APRO supports and assists various academic programs, research endeavours and academic relations in the Asia Pacific Region.
A UBC practicum exchange student meets the Dean of Education of Kong Kong University at an orientation session
Student Exchanges
Building on a long-standing relationship with Hong Kong University, a practicum exchange agreement was signed and the first two HKU students started their practicum exchange at UBC in March 2011.
UBC currently has 42 student mobility agreements with partner institutions in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand, and will continue to deepen these student mobility partnerships in the region in the New Year. For more information on international learning programs in the region, go to: http://students.ubc.ca/global/
Shanghai Summer Program
UBC offers a five-week intensive program in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Since 1998 undergraduate students have taken advantage of this unique learning opportunity to network with professionals and gain knowledge of culture and business practices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The Shanghai Summer Program is offered by UBC’s Sauder School of Business with several partner institutions and organizations in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The Asia Pacific Regional Office plays a key organizational role in making this program happen. Another unique part of the program is the Alumni Dinner, which is organized entirely by APRO and gives participants the opportunity to network with UBC alumni working in Hong Kong.
UBC Faculty lectures in Hong Kong
Professor Murray Isman, Dean of the Faculty of Food and Land Systems delivered a talk with the Hong Kong University School of Biological Sciences, “Food Safety – an elusive target or a case of consumer misconception?” in conjunction with Professor Kevin Allen. The lecture was well attended by HKU Professors and their MSc students in Food Safety and Toxicology, as well as staff from the HK Government Hygiene Department and Centre for Food Control Department.
UBC Professor and Dean, Murray Isman, delivers a lecture at Hong Kong University.
APRO jointly organized an event with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, hosting a lecture by UBC’s Professor Sandra Robinson on “Harmful Behavior in Organizations – How to Reduce its Occurrence and Impact”. Professor Robinson is a Distinguished University Scholar with the Sauder School of Business and is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources. Her talk was attended by UBC alumni, Professors and students of HKU, and members of the Hong Kong business community.
UBC Research Ties with Asia
Many of UBC’s faculties have significant interest and initiatives focused around the Asia Pacific Region.
For example, the UBC Faculty of Forestry has established close links with all Chinese Forestry universities, the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the State Forestry Administration. The Faculty is conducting a number of research programs in China, many in close cooperation with Chinese colleagues. For example, one project links UBC Forestry with the Chinese Academy of Forestry to develop climate change models for China. Other collaborations include professional training for Chinese foresters and joint academic programs with Chinese universities.
UBC’s Department of Psychiatry Canada Research Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease, Weihong Song, this year received China’s highest honour for foreign experts – the Friendship Award. Dr. Song has forged crucial Chinese-Canadian research collaborations since emigrating from China two decades ago. He facilitated a 2005 agreement between the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, in which both countries funded up to 20 joint Chinese-Canadian projects each year in the areas of neuroscience, aging, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, child development, infectious disease, diabetes and genetics. The agreement led to funding for 89 projects and research teams for the first five years. In 2010, the agreement was expanded and renewed for another five years, and other countries have modelled their own collaborations with China on this partnership.
