will support many years of regular social and technical networking events, contribute to the development and implementation of an ECE Student Ambassador Program, and sponsor student creativity in communications and outreach through an annual award.

International Service Fund
Enhance student learning by encouraging participation in curricular and extracurricular activities that contribute to international development and specific humanitarian causes.

India Initiative
In partnership with a small group of corporate and academic organizations in India, ECE will co-develop new training and research programs in domains of mutual interest for the benefit of undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty.  We are looking at globalizing and expanding the “Living Lab” concept beyond the UBC campus, both by engaging participants from India to contribute to living lab projects (ECE signature projects) here at UBC, and also by partnering with organizations in India to reproduce or implant the concept in institutions in India. The experiences in India will benefit from and enrich the UBC experience.

High School Outreach Program
UBC students and faculty will engage high school students by visiting their school and presenting electrical and computer engineering as a career option. Outreach activities will strengthen Electrical and Computer Engineering at UBC by attracting more applicants, from which the department can select the most capable and dedicated undergraduate students.

More information on supporting UBC Engineering is available on the Support Applied Science website.

For more information on how you or your organization can support Electrical and Computer Engineering, please contact Darya Sawycky, Associate Director of Development, at 604.827.0081 or at darya [dot] sawycky [at] ubc [dot] ca.