Undergraduate Student Resources
Your academic and career success are our main priorities. Here, you will find everything you need to help you succeed, including information about academic assistance.
Course Unions
The two course unions related to the Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics are networks of enthusiastic students. Though the course unions are unique, they are both committed to fostering a great academic experience through member engagement, events, advocacy, and increasing access to resources.
The CSCU’s goal is to enrich the UBC Okanagan experience as a computer science student and improve your employment prospects. They do this by organizing professional workshops, career events, and UBCO’s own hackathon, BCHacks.
Visit the CSCU website.
Shreyasi Chauhan, President Computer Science Course Union and President BC Hacks
Shreyasi finished the third year of her computer science major in April 2021 and is currently working as a Software Engineer Intern at Cisco. She comes from Lucknow, a city in North India which has lots of love and good food to offer. She is passionate about learning new things, be it a new recipe or programming language. In the past, she has done web design and development, app development, UI/UX and some digital art. In her free time she likes to dance, cook, journal and go on walks. This is her third year as a CSCU executive and second year as the Lead Organizer of BC Hacks. She has had the wonderful opportunity to work in the CSCU as the Vice President in 2021 and the Secretary in 2020.
Shreyasi’s main role as the President of the Computer Science Course Union is managing strategies, operations, collaborations and finances. She provides leadership to the union and helps other execs with their responsibilities. Reaching out to tech companies, other course unions, UBCO professors, industry professionals and collaborating with them to create events and partnerships that UBCO students can benefit from is a major part of what she does. Besides that, she works with CSCU exes to create events, career fairs, marketing strategies, budgets, sponsorship packages etc. One of the biggest events at UBCO that Shreyasi and her team organize is BC Hacks – a 24-hour hackathon attended by over 150 students.
Harman Sahota, Vice President
Harman is a fourth-year computer science major from India and his biggest interest in the field of computer science is in web development and UI/UX design. He believes that design is everywhere and it affects the experience of a product/app/website and wants to make sure that people have a smooth experience with a product/app/website that he has designed and brought to life with coding.
Aside from academic work, Harmon likes to play my guitar and sing, he has been doing both for a long time, he also likes to just talk or hang out with his friends when he is free.
His job is to oversee and assist all executive members with their respective position and collaborate extremely closely with the President to guide the CSCU’s direction and supervise everything including all the events. Another thing he does is maintain contact with the Computer Science Department to circulate relevant information and upcoming events.
Abhinav Thota, Vice-President BC Hacks
Abhinav is a third-year Computer Science student from India. He loves how programming and technology can help turn ideas into real products that can benefit others. He is currently learning how to build websites in his spare time. He also loves going on hikes, cycling with friends and cooking.
As vice-president, one of his priorities involves organizing CSCU’s annual hackathon, BCHacks. He will also be working closely with board members so that they can secure funding, sponsorships and arrange events throughout the year. He will also be in contact with the Computer Science department in order to promote future events to students.
Lakshay Karnwal, Sponsorship Coordinator
Lakshay Karnwal is in the third year of his Computer Science degree. He is from the city of Navi Mumbai in India. As an avid gamer since a young age, his love for computers and technology is intrinsic. From trying to troubleshoot a piece of code to practising a new note on his guitar, you will find him exploring and learning new things all the time. He is enthralled to be a part of the new CSCU team as the Sponsorship Coordinator. Not only will he be responsible for bringing the big sponsors for the annual hackathon but he also wishes to help the course union expand and helping out a larger mass of tech enthusiasts.
Onwuvuche Jordan Chukwuka, Finance Co-ordinator
Jordan is a third-year Computer Science major from Nigerian and from Uganda. He took this major because he believes everyone has a different way of making an impact in the world given the tools one learns in this discipline. Beyond academics, he spends a lot of time wondering why the world is the way it is and how a difference can be made economically, physically and culturally.
Jordan’s work at the CSCU involves collaborating with the president to make annual budgets for the year, ensuring the conformity of the club’s activities to these budgets, following the accounted flow of funds from the sponsors to the club account and completing the monthly requisition forms that would have to be emailed to the SUO.
Kirti Mahato (she/her), Events Coordinator
Kirti is a third-year psychology major and the events coordinator of the Computer Science Course Union. Born in India, she has travelled to different countries and enjoys interacting with people from different cultures and learning about them. She loves programming and has delved into many programming languages such as java, python and c++. She is really passionate about computer science and is looking forward to learning new things in this field.
As an events coordinator, she hopes to organize more workshops and events for the members and help organize BC hacks. She will be planning to organize events monthly to help develop skills and help members interact with one another. Her vision for the CSCU is to foster a welcoming environment for students by organizing interactive events and help more people from different ethnicities and backgrounds to be interested in the field of computer science.
The QSCU at UBC Okanagan brings computer science, math, physics and statistics students and professors together. Get involved in both fun and educational events and programs with the QSCU.
Visit the QSCU website.
Emily Medema, President
This is Emily and she is the President of the QSCU! She is in her fifth-year of my BSc with a honours in Computer Science and Data Science minor. She loves all things data and tech. You might see her frantically running around campus organizing events, TAing, studying, researching, searching for food, or just relaxing (as much as possible) in the library. Outside of school, she enjoys camping, baking, movie marathons, and travelling. Her goal as President is to create a welcoming environment for all in the QSCU and be a great resource for students on campus. Her hair colour changes frequently but if you see and recognize her, feel free to come up and say hi or if you have any questions regarding the QSCU, TAing, Co-op, Go Global, or research feel free to ask and she will answer to the best of her abilities
Gillian Godden, Vice-President
This is Gillian, and she is the Vice-President of the QSCU. She is in her final year of her BSc in physics and her biggest interests in physics are astrophysics and cosmology. In her free time, she likes to read, crochet, and play video games. As Vice-President of the QSCU, her job is to support the President and assist them in completing their tasks when needed. It is also her responsibility to support the other executives so that they can successfully perform their roles. She is excited to meet all new QSCU members this year, and she hopes to continue to foster a welcoming environment for all students within the department.
Livia Jonnatan, Treasurer
Livia is from Indonesia, and she is a third-year Data Science student with a minor in Economics. She loves studying Data Science because it equips her to be able to tell stories from data. Outside of school, she enjoys photography, design, and cooking. As the VP Finance of QSCU, She is in charge of managing finances, budgeting, organizing funding, and event planning. She is excited to get more involved with the QSCU and help make this year great.
Izgi Kocacelebi, Events Coordinator
Izgi’s in her second year at UBCO, studying data science. She is going to be the Events Coordinator for the QSCU this year. Izgi already has a BEng in Systems Engineering from CityU of Hong Kong. She really likes travelling and trying out different foods. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, swimming and reading. She is looking forward to meeting new people and organizing some fun events in the upcoming year!
Internal Coordinator
Position yet to be filled.
External Coordinator
Position yet to be filled.
Ian Kennedy, Review Session Coordinator
This is Ian and he will be the Review Session Coordinator for the QSCU this year. He is a fifth-year student completing his honours in physics. He is also a TA for several first and second year physics labs. He is very excited to help others enjoy the quantitative sciences as much as he does. He loves spending free time in the lab as well as getting fresh air outside skiing and hiking. He looks forward to seeing you all around on campus and at the QSCU review sessions!
Alexander Iannantuono, Graduate Student Representative
Alexander is an MSc student in mathematics (with a computer science background). While not fantasizing about theorems, he likes to cycle, cook, and tinker.
As we make a hybrid return to campus, he is hoping to reignite the enjoyment of school through workshops relating to math, computer science, and graduate school.
Feel free to say hello, or ask him any of your graduate studies questions!
Joey Fraser, Mathematics Representative
Joey is a fourth year student studying math and biology. When he’s not working on his own math problems, he enjoys helping others with theirs. Off-campus you will usually find him playing music, in the gym, or cooking up plant-based recipes. Joey is excited to be a part of the QSCU and hopes to contribute to a positive and supportive environment for all students studying quantitative sciences at UBCO. If you see him on campus, go say hello!
Data Science/Statistics, Computer Science, and Physics Representative
Faculty program advisors
Program advisors are faculty members who can help you with course selection, deciding on a major, ensuring you are meeting degree requirements, and even career advice. They serve as a valuable resource in helping you achieve your educational and career goals.
In order to apply for an Honour Thesis or a Directed Studies course in CMPS, students need to find a supervisor. Once the project is defined and the scope detailed, the supervisor is responsible for creating the course outline and an application form signed by the supervisor is submitted to CMPS Admin at cmps.okanagan@ubc.ca. The appropriate forms can be found on the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science website. Upon approval, the student will automatically be registered in the class by the Dean’s Office, that is to say, the student is not required to register for the course.
Data Science
Students who were admitted to UBC prior to the degree requirement changes have the choice between either. The relevant policy can be found at https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,296,0,0. Specifically, “Degree or program requirements are established and modified with the knowledge and approval of Senate, and are recorded in faculty, school, and college entries. Unless a student takes an extraordinary number of years to complete prescribed studies, the student is usually given the option of meeting requirements in effect when first enrolled, or of meeting revised requirements subsequently approved by Senate.”
Hence, students who were admitted to UBC prior to 2022W can choose which requirements to follow. Anyone admitted in 2022W or later must follow the new requirements as published in the 2022W Academic Calendar.
Note that this policy does not specify anything about when the major/minor was declared. Should you opt to follow the “old” version, you can find it at https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/archive/okanagan/2122/indexd960.html?tree=18,360,1102,1448. The “new” version can be found at https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=18,360,1102,1448
Hence, students who were admitted to UBC prior to 2022W can choose which requirements to follow. Anyone admitted in 2022W or later must follow the new requirements as published in the 2022W Academic Calendar.
Note that this policy does not specify anything about when the major/minor was declared. Should you opt to follow the “old” version, you can find it at https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/archive/okanagan/2122/indexd960.html?tree=18,360,1102,1448. The “new” version can be found at https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=18,360,1102,1448
The Double Counting Rule limits the number of credits that can count towards both programs in a double major, major/minor, double honours or honours/minor. Specifically, “No more than 6 upper-level credits that count toward the program-specified requirements for the first major or honours may be double counted to fulfill requirements for the second honours, major, or minor.” See “Double Counting of Credits in Honours, Majors, and Minors” at https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=18,360,1102,1442.
ACADEMIC ADVISING AND LEARNING SUPPORT
Get help with planning your program, study skills, exam preparation, tutoring, career planning, and more. Academic advisors are all about helping you succeed.
UBC OKANAGAN LIBRARY—WRITING AND RESEARCH
More than just books, the library offers research guides, style guides, tutorials, and workshops on writing and researching, as well as a specific librarian for each subject.
CAREERS AND WORK EXPERIENCE
Whether you’re looking to gain some work experience while you study, need to augment your finances, or are looking for a career after you’ve graduated, Career Services can help. Visit their website to get information on the Work Study employment program, Co-op program, labour market stats, resumé building and interview skills, career fairs, volunteer opportunities, or to browse the UBC Okanagan job board.
INTERNATIONAL LEARNING
UBC Okanagan offers a wide range of opportunities to learn and do research abroad through programs like Go Global, exchange and research abroad, and summer study at partner universities. If you’re looking for an opportunity to travel and learn, make sure you take advantage of these programs.
STUDENT LEARNING HUB
The Student Learning Hub provides a range of supports from peers and professionals that include tutoring in math, sciences, languages, and writing, as well as help with study skills and learning strategies.
EVERYTHING ELSE—STUDENT SERVICES
Didn’t find what you were looking for above? Visit the Student Services website, where all of the information about the services offered to students is housed. In addition to the services already mentioned, you will find information on everything from courses, registration and exams to tuition, scholarships, housing and wellness.