Past Events
Film Group November 30
After a COVID-19 imposed hiatus, we will re-activate the Film Group by taking advantage of the European Film Festival.
The films (with links to each film description and information on how to purchase each movie, viewing dates and the time of the planned Zoom discussion also indicated):
Helene (Finland – directed by Antti Jokinen, 122 minutes): Nov 29-30 – Zoom: Monday, November 30 at 4pm
You will need to purchase the film yourself for $12 and watch the film within the indicated 48 hour window. Click on the link of the movie and you will find more information on how to purchase the movie. You can also buy a pass. More information is available on the EU website.
When: November 19, 23 and 30 at 4pm
Where: Zoom – Please register by email at manager@emerituscollege.ubc.ca
November 30 – Helene
Talented veteran filmmaker Antti Jokinen’s exquisite period piece is a biographical drama about groundbreaking Finnish painter, Helene Schjerfbeck (1862 – 1946). Set in 1915, the film finds the then 53-year-old Helene, now largely a forgotten artist, living in the countryside with her elderly mother. Her last exhibition was years ago, but Helene has continued to paint for herself out of a deep commitment to art.
Her quiet, reclusive life changes when she is visited by an art dealer, who discovers Helene and her many impressive paintings and wants to organize a large solo exhibition. This leads to an even bigger change. As a result of this new interest in her work, Helene meets amateur painter Einar Reuter, who is a passionate admirer of Helene's art. Their friendship blossoms, as Einar soon becomes Helene's close confidante and, perhaps, the love of her life. Given that he is 19 years her junior, however, can their relationship last?
A fascinating commentary on the role of women artists in the early 20th century, Helene is also an evocative portrait of a Finnish society in transition against the distant backdrop of World War I. An elegant and artful film, Helene also features a marvellous performance by Laura Birn in the title role.
When: Monday, November 30 at 4:00 pm
Where: Zoom link by request to manager@emerituscollege.ubc.ca
Virtual Common Room Nov 27
Connection and camaraderie are foundation stones of the UBC Emeritus College.
College members are connected to our university by a number of threads that can be as slender or robust as we make them individually. These connections bring a parcel of benefits to us all, from library and email access to support for continuing scholarly activities. But interpersonal connections and the camaraderie that stems from familiarity, shared experiences and interests, and trust are also vital to a happy retirement, and precisely because they are less institutional, they are more vulnerable to attenuation in this time of COVID-19, when it is difficult for us to meet in person in groups of any size.
To combat this, we are opening a Virtual Common Room for Emeritus College members. It will be open – on Zoom – in term one, from 3:30 to 5 pm each Friday afternoon from September 18th to December 4th. Participation will be capped at 20. There will be no agenda. The intent is that you drop in (as some might once have to the Faculty Club of yore) to see who is there and share thoughts and conversations. One week we might talk about books – or about how the Canucks (almost) won the Stanley Cup; another about global affairs or the challenges of exercising during a COVID winter. Just show up and join in. Make new acquaintances, meet old friends, and (if you will) raise a glass to postretirement life (secure in the knowledge that you don’t have to drive – or cycle – home).
Register in advance for these meeting (at any point in the term).
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. There is no commitment to attend regularly or frequently. But only those who register as above will receive instructions for the Zoom meeting We will send an email reminder with registration details every couple of weeks.
I look forward to seeing you on my screen.
Graeme
Senior Scholars' Series - November
"Workplace exposures, motherhood, and bicycling: Paths to and through academia"
Kay Teschke in conversation with Jerry Wasserman
Kay Teschke
Professor Emerita of Population and Public Health (2017)
After a degree in economics, Kay tried law school but was bored and broke, so found a job in a local factory. Blue collar working conditions were a shock and inspired a clear research focus for the next 33 years: assessing hazardous industrial exposures. Through the years, she typically biked to work. After her daughter was born, she noticed that the hierarchy of work exposure controls she taught to students was completely upside down for bicycling, with the emphasis on helmets instead of crash prevention engineering. This inspired a new program of research on bicycling injury prevention.
Jerry Wasserman
Professor Emeritus of English and Theatre (2017)
Jerry Wasserman retired in 2016 after 44 years teaching at UBC. Jerry is also an actor and theatre critic with Lifetime Achievement awards from the Canadian Association for Theatre Research and the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Association. He is a member of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Co-sponsors: Emeritus College and Green College
Thursday, 26 November 2020 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Travel Group November 26
We plan to have short presentations and informal discussions about places visited during the pandemic, focusing not only on what to see and do, but also on safety issues during the pandemic, such as those related to activities, accommodations and meals.
If you would like to join the meeting and are not on the regular email list for the travel interest group, please contact Paul Steinbok at psteinbok@cw.bc.ca to be added to the email list and receive the Zoom-link.
Thursday, 26 November 2020 - 3:00pm
General Meeting November 25, 2020
Registration for Zoom meeting
Healthy Brain Aging
Lara Boyd is a Neuroscientist and Physical Therapist at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Boyd has held a Canada Research Chair and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Career Scientist award, and has been a Peter Wall Early Career Scholar. Dr. Boyd directs the Brain Behaviour Lab at the University of British Columbia. Her work is centred on answering the question of what limits, and what facilitates, neuroplasticity. Dr. Boyd also serves as the Health Research Advisor to the Vice President for Research and is the university’s delegate to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her TEDx talk “After this your brain will not be the same” has over 27 million views.
In this talk, Dr. Boyd will provide an overview of how the brain can change with learning and how these processes change as we age. She will discuss recent findings considering how behaviour can shape brain plasticity and impact age-related changes.
Time line
1:30pm Business Meeting
1:45pm Speaker - Lara Boyd
2:30pm Q&A
3:00pm End of meeting
Chancellor Installation
This virtual event will include elements of the in-person ceremony that are part of the installation tradition. This includes greetings from both campuses, welcomes and greetings from the Musqueam Band and Okanagan Nation Alliance, greetings from federal and provincial representatives, an installation citation, oath and gowning, as well as an address by Chancellor Point.
Following the installation ceremony, Chancellor Point will preside over UBC Vancouver’s fall graduation ceremony at 2:30pm, which you are also invited to attend.
Chancellor Point is a member of the Skowkale First Nation. He is a double alumnus of UBC with a Bachelor of Laws degree and honorary Doctor of Laws degree, and was the 28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.
UBC's Chancellor is the titular head of the university, presiding over all major ceremonies, including graduation. The Chancellor confers university degrees and acts as chair of Convocation.
For details about the installation ceremony, including how to join, please visit: https://virtualgraduation.ubc.ca/chancellor
Wednesday, 25 November 2020 - 11:00am to 12:00pm