Above: Convocation is an annual highlight at UNBC.

For the second consecutive year, the University of Northern British Columbia is ranked No. 1 in in the country in its category by Maclean’s Magazine.

UNBC also strengthens its ties with the Lheidli T’enneh Nation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding and unveiling a new sign at the Prince George campus entrance.

Those are just two of the highlights that made 2016 a great year at UNBC.

January

The first cohort of UNBC’s Master of Engineering in Integrated Wood Design begins classes at the Wood Innovation and Design Centre. The program is designed to enhance the students’ understanding of wood as a versatile and sustainable building component.

The North Cariboo Community Campus – home to both UNBC and the College of New Caledonia in Quesnel – celebrates the 10-year anniversary of their unique partnership and achievement.

February

A new book authored by several UNBC professors explores how Northern British Columbia is being pulled into the national and international spotlight as the global markets for energy and resources continue to change.
Titled Resource Communities in a Globalizing Region the book is a collaboration between six professors from anthropology, economics and political science. The book is co-edited by Dr. Paul Bowles and Dr. Gary Wilson.

March

Maria Mongomo goes up for a shot.

Maria Mongomo, a stand-out freshman forward on UNBC’s women’s basketball team, earns a place on the Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s (now known as U Sports) All-Rookie Team. She is the first Timberwolf in any sport to receive individual CIS/U Sports recognition.

April

Dr. Nadine Caron, an affiliate UNBC faculty member with the Northern Medical Program, leads a project to establish a biobank that will be the first of its kind in B.C.
The Northern Biobank Initiative Phase 2 will improve access for B.C.’s northern population to participate in, and reap the benefits of clinical research that will focus on community-specific disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

UNBC names Robert Knight as the new Vice President Finance and Operations and Tim Tribe as the new Vice President Advancement and Communications.
Knight began his new role at UNBC on April 18, while Tribe arrived at UNBC on July 11.

May

The Field Education Centre, a unique log and timber building and classroom at UNBC’s Aleza Lake Research Forest east of Prince George, opens its doors.

The Honorable James Moore is installed as UNBC’s sixth Chancellor at the University’s 23rd Convocation ceremony in Prince George. More than 700 credentials were granted during the 2016 Convocation season.

Dr. Susan Burke becomes the first student to complete the PhD Health Sciences at UNBC. Launched in 2012, the PhD Health Sciences is interdisciplinary in nature and directly addresses the needs of health science researchers and professionals in B.C. and beyond.

June

Dr. Siraj ul Islam, a UNBC Environmental Post-Doc, receives the coveted the Tertia MC Hughes Memorial Graduate Prize for 2015 from the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. During his work on his PhD thesis, he implemented a new method to improve monsoon rainfall forecasts using comprehensive global climate models.

Dr. Nadine Caron receives the 2016 Dr. Thomas Dignan Indigenous Indigenous Health Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Caron was also featured on Global National, CBC's The National and in Chatelaine magazine. 

July

A new book published by UNBC’s Canada Research Chair in Rural and Small Town Studies team offers expert advice on the crucial relationship between communities and researchers.

Students in the Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park

UNBC researchers re-discover a rare orchid in the new Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park, one that hasn’t been seen in B.C.’s Interior since 1932.

August

Truth and Reconciliation senior researcher and lead writer Dr. Paulette Regan speaks with the UNBC Senate about the role universities can play in establishing and maintaining respectful relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

An international study led by UNBC Ecosystem Science and Management professor Dr. Oscar Ventner reveals a complex story of how humans are altering natural habitats at the planetary scale.

September

Research into Indigenous entrepreneurship and the factors that limit the entrepreneurial capacity of Indigenous peoples will be the focus for UNBC Adjunct/Visiting professor Dr. Rick Colbourne who is named a recipient of a 2016 Fulbright Scholar Award.

UNBC’s Forestry Club is branching out into a unique business venture – a Christmas Tree Farm.

One of the main buildings on the Prince George is re-named after the late Charles McCaffray, a visionary and thought leader whose work helped spearhead the campaign to establish a University in the North.

Members of the Lheidli T'enneh Nation including Chief Dominic Frederick, joined by UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks, Senior Advisor to the President Dr. Rheanna Robinson and Aboriginal Student Engagement Manger Bev Isaac, unveil a new sign at the entrance to the Prince George campus.

Ties between UNBC and the Lheidli T’enneh Nation are strengthened with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, a new sign at the entrance to the Prince George campus and a new flag pole flying the Lheidli T’enneh flag.

October

Researchers Dr. Ellen Petticrew and Dr. Phil Owens secure nearly $800,000 in funding from the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund to continue their research into the impacts on the Quesnel Lake ecosystem after the breach of the Mount Polley Mine tailings storage facility in 2014.

Four members of the Canadian Senate’s Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources visit UNBC to discuss the costs and benefits of reducing carbon emissions.

Dr. Thomas Tannert is the first Tall Wood and Hybrid Structures Engineering Research Chair at UNBC. The Chair is funded by the Government of British Columbia through the BC Innovation Council's Leading Edge Endowment Fund.

UNBC celebrates Bioenergy Day by announcing the newly renovated suites in the Neyoh residence are connected to the Sustainable Communities Demonstration Project.

UNBC students celebrate the top ranking in Maclean's.

For the second consecutive UNBC is the top university in its category according to rankings released by Maclean’s magazine.

November

History Professor Dr. Jonathan Swainger publishes a new book on the history of the University. Aspiration: A History of the University of Northern British Columbia to 2015 is available for purchase in the UNBC bookstore.

Tracey Wolsey, a UNBC graduate, is the new Chair of UNBC’s Board of Governors. Wolsey has been a provincially appointed alumni representative on the Board of Governors since December 2015. She replaces outgoing Board Chair Ryan Matheson who was the first UNBC graduate to hold the position.

December

Women’s basketball player Vasiliki Louka receives national recognition when she became the first UNBC student-athlete to be named the ArcelorMittal Dofasco U Sports female athlete of the week for the period ending Dec. 4.

UNBC researchers team up with Two Rivers Gallery and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) to create Change, an art exhibit and call to action on climate change.