Anita Chaudhuri

Anita Chaudhuri is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of English and Cultural Studies. She specializes in second language writing (broadly, Writing Studies) and world Englishes, and is interested in the identity construction of language learners, their development in writing and communication, and how pedagogical practices such as, Writing in the Disciplines, Writing Across Curriculum and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy impact curriculum development.

Dr. Chaudhuri shared some insights on her research and teaching practices here at UBC Okanagan.

What brought you to UBCO?  

Research-intensive activities and UBC’s focus on teaching and learning have appealed to me since graduate school. Researchers such as, Bonny Norton and Ryuko Kubota guided my learning and research interest. When the opportunity to join UBC’s Okanagan campus became possible, I was ecstatic to join some wonderful colleagues and furthering my career in the Educational Leadership stream.

How did you know you wanted to be a professor? 

I come from a family of teachers so, my childhood was spent sitting in classrooms where I didn’t belong, sometimes tutoring, and always enjoying the idea of being surrounded by interesting people and questions. I have come to value the process of teaching and learning even more because I share classrooms with learners who bring with them the knowledge of geographical spaces and socio-cultural interests that are fascinating.

Tell us about a recent project that you are excited about.

I am excited about the new Certificate and Minor in Communications and Rhetoric (CORH) project. Working with Drs. Aisha Ravindran, Jordan Stouck and Marie Loughlin on this ALT-2040 funded project has been an opportunity to prepare students with strong communication and argumentative skills. We hope to offer the Capstone course in Winter 2022-23 for our first cohort of students to complete the CORH Certificate. The Minor is currently in development.

I am also excited about UBC’s Curriculum MAP project supported by UBCO’s Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic. Participating in the creation of the curriculum mapping, alignment and planning tool for UBC (and beyond) has been a rewarding experience.

You recently received ALT-2040 Learning Transformations Funds and UBC’s Equity Enhancement Fund Tell us about these projects.  

I received ALT-2040 Learning Transformations Fund to create an OER titled, Disciplinary Approaches to Academic Integrity in 2022. This multidisciplinary work in student engagement and learning will contribute to discussion on how AI needs to be unpacked and made relevant to the student body before they are penalized for academic misconduct, plagiarism, contract cheating, to name a few. Therefore, the objectives of this OER are to: (i) offer student-facing, discipline-specific content for undergraduates to become informed decision makers vis-à-vis their own learning practice and (ii) support classroom discussion and activities on AI.

I also received UBC’s Equity Enhancement Fund in 2022 to create an e-magazine on equity matters. Dr. Rishma Chooniedass at FHSD is a collaborator on this project. The objective of this project is to plan and produce a student-facing and UBC student-run e-magazine titled, RESPECT that publishes their understanding of EDI issues as essays, interviews, artwork, photographs, multimodal, and interactive presentations to enhance UBC’s Inclusive Action Plan.  By promoting conversations around sensitive topics that are current and impactful, this e-magazine will develop opportunities for engagement, development of ideas, individual and shared understanding with fellow UBC students and the community at large.

As part of the ALT funded project to create a certificate and minor in Communications and Rhetoric, Dr. Anita Chaudhuri joined a discussion with the Provost’s office here at UBCO to find out what kind of supports were available for program development. That sparked a conversation with Dr. Bowen Hui and Janine Hirtz about tools to help streamline the process of program and course development.

Laura Prada explains that in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic, they were looking at ways to support faculty members to create and evaluate programs from a learning outcomes perspective which is a pillar of high-quality education towards student success.

“There was excitement to do something that was thoughtful, intentional and supported by pedagogical best practices,” she says.

So a team was created with faculty members, staff from the Office of the Provost and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT), along with co-op students to help build the Curriculum MAP platform that would assist with mapping, alignment and planning of courses and programs and support instructors in creating course syllabi consistent with our Senate guidelines.

The CTL and the CTLT support faculty in developing curriculum for new courses, redesigning current courses or with new programs.

Janine Hirtz, Manager and Senior Education Consultant with the CTL explains that when working with faculty, they look at ways to align curriculum learning outcomes with program and institutional goals around things like the Indigenous Strategic Plan and Inclusion Action Plan.

“The more faculty can show collaboration with interdisciplinary ways or foster goals of university and programs, they are more likely to have better success,” she says.

This team has now been working on the Curriculum MAP project for the last two years, and the platform is ready and available for use. The tool supports a step-by-step process with links to resources that will help identify learning outcomes, principals of universal design for learning to support inclusive learning design as well as a syllabus generator.

For their ALT funded project,  World Literatures and Intercultural Communication’s team has used the Curriculum MAP tool to develop a major and minor. They will include the reports generated by the tool in their package for the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training.

Dr. Chaudhuri says she was motivated to be part of this development with a desire to understand how courses across campus approach learning objectives and how we prepare students for their academic and professional lives.

She notes that this tool can also help us identify gaps, for instance, if assessment practices and classroom activities align with the course objectives, and visualize how program level outcomes relate with strategic priorities of the institution.

This online tool provides flexibility to meet the needs of faculty in any point of their development to generate ideas, create, and evaluate new or existing courses and programs, using backward design.

With this tool, the goal is to get to a point where instructors feel they are supported with curriculum development without having to know the ins and outs of pedagogical needs, or of specific program requirements.

“The website will meet the needs of instructors at different points – if they want to identifying learning outcomes, or figure out how to align assessment strategies, or how are they meeting the TRC Calls to Action or sustainability commitments for the university,” says Prada.

Hirtz adds that they want to see faculty use this to generate syllabus to make the planning process more streamlined in finding statements and policies that are needed on an outline. “On a student level, it would be great to have something standardized that is similar across faculties and departments.”

Visit the curriculum MAP 

The following are examples of some of the Curriculum MAP outputs.

Table generated by the Curriculum MAP tool, showing how courses align with program learning outcomes

Bar graph showing frequency of learning activities across courses

Please note these are not accurate representation of CORH courses.

Meet the Team

The Curriculum MAP working group consists of Dr. Anita Chaudhuri (Department of English and Cultural Studies); Dr. Bowen Hui (Department of Computer Science); Janine Hirtz (Manager and Senior Educational Consultant, CTL); Carrie Hunter (Curriculum Consultant, CTL); Laura Prada (Office of the Provost); Abdelmuizz Yusuf (Undergraduate Developer); Jia Fei LuoZheng (Undergraduate Developer); Damyn Filipuzzi (Undergraduate Developer); Daulton Baird (Undergraduate Developer); Kieran Adams (Undergraduate Developer).

The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies along with alumni UBC are seeking art submissions for Colour My UBCO 2022. Color My UBCO was produced for Homecoming 2021, and featured original artwork by students, alumni and the UBCO community under the theme of the Spirit of the Okanagan. Art therapy is used for meditation and as a relaxation technique, and coloring books are a fun way to help adults destress and relax, and improve mental health and wellbeing.

UBC Okanagan student, alumni, staff and faculty artists of all levels are invited to submit an original work for a colouring book page in any style (remembering that is should be an outline of an image that can be coloured in!) Submissions may be a re-creation of an existing work, or a new piece for this book. From personal sketchbook drawings, pop art designs, portraits, landscapes, we want to see your creativity and what the Okanagan means to you.

Submission Details

• Must be created by a UBC Okanagan student or alumni from any program or degree.
• Size: 8.5”x11”
• File type: ai, eps, psd, tiff or jpg
• Resolution: vector or 300 DPI

If you do not have access to a high-resolution scanner, you can deliver or mail your artwork with a postage-paid return envelope to:

alumni UBC
Development and Alumni Engagement
1138 Alumni Avenue
Kelowna, BC  V1V 1V7

The coloring books will available at UBC Okanagan Homecoming (September 23-24, 2022) celebrations. Final pieces will be selected by a Selection Committee. Featured artists will receive a complimentary copy of the colouring book.

Deadline for submissions: July 20, 2022

Submit your design

By submitting artwork, the submitter agrees they own the right to recreate or reproduce the piece.

The first-year English courses at UBC Okanagan are some of the most widely required courses across all program areas. Whether you are majoring in the sciences or the arts, the chances are high that you will have to take at least one first-year English course. Fortunately, the Department of English and Cultural Studies offers a plethora of interesting and dynamic courses that feature the writing and literature skills and knowledge that will be a valuable asset throughout the entirety of your university career.

While you may feel the urge to overlook your first-year English courses as just another prerequisite to check off the list, there are ample opportunities in these courses to achieve a deeper level of learning and to develop a skill set that is sure to help you thrive in other areas of your academic life.

One of the best ways to learn about just how impactful these courses can be is to turn to testimonials from previous first-year English students.

Maddie Rocco with English instructor, Cathi Shaw

“My enrolment in English 112 in my first year of university has made a tremendous impact on my academic journey and inspired me to positively continue my studies with confidence in my writing abilities. Regardless of one’s program, I believe successful completion of English 112 equips students with the skills essential for a successful university career.” – Maddie Rocco

English 112 is a three-credit course called Studies in Composition. Any student at UBC is welcome to take this course if they have not previously taken English 109 or English 114. This course was designed to give students a comprehensive learning environment surrounding research-based writing. English 112 is a great option to bolster your confidence when it comes to university-level writing and prepare you for writing assignments in any course you choose to take throughout your degree.

“I can undoubtedly say that ENGL 112 with Dr. Shaw gave me the necessary skills to succeed in my academic journey as an undergraduate student – skills that will also accompany me in my next academic endeavors, including a possible post-secondary degree. First, it provided me with a refresher of the different citation styles that were introduced to me in high school. As a student majoring in Philosophy, Political Science and Economics, an interdisciplinary degree, I found this very helpful since professors from different disciplines have contrasting citation requirements. Additionally, this course helped me strengthen my literary analysis and writing skills by encouraging me to think critically in each assignment and class discussion. It also taught me the different formats and writing styles used in argumentative, descriptive, narrative, and expository essays, which is essential to write a successful paper in any discipline. Finally, it helped me gain confidence while writing academic papers by requiring me to constantly practice the theories learnt throughout the course and subsequently providing very insightful feedback. With that said, I believe ENGL 112 is a foundational course from which all students, including those with an English requirement waiver, can benefit, since it is as good as an English writing refresher course as it is as an introductory course.” – Lisvet Parra Montas

English 112 is offered in every term of the calendar including the Summer terms. In addition, there are options to take this course both online and in person.

Dan Hilbers

“My path to ENGL 150 and ENGL 112 was likely different from most. I completed an undergraduate degree in business and then studied sciences at UBC. I enrolled in my ENGL 150 and ENGL 112 as these courses were prerequisites for my desired future education. These English courses further developed my reading and writing skills. Also, ENGL 150 and ENGL 112 allowed me to explore personal interests by composing research papers and short videos. I highly recommend enrolling in either ENGL 112 or ENGL 150 to supplement any undergraduate education.” – Dan Hilbers

English 150 is another great first-year English course that UBCO has to offer. Introduction to Literary Genre is a three-credit course that differs from English 112 because it focuses on learning about research and writing through a literary lens. This is especially useful for any students who are pursuing a degree in the arts and humanities as it teaches key analytical and critical thinking skills that are highly valuable in those subject areas. However, learning writing skills through literature is an exciting option for all students regardless of their program. English 150 classes explore several forms of literature and genre including fiction, poetry, and more.

Ximena Cayo Barrantes

“As an international student, the transfer of my entire life, especially academics, to a language that is not my native one was frightening. However, ENGL 109 allowed this process to flow as naturally and empathetically as possible, which introduced me to English academic writing in a clear and consistent manner. And so, my university career started in the optimal way, by understanding what was expected of my academic writing at UBC, but also realizing that having a native language other than English is not a disadvantage but a source of a lot of knowledge which I learned to apply thanks to Dr. Chaudhuri in ENGL 109.” – Ximena Cayo Barrantes

English 109 is an excellent option for students who want a more in-depth approach to studying writing and composition. In addition, some students are recommended to take English 109 to provide them with an encouraging and comprehensive space to expand their learning. Unlike some other first-year English courses, English 109 runs from September to April so you have double the time to flesh out your understanding of important composition concepts.

Nancy Lu

“ENGL 109 was a transition course for me to university-level writing. Through the application of academic skills, I developed more effective communication skills, and I learned to think critically. Assignments and practices such as narrative, summary and research analysis lead me to study and reflect on personal and academic contexts. As a student who studies science, it helped me prepare for research-based writing in many of my science courses.” – Nancy Lu

These student testimonials are just a small peek into the world of first-year English courses. Having said that, there are many other first-year English courses that UBCO provides. If you are interested in improving your writing and analytical skills through the study of literature then English 151, English 153, English 154, English 155, and English 156 are fantastic options. In addition, your main area of study may influence which of these classes appeals to your interests. If you are drawn to the arts and humanities, then English 151 or English 154 are exciting courses for you to explore. If your passion lies in the realm of digital technology and media, English 155 delves into this subject area. English 156 would be an ideal choice if you are interested in learning more about sustainability and the environment.

Joanna Cockerline with her dog Charlie, enjoying the hiking opportunities on UBCO’s beautiful campus

Joanna Cockerline is cross-appointed in the Department of English and Cultural Studies and the Faculty of Management. Drawing on her love of literature and writing, she teaches English courses such as ENGL 112; based on her experience as a professional consultant for top Canadian and international firms, she shares her expertise in Management Communications courses. Additionally, she is the Program Director for the Go Global Tanzania – Community, Creativity, and Communications program that brings UBC students to East Africa. In addition to her teaching and private sector work, she is currently completing a novel focused on the homeless and sex work communities in Kelowna, inspired by her volunteer work with marginalized women who live and work on Kelowna’s streets.

We sat down with Joanna to find out a bit more about her teaching and research interests.

Tell us about your research interests.

My background is in critical theory, cultural studies, Canadian literature, East African literature, and creative writing, and I find these directions continue to inspire me. Most recently, I have been engaging with a lot of contemporary writing and human rights activism emerging out of East Africa, where there is a vibrant literary and activist scene. I regularly travel to Kenya and Tanzania to meet with authors who have since become dear friends, and am excited to share these connections via author visits in the context of Go Global Tanzania; I also share these insights in my other courses, bringing in international perspectives and a decolonizing lens.

A collage of Go Global Tanzania experiences, authors, and activists, such as Munira Hussein and Ndungi Githuku

Beyond my teaching at UBCO, I run my own consulting business, providing technical writing, editing, and professional communications courses to leading Canadian and international firms. I enjoy sharing the skills and strategies I apply in these contexts with my students to share industry insights and help professionalize their writing.

I’m also at work on a novel focused on the sex work and homeless communities in Kelowna. I love exploring ideas and perspectives from a creative point of view, and always enjoy it when my students approach me with their own writing ideas.

What kind of learning experiences do offer your students

In my English and Management Communications courses, I believe in giving students a lot of choice and freedom in their assignments so they can explore directions that matter to them. Within course parameters, I encourage my students to develop their own research essay topics and management communications projects so that they can pursue trajectories about which they truly care.

For Go Global Tanzania – Community, Creativity, and Communications, we are immersed in the local community, read a diverse range of East African literature, and have opportunities to participate in a wide range of cultural and environmental experiences; I also arrange for authors and human rights activists to visit us and share their insights in an intimate, conversational setting. In addition to immersing themselves in East African culture and literature, students have the opportunity to design and pursue self-directed projects, and can include creative pursuits such as creative writing, photography, and art as part of their learning. In the most recent program that ran, before Covid, students were so inspired they went on to write newspaper articles about their experiences, publish a chapbook of poetry, and hold an interactive photography, writing, and multi-media exhibit in UBCO’s FINA Gallery.

What most excites you about your field of work 

In the context of East African literature, the vibrant and emerging literary scene, particularly out of Nairobi, excites me, and I have really enjoyed getting to know a diverse range of authors personally, arranging for students to connect with them, and bringing their insights into my teaching.

When it comes to professional and technical writing and editing, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to major engineering and environmental projects with a cumulative capital value of over $6 Billion – working with diverse interdisciplinary teams on innovative pursuits of all scales is exciting, and enables me to share these insights and strategies with my students.

Writing my novel, Still, has also been deeply rewarding, especially as I listen to the diverse voices on the street. Members of the sex work and homeless communities have become my friends over the years, and they are excited to see their perspectives reflected in the book as a way of making their perspectives heard. And the process of writing, of working with language, is continually inspiring.

I love seeing students make discoveries and explore their passions, encountering new ideas and pushing themselves to discover new capabilities. I’m always learning myself and encourage my students to take an open-minded, inquisitive approach to their learning and discovery.

What do you enjoy about living here and working at UBC Okanagan

At UBCO, I love the freedom we have to design programs and courses that let students explore their interests and develop the skills they need to succeed in university and beyond.

As for living here, I absolutely love it. I am in love with the landscape and feel a deep connection with the land, from its mountains to its desert climate to its trees to its lake. I’m always hiking, writing outdoors, and enjoying landscape and wildlife photography. There are so many incredible places to explore and enjoy, and I would encourage all students to get outside and get to know this beautiful unceded Syilx Territory that we are privileged to call home. It’s an incredible place to live and learn.

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the CAS Book Prize for 2022 is Zoe Wineck for “Making the Connection: An Exercise in Moral Comparisons, Invoking Compassion and Deconstructing Killability”.

Dr. Castricano notes that Zoe’s essay offers a compelling reflection on the way that “comparisons and metaphors, for example, the PETA campaign “Holocaust on Your Plate,” invoke prohibitive emotional reactions that can shut down the critical thinking process. Seriously considering the anger, trauma, and the limits of emotional reactions when analyzing the value of comparisons of oppression and suffering is a requirement to this work.” Zoe’s paper draws upon visual images and other comparisons to genocide and enslavement to discuss how “the two legacy evils in modern human history, instrumentally narrativized to fit many struggles, are still dreaded in the animal liberation context.”

Zoe Wineck (she/they) is a fourth-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at UBCO. She was initially most interested in studying Genocide, Human Rights and Transitional Justice. However, after three friends had suggested she take Jodey Castricano’s ENGL 457: Posthumanism and Critical Animal Studies seminar, Zoe realized she could start answering one of her many burning questions: If no animal’s life was of lesser value than any other being would there be Genocide? Recently, Zoe has been using Critical Animal studies to bridge the gaps they have found in their degree. Zoe hopes to do the same in Germany next semester, where they assume the same gaps exist. If anything comes from their work, Zoe hopes it brings a new level of consideration for non-human animal lives to their anthropocentric degree. When Zoe is not reading about absolutely dreadful current and historical events, she spends her time learning German, snowboarding, skateboarding and baking the best (secretly vegan) Challah her family has ever had.

The Book Prize for CAS is Hidden: Animals in the Anthropocene (Joanne McArthur & Keith Wilson, Eds, We Animals Media, 2020)

The successful SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s (CGS M) Program award recipients were announced in April 2022. We are proud to share that two of our master’s of fine arts students and one masters student in the IGS sustainability theme have received the CGS-M, which provides financial support to graduate students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.

“Congratulations to this year’s masters SSHRC awardees! These prestigious awards support students through their Master’s degrees with predictable funding, and enhance their CV for future academic and job applications.” Says Greg Garrard, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.

Below are the recipient from our Masters of Fine Arts with a summary of their research.

Masters of Fine Arts student Claire Miller-Harder has been awarded a SSHRC CGS-M fellowship for her MFA creative writing project, titled One Acre of Land on Mars. Miller-Harder is completing an MFA with a specialization in Creative Writing, with supervisor Nancy Holmes, and committee members Anne Fleming and Lisa Grekul.

Here is a summary of Claire’s research proposal: “My proposed thesis is a collection of linked short stories that explore the intersections between female Mennonite identity and issues of deviance, such as queerness, infertility, mental illness, and suicide. In “Visitant,” Iris struggles with infertility in the shadow of her midwife-healer grandmother. In “As Blue as This,” Rachel visits an aquarium while pondering a suicide pact proposed by her friend Louise. In “Pomelo,” a teenager returns from the psychiatric ward to find she is haunted by Elvis. We return to Rachel in “Where We’re Going” as she grieves Louise while dealing with end-times anxiety. By illuminating how Mennonite women find belonging through forms of deviancy, this project discovers new ways of looking at entrapment and liberation.”

First year Masters of Fine Arts student Eviah Shimshon Obadia-Wong has been awarded a SSHRC CGS-M for their interdisciplinary MFA research titled, Queer Sounds in the Substructure: Queering Space with Locative Digital Stories. Obadia-Wong is completing an MFA with a specialization in Interdisciplinary Studies, with supervisor Michael V. Smith and committee members are Kevin Chong, and Megan Smith

Here is a summary of Eviah’s research project: “Queer Sounds in the Substructure is a public art installation that embodies a queer presence in the conservative small city of Kelowna, BC. This project uses site-specific interactive lyric non-fiction storytelling informed by my personal history living here as a trans person who struggled to come out for years. This work addresses a problem highlighted in UBCO’s latest Report on Diversity which asserted that members of the LGBTQ+ community feel severely alienated in Kelowna due to an imposing cis/heteronormative culture. I’m attempting to improve this situation by examining how hearing queer stories in public places might generate a sense of belonging for folk like me.”

Masters student Chhavi Mathur has been awarded a SSHRC CGS-M for her interdisciplinary MA research titled, Picturing Paradise: An Ecocritical Study of Literature in the Okanagan. Mathur is in the IGS program Sustainability theme, and is supervised by Dr. Greg Garrard along with committee member Dr. Lisa Grekul.

Here is a summary of Chhavi’s research project: “While the Okanagan Valley is the traditional unceded territory of, primarily, the Sylix people, successive phases of settler colonialism in this area have altered the landscape in significant ways, particularly through the establishment and growth of its fruit, tourism and wine industries. Through my research on literature from the Okanagan Valley, from between 1892 and the present, I will be exploring the shifting perceptions, imagination, and entangled cultural-material history of the landscape.”

Masters student Brianne Christensen has been awarded a SSHRC CGS-M Fellowship for her MA research titled, Hospitality in Crisis: New Sincerity and Receiving the Stranger in Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet. Christensen is in the Masters in English program, and is supervised by Dr. Jennifer Gustar along with committee members Dr. George Grinnell and Dr. Margaret Reeves.

Here is a summary of Christensen’s research project: “Hospitality suggests the process of welcoming, whether into a home, a community, or a nation. By engaging with critical theories of hospitality and migration ethics to compliment my textual analysis, I will explore how Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet reflects the (in)hospitality extended to migrants in post-Brexit Britain, which serves as a synecdoche for our global condition. My study of hospitality also locates Smith’s work in the growing corpus of New Sincerity literature and, in so doing, theorizes authorship in a time of global crises, during which the author cannot afford postmodern                                                             distance.”

Masters student Jessica Beaudin has been awarded a SSHRC CGS-M Fellowship for her MA research titled, Killing Kindly: Euthanasia and Animal Ethics in McCarthy’s The Road and Coetzee’s Disgrace.

Jessica is in the Masters in English program, and is supervised by Dr. Jodey Castricano, as well as Dr. George Grinnell and Dr. Astrida Neimanis.

Here is a summary of Jessica’s research project: “Euthanasia or well-intentioned putting-to-death is historically and culturally entangled with the biopolitical legacy of eugenics and with that, the systematic and state-sanctioned annihilation of marginalized bodies. Importantly, euthanasia is also a mercy; it is the method by which one alleviates known suffering through putting-to-death. Within this framework of euthanasia, this project is concerned with the representation of euthanasia practices for both human and nonhuman animals in their complex relationalities in contemporary literature. I explore ethical incongruencies and discrepant responsibilities with regard to euthanasia practices through the lens of ecofeminism, particularly with regard to the unnamed dog and boy of McCarthy’s post-apocalypse in The Road (2006) and the myriad canine characters of Coetzee’s Disgrace.”

Miles Thorogood working with students on app development

Creative tasks, such as graphic design, video production, game design, and music-making have grown to be the leading professional use of computers, besides communication. Recent initiatives in artificial intelligence (A.I.) and machine learning are driving a renaissance in how creative tasks are carried out by amateurs and professionals alike.

With this in mind, Dr. Miles Thorogood is working to establish a new lab, the Sonic Production, Intelligence, Research, and Applications Lab (SPIRAL), supported by Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

CFI gives infrastructure funding to create research centres and labs on campus, which can include renovating or building space, the purchase of equipment and software as well as operational funds to get spaces up and running.

SPIRAL will be located in the new Innovation Annex Building as part of the cutting-edge research infrastructure being developed at UBCO. With this funding, the space will be renovated and equipment will be purchased to include a 900 sqft performance and immersive experience space, a dedicated sound control room – boasting a 36-channel audio dispersion system, 10 ft high-definition video projection, and VR headsets for media production and perception focussed research.

It is widely recognized that augmenting and simulating human creativity is the next frontier in, explains Thorogood. “I am interested in exploring sound design to develop state of the art models and algorithms for developing new computational tools in the video game, animation and virtual reality industries.”

Dr. Thorogood is an assistant professor teaching media studies, with a background in audio engineering, computer science, and music information retrieval.

“The goal with this new space is to research and develop new computational models to simulate cognitive tasks of the creative process in sound design,” he says.

Projects in SPIRAL will focus on the development of the next generation of A.I. computer-assisted tools for sound design production in the growing field of video games and virtual reality.

“We will work to align sound design with current trends in creative A.I. by developing new state of the art sound analysis and generation algorithms and innovative production tools,” he says.

The impact of Dr. Thorogood’s research has the potential to transform industry. Instead of searching through hundreds of hours of recordings to retrieved small sections of audio that fulfill criteria based on creative selection, a sound designer will simply set the parameters of what they are seeking in terms of salient criteria and the machine will return alternatives in mere seconds. Producers of VR and augmented reality can enter descriptions of the environment and the machine will generate appropriate immersive sound. Video game developers will label objects in the environment and autonomously generate the sound scene that also responds to player and narrative.

Naben Ruthnum with contest winners Stephanie Plumb, Manjinder Sidhu-Kong and Laura Foisy

Writer in Residence Naben Ruthnum was the judge for the 24th annual Okanagan Short Story Contest, and announced the 4 finalists at a public event on March 31st with each of the writers reading a part of their story. The event was held in-person at the Okanagan Regional Library with guests still able to attend virtually.

The annual contest, organized by the Creative Writing program in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS), is a writing competition open to fiction writers in British Columbia’s Southern Interior. Writers submit their stories, which are then read, anonymously, by faculty, and the shortlisted stories are sent to a guest judge to choose the winners in the adult and high school categories.

Manjinder Sidhu-Kong took the top prize with her story, Wax Off. Manjinder lives in Penticton BC, she is currently in the MFA program at UBCO with a specialization in Creative Writing, and is on track to complete her program this spring.

“This is a complex story about individuality, what children take and what they give, communication between very different women, and sexuality, in a setting that combines earthiness and cosmetic perfection,” says Ruthnum.

Second place went to Animal Sounds and Smells by Laura Foisy from Cherryville BC.

“The character, landscape, and specificity of detail merge in this gracefully told and carefully observed story,” commented Ruthnum.

Local Kelowna resident Stephanie Plumb took third place with her story The Sound of the Sea.

“A haunting story tinged with the fantastic, deeply grounded in an expansive idea of family love,” explained Ruthnum.

The high-school category was won by Frances Myers Lynch, from L.V. Rodgers Secondary School in Nelson BC. Ruthnum said that her story, Bird Bones is story that isn’t just promising—which it is—but evidence of a talent that is already strong.

“Vivid descriptions, convincing dialogue, and haunting imagery that tie into the underlying sadness of this effective tale make this a memorable read.”

The first-place writer received $1,000 plus a one-week retreat at The Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre in Kelowna; second-place winner received $400 and third-place received $200. The top high school student received a $200 prize. Co-sponsors of the contest are FCCS, TD and the Central Okanagan Foundation.

View the full shortlist for this year’s contest

Megan Smith and Gao Yujie viewing the installation in the Visualization and Emerging Media Studio

With the goal to increase public exposure to space traffic density, Dr. Megan Smith and PhD student Gao Yujie have created All the Stars We Cannot See, an immersive installation geographically situates participants in a virtual sky where they can gaze up in real time at over 25,000 satellites as they fly overhead. Smith and Gao are working to render visible the impact of satellite density in the sky, and to share information on the presence of technology surveillance globally.

This work helps to build opportunity for discussion on the impact of Space colonization, and bring awareness to the political and economic driving forces that are currently occupying Space, explains Megan Smith, Associate Professor of Media Studies in the Department of Creative Studies.

“One of the things that brought us to this project is the social media fever that is going on with so much communication and images transferring between people,” Smith notes.

People are constantly connected through their devices, so they wanted to ask some more pertinent questions; how is the use of this tech affecting us and how could they build upon that in some way.

“We looked up into the sky for answers, as we know satellites play a very active role in relaying our communications, and we wondered how many satellites are up there, anyway?”

There has been a massive growth of technology launched into space, and this project visualizes that content. The artwork is produced by pulling real-time data from N2YO.com using their Application Programming Interface (API). Once the real-time data flows into the program, they work with the satellite footprint – latitude, longitude and altitude formatted into decimal degrees. The data being pulled from the satellites is rendered on 30-foot rounded screens in the Visualization and Emerging Media Studio (VEMS) here at UBCO, so a viewer can sit in the space to really take in the entire experience.

“The first time we put our visuals on the big screen, my perception of the project scope changed.  It felt like all these satellites were coming to you and I was surprised to enjoy the moment of moving through the screen with the satellites,” says Gao.

She adds, that it is hard to explain how incredible it feels to be surrounded by this satellite data.

The hope for this project is that it will push audiences to ask questions about what is happening in space, as installed in the VEMS it gives us that wow factor that a starry night sky can provide. It is all encompassing feeling of awe.

“We want this to be a pathway to touch outer space so we can begin to understand impact of satellite density, potential surveillance, and the political and economical driving forces that are currently colonizing this new frontier,” says Smith.

This geographic data is stored within individual pixel R.G.B data to a lossless image – where each pixel of the image contains specified position data for a satellite at a specific moment. The data is updated every 15 seconds and enables the viewers to identify movement.

This work was presented at EVA London 2021, and Technarte Bilbao 2022, and on campus in the Visualization and Emerging Media Studio (COM 107).

Megan Smith and Gao Yujie provide this synopsis of some of the research:

View this lecture from the Technarte Conference, in February 2022:

About the Artists and Researchers

Dr. Megan Smith is a UBC 2022 Killam Laureate, Associate Professor in Creative Technologies in FCCS, and director of the Masters of Design program. Her practice-based research probes systems for delivering syndicated data through narrative structure and she often works with virtual and augmented reality, geo-location, live-feed installation, and performance as methods for storytelling.

Gao Yujie is a graduate of the Digital Arts and Humanities theme in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies program at UBCO, and now teaches in the Media Studies program in FCCS. Her generative participatory performance work studies the materiality of duration and explores the elasticity of space and time in rule-based interactive environments.