Chris Cannon | UBC Magazine

Spotlight

Most of today's university undergraduates were born in the 2000s. Like every generation before them, their formative years are being influenced by a distinct set of social conditions, significant events, opportunities, and challenges. What's it like to be a student today? What do Gen Z want from university? And how are universities helping them prepare for their (and our) futures?

About the Author

Chris Cannon

Graphic illustration depicting a person speaking at a lectern

Today’s students are not passive recipients of...

A colourful graphic illustration representing a learning renaissance in modern education

Potent new technologies are redefining education,...

Illustration of a baby crawling, with symbols representing DNA and genes by the baby's brain

Unravelling the mysteries of gene expression in...

An illustration of a woman watering a garden

The struggle for agricultural reform and food...

Illustration of people enjoying a public park, with a city in the background

Communities are shaping their public spaces into...

A picture of Kookai Chaimahawong, smiling, against an orange background.

Young workers are nimble, connected, and...

Billy Lan and Tony Liu, smiling.

Billy Lan and Tony Liu

Felicia Chan and Bahar Moussavi, laughing.

Felicia Chan, Bahar Moussavi, Mikhaela Torio

Kookai Chaimahawong, smiling.

Kookai Chaimahawong

Two people shine flashlights onto a white background overlaid with colourful double helixes.

How CRISPR gene-editing technology is changing...

Illustration: Fernando Volken Togni

UBC’s Global Reporting Centre stops traditional...

How do we better accommodate wild animals within...

Dare

Dentistry grad Chris Dare, DMD'15, has completed...

Data artist Jer Thorp speaks out against the...

How a kid from a Vancouver Island logging town...

Research, both old and new, points to the...

The hectic life of a Formula 1 engineer.

The West’s relations with North Korea have long...

Wasting time isn’t an option for inventor and UBC...

Genocide scholar Adam Jones, BA'88, PhD’99,...

UBC researchers explore how the quality of...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving. How...

The Rare Disease Foundation is using a collective...

Forty years after completing her undergraduate...

Today’s Dan Mangan is critical of the music made...

Andrew Haas, BA’09, took part in an extreme...

Graphic illustration depicting a person speaking at a lectern

Today’s students are active participants in their own education.

A colourful graphic illustration representing a learning renaissance in modern education

Potent new technologies are redefining education.

Illustration of a baby crawling, with symbols representing DNA and genes by the baby's brain

Unravelling the mysteries of gene expression in early brain development.

An illustration of a woman watering a garden

The struggle for agricultural reform and food sovereignty.

Illustration of people enjoying a public park, with a city in the background

Communities are shaping their public spaces into social places.

A picture of Kookai Chaimahawong, smiling, against an orange background.

Young workers are nimble, connected, and redefining employment relationships on their terms.

Billy Lan and Tony Liu, smiling.

Two UBC Sauder grads created a platform to connect hourly workers with hiring managers.

Felicia Chan and Bahar Moussavi, laughing.

Three UBC students launched a non-profit to help neurodiverse youth in computer sciences.

Kookai Chaimahawong, smiling.

The venture capital model is undergoing a radical rethink, thanks to the next generation.

Two people shine flashlights onto a white background overlaid with colourful double helixes.

Here’s how CRISPR gene-editing technology is changing the future of health sciences.