SFU Biological Sciences

10/01/2026

The SFU Department of Biological Sciences Outreach & Engagement Committee is excited to announce the 7th Annual Biology Photo Contest!

Show us the beauty of your work—from cells to ecosystems, microscopes to fieldwork. Submit up to 3 stunning photos by November 5, 2026 for a chance to win prizes.

✅ Open to BISC faculty, grads, undergrads, staff, and postdocs
✅ Categories: Study Subject, Life Under the Lens, Science in Action, Wild Card
📧 Send entries to Eirikur Palsson [[email protected]]
Full details in the posters.

09/08/2026

📅 Save this post!

The Outreach & Engagement Committee has released its 2026-2027 schedule of outreach events and submission deadlines. Whether you're interested in photography, science communication, outreach, or creative writing, there's something for everyone.

See the poster for important dates and stay tuned for event announcements throughout the year!

07/24/2026

What happens when a whale dies?

The answer is a "whale fall" which can support deep-sea ecosystems for decades. SFU Biology postdoctoral researcher Anaïs Remili recently discussed the ecological importance of whale falls in The News International.

Learn more on our News page: https://www.sfu.ca/biology/news-events/news/2026/2026-remili-whales.html

📸 Photo credit: Jared Towers - DFO MML 001

06/17/2026

Congratulations to Aaron Dhanda, PhD alumnus from Julian Guttman's Lab, whose photo "The mitotic meridian" is a finalist in the 2026 NSERC Science Exposed Photo Contest!

Take a moment and follow the link to vote for Aaron's photo!: https://ow.ly/q5KM50Zbo1Z

05/19/2026

It’s World Bee Day! If you are concerned about pollinator declines, there’s something you can do: plant flowers. Professor Elizabeth Elle of Biological Sciences at SFU is studying backyard biodiversity, and in a study of just nine gardens in 2025 documented 130 species of pollinators!

Clockwise from top left, popular flowers include:
🌻Coreopsis (from the aster family, with the specialist sunflower bee, Melissodes microsticta)
🌸 Crab apple (from the rose family, with a blue orchard mason bee, Osmia lignaria)
🪻Alliums (which supported 31 species of pollinators in the study! shown with a miner bee, Andrena prunorum).
🐝 And look for nests! 70% of our bee species nest in the ground, including this furrow bee, Halictus rubicundus. One female is about to enter the nest she dug in soil, and you may spot a second peeking out of a hole below!

05/15/2026

Fascination of Plants Day May 2026 🌱🍀

Ferns reproduce using spores instead of seeds! You can spot them if you flip a leaf over. Those tiny brown clusters are sporangia (arrow), little capsules packed with spores.

When they’re ready, they snap open and act like a microscopic spring, catapulting spores into the air. Each one has the potential to grow into a new fern.

Next time you’re out for a walk take a closer look underneath a fern leaf – you’re seeing plant reproduction in action!

Image and text by Miranda Meents

05/06/2026

SFU Biological Sciences PhD graduate Ramis Rafay, with postdoctoral fellow Eric Jones, worked under the supervision of professor Jane Fowler and physics professor David Sivak to develop new methods to estimate how organisms disperse. Their research improves the accuracy of measuring movement in complex ecological communities and enhances understanding of processes important to biodiversity, ecosystem health, and conservation.

How can the ‘elegant’ logic of physics be applied to the ‘messy’ reality of biology? A team of Simon Fraser University (SFU) scientists have used their interdisciplinary expertise to develop new, more accurate ways to estimate how groups of living organisms disperse.

05/06/2026

Don't miss out! Be sure to visit our Mesozoic Garden and step back into the age of dinosaurs🦕🌿

04/20/2026

Congratulations to SFU Biological Sciences professor Miranda Meents who has received a 2025 SFU Excellence in Teaching Award for her innovative teaching and leadership within the teaching community. https://ow.ly/VGqZ50YMZst

04/14/2026

On Friday April 10th the Biology Department gathered to celebrate a Botanical Drawing Showcase featuring the work of the students in BISC 337-Plant Biology.

"I was extremely proud of the students, who have worked hard all term on their scientific observation, drawing and communication skills in lab. Their efforts have really paid off, as the staff, students, faculty and friends of the department in attendance repeatedly told me how impressed they were with the skill and knowledge displayed by the students in their drawings."
- Dr. Miranda Meents

Congratulations to everyone for their amazing work!

Read more on our Kudos page: https://www.sfu.ca/biology/news-events/kudos/2026-drawing-bisc337.html