AUGUST 8 2023 | DIGEST NO. 358

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 Summer. Meet Brenda from Career & Volunteer Services and learn about exploring career possibilities, gaining experience, and job searching. No appointment required, just show up!

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

Get to Know BPK’s New Chair

About Dr. Peter Ruben: He became interested in ion channel biophysics while studying learning in a marine invertebrate, a sea slug called Aplysia californica, for his PhD project at the University of Calgary. He went from Calgary to Stanford University’s marine biology lab in Pacific Grove, California, where he continued to work with marine invertebrates as a model system for ion channel biophysics. After 4 years at Stanford, Peter moved to the University of Hawaii where he spent 10 years studying ion channels in crabs and crayfish. In 1995, he moved to Utah State University where he shifted his research focus to study the biophysics of inheritable diseases caused by mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels. Peter came to SFU in 2006 to be Chair of BPK and continued his research on sodium channels. After 5 exciting years as Chair, he served as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Science for 6 years. In 2018, Peter went back to research and teaching for 5 years before agreeing to be Chair of BPK for a short term of 14 months. Peter’s life is not all about work. Living in all those beautiful places, he has found ways to keep physically active: climbing and skiing in Alberta, rock climbing in California, surfing in Hawaii, climbing and skiing in Utah, and all of those activities in British Columbia. Peter enjoys spending time with his family, particularly on ski holidays.

BPK Lab and SFU Strength and Conditioning Partner in Running the First Annual PoCo Sports Festival Physical Literacy Combine

On Saturday July 15, members of BPK’s Laboratory for Quantitative Exercise Biology and SFU Strength and Conditioning partnered to run the first annual PoCo Sports Festival Physical Literacy Combine at Gates Park in Port Coquitlam.

The Sports Festival was organized by the Port Coquitlam Sports Alliance, which consists of local sports associations, School District 43, and the City of Port Coquitlam. The Alliance has been successful in attracting sporting events, sports organizations, and physical literacy initiatives to Port Coquitlam.

The idea for the combine was to encourage youth from the Port Coquitlam community to test the fitness components of strength, power, and speed. Following a warm-up, participants completed the following five tests: 20-m sprint run, vertical jump, backwards overhead medicine ball toss, 20-m slalom run, and isometric midthigh pull (a measure of whole-body strength).

Dr. Dave Clarke, the director of BPK’s Laboratory for Quantitative Exercise Biology, a resident of Port Coquitlam, and coach and Board member for the Port Coquitlam Ridge Meadows Ringette Association, recruited members of his lab and SFU Strength and Conditioning to conduct the testing. The testing team was led by Kris Robertson, Head Coach of SFU Strength and Conditioning, and consisted of the following individuals:

• Luke Everard, BPK MSc student and Assistant Coach, SFU Strength and Conditioning
• Tom Clifford, Assistant Coach, SFU Strength and Conditioning
• Jared Kengkengan, SFU kinesiology major, SFU Strength and Conditioning intern
• Aaron Arnold, SFU Strength and Conditioning intern

Jared’s contribution to the event served as a component of a directed studies course that he is conducting this summer under the co-supervision of Clarke and Robertson. Jared curated testing data from the literature to establish normative standards for males and females of various age ranges. He then developed a handout for each participant on which their results were recorded and that listed the standards against which participants could evaluate their performances.

The event exceeded expectations: despite minimal advertising, approximately 90 people of all ages were tested during the four-hour-long event. The participants enjoyed the experience, with some returning to repeat the testing! Parents expressed their gratitude for the opportunity and for gaining insight into options and opportunities to engage their children in sport. In return, members of SFU BPK and Strength and Conditioning gained valuable practical experience in athlete testing and in community engagement.