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Scholarly Impact of the Week

We are celebrating and raising the profile of scholarly milestones and research impacts from across the SFU research community.

Examples of Scholarly Impacts can include:

  • Publishing a paper in a high-impact journal; 
  • Patenting an invention; 
  • Debuting a new performance piece;
  • Publishing a monograph or book and/or;
  • Changing a government policy

We expect most of the publications that are featured to be recent impacts—however, we will also publish a transformative impact from the past, from time-to-time. 

As part of SFU's Scholarly Impact of the Week, selected researchers will work with a member of the VP Research and Innovation Office's communications and marketing team for support. We will also work with researchers to discuss how we can mobilize knowledge on their work by submitting to The Conversation Canada—one of the world's most trusted independent sources of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered directly to the public. 

Be sure to keep up-to-date on the latest published Scholarly Impact and other research news by following SFU Research on Twitter (X).

If you have any questions, please reach out directly by emailing vpri-communications@sfu.ca

SFU's Scholarly Impact of the Week series does not reflect the opinions or viewpoints of the university, but those of the scholars. The timing of articles in the series is chosen weeks or months in advance, based on a published set of criteria. Any correspondence with university or world events at the time of publication is purely coincidental.

For more information, please see SFU's Code of Faculty Ethics and Responsibilities and the statement on academic freedom.

October 22, 2024

Leading global efforts to protect deepwater sharks and rays

nick dulvy sfu

Nick Dulvy

Faculty of Science

SFU Distinguished Professor of Marine Biodiversity & Conservation Nick Dulvy collaborates with scientists worldwide to address global environmental challenges like the effects of climate change and overfishing on marine biodiversity.

His compelling research is consistently the within the most widely read from SFU, particularly his work on the status of sharks and rays.

His recent paper, Fishing for oil and meat drives irreversible defaunation of deepwater sharks & rays, made the cover of Nature when published in spring.
 

Read more
October 3, 2024

Cool new discoveries about watermelon snow

Lynne Quarmby - watermelon snow

Lynne Quarmby

Faculty of Science

On mountains all over the world and on Arctic and Antarctic snow, swaths of orange, green, or watermelon-red algal blooms appear on the icy landscape.

SFU molecular biology and biochemistry professor Lynne Quarmby is a leading expert on watermelon snow, an interest arising from her deep engagement with the climate crisis. Using innovative approaches to sequence the genome of red snow algae, Quarmby and her research team are making cool new discoveries.

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September 17, 2024

Enriching environmental education through Two-Eyed Seeing

David Zandvliet

David Zandvliet

Education

SFU education professor and UNESCO Chair in Bio-cultural Diversity and Education David Zandvliet uses a Two-Eyed Seeing approach in his teaching and research, a concept developed by Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshall. 

His recent paper, A Two-Eyed Seeing Teaching and Learning Framework for Science Education, with Connie Cirkony and John Kenny from the University of Tasmania outlines ways to integrate the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing with the strengths of Western science into a pedagogy that benefits students, communities and the planet.

 

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September 10, 2024

Handbook explores essential role of ethnic media

Daniel Ahadi SFU

Daniel Ahadi

Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
Ahmed Al-Rawi SFU

Ahmed Al-Rawi

Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

Canada’s ethnic media plays an essential role in uniting minoritized immigrant, ethnic and racial groups, and over time has evolved from analog to digital, while remaining relevant across generations. They play a vital part in shaping democracy by providing a voice and platform for underrepresented groups.

The Handbook of Ethnic Media in Canada, by communication professors Daniel Ahadi and Ahmed Al-Rawi with alumnus Sherry Yu explores the crucial role of ethnic media in the nation’s public sphere.

Read more
August 14, 2024

Research rewind: How a nuclear physicist broke new ground for archaeology research

Erle Nelson

Erle Nelson

Faculty of Environment
Mike Richards

Mike Richards

Faculty of Environment

In 1977 nuclear physicist Erle Nelson and colleagues published a paper suggesting the use of accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) to date archaeological artifacts. Almost five decades later, AMS is still used today to learn about past climates and cultures, in crime scene investigations, and more.

SFU professor and Canada Research Chair in Archaeological Sciences Mike Richards, and a former student of Nelson's, talks about the impact of this innovation and how it is used today. 

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July 3, 2024

Designing technology to support wellbeing

Alissa Antle sfu

Alissa Antle

Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology
Alexandra Kitson

Alexandra Kitson

Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

SFU School of Interactive Art and Technology professor Alissa Antle and postdoctoral researcher Alexandra Kitson are using the power of virtual reality and imagination to help young people learn emotional regulation. Their breakthrough research is changing how we think about technology and helping improve mental health.

Read more
June 26, 2024

Using health data to predict the course of Alzheimer's

Mirza Faisal Beg SFU

Mirza Faisal Beg

Faculty of Applied Sciences
Jiguo Cao

Jiguo Cao

Faculty of Science

What does it mean to be diagnosed with dementia caused by Alzheimer’s? Will the disease advance rapidly over a few years or more moderately over decades?

SFU engineering science professor Mirza Faisal Beg and statistics and actuarial sciences professor Jiguo Cao analyzed the data of over 400 individuals in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database to predict time-to-conversion for DAT.

This is the first known study that performs a comprehensive survival analysis for subjects in various stages of the disease.

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June 20, 2024

Why do animals outrun robots?

Max Donelan

Max Donelan

Faculty of Science

Biomedical physiology and kinesiology professor and chair Max Donelan co-leads SFU's WearTech Labs, a state-of-the-art Core Facility that researches and develops wearable technology to improve lives. His recent collaboration, Why animals can outrun robots, discusses why biology outperforms engineering in all aspects of movement.

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May 29, 2024

Decoding the genome to predict the clinical course of lymphomas

Ryan Morin SFU

Ryan Morin

Faculty of Science
Kostiantyn Dreval

Kostiantyn Dreval

Faculty of Science

SFU molecular biology and biochemistry professor Ryan Morin uses cutting-edge molecular and computational methods to study the genetic architecture of cancer. 

For a recent study led by SFU postdoctoral fellow Kostiantyn Dreval, researchers at the Morin Lab used machine learning to identify two genetically distinct subgroups of patients. This important finding can help better predict the risk and progression of malignancy using genetic testing.

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May 22, 2024

Groundbreaking scholarship on gender and the military

megan mackenzie sfu

Megan MacKenzie

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Despite the global #MeToo and #TimesUp movements highlighting the impact of sexual violence, within many western militaries sexual violence is still a significant problem.

Megan MacKenzie is a world leading expert on gender and the military, and over the past decade her research has shaped the debate on gender integration and military culture.

Her recent book provides insights into how patriarchy operates in the militaries of Canada the United States and Australia and offers recommendations on how to address, reduce and prevent military sexual violence. 

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