For the past two decades, one name has been associated more than any other with the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley. When you think of SASI, the institute’s founding director, Dr. Satwinder Bains, comes to mind pretty quickly. That changed on August 15 when Satwinder formally retired. She is…

Dr. Jatinder Mann has joined the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) as Director of the South Asian Studies Institute (SASI), succeeding Dr. Satwinder Bains, who retires this month. Jatinder comes to UFV from the United Kingdom (UK). He holds several degrees and credentials, including a PhD from the University of Sydney in Australia and,…

For humans, melatonin is useful for getting to sleep. For strawberry plants, it may be a tool for survival in a warming world.  UFV student researcher Emily Foster recently finished a study that found melatonin reduces heat stress in alpine strawberries, increasing the resilience of a native crop. Melatonin is a hormone produced by humans…

The world of high-performance sports can push an athlete to the limit, both physically and mentally. But when do the costs outweigh the benefits? When does participation do more harm than good?  A research project led by UFV kinesiology student Meigan Picard examined those questions through the lens of competitive ballet culture. Her paper suggests…

A wave of plant-eating insects is slowly but steadily making its way north. With climate change lengthening their migration window, it’s not a matter of if, but when leafhoppers arrive. UFV’s BERRI (Berry Environmental Resilience Research & Innovation) Lab, led by Dr. Lauren Erland, is co-leading Project Leaf Hope, a national effort that aims to…

As summer draws near, so does the opportunity for UFV students to dive into meaningful research through the BMO Collaboratorium.  Keith Carlson, Canada Research Chair and director of the Peace and Reconciliation Centre (PARC), has lined up several projects with community partners, and continues to look for more. The BMO Collaboratorium provides those partners with…

Thousands of kilometres away from her home in Brazil, Stefhane Brachmann is getting an accelerated introduction to research working at the University of the Fraser Valley’s Berry Environmental Resilience Research & Innovation Lab (BERRI) Lab.  Stefhane (pronounced Stephanie) was inspired to come to Chilliwack after finding the BERRI Lab website. The site lists many of…

Humans like to own things. As individuals, we strive for houses and cars, RVs and big-screen TVs. Nations seek to own resources, staking their claim to resources like oil and critical minerals.  But when does the awareness of ownership begin? When do we first conceive of the idea that something is ours, or an object…

The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is receiving federal funding to help expand the National Invention to Innovation (i2I) Network, a program that aids Canadian STEM and healthcare researchers in their quest to solve global challenges.   UFV will share in $23 million provided through a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada Lab…

  As climate change increasingly affects traditional agriculture, new methods are being explored to make sure our food security stays intact. UFV’s Food and Agriculture Institute (FAI) is viewed as one of the leading research groups in this space, and the FAI team has been tapped to manage an exciting new research project.   A four-year…

Dr. Lenore Newman views food security as an existential crisis for humanity, and she believes climate change is pushing the world in a dangerous direction. “As long as we can keep the world’s food systems working, no matter what else happens, we will be okay,” she says. “But if we lose the food, chaos erupts…

  In March 2024, a hard drive representing the culmination of a year’s worth of archival research returned to its rightful home. For most of the 20th century, Canada’s Indian Residential School system uprooted hundreds of young children from their community on Haida Gwaii. The forced separation of families left deep scars on the island’s…