REMINDER: New Student Orientation & Welcome Back BBQ -- Sept 4

Just a reminder that the department is holding a new grad student orientation next Thursday, September 4, 2008 in B9242 from 1:30-3:30 pm.

Following the orientation, BISC Grad Caucus will be hosting a Welcome Back BBQ starting at 4 pm in the physics-biology courtyard (7000-level) to welcome our new grad students.  [All new grad students and mentors: we ask that you meet us there at 3:30 so you have a chance to meet each other beforehand.]

GSS update [Aug 25, 2008]

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GSS Update -- Aug 25, 2008

1. Grad Social Fri Sept 5
2. Wireless internet access in grad lounge
3. Info for students traveling to the USA
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1. Grad Social Friday Sept 5.
Come out to the Highland Pub next Friday for a welcome (back) grad social, starting at 4:30 p.m. Enjoy some free pizza and cheap beverages with other grad students brought to you by the TSSU and the GSS.

2. Wireless internet access in the Grad Lounge: The Grad Lounge (MBC 2212), a comfy area with couches where grad students can work, eat lunch, or hang out, now has internet access. If you'd like to connect to the wireless network, drop by MBC 2205 or email gss-secretary@sfu.ca to get a password.

3. Travelling to the states? New Homeland Security Regulations.
The following is from the UVic grad newsletter in April, but sounds like useful info for SFU grads too:

There are some new rules between the US Homeland Security and Canadian Border services that may affect researchers and others attending conferences, or doing presentations in the United States.
 
In essence Homeland Security has the right to copy, scan, review and withhold, laptops, external drives, blackberries, cell phones etc from anyone travelling to the United States.  [Uvic] has already had several instances where research findings and presentations were withheld at the border and the information destroyed and equipment never returned.  In one case no other copies of the research existed.
 
Please ... be sure to save copies of materials you are taking to the US and to email yourself a copy of your presentations so that in the event that your laptop is detained, you will at least be able to access the presentation when you arrive at your conference... .

--
Clea Moray
President, Graduate Student Society

Department Scholarship Committee Grad rep position opening - taking nominations

This is to let you know that one of the two Grad Student Rep positions on the Departmental Scholarships Committee (DSC) will be opening up this fall. We'll be taking nominations over the next few weeks (you can nominate yourself, of course), and holding an election for the position at the end of Sept Caucus meeting.

"This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a process that ensures the allocation and ranking of awards is done in a manner that is fair, unbiased and in the best interests of the graduate students that you are representing. It is also invaluable experience with the grant/scholarship/fellowship process and how these awards are administered, something all of us Graduate students have to do."

Ideally, a student holds a DSC Rep position for two years so that at least one of the representatives has had prior experience serving on the committee.

The committee meets about once or twice a semester, during the fall and spring semesters. You are also required to put in a bit of time reading and ranking applications. Part of the reason for having two grad student reps is to ensure that at least one rep can attend each meeting, in case the other is off at a conference, doing field work, etc... DSC Grad Reps are encouraged to apply for departmental scholarships along with everyone else, and the DSC makes an effort to ensure that the selection process is not biased against these students.

In general, the caucus encourages a PhD student to hold one of the positions (currently Sarah Jamieson), and a Masters student to hold the other position (the one that is opening up, previously held by Brendan Connors). However, this is a 'soft' rule, and anyone who is interested should feel free to nominate themselves.

As a previous DSC Grad Rep, I can honestly say that the experience was interesting, informative, had a minimal time commitment, and in my opinion is one of the more enjoyable ways you can volunteer your time in the department (also sounds good on a CV).

Please let us know if you're interested!

Erica Jeffery

Jerry Ericsson

Departmental New Graduate Student Orientation

Thursday, 4 September 2008 from 1330-1540

Followed by a welcome party sponsored by the BISC grad caucus.


Orientation agenda (PDF)

Welcome party info (PDF)



more information to follow

Recreation & Athletic Programs Underway!

Hello!

Through the summer semester, Recreation & Athletics hosts numerous
programs, classes, drop-ins and more. Below is a list of our program
areas and activities offered in each. Full program details are
available on our NEW wesbite http://rec.sfu.ca.

Registrations for these programs is underway (but it's not too late).
To register please contact 604-291-4142 or drop by the Recreation &
Athletics Office, Monday-Friday between 8:30am-4:00pm.

INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Martial Arts
- Aikido
- Fencing
- Kendo
- Kung Fu
- Modern Arnis
- Tae Kwon Do
- Tai Chi - Beginner I and Beginner II
- Tang Soo Do
- Ving Tsun

Dance
- Latin/Salsa
- Social Dance

Yoga
- Hatha ~Flow
- Traditional
- Slow Flow Vinyasa

Outdoor Recreation
- Scuba Diving

Racquet Sports
- Racquetball

AQUATIC PROGRAMS:

- Advanced Courses
- Adult Programs
- AquaFit
- Drop-In Swim
- Emergency Response Training
- Youth Programs

FITNESS PROGRAMS:

- Fitness Centre
- Fitness Certifications and Workshops
- Fitness Classes

REC SPORTS (Intramurals):

- Challenges
- Drop-Ins
- Ladders
- Leauges
- Tournaments

We look forward to seeing you at Recreation and Athletics!

Announcement: Director, Enrollment Services

It is with pleasure that I announce that Mehran Kiai is the
successful candidate for the Director, Enrollment Services. Mehran
brings both a strong post-secondary consulting background in national
and international projects and over 10 years leadership experience in
three post-secondary public educational institutions in Western Canada. He is
a professional engineer and is just completing his Doctor of
Education in Leadership & Change from Fielding Graduate University.
Mehran will start his position on May 14, 2007. Please join me in
welcoming him to SFU.

I would also like to thank the members of the search committee: Nancy
Johnson, Greg Baker, Barry Honda, Tina Edmundson, Paul Godman, and
Amanda Van Baarsen.

Best regards,

Kate

*******************************
Kate Ross
Registrar & Senior Director
Student Enrollment
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby BC V5A 1S6

Phone: 604 291 4176
Email: kuross@sfu.ca

Genomes, Medicine, and the Environment 2007

Genomes, Medicine, and the Environment 2007
Paradise Point Resort & Spa, San Diego, California — October 8–10, 2007

Welcome

The J. Craig Venter Institute this year welcomes you to sunny San Diego, California for the Genomes, Medicine and the Environment 2007 Conference. This three-day intensive meeting features presentations by world renowned genomics researchers. Meet experts in a variety of genomics disciplines, participate in interactive, in-depth discussions on future innovations in the field and network with colleagues and life sciences suppliers.

Did you miss last year’s meeting? View the GME 2006 program.

Registration

To preregister for the Conference email gme@jcvi.org.

Chairs

Douglas Bartlett, Ph.D.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD

Robert L. Strausberg, Ph.D.
President, The Center for the Advancement of Genomics
J. Craig Venter Institute

Susan Taylor, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCSD

J. Craig Venter, Ph.D.
President, J. Craig Venter Institute

new Dean of Health Sciences

I am very pleased to announce that the Board of Governors has
approved the appointment of Dr. John O'Neil as Dean, Faculty of
Health Sciences, for a period of five years commencing August 1,
2007. Dr. O'Neil is a medical anthropologist who is currently Head
of the Department of Community Health Sciences in the Faculty of
Medicine at the University of Manitoba. I believe SFU's Faculty of
Health Sciences will be well served by his impressive background in
First Nations health, international programming and in the
application of anthropological research methods to the study of
infectious diseases such as HIV Aids.

I look forward to working with Dr. John O'Neil once he joins the
University community later this summer.

Sincerely,


Dr. John Waterhouse
Vice-President, Academic and Provost