SFU Graduate Studies

SFU President Andrew Petter has just announced a President’s Dream Colloquium to bring leading thinkers to SFU and provide an annual forum for intensive interdisciplinary exchange amongst faculty and students.

Each colloquium will provide an opportunity for approved SFU students to gain course credits for attending colloquium seminars, participating in pre-seminars and completing supervised research papers relating to the colloquium’s subject/theme.

Annual funding of $25,000 will be provided by the President’s Office and managed by the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

If you’re a graduate student with an idea for an interdisciplinary colloquium, please speak to your graduate supervisor. (One faculty member will receive teaching credit for coordinating the programme.)

For additional information, contact Graduate Studies: gradstudies@sfu.ca.

• President’s Dream Colloquium Announcement

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Congratulations to computing master’s student Brian Milligan, who just received a prize for best video (above) from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) at the Human/Robot Interaction Conference held in Switzerland in March 2011.

“Robots might use a system like this to be sent out to clean areas, deliver supplies, perform search and rescue, or for something more fun like a live version of the game StarCraft,” he says. “This technology might also be used in an intelligent home, where you might select areas to be activated and controlled. Computer vision and robots are becoming increasing powerful technologies. One of the key challenges now is to make the technology easily usable and useful for people.”

• SFU press release:  People commanding robots not far-fetched
• Brian Milligan’s personal page
• Vision and Media Lab, SFU
• Autonomy Lab, SFU
• Brian Milligan’s grad student page

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After Andy Yinan Hu finished his MA in Communication in 2006, he went on to do investigative journalism for China Daily.

He’s currently the Deputy Editor and Staff Writer on China Daily’s News cover story team, and was just profiled on the FCAT website. From undercover work at the iPhone and iPad factory to a series from the Kenya-Somali border, he’s been a prolific contributor to his newspaper.

• Profile of Andy Yinan Hu on the FCAT website
• Andy Yinan Hu’s Facebook page
• MA Thesis: Swimming against the tide: Tracing and locating Chinese leftism online

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Craig Vandermeer, a Master’s student in International Studies, was recently interviewed by SFU’s co-op program about his fall 2010 co-op term in Uganda:

I traveled to Mbarara, Uganda; a city of about 200,000 (although you wouldn’t know it as there was only one major street) located near the borders with Rwanda, Tanzania and the DRC. While I was in Mbarara I was working as a project assistant for the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Mbarara University of Science and Technology. During the work term I completed three projects and initiated one for students that university to continue once I departed. The three projects varied from research to program development. I first worked on an oil research program, and then was requested to develop a program where students at the university could reach out to the local community through interacting with vocational schools.

Craig is also the founder of Schools Building Schools, a charitable initiative dedicated to providing funds and resources for the construction of vocational (trades) schools in rural Uganda.

• SFU International Studies: Student Profile
• SFU Co-op Program (see also co-op info sessions)
• Schools Building Schools (SBS Facebook page) (SBS on Twitter)
• Kemptville newspaper’s interview with Craig Vandermeer on Schools Building Schools
• Craig Vandermeer’s Facebook page

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The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra is offering scholarships for 100 undergraduate, masters and doctoral students to attend Asia Pacific Week from July 10-14, 2011.

Financial support includes scholarships of $1500 AUD to ten international applicants. In addition, over 40 students will receive travel support of $1200-$1500 AUD. Accommodation and food are provided for the duration of the conference.

Asia Pacific Week brings together leading regional experts and 100 of the world’s top students for a series of academic and networking events focused on the Asia Pacific region. The week in Canberra will incorporate the China Update, a Q&A style forum on the future of the Asia Pacific, thematic and sub-regional panel discussions, and a flagship session on the transformation of political and economic power in Asia. The opening address on 11 July will be delivered by the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Deadline for applications is April 21, 2011.

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The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) invites graduate students to apply to the 2012 MEXT Research Student Scholarship.

The scholarship is open to university graduates, born on or after April 2, 1977, who wish to study as Research or Masters students at a university in Japan.

The term of the scholarship is 18 months to two years (including 6 months of Japanese language training) starting in April or October 2012. Allowance is 150,000 yen (approx $1,600 CDN) per month. Terms subject to change.

Download application documents from the Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver: www.vancouver.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/en/culture/mext.htm. If you have any questions, call 604.684.5868, ext. 223 or email culturalcentre@consuljpnvan.com.

The deadline to apply for the scholarship is May 20, 2011.

• 2012 Application Guide and Forms
• Sample examinations from past years

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Congratulations to Masa Iwase, recent CMNS grad, for winning the Language and Literacy Researchers’ of Canada Master’s Research Award for his thesis, New literacies, Japanese youth, and global fast food culture: Exploring critical youth agencies.

He’s received $500 and an invitation to present at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education Conference in New Brunswick this May.

• Masayuki Iwase’s award-winning thesis at the SFU library
• School of Communication’s news release on his award
• Profile of Masa at Douglas College when he was an international student new to Canada
• Language and Literacy Researchers’ of Canada Master’s Research Award

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You’re invited to post a good deed to SFU’s Inov8 contest.

For your good deed, you’ll receive a free music album or $10 iTunes voucher, and a chance to win a 16GB iPad.

The contest closes on April 18, 2011.

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Would you like to be in a Lipdub video for SFU?

Students are organizing a shoot for this event on Facebook and they’re looking for volunteers and ideas which will profile all of the university.

Visit their new website to sign up to their mailing list.

For examples of other lipdubs from other universities:

• UVic (Spain): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeGDRSWB46w
• UVic (Victoria): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpKMIGoUGe0
• UBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpp3quce1Vo&feature=topvideos

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The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) offers scholarships for study in Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, the South Pacific and Tanzania.

Applications are open to citizens of any Commonwealth country except those from of the same country as the award.  One award will be available for each country.

Application deadline has been extended to May 31, 2011.
Details and the application form are available through http://www.csfp-online.org/fundawards.html

For more information, please contact CBIE at scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca or 613-237-4820 ext 259

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