Vancouver Sun

Science is alive and thriving at Simon Fraser

Field generates discoverie­s, revenue, writes Peter Ruben.

-

I was recently talking with someone who should have known better, and was taken aback when they said to me, “There’s science at SFU?”

Stifling the urge to say something snide like, “You’re kidding, right?”, I took a deep breath and replied that, yes, there is indeed science at Simon Fraser University.

Of the eight faculties at SFU, four have the word “science” in their name: Arts and Social Science, Applied Science, Health Sciences and (drum roll, please …) Science. A cursory overview of websites will tell the casual observer that social science includes the likes of psychology and criminolog­y, both of which are academic department­s in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Applied Science includes engineerin­g, computing and their offspring, mechatroni­cs. The Faculty of Health Sciences focuses on population and public health.

The Faculty of Science focuses on … science. Science encompassi­ng all its aspects and all its glory: biology, biomedical physiology and kinesiolog­y, chemistry, earth science, math, molecular biology and biochemist­ry, physics, statistics and actuarial science. These are the eight academic department­s within the Faculty of Science at SFU.

The SFU Faculty of Science academic programs teach to about 2,200 undergradu­ate majors and 600 post-baccalaure­ate grad students each year. Beyond those, however, the numbers of students in science classes jumps to almost 4,000 because all the degree programs at SFU have at least a required course or two in the sciences.

Universiti­es do far more than teach. Research is also a huge component of what goes on at SFU.

In the Faculty of Science, research takes place both in the laboratori­es that are overseen by faculty members and in teaching labs. In both cases, students contribute a critical mass of human resources. Without students, the research enterprise at universiti­es around the world would falter.

Research not only feeds knowledge, but it also provides an experienti­al learning opportunit­y for students, whose studies might otherwise be restricted largely to the didactic experience of the classroom.

Research also generates revenue. Of the over $65 million in funding to support research brought by SFU, over $25 million (about 40 per cent) went to the Faculty of Science.

Science research at SFU spans the full spectrum of the universe, from studies of the fundamenta­l particles of nature to the expansive reaches of the cosmos. And everything in between. While much of the work that goes on in SFU’s research labs is of a fundamenta­l nature, like exploring the forces that hold atoms together, there is also applied research, such as how to make more efficient and powerful batteries. And while some say SFU is unencumber­ed by a faculty of medicine, that doesn’t mean there isn’t medical research.

Patients’ heart cells beat in dishes where treatments for common and rare but fatal heart disease can be sought. Small molecules, isolated from marine micro-organisms, are screened as potential therapies for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegen­erative diseases. The genetics of cancer were discovered, supporting efforts to design personaliz­ed treatments.

There is a researcher, fondly called “Dr. Mosquito,” whose research aims to stop the spread of insect-borne diseases. Another found the pheromones to lure and eventually eliminate bed bugs. The list goes on and on.

Last, but certainly not least, SFU outreach programs attract the next generation­s of scientists and science-savvy citizens. The Science-inAction program at SFU reaches into the classrooms of Lower Mainland schools and touches the lives of more than 6,000 students each year.

Other programs aim to make physics more relevant for girls, introduce Indigenous people to the elegance of math, and open the skies to everyone through SFU’s Trottier observator­y.

Undergrad students at SFU can bolster their education by practical experience through the co-op program by working in their field of study. Last year, more than 500 science students added practical experience to their degree training through co-op.

SFU doesn’t just have a science program. It has a thriving science program that educates, discovers, informs and generates revenue. So, the next time somebody says to you, “there’s science at SFU?” — the answer is, “you better believe it.”

Peter Ruben is associate dean for research and graduate studies in the Faculty of Science at Simon Fraser University. His research is in the area of molecular biophysics.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada