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Issues & Experts Archive > Media, Tourism, Economics, Robotics, Business – Issues, Experts and Ideas
Media, Tourism, Economics, Robotics, Business – Issues, Experts and Ideas
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May 24, 2006
Harper vs. media
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s move to organize a media questioning session didn’t sit well with journalists — they walked out. SFU political scientist Patrick Smith says it’s still to soon to know, but he is watching to see if Harper’s strategy, well-learned from US President George Bush’s White House approach, has caused much damage at a time when he is high in the polls.
Patrick Smith, 604.291.1544 (h); psmith@sfu.ca
Gearing up for the tourist season
Tourist season is officially underway, as the first long-weekend heading into summer prompted outdoor enthusiasts to venture out — despite the rain. But what influence can we expect to see from high gas prices, Canadian dollar increases and border passes on travel to and from Canada? Peter Williams, director of SFU’s centre for tourism research and policy, can look at those factors as well as new trends, including the impact of amenity-led tourism migration — tourists who move here permanently after liking what they see — and what it means for locals.
Peter Williams, 604.291.3103; 604.922.1954; peter_williams@sfu.ca
Technology: changing the world economy
A new book by Canada’s foremost economist, Richard Lipsey, looks at how technologies currently changing the world are affecting its economy. The SFU professor emeritus is globally respected for his research on free trade and other economic issues, and is the recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s gold medal (2005) for his life-long research. He will talk about his book, Economic Transformations: General Purpose Technologies, on Wednesday, May 24 at 2 p.m. at SFU Vancouver’s Harbour Centre campus (rm 2270). A book launch will follow at 5:30 p.m. The book is co-written with professors Kenneth Carlaw of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and Clifford Bekar, an SFU alumnus now at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon.
Joanna Lipsey, 604.947.9544; jlipsey@shaw.ca
Preview: SFU Open House, Saturday, June 3, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
They shoot, they score!
SFU is well-known for its top athletes, but players of a different sort are helping scientists better understand artificial intelligence and robotics. SFU Surrey professor Vadim Kyrylov’s robotic soccer dog team, SFUnleashed, will demonstrate its soccer-playing prowess at SFU’s Open House. Also during the event, a pair of engineering science hockey robots will show how they out-think each other during shoot-outs, as they make decisions and moves without human intervention. Researchers can talk about their work and show the robots in action in the days prior to the Open House.
Vadim Kyrylov, 604.268.7435; vkyrylov@sfu.ca
Paula Scott, engineering, 604.291.5806; ptr@sfu.ca
The perfect mousetrap
How would you build a better mousetrap? Students from SFU Business clubs will redesign a mousetrap to align with their club’s specific focus during SFU’s Open House. For example, the management and information systems association might create a virtual reality mouse trap that would maintain effectiveness while cutting down on the number of injuries caused by people accidentally stepping on traps, while the international business association might create a trap that accommodates a selection of cheeses from around the world to entice mice of all ethnicities. Students can preview their plans.
Bill Holmes, business, 604.291.3700; william_holmes@sfu.ca
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s move to organize a media questioning session didn’t sit well with journalists — they walked out. SFU political scientist Patrick Smith says it’s still to soon to know, but he is watching to see if Harper’s strategy, well-learned from US President George Bush’s White House approach, has caused much damage at a time when he is high in the polls.
Patrick Smith, 604.291.1544 (h); psmith@sfu.ca
Gearing up for the tourist season
Tourist season is officially underway, as the first long-weekend heading into summer prompted outdoor enthusiasts to venture out — despite the rain. But what influence can we expect to see from high gas prices, Canadian dollar increases and border passes on travel to and from Canada? Peter Williams, director of SFU’s centre for tourism research and policy, can look at those factors as well as new trends, including the impact of amenity-led tourism migration — tourists who move here permanently after liking what they see — and what it means for locals.
Peter Williams, 604.291.3103; 604.922.1954; peter_williams@sfu.ca
Technology: changing the world economy
A new book by Canada’s foremost economist, Richard Lipsey, looks at how technologies currently changing the world are affecting its economy. The SFU professor emeritus is globally respected for his research on free trade and other economic issues, and is the recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s gold medal (2005) for his life-long research. He will talk about his book, Economic Transformations: General Purpose Technologies, on Wednesday, May 24 at 2 p.m. at SFU Vancouver’s Harbour Centre campus (rm 2270). A book launch will follow at 5:30 p.m. The book is co-written with professors Kenneth Carlaw of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and Clifford Bekar, an SFU alumnus now at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon.
Joanna Lipsey, 604.947.9544; jlipsey@shaw.ca
Preview: SFU Open House, Saturday, June 3, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
They shoot, they score!
SFU is well-known for its top athletes, but players of a different sort are helping scientists better understand artificial intelligence and robotics. SFU Surrey professor Vadim Kyrylov’s robotic soccer dog team, SFUnleashed, will demonstrate its soccer-playing prowess at SFU’s Open House. Also during the event, a pair of engineering science hockey robots will show how they out-think each other during shoot-outs, as they make decisions and moves without human intervention. Researchers can talk about their work and show the robots in action in the days prior to the Open House.
Vadim Kyrylov, 604.268.7435; vkyrylov@sfu.ca
Paula Scott, engineering, 604.291.5806; ptr@sfu.ca
The perfect mousetrap
How would you build a better mousetrap? Students from SFU Business clubs will redesign a mousetrap to align with their club’s specific focus during SFU’s Open House. For example, the management and information systems association might create a virtual reality mouse trap that would maintain effectiveness while cutting down on the number of injuries caused by people accidentally stepping on traps, while the international business association might create a trap that accommodates a selection of cheeses from around the world to entice mice of all ethnicities. Students can preview their plans.
Bill Holmes, business, 604.291.3700; william_holmes@sfu.ca