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Convocation imitates cosmology
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June 3, 2002
Graduation is a time to celebrate the achievements of students, but this convocation a Simon Fraser University professor is celebrating a rare event akin to the conjunction of planets. Rolf Mathewes is witnessing the graduation of two doctoral students and a master’s student whose theses he supervised, and his eldest daughter from the school of communication.
"I’ve been a professor at SFU since 1975. In all that time I’ve never had more than two of my students graduating at the same time," explains Mathewes, a professor of biological sciences and the associate dean of science. "To have three students, plus my daughter, Kimberley, receiving their degrees simultaneously is like the rare passage of Halley’s comet to me!"
Why should a quadruple graduation be such a rare event? Mathewes, a Maple Ridge resident, notes professors in costly fields such as the sciences can rarely afford to sponsor more than two or three graduate students a year. It also takes most doctoral students four to five years to finish their degree, making the convergence of their convocations unlikely. All three of Mathewes’ graduating students, Jonathan Hughes of east Vancouver, Douglas Hallett, originally from Oshawa, Ontario, and Sandra Rosenberg, a Kelowna resident, say he was highly recommended to them as a senior supervisor.
Master’s graduand Rosenberg credits Mathewes with helping her "greatly improve the scope and clarity of her thesis on past environments in southern BC’s sub-alpine lakes." Hughes, a pioneer in the use of plant remains to evaluate earthquake history, speaks highly of his senior supervisor’s ability to cultivate confidence in his graduate students. Hallett adds, "Rolf sparked my curiosity in climate change and forest fires and now I am starting a position at Northern Arizona University." The doctoral graduand’s thesis was on the historical connection between climate changes and forest fires in southwestern BC’s sub-alpine mountain hemlock rainforests.
Mathewes’ graduating students also have intriguing stories to tell about Rolf, the master chess player, the cupid, the comedian and the camper whose snoring scared off bears.
As for Mathewes’ daughter, a graduate of Maple Ridge Secondary living in the West End, she is receiving her BA in communication. She gets a little nervous about his sense of humour. Worries Kimberley, "I hope he’s not serious when he threatens to jump up in his big purple hat and hug me on stage during graduation!"
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(digital photo available)
CONTACT
Rolf Mathewes, 604.291.4472 (w), mathewes@sfu.ca
Kimberley Mathewes, mathewes@hotmail.com
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR 604.291.3035
"I’ve been a professor at SFU since 1975. In all that time I’ve never had more than two of my students graduating at the same time," explains Mathewes, a professor of biological sciences and the associate dean of science. "To have three students, plus my daughter, Kimberley, receiving their degrees simultaneously is like the rare passage of Halley’s comet to me!"
Why should a quadruple graduation be such a rare event? Mathewes, a Maple Ridge resident, notes professors in costly fields such as the sciences can rarely afford to sponsor more than two or three graduate students a year. It also takes most doctoral students four to five years to finish their degree, making the convergence of their convocations unlikely. All three of Mathewes’ graduating students, Jonathan Hughes of east Vancouver, Douglas Hallett, originally from Oshawa, Ontario, and Sandra Rosenberg, a Kelowna resident, say he was highly recommended to them as a senior supervisor.
Master’s graduand Rosenberg credits Mathewes with helping her "greatly improve the scope and clarity of her thesis on past environments in southern BC’s sub-alpine lakes." Hughes, a pioneer in the use of plant remains to evaluate earthquake history, speaks highly of his senior supervisor’s ability to cultivate confidence in his graduate students. Hallett adds, "Rolf sparked my curiosity in climate change and forest fires and now I am starting a position at Northern Arizona University." The doctoral graduand’s thesis was on the historical connection between climate changes and forest fires in southwestern BC’s sub-alpine mountain hemlock rainforests.
Mathewes’ graduating students also have intriguing stories to tell about Rolf, the master chess player, the cupid, the comedian and the camper whose snoring scared off bears.
As for Mathewes’ daughter, a graduate of Maple Ridge Secondary living in the West End, she is receiving her BA in communication. She gets a little nervous about his sense of humour. Worries Kimberley, "I hope he’s not serious when he threatens to jump up in his big purple hat and hug me on stage during graduation!"
—30—
(digital photo available)
CONTACT
Rolf Mathewes, 604.291.4472 (w), mathewes@sfu.ca
Kimberley Mathewes, mathewes@hotmail.com
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR 604.291.3035