SFU news and research

Here is a round up of some of the news and research highlights from the past year.

• Dr. David Price joins leadership team for SFU Medical School: Practising physician and national leader in family medicine and primary care Dr. David Price joined the university in September as the new acting dean and special advisor for the SFU Medical School. Dr. Price is a professor and former chair of McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine. While at SFU, he will also hold a visiting faculty appointment in SFU’s Department of Biomedical Physiology & Kinesiology in the Faculty of Science.
• Dr. Evan Adams to lead embedding Indigenous knowledge systems at SFU Medical School: Joining the SFU Medical School as the new acting associate dean of Indigenous Health, Dr. Evan Adams is of Tla’amin Nation ancestry and serves as the Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer with the First Nations Health Authority in B.C. With a wealth of experience advocating for Indigenous people and perspectives in healthcare at both provincial and national levels, Dr. Adams is well-equipped to promote Indigenous perspectives in medical education and enhance service equity within the school.
• Construction on Lower Mainland’s newest art museum now underway: In early August, the SFU community marked the commencement of construction for the Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum with an Indigenous-led ground awakening ceremony. Set to open on Burnaby campus in 2025, the 12,000 square foot museum will enhance public access to SFU's Art Collection and facilitate artist-led learning programs, artist residencies, and community engagement activities. Additionally, the museum will feature an expansive indoor common area for performances, readings, screenings, and community events.
• University to increase Black and Indigenous faculty and staff representation: The B.C. Human Rights Commissioner recently approved several Special Program applications allowing for limited and preferential hiring of at least 15 tenure-track Black faculty, 15 Black staff members as well as at least 15 Indigenous staff at SFU. The application process for additional targeted hiring of Indigenous faculty is currently underway. As vice-president, people, equity and inclusion Yabome Gilpin-Jackson notes, “the special programs approval supports the university’s strategic priority to strengthen Black and Indigenous faculty and staff recruitment and retention, for qualified candidates from equity-deserving groups who are historically and currently underrepresented as per our commitments in SFU's Equity Compass.”
• SFU takes top spot in Maclean’s 2024 university rankings: Earning first place for student services and awards, library resources (expenses and acquisitions) and operating budget, SFU retained top spot in the 2024 Maclean’s University Rankings this fall. The university also placed in the top three for student/faculty ratio, faculty awards, social sciences and humanities grants, medical/science grants and reputation.
• Six leaders honoured for making an inspiring difference: In early September, SFU was proud to recognize the 2023 recipients of the President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award, Amyn and Shein Rajan, for their inspiring philanthropy and dedication to community, education and equity. As well, the university presented three recipients for the Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award, including: Elizabeth Model, for her contributions toward the growth of Surrey; Kali Stierle, for her service and dedication to the Indigenous student community at SFU and beyond; and SFU Black Caucus (founding members Henry Daniel and June Francis), for building a better SFU through equity and racial justice.
• Starry Nights at the Trottier Observatory on Burnaby Mountain expands virtually: SFU's weekly star party on Burnaby Mountain will be online once a month for astronomy enthusiasts to observe celestial wonders from home via the Trottier Observatory's telescope. Organized by SFU Science Outreach and supported by volunteers from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Vancouver, Starry Nights is a free event for everyone in the community. Initially offered virtually during COVID-19, the program recently resumed in-person events. However, online programming has been renewed with continued interest from participants outside the province and the increased accessibility offered by virtual sessions.
• Lifelong Indigenous language advocate dedicates degree to Tlingit heritage: Kèyishí Bessie Cooley has been a driving force for language revitalization in her community for the last four decades. The member of the Kùkhhittan clan and Raven moiety of the Inland Tlingit Nation completed her master’s degree in Indigenous Languages and Linguistics from SFU and presented her thesis project at the Yukon Native Language Centre in Whitehorse, interweaving English and Tlingit as she spoke.
• Business graduate students help ePlane project take flight: A team from SFU's Management of Technology MBA program is helping develop fully electric commercial aircraft after completing a consulting project with Harbour Air Seaplanes. Beginning in May 2023, the group analyzed the market, regulations, and strategic directives for the company’s electrification vision, providing strategic proposals that helped Harbour Air navigate the growing ePlane market.
• Researchers from SFU involved in major international antimatter breakthrough: Physicists from SFU, the University of Calgary, TRIUMF (Canada’s particle accelerator centre), University of British Columbia, York University, and British Columbia Institute of Technology, in collaboration with global research institutions, have answered a long-standing question about gravity's impact on antimatter. Their discovery confirms that antimatter is affected by gravity, moving downward. SFU professor emeritus Michael Hayden's expertise in magnetic fields, microwaves, and resonance was crucial in confining antimatter for this historic observation. The project, taking over a decade to develop the necessary tools and techniques, holds profound implications for the future of physics.
• Wildfire and ecosystem scientist leads new research group at SFU: Dr. Sophie Wilkinson, a wildfire scientist who joined SFU in July, is heading the new Fire and Ecosystems Research Group and Lab. Her team will focus on wildfire behaviour, its impacts, and the factors that contribute, including peatlands. With a background as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto's School of Forestry FireLab, she collaborates with the Canadian Forest Service, Provincial Parks, and various industries' land managers, working on a new fuel moisture index for the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System.