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Olympics, avalanches, fish farms
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February 12, 2008
Olympic countdown
Avalanche havoc
Global impact of open pen aquaculture
Olympic countdown
The countdown to the Olympics is on – it all unfolds in exactly two years from today (Feb. 12). SFU experts can provide insight on a wide range of issues leading up to the 2010 Olympics – from tourism and the games’ economic impact to sports psychology. For a complete list see
http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/issues_experts/hot_topics/2010_Olympics.html
As Vancouver and Whistler prepare, so do athletes hopeful for the chance to compete. SFU psychology professor Mario Liotti has some insight into their thought processes. He has studied athletes who fail to make the grade (swimmers who didn’t make the 2004 Olympic team), undertaking MRI scans while the athletes watched replays of their defeats. He has more recently followed up with a study of winners – including gold medallists watching their gold medal performances. His study on the failing athletes has just been published in the journal Brain Imaging and Behavior and also appears in the current NCAA Champion online magazine. See the article here.
Mario Liotti, 778.782.4561; mario_liotti@sfu.ca
Avalanche havoc
Avalanches have closed one of the province’s main highways indefinitely and warnings have been issued for local mountains. Meanwhile the death toll from snow and avalanche-related accidents continues to climb. Pascal Haegeli, a post-doctorate fellow at SFU, studies decision-making by individuals who take to the backcountry avalanche terrain – and is now focusing on young skiers and snowboarders who seeking the thrill of heading out-of-bounds. Haegeli is also a co-author of the Avaluator, which offers quick advice on key decisions related to approaching the backcountry.
Pascal Haegeli, 604.773.0854; pascal_haegeli@sfu.ca
Global impact of open pen aquaculture
John Reynolds, a fish ecologist and the Tom Buell B.C. Leadership Chair in salmon conservation at SFU, can comment on the first global analysis of the impact of open pen fish farms on wild salmon. The study, appearing today (Feb. 12) in the online journal PLoS Biology, a Public Library of Science publication, concludes that salmon farms reduce wild salmon survival by more than 50 percent per generation. “It seems clear that salmon farming as currently practiced is not compatible with sustainability of healthy wild populations,” says Reynolds, adding that the Nova Scotia authors’ study rests on “sophisticated analyses”.
John Reynolds, 778.782.5636, 604.761.1960 (cell), reynolds@sfu.ca
Avalanche havoc
Global impact of open pen aquaculture
Olympic countdown
The countdown to the Olympics is on – it all unfolds in exactly two years from today (Feb. 12). SFU experts can provide insight on a wide range of issues leading up to the 2010 Olympics – from tourism and the games’ economic impact to sports psychology. For a complete list see
http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/issues_experts/hot_topics/2010_Olympics.html
As Vancouver and Whistler prepare, so do athletes hopeful for the chance to compete. SFU psychology professor Mario Liotti has some insight into their thought processes. He has studied athletes who fail to make the grade (swimmers who didn’t make the 2004 Olympic team), undertaking MRI scans while the athletes watched replays of their defeats. He has more recently followed up with a study of winners – including gold medallists watching their gold medal performances. His study on the failing athletes has just been published in the journal Brain Imaging and Behavior and also appears in the current NCAA Champion online magazine. See the article here.
Mario Liotti, 778.782.4561; mario_liotti@sfu.ca
Avalanche havoc
Avalanches have closed one of the province’s main highways indefinitely and warnings have been issued for local mountains. Meanwhile the death toll from snow and avalanche-related accidents continues to climb. Pascal Haegeli, a post-doctorate fellow at SFU, studies decision-making by individuals who take to the backcountry avalanche terrain – and is now focusing on young skiers and snowboarders who seeking the thrill of heading out-of-bounds. Haegeli is also a co-author of the Avaluator, which offers quick advice on key decisions related to approaching the backcountry.
Pascal Haegeli, 604.773.0854; pascal_haegeli@sfu.ca
Global impact of open pen aquaculture
John Reynolds, a fish ecologist and the Tom Buell B.C. Leadership Chair in salmon conservation at SFU, can comment on the first global analysis of the impact of open pen fish farms on wild salmon. The study, appearing today (Feb. 12) in the online journal PLoS Biology, a Public Library of Science publication, concludes that salmon farms reduce wild salmon survival by more than 50 percent per generation. “It seems clear that salmon farming as currently practiced is not compatible with sustainability of healthy wild populations,” says Reynolds, adding that the Nova Scotia authors’ study rests on “sophisticated analyses”.
John Reynolds, 778.782.5636, 604.761.1960 (cell), reynolds@sfu.ca