News Archives

UBC IT JOHSC Wins 2024 Safety Achievement Award

October 17, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 10/17/2024 - 12:07

Yesterday—October 16—marked a proud moment as the UBC IT Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee (IT JOHSC) walked the stage to accept the Safety Achievement Award at the 2024 Safety Day. This award recognizes their ongoing workplace safety efforts that have been key in supporting the wellbeing of UBC IT staff. We sat down with Kirk MacDonald, Andrew Wang, and Laura Triay as they described the meaningful work the committee has been putting in behind the scenes and how it has positively impacted UBC IT.

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Amy Kao on Building Connection: Launching UBC IT’s New Social Committee

October 10, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 10/10/2024 - 10:07

In today’s hybrid work environment, creating a sense of community has become more important than ever. UBC IT Vancouver’s newly formed Social Committee, led by an enthusiastic Amy Kao, is dedicated to fostering connection within our diverse teams while having some fun along the way. In chatting with Amy, she described why she believes that planning small, grassroots events is essential for supporting the mental wellbeing of our employees. 

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Kirk Karasin remembered through Memorial Award

August 29, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 08/29/2024 - 09:18

Kirk Karasin was the Senior Media Specialist at UBC Studios and Supervisor of the Emerging Media Lab, but more than that, he was a mentor, creator, innovator, and a dear friend who consistently pushed the boundaries of what was possible.  

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Be prepared for the new school year!

August 22, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 08/22/2024 - 16:13

Welcome to the start of Winter Session 2024! Prepare yourself for the new semester with UBC IT’s resources and services. UBC IT supports the day-to-day needs of the community including wi-fi access, email services, and cybersecurity to stay safe online. Discover our top IT services so you can stay productive and secure in your work and studies this Fall:

Visit our service page for faculty & staff
Visit our service page for students

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Employee Spotlight: Goodbye to Emilyn Sim

August 22, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 08/22/2024 - 11:31

During their short time at UBC IT, our Co-op student employees inject fresh perspectives and energy into our teams while supporting our projects and daily operations. This week we are saying goodbye to Emilyn Sim, our UBC IT Communications Web Specialist Co-op student. Over the past 8 months, Emilyn has supported our UBC IT Communications and Change Management teams with her web expertise, content contributions, and overall cheery demeanor.

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UBC ARC: Supporting Aerodynamics at UBC Formula Racing

July 25, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 07/25/2024 - 16:13

UBC ARC: Supporting Aerodynamics at UBC Formula Racing

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Matt Smith at PEARC 2024: Insights on Team Building within Advanced Research Computing

July 18, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 07/18/2024 - 10:30

The Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC) Conference 2024 is fast approaching, and we're thrilled to announce that Matt Smith, Manager of Research Systems for Advanced Research Computing (ARC), will be a plenary speaker at this annual event. In an interview with Matt, we had the opportunity to chat about his enthusiasm for participating as a keynote; the details about his presentation on building a successful research computing workforce; and what makes PEARC such an exceptional

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July is Disability Pride Month – Find out how you can participate!

July 18, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 07/18/2024 - 10:22

Celebrated every July, Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of those with disabilities. This month promotes visibility and awareness of the issues affecting persons with disabilities, advocating for equal rights and opportunities. Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to challenge stigma, encourage inclusion, and embrace diversity. This month, join UBC IT and

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Windows 11 Automatic Update – August 5

July 12, 2024

Starting August 5, UBCO IT will enable an automated update from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on targeted IT managed devices. Impacted users in the Okanagan will receive an email with further details prior to the upgrade.

The upgrade will happen automatically, and you can continue working on your device as normal while the initial software installation begins. You do not need to take any action to initiate the upgrade.

After the software is installed, a notification window will open, instructing you to restart your device to complete the upgrade. The restart process will take an additional 10 to 15 minutes, and you have up to two weeks to restart. If you have not restarted within two weeks, your computer will undergo an automatic reboot to finalize the installation.

This upgrade is required to enhance the security and overall user experience of your computer. Upgrades are being completed in a phased schedule to ensure all devices comply with UBC’s Information Security Standard U7, ensuring devices are running a supported version of an operating system which continues to receive security patches and updates.

If you wish to upgrade your device manually before this time, please follow the in-place upgrade instructions available here.

If your device has any technical restrictions preventing the upgrade to Windows 11 or if you encounter any issues during the upgrade, please enter a support ticket and our IT representatives will review your options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to upgrade to Windows 11?

Microsoft has announced the end-of-life date for Windows 10 as of October 2025. After this date, no further feature updates or security patches will be available for Windows 10. Moving to Windows 11 will ensure that all devices comply with UBC’s Information Security Standard U7, ensuring devices are running a supported version of an operating system which continues to receive security updates.

What action do I need to take?

The upgrade will happen automatically, and you can continue working on your device as normal while the initial software installation begins. You do not need to take any action to initiate the upgrade.

After the software is installed, a notification window will open, instructing you to restart your device to complete the upgrade. The restart process will take an additional 10 to 15 minutes, and you have up to two weeks to restart. If you have not restarted within two weeks, your computer will undergo an automatic reboot to finalize the installation.

You can manually upgrade to Windows 11 by using the self-service option in the Software Center application available in the Start menu of your UBC-managed PC. When opening your Software Center application, you will be able to select the Windows 11 upgrade under the Updates tab.

The upgrade process will take approximately 2-3 hours and can be downloaded and installed in the background while you work. For the upgrade to be applied to your PC, you will need to restart your computer. The restart process will take an additional 10-15 minutes.

For more details, please follow the in-place upgrade instructions available here: it.ok.ubc.ca/windows-11

Yes, a minimum of 25GB of free disk space is required for the upgrade to install.

To determine if you have enough disk space:

  • Option 1: Open File Explorer. Click “This PC” in the left column. Under “Devices and Drives,” you’ll see your main system volume (C:) and any other drives in the computer. Windows shows the amount of free disk space on the drive directly below the drive’s name.
  • Option 2: Open the Settings app and navigate to System > Storage. Alternatively, search for “Storage” in the Start menu or taskbar search and click “Storage Settings.” This will list your available drives and show you how much storage you have left.

If you require assistance freeing up space, please contact the IT Service Centre

Upgrading to Windows 11 will be mandatory for all UBC-managed PCs. If there is a reason that you cannot upgrade to Windows 11, please contact IT Service Centre or open a Self-Service ticket

Windows 11 has an improved interface, better security, updated built-in apps, improved collaboration features, improved accessibility features, and better performance than Windows 10.

In the search bar, type “winver” and run the command. A window will appear that will tell you if you are on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

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Making GenAI Integration Accessible for Interactive Immersive Teaching Tools

July 4, 2024

This article was published on Thu, 07/04/2024 - 09:56

The annual CANHEIT conference brings together the community of IT professionals in higher education to promote best practices, innovation, and collaboration. This year, Daniel Lindenberger, Frederik Svendsen, and Saeed Dyanatkar from UBC’s Emerging Media Lab (EML) presented on the steps being taken by their team to make the integration of generative AI in interactive immersive teaching tools more accessible.

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