Bugs On Burned Bodies Tell The Tale
 Criminals often think that all the evidence goes away when something is burned. But
Stacey McCann, a criminology grad student, says that even after cars and the bodies in
them are torched, bugs leave a lot of information. Using pig carcasses, McCann and her
supervisor, criminologist and forensic entomologist Gail Anderson, are examining the
remains to help pinpoint time of death.
First Nations Initiative
SFU implements a five-year,
university-wide strategic plan
to transform the university’s
approach to First Nations
academic programming,
community engagement,
student support, and
research. The plan calls
for a doubling of the
number of First Nations
students and for First
Nations faculty members
in every faculty, as well as
the establishment of an office
of First Nations on campus. |
 |
| Arnie Leon performs traditional dance at SFU’s Surrey Campus. |
I Spy
The CIA kept tabs on SFU political scientist
Mordecai Briemberg during the 1960s
and 1970s, according to recently released
documents. Briemberg, now retired, was
then chair of the political science, sociology,
and anthropology (PSA) department
and was active in both left-wing politics
and in Canada’s anti-war movement.
International Recognition
Debbie Bell of continuing studies receives
a Canadian International Development
Agency award for international cooperation.
She is honoured in the genderequity
category for her work on women,
poverty, and education in Mexico, a
project launched in 1999 to introduce
low-income Mexican women to higher
education and employment.
It's A Record!
Philanthropists generously support
SFU in 2006. Once the figures are all
in, the university racks up an all-time
fundraising high – nearly $36 million.
For a full report go to www.sfu.ca/advancement/files/donor_reports/SFUDonorReport–06-07.pdf
Teeny, Tiny
The world’s smallest book, Teeny Ted from
Turnip Town, is created by SFU physicists
Karen Kavanagh and Li Yang. It measures
0.7 x 0.1 millimetres (the head of
a pin is about 2 x 2 millimeters). The
cost? $20,000 per book – and you have
to supply your own electron microscope.
<http://nanoimaging.sfu.ca > |
 |
| First tablet
of Teeny Ted
from Turnip
Town,
magnification
8.00 kX |
Diamonds Are A University's Best Friend
 |
| Marilyn and
Stewart Blusson
in front of the new
building named
after them. |
Canadian diamond pioneer Stewart Blusson gives $12 million to SFU to support work in the
faculty of health sciences. The gift is the largest private donation in SFU’s history. To recognize
the gift, the new 11,700 square metre health sciences building will be named Blusson Hall
after Blusson and his wife, Marilyn. It will accommodate 800 students and house a Level 3
containment lab for infectious-disease research.
Worms In Space
Sixty grams of worms from SFU spend six months orbiting the earth on the International
Space Station. The worms (C. elegans) are now being analyzed for genetic mutation by
Bob Johnsen, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry and Canada Research
Chair in Genomics. The experiment is designed to study the impact of lengthy exposure
to radiation in space.
| Soccer Under The Microscope |
 |
No, it’s not another sports scandal... It’s nanobot! SFU competitors go for broke in the nanogram
division of the 2007 RoboCup in Atlanta, Georgia. The players are six times smaller than an amoeba,
the ball is the width of a human hair, and the playing field is about the size of a grain of rice. Although
they don’t win, PhD students Daniel Sameoto (right), See-Ho Tsang
(centre), and Ian Foulds (left) get an innovation award.
International Recognition
SFU graduate student
Dave Redding and
biologist Arne Mooers
are helping pioneer
a new method of prioritizing
species for
conservation. Called
EDGE (evolutionarily
distinct and globally
endangered), the method assigns every
species an “originality” value based on its
evolutionary isolation. The approach is
the focus of a major conservation scheme
at the London Zoological Society.
Working with the London Zoo and other
organizations, Redding will apply the
method to the world’s birds. <www.edgeofexistence.org > |
 |
| Shown above:
Slender loris
(Loris tardigradus).
This small but
unique primate is in
danger of extinction
because its forest
habitats are being
destroyed. |
Laser Inventor Dies
Physics pioneer Theodore Maiman, who
invented the laser in 1960, has died. He
was an adjunct professor with SFU for
many years and helped establish a curriculum
in biophotonics engineering at
the university that is now part of the new
biomedical engineering program.
 |
Glory For Gloria
Gloria Chu, associate director of ceremonies
and events, is named the outstanding
new conference and events professional
at the Baltimore conference of the
Association of Collegiate Conference and
Events Directors — International. |
Those Dancing Feet I
Third-year kinesiology student Yvonne Lynch
snares a four-month gig with the North American
touring company of Riverdance, the traditional
Irish dance extravaganza. Lynch is a seven-time
Western Canadian Irish-dancing champion and
is rated among the top dancers on the continent.
Her schedule is gruelling: a new city every week
with eight shows a week. |
 |
Summoning The Elements
 |
| Todd Keeler’s
special effects are
made of minute
moving particles. |
Math grad student Todd Keeler is trying to create the perfect visual special effect. He spent
four months at Vancouver-based game developer Radical Entertainment researching the
optimal balance of physics and esthetics to creative realistic water and smoke simulations
for the company’s games.
|
Those Dancing Feet II
Fiona Lee is the new under-18 world highland
dance champion after securing four
straight firsts in Scotland. The first-year
student is the daughter of Terry Lee, pipe
major of the SFU pipe band. |
Focus On Asia
The new Jack Austin Chair in Asian
Economies is created by SF U and the
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. The
$4 million chair recognizes the contribution
to Canada-Asia relations of the longtime
Liberal senator and cabinet minister.
Holders of the chair will conduct policy-
relevant economic research on Asian
economies, support community-based
lectures, and educate students about the
world’s fastest-growing region.
Chemical Soup
|
| We may be facing more exposure to common chemicals than we realize. An SFU-led study reports that some chemicals, including insecticides and perfumes, are “wrongly assessed in terms of their potential effects in mammals, birds, and humans” because the testing is done on water-breathing animals such as fish, rather than mammals, birds, or humans. The paper is written by Frank Gobas (above), Barry Kelly, and Joel Blair of SFU; Michael Ikonomou of Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and Anne Morin of Health Canada. <www.sciencemag.org> |
Photos by: Top to bottom: Adam Sings-In-The-Timber/Vancouver Sun, SFU/PAMR, SFU Nano-Imaging Facility, Courtesy Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Diane Luckow/PAMR, Greg Ehlers/LIDC, Stuart Colcleugh, SFU/PAMR, Marianne Meadahl/PAMR, SFU/PAMR, Barry Shell
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