SFU Science

05/21/2026

New research from SFU Biological Sciences professor Tanya Brown has found more than 200 contaminants in water and juvenile Chinook salmon in the Lower Fraser River estuary, including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. https://ow.ly/b85W50Z2UPI

05/19/2026

It's World Bee Day! SFU Biological Sciences has some tips on how you can make life a little easier for your local wild pollinators:

It’s World Bee Day! If you are concerned about pollinator declines, there’s something you can do: plant flowers. Professor Elizabeth Elle of Biological Sciences at SFU is studying backyard biodiversity, and in a study of just nine gardens in 2025 documented 130 species of pollinators!

Clockwise from top left, popular flowers include:
🌻Coreopsis (from the aster family, with the specialist sunflower bee, Melissodes microsticta)
🌸 Crab apple (from the rose family, with a blue orchard mason bee, Osmia lignaria)
🪻Alliums (which supported 31 species of pollinators in the study! shown with a miner bee, Andrena prunorum).
🐝 And look for nests! 70% of our bee species nest in the ground, including this furrow bee, Halictus rubicundus. One female is about to enter the nest she dug in soil, and you may spot a second peeking out of a hole below!

05/15/2026

With the mild spring showers continuing, Starry Nights is unfortunately cancelled for tonight, May 15. We hope to see you next week. Thanks as always to our friends at Royal Astronomical Society of Canada - Vancouver for their support of Canada's biggest Star Party!

05/12/2026

SFU statistics major, business minor student Jackie Liu completed a summer co-op as a junior bioeconomy analyst with the BC Ministry of Forests.

“I conducted techno-economic research and market analysis on emerging bio-based technologies and low-carbon solutions. My work included carbon modelling across different scenarios to identify revenue-maximizing pathways, business case development, and cost modelling. I also used QGIS to create interactive spatial analyses and write clear, targeted briefings to support strategic decision-making.”

“One piece of advice I’d share is to stay in regular contact with your co-op coordinator. Schedule a few meetings throughout the semester to review your resume and cover letter. It is best to start early, ideally before your job search term begins, so you can submit high quality applications from the start. Good luck!”

Learn about Co-op opportunities in Science, Environment and Health Sciences at an info session on May 21: https://ow.ly/lE5M50YYvkJ

05/06/2026

Science Rendezvous and International Astronomy Day is coming up soon! Join us this Saturday for a day of free, hands-on science activities: https://ow.ly/b6yV50YVQf3

05/05/2026

Missed last week's Café Scientifique talk on 's mountain geology with Dan Gibson? Watch it on Youtube: https://ow.ly/WIPb50YViOH

05/05/2026

Missed last week's Café Scientifique talk on 's mountain geology with Dan Gibson? Watch it on Youtube: https://ow.ly/BgWp50YViS2

04/30/2026

This recent collaboration between SFU Department of Physics and SFU Biological Sciences researchers is a great example of how interdisciplinary collaborations can lead to new insights and useful tools for understanding the natural world.

How can the ‘elegant’ logic of physics be applied to the ‘messy’ reality of biology? A team of Simon Fraser University (SFU) scientists have used their interdisciplinary expertise to develop new, more accurate ways to estimate how groups of living organisms disperse.

04/29/2026

We're counting down the days until Science Rendezvous on May 9!

Make sure you take a tour of the newly refreshed SFU Biological Sciences Mesozoic Garden to learn about the plants that existed at the time of the dinosaurs and how paleontologists piece together ancient events from evidence like the Glen Rose Trackway. https://ow.ly/lT4250YS6uQ

04/28/2026

Molecular biology and biochemistry student Colin Fairburn was inspired to get involved with research after taking a cell signalling class with professor Esther Verheyen. He started volunteering with the Verheyen lab in the spring of 2025 and completed a USRA project over the summer of 2025, where he got hands-on experience working with Drosophila Melanogaster in a disease modelling project.

"I felt like my professional development was taken seriously and really given a priority," he says. "I was always offered opportunities to be trained on new equipment and unfamiliar techniques. Along with all the technical skills I was learning, I was also being mentored to develop the skills that would allow me to effectively think like a researcher."

Learn more about undergraduate research at SFU Science: https://ow.ly/SjzE50YQRkz

04/23/2026

Early bird tickets are running out for Nanolytica! Explore recent advances, ongoing challenges, and emerging opportunities at the intersection of analytical sciences and nanotechnology on April 30 at SFU. https://ow.ly/A47f50YK8MN