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Aboriginal school, filters and health
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January 24, 2011
School board eyes aboriginal school
Vancouver’s school board has its first meeting tonight seeking public input on plans to start an aboriginal mini-school for secondary students. “An aboriginal school for the Vancouver area is a idea whose time has come, considering the large aboriginal population in the Lower Mainland and the fact that the current education system is still not working as well as it could for our kids,” says William Lindsay, SFU’s director of the Office for Aboriginal Peoples. The proposed school would require input from the aboriginal community, he adds.
SFU education professor Mark Fettes says developing such a school has its complexities, but adds, “I do think such a school, if developed carefully and in genuine partnership with local First Nations and urban aboriginal organizations as well as experienced aboriginal educators, could offer something of real value for aboriginal and non-aboriginal children alike.”
Jon Driver, SFU’s vice-president academic, says any initiative that increases the opportunities for students to complete high school and enter post-secondary education is a good idea.
William Lindsay, 778.782.8924; wlindsay@sfu.ca
Mark Fettes, 604.367.0759 (cell); mtfettes@sfu.ca
Jon Driver, 778.782.3925; driver@sfu.ca
Filtering out wood smoke health concerns
Inexpensive high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters may be all it takes to ward off certain heart health concerns caused by wood burning stoves. SFU health sciences professor Ryan Allen studied residents of homes using wood burning stoves in small towns in B.C. and found use of the filters could reduce pollutants by as much as 75 per cent. Improved air quality also improved residents’ blood vessel health and reduced blood markers associated with an increased risk of cardio-vascular disease. His findings were published online by the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Ryan Allen, 778.782.7631; ryan_allen@sfu.ca
Vancouver’s school board has its first meeting tonight seeking public input on plans to start an aboriginal mini-school for secondary students. “An aboriginal school for the Vancouver area is a idea whose time has come, considering the large aboriginal population in the Lower Mainland and the fact that the current education system is still not working as well as it could for our kids,” says William Lindsay, SFU’s director of the Office for Aboriginal Peoples. The proposed school would require input from the aboriginal community, he adds.
SFU education professor Mark Fettes says developing such a school has its complexities, but adds, “I do think such a school, if developed carefully and in genuine partnership with local First Nations and urban aboriginal organizations as well as experienced aboriginal educators, could offer something of real value for aboriginal and non-aboriginal children alike.”
Jon Driver, SFU’s vice-president academic, says any initiative that increases the opportunities for students to complete high school and enter post-secondary education is a good idea.
William Lindsay, 778.782.8924; wlindsay@sfu.ca
Mark Fettes, 604.367.0759 (cell); mtfettes@sfu.ca
Jon Driver, 778.782.3925; driver@sfu.ca
Filtering out wood smoke health concerns
Inexpensive high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters may be all it takes to ward off certain heart health concerns caused by wood burning stoves. SFU health sciences professor Ryan Allen studied residents of homes using wood burning stoves in small towns in B.C. and found use of the filters could reduce pollutants by as much as 75 per cent. Improved air quality also improved residents’ blood vessel health and reduced blood markers associated with an increased risk of cardio-vascular disease. His findings were published online by the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Ryan Allen, 778.782.7631; ryan_allen@sfu.ca