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Grads taking care of business
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June 1, 2009
Graduating under sunny skies
SFU’s spring Convocation ceremonies will be draped in sunshine as graduands make their colourful processions into Convocation Mall June 2 – 5. Ceremonies begin Tuesday (2:30 p.m.) and will follow each day at 9:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Five honorary degrees will be conferred during the ceremonies – on BCIT river conservationist Mark Angelo, architect Richard Henriquez, broadcaster Rafe Mair, philanthropist Djavad Mowafaghian and biomedical engineer James McEwen. For more on the recipients see http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/news/story_05280909.shtml
SFU’s spring Convocation ceremonies will be draped in sunshine as graduands make their colourful processions into Convocation Mall June 2 – 5. Ceremonies begin Tuesday (2:30 p.m.) and will follow each day at 9:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Five honorary degrees will be conferred during the ceremonies – on BCIT river conservationist Mark Angelo, architect Richard Henriquez, broadcaster Rafe Mair, philanthropist Djavad Mowafaghian and biomedical engineer James McEwen. For more on the recipients see http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/news/story_05280909.shtml
- MBA graduand Wahiba Chair spent 10 weeks in Doha, Qatar as one of 16 finalists (from over 5,000 applicants) on the Arab docu-reality program, Stars of Science. Finalists in this global contest work in a televised lab with assistance from mentors to develop their business ideas into a marketable product. Hers is called PortaLife, a shopping aid that interprets nutritional information.
- If Yi (Joyce) Zhang can manage risk the way she manages time she’ll be one crack actuary. Majoring in the rigorous actuarial science program, Zhang maintained a near-perfect 4.22 cumulative grade point average (CGPA). The Governor General’s silver medalist also wrote the first four Society of Actuaries professional exams in just over a year—a feat almost unheard of, according to her professors. What’s more, she was the first and only SFU student ever to complete the Fundamentals of Actuarial Practice Exam even before graduating.
- From trumpeter to banker, Clio Straram’s career path is just as eclectic as that of the other 39 students convocating June 2 from SFU’s full-time MBA program. In fact, an undergraduate degree other than business is a criterion for entry into the new one-year program. Straram and fellow MBA students will add business to their backgrounds in engineering, political science, philosophy, biochemistry, even sports management. Straram, who holds a music degree, recently began a job as a financial analyst with the Bank of Montreal in Toronto.
- ChengHsin Hsu dreams of the day when his passion for designing computer networks fires up television broadcasting systems driven by BlackBerrys, iPhones and other portable personal communication devices. His thesis and award-winning prototypes of mobile TV base stations and receivers have earned him an SFU doctorate in computing sciences. “Growing interest in multimedia communication and streaming video over wireless media means that mobile TV will become the most popular application on portable wireless devices.”
- Computing science student Mark Chua can add pioneer to his curriculum vitae credentials. He’s the first graduate of the SFU-Zhejiang University Dual Degree Program (DDP) in computing science. Students earn two degrees concurrently while studying, living - and learning Mandarin - in Canada and China. Chua is now working as a software developer at Reva Solutions in Vancouver.