A Day At SFU

Since last week’s article was focused on UBC, I decided to direct this one toward another prominent university in the area; Simon Fraser University.  SFU may not have been around for as long as UBC, but since the university was established in 1965, it has become one of the most reputable institutions in the area.  With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, SFU can be reached from multiple places in the Lower Mainland, making the high ranked university easily accessible.  Receiving fourth place in Sciences and Engineering in a 2012 study by the Higher Education Strategy Associates assessing Canadian universities, SFU ranks highly in Canada.  It also achieved ninth place in Social Sciences and Humanities, still a high ranking out of the 61 universities included in the study.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mraneri/2015/04/09/getting-ready-for-the-ipo-lite-5-things-to-know-about-sec-reg-a-plus/

But besides the details of SFU’s quality of education, it’s important to note that a celebrity visited SFU on October 8th to receive an honorary doctorate of science.  Yes, this celebrity was none other than celebrated educator Bill Nye the Science Guy.

http://viewmixed.com/throwback-to-the-greatest-scientist-and-teacher-of-the-90s-bill-nye-the-science-guy/13843 

Yes, Bill Nye visited SFU to get this honorary doctorate, with the important parting words of “Change the world,” directed to SFU students.

Besides this celebrity endorsement, SFU boasts impressive architecture, especially at the Burnaby campus.  The pond and greenery are often surrounded by students at any given time.

http://www.sfu.ca/~jtmulhol/

It is also necessary to mention the Trottier Observatory and Science Courtyard, opened in April, a major part of SFU’s science outreach program, as well as being used by astronomy students.  To see the latest images from the observatory, this website posts them along with descriptions from Dr. Howard Trottier, the founder of the observatory.  Approaching nights when various astronomical events are occurring, people who follow their events page can be notified of “Star Parties” in which guests can go to the Burnaby campus and set up their own telescopes.  Of course, those without telescopes can go as well to use other peoples’.

Simon Fraser University holds the promise of a high quality education, multiple campuses for easy access, and a flourishing sciences program.  If all this, along with smaller, more manageable class sizes, sounds appealing to you, SFU might be the place for you!