How a BUEC 232 student really sees the syllabus at SFU – and we bet you do too!
Written by: Sakina Nazarali, Peak Associate
Super-resolution microscope to advance biomedical research at SFU
Written by: Henry Tran, Coordinating News Editor
After buying the right microscope, SFU scientists can now get a much closer look at what’s happening inside a live cell.
In Fall 2018, scientists from SFU’s Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease (C2D2) gained access to a novel $750,000 super-resolution microscope, the Zeiss AiryScan. This system lets them visualize the complex processes that occur within living cells. C2D2 is a network of researchers at SFU who are performing cutting-edge biomedical research.
Ever since the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to a group of researchers who invented the “super-resolution fluorescence microscopy,” super-resolution microscopes are becoming more common at Canadian institutions that conduct biomedical, molecular, and cell biology-related research, according to Dr. Christopher Beh, a professor in the department of molecular biology and biochemistry and one of the 11 co-applicants who acquired the new gadget.
This new microscope is one of the best instruments for live cell imaging, offering users the ability to observe “the true dynamics of the cell,” said Beh in an email interview with The Peak. The new microscope is currently housed in the microscopy facility at SFU, which is located at the South Science Building, room 7145.
The new microscope was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Research Tools and Instruments Grants Program, as well as the combined efforts of SFU’s office of the vice-president research, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Science, and several other departments, according to Beh.
“This type of microscopy permits visualization of large macromolecular complexes that reside within living cells. These are in essence the machines of life,” explained Beh. “Because we can see these very small things in living cells, we can also watch in 3 dimensions where within
Gathering the resources to obtain the novel microscope took a couple of years and a room in the microscopy facility had to be renovated, said Beh. Air conditioners also had to be installed to negate the heat generated by the super microscope.
The room also had to be “vibration dampened,” he added, as even a bus driving by on an outside street can vibrate enough to distort the microscope’s imaging.
Currently, properly trained personnel from SFU research labs as well as local biotech companies can use the Zeiss AiryScan through the microscopy facility for a fee. Beh did not disclose the exact amount, but he stated that the fee will be different for SFU research personnel compared to researchers from external organizations. Undergraduates working in research labs can also have access to it depending on completion of required training, explained Beh.
The super-resolution microscope can discern between two objects at a distance of less than 100 nm apart (a nanometer is 109 times smaller than a meter). The wavelength of green light is approximately 300 nm and this microscope has the capacity to capture objects much smaller than the wavelength of light, said Beh.
Traditional microscopes only discern objects around 150 nm apart, a visual limitation set by the Abbe diffraction limit in optical physics. Super-resolution microscopes can overcome this barrier, allowing researchers a greater visualization of the cell’s interior processes, explained Beh.
“We can see molecular motors moving up and down cytoskeletal ‘tracks,’ we can see membrane vesicles move lipids and proteins from where they are made in one internal membrane to another . . . In essence, we can see biological machines within the cell assemble and disassemble in a way we could never before,” he stated.
The new microscope will help Beh advance his research on membrane transport within cells and how pathologies like cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can develop when these intracellular mechanisms are disrupted.
The new microscope will also be used by multiple researchers across SFU, including but not limited to molecular cardiac physiologists, cellular neuroscientists, and virologists
SFU hockey defeat league-leading Spartans for second time in a row
By: Dylan Webb
In a game with a variety of implications for the BCIHL playoff picture, SFU produced one of their most complete 16 minutes of hockey of the season. At the Bill Copeland Sports Centre, they cut down the Trinity Western University Spartans in a 4–2 victory. The win sets up a potential playoff spot clinching game next Friday in Victoria against the team the Clan would be eliminating from playoff contention, the University of Victoria Vikes.
Other than one early hiccup, the first period was all SFU. Though the Clan fell behind 1–0 less than a minute into the game, they immediately recouped it when forward Mitch Newsome scored two power-play goals within two minutes. In the dying seconds of the period, forward Graham Smerek made a heroic short-handed shot, securing a two-goal lead for the Clan heading into the second.
While the Spartans responded in the second period, coming within a one-goal margin on a tally by Logan Casavant, the Clan cemented their win in the third period with an insurance marker from forward Mitch Ledyard. While SFU was dominated on the shot clock by an energized, restless Spartan team, the Clan netminder’s stellar performance allowed the team’s offensive attack to end in a huge two-point lead; the team’s forwards played with a killer instinct sharp enough to score four goals on just 18 shots.
Between the pipes, Ryan Sandrin was a major factor in the win. Stopping 36 of 38 shots, Sandrin saw his record climb to 4–1 on the season. As the team continues its battle for playoff positioning, they will need this type of performance from its goaltenders if they want to climb above the last playoff seed.
After the game, we asked Sandrin what this win meant for the team in terms of confidence heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Sandrin didn’t mince words: “It was a huge game and a huge win,” he said simply.
With the win over TWU, the Clan now look ahead to a Vancouver Island road trip with games in Victoria and Nanaimo. As mentioned, the Clan can formally clinch a playoff spot and eliminate the UVIC Vikes from playoff contention if they can win on Friday in Victoria.
Admittedly, this is something of a formality at this point. It would be hard for SFU to lose their spot to the Vikes; not only would UVIC have to earn a perfect 6–0 record in their final regular-season games, but SFU would have to lose seven of their last eight games. Even so, there is no doubt the Clan would like to formally punch their ticket to the first round of BCIHL playoffs so they can start focusing on positioning and potential first-round opponents.
When asked about the impending clinch possibility and the enormous implications for playoff positioning on the horizon, coach Mark Coletta said that he has a lot of confidence in his team in their ability to execute and increase their intensity levels to match the importance of the next half-dozen games.
Following the Vancouver Island road trip this coming weekend, the Clan returns to Nanaimo once more the following weekend before coming back to Vancouver for their next home game: another matchup with the TWU Saints, on Monday, February 18 at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre. Puck drop is 3 p.m on Monday — the Family Day holiday.
Annihilation is a beautiful ordeal
By: Alex Bloom
Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation is the first book in the Southern Reach Trilogy, and it will pull you in immediately with its rich and insidious atmosphere. Lovers of science fiction and horror are sure to find themselves gripped by a compulsion to learn more about the mystery at the center of the story, much like the characters in the book. Readers may find themselves transfixed by Vandermeer’s prose from the very start. One might even call the book abrupt, throwing the reader into the increasingly strange and intriguing world of “Area X” from the top of page one.
The story follows four women — a biologist, a psychologist, an anthropologist, and a surveyor — who are sent on an expedition into the aforementioned “Area X” by a shadowy organization known only as The Southern Reach. Their mission is to find, document, and understand the source of the inexplicable events reported in the area.
None of the characters in Annihilation have names, and it is told in the first person from the perspective of a woman identified only as “The Biologist.” All of the other characters are simply referred to by their roles. This is emblematic of the story itself, which calls into question the nature of all that the explorers know, with ever more chilling implications as the expedition goes on.
Even though her name is never revealed, the first-person narration provided by The Biologist gives the reader an intimate insight into her psyche and the way she approaches life through the lens of her work. She sees natural phenomena, not morality, as she navigates nightmarish scenarios in the pursuit of understanding the mysterious Area X. In Annihilation, moral ambiguity abounds, and everything is grey, despite The Biologist’s colourful surroundings.
Annihilation is existential horror at its finest. It is rife with metaphors and musings about mortality, pain, personal growth, isolation, as well as the nature of reality itself and how we perceive it. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys speculative fiction and, despite its short length, is not a short read as it takes multiple readings to unpack all the hidden meaning it holds.
If you’re still left wanting more, however, Annihilation has also been made into (a very different) but still fascinating feature film. The film is directed by Alex Garland and features stars like Natalie Portman, Jennifer Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac. The film is well worth watching despite diverging from the book in several ways, and it’s sure to keep you up at night.
SFU changes its emergency protocol in light of previous campus incidents
Written by: Henry Tran, Coordinating News Editor
On January 23, Simon Fraser University Safety and Risks Services (SRS) announced that it has changed its emergency protocol and added new safety services for the SFU community.
The new emergency protocol states that in urgent situations, SFU students, faculty, and staff should call 911 directly instead of contacting Campus Public Safety and they can make the call on any phone. However, the SRS recommends that the call should be made through a campus phone if possible because Campus Security is able to locate where the call was made to potentially help resolve the situation, according to its website. Every classroom at SFU is equipped with a phone, the website further adds.
Previously, the university’s recommendation to its students and staff in emergency situations was to contact Campus Public Safety first before reaching out to external emergency services because the layout of SFU can be difficult for emergency responders to navigate, according to Tim Rahilly, SFU vice-provost and associate vice-president, students and international, in a previous Peak article.
However, many students voiced their concerns about this protocol following the two campus incidents that took place in Fall 2018. One involved a student entering a classroom and behaving violently toward their peers. In another, a student passed away due to medical complications during an on-campus exam. Among other concerns, students expressed that campus safety personnel were slow to respond and did not have the same level of training as paramedics.
SEE MORE: “SFU student alleges university did not provide adequate aid following campus violence incident”
SEE MORE: “SFU talks safety protocols after student passes away on Burnaby campus”
As a result of the feedback from the SFU community, SFU held an internal meeting in October 2018 to review its emergency protocols messaging and it took the university approximately three months to implement this new change, according to Mark LaLonde, SFU chief security officer.
“We heard from students, faculty
According to a press release by the university, all three campuses at SFU now share the same phone numbers for its emergency line (for urgent and medical-related purposes) and non-emergency line (for assistance with Safe Walk and security). The numbers are 778-782-4500 and 778-782-7911, respectively.
In the past, the numbers for the emergency line and non-emergency line were different for each SFU campus, and those numbers will continue to work, stated LaLonde.
“The new protocol is meant to simplify messaging of what to do in event of an emergency, and remind our community of how they can access information relating to safety, emergencies and security,” stated LaLonde.
When asked how this new protocol is more effective compared to the one SFU previously had, LaLonde replied, “The new protocol is simpler and easier for everyone to remember and activate in event of an emergency.” The SFU community will continue to have access to Campus Security on a 24/7 basis despite the changes made to SFU’s emergency protocol, according to a media release by the university.
In addition to the new emergency protocol, the university will display new emergency posters at all SFU classrooms, provide updated “emergency contact key-tags and safety information postcards” to faculty and staff, as outlined by a press release by the university. The university also hired a new security vendor to increase security resources and dispatch at SFU, the press release further adds.
“Our intention is to enhance community understanding of how to increase their safety and how SFU can best support them in an emergency,” LaLonde concluded.
With files from SFU News
SFU men’s basketball blowout University of Alaska Fairbanks 88–55
After losing to the other Alaska team on Thursday, SFU bounced back big time on Saturday against the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks. The team cruised to a 88–55 victory in a game with multiple strong performances.
While the second half was the defining period of the game, the Clan did manage to get off to a good first half. Starting with a 9–2 run, it was clear that SFU meant business. The starters continued to pour it on, getting off to a 14-point lead relatively quickly, and the teams would eventually go into the half with the home team leading 36–26.
Julian Roche and Wilfried Balata both had strong halves, leading the team with 10 and 14 points respectively. For the Nanooks, Tymoryae Glover led all scorers with 15 points.
The Clan made quick work of their opponents in the second half, pulling away with more than a 20-point lead seven minutes into the half. They would eventually cruise to a 88–55 win, although they led by as much as 39 at one point.
Five SFU players were in double figures in this one: Roche (19), Balata (16), Michael Provenzano (14), Othniel Spence (13), and Drew Bryson (11).
With the win, the Clan now have a 3–7 conference record, and a 9–9 record overall. Given the dogfight that is the GNAC playoff picture, the team still has a shot to make the postseason if they can put together a bit of a streak.
Peak player of the game: Julian Roche
As he’s done so often this season, Roche dominated the paint in this one. He played a team-high 35 minutes, and led the team in points with 19 and rebounds with nine. He also put up his numbers efficiently, going 8–13 from the floor (including a three), and 2–2 from the free-throw line.
What’s next:
The Clan will now hit the road as they travel to face the 6–4 Seattle Pacific University Falcons and the 9–1 and conference-leading Saint Martin’s University Saints. First off is Seattle, where they play on Thursday night. Tipoff is at 5:15 p.m.
SFU women’s basketball pull off incredible upset win over Northwest Nazarene University
The SFU women’s basketball team is officially on fire. Heading into Saturday night with four straight wins, there was a sense that something amazing could happen when they hosted the undefeated Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks. It did. Behind an incredible fourth-quarter comeback, the Clan were able to pull off one of the upsets of the season on home court.
SFU did a good job of keeping the game close during the first quarter. While they struggled with their shot early, their defence kept them in the game. A buzzer beater three-pointer from Jessica Jones to end the quarter put the score at 18–17 heading into the break.
The Nighthawks were able to seperate themselves in the second quarter, however, scoring an impressive 26 points in the frame. While SFU were hitting some shots of their own, they were unable to keep up to their opponents offence, and saw themselves down 44–36 heading into the half.
NNU would win their third straight quarter in the third, this time by a score of 17–16. This set up a tough fourth quarter for SFU: stuck nine and facing the best team in the conference.
They were not fazed.
Jones particularly was up to the challenge. After hitting a three to start the quarter, she hit another three a minute later, before finishing off a fastbreak with a layup. Less than a minute later, she hit another three, than a mid-range jump shot. She scored 13 of the Clan’s first 14 points in the quarter, single-handedly giving the team a three point lead.
Everybody started to get in on the action, and the Clan led for the final 7:40 of the game, shocking their undefeated opponents. By the time the final buzzer had gone, SFU had outscored NNU 24–12 in the final quarter.
While the win marks the Nighthawks’ first loss of the season, it also extends the Clan’s win streak to five games. SFU is still tied for third in the GNAC with Central Washington University with a 7–3 conference record.
Peak player of the game: Jessica Jones
No question about it, Jones put her team on her back and carried the game during their 16–2 run to start the fourth. Without her performance to start the frame, the team would likely be looking back on a loss right now.
She finished the game with 20 points, including four threes.
What’s next:
The team will continue its home stand when they host both Alaska teams next week. First off is the 0–10 University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks on Thursday, January 31 at 7 p.m. Next, the team plays a big game against the now-conference-leading 9–1 University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Saturday, February 2 at 7 p.m. Can the team extend the streak to seven games? Tune in to find out.
Commercializing hip-hop risks the loss of its afrocentric roots
Written by: Youeal Abera, Staff Writer
I’ll never forget being six years old and seeing Jay-Z on television for the first time. It was July 2001, and my cousins from Toronto were over for the summer holidays. I vividly recall a muffled voice escaping my television speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s put our hands together for this dynasty.”
I proceeded to watch this young Black man, with a large white t-shirt and shiny necklace, spit what would soon become an undeniable hip-hop classic.
17 years later, Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” transfers me to my happy place. Whenever I feel irretrievably misunderstood and on days where I miss my brother, songs like these provide me with a fortitude that I can’t seem to find elsewhere.
In 2017, according to Nielson Music’s statistics, hip-hop (albeit categorized alongside R&B) officially became the most popular genre of music in America, overtaking rock. Through the accessibility of music videos on YouTube and the mass spread of AAVE (African American Vernacular English) on social media, hip-hop has manifested across pop culture in an incredible way.
At first, I found myself happy that the creative contributions of Afrocentric people were being celebrated so regnantly. But the more I thought on it, the more I found myself scared. Hip-hop is notorious and constantly consumed, but a big reason for that is the genre’s vast whitewashing and commercialization.
A relatively recent example took place in January of 2017. Danielle Bregoli, also known as the “Cash-Me-Ousside” girl, appeared on The Dr. Phil Show, where Bregoli’s mother implored Dr. Phil to help her with her daughter’s abhorrent behaviour. This included stealing cars, cussing, and physically assaulting her mother. But Bregoli’s irritable put-on Blaccent and urban colloquialisms made her a social media phenomenon.
What brings this back to music is that Bregoli used her fame to begin a rap career, which has already been nominated for awards alongside prominent Black women rappers without even two years of her career. This speed is greatly comparable to Nicki Minaj, a Trinidadian-American rapper who put over a decade of hard work into her career before being widely considered the most successful Black woman in hip-hop.
The most troubling notion of this event lies in the fact that, in the 16 seasons that The Dr. Phil Show has been on air, hundreds of young Black women with attitudinal issues have made highly similar appearances to Bregoli’s. Instead of gaining international fame or success, they remained simple, problematic figures who elicited dismay and ridicule online.
To see Danielle Bregoli find such success — through caricaturing a “‘hood” Black woman — exemplifies how hip-hop is seen as a series of marketable traits, rather than as a culture.
The whitewashing of Black-created musical genres is far from new. Rock & roll, a genre stemming from the musical styles of African-Americans from the 1940s, rarely showcases or champions Afrocentric musicians. Elvis Presley, however, is often noted as the King of Rock even though his sound and artistry was taken from Black musicianship. Country music has had a rather similar history, where white musicians drew from Black blues singers in the American south in their contributions to the genre.
Both rock & roll and country were manifested by African-American culture before Eurocentric musicians spread it further and claimed it as their own. As a consequence, both rock and country are widely considered “white” genres of music today. With that, the process of erasing Afrocentric benefaction from these genres it’s birthed has succeeded.
Any race has the right and freedom to partake in hip-hop. However, the commercial success of the genre’s visitors comes at the expense of its Afrocentric community and themes.
Hip-hop is a relatively young genre with an utterly profound cultural impact. With artists like Post Malone taking up spaces that have traditionally been allotted to Black hip-hop musicians (urban radio stations), it’s becoming increasingly clear that the genre is another artistic platform where proclivities towards whitewashing are frightfully palpable.
Bas, and the Beautiful Effect of Hip-Hop
By: Youeal Abera, Staff Writer
In a time where hip-hop has officially become the most popular music in America, the genre’s market has become oversaturated with artists who use its culture solely as a means of monetary acquisition. Consequently, hip-hop is now faced with a plethora of artists who create fun, schematic music but lack the propensity to make substantial connections with fans. Bas, or any of the artists on J. Cole’s Dreamville, certainly don’t have this issue.
On Wednesday, January 16, Bas performed at Vancouver’s Fortune Sound Club as a part of his Milky Way Tour. With a comprehensive setlist that was comprised of songs from his latest album Milky Way, in addition to his past projects, Bas was able to perform an electrifying show that had fans wildin’ out from start to finish. There were a number of song selections that had the audience galvanized. One song in particular, Front Desk, had fans screaming and cheering the second they heard the familiar piano notes. As I looked around, I saw young women and young men with infectious smiles shouting, “Oh you headed out of town with your best friend!” Another song that ignited Fortune Sound Club was “Too High To Riot,” the title track from Bas’ second studio album. More than the audience’s enthused reaction to the song, the most noteworthy aspect of this specific performance was Bas explaining how he had been inspired to write track by the complaints and calls to the police that racist neighbours made against him and his friends as they moved into an affluent California neighborhood. Artists explaining the incentives behind the art they’ve created is remarkably refreshing, particularly in an era where many artists aren’t as heavily involved in the creation of their content.
Moreover, one of the biggest episodes of uproar experienced on this night was when Bas performed the Cole-assisted track, “Tribe.” The most euphoric (and humorous) moment of the show was captured as I perceived four grown men with arms around their shoulders, swaying back and forth as J.Cole’s voice sang, “Lalalalala” over the speakers. As evidenced by the concord across the audience, Tribe was an excellent choice to close the show.
Whether it was Bas’ amazing connection with his collective fan-group, the intimate performance-setting provided by Fortune Sound Club’s small size, or both of these factors, the entire duration of Bas’ show felt like a uniting experience. Perhaps accentuated by the contrasting, chaotic political state our society is currently placed in, Bas provided concert-goers with a space of joy and serenity, one which prompted everyone present (Bas, his DJ, club staff, and audience members) to dance and rap in a unilateral motion. Out of the many concerts I have attended, this particular element made Bas’ show stand out.
Tickets are still available for Bas’ Milky Way Tour on http://dreamville.com/milkywaytour/. His latest album, Milky Way, is available in stores and on all streaming platforms.
Love letter to SFU #2
By: Anindita Gupta, Peak Associate
Dear SFU,
You might be drab, colourless, and concrete, but come convocation time, your entire structure hums with hope. The hope of the new and aspiring graduates alike, the hopes in the eyes of the first-years dreaming of reaching that podium someday . . .
Come convocation time, SFU is a different place. It suddenly doesn’t matter whether it is wintry, dull, rainy, or grey – no one lets that bother them amidst the confusion of robes, families clicking photos, people struggling to walk in their heels, and cheering friends (including some with vuvuzelas!)
Of course, Convocation Mall only gets all dressed up twice a year. But what people miss is that even when nothing’s going on, even in the dullest parts of the year, SFU has spots that are truly stunning. All over the school, there are little places where I fall in love again and again.
If you’ve ever been to the study area under the Images Theatre, you know what I’m talking about. No, no, not the study spot directly underneath – the one looking out at the AQ pond, where the stairs almost cut into the scenery to make it look all the more magical.
Looking at the scene while studying with a big cup of tea, it all seems like something out of a movie, especially when the view is covered in snow or red leaves. A lot of the time, though, actually studying there is tough, because of its beauty. It’s distracting!
But if you’re really looking for a place to take a breather, try the terrace above the Rotunda. Both sides of that terrace are places you could go to at any time of day, in any season, to feel oxygenated and fresh. Whether you’ve been stressing about something all day, studying for a long time, or feuding with group members on ideas for a group project, it’s a great go-to spot to relax and empty your mind.
When I had class in West Mall, I remember getting up there, on the side that looks out over Terry Fox Field, almost every single day on my way back from class. I loved taking in the city and the roads leading up to SFU. This may sound like the most cliché thing ever, but time stands still.
So in short, SFU, thank you for your pockets of beauty.
Love,
Anindita
