November 25 2024 | DIGEST NO. 424

🍄Fungi Festival 🍄

🍄🍄 You’re invited to attend the first ever Fungi Festival hosted by BISC 328 – where the students will organize a diversity of interactive displays to get you interested and excited about Fungi. Everyone is welcome, so please share widely! 🍄🍄

Displays this year will include fungi crochet, a mushroom murder mystery, interactive art, mushroom dyes and textiles, medicinal and psychedelic fungi, and much more! You will also be able to vote on the best student displays!

What: Fungi Festival

When: Mon Dec 2, 10:30-12:30 am

Where: AQ South Hallway, by entrance to Biology

Who: Open to everyone! Please share widely!

Why: Explore the amazing fungal displays prepared by the students of Fungal Biology BISC 328

Important Scheduling Update for Spring 2025

MBB 201 (D100): will now run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 14:30–15:20 in SWH 10081.

Please note, both BPK 205 and MBB 201 will not be running next summer, so please take these courses this spring if necessary for you to progress in your major courses in the Fall 2025 term.

BPK 343 and BPK 482 Enrolment Information

SFU is required by law to ensure that every student registered in a practicum that involves working with children or vulnerable adults undergoes a CRRA Criminal Record Check. The University must submit consent forms with payment to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. SFU is prohibited by law to permit students to work with children or vulnerable adults without a CRRA Criminal Record Check. List of BPK Courses requiring a CRRA Criminal Record Check is as follows:

• BPK 343 – Active Health: Assessment & Programming
• BPK 482 - Ergonomics and Rehabilitation

The Criminal Record Check is coded as a prerequisite for the above courses and cannot be waived by law.

Please refer to the process for Criminal Records Check on SFU Student Service website here: https://www.sfu.ca/students/criminalrecords.html

By law, SFU cannot accept CRC's done through other agencies including the RCMP. Students with criminal record checks conducted through agencies other than the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General are still expected to fulfill this requirement. Further, the process for a Criminal Record Check must be undertaken by SFU only.

Since the document is valid for 5 years, it would be a good idea to get it done far in advance of your enrollment for any of the listed courses as the processing time can vary.

BPK 343 and BPK 482 Enrolment Information

SFU is required by law to ensure that every student registered in a practicum that involves working with children or vulnerable adults undergoes a CRRA Criminal Record Check. The University must submit consent forms with payment to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. SFU is prohibited by law to permit students to work with children or vulnerable adults without a CRRA Criminal Record Check. List of BPK Courses requiring a CRRA Criminal Record Check is as follows:

• BPK 343 – Active Health: Assessment & Programming
• BPK 482 - Ergonomics and Rehabilitation

The Criminal Record Check is coded as a prerequisite for the above courses and cannot be waived by law.

Please refer to the process for Criminal Records Check on SFU Student Service website here: https://www.sfu.ca/students/criminalrecords.html

By law, SFU cannot accept CRC's done through other agencies including the RCMP. Students with criminal record checks conducted through agencies other than the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General are still expected to fulfill this requirement. Further, the process for a Criminal Record Check must be undertaken by SFU only.

Since the document is valid for 5 years, it would be a good idea to get it done far in advance of your enrollment for any of the listed courses as the processing time can vary.

BPK 412 Fall 2024 Course Cancellation

The BPK 412 course for Fall 2024 has been cancelled due to unforeseen health circumstances. This may impact academic plans, and apologies are extended for any inconvenience caused.

Fall 2024 Graduation Update for Biomedical Physiology Majors

Are you a Biomedical Physiology major anticipating graduation after the Fall 2024 term but you need BPK 407?

If you require BPK 407 to fulfill your degree requirements, please note that it will not be offered this Fall 2024. However, we're pleased to announce that Biomedical Physiology majors in their final term will have the option to enroll in BPK 409 as a substitute for BPK 407.

Please note: if you choose to take BPK 409 in place of BPK 407, it cannot also count as an upper-division BPK elective, as this would result in double counting units. Thank you for your attention to this important information.

New Course Alert:LING 380-1- Practical Skills in Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics is pleased to announce a new 1 credit upper division course open to all students. There are no prerequisites!

LING 380-1: Practical Skills in Linguistics.  Spring 2025 topic: Python for Text Analysis.

In-person on Wednesdays, 1:30–2:20 p.m., Burnaby campus

Course outline: https://www.sfu.ca/outlines.html?2025/spring/ling/380/d100

BISC is  offering two upper-division B-Sci courses this Spring: BISC 371 and BISC 373. 

a) BISC 371:  Crucial Discoveries in Biology

Mode of Instruction:  Online with synchronous meetings.

Instructor:  Dr. E. Pallson

Course Details: Biology impacts our lives every day. This course will highlight significant discoveries that have fundamentally changed scientific thinking in various biological fields, and you will learn how the scientific method led to acceptance of these ideas. We will discuss basic cell and developmental processes that are responsible for the diversity of unicellular and multicellular organisms. You will learn how key discoveries in genetic inheritance and molecular biology have paved the way for the technological breakthroughs like gene sequencing and editing that are currently used in all aspects of biological science. Technological advances include the use of modeling and statistics that enable studies of relationships in developmental biology, evolution and ecology. We will discuss the discoveries in evolution and adaption that fundamentally changed our understanding of speciation and the creation of biological diversity, as well as key ideas in ecology that influence our efforts on conservation, global warming and pollution. You will also learn how studies in basic biological science have led to medical breakthroughs such as in neurobiology, microbiology and the use of antibiotics, and cancer research.

This course is an online course with synchronous in-person exams.

b) BISC 373: Brewing Science

Mode of Instruction:  In-person.  Lecture time:  TBA (we are currently looking for a larger room to accommodate 60 students).

Instructor:  Dr. Z. Punja

Course Details: This course will provide students with a broad understanding of the science of brewing. As an introduction, the history of brewing and its impact on society and discovery of the brewing process will be discussed. This will be followed by a review of the brewing ingredients, the processes that are involved, and the various inputs required. The process of malting and fermentation will be discussed in detail. The by-products of the brewing process and their uses will be presented. Aspects of plant biology and cultivation, biochemistry, and yeast microbiology as it relates to the brewing process will be presented.

There will be several guest lectures on the selection of high-quality ingredients, packaging, marketing and management of products derived from the brewing process.

This course includes hands-on activities in class.  

Student Learning Commons (SLC) Undergraduate Writing Contest

All eligible undergraduates are invited to submit a paper to the 2024 Student Learning Commons writing contest (one entry per eligible student). 

Winning entries will be awarded a cash prize. All winners and “honourable mention” papers will be published in this open access journal as examples of strong writing across the disciplines.

All submissions will be pre-screened for eligibilty by Graduate Writing Facilitators who work for the SLC. Papers will then be assessed by a panel of judges comprised of SFU faculty, retired SFU faculty, and writing specialist staff members. After the judges have made their selections, the SLC will run the winners and honourable mentions by the instructors for whom the papers were originally written before announcing the winners. 

The SLC warmly encourages submissions from students for whom English is an additional language. Elements that are unique to writing in an additional language will be considered when selecting contest winners. Read more...

Funding Opportunity: Fall 2025 Exchange at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)

Apply for the Erasmus+ funding opportunity, which supports SFU exchange students to study at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), and participate in one of their Faculty of Medicine VU minor programs in Fall 2025!

The funding package includes:

• 820 EUR for travel 
• A living allowance of around 3,060 EUR while on exchange

Please note that the amounts are subject to change, and living allowance is dependent on duration of the program.

To be eligible, students must:

• Apply for the exchange program by January 10th, 2025, and be nominated for one of the Fall 2025 semester Faculty of Medicine VU minor programs.
• Meet the general exchange eligibility criteria.
• Complete 45 SFU units/90 ECTS prior to the exchange term may be eligible

Contact studyabroad@sfu.ca for more details.

Pathy Foundation Fellowship

The Pathy Foundation Fellowship is a 12-month experiential-learning program in youth leadership and community engagement. Each year, up to 12 selected Fellows receive state-of-the-art training, extensive support, and $50,000 in funding to support their growth as leaders, make a meaningful impact in a community they care about, and acquire skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.

This is the only program in Canada that provides young people with a fully-funded opportunity to dedicate a year of their early career to a project they are passionate about, in any field, sector, and community across the world. 

Applications are open until December 15th, 2024! Learn more and start your application at www.pathyfellowship.com!

OzTREKK'S UPCOMING FEATURE WEBINARS & EVENTS

These program-specific webinars are a student's first step toward their dream career! They cover university options, admission requirements, prerequisites, how to apply, financing, and more. Current students and alumni join these webinars to answer questions and provide insight into what life in Australia and NZ is really like.

How to Get into Vet School
November 26
8 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. PT

Faculty Visits & In-person Events
We regularly visit university campuses across Canada throughout the year, collaborate with student groups, host our university partners for our Study Down Under fairs, and hold program-specific webinars and in-person events with faculty.
 
This year, we'll be joined by the University of Queensland Dean of Medicine, the University of Sydney Dean of Law, and more! If any of these events are happening in your area, you'll receive a separate invitation and detailed information closer to the date.

 International Student Support Fall 2024

Drop-in Support Services at the GSC:

• International Student Experience Support - drop-in one-stop space for international students to ask any non-academic questions and life at SFU

• Academic Writing Support - in collaboration with Student Learning Commons, this drop-in service is to offer support and guidance with academic writing

• Career and Job Search Support - in collaboration with Career and Volunteer Services, a Career Education Specialist is available to give personalized advice on career, job search, and more

• Mental Health and Wellbeing Support - in collaboration with Health and Counselling Services, a Transition Case Manager will be available to provide one-on-one support

Project Coordinator, Implementation Science Team in Healthy Aging

We are seeking a dynamic individual for the role of Project Coordinator for our Implementation Science Team in Healthy Aging. The successful candidate will support adaptation and scale up of Choose to Move to better reach and engage older men. Choose to Move is a health promoting program that supports older adults in B.C. to become more physically active, mobile, and socially connected. The successful candidate will work with the SFU Aging and Population Health Lab and the UBC Active Aging Research Team. 

Click here to view the Job description

Join Flavourful Science: Igniting Curiosity Through STEAM Education!

We have roughly 12 positions available for our Diversifying STEAM Program (taking place in the Surrey School District and at SFU Surrey’s Sustainable Engineering Building). This program engages elementary aged students who come from demographics that have been traditionally under-represented in STEM. The positions are for the Winter term (Jan - Mar) and/or Spring term (Apr - July) with the possibility of extension. Please see the job descriptions and application link below (note hiring will occur on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply early):

• Power Girls Job Description

• SD36 CSP Job Description

• Coursys Application (there is one form for all positions available) 

Fraser Health Crisis Line Recruiting Volunteer!

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity? Why not start now!

The Fraser Health Crisis Line is recruiting volunteers to provide assistance to people in the region who are experiencing emotional distress. No previous experience is needed as extensive training and ongoing support is provided. If you are interested in learning more about this challenging and rewarding opportunity, the first step is to review the information on our website and then attend a Zoom Information Session. Please go to www.options.bc.ca and click on Get Involved -> I Want to Volunteer -> Crisis Line. Here you will find the dates and Zoom links for the up-coming sessions.

Many volunteers report that their Crisis Line experience was significant in helping them reach their educational and/or career goals, including acceptance into Graduate Programs, Policing, Medical School, E-Comm 911, Social Work, Mental Health and related fields. Volunteers also tell us that they find the Crisis Line to be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, as they are truly making a difference.

Join Flavourful Science: Igniting Curiosity Through STEAM Education!

Flavourful Science, a non-profit organization, brings excitement to STEAM topics through food-based experiments. Our Vancouver School Program (VSP) has reached 900+ elementary students across 15 schools, with rave reviews from teachers.

New Initiative Alert: SFU students will lead workshops for elementary students in Burnaby. Volunteer with us to inspire the next generation!

Get Involved: Contact mosesj@sfu.ca for details

Website: http://flavourfulscience.ca/

Instagram: @flavourful_science

Volunteer Opportunity at UBC Sports Law

Dr. Mark Moore, renowned Sports Law Professor at UBC, is on the lookout for a volunteer classroom assistant. Dive into the world of sports and law alongside an expert.

📅 When: Thursdays, 2-5 pm
📍 Where: Allard Hall, UBC

You'll assist with guest interviews, multimedia clips, student presentations, and engaging negotiation exercises. Familiarity with Zoom, Canvas, and Excel is desired. Position opened until filled.

A bit about Dr. Moore: A former pro hockey player, co-owner of Nike Sports Camps, and author. Past classes featured legends like Ken Dryden and Charles Tator OC.

📩 Interested? Drop an email to Dr. Mark Moore: moore@allard.ubc.ca