UBC aims to reduce animal use for research purposes

[VANCOUVER] — The University of British Columbia achieved a 16 per cent decrease in its usage of animals for teaching and research experiments in 2014, as compared to the statistics for 2013.

Most of the animals used (62.5 per cent) were rodents, with over half subjected to minor or no discomfort, and each receiving individual veterinary care. Although animal research still continues to attract strong criticism from various animal rights activists, UBC is one of only two Canadian universities to disclose statistics for animals used for research.

With files from The Ubyssey

U of W’s graduates make it to Forbes list

[WATERLOO] — Apoorva Mehta and Peter Szulczewski, both graduates of the University of Waterloo have been listed on Forbes’ “Top 40 richest entrepreneurs under 40” list.

Mehta is the founder of Instacart, an app which allows users to grocery shop online and have it delivered to their home. Szulczewski is the CEO of Wish, an online shopping app which tracks user preferences and sends them customized suggestions for purchasing.

With files from The Imprint

Western alumni honored with Order of Canada

[LONDON] — Richard McLaren and P. Kim Sturgess, two alumni of Western university will be awarded with the Order of Canada, for contributions to Canadian society. McLaren is being honored for his work in the field sports law and arbitration. Sturgess is being recognized for work empowering women engineers and for her company WaterSMART, which focuses on improving water management in Alberta.

With files from Western Gazette