UNIVERSITY NEWS

SFU WELCOMES JENNIFER KANDJII

Jennifer Kandjii is the inaugural director of equity, diversity and inclusion for Student Services. Kandjii joined the university after more than 10 years working for the United Nations Refugee Agency and at other Canadian post-secondary institutions.

WELCOME JENNIFER KANDJII

NEW FIRE STATION ON BURNABY MOUNTAIN

Fire Station 8 has officially opened its temporary location in the heart of Burnaby Mountain, which is fully staffed and will operate 24/7 until a permanent one is built.

The new permanent station is a joint effort between SFU and The City Of Burnaby with the additional funding support of $30 million from the Federal Government and is expected to be operational next year.

ADDRESSING BC’S HOUSING CHALLENGES

SFU's Housing Solutions Lab, a partnership between SFU Renewable Cities and North Shore’s Hollyburn Community Services Society, aims to tackle some of B.C.’s most pressing priorities: affordability, social isolation among seniors and climate action.

Researchers are exploring ways to support older homeowners who want to rent out secondary suites but need support managing additional responsibilities, selecting tenants and troubleshooting legal issues.

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HOW SALMON FEEDS FLOWERS & FLOURISHING ECOSYSTEMS

SFU biology researchers have found that nutrients from salmon carcasses can alter the growth and reproduction of plant species in the surrounding habitat—and even cause some flowers to grow bigger and more plentiful.

Their study, recently published in Royal Society Open Science, is the first to demonstrate this connection and how the impact of climate change on the rivers and streams travelled by salmon could help to inform ecosystem planning and management.

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RESOURCES + OPERATIONAL UPDATES

SPOTLIGHT YOUR RESEARCH AND EXPERTISE WITH THE MEDIA

Contact mediarelations@sfu.ca with your idea/topic. Possible themes for February and beyond are:

New research and stories
COVID: COVID and flu, new research and vaccines, COVID public health developments, long COVID
International: Layoffs at tech companies, one year since the Ukraine/Russia war start (Feb. 24) and arming Ukraine, oil demand and climate, financial markets, world conflicts and protests
B.C.: Trudeau/Eby meeting, 100-day plan for B.C. housing, health and safety, alcohol tax increase (Apr. 1)
Canada: Real estate and fraud, The Rapid Housing Initiative failures, Black History Month, National Flag Day and national symbols use (Feb. 15), Emergencies Act report (Feb. 20), food prices and cost of living, labour issues, healthcare issues and health policy, China relations

BUILDING SAFETY AWARENESS

SFU Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will be sharing periodic safety reminders and information in the newsletter. This month, they are reminding the SFU community to report building damage or debris to Facilities Services through their online service request system.

Some building materials can pose a health concern if broken or disturbed. For example, most older buildings in North America, including many on SFU campuses, were built with asbestos-containing materials. These materials do not pose a health risk when properly managed but any new damage or discovered debris on campus should be reported so a proper assessment can be made.

Visit the Work and Research Safety website for more information on potential building hazards to be aware of on campus. The EHS team is also available to provide guidance and answer questions about building safety and building materials.

FEATURE EVENT

HOW IS MULTILINGUALISM A SUPERPOWER IN THE CLASSROOM?

February 9 | Hosted by Centre for Educational Excellence

Attend this session, which includes a panel discussion with multilingual undergraduate students and faculty members, to explore the academic performance contributions that multilingualism provides.

REP THE LEAF AT SFU BASKETBALL GAMES

February 9 & February 11 | Hosted by Athletics

Come out and watch elite NCAA basketball games on Thursday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 11, at West Gym.

GO RED LEAFS

BUILDING AND MAINTAINING RESILIENCY

February 13 | Hosted by SFU Human Resources

With all that occurs in our workplaces and homes, the one constant we encounter is stress. Stress can manifest in reactions ranging from trepidation to full-blown anxiety to defensiveness. This course focuses on building resiliency to combat the impacts of stress on the brain and body.