Tina Haisch: Research Visit at Simon Fraser University in Canada

In summer 2016, Simon Fraser University, located in the Vancouver area with three different campuses, celebrates its 50^th anniversary. As such, it is a quite young university also in the Canadian context. The Department of Geography, where I am visiting, is located in Burnaby, on top of a mountain. The campus is huge, providing beautiful views of the Vancouver area and the nearby mountains. Sometimes it happens that a bear or a coyote shows up on campus or surrounding forests. I was told that if it happens I should make myself ‘as huge as possible’ and make a lot of noise to ‘scare’ the bear away. Ever since, I am often asking myself if it would work out or not. The organization of Canadian universities is pretty much comparable to universities in the US, as they are closely linked to industry and research institutes and heavily rely on third party funding. As such, professorships are very often granted on the basis of external money.

The heart of SFU campus in Burnaby: academic quadrangle

The so-called academic quadrangle builds the heart of Simon Fraser University and was built in the 1960s but constantly renovated. From here, you can find all departments and institutes very easily. Under the quadrangle building, several items are exhibited, such as a first nation wooden canoe and a statue of the youngest hero of the university: Terry Fox.  

Terry Fox

Terry was a student at SFU and in 1977 he was diagnosed with bone cancer, leading to the amputation of his right leg. He decided to make a difference in the world and in 1980 started the Marathon of Hope. With one artificial limb, he ran across Canada, 26 miles each days, 7 days a week for 143 days. Only one year later, he passed away. Until today he raised over 650 million dollars dedicated to cancer research. That story was one of the most impressive I have ever heard. I cannot imagine how a human being is able to run for 143 days non-stop.

At SFU, I am visiting Alison M. Gill. She is professor at the Department of Geography and the School for Resources and Environmental Management (REM). Her research is in community development and considers planning issues in tourism environments. I am taking advantage of her knowledge and expertise with regard to my own research on recent developments in resource-dependent alpine tourism communities. Altogether, I can warmly recommend a research stay at another university, and especially at SFU in Burnaby!

Dr. Tina Haisch