April 3, 2023 | Digest No. 340
13th Annual BPK Research Day 2023 - This Thursday!
The BPK Research Day Organizing Committee is pleased to invite you to the 13th Annual BPK Research Day. The event will be held in-person on Friday, April 6th, 2023 in the Big Data Hub (Burnaby campus). This event aims to showcase research done in the BPK department by undergraduate, graduate, post-doc, and faculty researchers. This year also includes a keynote address by Dr. Peter Tierney, a Senior Researcher at Lululemon currently working in the Product Innovation Team, with a talk titled "Academia, Sport, Industry, why choose just one?"
All are welcome to attend and celebrate the excellent research in the BPK department!
Organ Donation Awareness Dinner
April is Organ Donation Awareness month! Join an event hosted by the SFU Blood, Organ and Stem Cell Club and listen to inspiring talks given by living organ donors and recipients while enjoying a free dinner and snacks. This event is free to attend, and will be held on April 4th 5-7pm at the SFU Burnaby Campus from 5-7pm at SUB4200. Time is everything. This is why we promise registering as an organ donor should only #TakeTwoMinutes on www.transplant.bc.ca. If you have any questions, contact us at blood_sfu@sfu.ca. We hope to see you there!
UBC Pre-Med Diversity Symposium
The Pre-Med Diversity Symposium is an annual UBC faculty-sponsored event designed to encourage people from all walks of life to apply to medical school. This event is tailored to applicants who consider themselves ‘non-traditional’ for reasons that may include having a non-science background, applying later in life, having children and family, having financial or personal hardship, or belonging to a demographic underrepresented in medicine.
Event details:
What: Faculty speakers, student speakers, and small group Q&A with medical students.
Date: April 23rd, 2023
Time: 10:00 am - 1:30 pm PST
RSVP receive Zoom link: https://forms.gle/1Pakmoo7cmHEGQPP6
Join the Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/HPAdLdpl
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at ubcpremeddiversity@gmail.com
West Coast Virtual Fair 2023
West Coast Virtual Fairs 2023 is coming back on May 17 and 18! Save the Date and Sign Up Now to get notifications to receive special link access by May 10. This Fair is a collaboration between SFU, UBC and UVIC. You will find plenty of interesting career, co-op, volunteer, and graduate program opportunities no matter what faculty and program you are in! Open to all 3 universities’ students and alumni.
Science Career Chats Drop-in
Attention Science students and recent alumni! Want to learn more about careers that complement your degree? Join us for drop-in Career Chats on Mondays from 11:30am to 1:30pm at SCI-SPACE (AQ 3146) this Spring. Meet Brenda from Career & Volunteer Services and learn about exploring career possibilities, gaining experience, and job searching. No appointment required, just show up!
2023 MDDC BC Student Biomed Awards
This is a reminder to all BPK students and student teams about the upcoming MDDC Medical Device Development Centre of British Columbia (‘the MDDC’) student awards (see attached announcement materials). SFU students have done well at this competition in the past securing spots as finalists and winners.
The MDDC is pleased to announce the renewed and increased endowment of up $19,000 to the MDDC Student Awards to encourage and recognize student innovators in technologies relating to medicine and health care, including medical devices, systems, software, apps, and assistive technologies.
Important dates:
Award applications deadline midnight Sunday April 2nd, 2023
Finalists will be notified on or before Monday April 10th, 2023
Finalists will demonstrate their project/prototypes on Saturday May 6th, 2023
Information related to applying and terms and conditions is available at www.mddc.org
For more information email awards@mddc.org
BCIT Environmental Public Health program
The BCIT Environmental Public Health program trains students to become health inspectors and environmental health professionals. Through legislation, education, and promotion, BCIT graduates work with people in almost every industry to safeguard public health. Our students gain current, practical experience to become certified and start working as soon as they graduate.
About the Program
- Two year, full-time Bachelor of Environmental Public Health program
- Small class sizes provide individual support
- Lectures, field trips, and research deliver a solid theory-based education
- A three-month practical experience at a BC health agency offers direct field experience
This program is for individuals who:
- Like working with teams to problem solve and manage conflict in a public health setting
- Enjoy a flexible work environment that changes daily
- Are interested in building strong communication skills
- Have two or more years of post-secondary education
The need for environmental health is everywhere. From law enforcement, consulting, and legislation, to government and quality assurance, public health jobs are critical to keeping people safe.
Recreational Swimmers Needed to Test Smart Swim Googgles
Aidan Kits is looking for experienced recreational swimmers to test a pair of smart swim goggles. This study features a 1-week familiarization period, and a 12-week training program. There will be 3 swim workouts a week:
- Week 1 consists of two supervised familiarization sessions and a performance test
- Between Week 1 and 2, Group 1 and Group 2 will be established:
- Group 1 will full access to the FORM goggles features
- Group 2 will have limited access to the FORM goggles features
- Weeks 2-13 consist of unsupervised workouts (i.e. swimming at an indoor 25m pool of your choosing on your own time) and a final supervised performance test in Week 13
- Each session will be around 1 hour in duration
For more information, and if you are interested in participating, please complete the screening questionnaire below. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the researchers directly via email (akits@sfu.ca).
Dates: May 13 - August 12
Deadline to apply: May 5, 2023
Contact information: akits@sfu.ca
Participants Needed for Research on Visually Guided Walking
Gemma (MSc student in BPK) is recruiting participants for her thesis experiment. If you are interested, please contact her.
In addition to the poster (click to enlarge), note the following when deciding if you are interested:
You should NOT participate in this study if one or more of the following applies:
- Your age is greater than 40 or less than 19 (or less than 18 for an SFU student)
- You have any known visual disorder other than one that can be corrected with lenses
- You have a musculoskeletal (e.g., arthritis) or neurological (e.g., stroke, Parkinson’s disease) disorder that affects your movement or balance
- You are allergic to rubbing alcohol or adhesive
- You have participated in a research experiment using prism glasses before
- You are not vaccinated against COVID19
Your decision on whether to participate will not influence your grades in any coursework or benefit you in terms of status or success in any class.
Contact information: Gemma Malagon / gemma_malagon@sfu.ca
Supine-to-stand versus Supine-to-Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP), Cardiovascular/Musculoskeletal Baroreflex Responses (#30001262)
We are looking for healthy, able-bodied participants aged 19-35 years to come to the Aerospace Physiology Laboratory (APL) to undergo supine-to-stand and supine-to-lower body negative pressure (LBNP) testing protocols.
Your participation in this study will involve…
- 1 lab visit (no longer than 1 hour) at SFU’s APL where you will be lying on your back and standing on a force platform.
- 1 lab visit (no longer than 1 hour) at SFU’s APL where you will be lying on your back inside a LBNP chamber from below the hips.
Both visits will be measuring heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle activity.
Your contribution helps us improve our understanding if LBNP accurately mimics heart and muscle responses that are seen with quiet standing after laying down.
For more information, please contact APL via email or telephone:
Email: LBNP2022Study@gmail.com
Telephone: 778-255-3904
Cerebral Palsy - Support in Maintaining Mobility (Langley)
Looking for enthusiastic female student to work with 32 year old women with Cerebral Palsy in our home in the Langley area (Murrayville). A strong person is needed to put her through stretching and strengthening exercises that maintain her mobility. Must be able to make it fun to keep the motivation going.
Hourly rate is negotiable.
Time commitment would be ongoing for 1 hour 2x per week with possible respite work in addition to this, starting in May.
Criminal record check and Drivers Abstract required.
Deadline to submit application/resume to tetz@shaw.ca is April 15th,2023.
Student Research Assistant
Looking for a student in Physiotherapy or Kinesiology or Exercise Therapy to be involved in a Research Study performed at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Children’s Research Institute who is a motivated student with an interest in research and learning about new techniques to assess energy metabolism and muscle diseases. At the end of the study, the student's name would be on the 2 publications submitted for publication in scientific journals.
This is a paid part time job offer, 10 hours per week for 16 weeks, flexible schedule. Except a few weeks, most can be done from home. The student will be supervised by Dr. Catherine Brunel and Dr Rajavel Elango, a world expert in stable isotope studies. The student will train virtually 2 participants 30 minutes per day, 3 days per week.
The student will be able to learn about the different techniques we used to assess energy metabolism: VO2 max study in the Heart Centre, Body mass composition study with DEXA scan, Glucose oxidation breath test, an indirect measure of ATP production and urine doubly-labelled water test a measure of energy expenditure and indirect calorimetry, before and after a therapeutic intervention..
Title of the study: Assessment of Energy Metabolism in Metabolic Myopathies.
The therapeutic intervention is an exercise study; a 12 weeks at home resistance program, 30 minutes per day, done by participants 5 days per week. 3 days/week are supervised virtually (The 3 x 30minutes every week for 12 weeks to be organized by student, depending of student and participant schedules). The exercise program has been already established, including youtube videos to show how to do the exercises. 2 participants have completed successfully the study. We would like to test 2 more participants.
Job description:
- Recruit 2 new participants with Dr. Brunel in the Biochemical Genetics Clinic, BC Children’s Hospital by virtual telehealth or in person.
- Come to hospital the week of study tests pre intervention to see assist with the tests describe above.
- Train the 2 participants for 12 weeks virtually
- Come to hospital the week of study test post intervention
- Enter data in RedCap database.
Duration: 16 Weeks
Salary based on 10 hours per week or work, discussed at job interview.
Please Dr. Catherine Brunel or Dr. Rajavel Elango (contact info below) with a short description of yourself, your interest in the project and your resume.
- Dr. Brunel: catherine.brunel@cw.bc.ca
- Dr. Elango: relango@bcchr.ubc.ca
Volunteers Needed - #KnowYourSFU Ambassadors
The SFU Student Recruitment & Admissions team is seeking volunteers to support their #KnowYourSFU event. This event is for Fall 2023 students to accept their offer and to get to know the SFU community. You’ll interact with new/undecided students and welcome them to SFU. They are currently looking for volunteers to assist with logistics, event set-up/tear-down, wayfinding/directions, and greeting/welcoming prospective students and their families/supporters. You can volunteer at either the Burnaby and/or Surrey campus:
Burnaby Event Day: Wednesday April 12th, 3:30pm-8:30pm
- Training: Wednesday April 5th, 4:30pm-5:30pm
- Alternative training: Tuesday April 11th, 4:30pm-6:30pm
All volunteer hours apply towards the Student Ambassador Program. Students who volunteer for 10+ hours across both events (5 hours each day) are eligible to receive a co-curricular credit. Refreshments will be provided to #KnowYourSFU student volunteers at both events.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please feel free to connect with the #KnowYourSFU Organizing Committee (sraevent@sfu.ca).
You can find more details and apply to volunteer through myInvolvement:
Fraser Health Crisis Line Volunteer Opportunity
Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity? Why not start now!
The Fraser Health Crisis Line is recruiting volunteers to provide assistance to people in the region who are experiencing emotional distress. No previous experience is needed as extensive training and ongoing support is provided. If you are interested in learning more about this challenging and rewarding opportunity,the first step is to review the information on our website and then attend a Zoom Information Session. Please go to www.options.bc.ca and click on Get Involved -> I Want to Volunteer -> Crisis Line. Here you will find the dates and Zoom links for the up-coming sessions.
Many volunteers report that their Crisis Line experience was significant in helping them reach their educational and/or career goals, including acceptance into Graduate Programs, Policing, Medical School, E-Comm 911, Social Work, Mental Health and related fields. Volunteers also tell us that they find the Crisis Line to be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, as they are truly making a difference.
Dialogue Fellow, Diane Finegood, Honoured for Leadership in Experiential Learning
Morris J. Wosk Center for Dialogue - March 09, 2023
Diane Finegood, BPK Faculty and Dialogue Fellow, recieves a 2022 Award for Excellence in Teaching: Community Engaged or Experimental Education. Congratulations!
DISCLAIMER: The Department of BPK is forwarding these opportunities as we receive them, however we strongly encourage you to research and obtain information regarding the reputation of organizations, the terms and conditions of employment or service, as well as to understand your rights and responsibilities. The Department does not endorse any specific individuals, organizations, products, programs or services. If you see any suspicious postings or hiring practices, please notify us immediately at bpk_engage@sfu.ca.