Derek Bingham, Ph.D. '99

Top graduate Derek Bingham (PhD'99) is leaving the University of Michigan to be Canada Research Chair in industrial statistics at SFU. He will help develop a one-of-a-kind lab dedicated to industrial statistics research.

Small Is Beautiful Eldon Emberley (PhD'00) and physics professor George Kirczenow are inventing the world's smallest electrical switch. It could enable computers to store 10,000 times as much memory as they do now.

"His Potential Is Limitless" Yep, that's what Billboard magazine is saying about David Usher (BA'92). The lead singer of the band Moist is riding high again. His second solo album, Morning Orbit, is a Juno Award winner for best pop album, and his video, Black Black Heart, wins two MuchMusic Awards.

Rapping with the Raptors Toronto Raptors assistant coach Jay Triano (BA'82, PDP'87) is the first Canadian-born and Canadian-trained coach in the NBA, as well as head coach of the Canadian men's national basketball team.

Prosecutor Picked Dirk Ryneveld, who attended SFU in the sixties and has been prosecuting war crimes at The Hague, is the new B.C. police complaint commissioner. An all-party legislative committee chose Ryneveld over 125 other applicants.

Hoop Scoop After 30 years, Bill Robinson (BA'73) finally gets into the Canadian basketball Hall of Fame. The dazzling Robinson, NAIA all-star at SFU, CIAU title-holder at Waterloo, member of the Canadian national team in the seventies, and all-star at the '74 world championships, is delighted.

Environmentalist Dies Cameron Lipp (BA'93) collapsed while playing a hockey game. His achievements include serving as project coordinator for a number of environmental activities including Spirit of the Salmon Swims and Fraser 2000. He worked with the Environmental Educators of B.C. Society, and through the Canadian Marine Environment Protection Society, he delivered WhaleWatch marine education programs throughout the province.

Brush up Your Shakespeare Ed Boroevich (BA'97) will be the first Canadian male actor to graduate from the prestigious Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C., one of the top three Shakespeare theatres in the world. Boroevich is enrolled in an MFA program.

Running on out of Here Sean Millington (BA'91) is being called one of the greatest running backs in CFL history - right up there with Normie Kwong and Ronnie Stewart. In his final season with the BC Lions, he scores 16 touchdowns, runs for 740 yards, and catches 36 balls for 373 yards. All this at age 34.

Prodigious Talent Six-year-old pianist Harris Wang is playing to packed halls in Edmonton and astonishes his teachers with his talent. He also works out math problems for fun and plays chess. His parents Shumei and Zhixiang Wang (PHD'93) are both researchers at the University of Alberta's faculty of medicine.

Grape Expectations There will be friends, there will be conversation, and there will be wine at the annual alumni gathering and general meeting. Wine expert Anthony Gismondi (BA'77) will share his insights, there will be a wine tasting, and elections will take place. It's at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, at 6 p.m. on May 21.

Krista Henriksen, MA '03 The written stories of 60 people who claim to have met with alien life forms is chronicled by Krista Henriksen (MA'03) in her master's thesis. The says she's "personally highly skeptical" but says people report that aliens bring "a pretty standard message of hope and goodwill".

The Play's the Thing . . . Mostly Stan Rogal (BA'82) is writing up a storm in Toronto. He saw four of his plays produced or given staged readings last summer alone, and his new collection of short stories, Tell Him You're Married, is just out through Insomniac Press. He's also written two novels, two other collections of short stories, several volumes of poetry, and many other plays.

Island Bound Simon Wickens (BA'72) is the new editor in chief of the Guardian Group which publishes the Nassau Guardian, the Freeport News, and a half-dozen community newspapers in the Bahamas. Wickens was formerly with the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, the National Post, the Financial Post, Canada.com, and Canoe.ca.

Drink, Drink Concordia University professor Anouk Bélanger (PhD'00) has been studying the dying tavern culture of Montreal. After visits to 50 taverns over seven months, she concludes taverns are closing because they were mainly working men's hangouts and Montreal has little heavy industry now.

Challenging the Landscape Burnaby's Mehdi Ali (BA'92) is winning kudos for a documentary detailing the struggles of people in specially built wheelchair devices completing a grueling three-day hike in Manning Park. Access Challenge focuses on three people, including Vancouver councillor Sam Sullivan (BBA'87). So far the film has won a TASH Image Award from an international disabled advocacy group and a Gold WorldMedal from the New York Festivals competition in the education, information, and entertainment category.

Climb Every Mountain Barbara Duggan (MEd'00) is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro this fall to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It's the largest granting organization for children with life-threatening illnesses. On Thursday, September 19, the team has the IMAX theatre for a screening of Kilimanjaro, the Roof of the World, with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Outstanding! This year's outstanding alumni award winners include former premier Ujjal Dosanjh (BA'73), one of two B.C. premiers to be honoured in the 20 years the awards have been given. Other winners are Rob Bakshi (BBA'85), an entrepreneur whose company, Silent Witness Inc., is in the forefront of the security industry; Mary Williams (PhD'75), a national authority on ice engineering; and molecular biology and biochemistry undergraduate Reza Pourvali, the outstanding student leader.

Top 40 under 40 SFU grads cleaned up in Business in Vancouver's latest list with six getting the nod. Alan Boniface (BA'86), a partner/owner with Hotson Bakker Architects, specializes in industrial property. Stacey Cerniuk (BSc'91) is president of Annex Consulting Group Inc. He boasts a 97 percent client satisfaction rate over five years. Dave Cobb (BBA'87) is COO of the Vancouver Canucks and Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment. He's moved the Canucks to financial break-even level.

Jacqui MacNeill (BBA'92) is president of Escents Aromatherapy, a 21-store global operation. Heather Morrison (BA'92) is acting president and CEO, VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation. Daryl Spencer (BASc'94) is corporate vice president, imaging and print, at Creo Inc., B.C.'s second largest high-tech firm. www.biv.com aq

Photograph of Derek Bingham by Carol Thorbes, Photograph of Krista Henriksen by Julie Ovenell-Carter, both of SFU Media & Public Relations.

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