November 12, 2004 for immediate release

A climate change expert from a world-renowned applied mathematicsresearch institute is taking up a new post at UNBC as a federallyfunded Canada Research Chair in Climate Prediction and Predictability.The appointment was part of an announcement made today in Vancouver byPrime Minister Paul Martin.

In January, Youmin (promounced Yeoman) Tang will leave New YorkUniversity’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and come toUNBC. His research uses sophisticated numerical models and mathematicaltools to predict climate and to put confidence limits on thepredictions – a significant new approach among researchersinvestigating natural phenomena such as El Nino. More accurate seasonalclimate prediction is of great value to many sectors of the Canadianeconomy, including agriculture, fisheries, forestry, tourism, and powergeneration.

“Over the past several decades, average temperatures have been risingfaster in the North than in the mid-latitudes,” says Max Blouw,Vice-President Research at UNBC. “This has allowed UNBC to build towarda centre for climate change research, especially for those researcherswho are interested in being where the action is in this field. A numberof faculty members are already engaged in research on this topic. DrTang’s appointment will augment the pool of expertise that is beingdeveloped, and we are hoping to make other appointments in climatestudies at similarly high levels of research accomplishment. Thefederal government’s commitment to the Canada Research Chairs programis providing an enhanced opportunity for universities such as UNBC todevelop world-class expertise in select disciplines.”

Dr Tang will be the third Canada Research Chair at UNBC, joining GregHalseth (rural and small town studies) and Lito Arocena (soil science).The University is hoping to attract another five Canada Research Chairsin the near future. In 2000, the Government of Canada allocated $900million to establish 2,000 research professorships—the Canada ResearchChairs—in universities across the country.