The Vancouver Summer Program (VSP) is a four-week academic program offered by various Faculties at the University of British Columbia, Canada for students from participating universities. The program provides the opportunity to take two academic courses while learning about Canadian practices and culture.
Vancouver Summer Program 2024 was a huge success!
Students across 5 different countries and 9 different universities joined the Department of Chemistry for 4 weeks – challenging themselves to learn chemistry in another county while participating in a number of social activities where they were able to experience Canadian culture.
Please check back for VSP 2025 information.
Course Package - Global Challenges & Introduction to Organic Chemistry
Tackling Global Challenges with Modern Chemistry
Sustainability. Renewable energy. Nanomaterials. Clean water. Antibiotic resistance. This course explores upcoming challenges in modern society – and presents the impacts, analysis and potential solutions that modern investigators in the field of chemistry are actively studying. Students will be presented with case studies to explore the important problems facing our society.
Organic Chemistry - A Soft Introduction
Carbon is an interesting element as it forms chains and rings with itself and other important elements. This characteristic along with the properties of atoms such as nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorus create a framework through which Mother Nature can produce important carbon based structures to support life and we can create structures that impact human health. This soft introduction to the field of organic chemistry will present the important fundamental concepts to understand organic chemistry with a specific real-world paradigm that emphasizes the importance of the concept. Through practice, we can learn to explain how organic reactions work and perhaps even predict reactions that have yet to be considered!
Experience & Activities:
Both the Vancouver Summer Program and the Department of Chemistry will be hosting a number of social activities where you will get a chance to experience Canadian culture (ie. through museum visits and visiting local social events), and meet other international students around the world and local UBC students.
