UBC Civil Engineering finds e-bike incentives worth the investment
A version of this article originally appeared on UBC News. Electric bicycle rebates have exploded in popularity in North America as transportation planners try to get people out of their cars and into healthier, more climate-friendly alternatives. However, there is limited understanding of the full impacts of these incentives. Are new cycling habits sustainable? Who benefits most from these incentives? And are they worth the cost? Researchers at UBC’s Research on Active Transportation (REACT) Lab have some answers. They surveyed participants in an e-bike incentive program offered by the District of Saanich, B.C. and found that most new e-bike users continued to regularly use their bikes […]
Revolutionizing Affordable Housing: Dr. Tony Yang’s Research on Reinforcing Concrete Construction with Welded Wire Mesh
Rapid population growth in major cities worldwide has created immense challenges when seeking affordable housing. However, excess construction costs can be reduced by employing concrete elements such as slabs, panels, and beams that are reinforced with welded wire mesh (WWM). This material consists of electrically welded rods to form a uniformly continuous mesh which has been widely adopted in the industry as it has immense production efficiency, speed, and durability while also reducing project costs. Dr. Tony Yang, a Professor at UBC Civil Engineering, the lead researcher at UBC Smart Structures, and one of the world’s leading experts in structural and […]
UBC REACT Lab Wins 2023 Climate Action Award
UBC Civil Engineering’s REACT Lab has been honored with the 2023 Climate Action Award from the Community Energy Association for their work on an income-qualified e-bike incentive program in collaboration with the District of Saanich, British Columbia and the Greater Victoria Community Social Planning Council. This award highlights the effectiveness of the program in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting equity, underlining the vital role of research and government collaboration in addressing climate challenges. With a goal of enabling widespread adoption of e-bikes for more sustainable transportation, the Saanich’s e-bike incentive program uniquely combines climate and equity objectives — a novel […]
How Base Isolation Technology can Preserve Cultural Heritage
The Great Hall of the Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA) is a cultural and architectural masterpiece that requires modern seismic safety measures to protect against future risk
Turning disasters into knowledge, Professor Trevor Carey travelled to Taiwan to advance earthquake resilience
Professor Trevor Carey was part of a team funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation that travelled to Hualien County in Southeastern Taiwan to study the impact of the September 2022 Taitung earthquakes.
MEL students use free public Wi-Fi to increase citizen engagement
How can cities increase public engagement? Students in the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Urban Systems: Infrastructure for Resilient Cities program worked with the City of New Westminster to explore how adding to the number of free public Wi-Fi spots in the city’s high-pedestrian traffic areas could enhance citizen engagement. New Westminster was one of the first cities in BC to install free Wi-Fi access points in public facilities such as community centres, arenas, city hall and the library. As part of an effort to engage with more citizens through social and civic outreach programs, municipal staff were interested in assessing the […]
Impact Report highlights research, funding, academic success
There’s a reason we are consistently ranked at #1 in Canada and among the top 30 civil engineering schools worldwide by the QS World University Rankings. Over the past decade, our renowned faculty have provided tremendous leadership in educational and research activities, and fostered close relationships with industry and government. Our alumni are also leaders in their fields who continue to contribute to the enhancement of our society. The report presents a historical analysis of research areas, publications, and industry partnerships, as well as funding success. It also outlines the success of our undergraduate and graduate programs using metrics on diversity, enrolment, […]
UBC CSCE Wins National CSCE Award
The UBC CSCE Student Chapter came first in a nation-wide selection of the best student chapters of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), an organization that aims to unite civil engineering communities across Canada. Having won the same award in 2015, this is another year of great success for the Student Chapter. After thorough review and evaluation of 25 student chapters across Canada, the UBC CSCE was chosen to receive the President’s Best Student Chapter as the top CSCE Student Chapter in the 2017/2018 school year. Incoming president Arjun Prihar had the honour of accepting the prestigious award on behalf of the UBC CSCE […]
UBC CSCE learns from Kiewit about Port Mann Bridge demolition
Monday, March 9, 2015 | By Lindsay Cashin The UBC CSCE Student Chapter invited UBC alumni George Toews and Don Jacobsen from Kiewit to present an overview of the demolition of the old Port Mann Bridge, which was once the longest arch bridge in Canada. George is a 2014 IGEN graduate who completed 16 months of co-op work terms with Kiewit, while Don is a 1987 Civil graduate who has been with Kiewit for 28 years in positions ranging from field engineer to project sponsor. Don explained the project background, detailing the general layout of the site and specific differences about the Port […]