SFU to build data research hub with funding of $8.35 million
The technology that we rely on as students could not exist without the innovation and data storage capacity required for big data projects. While computers may be faster, smaller, and more intelligent than ever, data storage is integral to expand the groundbreaking research that can come from high-powered, reliable computing technology.
SFU has received over $8 million in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Major Science Initiatives program, and provincial research and development organizations. This funding will help to build a data storage hub.
This sponsorship means that major computer research projects can now be directly conducted right from SFU’s Burnaby campus. By 2017, according to SFU News, the project conducted by Compute Canada is intended to have approximately 62 petabytes (that’s 62 million gigabytes) of consistent data through four storage platforms from SFU, University of Victoria, University of Waterloo, and University of Toronto.
What is data storage and what does this mean for SFU research capabilities?
According to CFI, a program created by the Government of Canada in 1997, comprehensive data storage is an integral part of maintaining fundamental research and investment across sectors. While this funding is fairly recent, the foundation has invested roughly $360 million in Canada over the last 16 years. The capabilities of data research are abundant and allow for SFU, as one of Canada’s top research universities, to directly aid the growing number of researchers in the field. A report from Compute Canada confirmed that the number of advanced computer researchers has more than doubled in the last five years.
What research will SFU be capable of producing?
Data research popularity has further garnered attention across media in its abilities to decipher particle physics’ greatest questions, such as the discovery of the particle Higgs boson in 2013 by CERN or continued discoveries in human genome testing. In 2015, Forbes released a list of the top 13 computer research topics, including artificial intelligence research, producing educational tools for students, and better understanding how organisms function through computational neurobiology — all of which rely on dependable computing infrastructure.
SFU isn’t smashing atoms together just yet, but this investment certainly supports the Big Data Initiative approved by the SFU Board of Governors in March. The initiative aims to expand and support big data research across the university.
Through the funding received from the CFI, the Ontario Research Fund, and the BC Knowledge Development Fund, reliable infrastructure is now being built to hold approximately 1,000 GPU devices, 25,000 CPU cores, and 15 million gigabytes of storage disks at SFU Burnaby. In plain terms, the new cyberinfrastructure has the storage of about 12,500 regular dual processor computers. That’s some big data.
Compute Canada’s involvement with the data storage investment at SFU will involve work with companies such as IBM, Scalar, and DDN to build the most up to date form of cyberinfrastructure storage. This funding also provides increased data security within Canada: Compute Canada’s chief technology officer, Dr. Greg Newby, said in a press release that data hubs like this one are “a great solution to address the data explosion we are currently experiencing in Canada and globally.”
With this project, SFU is taking another big step into the 21st century.
Everything you missed during summer vacation
The Summer semester is often much quieter than the Fall and Spring semesters. But if you decided to tune out while away on summer holidays, you missed out on some pretty important news stories.
For starters, the man elected to serve as the president for the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) at the end of the Spring semester barely made it a month before resigning on June 3. Deepak Sharma failed to meet eligibility status, and the president seat has been vacant ever since.
Larissa Chen, VP student services, has been filling in as the interim president in the meantime. She has already said that she won’t be continuing on as president, which means that students will participate in a by-election to fill the position (and the vacant environment student representative position) that will take up the first four weeks of the Fall semester.
That hasn’t stopped the SFSS from making some big decisions, with the most recent being to scrap the stadium portion of Build SFU. Upon getting the estimates back and realizing they were three times as much as the allotted funds for the project, the SFSS decided the project wasn’t feasible and cancelled it within a week.
This move has not sat well with many student athletes, as well as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and those students who are invested in the Build SFU project. The last board meeting of the semester was stormed by upset members of all these parties, and meetings have been held with the SFSS and SAAC to determine if the whole project will remain cancelled or if a stadium can still be salvaged.
While those battles have been going on concerning the student side of the politics of SFU, the administration has been forced to deal with the alleged mishandling of multiple sexual assault accusations that took place on campus over the past school year.
After a column by Daphne Bramham appeared in The Vancouver Sun which broke the news, SFU administration went on the defensive, with SFU faculty calling for them to be held accountable for not being transparent throughout the accusations and investigations.
All of this took place while the campus is formulating its sexual violence and misconduct policy. They have held town halls and are actively encouraging feedback on their progress. Many concerned students and staff are waiting to see what this policy will end up becoming.
It wasn’t all bad news, though. Two recent graduates made some big noise for creating a virtual reality game for cancer patients, inspired by their own experiences with health issues. SFU engineers built a bionic arm for the upcoming first-ever “cyborg Olympics.”
The school’s athletics department also hired Steve Hanson to be the next men’s basketball coach, on the heels of Virgil Hill’s resignation last spring.
Time will tell if the upcoming semester will be as noteworthy.
Women’s soccer ready to make this season count
Last season the SFU women’s soccer team showed remarkable improvement. After ending the 2014 season 2–16, the team roared back with a 7–6–2 record in 2015.
However, it was how last season ended that has the team fired up for this year. The team needed a win in their final game against Western Oregon to finish in the top four, in order to qualify for the playoffs being held here at SFU; they ended up losing 2–1 in overtime.
“They don’t ever want to feel that way again,” said head coach Annie Hamel, referring to how last season ended. “I think that heartbreak fuels you for nine months, that you have to wait for that chance again, the chance to do better and to reach goals that you set out to reach.
“For the last nine months they’ve been preparing and thinking about that, and you don’t forget that type of pain. It’s been a good motivator, especially in the off season, and it’s shown because the kids have come out more prepared than ever before for preseason.”
“I actually think once [we] start believing in [our]selves [we] are going to be very difficult to stop.”
The Clan is a young team this year, as there is a total of 12 freshmen and sophomores to start the season. Despite this, Hamel is convinced that last year’s experience will help the team grow even more.
“Our freshmen last year weren’t true freshmen in the sense that they got minutes here and there,” she explained. “They were starters, so there’s a lot of experience there even though they’re young. Even the growth they’ve made in the spring is incredible. They’ve all improved so much from last year to this year.”
SFU will be led this year offensively by Christina Dickson, last year’s unanimous pick for GNAC Freshman of the Year. However, she’ll have more help this year with the addition of Emma Pringle, whom Hamel called a “true number nine,” and Monpreet Heer. Both players are expected to score goals and help compliment the offence.
Hamel and her team will not have an easy start to conference play. Their first home game after four on the road will be against Division II semifinalist and conference champion, Western Washington. Last season, SFU lost 9–0 over both games, including a 5–0 thrashing at home which saw them concede all five goals in the space of the first 15 minutes.
“The first area of business with that is not soccer, it’s mental,” said Hamel. “I think our team has given Western [Washington] a little too much respect in the past, and it’s almost like you don’t believe you’re going to win the game. The games that we play before that are going to serve confidence to see that we are a quality team, and they’re going to learn who they are as they lead up to that.
“At the end of the day there’s nothing they’re going to see with Western that they will not have seen the previous four games,” she continued. “It’s really a mental thing with Western. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a good side, but I actually think once [we] start believing in [our]selves [we] are going to be very difficult to stop.”
With over nine months of preparation and plenty of motivation, SFU will be looking to improve on a promising 2015 campaign.
Last season: 5th
Preseason prediction: 5th
University Briefs
[VANCOUVER] – Six sponsored student refugees will be attending UBC this fall, aided by a collaborative effort between UBC and the World University Service of Canada. This is not the first time that UBC has supported refugees: the school established its refugee program in the late 1970s.
UBC recently doubled the number of students it can accept into the program, in part to help student refugees from Syria. UBC’s student refugee coordinator, Akuechbeny Kuol, said the school will do its best to support the incoming refugees, offering free campus housing as well as additional help in finding employment.
With files from The Ubyssey
[OTTAWA] – A congregation of University of Ottawa students have rallied together after Ottawa police killed Abdirahman Abdi, a Somali man who was autistic. Protesters expressed their outrage against the alleged police brutality that took place back in July.
Leila Moumouni-Tchouassi and Faduma Wais, university students and members of the Ottawa Black Diaspora, led the event. Similar rallies calling for an end to anti-black violence were held across Canada. The Ottawa rally featured chants, and acknowledgments of the values of not only black lives, but also those of First Nations people.
With files from The Fulcrum
[TORONTO] – Humber College has announced that it is the recipient of over $21 million in federal government funding. This funding — along with investments from the Province of Ontario and Humber College itself — will be used to support the school’s sustainability initiatives.
Over $15 million of the funding will be dedicated to the Centre of Technology and Innovation, which is focused in advancing energy efficiency. Another project will be the Integrated College Energy Master Plan, an attempt to drastically decrease the school’s energy use by 2034, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
With files from CBC News
[BC] – Camosun College’s Gilbert Noussitou, chair of culinary arts, has created a program to educate students and revitalize Camosun’s edible garden, due to the vandalism and neglect the garden has faced.
He intends to use signs to instruct the student body on how to use and properly maintain the edible garden. Noussitou hopes that the culinary students will be able to use the program every day by using herbs to create fresh menu items. He stressed the economic, health, and environmental benefits that come from eating and cultivating an edible garden.
With files from Nexus
Sports Briefs
Men’s Soccer
The Clan won their first competitive game of the season Thursday, beating California State San Bernardino 3–0. SFU’s goals were scored by Pascal Schmidt, Adam Jones, and Mamadi Camara, who also added an assist. SFU was dominant defensively, not allowing the Coyotes a single shot on target the entire game. The team’s next game is against Notre Dame de Namur University in Bellingham, Washington.
Football
It’s now September, and the two SFU football alumni who were drafted into the CFL have taken quite different paths. Quinn Horton, drafted by the Calgary Stampeders 68th overall, signed for the Okanagan Sun of the BC football conference. Meanwhile, Michael Couture has had a promising start to his CFL career. The 10th overall pick has started all nine games on the offensive line for the 5–4 Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Cross Country
Both men’s and women’s cross country have been ranked high in the annual GNAC preseason coaches poll. The men’s team was picked to finish second in the conference, behind six-time defending champions Alaska Anchorage. Meanwhile, the women have been picked to finish third in the conference. The team’s first meet is September 10, at the Ash Creek Invitational.
Board Shorts
Stadium cancellation
After hearing about the stadium cancellation, over 70 student athletes attended the SFSS board meeting to express their frustration. A letter from Student Athlete Advisory Committee president Olivia Aguiar was read by spokesperson for the group and football player Ante Litre. The letter criticized what Aguiar called the SFSS’s lack of transparency and information given to the SFU Athletics students leading up to their decision to cancel the project. See here for the latest stadium update.
SFSS staff update
Antonio Daling made his final announcement as student organizer for the SFSS. He has served the SFSS for 10 years. Adrienne Marino and Pierre Cassidy will be sharing his duties and office hours, and will become a point of contact for the Fall Kickoff.
SFSS approved support of community consultation to shape a new sexual violence policy
The Women’s Centre, Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group, and the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Student Union have organized a series of events. These events include discussion of sexual violence policy, sexual violence workshops, and film screenings for the upcoming semester. These talks will take place from September 13–28. The SFSS expressed their support of these events.
SFSS approved a budget up to $4,200 for Fall Kickoff Week
Project leads are also approved for the upcoming Fall Kickoff celebrations: Mudi Bwakura will be project lead, with Blossom Malhan as alternate.
Did you know you can attend SFU Board of Directors meetings? Join the SFSS September 9 at 2:30 p.m. in Forum Chambers for the latest SFSS discussion and news.
SFU football is focusing on the process
For the first time in a long time, SFU football has some stability, at least in the coaching department. Head coach Kelly Bates has returned for a second season in charge, and is looking to avoid last year’s winless campaign. Perhaps the only silver lining one could take from last year’s record is the fact that in five of the nine games the Clan played, they were either leading or tied at halftime.
According to Bates, turning those halftime ties and leads into wins is “a process that happens both on and off the field. On the field, we’ve got to control the measurements of the game that help you have success. Ball control, taking care of the ball, time of possession on offence, no stupid penalties. [. . .] On defence, you need to take away balls, you need to stop drives, you need to not extend drives with bad penalties.
“Those are the things that come with attention to detail. And I do believe we will get better at that. But at the same time off the field, you need to put in place a recruiting class that allows you to build your team, and we’re not quite there yet.
Bates further explained that “We are a very young team. And we’re going to pay the price right now in terms of mistakes and being young and not having that experience. But it’s going to pay off down the road.”
The Clan brought a large 36-player recruiting class this season. Miles Richardson was one of those players, a transfer from Division I school Eastern Washington — Richardson will be the team’s starting quarterback, replacing Ryan Stanford, who has graduated.
“To me, he shows the characteristics I want in a quarterback,” said Bates. “First and foremost, he’s a hard worker. He doesn’t take any shortcuts. He knows what he wants from the players around him and he demands it, and there seems to be a respect factor there that helps him get that. He’s got a very young receiving core to work with, for the most part, and he’s given those guys great direction.”
Defensively, SFU will be led by the Herdman twins, Jordan and Justin. Jordan was last season’s GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Justin was no slouch either, recording just over nine tackles a game.
“I’m not expecting greatness, I’m expecting them to be them,” said Bates. “If that happens to be great, that’s outstanding. They’re two tremendous people off the field, and I think that adds to what type of people they are on the field. All I’m expecting from them is 100 percent effort, and I’m going to get that, and the result will yield itself based on that effort.”
The schedule for the Clan will be extremely tough at the start. After playing Idaho State, a Division I program away from home, the Clan is on the road again the following week in Texas, before coming home to play Humboldt State — the conference champion that beat them 57–0 last year.
“[Miles Richardson] is a hard worker [and] he doesn’t take any shortcuts.”
“It is what it is,” Bates said about the schedule. “You accept it, and create a plan, and that’s what our guys will do. One game at a time, one practice at a time.”
One particular game that has Bates excited, and might get students excited as well, is the homecoming game on October 1. It will be at Terry Fox Field, the first time the team will play there since 2013.
“We’re going to have some very interesting marketing ploys to what we do this year,” explained Bates. “We’re going to go ahead and copy the CFL ‘kick for a million’ and have a ‘kick for tuition.’ And we’ll do that multiple times at every game, so we’ll do it up here, and we’ll do it at Swangard. I think it’s a great way to engage students, the community, and great way to put some people in the seats.”
SFU plays their first home game September 17 at 6 p.m. at Swangard Stadium.
Last season: 7th
Preseason prediction: 5th
Veteran group expected to lead the Clan this season
SFU volleyball heads into the 2016 season with high expectations. That’s because this year, there are 12 players returning from a team that finished fifth in the GNAC conference last season.
“I think it’s always helpful when you return 12 players,” head coach Gina Schmidt told The Peak. “So far I think it’s probably the highest level we’ve been playing at this point in the season. I’ve been happy with things so far.”
The team has brought in three new players this season: Kirsten Pinkney and Betsie de Beer join as freshmen, while Angelica Kilberg joins from the University of Manitoba.
“It’s been a pretty smooth transition in terms of getting the freshmen involved,” said Schmidt. “We have one transfer who is already use[d] to the university setting, so this stuff isn’t new for her. So really, just two players that are new to university, and they have the opportunity to meet our team in the recruiting process. So there wasn’t really anybody coming in that didn’t know each other before.
“There’s always a bit of a jump from high school in the university level when it comes to the speed of the game, but really when you look at our gym, it would be hard to pick out who the first years are.”
Hopes for the upcoming season are high in part due to how the last one ended. After enduring some tough losses early on, the team rallied to win six of their final seven games, something Schmidt said the team hopes to carry over come the start of this season.
“We definitely talked about that in our spring season,” said Schmidt, on the end of last season. “Our spring season is essentially our preseason for this year, and I think we had a very good spring. The girls worked hard to improve on the things that kept us from being in the top three. Where that gap was, we really tried to address some of those things, and I think it was really building off a good end of the season.”
The Clan will not be afforded time to ease themselves into the start of this season, though. First off is a tough non-conference schedule which sees them play a total of eight games over the span of five different days. After that, they have three days to get ready for Western Washington at home, a team that last season were the West Region champions and went all the way to the national semifinals. However, Schmidt insists her team will be motivated for the task.
“It’s a little bit helpful that you’re playing Western, only because when you’re playing the team picked to finish first in the conference, it doesn’t take much to get the team motivated to play,” she explained. “It’s always exciting to play a good team and a team that’s favoured to win, so I think [that] will help us, even if we’re tired from the road trip. The opportunity to play a good team finally in front of our own fans, I think will help us get over any fatigue and excited to play.”
You can catch the game against Western Washington September 14 in the West Gym at 7 p.m.
Last season: 5th
Preseason prediction: 5th
High expectations once again for men’s soccer
SFU’s men’s soccer team has arguably been the most successful program since the school switched to the NCAA. An undefeated season in 2011 and two trips to the final four in 2012 and 2013 has meant that expectations for the team are always sky-high. Despite not making it to the postseason last year, the team maintained an amazing defensive record at home, not conceding at Terry Fox Field in the fall or the spring when they played two professional sides in Toronto FC II and Whitecaps FC II.
This year, things are no different. Expectations are once again stratospheric, with the team going for something that has eluded them in the past: a national championship.
“[The] message consistently with the players [is] that they’re here to win a national championship,” said head coach Clint Schneider. “Anything else is not good enough. It’s just not. Of course we’d love to win the GNAC championship, that’s great. We want to be in the national championship, that’s great. But we want to win a national championship.
“We’ve been close, but never won it. And you can say that’s a lot of success, and it is. But we want to be the last team standing. The players that join us, that’s what they want. And that’s why we recruit them, because they want to win.”
After a tough non-conference schedule — including NCAA Division II finalists Cal Poly Pomona, who are ranked fourth nationally — the Clan will not be eased back into conference play. Their first game in conference is against Seattle Pacific at home on September 22. Seattle Pacific is a long-time SFU rival, two-time defending GNAC champ, and ranked 11th nationally.
“We know what they’re about, they know what we’re about,” remarked Schneider. “When it comes to rivalry games like that, it’s not easy. [. . .] Generally those games are one-goal games, they’re tight, and both teams want to win those games. There is a lot of mutual respect, especially between coaches, and it won’t be easy. I think that we’re a very talented team, [and] it’s going to come to in that game where we are at, how the non-conference games go if we’re confident.”
Another key to start the season will be to avoid the sluggish start the team experienced last year, where the team only won one of their first six competitive games.
“[The] message consistently with the players [is] that they’re here to win a national championship.”
“I think we learned some lessons from last year and implemented them this year, [those] being a bit more prepared for the guys to come in for the first game. Pushing them a little bit harder than we did last year. And I think that if we just look at the results, last year we lost 1–0 to UBC, this year we tied them. We’re further ahead than we were last year.”
The team is bolstered this year by a number of high-profile recruits and returning players. One such recruit is Freddie Gard, who joins the Clan from the Southend United U-18 team, which plays in the third tier of English soccer. He’ll join another former Southend United player, Robert Hyams, on the team.
“Robert’s the one who told us about Freddie,” explained Schneider. “Robbie put his reputation on the line to say Freddie was going to be good enough to play here. [. . . He] is every bit as good as I thought he would be. I just had a conversation with him, I still think he has more in him, and he’s still adjusting to college soccer, because it’s different. But he has the potential to be very special for us.”
Mamadi Camara leads the way for the returning players. The midfielder was second on the team last season with five goals.
“I think Mamadi is poised to have a very special year. How good he was last year, he’s even that much better this year. He’s really grown as a player. [. . .] He is a difference maker amongst a bunch of difference makers — that’s what I believe.”
The quest for the elusive national championship continues on September 10 against Notre Dame de Namur University.
