SFU: WHAT'S NEXT?

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN PHASE ONE

Phase one of SFU: What's Next? is now complete—thank you for sharing and rating ideas on ThoughtExchange and for taking part in the survey. Your participation helps ensure that this work reflects the values, interests and priorities of SFU faculty and staff. The input gathered through each platform will be themed and shared back this summer, and a record of the conversations on ThoughtExchange remains online. Stay tuned for more ways to participate in defining what's next for SFU.

EXPLORE PAST THOUGHTEXCHANGES

UNIVERSITY NEWS

ALUMNI WELCOMED BACK FOR IN-PERSON CONVOCATION CEREMONY

Convocation is one of the single most important moments in a student’s journey. From May 4-6, SFU is holding the Welcome Back Alumni Convocation for recent SFU alumni to celebrate their achievements in person with friends, professors, family and former classmates.

LET'S CELEBRATE

CELEBRATING ASIAN HERITAGE

May is Asian Heritage Month! Watch a film, attend a talk, connect with programs and more. Visit the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page throughout the month for new events, resources and stories celebrating Asian heritage and culture at SFU and in the community beyond.

LEARN MORE

STAFF ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER SETS AN EXAMPLE THROUGH DATASETS

“I’ve always loved playing with data and trying to make sense of it. So really, this is my dream job to work at SFU and help people make informed choices through the numbers.”

Liny Chan, SFU Institutional Research and Planning’s associate director, joined the university community in 1989 and she's always been here to navigate the numbers. For her years of leadership, devotion and commitment to SFU, Liny is the recipient of the 2021 Staff Achievement Award for Lifetime Achievement.

MEET LINY

FINDING THE COMMON THREAD BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND OUR WORLD

We turn on technology from the moment we start our days—but what if it was already integrated into everyday objects around us?

In the School of Interactive Arts and Technology’s Everyday Design Studio, researchers are infusing textiles with technology—weaving ‘threads’ of Wi-Fi into fabric—to further understand how technology impacts our lives.

GREGORY DOW RETIRES FROM SFU ECONOMICS

After almost three decades at SFU's Department of Economics, professor Gregory Dow is hanging up his teaching hat and retiring this May. He joined the university in 1995 and is known for his extensive research in economic prehistory and dedication to teaching.

Learn more about Dow's academic career and what he's looking forward to in this new chapter.

RESOURCES + OPERATIONAL UPDATES

SPOTLIGHT YOUR RESEARCH AND EXPERTISE WITH THE MEDIA

SFU’s Communications & Marketing team is always on the lookout for experts who can comment to the media about trending topics, new research, SFU-inspired innovation and making a difference with community engagement. If you have an idea/topic, contact us at mediarelations@sfu.ca. For past examples, check out our media releases and issues & experts pitches.

For May and early June, we are looking for:

New research and stories
Conservative party leadership race (conference: May 5, debates: May 11 - ENG, May 25 - FR); Ontario's election (June 2)
National Indigenous History Month (June)
B.C. minimum wage increase (June 1)
B.C. farming: pollinators, flood prevention, temporary foreign workers, avian flu (asap)
Canada: interest rates and inflation, gas and food prices, the housing crisis, low storage availability, labour shortages, military spending, climate change cost and heat dome anniversary, increase in asylum-seekers crossing into Canada, Bill C-18 (Online News Act, social media platforms to pay for news content), Rogers-Shaw transfer of broadcast services (pending)
War in Ukraine
Spring themes: allergies, plants/gardening, animals, birds and insects, snow melt, etc.
COVID-19: long COVID, relaxed travel rules, living with COVID, COVID and other medical procedures, fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine, new variants/subvariants, new treatments, etc.

Experts and communications staff who want to sign up for The Conversation callouts should reach out to Lisa Varano (lisa.varano@theconversation.com).

ROAD UPGRADES AT BURNABY CAMPUS

This summer, road work and upgrades on University Drive East (UDE) will result in limited access to vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian traffic until September 2. Upgrades include installation of street lights on UDE (between Gaglardi Way and University High Street), widening the multi-use path and repaving Nelson Way and UDE. Learn how these changes may affect your commute.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

MENTAL HEALTH WEEK

May 2-8 is the Canadian Mental Health Association's Mental Health Week. This year's theme is empathy. Explore articles and resources or rewatch a webinar from Homewood Health, SFU’s employee and family assistance program provider, to learn more.

FEATURE EVENT

RED DRESS DAY

May 5 | Hosted by SFU Indigenous Student Centre

May 5th is the National Day of Awareness to remember the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people.

Also known as Red Dress Day, you can raise awareness and learn more by:

Attending a Red Dress Day event hosted by the Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) and First Nations, Metis and Inuit Student Association (FNMISA) across SFU’s three campuses
Hanging a red dress in your office space/window
Wearing red on May 5
Reading the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

LEARN MORE

SCIENCE RENDEZVOUS

May 6 & 7| Hosted by SFU Science

Attend Science Rendezvous and celebrate International Astronomy Day for an out-of-this-world online science experience!

The line-up includes: student spaceflight experiments going up to the International Space Station, astronomy presentations, a magic chemistry show, a special 'Meet an SFU Scientist' session and live-streamed, front-row access to our on-campus telescope. In-person tours of the Trottier Observatory will also be offered (weather permitting).