PM40063955
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
05·04·06
S E R V I N G O U R C O M M U N I T I E S
w w w . s f u . c a / m e d i a p r / s f u _ n e w s volume 36·number 1
Elite athletes crushed by failure in Olympic qualifying
by m a r i a n n e m e a da h l
SFU psychology
professor Mario Liotti
found that part of an
marianne meadahl
athlete’s brain was
seriously affected by
watching a video of a
poor performance.
Failing to qualify for a spot on an
Olympic national team can be crushing for an elite athlete.
A new study sheds light on why
that failure may make it even tougher
for these athletes to get themselves
back into contention, and how therapy can help.
Working with Swim Canada psychologist Hap Davis, Simon Fraser
University psychology professor Mario Liotti and a team of researchers
found that a region of the brain that
plans actions – a part of the premotor
cortex, which is responsible for the
arm and leg movements required
in swimming – appeared inhibited
when the athletes’ brain activity was
monitored as they watched a video
clip of their failed qualifying performance.
The researchers suggest this could
explain why athletes have difficulty
getting back on top of their game.
Liotti and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) to assess the brain activity of
14 Canadian swimmers who didn’t
make the 2004 Olympic team. Tests
were carried out at the University of
British Columbia’s high-field MRI
centre. While in the scanner, each of
the 10 men and four women watched
a video clip of their failed qualifying
performance as well as a clip of a different swimmer. The athletes’ brains
showed signs of heightened activity
in areas that have been implicated
with depression, suggesting feelings
of emotional pain, Liotti notes. However, he calls the shut-down of the
premotor cortex “an unexpected and
most significant finding,” adding that
further study will follow.
“For elite athletes, who are looking at a fraction of a second making
the difference in a key competition,”
he says, “anything that affects their
motor system could impact the outcome of their performance.”
Each swimmer went through a
short therapy session with Davis before reviewing their clip a second
time. The premotor cortex was more
active during the second viewing of
the failed trial, providing evidence
that the therapy works.
SFU psychology professor Neil
Watson and UBC researcher Elton
Ngan were among others involved
in the study. The team’s research
was recently presented to the Cognitive Neuroscience Society and is
featured as a headline story in the
April 14 edition of Science (www.
science.com).•
OLD SCHooL GETS A FACELIFT AT 40
by ba r ry s h e l l
inside
of a consistent and easily recognized
visual identity. A tendering process
selected Karo Design to resolve the
problem.
Lee believes his varied academic
experience at SFU was a key factor in attaining a top management
position in one of Western Canada’s
leading multidisciplinary design consultancies.
“We are developing consistency
around the use of the SFU crest, as
well as campus, faculty and department naming,” says Lee.
As an example he points to SFU
websites or business cards which
have no rules for even the simplest
issues, like the names of the three
campuses or the location of phone
numbers.
Lee says a visual identity system
should allow users to easily understand the hierarchy of information
(campus, faculty, department, etc.)
$1.65 million awarded
Lynne Quarmby is one of seven Simon Fraser
University researchers who are recipients of
$1.65 million in funding from the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research.
but it should also indicate what SFU
is about. Importantly, it must deliver
an emotional message about the university.
“A unified identity system is a
small, but important, step to signal
change,” says Lee. The long-term
goal is to convey the overall impression of SFU. What are we doing
at SFU? What experiences are we
offering students, faculty, staff, parents and donors to create the desired
perception of our university? In other
words, what are the defining features
of the SFU experience?
Karo also redesigned the admission package that SFU student services sends to 8,000 prospective
students. The new folder with a red
and black colour scheme has been
well received.
Byron Henry, director of communication services, likes it. “I think
change
continued on page 2
SFU grad Anson Lee
is bringing a fresh
look to the university’s
visual identity. Lee is
a principal of Karo
Design.
barry shell
SFU is about to get a facelift. No, not
another new set of steps in convocation mall. A fresh SFU look and feel
will soon appear in print, on web
pages, and in our advertising.
It’s all being created by one of
our own: SFU grad Anson Lee, a
principal of Karo Design.
Last year, President Michael Stevenson asked Warren Gill, VP- university relations, to bring consistency
to SFU’s visual identity. “A diverse
and often confusing branding has
proliferated over the last 20 years,”
notes Gill. “SFU’s look has not been
refreshed since the early 1980s. We
don’t even have a common way of
displaying the letters S, F, and U.”
Gill formed a cross-campus committee of people who use visual identity symbols and asked SFU business professor and branding expert
Judy Zaichkowsky to meet with the
group and explain the importance
international
honour
helping
united way
segal
opening
Gwenn Flowers has
won an Outstanding
Young Scientist award
from the European
Geosciences Union.
Four students in the
leadership program are
helping the United Way
with a strategic plan.
The Segal graduate
school of business is
rolling out the red carpet
to celebrate its official
opening on May 5.
Toronto Star, May 1
Researchers estimate the introduction of the GST
pushed as much as 2 per cent of Canada’s economy
underground, or $21 billion in today’s dollars. That
unreported slice of the economy represents roughly
$8.5 billion in lost income tax and GST revenue.
Finance minister Jim Flaherty is ready to lower the
GST to 6 per cent, then eventually 5 per cent. The
government estimates a one-point cut in the GST
will cost the treasury about $4.5 billion. However,
lowering the GST may reduce underground activity,
which would boost both GST collections and income
tax collected. “We don’t know how big that is, but
conceivably it could be a significant proportion of
the gross revenue loss from cutting the GST,” says
Jonathan Kesselman, an economics professor in
Simon Fraser University’s graduate public policy
program.
Experts foresee complex case
Calgary Herald, April 26
Had the former federal Liberal government followed
proposed reforms to Canada’s youth justice system
history would likely remember the name of the girl
accused in the triple slaying of a Medicine Hat family.
Instead, the 12-year-old will remain anonymous,
whether she’s found innocent or guilty of three counts
of first-degree murder – the most serious offence
under the Criminal Code, indicating police believe the
killings were planned. It’s believed no other child this
young has ever stood accused of three homicides in
Canada. “This is going to be a complex case because
of her age,” said Raymond Corrado, SFU criminology
professor specializing in youth justice. Children in
Canada have rarely faced charges of murder.
Industrial spying worries tech firms
New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, April 25
Tech firms in B.C. say they share Prime Minister
Stephen Harper’s concerns about industrial
espionage. Harper said he would seek answers from
China and he backed foreign affairs minister Peter
MacKay’s earlier remarks that the government aims to
crack down on Chinese economic spies. Some China
experts have questioned Ottawa’s motives for raising
the issue, and warned Canada’s high-tech industry
could suffer if Chinese students and professionals
are made to feel unwelcome. SFU professor Neil
Abramson, who specializes in international business
strategies and business ventures in China, also
questioned the federal government’s motives, noting
Canada tends to follow the U.S.’s lead. “There is
certainly a lot of paranoia about China in the United
States,” he said, adding the Harper government
appears to be more focused on building closer ties
with the U.S. than the former Liberal government.
Good time for students to look for work
Vancouver Province, April 12
Economists says recent vigour in B.C.’s labour
market is brightening the outlook for secondary and
post-secondary students seeking jobs this summer.
Historically, job-seeking students have flocked to
two sectoral giants: trades, and accommodation
and food. Last year, the two sectors generated 39
per cent of the jobs held by B.C.’s young men and
56 per cent of those held by women. B.C.’s building
boom may make this summer a little different.
Perhaps sensing a shift in labour-force dynamics,
employers are becoming more proactive about
attracting the people they will need this summer.
Muriel Klemetski, SFU’s co-op director, says employer
demand for summer co-op placements is rising. She
attributes the increase to overall strengthening in the
job market. “Employers are very well aware of the
competitiveness in the labour market now,” Klemetski
says. “They’re reaching out to students.”
Simon Fraser University News
may 4, 2006
marianne meadahl
What effects would GST cut have?
MEDIA BYTES
A compendium of condensed articles that
appeared in the media during the last few
weeks quoting members of the SFU community.
SFU student volunteer recruiters Lindsay Gabelhouse (left) a fourth-year kinesiology student
and Kelsey Singbeil, a second-year communication student, are spreading the word about the
university’s 40th anniversary open house on June 3. Volunteers are now being sought to help
make the campus community celebration a success. The day will have something for the whole
family, with hundreds of exhibits, interactive displays, lab demonstrations, performances and
presentations featuring the university’s academic programs and campus services. For more
details on volunteering and all of the day’s festivities, check www.sfu.ca/openhouse/.
New business courses set for Surrey
New concentrations in entrepreneurship and management of technology
will come on stream in September
for SFU business students studying
at the Surrey campus.
Approved by the SFU board of
governors in March, third and fourth
year Surrey students opting for the
new concentrations will take four
upper division courses out of a possible six tailored to their choice of
concentration. The Surrey program
already offers concentrations in marketing and finance.
“A lot of firms in B.C. are small
and mid-size enterprises that are
young and so are exploring the kinds
of new technological issues that come
with running a small company, like
supply chain management and financing, for example,” says Drew
Parker, associate director of SFU
business’ Surrey programs. “Understanding the nature of an entrepreneurial business is important,
particularly in Surrey where a lot of
business start-ups are emerging.”
Entrepreneurship courses will
include new venture planning, project management and new venture
finance.
There is also an entrepreneurship
dual degree program with Zheu Jiang
University in China being planned.
Management and technology courses will include managing technological
innovation, project management and
supply chain management.
Change will be gradual
Parker says that about 40 per cent
of students will choose more than
one concentration as they pursue
their degree.•
Simon Fraser University News is published every other
Thursday during the academic semester.
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continued from page 1
the new packages are terrific ­– a cut
above what we had done before,”
he says.
It’s too early to tell if Karo’s new
approach will have an impact on
enrolment, according to Lee.
The first few attempts at redefining SFU’s visual identity are experimental, including an ad campaign
in the local papers and SkyTrain
stations. Change will be gradual. For
example, as new business cards are
required, they will feature the new
design. “I’d like to have the basic
elements of our visual identity established by June, but more specific
elements, such as website designs,
may come later,” says Gill.
“We have three campuses now,
and they should all be seen as part
of the same organization.”
Lee does not want to create what
he calls “brand police” - people who
would ensure every document, website and advertisement sports the
correct SFU crest and colours.
Instead, he’s looking for a common theme around which different
schools and departments can build
their own identities.
The goal is to launch the new
identity system at the conclusion of
the 40th anniversary celebrations in
September.•
co-editors
Howard Fluxgold, Diane Luckow
contributors
Stuart Colcleugh,Terry Lavender,
Susan Jamieson-McLarnon, Marianne Meadahl,
Julie Ovenell-Carter, Carol Thorbes
dateline
Prepared by Fiona Burrows
distribution
June Venables
Simon Fraser University News is available at:
www.sfu.ca/mediapr/sfu–news/
Simon Fraser University News is printed on recycled paper.
Lynne Quarmby
has received new
funding for her
research into
carol thorbes
kidney disease.
Seven researchers awarded $1.65 million
by m a r i a n n e m e a da h l
New funding will help Simon Fraser University cell biologist Lynne
Quarmby in her search for ways to
slow the onset of polycystic kidney
disease (PKD).
Quarmby is one of seven Simon
Fraser University researchers who
are recipients of $1.65 million in
funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
The funds are part of CIHR’s $32million investment to fund health
research in B.C.
An associate professor of molecular biology and biochemistry,
Quarmby has identified a group of
proteins that appear to play a key role
in the development of kidney cysts,
a condition of PKD, which affects
about one in every 800 people.
Her study of how these proteins
work will help to provide new targets
for drug development to slow cyst
growth and delay disease onset. Because there is no effective treatment,
most PKD patients will eventually
face dialysis or kidney transplant.
Quarmby says the discoveries
which form the foundation of her
latest project were made by graduate
students working in her lab.
The group has been investigating the assembly and disassembly
of a finger-like appendage known
as cilium, in a single-cell alga commonly found in ponds.
“The structure and modes of assembly are virtually identical be-
tween this little alga and cells of
the human kidney,” Quarmby explains. Quarmby is currently continuing her research at a kidney
laboratory at Toronto’s Hospital For
Sick Children, in order to “extend
the work into the human realm as
quickly as possible.”
Other SFU researchers receiving funds for health research under the CIHR’s latest initiative
announced on April 20 are molecular biologists Lisa Craig, Esther Verheyen and Barry Honda;
gerontologist Habib Chaudhury;
Iraj Poureslami of the faculty of
health sciences; and SFU business
dean Ernie Love, for his Science to
Business program.•
Clan duo chosen in pro football draft
by s cot t m cl e a n
lineman Dean Valli, who went sixth
overall in the first round, while the
Saskatchewan Roughriders chose
Clan kicker and punter Luca Congi
in the second round -12th overall.
“I was sleeping and my agent
Clan offensive
lineman Dean
Valli (left) and
kicker/punter
Luca Congi
were selected in
the Canadian
Football League
entry draft.
The B.C. Lions
picked Valli in
the first round,
while Congi
went to the
Saskatchewan
Roughriders in
the second.
stuart colcleugh
Two members of SFU’s Clan football
team were selected in the opening
two rounds of the 2006 Canadian
Football League college entry draft
in April.
The B.C. Lions selected offensive
called and told me about it,” says
Valli, whose draft standing jumped
after a stellar performance as one of
only 10 offensive linemen invited to
the CFL’s annual evaluation camp
in March.
“I thought I was going to wind up
in Saskatchewan after I was called
by (head coach and assistant general
manager) Danny Barrett, so this was
a bit of a surprise to go to B.C. this
early. Obviously I am thrilled and
excited, and now it’s time to go to
work.”
Valli, a fourth-year arts student,
started training with the Lions offensive line in April to gear up for
the May 17 opening of the Lions
training camp.
Congi finished the season as the
nation’s top-ranked punter, averaging an impressive 40.5 yards per
punt. He also completed 75 per cent
(15-for-20) of his field goal attempts
to score 36 per cent of the Clan’s
points.
“I didn’t know how early I would
go. Usually kickers go much later in
the draft, so to go that early just felt
amazing,” says Congi, a fourth-year
business administration major.
“The first thing I did was call
my parents, my family, my friends
and just let them know what was
going on. They all were watching
the live draft online, so they knew
what was going on and we were all
so excited.”•
CLIPPINGS
Cell biologist
Alumni gather at Segal school
This year’s annual alumni gathering and general
meeting on May 17 promises to be better than ever.
Join them at SFU’s new Segal graduate school of
business at 500 Granville St. in Vancouver to meet
the alumni association board of directors, taste
a selection of fine wines and hors d’oeuvres and
listen to award-winning speaker Peter Legge, CEO
and publisher of Canada Wide magazines. An SFU
honorary degree recipient, Legge is passionate about
inspiring others to achieve happiness and success.
Tickets are $25 for SFU alumni, $35 for guests. Please
pre-register by May 9 at www.sfu.ca/alumni/events
or call 604-291-4049.
Silent auction open for business
A colour laser printer, dinner for two at the Manhattan
restaurant or the Copper Club Grill, a guided fly fishing
trip, art work, gift certificates – there are items galore
in the SFU plant sale silent auction. Place your bid May
1-17 at www.sfu.ca/campus-activity/plantsale/index.
html and support the campus community bursary
endowment fund.
Case wins achievement award
SFU education professor Roland Case believes there
is merit in replacing memorization and rote learning
with critical thinking skills in the classroom. “It’s
a life skill,” says Case, a co-founder and executive
director of the Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2),
which provides support for teachers wanting to use
critical thinking teaching methods. Case, who has
worked with more than 30,000 teachers in B.C. and
Alberta, as well as the U.S., Hong Kong and India,
is the recipient of a career achievement award from
the Confederation of University Faculty Associations
of B.C.(CUFA). He received the award at a ceremony
April 11.
Simon Fraser’s cemetery restored
The cemetery where explorer Simon Fraser is buried
will be restored, thanks to the efforts of a group of
history buffs in St. Andrews West, Ontario. The group,
working with the local Cornwall Township Historical
Society, received news that the Ontario government
will provide a $50,000 grant to repair the 70-year-old
stone fence surrounding the cemetery, which had
crumbled. The grant, along with funds raised by the
society, and donations from SFU chancellor Brandt
Louie and Yosef Wosk of SFU continuing studies, will
make the project possible.
“Without these donations we would still be struggling
to find the remainder of the funds needed,” says
resident Maureen McAlear, who spearheaded the
drive to restore the site. SFU’s centre for Scottish
studies took an early interest in the project and word
was spread around campus. McAlear says SFU has
been “our greatest supporter,” noting, “I think Simon
himself would be very pleased.” An event is planned
once the restoration has been completed.
Student volunteers sought
SFU’s Golden Key International Honour Society is
looking for students to help out with the annual
Lifetime of Learning day at SFU on May 25. Thirty-three
disadvantaged students from grades five to seven
at Mt. Pleasant elementary school in Vancouver will
visit SFU for a day of fun that includes an interactive
Science Alive program in the biology labs, lunch and
a tour of campus.
The society chooses children whose parents have
not had post-secondary education and who have not
been exposed to university before. “We want to make
university real to them,” says organizer Lenawaty
Tansuma. “We want to make them aware that they
can make their own life and goals and that university
is not an elite place.” Contact ltan@sfu.ca before May
7 to volunteer for this event.
Simon Fraser University News
may 4, 2006
Great Northern Way aims
for Hollywood status
in digital media industry
Earth sciences
b y h o wa r d f l u x g o l d
The Great Northern Way Campus
aims to make Vancouver the Hollywood of the digital media industry
with its World Centre for Digital
Media.
The province recently allocated
$40.5 million for the new centre,
primarily to support a professional
master’s program in digital media,
which will admit its first students in
September 2007.
“We already have a very strong
industrial cluster now in the Lower
Mainland,” says campus president
Bruce Clayman, Simon Fraser University’s former VP-research. “Attracting the very best people in the
world to come to the master’s program and to the industry portion of
the World Centre will allow us to
build on that and create the critical
mass to make us the world leader in
digital media.”
Established in 2001, Great Northern Way Campus is a collaboration
of SFU, the University of British
Columbia, the British Columbia Institute of Technology and the Emily
Carr Institute of Art and Design.
The institutions jointly own the 8.9hectare Vancouver site.
The campus has worked closely
with the industry to develop the
program, which will produce graduates “who have the ability to manage
teams of people working on projects
that connect the artistic and tech
side of things, like video games and
film animation, theme parks and a
professor Gwenn
variety of virtual reality experiences,”
Clayman explains. “There are a lot
of people who are well trained on
the artistic side or the computing
side, but getting people who understand the cultures of those sorts
of left-brain, right-brain divisions
is a real challenge.” The 20-month
program will open with 35 students
and by 2010, 200 are expected to
graduate.
Part of the government grant will
be used to construct the first building, which will primarily house the
academic program. Funding is being sought for a second building
for activities that “are more directly
industry-related,” says Clayman, who
adds, “The help of industry was absolutely crucial in achieving the support we have received to date.”
The industry is being asked to
raise an additional $8 million for the
program. Lynda Brown, president of
New Media B.C. the industry association, notes there are 800 companies in the new media sector in the
Lower Mainland with 15,000 employees generating about $2 billion
in revenue annually. “The new media
digital entertainment sector is the
only entertainment sector achieving
substantial growth,” she adds.
Clayman says that “SFU is contributing tremendously” to the World
Centre effort and its faculty and students will benefit by having “access
to the world’s best people in the new
media field.”•
Flowers, seen
here in Nuuk, on
the west coast of
Greenland, has won
an Outstanding
Young Scientist award
from the European
Geosciences Union.
Snowflakes, ice and glaciers
by m i ch a e l b ox a l l
Great Northern Way Campus president Bruce Clayman plans
to attract “the very best people in the world” to teach a new
master’s program in digital media.
Simon Fraser University News
may 4, 2006
There’s been a lot of news recently
about glaciers melting as the planet
warms. But not all glaciers act in the
same way. Why do some move faster
than others in their inexorable slide
toward the sea, while others don’t
seem to move at all?
For contributions to our understanding of these processes, earth
sciences professor Gwenn Flowers
has won one of three Outstanding
Young Scientist awards presented annually by the European Geosciences
Union. Flowers is also a Canada
Research Chair in glaciology.
The award confirms that a “leap
into the dark” she made when she
chose to take a graduate degree in
glaciology was a good choice. Her
undergraduate degree had been in
physics, a subject she liked in high
school because of its explanation of
why the everyday world works the
way it does. Studying at the University of Colorado, she wrote her
bachelor’s thesis under the direction
of Nobel laureate Carl Wieman.
“That was a really exciting project,
related to the work he won the Nobel
prize for,” Flowers says. Yet it also
taught her that she didn’t really have
the temperament for experimental
physics.
“It was an optics project, in an
acoustically isolated lab. We were
using lasers, so it was dark all the
time. I’d taken a course in glaciology
because I grew up in Colorado and
I always liked being outside. It was
surprisingly hard. And that intrigued
me. I thought, ‘This is real science.
It’s physics-based and it’s chemistrybased and it’s mathematical. But it’s
all about snowflakes and ice.’ ”
Although she had not actually
seen a glacier, she picked glaciology
for her graduate studies and moved
to Vancouver. After five years at UBC
she wrote a doctoral thesis entitled,
A Multi-Component-Coupled Model
of Glacial Hydrology. The emphasis
was on numerical modelling, using
data she had collected in the Yukon
to analyse mathematically the nature
of the glacier drainage system from
the surface to the glacier bed.
“Glaciologists are interested in
why glaciers move the way they
do. And water in and under
the glacier has a lot to do with
glacial dynamics.”
– GWENN FLOWERS
“Glaciologists are interested in
why glaciers move the way they do.
And water in and under the glacier
has a lot to do with glacial dynamics
– how fast the ice flows, the seasonality of the flow regime, how the water flow changes from year to year. So
if we can understand basically how
the plumbing system of the glacier
works we have a better chance of
understanding the dynamics.”
Glaciers form the largest reservoir
of fresh water on the planet. Essen-
tially frozen rivers, they are pulled by
gravity toward the sea. Their speed
depends on a number of interconnected factors. Friction at the bottom caused by rock and debris provides resistance to the gravitational
forces pulling the glacier downhill.
The plumbing is the various pipes
and channels by which water finds
its way to the bottom of the ice and
acts as a lubricant.
“The advantage of using numerical models as well as doing fieldwork
is that you can extend the study
spatially,” she says. “You can get information from models about maybe
the whole area of the glacier, not just
the points that you measure. And at
the very best you can make predictions into the future.”
Flowers says one of the most interesting questions relating to global
warming and glaciers is the possibility of thresholds, sudden dramatic
changes from one state to another.
She cites the example of the Greenland ice sheet, where there has been
a recent and dramatic acceleration
of several large outlet glaciers. This
speed-up may be due in part to increased access of meltwater to the
bed, causing a disproportionately
large response to a small perturbation – a small cause having an unexpectedly big effect .
She lists two goals for the rest of
her career: to help governments form
climate policy, and to train “a small
fleet of really qualified good people
and good scientists.”•
Opinions expressed on this page are
the author’s and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of Simon Fraser
University News or those of Simon
Fraser University. Simon Fraser
University News welcomes your
opinions on this article, or any other
issue of interest to the broader SFU
community. Letters to the editor and
submissions for the Comment page
can be sent to the editor, media and
public relations, room 2200, Strand
Hall, fax 604- 291-3039, or by e-mail
to SF-News-Editor@sfu.ca. Letters
should be brief, no more than 300
words, signed with a contact phone
number or email address. They
may be edited for clarity or brevity.
What women wear, who women marry, how they spend their time and the ways they live their
sexual and reproductive lives come under greater scrutiny when societies are under stress.
BY LIZ P H ILI P OS E
In 2005, there was a public debate about the status of faith-based arbitration cating cultural knowledge is seen to be crucial to protecting societies and
in the Ontario court system.
ensuring their survivability.
Initiated by a review of family law and faith-based arbitration, written
What women wear, who women marry or if they marry at all, how they
by Marion Boyd, former Ontario attorney general, and commissioned by maintain their bodies, how they spend their time and the ways they live their
the minister of women’s affairs and the attorney general’s office, the debate sexual and reproductive lives come under greater scrutiny when societies are
focused on the pitfalls and possibilities of instituting legal recognition for under stress. Women’s status and roles in the family, community and nation
tribunals based on Islamic legal principles.
become flashpoints for making solid claims to identity and belonging. Finally,
The debate raised the issue of both the limits and avenues for multicul- the role of women in war raises even more daunting challenges. Mothers
tural liberal democracies such as Canada to accommodate the particularities are targeted by military recruiters as those who can influence their children
of minority communities. Though the implementation of Islamic law varies to join the military.
depending on the historical, geographical and national contexts, concerns
Women are valued as soldiers’ wives who often sacrifice their education,
were expressed about the status of women under Islamic legal principles and employment and community life to live on bases, to move frequently and to
the possibility that Muslim women living in Ontario might be denied the be without their partners for long periods of time. Demographic anxieties
protections of the Charter of Rights
about populating the military in the
and Freedoms and international hufuture mean that women’s reproducman rights legislation that are part of
tive choices become more restricted.
Canadian human rights law.
War depends on dividing people into
Though Boyd’s report argued that
enemies and allies and women are
establishing Islamic law tribunals
also implicated, as soldiers themwould not undermine women’s equalselves, as property to be protected, as
ity rights and that, in many ways, the
victims to be saved and as the reason
Canadian system is already equipped
men and militaries fight.
to accommodate faith-based arbitraAt the same time, women themtion, the premier of Ontario made
selves are shaped by relationships
a decision against instituting the
to family and community and they
tribunals. The No campaign rejoiced
derive their sense of self, identity,
and seemingly, the issue has been
place and aspirations from these soput to rest.
cial relationships. The idea of women
The Ontario debate about faithwanting to belong to those places and
based arbitration and the place of
institutions that are meaningful to
Islam and Muslims in multicultural
them has to be honoured somehow,
societies is one among many taking
as expressions of the dreams and deplace in many countries since 2001.
sires of authentic human beings.
Sweeping changes in immigration
We get stuck on one side or the
law, justice systems and military
other of political debates in what
policy have been implemented here
seem like intractable positions, and
and elsewhere and many of them
in the meantime, a whole range of
have targeted Muslims as particupeaceful possibilities go unnoticed.
larly problematic populations.
Understanding women’s roles and
The changes are massive, complex
status related to communities and
and staggering. Establishing a clear
nations in peace and in war cuts
sense of the implications is daunting.
through the polarized debates beFor many minority populations, not
tween religion and secularism to rejust Muslims or people perceived
veal women’s complex experiences,
As a way of understanding the complex alignments of gender, race,
to be Muslim, the experience since
which are much more than simnation and community, we might consider the ways that women’s roles
2001 is one of growing insecurity
ply oppression and much less than
become of central concern to societies in times of crisis.
and fear as the tone of much of the
outright violence. It is there, where
–Liz Philipose
legislation shrinks the possibilities of
women are, that we will find peacecomfortable belonging.
ful solutions to the question of how
We are in the midst of a vast realignment of states, nations, minority we live together in the country and on the planet.
communities, secularism and religious freedoms. Populations of all types
In the context of the war on terror, as the Canadian government moves us
are called upon to assert their allegiances, loyalties and claims to belong. closer to more militarism and the prospect of increasingly violent scenarios,
Muslim and non-Muslim populations alike are called upon to pledge their the quest for mutual understanding is crucial and urgent. In an effort to
allegiance while abstaining from criticisms of government policies, racial promote public discussions about these complicated relationships, SFU’s
profiling, plans for increased militarism, support for the use of torture and department of women’s studies, in collaboration with Researchers and
increased surveillance and border control. While laws here and elsewhere Academics of Colour for Equality/Equity (RACE), is sponsoring a sympocontinue to target Muslims and people perceived to be Muslim, it becomes sium called Gender, Race, Islam and the War on Terror from May 11-13 in
even more crucial that we consider very carefully the assumptions we make Vancouver. On May 11 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m., a panel presentation at Heritage
as we enter the debates about multicultural accommodation and democratic Hall at 3102 Main St., with speakers Asma Barlas, author of Islam, Muslims,
freedoms.
and the U.S.: Essays on Religion and Politics and Believing Women in Islam:
Resonant throughout the many debates about the place of Muslims in Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur’an, and Nighat Said Khan,
liberal democracies is the paucity of mutual understanding between minority dean of the institute of women’s studies in Lahore, Pakistan, will address
and dominant populations and the easy reliance on assumptions that deny how these issues are negotiated in the U.S. and Pakistan.
the complexity of peoples’ relationship to their faith, culture and identity. The
On May 13 from 5 p.m. -7 p.m. at the Vancouver Public Library, a panel
debates tend to rely on polarized and caricatured terms, posing secularism presentation with speakers Amina Jamal, Zool Suleman, Sunera Thobani
as the panacea from fanaticism, free speech as the counter to censorship, and Rosalie Gould will continue the discussion with specific reference to
and our way of life as the escape from oppression. However, most people Canada, Pakistan and Nigeria. These panels sandwich a two-day workshop
live between these polar extremes in much more complexity and with many with invited speakers and participants from across Canada and elsewhere
more contradictions and ambivalences about what are profoundly personal who will develop strategies and responses to meet the coming challenges of
questions of human existence.
negotiating the relationship between minority populations in multicultural
Women’s relationship to their communities and societies is particularly liberal democracies in this new context of the war on terror. The panel disconflicted as women are compelled to negotiate their commitments to con- cussions are free and open to the public.
tradictory demands. As a way of understanding the complex alignments
For further information see: www.sfu.ca/womens-studies/.
of gender, race, nation and community, we might consider the ways that
women’s roles become of central concern to societies in times of crisis. Liz Philipose is the Ruth Wynn Woodward professor in women’s studies at SFU
Women’s function in the family as reproducers of future generations, as for 2005-2006. Her permanent position is assistant professor in women’s studies at
nurturers and care givers and as those primarily responsible for communi- California State University Long Beach.
justin mah
CoMMENT
Understanding women’s role in peace and war
Simon Fraser University News
may 4, 2006
Learn more about how information technology
and high-performance research networks are
benefiting research innovation at SFU. Attend the
IT and Advanced Research Networks symposium
on May 8 and May 9 at the SFU Burnaby campus.
Speakers from BCNET, Sun Microsystems, IBM,
Silicon Graphics, CANARIE and Network Appliance
Canada will share information about using advanced
technology for research. SFU’s chief information
officer Jim Cranston, academic computing services
staff, several faculty members and directors of some
of SFU’s research centres will discuss how IT and
advanced networks are assisting them with their
unique research projects.
Speakers will also discuss provincial and national
initiatives to accelerate advanced internet technology
for research and education. A networking reception
for SFU researchers to meet and share ideas with the
presenters begins at 6 p.m. on May 8 at the Diamond
Alumni centre. RSVPs to vprsec@sfu.ca are required
for this event. For more information visit www.sfu.
ca/vpresearch/Events/IT_Symposium.htm/.
Two join national softball team
Two members of the Simon Fraser University Clan
women’s softball team will go to bat for Softball
Canada, joining its senior women’s national team.
Students Erin McLean and Melanie Matthews will
participate in the Ontario Pro tour, the Canada Cup and
the U.S. Cup, culminating with the 2006 International
Softball Federation World Championships Aug. 27
– Sept. 5 in Beijing, a qualifier for the 2008 summer
Olympics. Former SFU players Erin Cumpstone,
Angela Lichty and Rachel Schill were also named to
the team.
Thorbes receives silver award
Media and public relations communications officer
Carol Thorbes recently won a silver award in the best
news release category of the Canadian Council for
the Advancement of Education’s prix d’excellence
awards. She won for a news release describing SFU
professor of biology Gerhard Gries’ $2.5 million
research grant to intensify his earth-friendly war on
household, forest and agricultural insect pests. The
news release generated more than 20 radio, television
and newspaper interviews.
“It triggered a media frenzy,” says Gries, who was
later inundated with calls from industrial companies
proposing collaborations, students inquiring about
graduate studies under his supervision, government
institutions seeking advice about specific pest
problems and private citizens seeking solutions for
insect problems in their homes and gardens. Thorbes
won a gold award last year in the same competition
for a news release publicizing the work of SFU
biologist Rolf Mathewes.
Simon Fraser University News
may 4, 2006
(standing left) and
Corwin Odland and
Josh Ruberg (seated
left) and James
Liu volunteered for
the United Way as
their project for a
leadership certificate.
Leadership students help United Way
b y pa u l e t t e j o h n s t o n
United Way month at Simon Fraser
University isn’t until November, but
volunteers are busy now, thanks to
the groundwork for a five-year strategic plan developed for the university
by four students completing a certificate in innovative leadership.
Chris Rogerson, student life educator with the student development
and programming centre, says the
seven-month, non-credit program’s
primary purpose is to teach undergraduate and graduate students to be
effective leaders in any field.
In the program’s final stage, teams
of students work on real-life projects with organizations as diverse as
Volunteer Burnaby, SFU student recruitment and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in Calgary.
Four of the 47 students in this
inaugural program – James Liu, Alex
Nataros, Corwin Odland and Joshua
Ruberg – selected the SFU United
Way campaign as their project.
They worked with volunteers on
campus who organize the annual
campaign, as well as with staff at
United Way of the Lower Mainland
in Burnaby.
The result was a comprehensive
list of recommendations and strategies for recruiting more campus participation in activities like designing
new campaign posters, or involving
student athletes in fundraising ventures. In the past, the campaign was
directed to faculty and staff, but the
students found there were also ways
to involve the student community.
“The goals of the United Way
campaign at SFU have always been
twofold: to raise much-needed dollars for the wider community and
also to encourage participation from
members of the SFU campuses in
university-wide activities like book,
bake and garage sales,” says Alison
Watt, a member of the campaign
committee.
“The project these students have
developed is a starting point for developing future plans as needs within
the community grow and our need to
contribute financially grows.”
For the students, the immediate benefit was learning more about
United Way, as some of them had
volunteered in the past with organizations like the Canadian Red Cross,
a United Way recipient.
They learned about campaigns
held at other universities and at large
and small companies throughout the
Lower Mainland. Longer term benefits included participation in various
workshops, including Leading with
vision; How to lead, motivate and
keep your best people; and Situational
leadership. Says Odland, “I learned
skills that I will be able to use for the
rest of my life.”•
HIPPY Plus helps parents’ literacy
by ch r i s t i n e h e a r n
Low-income parents in Vancouver’s
Downtown Eastside and Strathcona
neighbourhoods will have new opportunities thanks to collaboration
between SFU’s community education program and the Home Instruction Program for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY).
The pilot project, HIPPY Plus,
began in February at Britannia
community services centre. It is an
outgrowth of HIPPY, in which atrisk preschoolers are prepared for
elementary school through an integrated program involving parents and
home visitors who help the parents
help their children.
SFU continuing studies community education program director
Debbie Bell says the HIPPY program
on its own increases parental literacy
because the parents find themselves
reading things over and over to their
children and gain literacy skills
through that experience.
diane luckow
Tech conference draws expert speakers
Alex Nataros
diane luckow
SFU professor Mark Jaccard is the recipient of the
Donner prize for his latest book, Sustainable Fossil
Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean
and Enduring Energy. The $35,000 prize recognizes
Canada’s best public policy writing. The award jury
described Jaccard’s work as “first class,” calling
the book “well-presented and persuasive, offering
practical solutions to policy issues that must be
among the most important and most urgent for the
Canadian government, and for governments around
the world.” Jaccard was also short-listed for the prize
in 2002, for The Cost of Climate Policy co-written with
SFU colleagues John Nyboer and Bryn Sadownik.
CLIPPINGS
Jaccard takes Donner prize
Debbie Bell
“We realized that this was a teachable moment and that we could help
some of these parents at just the
right time, so it could become more
than parents teaching children,” Bell
explains. “We found that people who
weren’t reading, started to read and
changed their perspective from ‘I
don’t read’ to ‘I do read.’ ”
With money from the National
Literacy Secretariat, a coordinator
with a literacy background was hired
and HIPPY Plus was under way. The
cost is estimated at $420,000 over
three years and Bell says funding
so far has been secured for the first
two years.
Bell says the program will not follow a traditional literacy approach,
but will be highly integrated so participants will learn practical applications for literacy including how to
start small businesses.
The HIPPY Plus program will
also hire a case worker who will
support parents in the program for
up to three or four years in securing
employment training and carrying
out job search strategies.
Bell says HIPPY Plus was initiated at Britannia because the home
visitors there are experienced and are
ready to take on new challenges.•
Dateline
THURSDAY, MAY 4
TUESDAY, 16
MSc THESIS DEFENCE. S. LeBourdais,
biological sciences: Harlequin duck
(Histrionicus histrionicus) density on rivers
in southwestern British Columbia in relation
to food availability and indirect interactions
with fish.
EdD THESIS DEFENCE. Z. Delic,
education: Hermeneutics of Islamic
Education and the Construction of New
Muslim Cultures in the West: Faithful but
reformed.
10 a.m./SSB 7172
4:30 p.m./Segal school, 500 Granville St.
FREE LECTURE. M. Serres, author of The
Natural Contract on: A contract with nature?
Information: 604-291-5100 or cs_hc@sfu.
ca.
7 p.m./SFU Vancouver,
515 W. Hastings St.
KOERNER LECTURE. Rodney Sharman,
composer, music commentator on: The
development of Mozart’s orchestral writing
with commentary and musical examples.
Free; limited seating. Call 604-291-5100 to
reserve a seat.
7 p.m./SFU Vancouver,
515 W. Hastings St.
PUBLIC CITY PROGRAM LECTURE.
Innovations in Smart Growth Housing.
Reservations required: 604-291-5100 or
cs_hc@sfu.ca.
FRIDAY, 5
May 4 – May 19
Plant Sale
10 a.m./EDB 8651/2
Val Murdoch, of the VPresearch office, is one of many
WEDNESDAY, 17
volunteers preparing for the
7 p.m./SFU Vancouver,
515 W. Hastings St.
annual SFU plant sale on May
PUBLIC LECTURE. M. Shokeid, Tel Aviv
University on: Changing research strategies
of an anthropologist. Information: 604-2913518.
17, from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at
the Town Square next to the
THURSDAY, 18
Cornerstone building.
12 p.m./TASC-1 8219
There’s alot to buy: captivating
MRM THESIS DEFENCE. G. McGee,
resource and environmental management:
Evaluating Collaborative Planning: A case
study of the north coast land and resource
management plan.
container gardens, perfect
perennials, a wide assortment
FRIDAY, 19
of colourful annuals,
1 p.m./SC-B9242
houseplants and gently used
PhD THESIS DEFENCE. M. Rahman,
biological sciences: Epidemiology of
Cyclindrocarpon Root Rot and Rusty Root on
American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius L.).
items like gardening magazines
and tools. Drop off donated
9 a.m./SC-B9242
PhD THESIS DEFENCE. A. Frid,
biological sciences: Optimal Risk-Taking
Theory Applied to Marine Conservation:
Harbour seals in Prince William Sound.
container gardens and
perennials on May 16 from
MONDAY, 8
Arts & Theatre
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY GALLERY,
AQ 3004.
8:30 a.m.-noon at the west end
PhD THESIS DEFENCE. T. Ramnial,
chemistry: The Chemistry of Imidazolium
Salts and Phosphonium Based Ionic Liquids.
Weegee’s New York - 17 vintage photographs
by famous documentary photographer
Weegee. Opening Sat., May 6 with talk by
Alan Newberg “Who Was the Real Weegee?”
at 3 p.m.; followed by reception. Runs to
June 17.
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Sat. noon to 5 p.m.
Info: www.sfu.ca/gallery or 604-291-4266.
of the Cornerstone building.
2 p.m./SC-B9242
MSc THESIS DEFENCE. K. Laroche,
biological sciences: Ecotourism Effects
on the Interactions of White Sharks
(Carcharodon Carcharias) and Cape Fur Seals
(Arctocephallus Pusillus Pusillus) Around a
Small Island Seal Colony in South Africa.
THURSDAY, 11
10 a.m./AQ 5119
MA THESIS DEFENCE. C. Holmes,
women’s studies: Born To Do It? The Social
Construction of Motherhood.
9 a.m.-6p.m.
SFU VANCOUVER’S ANNUAL JOHN K.
FRIESEN CONFERENCE on issues in
aging. Aging, Ageism and Abuse: Moving
from awareness to action. Register at
https://webform.sfu.ca/form/gero.friesen.
conf.2006.
TUESDAY, 12
10 a.m./ASB 10901
PhD THESIS DEFENCE. R. Vos,
biological sciences: Inferring Large
Phylogenies: The big tree problem.
All profits go toward the
Campus Community Bursary
Endowment Fund.
Contact: Malgorzata Dubiel at
TECK GALLERY, SFU VANCOUVER
(515 W Hastings Street):
Cage Call: Life & Death in the Hard Rock
Mining Belt, runs to May 30. Images of
mines and mining towns by Globe and Mail
photographer Louie Palu.
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 7:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.;
Fri. 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat. 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m.;
Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Info: www.sfu.ca/gallery or 604-291-4266.
604-291-3800 or dubiel@cs.
sfu.ca.
lisa grebinsky
1 p.m./SSB 7172
Notebook
RECREATION
ACADEMIC ADVISING
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE ADVISING
INTERNATIONAL BUDDY PROGRAM
PhD THESIS DEFENCE. F. Rahemtulla,
archaeology: Design of Stone Tool Technology
During the Early Period (CA. 10,000-5,000
B.P.) at Namu, central coast of British
Columbia.
Academic resources, MBC 3000, assists
with course selection and program
planning as well as helping students in
academic difficulty or those wishing to
withdraw. Information: 604-291-4356.
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.,
Friday 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The SFU international buddy program is a
volunteer program promoting intercultural
communication, understanding and
friendship between students. To find out
how you can get involved and apply online,
see http://buddy.sfu.ca.
For information on intramural tournaments
call 604-291-4824. Yoga, social dancing,
scuba diving, lifesaving/first aid/CPR
courses: 604-291-4142. Outdoor courses
such as rock climbing, kayaking, hiking:
604-291-4434. Learn to row: 604-473-9880.
ARCHIVES
FIRST NATIONS STUDENT CENTRE
INTERNATIONAL MENTORSHIP
PROGRAM
SAFEWALK
9 a.m.-6p.m.
MBC 3200, provides information on
student loans, grants, scholarships,
bursaries and work-study; advice on
reassessments and appeals; and assistance
with individual budgeting and planning.
Information: 604-291-4356. Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Friday
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
The international mentorship program
is a student volunteer program
promoting intercultural communication,
understanding and friendship between
students. To find out how to be involved
and apply online see: www.sfumentorship.
ca/
1:30 p.m./EDB 9511
SFU VANCOUVER’S ANNUAL JOHN K.
FRIESEN CONFERENCE on issues in
aging. Aging, Ageism and Abuse: Moving
from awareness to action. Register at
https://webform.sfu.ca/form/gero.friesen.
conf.2006.
Copy
deadlines
Publication dates and copy deadlines for
Dateline and Notebook in the summer
2006 semester are:
Issue
Deadline May 18
May 10
June 1
May 24
June 15
June 7
June 29
June 15
July 13
July 5
To submit items to Dateline go to:
www.sfu.ca/mediapr/events.html
For more information, call 291-3210.
Enhance your meeting, reunion or party
with dynamic displays from SFU archives.
For SFU’s 40th anniversary, archives has
created 5 portable displays illustrating the
history of SFU’s athletics, arts, women’s
movement, 1967 student protest, and
expansion of Burnaby Mountain. Each
display weaves a series of stories that are
enriched with archival photographs and
records that draw viewers into SFU’s past.
Information: 604-291-3261.
Office hours for reference, records transfer
and retrieval inquiries: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
and 1:30-4 p.m. in MBC 0400. Archivist Ian
Forsyth is available to speak to groups of
staff, students and faculty about Freedom
of Information and Protection of Privacy
Act.
ATHLETICS
For detailed listings of upcoming sports
events please see https://my.sfu.ca/cgibin/WebObjects/mySFU.woa/wa/Events or
www.sfu.ca/athletics/
CENTRE FOR STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES
Supporting the vision of First Nations,
Métis and Inuit students at SFU. Student
support programs, cultural events,
information and services. Aboriginal
students can connect with on and off
campus community. Visit the First Nations
Student Centre at MBC1500 or call
604-291-5663 or 604-268-6929 for more
information. Web site: www.reg.sfu.ca/fnsc
HEALTH, COUNSELLING AND CAREER
CENTRE
See www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/tutorials/
libskills.htm for a full schedule of upcoming
tutorials.
Find health care, personal counselling,
career services, learning skills, peer advice,
volunteer opportunities and much more.
For more information and the walk ‘n talk
workshop schedule see www.sfu.ca/hccc or
drop in to MBC 0300.
LET’S TALK SCIENCE
IAMB CREATIVE WRITING CLUB
Informal assistance in resolving problems,
conflicts and disputes. Information: 604291-4563 or e-mail: ombudsoffice@sfu.
ca. Hours: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-3 p.m.,
Monday to Thursday.
Meets Thursdays at 11:30 am in AQ 6097.
Volunteers also welcome. Information:
ammoorho@sfu.ca or jmckinno@sfu.ca.
CHILDREN’S INFORMATION
The CSD provides a large selection of
services and equipment to students with a
variety of disabilities. Information: 604-2913112/5381. Web site: www.sfu.ca/ccs/csd or
drop in to the MBC 1250.
Questions or concerns about your children?
Call the parent help-line 604-291-3548.
A qualified professional who is also a
parent will help you. Pamphlets and other
information available. Web site: www.sfu.
ca/infochild; email: infochld@sfu.ca; office:
EAA 2019
CHILDCARE CENTRE
INTERFAITH/CHAPLAINCY CENTRE
High-quality, licensed care, ECE-trained
caregivers. Care available for children
three-months to 12-years-old. World class
facilities. Information: 604-291-5725.
LEARN TO USE THE LIBRARY
Students and faculty of the Lutheran,
Anglican, and United churches gather every
Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m., in MBC
1470.
The program is looking for graduate
students to become science outreach
volunteers. Information: 604-291-4869,
lts@sfu.ca.
THE OMBUDS OFFICE
PARKING SERVICES
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.- Fri.
Extended hours are posted at the beginning
of each semester to accommodate volume.
E-mail: parking@sfu.ca.
PHILOSOPHERS’ CAFE
For the schedule see www.sfu.ca/
philosopherscafe/. Information:
604-291-5100.
Anyone, anytime, anywhere, campus
security will escort you to and from any
location on campus. Information: 604-2913100.
SECURITY
Laura MacDonald, personal security
coordinator, offers personal safety training
to students, staff and faculty. Information:
604-291-5450.
SFU HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE
Located in AQ 3045. Information:
604-291-4446.
STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES
SPRING 2007
Spend one or two semesters on a
student exchange program next spring.
SFU International offers bursaries to
qualifying students. Details at www.sfu.
ca/international. Application deadline:
May 26. Information: exchange@sfu.ca or
phone 604-291-4778.
VOLUNTEER RESOURCE CENTRE
The centre is now located in MBC 1150.
Postings can be viewed on the web, on the
volunteer boards in the AQ, and in MBC.
Information: www.sfu.ca/ccs/volunteer
and www.sfu.ca/ccs/offcampushousing or
604-291-4476.
W.A.C. BENNETT LIBRARY
Hours: Mon.-Thurs.: 8 a.m.-11:45 p.m.;
Friday: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.-Sun.: 10 a.m.-10
p.m.
WALKSIT
John Clendinning, Zen master, Mondays &
Thursdays 7:30-9 p.m. Information:
604-298-6361.
Simon Fraser University News
may 4, 2006
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
05·04·06
S E R V I N G
O U R
C O M M U N I T I E S
w w w . s f u . c a / m e d i a p r / s f u_news
Designing at boundaries of change
by b a r ry s h e l l
The imposing entrance hall of the new Segal graduate school
of business. The clock hung in the building during its time as
the Bank of Montreal’s B.C. and Yukon headquarters.
Segal business school
celebrates opening
by d i a n e lu ckow
The Segal graduate school of business is rolling out the red carpet for dignitaries and visitors who will help to celebrate its official opening on May 5 at
10:30 a.m.
SFU Pipe Band members and dignitaries will walk a red carpet from the
Morris J. Wosk centre for dialogue along Seymour and Pender streets to the
new home of SFU business graduate programs at 500 Granville St.
Opening ceremonies will take place in the grand entrance hall, where
Simon Fraser University will welcome guests from the federal and provincial
governments and the City of Vancouver, as well as SFU chancellor emeritus
Joseph Segal, whose gift initiated the new school.
Segal will speak at the opening ceremonies, representing the many donors who have given to the school’s fundraising campaign. Special guests
include campaign chair Don Rix and John Ellis, a former general manager
of the Bank of Montreal which occupied the building until Segal bought it
five years ago.
“With the opening of the Segal graduate school of business, SFU is
achieving a new level of leadership in business education and establishing
Vancouver on par with other major North American cities that benefit from
downtown business schools,” says Michael Stevenson, president of SFU.
The heritage building has undergone a $20 million renovation which both
retains its classic styling and modernizes it with the latest in educational
technologies.
The designers salvaged many of the building’s original features and materials, including marble columns, decorative plaster moldings, even the original
cast-iron elevator and door frames, as well as stair balustrades. Two of the
original vault doors were refurbished and installed as a decorative feature at
the entrance to the student commons area.
“The building has turned out to be a gem,” says Segal. “It’s a jewel in the
crown of SFU.” SFU business students, staff and faculty moved into the
building in September.•
Student chosen to intern in Africa
Biology undergraduate Gunpreet
Kaur Singh is one of 20 outstanding
Canadian students who will travel to
Botswana in May to participate in a
six-week internship on HIV/AIDS in
the southern African country.
Each year, 20 participants are
chosen from about 100 applicants
across Canada to join this international seminar, a joint program of the
World University Service of Canada
and the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation.
Students are evaluated on the
basis of academic excellence, community leadership and demonstrated
commitment to international under-
Simon Fraser University News
PM40063955
standing.
Singh was born in Zimbabwe and
lived in South Africa and Botswana
before moving with her family to
Canada at age 12.
She first became interested in international development after watching actress Angelina Jolie, goodwill
ambassador for the United Nations
High Commission for Refugees, on
television talking about the plight of
refugees.
While in Botswana, Singh will be
paired with a local student and will
volunteer with a local organization
focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention
and care.•
may 4, 2006
Computers are changing the world
of architecture. Not just the way
architects design, but also the construction process itself.
“At SFU’s school of interactive
art and technology our focus is on
design at the boundaries of change,”
says Rob Woodbury, SFU Surrey’s
graduate program chair and scientific director of the Canadian Design
Research Network, a new national
network of centres of excellence
headquartered at SFU Surrey.
Woodbury has a PhD in architecture. He was recently invited to a
workshop at Cambridge University
in England to tutor students in the
use of a new design program called
Generative Components.
Based on parametric modelling,
the software requires the designer
to define geometric parameters. The
computer then works out the fine
details of dimension, number of bays
or columns, and the precise shape of
component parts.
Such software is empowering architects to create some of the 21st
century’s most striking buildings.
London’s Swiss Re building is a good
example. It looks like a giant gherkin.
Closer to home, the new Seattle public library is another. Such structures
would not be possible without the
use of computers.
Woodbury says, “All of a building’s
parts can now be custom fabricated
directly from computer to object
with only a marginal cost increase.”
Thanks to computers, every joint
and every construction element can
be different, so designers are no
longer constrained by standardized
building components. A new genre
of software for architects is driving
this trend.
“Today’s designers think beyond
classic architectural concepts like
plan, section and elevation,” says
Woodbury. “Modern architects must
now think in terms of vectors, diagrids and Cartesian products.” This
is what Woodbury teaches.
“Today’s designers think
beyond classic architectural
concepts like plan, section and
elevation. Modern architects
must now think in terms of
vectors, diagrids and Cartesian
products.”
– R OB W OODB UR Y
Architects now use 3D printers to
produce three-dimensional plastic
mock-ups in minutes. Hundreds of
scale models may be needed to test
novel components.
When a design is finalized, a computer file is sent to a foundry that
employs fabrication machines to cut
and form elements from stone, plastic, metal and glass.
Woodbury uses custom parametric design software in a course to
teach students the basic math of
computer graphics. Such skills are
applicable for other industries such
as computer gaming or medical imaging.
“It’s a new approach to teaching
graphics,” says Woodbury, “and the
new research network is a unique
opportunity for Canadian design academics to leverage joint work and
enable better design in Canada.”
Originally from Brockville, Ontario, Woodbury went to graduate
school and served as a professor
at Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh during the 1980s, then
took a position at the University of
Adelaide in Australia.
In 2001 he was recruited to lead
Tech B.C.’s graduate program the
year before it became SFU Surrey.
Returning to Canada after 20
years, Woodbury was a Canadian
with an international reputation.
At the end of the design workshop in England, Woodbury joined
hundreds of architects in the grand
court of the British Museum under its magnificent new tessellated
glass roof, a product of parametric
design.
“I watched jaws dropping as we
showed them 60 fantastic designs
from the workshop that were only
possible because of the software,”
says Woodbury.•
The British Museum
Great Court roof built
in 2000 would not
have been possible
without parametric
design software. Rob
Woodbury, SFU Surrey’s
graduate program chair
and scientific director
of the Canadian Design
Research Network, a
new national network
of centres of excellence
headquartered at SFU
Surrey, uses parametric
design software to teach
students the basic math
of computer graphics.