Dan Burns calls himself a cross-pollinator.

Hired seven months ago as the Faculty of Environment’s (FENV) new manager of curriculum and academic planning, he’s charged with developing interdisciplinary environmental programs.

To do that, he has begun to establish an informal, campus-wide academic network of faculty members whose environmental expertise meshes well regardless of their disciplines.

With an MA in environmental science, and an industry background in fisheries and aquaculture, Burns has spent much of the past 20 years as an educator and administrator in the U.S

He joined SFU after playing a leading role in the accreditation process for Northwest Indian College to become a university.

With FENV, Burns is getting back to his roots. “My real focus is on sustainability and the environment,” he says. “I think it’s the greatest challenge of our time.”

One of his first initiatives is the Collaborative Teaching Fellows Program, which is seeking creative interdisciplinary proposals from faculty members and instructors that focus on environment and sustainability.

The new program’s first project is a new course this fall, Special Topics in Environmental Controversy, in partnership with earth sciences professor John Clague, associate education professor David Zandvliet, and associate chemistry professor Vance Williams.

The course will critically examine the social, technical and scientific aspects of three controversial issues: energy; fisheries and First Nations; and materials and consumerism.

Burns has many more plans for fostering interdisciplinary teaching, including a university-wide inventory of courses that touch on the environment or sustainability.

He’s also working with others to involve faculty and student teams in projects for the City of Vancouver’s Greenest City initiative.

Says Burns: “I think it’s our responsibility to graduate students who can transcend boundaries to address some of today’s environmental challenges.”