Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Gender bias in science grant peer-review

As a nice complement to my previous post, the current issue of Nature reports on gender bias in the peer-review process for scientific grants. A Swiss research team led by Lutz Bornmann has conducted a meta-analysis of 21 studies on this subject, which shows that despite high variation between studies, overall there is a robust effect of gender and men have 7% better odds of grant success than women.

Possible causes and solutions are discussed both in the Nature article (subscription required) and in the original paper (open access).

Women in the Professoriate

Dale Kirby, a Professor of Post-Secondary Education Studies at Memorial, reports on the percentages of women faculty in Canadian universities on his post-secondary education blog, and as reported recently by the Toronto Star.

According to the first entry, women comprise only 18% of full professors.
The second entry gives a lot more information, including changes since 1991, salary comparisons (median salary for female full professors: $6,000 lower than males), and more info on this issue in general.

Not surprisingly: the numbers are up since 1991, but there's still a lot of disparity.

More info & deadlines: CSEE Meeting, May 17-20, 2007

Deadline for Abstract Review & Early Registration: 1 March 2007
-----------
(following copied from ecology@guelph website http://jnewma01.typepad.com/guelphecology/)

2nd Announcement. CSEE Meeting, University of Toronto, May 17-20, 2007

The registration page for the First General Meeting of the Canadian Society of Ecology and and Evolution is now open. This registration, page and information on the program, housing, etc are available at http://www.eeb.utoronto.ca/CSEE/ An overview is given below.

As you will see, we are encouraging early registration to facilitate planning.

The page is regularly updated in both languages, so please check it regularly and be patient if there appears to be delays in posting new information in one of our languages.

Best wishes,
Local Organizing Committee: Locke Rowe (Chair), Doug Morris (CSEE VP), Maydianne Andrade, Cait Dmitriew, Michael Kasumovic , Jessamyn Manson, Jen Perry, Jess Ward.

General Contact: Locke Rowe (csee@eeb.utoronto.ca)
Registration Issues: Jen Perry (csee-reg@eeb.utoronto.ca)

CSEE Meeting, University of Toronto, May 17-20, 2007
The 1st General Meeting of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution will be hosted by the University of Toronto's newly formed Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from May 17 - 20, 2007. Our goal for the 2007 CSEE meeting is to encourage scientific communication, collaboration and camaraderie between students and faculty in ecology and evolution across the country.

Plenary Speakers:
May 18 - Dr. Diane Srivastava, UBC, Ecosystem size effects on insect food webs in bromeliads.
May 19 - Dr. Aneil Agrawal, U. Toronto, Parasites, population genetics and sex.
May 20 - Dr. Ehab Abouheif, McGill, Evo-devo now and in the future.

Symposia:
May 18 -- Ecological Genomics
May 19 -- Gamete Evolution & Ecology
May 20 -- Natural Selection

Contributed Talks:
May 18 - 20

Posters:
May 18 - 19

Workshops:
May 18 - Proposed Canadian Institute for Ecology & Evolution
May 19 - Species at Risk Act (SARA)

Activities:
May 17 - Pre-meeting Field Trip To Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill
May 17 - Mixer

SFSS: Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) nominations update

The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Board of Directors is accepting nominations for students to participate on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the body that oversees the student elections and ensures a fair and judicial electoral process.

The IEC consists of four commissioners, of which one is the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). The IEC meets before, during and after the campaigning period of the student elections in order to ensure that election policies are upheld and to help govern this process. The IEC also handles concerns from candidates during the elections period and collectively decides how to address these concerns.

If anyone is interested in acquiring more information about the IEC, and what it would entail to be a commissioner or the CEO, please feel free to email me or the SFSS Board (sfss-bod@sfu.ca).

If you are interested in being nominated, please email the Board a statement of interest and specify why you are interested in being on the IEC. It would also be helpful to clarify whether you are interested in being a commissioner or the Chief Electoral Officer.

The Board is meeting at 4:30pm this afternoon (Wed) in the MBC and will likely discuss the nomination process to date. Anyone is welcome to attend this meeting.

Andrea Sandau
University Relations Officer
Simon Fraser Student Society
Canadian Federation of Students Local 23
p: 604.291.3182
www.sfss.ca

Workshop: "(Re)Inventing the Internet" (Feb 23)

(Re)Inventing the Internet
You are cordially invited to a one-day workshop featuring cutting-edge research from the upcoming Applied Communication Technology (ACT) Lab book.

Friday, February 23, 2007
Segal Graduate School of Business (500 Granville St. Vancouver)
4800 Policy Room
10am-4pm
Refreshments will be served!

Graduate students in the ACT Lab have been working for a year with Dr. Andrew Feenberg and several of his colleagues on a forthcoming book entitled (Re)Inventing the Internet: Critical Case Studies. This workshop is a report on the progress of their research. The presentations correspond to chapters that explore the social construction of the Internet in a variety of settings, from video games to online education, civic participation to music sharing. The theme is the shaping of the Internet by the practices of users who attempt to influence its design and impact. The Internet appears in these presentations not just as a functional device but also as a field of struggle within which a variety of social and technical factors meet, contend, and converge to produce new forms.
Presenters include noted philosopher of technology, Dr. Andrew Feenberg, communication scholar and author of Internet Society, Dr. Maria Bakardjieva and Dr. Norm Friesen, Canada Research Chair at Thompson River University. Other panelists include: Ted Hamilton, Cindy Xin, Michael Felzcak, Florence Chee, Sara Grimes, Darryl Cressman and Kate Milberry.

The workshop is co-sponsored by SFU's School of Communication and the Institute for the Humanities.

Admission is FREE but reservations are required. Call 604-268-7845 to reserve seats.

--
Trish Graham
Institute for the Humanities
SFU, 8888 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6
Telephone (604) 291-5855
Fax (604) 291-5788

SFSS job posting: Coordinator - Research & Policy (temp)

Employment Notice: Resource Coordinator - Research & Policy (Two month term)

Description: The Resource Coordinator-Research & Policy coordinates and assists in the research and policy work of the Society, including undertaking primary and secondary research, producing briefs, reports and other research materials as well as interpreting, maintaining and developing Society and other policies. Also, the Resource Coordinator-Research & Policy assists in the administration of the Society's Resource office, its systems, records, and activities, and provides advice and support to the elected officials of the Society. This is a temporary replacement position scheduled at 35 hours per week, included in the Canadian Union of Pubic Employees (CUPE) Local 5396 at a wage rate of $26.32 per hour. The Simon Fraser Student Society is an equal opportunity employer.

Goal: To facilitate and deliver clear, coherent and comprehensive research and policy development for the Society, which complement its goals, activities, and positions, and enhance its effectiveness, structures and functions. To ensure the maintenance of the Society's records, materials and resources to the highest standard.

Working Relationships / Role in Organizational Structure: The Resource Coordinator- Research & Policy works closely with the Resource Coordinator-Communications, as well as the Student Union Organizer and Graduate Issues & University Relations Coordinator in the Society's Advocacy area. The Resource Coordinator-Research & Policy reports to the Executive Committee and to the Board of Directors. The Resource Coordinator-Research & Policy serves as a non-voting member of the Executive Committee, Advocacy Committee, Commercial Services Committee and Constitution and Policy Review Committee, and attends all meetings of the Board of Directors. The Resource Coordinator-Research & Policy acts as a primary advisor and resource person to elected officials of the Society on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.

Duties and Responsibilities Research & Policy:
1. Assist, support, counsel and advise the Executive Officers, Board of Directors and committees of the Society
2. Coordinate and undertake timely, regular and relevant research work on issues of importance to the Society and its membership
3. Provide concise and comprehensive analysis, interpretation, and strategic recommendations to elected officials regarding Society policies, agreements, contracts, external documents and materials
4. Assist elected officials with the review and development of the Society's Constitution, By-Laws, policies and procedures
5. Coordinate and undertake the timely and accurate maintenance and updating of Society records, documents and resources, including ensuring statutory and regulatory requirements and standards as set out in the Society Act and University Act are met

General:
1. Act as a primary resource person for Society committees, including distributing agendas, materials, taking minutes, and producing reports
2. Maintain an up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the Society, its structures, priorities, policies, agreements, contracts events and activities
3. Work to ensure the Society's goals, interests, and direction are maintained and advanced; and maintain the confidentiality of the Society's records, activities and affairs
4. Assist in the communications work of the Society with the Resource Coordinator-Communications
5. Administer, with the Resource Coordinator-Communications, the Society's Resource Office, including maintaining records, Society email lists, filing systems, resource materials, and equipment
6. Prepare, with the Resource Coordinator-Communications, the annual budget submission for the Resource Office for consideration by the Finance and Administrative Services committee
7. Provide input on the operations and activities of the Resource Office, its functions and programs
8. Work with Executive Officers, members of the Board, staff and volunteers to develop programs, activities, and events that address issues of concern to the membership

Required Skills and Experience
1. Excellent research and policy skills, including researching and producing briefs, fact sheets and papers, as well as reviewing, interpreting and drafting organizational policy
2. Skills and experience utilizing multiple research sources, and producing timely, accurate and succinct research resource materials
3. Broad knowledge of and experience with the issues and regulatory environment pertaining to post-secondary education
4. Knowledge of university policies, procedures and governing structures
5. Knowledge of post-secondary student organizations' structure and mandate
6. Computing skills (including Macintosh word processing, spreadsheet, and database software)
7. Ability to take verbatim minutes, compile records, and produce meeting reports and related documents
8. Ability to work in a demanding, self-supervisory, multi-task environment, within clear timelines 9. Strong interpersonal skills 10. Some communications skills and experience, including materials production and media work 11. Administrative ability and experience

Mail or fax a resume and cover letter to Resource Coordinator - Research & Policy Hiring Committee, Simon Fraser Student Society – MBC 2250, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, fax: 604-291-5843.

Closing date is NOON, February 12, 2007. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
-- derrick harder | president simon fraser student society | www.sfss.ca dharder@sfu.ca | w.604.268.6564 | c.778.908.0119

SFU Student Films (Feb 1)

selected films from the 2nd year screening at Pacific Cinematheque

The future wunderkinds of the film world flex their creative muscle and pursue their passions in this hour long programs of short films.

Featuring:
  1. Box by Nick Bradford-Ewart, Jelena Stefulic, Lindsay Bradford-Ewart, and Michael Campbell
  2. Anchored by Irina Tanasescu
  3. Now Here is Nowhere by Dan Pierce, Marly Reed, Katie Dyck, and Jessica Parsons
  4. Last Tuesday by Pablo Alvarez, Tony Massil, and Adrian Underhill
  5. 23 by Alex Konyves and Andy Gavel
  6. Avery's Gnome by Crhistina Takahashi, John Driftmier, and Even Warner
SFU THEATRE - Burnaby Campus
Thursday Feb. 01 at 12:30 pm
free admission
information: 604-291-3514

Heather Blakemore
Theatre Manager / SFU Theatre Tel: 604-291-3513
8888 University Drive Fax: 604-291-3084
Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6
Email: blakemor@sfu.ca

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Seminar: the cultural practices of literacy (Feb 5)

Dear all - This message is to invite you to a seminar by Dr. Victoria Purcell-Gates, Canada Research Chair in Early Childhood Literacy (UBC).

The seminar will take place on the Burnaby campus here at SFU on Monday February 5th from 4:30 until 6:30 in EDB7610. The topic of her session will be "The cultural practices of literacy"

Dr. Victoria Purcell-Gates is interested in the ways in which people in communities value and practice literacy in all aspects of their lives. This includes texts, written symbol systems, purposes for reading and writing, attitudes and beliefs. Designing early literacy instruction that builds on young children's linguistic, cognitive, cultural, and social models for reading and writing that they acquired within their home communities. For those of you who may not know, she is a past winner of the prestigious Grawemeyer Award and is one of the best known researchers in the world in her field.

You can visit her website at http://educ.ubc.ca/faculty/vpurcell-gates/

Other seminars that are being planned with the Faculty of Education's help this spring: On March 15th, Dr. Michael Ling (Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education) will be presenting on "From Hip Hop to Habermas and back: on cultural forms and cultural imaginations" On April 4th, Dalene Swanson (post-doc at IERG) will be doing a presentation.

Please do contact me at your convenience if you have any questions,

Teresa

Teresa Martin
Coordinator Imaginative Education Research Group
For Dr. Kieran Egan Canada Research Chair, Education
Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University
http://www.ierg.net
tel: 604-291-4479
fax: 604-268-7014
email: tmartin@sfu.ca

Friday, January 26, 2007

Academic structure proposal submission deadlines

Dear Members of the University Community:

Further to our invitation to the University community earlier this month, I am writing to remind you that if any academic unit, group or individual is planning on making a submission to the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure regarding an alternative structural configuration, we'd ask you to notify us by January 31, 2007. All we need is the name of the academic unit. We are seeking this advance notification so that we can construct Working Group(s) that are best suited to the consideration of realignment proposals and so that we can commence our review of background statistical and planning documents. The full written proposal is due March 9, 2007.

Please send your advance notification either to me directly at jhw@sfu.ca or to the following email address: facultystructure-phase2@sfu.ca.

Sincerely,

John Waterhouse
Chair of the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure
Vice President, Academic

Snow/emergency procedures

A message to the SFU community from the Administration: Following that last big snowstorm and all the traffic chaos, the University has been looking hard at how it can improve its emergency procedures and communications.

From staff, administrators, faculty, students, employee and faculty groups and emergency experts, we have compiled a long list of ideas and excellent advice. We also plan further discussions with TransLink, the RCMP and the City of Burnaby, among others.

Our latest meeting, Wednesday afternoon, was with the Employee Council. That group presented a menu of suggestions, and, as have others, stressed that the university needs to have and to publicize an updated disaster plan that encompasses more than just snowstorms.

Among the ideas we have collected so far:
  • Better and more direct traffic control, using security staff and/or highway gates to stagger the flow of traffic, and thus to avoid the gridlock that quickly developed on January 10.
  • Better communication of more detailed and more frequent information to the community of road and weather conditions and outlook.
  • Better communication with TransLink and the City of Burnaby.
  • More avenues of communication, perhaps including electronic reader-boards at the bus loops on which we can post the latest information.
  • Provision of more information to the community about where people can go, stay and eat if they are stranded on the mountain.
From all of this consultation and these submissions, the University and its new emergency planner are developing new procedures for snow emergencies—and for others that might occur on campus, or necessitate closing the roads down the mountain.

As the University community grows and increasingly uses public transit, we need better and more reliable ways of getting information and updates from TransLink. We now have closed that loop, and will get more timely information.

And with the roads down the mountain all meeting at a single choke-point (the traffic lights on Gaglardi Way) we clearly need reliable traffic control there. Even in good weather, something like the crash of a truck carrying hazardous materials could close all the roads for hours. Among the suggestions we have discussed is a webcam at the intersection. Thank you to all who have contributed ideas and advice on how the University can better make its decisions on closure and better serve and communicate with you in such circumstances.

The university certainly wants to do its best to save you from having to again go through such stress, uncertainty, and a shortage of timely information. We believe we can do things better in the future, and very much regret the experiences the community suffered on January 10. Work on emergency planning continues. All such plans will be shared with you in detail.

--
A message to the SFU community from the Administration, sent from the email of:
Don MacLachlan
Director, Public Affairs and Media Relations
Simon Fraser University
Strand Hall - #2200
8888 University Drive
Burnaby BC V5A 1S6

Phone: 604-291-3929
Cell: 604-763-3929
E-mail: donmac@sfu.ca
Fax: 604-291-3039

Thursday, January 25, 2007

openings on SFSS working group to assess CFS pros/cons

The SFSS has formed a working group to assess the costs and benefits of our membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). This is a non-partisan working group, and it is open to all students. Anyone interested in helping out should contact Sasha Fox (ero@sfss.ca) - the more people involved the better, since more people spreads out the work, and will help to ensure that students can feel confident that a balanced assessment has been made.

SFU students collectively spend appoximately $400,000 per year to be a member of the CFS. As with any major contract, it is advisable to periodically assess whether we are getting value for our money - this is the major mandate of this working group. This assessment comes in the wake of the CFS having denied our vote at the recent national meeting, as well as disputed allegations of financial mismanagement at the BC component of the CFS. The CFS is the largest canadian national student group, and provides some services to member students, as well as lobbying provinvial and national governments on issues of interest to students such as tuition fees.

------------------
Greetings all,
So the worknig group on our participation in the Canadian Federation of Students will meet three times before reporting back to the next forum.

The first meeting will be Thursday, February 1st at 15:30 in the meeting room next to the grad lounge
The second meeting will be Wednesday, February 7th at 16:30 in MBC 2296
The third meeting will be Tuesday, February 13th at 14:30 in Forum Chambers

Show up if you're interested in discussing the relationship between SFSS and the CFS.

-
-Sasha Fox
External Relations Officer, Simon Fraser Student Society
Undergraduate Representative on Senate

604.268.6564

Tax returns: claim the new tax credit for U-Pass !

New tax credit: applies for transit passes starting 1 July 2006. This means that you can claim your U-Pass on the tax return you're about to complete. More info is given a news release on the Translink website.

nominations open for SFSS IEC (electoral commission)

The SFSS Board of Directors will be appointing a new Independent Electoral Commission (IEC; the IEC oversees the elections - including referenda - of the SFSS) at their Board meeting next Wednesday. Anyone who would like to be on the IEC should contact an SFSS Director ASAP - make sure that you also find out when & where the Board meeting will be so that you can tell the Board why they should pick you.

The Board has made it a priority to appoint an IEC early so that they will have plenty of time to plan the upcoming spring election (where a whole new Board will be voted in, and there may be a referendum on grads withdrawing from the SFSS & forming their own student association). The IEC determines most of the details of the election, including campaigning rules, whether or not to allow online voting, planning the candidate debates, whether candidates can send you emails, etc. etc. There is a stipend for these positions. If you want more info, please contact me (cmoray@sfu.ca) or the SFSS.

Production Way bus loop to close; changes to 144, 135

It was reported to Forum yesterday that the Production Way bus loop will be shut down for approximately 1 year, starting sometime in early Feb (2nd week?). Riders will instead board the 145 beside Lougheed Highway, as they used to before the bus loop was opened. Apparently this is due to construction and the decision was made by the developer and the city. The decision is beyond the control of Translink. The SFSS is asking Translink to explore other options for covered shelter during this period. More information about this whole thing is availbale in an SFSS news release. Note: please see update on this subject.

Two extra buses have been/will soon be added to the 135 route for peak hours (7-10am & 3-6pm) so bus service should be every 5 minutes during this time (this was sheduled for Spring 2007, not sure if it's happened yet).

Also, there are future plans to add more 144 buses, and to change the 135 into an "express" bus route (which will result in faster service but fewer stops in Burnaby).

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

New United Way Co-Chairs

Thanks to Carol Macmillan, SFU's 2006 loaned rep, and Christine Kurbis, the 2006 volunteer coordinator, for stepping up to the plate to co-chair the next United Way campaign.
Christine MacIntosh and I will now fade into the sunset......
To volunteer for the next campaign in any capacity, please contact either carol_macmillan@sfu.ca or christine_kurbis@sfu.ca

-Paulette G. Johnston, Program Manager

President's annual Open Forum

To the University Community:

The President's annual Open Forum is scheduled for Wednesday January 31, noon to 2 pm in Halpern Centre 126. President Stevenson will speak on the challenges and opportunities facing the University, and the floor will then be opened for questions and comments.

For those individuals not able to attend in person, the Open Meeting will be webcast, available by clicking on a link to be posted on the SFU home page at http://www.sfu.ca/. Questions and comments for the President can be submitted by email to lidcwebmaster@sfu.ca and they will be read out by the technician on hand.

All are encouraged to attend/participate.

Mavis MacMillen
Executive Assistant
Office of the President

United Way Thank You

Thank you to all faculty and staff who donated so generously to the SFU United Way 2006/07 campaign: a whopping $156,310 was raised, which is 14.4% more than the previous year!

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked so hard to make the campaign a success - and a lot of fun for everyone. There were organizers at all three campuses, book and bake sale volunteers, prize donors, donations and payroll processors, a volunteer coordinator, department sponsors, pledge form mailers, sign and banner makers, auction coordinators, retired staff volunteers, and a web master. Thanks also to Facilities Management staff for all their work delivering books and setting up tables, to SFU's loaned representative to the Lower Mainland campaign, (which raised a total of 31.2 million dollars!), and to Renaissance Coffee for deliveries to various departments, through snow and sleet and rain!

Christine MacIntosh with LIDC has agreed to co-chair next year's campaign again (thanks!) and if you are interested in co-chairing please let her know - the planning for next year starts soon and it would be wonderful to get even closer to the ambitious $200,000 SFU campaign goal.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers:
Carolyn Reitzel, Debbie Owen, Gerrit Keizer, Jan Sanderson, Joe Van Snellenberg, Ken Thornton, Louise Morgan, Brenda Anderson, Michael Murdock, Norma Marier, Sue Digney, Sharon Hope, Sophie Lavieri, Wolfgang Richter, Marcy Tracey, Allan Tracey, Solveg Wilcox, Brenda Badgero, Lana Cooke, Michelle Harper, Suzanne Nazareno, Dal Sohal, Yasmin Jamal, Debbie Sandher, Cassie Strachan, Karen Hawthorne, James Atamanchuk, Alison Watt, Valerie Rodden, Fay Weir, Cheri Fiedler, Nello Angerilli, Chris Boutellier, John LaBrie, Anita Stepan, Armity Namiranian, Brenda Du Perron, Diane Whiteley, Elizabeth Starr, Enid Britt, Fiona Burrows, Gayle Meyers, Laurie Boyd, Michael Hayward, Gladys We, Brian Warsing, Jennifer Hsu, Natalie Makortoff, Anne Marie Barrett, Jessica Duguid, Suzanne Armour, Frank Pacella, Nicole Rogers, Yichun Dai, Sherry Nakamura, Daniel Jans, Mary Jane Clapton, Kirsten Masse, Heath Charest, Nina Smart, Anne McCaw, Anthony Chan, Margaret Brown, Anya Stec, Pat Graca, Anne Kalfa, Colleen Wood, Amy Nakamura, Chris Rohwedder, Dale Wikariuk, Katarina McKenzie, Susanne Nahm, Danae McLearn, Grenda Glover, Michael Berdan, Jason Brown, John Peters, Steven Williams, Hanif Kassam, Ken Huston, Maruizio Bardaro, Ilija Vuksan, Stephen Marshall, Richard Tuck, Lee Hanlan, Barb Ralph, Carla Graebner, Lilliana Hill, Lisa Grebinsky, Mavis Macmillen, Melani Monk, Shona Taner, Steven MacLean, Tim Rahilly, Paul Yeung, Susan Warren, Peter Valbonesi, Dawn Mann, Barry Shell, Raj Pabla, Lucie Menkveld, Tracy Bruneau, Van Truong, John Welch, Peggy Lacasse, Paul Crowe, Sam Black, Stephen Steele, Terry Heaps, Betty Schellenberg, Hilary Jones, Rohinee Lal, Sylvia Richardson, Brian Medford, Connie Smith, Larry Weldon, Jenni Koumoutaskis, Patricia Mooney, Yolanda Broderick, Christine Kurbis, Nadia Agosti, Joyce Black, Frances McLafferty, Arlette Stewart, Susan Villecroze, Erin Westwood, Susann Vlcek, Caryn Cameron, Leigh McGregor, Penny Freno, John Simmer, Terri Chanyungco, Jeff Rudd, Parminder Parhar, Carol Macmillan.

Simon Fraser University: explore. engage. experience.

Paulette G. Johnston, Program Manager
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences &
Faculty of Education Co-operative Education Programs
Ph. 604.291-3041 Fax 604.291-5875 pjohnsto@sfu.ca
www.sfu.ca/coop/arts

Friday, January 19, 2007

Travel Awards: 2007 SSE/ American Society of Naturalists Meeting (Christchurch, NZ)

Travel Awards for Graduate Students Attending 2007 Annual Meeting

The American Society of Naturalists will award $800 each to ten graduate students to help defray the cost of attending the 2007 annual meeting June 16–20, 2007, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Awards will be chosen from a random drawing of eligible students who have submitted an application before April 1, 2007. To be eligible, you must be a student member of the American Society of Naturalists, and you must not have received a travel award the previous year. You must also be presenting a paper or a poster at the meeting. Awardees will be contacted by April 15, 2007.

You can download PDF or PostScript of the entry form [here]. Please submit completed form to Dr. Carol C. Horvitz, Herrin Labs, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5020 (phone: 305-807-6856; fax: 650-724-3708; e-mail: carolhorvitz@miami.edu).

(above from Am. Nat. 2007. Vol. 169, p. iii.)

Thursday, January 18, 2007

momentum - SFU Student Choreographers (Jan 25-27)

The Dance Program at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts is internationally recognized for its tradition of excellence and innovation. Each year the annual student dance show provides an opportunity for the school’s student choreographers to create works of personal vision. These dance works, grounded in an intense course of study and training, are highly individual expressions, composed and performed with remarkable skill and confidence.

This year’s production, momentum, brings all these selected works together in a performance that reflects the spirit of innovation and exploration that drives our Dance Program here at SFU.

The Spring 2007 Student Dance Show momentum features works by:

Sarah Russell, Justin Reist, Su-Lin Tseng, Krystal Kohan, Bevin Poole, Leslie Nadon, Ellen Luchkow, Molly McDermott, Kim Stevenson, Starr Muranko, Davy Bisaro, Lindsey Shaw, Janine Eldridge, Olivia Shaffer, Megan Davidson, Cort Gerlock, Jaime Koleyak and Roxoliana Prus.

SFU Theatre - Burnaby Campus
January 25 at 12:30 - free admission
January 26 & 27 at 8 pm - $7 students, seniors, alumni /$10 general
Information: 604-291-3514 or email: theatre@sfu.ca

Reading by Poet Stephen Collis in Special Collections (Jan 25)

Please join us at the following reading:
Reading by Poet Stephen Collis in Special Collections - January 25, 2007

B.C. poet Stephen Collis will read from and discuss his long, site-specific poem ”The Lakes” – part of his forthcoming book THE COMMONS (New Star, 2008). Special Collections is an apt venue for the reading insofar as “The Lakes” finds its genesis in one of the principal collections housed there, namely the Wordsworth/Lake District collection. The poem investigates the collision of the private (Wordsworth) and public/collective (the Lake District as, in Wordsworth’s words, “a sort of national property”). The very idea of “property” itself is investigated as the discourse of lakes is returned to its collective roots.

Stephen Collis is the author of four books: MINE (New Star, 2001); ANARCHIVE (New Star, 2005), which was nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize; THROUGH WORDS OF OTHERS (ELS Editions, 2006), and PHYLLIS WEBB AND THE COMMON GOOD (Talonbooks, forthcoming 2007). He is an SFU PhD. graduate and an assistant professor in the English Department. His parents recently sold “their” lakefront property on Vancouver Island.

Stephen Collis will be reading from his work in Special Collections on Thursday, January 25, 2007 from 12:30 – 1:30 pm. Special Collections is located in room 7100 on the 7th floor of the W.A.C. Bennett Library, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby. Free! Refreshments will be served.

For more information contact:
Tony Power
604.268.6676 or power@sfu.ca
www.lib.sfu.ca/special/

New short natural history observations section in Am. Nat.

The American Naturalist is accepting papers for a new short observations section, "Natural History Miscellany":
The American Naturalist is pleased to announce the revival of the "Natural History Miscellany." The short observations of behavior and ecology that first appeared in the section—what often is referred to as "natural history"—were a mainstay of the journal for many decades. Natural History Miscellany submissions should be short contributions, preferably note length, that not only enlighten our understanding of the natural history of a species in important ways, but also have significance beyond the biology of the species involved by their relevance to important conceptual issues or understanding of the dimensions of biological diversity. Authors are encouraged to take advantage of the recently lowered cost of color printing ($350 a page for American Society of Naturalists members, $400 a page for nonmembers) and the capabilities of online publication to illustrate manuscripts with online photographs, sound files, videos, and other electronic media. (Am. Nat. 2006. Vol. 168, pp. ii-iii.)

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Gung Haggis Fat Choy Festival (Jan 25)

This 2nd annual event, blending Robbie Burns' Day and Chinese New Year is set for THURSDAY, JAN. 25th from 10:30am-2:30pm in CONVO MALL. New this year - Human Curling, Chopstick Structure Building AND attempting to set a record for the largest number of people eating HAGGIS at one time.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
10:30 - 10:45 Introduction to Human Curling10:45 - 11:15 Human Curling + Awards
11:15 -11:30 Celtic Dance Club and Introduction to Dragon Cart Races
11:30 - 12:15 Dragon Cart Races
12:15-12:30 Dragon Cart Awards
12:30 - 1:00 Robbie Burns Day Ceremony
1:00-1:15 Sign up for Haggis Eating Contest
1:15-1:20 Haggis Eating Contest
1:20 - 1:30 Kung Fu Club Lion Dance and Introduction to Dragon Cart Races
1:30 -2:30 Dragon Cart Races
2:30 -2:45 Dragon Cart & Chopstick Structure Building Awards
NOTE: There will be other displays, performances and activities happening throughout the day, between main events!

TEAM REGISTRATION
How to register for Dragon Cart Races and Human Curling:
Team Captains can sign up their team at the Intramural/Rec Sports Office (in Chancellor���s Gym Building) Monday-Friday from 11:00am - 3:30pm

OR

Team Captains can email the following information to ghfc-teams@sfu.ca:
Team Name:
Captain's Name:
Captain's Email:
Captain's Phone #:
Specify morning or afternoon dragon cart races.


OR

Teams can register at the festival for Human Curling and Dragon Cart Races. All teams must be registered 45 minutes prior to the start of the event. Registration is on a first come basis and spots are not guaranteed.

NOTE: Detailed information regarding the Events will be emailed to Team Captain's by Monday, Jan. 22, 2007.

Teams are encouraged to dress up and show off their SPIRIT!

EARLY BIRD DRAW : teams registered before Monday, Jan. 22, 2007 will be entered to win a Recreation and Athletics prize pack.

FULL DETAILS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT http://rec.sfu.ca - Special Events.

Pipes, Plaid and Sheep stomachs

On Thursday, Jan. 25 SFU will once again celebrate Robbie Burns Day with bagpipers, poetry, addresses to the haggis and fun at all three campuses.

To all faculty, staff and students - wear something plaid in support of the SFU Pipe Band. Buy an "I Wear Plaid for the Pipe Band" badge for $2 at any SFU Bookstore or the Ceremonies & Events Office and join the University's traditional Robbie Burns Day procession at your campus:

SFU Surrey
Join the procession at 11:00 am at the Surrey Central Sky Train Station Program starts at 11:10 am in the Mezzanine

SFU Burnaby
Join the procession at 12:20 outside Strand Hall or at 12:15 at the Student Residence Dining Hall Program starts at 12:30 pm in Convocation Mall

Book your table at the Diamond Alumni Centre for lunch and a special ceremonial address to the haggis at 1:00 pm. Call (604) 291-4794.

SFU Vancouver
Join the procession at 2:30 pm outside of Waterfront Sky Train Station Program starts at 2:40 pm in Harbour Centre at the Teck Gallery

Pipe Band Fun-raiser
"I Wear Plaid for the Pipe Band" Badges on sale now for $2 at:
  • SFU Bookstores at SFU Surrey, SFU Burnaby and SFU Vancouver
  • Ceremonies & Events Office in Room 2300, Strand Hall, Burnaby
Burns Supper
The four-time World Championship Simon Fraser University Pipe Band will be holding their Annual Robbie Burns Dinner and Silent Auction on Friday, January 26, 2007 at the Executive Plaza Hotel in Coquitlam. Joining them in performances will be Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Bands (RMMPB), along with other juvenile bands and dancers.

To attend this event you may contact Andrea McLatchy at 1-604-793-9747 or email mclatchy@telus.net for tickets at $70.00 per person. A sit-down roast beef, haggis and all the trimmings will be served. Tables may also be reserved for 10 to 12 people.

*************
Ms. Holli Edgelow
Director of Ceremonies & Events
Simon Fraser University
T 604-291-4643
F 604-268-6599

9th International Pollination Symposium on Plant-Pollinator Relationships (June 2007, Iowa)

9th International Pollination Symposium on Plant-Pollinator Relationships - Diversity in Action
June 24 - 28, 2007
Ames, Iowa, USA

The 9th International Pollination Symposium on Plant-Pollinator Relationships - Diversity in Action, will be hosted in Ames, Iowa, on June 24-28, 2007. The Symposium will be held at the Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus. The Symposium is expected to attract worldwide about 300 major scientists, their graduate students, and their postdoctoral fellows.

This Symposium is under the auspices of the International Commission for Plant-Bee Relationships (I.C.P.B.R.), a Commission whose history goes back to 1950. The Commission consists of a General Assembly (made up of all of its members), three working groups (Pollination, Nectar, and Bee Protection), and the Council. The three working groups meet on a frequent but irregular basis at different locations around the world, and the Symposium, the one planned at Iowa State University will be the 9th, meets less frequently and incorporates the subject areas of the three working groups. It represents the unifying meeting for all working groups.

The theme of the 9th Symposium and the sub-theme topics identified and explained on the Sub-Themes page include a variety of areas that relate to gene flow, transgenes, mating system dynamics, molecular and statistical genetic advances, conservation of plant genetic resources as well as pollinators, gene bank management, and a variety of molecular methodologies utilizing a broad base of genetic information. The Symposium will consist of one keynote speaker, four plenary speakers, 29 invited speakers, and about 300 participants who are expected to contribute between 150 to 175 individual posters.

NOTE TO POTENTIAL PRESENTERS: At this time, commitments have been made to individuals making oral presentations, and the oral presentation schedule is now full. We are accepting proposals for poster presentations. Please submit your proposals only for presentation as a poster. We thank you for your interest in presenting at this conference.

[quoted from: http://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/plantbee/home.html]

Grad reps needed for university committees (volunteer opportunity)

There are currently several University committees that have space available for undergraduate and/or graduate students to be involved as student representatives and participate in the decision making processes of those committees. This is a valuable opportunity for anyone who wants to gain experience networking with others from various sectors of the University, and collaborating with those individuals to work toward a particular goal. Through participating on any of these committees you may be able to acquire references for future job opportunities and help expand your list of skills for your resumé.

If you are interested in any of the positions below, please let me know and I will nominate you, and any other interested student, for that position at the next SFSS Board meeting this week. Depending on interest and the urgency to fill the vacancies, we may wish to appoint students at the Board meeting this week, or we may choose to keep the nominations open until the next Board meeting two weeks from now. If students in your DSU or caucus are interested and have questions about a given committee please feel free to forward their queries onto myself.

The list of committees is as follows:

1. Student Learning Commons Advisory Committee:
*(Need: 2 undergrads and 1 grad)*

Membership:
Dean of Library Services (Chair)
Director, Student Learning Commons
Director, University Curriculum
Dean of Graduate Studies
Representative from each faculty
SCUTL representative (declined – SLC Director now a rep on SCUTL) *senate committee*
2 Undergraduate students
Graduate student
Librarian representative
Student Services rep

Terms of Reference:
Advises the Dean of Library Services on matters relating to the operation of the Student Learning Commons and the liaison between the Student Learning Commons and academic programs. The areas of advice include the following:
  • monitor the continuing progress relating to the Student Learning Commons mandate, reviews and initiatives.
  • provide advice re liaison activitives between the Student Learning Commons and academic programs
  • review Student Learning Commons performance data
  • review major changes in Student Learning Commons programmes or operations
It is expected that the Student Learning Commons Advisory Committee will meet twice a year.

2. Student Learning Commons Articulation Committee
* (Need: 1 undergrad, 1 grad)*

Membership:
Chair: Director, Student Learning Commons
Student Learning Commons Writing Coordinator
Student Learning Commons Learning Coordinator
Yosef Wosk Student Learning Commons (Surrey) Coordinator
Peer Educator representative
SFU Vancouver representative (Belzberg Head?)
Head of Library Reference
Information Commons coordinator)
HCC representative
Foundations of Academic Literacy representative
Foundations of Academic Numeracy representative
Writing Intensive Learning Office representative
Academic Computing Services representative
Graduate student representative
Undergraduate student representative

Terms of Reference:
  • share information, create partnerships, develop and present joint programs,
  • monitor referral processes and resolve problems,
  • share and co-ordinate surveys and other assessment tools,
  • create and maintain common web gateway to services,
  • review Student Learning Commons annual reports and planning documents.
It is expected that the Student Learning Commons Co-ordinating Committee will meet once per semester.

3. Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure
*(Need: 1 undergrad, 1 grad)
NOTE: This committee was discussed during the last Forum meeting in December.

Membership: (in consultation with the Senate Committee on University Priorities - SCUP)
Chair: John Waterhouse, Vice-President, Academic
Special Projects Advisor: Sue Roppel
Secretary, Sharon Eng
Paul Budra, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Charmaine Dean, Faculty of Science
Jane Friesen, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Frank Gobas, Faculty of Applied Sciences
Bob Krider, Faculty of Business Administration
Craig Janes, Faculty of Health Sciences
Jack Martin, Faculty of Education
Graduate Student Representative
Undergraduate Student Representative

In December 2006, the Faculty Structure Task Force concluded that the University should proceed with the "careful reflection, analysis, andimagining of whether there are alternative configurations in some areas of the University that might lead to better recognition and actualization of the values, strategic priorities, and vision of the University for the future". Senate approved the four recommendations of the Faculty Structure Task Force including the creation of a Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure, the mandate and principles of assessment for the Phase 2 Task Force and a procedural framework for conducting its analysis.
It is with great pleasure that I now announce the establishment of the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure. The Phase 2 Task Force has been mandated to:
  1. Consider and evaluate proposals from the University community as well as those developed by the Phase 2 Task Force itself, and following exploration and consultation with the University community, recommend to Senate an overall academic unit configuration for Simon Fraser University;
  2. Consider and evaluate the coherence, roles, responsibilities, functions, administrative requirements, costs, and terminology of the structural building blocks employed at Simon Fraser University (i.e. programs, schools, departments, centres, and institutes) and, following exploration and consultation with the University community, recommend to Senate a strategy that will provide definitional clarity, administrative effectiveness, and appropriate differentiation among these structures; and,
  3. Consider and evaluate the University's effectiveness in incubating, facilitating, and supporting interdisciplinary research and programming, and, following exploration and consultation with the University community, recommend structural and/or policy changes that will enhance interdisciplinary innovation in the future.
The Phase 2 Task Force will endeavour to complete its work by November 30, 2007.

The Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure will operate in an open, transparent, and collegial manner and will keep you informed of our progress and thinking as we proceed with the activities of our mandate. We
will assess proposals for organizational change comprehensively against the eight principles of assessment approved by Senate. A "Call for Submissions" inviting academic units to make proposals for alternative unit
configurations within the University will be issued within the next few days.

The work of the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure must be seen as a work of partnership with academic units and community members across the University. We must all seek to be objective, explorative, and imaginative as we aim to design and build a future for the university that will enable us to embrace change as opportunity and confirm our reputation, in all areas of the university, as the best research comprehensive University in the country.

To learn more about the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure please refer to its web site:
http://www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/Committees_TaskForces/Ad_Hoc_Committees/Phase2_TF/index.html

4. Human Rights Policy Board
*(Need: 1 undergrad)*

Membership:
Chair, Vice-President, Legal Affairs
Vice-Chair, 1-year term
3 Faculty Members appointed by Vice-President, Legal Affairs, for 3-year terms
2 Graduate Student Members, 1-year term
1 Undergraduate Student Member, 1-year term

Terms of Reference:
  1. To provide policy advice to the Vice President, Legal Affairs, concerning the implementation of the Human Rights Policy.
  2. To consider appeals from a decision made by the Chair of the Human Rights Policy Board that a complaint not proceed to investigation. The Committee will meet without the Chair to consider such appeals.
  3. To review and comment on the annual calendar year report of the Human Rights Office and to transmit it to the Vice President, Legal Affairs, by March 31st of the following year.
  4. The Human Rights Policy Board is also available as an advisory resource for the Director, Human Rights & Equity.
The Board will meet once each semester and at the call of the Chair.

Please contact me if you are interested in any of these committees, or if you need more information about them.

Best Regards,

Andrea Sandau
University Relations Officer
Simon Fraser Student Society
Canadian Federation of Students Local 23

Public lecture: Hinduism And Sikhism In South Asia

Saturday January 20, 1 pm.
Simon Fraser University Vancouver.
515 West Hastings St.

Hinduism And Sikhism In South Asia
Hugh Johnston,
SFU Professor Emeritus of History
discusses the historic relationship
between Sikhism and Hinduism in South Asia.

Admission is free and open to anyone of any age on a first come first served basis.

This free Seniors Saturday Forum is sponsored by the SFU Lifelong Learning Seniors Society.
The forums offer lectures and discussions on topics of wide general interest.

www.sfu.ca/seniors or call 604-291-5100 for more information.


Anna Kalfa, Program Assistant
Seniors Program
Centre for Integrated and Credit Studies
Simon Fraser University, Vancouver
515 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3

tel: 604-291-5212
fax: 604-291-5098

http://www.sfu.ca/seniors

LIDC upcoming events (January)

Here is the Learning and Instructional Development Centre’s schedule of events for January. We are trying to minimize the number of postings to email lists, so please keep this email if you are interested in any of these sessions, and please accept our apologies if you receive multiple postings.

All registration is done online using the links for each event.

Introduction to WebCT
Monday, January 15, 2007 | 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Education Building (EDB) 7619 | Burnaby | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=109
-or-
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 | 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Education Building (EDB) 7619 | Burnaby | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=110
This one-hour demonstration will cover requested topics, such as loading files, group management and working in the gradebook, and provide attendees a chance to ask questions. No registration required.

WebCT quick start
Thursday, January 18, 2007 | 1:30 - 4:20 pm
MCF PC Lab 1 (AQ 3148.1) | Burnaby | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=105
This workshop introduces participants to the WebCT interface and tools. You will explore the Build, Teach, and Student View tabs to become familiar with select tools and levels of access. Participants will then learn the key skills necessary to begin designing a course in WebCT. WebCT quick start is a great way for instructors to get a “jump start” on their course design and gain the foundational knowledge for more advanced workshops. Registration is required.

WebCT drop-in sessions
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 | 1:30 - 3:30 pm
SUR 3300 | Surrey | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=113
-or-
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 | 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Education Building (EDB) 7619 | Burnaby | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=114
-or-
Thursday, January 25, 2007 | 12:30 - 2:00
Room 1310 | Vancouver - Harbour Centre | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=115
This drop-in session is an opportunity to ask specific questions about your use of WebCT. Some possible questions or topics are: converting PowerPoint and Word files for use in WebCT, using the Gradebook, navigating the Discussions forum, loading files into WebCT, and deciding which WebCT tools to use. No registration required.

Designing in WebCT
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=104
Beginning Monday, January 22, 2007 | Online | No charge
This four week course, offered entirely online, offers participants a chance to develop the technical and pedagogical skills necessary to use WebCT. Participants will gain the planning, technical, and design skills necessary to create effective, engaging courses in WebCT. This is a 1-month online workshop. Registration is required.

The speaker within: Simple vocal and presentation skills to enhance your teaching
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 | 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Education Building (EDB) 7500F | Burnaby | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=117
-or-
Thursday, February 1, 2007 | 9:30 - 11:00 am
Room TBD | Surrey | No charge
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=119
This 90-minute session will serve as an introduction to various elements of voice work, such as breath, alignment, vibration, resonance, and articulation. In a safe and supportive environment, each participant will be invited to experience the benefits of this work through various exercises. A lively and thought-provoking dialogue on the nature of communication, particularly as it relates to the dynamics of the classroom, will follow the more experiential aspect of the session. Registration is required.

WebCT discussion and demonstration series
I: Using WebCT to support large classes
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=116
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 | Online | No charge
Having an online presence can help reduce some of the administration that comes with teaching a large class. We will discuss how the gradebook, discussion or announcement tool, group manager, survey tool and content delivery can help reduce your administrative load and get up to date information to students. Registration is required.

Teaching & learning readers’ group
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=107
Begins Thursday, January 25, 2007 | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Room TBA | Burnaby | No charge
LIDC is pleased to present the Teaching and Learning Readers’ Group. On the last Thursday of each month, we’ll meet for coffee and croissants and discuss a book on teaching and learning in higher education. Join Elizabeth Wallace, a program director with the LIDC, for exciting conversations about timely topics in teaching and learning in the academy. For this, our inaugural meeting, we’ll be talking about Rethinking Teaching in Higher Education. Cheryl Amundsen, co-editor of the book and an Associate Professor in SFU’s Faculty of Education, will be a special guest and co-host of this discussion. Registration is required.

Certificate in web-based instruction
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=100
Beginning Monday, January 29, 2007 | Online
The CWI combines the teaching of both conceptual and technical skills. Participants will learn to create their own online courses using a delivery platform of choice after examining various commercial and open source systems. The program uses asynchronous discussion forums, messaging, chat, and webcams, as well as covers current eLearning topics including learning objects and metadata for educational applications. Registration is required.

Advanced voice and presentation skills
https://webserver.lidc.sfu.ca/tep/spring-07/progdesc.php?c_id=118
3 Tuesdays: January 30, February 6, and February 13, 2007 | 1:30 - 4:00 pm
Room TBA | Burnaby | No charge
This session offers previous participants, or those with a strong background in the work, to take their presentations or lectures to the next level. The first session will be spent reviewing and expanding on vocal technique and presenting a prepared two and a half minute presentaion. The next session will be dedicated to private one on one work with each participant. After these intensive sessions, the final day will be an opportunity to share your work with the rest of the group and receive further feedback. Registration is required.

Preparing writing-intensive courses: Workshop series for faculty and sessional instructors
http://www.lidc.sfu.ca/teaching/writing/workshops/FacultyWorkshopSeries.php
3 Wednesdays: January 31, February 7, and February 14, 2007 | 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Room TBA | Burnaby | No charge
Interested in rethinking your courses and adjusting them to meet the W-requirements, or want to learn more about writing-intensive learning? This workshop series offers an introductory orientation to writing-intensive learning. Our resources include SFU examples and instructional materials from across the disciplines. These workshops could provide an orientation and background for revising an existing course, or creating a new course. Registration is required.

If you require assistance with registration, please contact Kathy Borneman at the LIDC (tel: 604-268-6696; email: kbornema@sfu.ca).

*****************************************************

Kathy Borneman
Program Assistant
Learning & Instructional Development Centre
Simon Fraser University - EDB 7560
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6
t: 604-268-6696 f: 604-291-4900
email: kbornema@sfu.ca
web: www.lidc.sfu.ca

Friday, January 12, 2007

2007 Animal Behavior Society Annual Meeting

21-25 July 2007 in Burlington, VT, USA
The Animal Behavior Society's 44th Annual Meeting

We have an exciting schedule planned, including a Keynote Address by Bert Hölldobler (University of Würzburg and Arizona State University), and Fellows' Addresses by Elizabeth Adkins-Regan (Cornell University), Randy Nelson (Ohio State University) and Jan Komdeur (University of Groningen, The Netherlands). Symposia include "Evolutionary ecology of learning, memory & information use" (organized by Reuven Dukas and John Ratcliffe) and "Conservation behavior: From implications to applications" (organized by Colleen Cassady St. Clair).

The meeting will follow a similar format to those of previous years, with a welcoming picnic on Saturday and a closing banquet on Wednesday. The city of Burlington is located on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain between the Adirondack and Green Mountains. Burlington is a college town, home to the University of Vermont, with a lively art scene and corporate headquarters of Bruegger's Bagels, Lake Champlain Chocolates, and the Magic Hat Brewing Company. Best of all, it is the home of Ben & Jerry! If so inclined, you can go sports fishing and kayaking on Lake Champlain, head to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor, seek out handcraft products, rent a bike and hit the bike trails, or go hiking.

Contact: Ken Yasukawa, Email: yasukawa@beloit.edu
For more information, visit the meeting website at http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABS/Program/

Symposium: Evolutionary Change in Human-altered Environments

February 8-10, 2007 at the University of California, Los Angeles
Evolutionary Change in Human-altered Environments: An International Summit

Human activities are affecting the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain life. Climate change and deforestation are facilitating the evolutionary jump of animal diseases to humans. Fish farming has resulted in the spread of poorly adaptive genes to the wild. Introductions of exotic species are impacting native species and limiting their ability to adapt.

Contact: Thomas Smith, Email: tbsmith@ucla.edu
For more information, visit the meeting website @ http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/CTR/ioesymposium.html

ESA annual meeting 2007

ESA/SER ANNUAL MEETING 2007
Sunday, August 5 - Friday, August 10, 2007
San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California
Visit Official Website

Thursday, January 11, 2007

DRAFT Policy on Conflict of Interest (GP 37) for review and comment

Please note that a new DRAFT policy on Conflict of Interest (GP 37) has been reviewed by the Vice Presidents and is now available for review at http://www.sfu.ca/policies/draft/.

GP 37 -- Conflict of Interest

The DRAFT Policy and its associated documents are intended to meet the requirements set out in Schedule 14 of the Tri-Council Agencies Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU states that maintaining public confidence in research, and in the agencies and institutions that fund and conduct research, demands a shared interest by all parties that research be protected from even the appearance of conflict of interest. To that end, all eligible institutions are required to develop and maintain a written policy on conflicts of interest (COI).

In addition to meeting the Tri-Council's requirements, the attached drafts reach beyond research-related activities to provide an updated institutional COI policy and related procedures able to cover non-research activities. When adopted, the new policy and procedures will replace the existing policy AD 11.18 (Conflict of Interest), which is directed primarily at purchasing practices, while reinforcing those elements in R 10.01 (External Research Grants and Contracts) and R 60.01 (Integrity in Research and Misconduct in Research) that speak to conflicts of interest.

Because the new Policy would make more general and formal the requirement to report real or potential conflicts of interest, the Policy is augmented by a draft Disclosure and Assessment Procedure, and by proposed forms for reporting such conflicts in research and non-research areas. The Research Funding Application Signature Sheet has been amended to accommodate this purpose for research-related disclosures.

Comments and questions concerning the draft Policy and its accompanying documents should be forwarded to kbell@sfu.ca by no later than Friday, January 29 2007.

--

K.C. Bell
Director, Special Projects
Office of the President
Simon Fraser University

2007 meeting of American Genetic Association: "Mechanisms of Genome Evolution"

The 2007 meeting of the American Genetic Association, "Mechanisms of Genome Evolution," will be hosted by 2007 President-elect Michael Lynch on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, July 11–13, 2007. The Wilhelmine Key Lecturer is Sally Otto.

Conservation Genetics Symposium 2007

The Third American Genetic Association sponsored Conservation Genetics Symposium will be hosted at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, September 27–30, 2007. The Symposium is jointly organized and sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Conservation Genetics and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Lecture: Moving toward sustainable dining (Jan 18)

Hello,
Continuing Studies in Science is pleased to invite you to attend a free lecture of the Speaking of Science Lecture Series "Food for Thought: Moving Toward Sustainable Dining". The lecture takes place on Thursday January 18th, 2007 at 7:00pm at Simon Fraser University's Vancouver Campus (515 West Hastings St., Vancouver), Room 1400. See below for details.

ABSTRACT:
As humans, we are exploiting our natural resources beyond our global capacity and our energy demands far exceed a sustainable level. As North Americans, we are responsible for consuming the most energy in the world, on a per capita basis. One of the less obvious contributions to our energy burden is the type of food we eat.

Recently, the ecotoxicology group at SFU conducted a study to address this issue. They asked the questions: What is the ecological burden of the preparation of our daily meals? What options are there to reduce the energetic cost of meal preparation? How can the contaminant load in our daily meals be reduced?

To answer these questions they prepared a meal and then calculated the energy and contaminant burden associated with preparing that meal. They then prepared a second meal and this time the goal was sustainable dining. Here they focused on lowering the energy and contaminant burdens as much as possible while maintaining nutritional requirements.

Some of the findings of this study include: as transportation and packaging is directly related to increased energy consumption, locally produced, seasonal and organic products are the best options; and, meat, seafood, and milk products are energetically expensive and highly contaminated.

In this lecture a panel of students will describe the study and provide people with ideas on what products to buy and eat and how to reduce their individual impact on the environment and contribute towards building a healthier and more sustainable planet.


For more information about the study, including methods and assumptions, please visit our website at http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/science.htm

The ecotoxicology group is comprised of undergraduate and graduate environmental science students and faculty of Simon Fraser University. Panel members for this presentation include. Dr. Leah Bendell-Young, professor of the course; Wade Brunham and Carlos Palomera, graduate students; and Ian Hardin, undergraduate student.

Other members of the group include:
Carolyn Allen, Paula Freedy, David Prevost, Kristin Batalha , Marriah Grey, Karen Rickards, Annthonet Bernales, Ian Hardin, Barri Rudolph, Erin Bolster, Melissa Hogg, Hanna Sander-Green, Wade Brunham, Peter Kickham, Jed Scharf, Ryan Campbell, Sarah Macdonald, Kirsten Shaw, Jacqueline Danisek, Krystal Newman, Janine Simpson, Lindsay Du Gas, Carlos Palomera, Rebecca Skucas, Carolyn Duckham, Christina Pedevilla, Jason Van Rooyen

Reservations
To guarantee a seat please make a reservation by telephoning 604-291-5100.

When
Thursday January 18, 2007
7:00 p.m.
515 West Hastings, Simon Fraser University's Vancouver Campus
Room 1400

Please visit our website to view upcoming lectures http://www.sfu.ca/cstudies/science/science.htm

Hattie Aitken reinstated as SFSS Grad Issues Coordinator

The following email was just sent to department reps by the SFSS.
---------------------
from: Sam Bradd SFSS Organiser

The Simon Fraser Student Society is pleased to announce that Hattie Aitken has been reinstated with full back pay and damages to her position as Graduate Issues and University Relations Coordinator. On behalf of the Student Society, we apologise for and withdraw any statements made on behalf of the Student Society which suggest or imply that Ms. Aitken is not honest or trustworthy or that she conspired with others against the interests of the Simon Fraser Student Society or its members.

ESA Canada - new environmental policy blog

The Canadian Chapter of the ESA (Ecological Society of America) has started an Environmental Policy blog. Looks pretty good!

PEEC 2007: 2-4 March, abstracts due Jan 19

[NOTE: deadline has been extended to Jan 31st.]


28th Annual Pacific Ecology and Evolution Conference
2-4 March 2007
Eatonville, WA


http://fish.washington.edu/peec

The Pacific Ecology & Evolution Conference (PEEC) is an annual conference on
ecological and evolutionary research for scientists from the western United
States and Canada. Participants may give oral or poster presentations on their
research - or just attend to hear what their peers are up to. Graduate students, advanced undergrads, and post-docs from all branches of ecology and evolutionary biology are especially encouraged to attend. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, behavioral ecology, population biology, evolution, conservation, ecological genetics, molecular ecology, and community ecology. As well as a formal forum for presenting current advances in ecological research, the PEEC is also an excellent opportunity to meet fellow researchers and discuss ideas with them. Nightly festivities are a tradition.

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Dolph Schluter of the University of
British Columbia will give a keynote address.

Abstracts for oral and poster presentations are due January 19th. Funding is
available for presenters who are current undergraduates or who completed their
bachelor’s degree within the last year. Please see the website for details.

The 28th annual PEEC will be hosted by the University of Washington at the Pack
Forest Center for Sustainable Forestry. Support is provided by the UW School of
Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and the Canada Chapter of the Ecological Society of America. To submit abstracts, register, and for more information, please visit the website or email peec@u.washinton.edu.


(above copied from http://esa.org/canada/meetings.html)

Conference: Eco Summit 2007

Eco Summit 2007
Ecological Complexity and Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities for 21st Century's Ecology
22-27 May, 2007
Beijing International Conference Center, Beijing, PR China
www.ecosummit2007.elsevier.com

Call for nominations: Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy (by Jan 31)

SECOND CALL FOR NOMINATIONS for the Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy

Nomination forms are available on the web at www.sfu.ca/sterlingprize

The Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy is awarded annually to a recipient whose work presents new ways of looking at the world, ways that are daring and creative. Whether a student, a staff member, an academic at SFU, or a member of the community who has a connection to the University, the prize winner is selected for decidedly unconventional and distinctly untraditional work that provokes a wide audience. The winner receives a cash award of $5,000 and makes a public presentation at the Wosk Centre for Dialogue.

Additional information about the Sterling Prize, including the Nomination Form, can be found at: http://www.sfu.ca/sterlingprize/. Deadline for Nominations is January 31, 2007.

The Sterling Prize Committee would appreciate receiving notice of intention to nominate. Whether you're planning to put together a nomination package, or would like to suggest an individual whose work merits consideration, please contact the committee at vpacad@sfu.ca.

SFU theatre: Gramma (Jan 17-19)

It may not feel like it, but here at SFU we are about to begin our Spring 2007 performance series!

NEXT WEEK
presented by the school for the contemporary arts, in partial completion of a Masters in Fine Arts

"Gramma", written & preformed by Maki Yi.
Weaving an ancient Korean folktale into the story of her immigration to Canada, Maki Yi creates a modern fable of dislocation and culture shock. Her account of her first home - a dark and dank basement room, in a house where she is forced to suffer the abuses of a elderly and cantankerous landlady, is both funny and horrific. With wit, humour and compassion, Maki charts her progress through confusion, anger and despair, to acceptance and understanding.

Jan. 17 - 19 at 8:00 pm
Studio II at SFU Theatre
free admission
for information: 604-291-3514

Vancouver Sun Run: sign up for SFU team

Hi Everyone,

Simon Fraser University Sun Run Corporate Team Registration Information [below].

I know many of you do participate in the Vancouver Sun Run and others have yet to experience this amazing event. If you've never participated in the Vancouver Sun Run, now is your chance.

I have registered Simon Fraser University as a corporate team. I invite all of you to walk, jog, jolk, or wog as a member of the Simon Fraser Corporate team.

Lets be the biggest corporate team this city has ever seen. Encourage your department, challenge your faculty to join the Simon Fraser University Corporate team. Register your friends, family, significant other, to build the biggest Corporate team the Sun Run has ever seen.

Please don't fracture our numbers by registering as an individual, or by creating another team.

Thanks everyone, and I'll be talking to you soon.
Jessie

Hi Everyone,

The information you've been waiting for.
Follow the directions below to register for the Simon Fraser University Sun Run Team.

Directions for Registration:
The team Simon Fraser University has been registered for The Vancouver Sun Run, Sunday, April 15, 9:00am. Please forward this email to all potential team members.

Team Name: Simon Fraser University
Team Number: 4426
Team Captain: Jessie Girard

To register for this team, if you have not already done so, simply follow the link below:

https://www.sporg.com/registration?link_type=form&form_id=06A44038D2&view_type=windowed&Team+Number=4426

If you encounter problems using the link above to register:

  1. Visit www.sunrun.com/team/
  2. Click on the Register as a Team Member link
  3. Fill out the registration form using the team number as indicated above.
To enquire about registration, please contact:
The Vancouver Sun Run
604-689-9441
sunrun@direct.ca

Jessie Girard
Fitness Coordinator, Chancellor's Gym
jgirard@sfu.ca
ph:291-3634
f: 291-3425

Mackenzie King Scholarship Competition 2007-2008

Note: application deadline has been extended to Feb 9th.
---------

TO: Graduate Program Chair
FROM: Jonathan C. Driver, Dean
SUBJECT: Mackenzie King Scholarship Competition 2007-2008
DATE: January 3, 2007

The announcement of the Mackenzie King Scholarship competition for 2007-2008 has just been received.

Due to the delay in announcing this scholarship competition, SFU applications to the Dean of Graduate Studies Office will be accepted up to Friday, February 9, 2007.

Applicants are selected on the basis of their high academic achievements, personal qualities and demonstrated aptitudes. Please communicate this prestigious competition to your students.

Application forms and the Information Sheet are available on the Internet, at www.mkingscholarships.ca. However, the completed application form, and all attached documents (Sheet A & Sheet B), as well as letters of reference and official transcripts, must be submitted to the SFU Dean of Graduate Studies Office in paper format. Letters of reference and transcripts sent directly to the Dean of Graduate Studies Office must be clearly marked “Mackenzie King Scholarships Competition.”

The Open Scholarship is open to graduates of any Canadian university who engage in (commencing or continuing) postgraduate study in any field, in Canada or elsewhere. One Scholarship is awarded annually. Its value has been $10,000 but is subject to change.

The Travelling Scholarship is open to graduates of any Canadian university who engage in (commencing or continuing) postgraduate study, of international relations or industrial relations, including the international or industrial relations aspects of law, history, politics and economics. This study may be taken up in the United States or the United Kingdom. Currently, four Travelling Scholarships are awarded annually. The value in 2006-07 was $11,000, but is subject to change.

Please note that Sheet B “Personal Statement,” requires a description of the applicant’s academic interests, extracurricular activities, and program of studies, as well as an outline of career plans.

Applications must be made to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the Canadian university from which the student has received or will receive his most recent degree.

The Dean of Graduate Studies will forward the two top-ranked applications from the SFU applications received, for each of the two scholarship competitions, the Open Scholarship and the Travelling Scholarship.

Please encourage your qualified students to apply.

Evo-WIBO 2008

This is an announcement that the 3rd Evo-WIBO meeting of Pacific Northwest evolutionary biologists has been scheduled for April 18-20, 2008 at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Washington.

Registration won't be open until January 2008, but you can get the meeting on your calendar now.

More information is available at http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/evo-wibo

-- Richard Gomulkiewicz

Faculty Structure Task Force update

Dear Members of the University Community:

Over the past 18 months, the Faculty Structure Task Force deliberated on the question:

“Is Simon Fraser University's current academic structure one that best reflects our qualities and strengths and one that will enable us to most effectively and visibly advance our strategic goals?”

In December 2006, the Faculty Structure Task Force concluded that the University should proceed with the “careful reflection, analysis, and imagining of whether there are alternative configurations in some areas of the University that might lead to better recognition and actualization of the values, strategic priorities, and vision of the University for the future”. Senate approved the four recommendations of the Faculty Structure Task Force including the creation of a Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure, the mandate and principles of assessment for the Phase 2 Task Force and a procedural framework for conducting its analysis.

It is with great pleasure that I now announce the establishment of the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure. The Phase 2 Task Force has been mandated to:

(1) Consider and evaluate proposals from the University community as well as those developed by the Phase 2 Task Force itself, and following exploration and consultation with the University community, recommend to Senate an overall academic unit configuration for Simon Fraser University;

(2) Consider and evaluate the coherence, roles, responsibilities, functions, administrative requirements, costs, and terminology of the structural building blocks employed at Simon Fraser University (i.e. programs, schools, departments, centres, and institutes) and, following exploration and consultation with the University community, recommend to Senate a strategy that will provide definitional clarity, administrative effectiveness, and appropriate differentiation among these structures; and,

(3) Consider and evaluate the University’s effectiveness in incubating, facilitating, and supporting interdisciplinary research and programming, and, following exploration and consultation with the University community, recommend structural and/or policy changes that will enhance interdisciplinary innovation in the future.

The Phase 2 Task Force will endeavor to complete its work by November 30, 2007.

The Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure will operate in an open, transparent, and collegial manner and will keep you informed of our progress and thinking as we proceed with the activities of our mandate. We will assess proposals for organizational change comprehensively against the eight principles of assessment approved by Senate. A “Call for Submissions” inviting academic units to make proposals for alternative unit configurations within the University will be issued within the next few days.

The work of the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure must be seen as a work of partnership with academic units and community members across the University. We must all seek to be objective, explorative, and imaginative as we aim to design and build a future for the university that will enable us to embrace change as opportunity and confirm our reputation, in all areas of the university, as the best research comprehensive University in the country.

In consultation with the Senate Committee on University Priorities, I have appointed the following members to the Task Force:

Paul Budra (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Charmaine Dean (Faculty of Science), Jane Friesen (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Frank Gobas (Faculty of Applied Sciences), Bob Krider (Faculty of Business Administration), Craig Janes (Faculty of Health Sciences), Jack Martin (Faculty of Education), John Waterhouse (Vice-President, Academic, Chair of the Task Force), and 2 student representatives (pending identification from SFSS). Sue Roppel has been appointed as Special Projects Advisor to the Task Force and its Working Groups.

The Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure has developed a web site to keep you informed about its activities:

The Phase 2 Task Force will endeavor to complete its work by November 30, 2007.

The Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure will operate in an open, transparent, and collegial manner and will keep you informed of our progress and thinking as we proceed with the activities of our mandate. We will assess proposals for organizational change comprehensively against the eight principles of assessment approved by Senate. A “Call for Submissions” inviting academic units to make proposals for alternative unit configurations within the University will be issued within the next few days.

The work of the Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure must be seen as a work of partnership with academic units and community members across the University. We must all seek to be objective, explorative, and imaginative as we aim to design and build a future for the university that will enable us to embrace change as opportunity and confirm our reputation, in all areas of the university, as the best research comprehensive University in the country.

In consultation with the Senate Committee on University Priorities, I have appointed the following members to the Task Force:

Paul Budra (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Charmaine Dean (Faculty of Science), Jane Friesen (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Frank Gobas (Faculty of Applied Sciences), Bob Krider (Faculty of Business Administration), Craig Janes (Faculty of Health Sciences), Jack Martin (Faculty of Education), John Waterhouse (Vice-President, Academic, Chair of the Task Force), and 2 student representatives (pending identification from SFSS). Sue Roppel has been appointed as Special Projects Advisor to the Task Force and its Working Groups.

The Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure has developed a web site to keep you informed about its activities:
http://www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/Committees_TaskForces/Ad_Hoc_Committees/Phase2_TF/index.html

In addition to the various formal opportunities that will be developed to consult extensively with the University community, we wish to invite you at any time to send us your input, advice and comments. The Task Force can be contacted by email at: facultystructure-phase2@sfu.ca or you can contact the Secretary to the Task Force, Sharon Eng, at 604.291.3925

We look forward to working with you over the next year.

Sincerely,

John Waterhouse, Chair, Phase 2 Task Force on Academic Structure
Vice-President, Academic

Friday, January 05, 2007

University/Industry Liaison Office, Office of Research Services, and the Office of Research Ethics are moving

From: Melanie Monk
Date: Jan 3, 2007 4:37 PM
Subject: Msg from VP Research: UILO, ORS, ORE moves Jan 18-23

The following message is sent on behalf of B. Mario Pinto, Vice-President, Research. Apologies for cross-postings.

Further to my email of December 5th, the University/Industry Liaison Office, Office of Research Services, and the Office of Research Ethics are moving offices from Strand Hall to the second floor of the Multi-Tenant Facility (MTF) building in Discovery Parks over the period of Thursday, January 18th through Tuesday, January 23rd. It is anticipated that these three offices will be fully operational at the MTF by Wednesday, January 24th.

As UILO, ORS, and ORE staff will be essentially unavailable during the move period, please make advance arrangements if you anticipate requiring assistance around this time. Faculty members who urgently require a signature on a grant application can stop by Strand Hall, Room 2102 on January 18, 19, and 22.
...
This move will ease the space crunch for these units, and will in turn free up a significant amount of in-demand space in Strand Hall. We'd appreciate your patience during this period.

The 4-digit locals for the staff members in these units will stay the same, but the AREA CODE and PREFIX are changing to: 778-782-xxxx (where xxxx is the local). For internal calls to these staff members, you will now have to dial five digits: "2" followed by the four-digit local.

Lecture: Michael M'Gonigle: University As A Catalyst For Local/Regional Sustainability (Jan 18)

The Planetary University As A Catalyst For Local/Regional Sustainability
A lecture by Michael M'Gonigle
Hosted by the Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University

SFU Burnaby Campus
Thursday, January 18, 2007 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
RCB (Room Robert C. Brown Hall) 6152

SFU Surrey Campus
Thursday, January 18, 2007 from 2:30 p.m. - 4:20 p.m.
Galleria, Room 3090

In the era of global warming, and calls for urgent action, citizens need new strategies to help break the political and economic gridlock that prevents such action. One institution that has so far escaped attention in this quest is one that is right in front of us, the university. Drawing on his recent book, Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University, Dr. M'Gonigle will consider this historic institution in terms of its potential to become a model of transformative change at the community level where we live. The challenge will be to harness the power of the "higher education industry," in conjunction with new emerging processes of social change, and to open the postmodern university to a new mission that will be of local and global significance.

MICHAEL M'GONIGLE is the EcoResearch Professor in Environmental Law and Policy in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria. A lawyer and political ecologist, his work with Greenpeace in the 1970s led to the international moratorium on commercial whaling. During this time he co-founded Greenpeace International. In the 1980s, he worked on wilderness conservation and forestry reform in British Columbia, including leading the successful struggle to protect the Stein River Valley from industrial logging. As Chair of the Board of Greenpeace Canada, he initiated its forests campaign in 1990. A cofounder in the late 1990s of SmartGrowth BC and Forest Futures (Dogwood Initiative), he recently founded the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at UVic. He is author, most recently, of Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University (with Justine Starke) (New Society Publishers) (2006).

These lectures are free and open to the public. Registration is not necessary.