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Issues & Experts Archive > Forest fires, poverty, Nobel, justice — Issues and Experts
Forest fires, poverty, Nobel, justice — Issues and Experts
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March 02, 2004
Forest fire report out, new season awaits…The Filmon report on last summer’s disastrous fire season in BC recommends controlled burns and selective logging in BC parks to reduce the risk of wildfires. A halting of controlled burns led to a tremendous build up of fuel on the forest floor, exacerbating the fire’s intensity. SFU forest ecologist Ken Lertzman, an associate professor in the school of resource and environmental management, can look at the causes and effects of extreme fire behavior as well as the debate around management practices. Alton Harestad, an associate professor of biological sciences, is a forest wildlife ecologist who can assess the long-term effects of fires, and management practices, on area wildlife. They can also look ahead to the coming summer.
Committing to development, sidestepping scandal…Canada will commit to a United Nations plan to reduce poverty by encouraging small business in developing countries, says Prime Minister Paul Martin, co-chair of a panel that created the plan. SFU communication professor Robert Anderson specializes in international development and can look at the need and the proposed response. Martin announced the plan at the UN headquarters in New York, giving him some respite from the sponsorship scandal back home. SFU political scientist Patrick Smith says the PM has waded well through the "open line heat" in the wake of the scandal. "Looking prime-ministerial right now (with his UN role) will help," adds Smith, who can assess the continuing fallout.
Understanding the invisible leads to new vision… Elana Brief, a research associate in physics at SFU, will kick off the university's third annual Nobels and Other Prizes lecture series by presenting the work of 2003 Nobel laureates Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield. Brief will apply her insight into the evolution of magnetism as a means of imaging the inside of the human body, shedding light on their Nobel Prize winning research. Lauterbur, an American chemist and biophysicist, and Mansfield, a British physicist, revolutionized diagnostic medicine by envisioning a medical use for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Scientists were using this non-invasive technique to measure molecular motion in test tubes in the 1950s. Brief will tell the story of how Lauterbur and Mansfield helped turn NMR into Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a technique now regarded as the gold standard for imaging brain, spinal cord and joint diseases. The free public lecture series, March 4 - April 22, is from 6 -7:30 p.m. at Harbour Centre. Reservations required.
Full circle towards peace…Barry Stuart, a recently retired justice of the Yukon Territorial Court, will talk about the impact of peacemaking circles when he gives a lecture for the institute for the humanities on Thursday, March 4 at 1:20 p.m. in the Academic Quadrangle (AQ), room 5119. Stuart has spent the last few decades participating in peacemaking circles and mediation, and is internationally known for his work in criminal justice and dialogue facilitation. He is currently an adjunct professor in the school of criminology, and a member of the Centre for Dialogue at SFU.Trish Graham, 604.291.5855; trish_a_graham@sfu.ca
- Ken Lertzman, 604.291.3069/5775; kenneth_lertzman@sfu.caAlton Harestad, 604.291.4809; harestad@sfu.ca
Committing to development, sidestepping scandal…Canada will commit to a United Nations plan to reduce poverty by encouraging small business in developing countries, says Prime Minister Paul Martin, co-chair of a panel that created the plan. SFU communication professor Robert Anderson specializes in international development and can look at the need and the proposed response. Martin announced the plan at the UN headquarters in New York, giving him some respite from the sponsorship scandal back home. SFU political scientist Patrick Smith says the PM has waded well through the "open line heat" in the wake of the scandal. "Looking prime-ministerial right now (with his UN role) will help," adds Smith, who can assess the continuing fallout.
- Robert Anderson, 604.291.4265; randerso@sfu.caPatrick Smith, 604.291.3088; 604.291.1544 (home); psmith@sfu.ca
Understanding the invisible leads to new vision… Elana Brief, a research associate in physics at SFU, will kick off the university's third annual Nobels and Other Prizes lecture series by presenting the work of 2003 Nobel laureates Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield. Brief will apply her insight into the evolution of magnetism as a means of imaging the inside of the human body, shedding light on their Nobel Prize winning research. Lauterbur, an American chemist and biophysicist, and Mansfield, a British physicist, revolutionized diagnostic medicine by envisioning a medical use for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Scientists were using this non-invasive technique to measure molecular motion in test tubes in the 1950s. Brief will tell the story of how Lauterbur and Mansfield helped turn NMR into Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a technique now regarded as the gold standard for imaging brain, spinal cord and joint diseases. The free public lecture series, March 4 - April 22, is from 6 -7:30 p.m. at Harbour Centre. Reservations required.
- Elana Brief, 604.291.3480 reservations, 291-5100, cs_hc@sfu.ca
Full circle towards peace…Barry Stuart, a recently retired justice of the Yukon Territorial Court, will talk about the impact of peacemaking circles when he gives a lecture for the institute for the humanities on Thursday, March 4 at 1:20 p.m. in the Academic Quadrangle (AQ), room 5119. Stuart has spent the last few decades participating in peacemaking circles and mediation, and is internationally known for his work in criminal justice and dialogue facilitation. He is currently an adjunct professor in the school of criminology, and a member of the Centre for Dialogue at SFU.