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TO: Senate

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Senate Committee on University Priorities

Memorandum

FROM: John

Vice Pre

S.02-2

Academic

RE:

Chemistry External Review

DATE:

ber 2001

The Senate Committee on University Priorities has reviewed the External Review

Report prepared on the Department of Chemistry in April 2001, together with the

response from the unit and comments from the Dean and the Vice President, Academic.

A subsequent document providing a response by the Chair to the comments of the

Vice President, Academic was also considered by SCUP.

The Department should be recognized for its outstanding leadership in the current

Chair Dr. Mario Pinto. The Department has been extremely successful in recruiting a

first rate group of scholars who complement the excellence of the existing faculty. The

Department has a highly collegial environment.

SCUP recommends to Senate that the Department of Chemistry and Dean be advised

to pursue the following as priority items:

The Department of Chemistry should be encouraged to continue efforts to

successfully recruit more female faculty members. With a number of scheduled

retirements in the next three years, Chemistry should be pro-active in seeking to

address its current gender imbalance.

The Department of Chemistry should be supported in its request to search for an

NSERC University Faculty Award.

MOTION 

"that Senate concurs with the recommendations from the Senate 

Committee on University Priorities concerning advice to the 

Department of Chemistry on priority items resulting from the 

external review, as outlined in S.02-2" 

SCUP 01-66

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Department of Chemistry

Memorandum

NOV 05 2001

To: ?

Senate Committee on University Priorities

From: B.M. Pinto, Chair of Chemistry

Date: November 3, 2001

Re: Response to John Waterhouse's comments on the external review of the

Department of Chemistry

File:

On behalf of the Chemistry Department, I wish to comment on the items highlighted in

John Waterhouse's memo of November 1 regarding the external review of the

Department of Chemistry.

Item 1:

We are pleased that the Chemistry Department has been recognized as an

excellent unit. The enhanced reputation of the Department has resulted from team efforts

over a period of several years.

Item 2: The recent faculty renewal together with more aggressive recruiting efforts (see,

for example, http://www.sfii.ca/chemistry) have resulted in a dramatic (46%) increase in

the graduate student headcount in the - Department of Chemistry (see Table 1). This influx

of students has been accompanied by a significant increase in the quality of our entering

students. There are currently 3 NSERC postgraduate Ph.D. scholarship winners, 2

NSERCfIndustry postgraduate Ph.D. scholarship winners, I NRC postgraduate Ph.D.

scholarship winner, 2 B.C. Science Council GREAT postgraduate Ph.D.. scholarship

winners, 1 Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Ph.D. scholarship winner, and

2 C.D. Nelson Ph.D. scholarship winners.

Item

3: We share the concerns of the reviewers and John Waterhouse about adequate

resourcing at the present time for a new Environmental Science and Technology program

related to alternative fuels and Fuel Cell Technology. Nevertheless, we have seized an

opporiunity to establish a partnership with the National Research Council (NRC)

Innovation Centre and have initiated a program in Fuel Cell Chemistry. Towards this

end, Dr. Steven Holdcroft has been seconded

(50%

time) by NRC to spearhead the fuel

cell initiative and to build up a group in this field. As a further commitment to SFU,

NRC has agreed to fund

50%

of a junior faculty position at SFU in the area of Materials

Chemistry related to Fuel Cell Technology, with SFU providing the other

50%.

We are

currently advertising this position to take effect in April, 2002 (see attached). This

appointment is viewed (by NRC and the Chemistry Department) as only one of several

joint appointments with NRC in the future. Such hiring will establish the resources at

SFU to mount a special program in Environmental Science and Technology.

Item 4.

The Chemistry Department and the Review Committee considered the external

demand in the Lower Mainland for a professional program at the M.Sc. level in

Analytical/Environmental Chemistry. They concluded that it was not sufficient to

warrant a commitment of resources from SFU. The reality here is that the Analytical

Industries are better equipped with state-of-the art infrastructure than the Chemistry

Department at SFU. Therefore, it makes little sense for the local industries to support a

professional program in which students would be trained on lower grade equipment.

What

desired by the local industries is a firm training of M.Sc. students in the

principles and practice of the scientific method. They prefer to then provide the

specialized training in their own companies. A good M.Sc. degree in

Analytical/Environmental Chemistry from SFU will suffice.

Relationships between the Department of Chemistry and the external

Analytical/Environmental community are strong. Dr. Luis Soho of this community is an

Adjunct Professor in our Department and provides valuable instruction to our students

each year. Dr. Paul Li of our Department receives a grant from the City of Burnaby to

evaluate the quality of drinking water. Dr. George Agnes of our Department has been

invited to participate in the human genome and proteome initiatives in B.C. with his

development of emerging mass spectrometric technologies. Regarding our co-operative

education placements, we have no problem whatsoever with placing our co-op students.

On the contrary, we cannot find enough students to fill the positions.

We will continue to monitor the

external demand

for a professional program in

Analytical/Environmental Chemistry and will take advantage of special opportunities for

financial partnerships. It is more likely that there will be a greater demand for initiatives

such as Materials Chemistry related to Fuel Cell Technology, as outlined in Item 3 above.

Item 5:

We are prepared to accept Dr. Waterhouse's statement that the reclassification of

units was based on current figures as well as historical trends in the areas of student

enrolments, faculty complement, and staff resources. However, when I inquired about

this process from the previous administration, I was informed that the reclassification of

the Chemistry Department was based on the number of CFL positions and the annualized

undergraduate FTEs. An examination of the CFL positions and the FTEs for 2000/2001

in the Chemistry Department (Type B) versus other experimental science departments,

namely the Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (Type B), Physics (Type

B), and Biological Sciences (Type A) (see Table 2) indicates that the Chemistry

Department served 209 annualized undergraduate FTEs whereas the Physics and MBB

Departments served 132 and

FTEs, respectively. The Biological Sciences Department

served 248 FTEs. The Chemistry Department performed this function with about 30

CFLs whereas the Physics Department used 26 CFLs, and the Biological Sciences

Department used 43 CFLs. One could argue that the Chemistry Department is being

penalized relative to Biological Sciences for being more efficient in the administration of

its programs. We feel that it is important that a scientific rationale (or formula), instead

S ?

of a subjective judgement, be provided to justify the classification of departments as Type

A or Type B.

Item 6:

We support fully this recommendation and will be searching for an NSERC

University Faculty Award candidate in the area of Chemical and Structural Biology, a

strategic area of growth in the Department and one that requires considerable service

teaching in Organic Chemistry to chemists, molecular biologists, biochemists, biologists,

and kinesiologists. It should be noted that two Organic Chemists (E. Kiehlmann and K.

N. Slessor) will retire by 2004; Kiehlmann's position was bridged to an NSERC UFA

appointment (E. Plettner) and Slessor will be replaced by a Materials Chemist. Both

Kiehlmann and Slessor are active in teaching Organic Chemistry and their teaching duties

will have to be assumed by new faculty.

The Chemistry Department has been proactive in identifying and encouraging outstanding

female candidates in faculty and lecturer searches. The former Associate Vice President,

Academic, Judith Osborne has helped a great deal with these recruiting efforts.

Unfortunately, these overtures were not successful with three outstanding candidates for

faculty positions, mainly because of spousal considerations. However, we were

successful in recruiting Sophie Lavieri as a Lecturer. We will continue our efforts to

correct the gender imbalance in the Department.

Finally, we comment on the fmancial support of the research and teaching programs of

the Department. The Department is sadly in need of additional funds in the base

operating budget to maintain and replace research infrastructure, to replace aging

equipment in teaching laboratories, to provide start-up funds to new faculty, and to

provide renovation monies to accommodate these new faculty. The Faculty of Science

budget is not adequate to support even the present initiatives within the Faculty.

Occasional support of major installations such as the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR),

mass spectrometric (MS), X-ray crystallographic, and magnetometer facilities is also

required. I hope that such support will be forthcoming from the Vice Presidents' offices.

An increase in finances is absolutely necessary if we wish to recruit

and retain

the best

faculty and provide a quality education to our students.

B.M. Pinto

Professor and Chair

cc. W. Davidson, Dean of Science

J. Waterhouse, Vice President, Academic

f:1

;IIJik'j ;1Pi

Headcount

Annualized Full-Time Eguivalen

476

135.6

116

36.6

Resource & Environmental Mgmt.

33.1

730

769

207.3

32%

18.3

28.9

9.3

6.8

5.8

-15%

Philosophy

3.0

2.8

Political Science

14%

10.6

12.6

27.9

Sociology/Anthropology

Spanish/Latin American Studies

0.7

Graduate Diploma in Business

103

72%

17.1

32.3

89%

123

34.2

0.7

Graduate Diploma in Education

155

608

292%

21.9

67.7

209%

Education (MA program)

11%

21.9

24.1

10%

Education (M.Sc. program)

-33%

3.4

2.0

Education (M.Ed. program)

290

311

74.2

83.1

12%

Education (Ed.D. program)

-17%

7.0

5.0

-29%

Education (P.hD. program)

20.3

0.3

393

432

10%

126.1

138.7

38.9

Bisc (Environmental Toxicology)

64%

4.4

7.0

58%

Bisc (Pest Management)

7.3

8.0

Chemistry

46%

16.7

23.8

56%

4.3

19.8

12.3

-38%

Molecular Biology & Biochemistry

17.2

16.6

6.8

722.6

833.4

15%

Notes: a) On-leave students are not included in the F.T.E. calculation, but are included in the headcount. b) Percent

change not shown for headcount less than 10 or FTE less than 3.3. c) 1 Annualized FTE = (Full-time + 1/3 Part-time)13.

Table 2

Faculty

of Science Statistics for 2000/01

Annualized

Undergraduate

Graduate

# CFL

LI ?

STAFF

FTE

Headcount

BISC

43.10

1.50 ?

18.25

248.4

148

CHEM

EASC

MATH

MBB

10.00

- ?

PHYS

Ii I DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Simon Fraser University

Faculty Position in Electrochemical Materials Science Related to Fuel Cell Technology

The Department of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the National Research

Council (NRC) Innovation Centre invite applications for a tenure track Assistant Professor

position in Electrochemical Materials Science to take effect in April 2002, subject to final

budgetary approval. The candidate should have interest in Materials Chemistry related to Fuel

Cell Technology including electrocatalysis, and electrolyte and electrochemical interfacial

chemistry. Outstanding candidates with a commitment to excellence in research and teaching

are being sought. The position will be a joint appointment between SFU and NRC, and the

candidate will be expected to participate in collaborative research efforts with NRC. The

candidate will be expected to develop and maintain both an innovative, externally funded

research program, and an excellent teaching record at both the undergraduate and graduate

levels.

In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, this advertisement is directed to

Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada. Simon Fraser University is committed

to the principle of equity in employment and offers equal employment opportunities to qualified

applicants. Applicants should send a complete resume, a research proposal, and a list of three

individuals willing to act as referees with their addresses, telephone and/or fax numbers, and

email addresses. All correspondence should be sent to Professor B. Mario Pinto, Chair,

Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C.,

Canada V5A 1 S6. Competition to remain open until the position is filled.

SCUP 01-66

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Office of the Vice-President, Academic

Memorandum

TO: Senate Committee on ?

FROM: John W

University Priorities ?

Vice Pr

RE: External Review, Department of

The report of the External Review Committee of the Department of Chemistry was

submitted on April 18, 2001 following the review site visit on March 5-6, 2001. The

response of the Department was submitted on June 22, 2001 and the comments of the

Dean of Science on October 16, 2001.

My comments on this external review and the submission from the Department and

the Dean are as follows:

1. I strongly agree with the reviewers observation that the Department of Chemistry

is an excellent unit. The accolades regarding the quality of the undergraduate

program, research, and faculty within the Department can be attributed to the

outstanding work done by the Department, particularly under the leadership of the

current Chair, Mario Pinto.

The need for the Department of Chemistry to improve its recruitment of qualified

Ph.D. students is an important recommendation by the reviewers. As noted by the

Department in their response to the reviewers' report, they are proactively

engaging in a variety of areas to be more successful in this area. These initiatives are

commendable and should be strongly encouraged.

I agree with the reviewers that plans for a new Environmental Science and

Technology program were not sufficiently well developed at the time of the review

for the reviewers to offer an informed assessment. I share their concern about

adequate resourcing of such a program. Additional instructional offerings without

recruitment planning tied to the expansion of faculty resources in this area would

only seem to exacerbate the heavy demand on existing instructional resources.

I believe there is sufficient external demand for the offering of professional

programming at the Masters level in Analytical and/or Environmental Chemistry.

Further, I believe that consideration of such programming may provide

opportunities for developing strengthened relationships with the external

community which is essential for increasing co-operative education placements (a

highly valued and identified growth area by both the reviewers, the department

and the Dean) and in identifying opportunities for enhanced financial partnerships

. ?

that can assist in the procurement of emerging technologies, state-of-the-art

equipment, and potentially facilities expansion. Notwithstanding these issues, I

concur with the reviewers that the Chemistry Department should concentrate in the

short-term in building its research profile and developing its new faculty. The Dean's

suggestion to delay consideration of such programming for five years is in my view,

a too distant timeframe. I would recommend that professional programming at the

Masters level in Analytical and/or Environmental Chemistry be considered at the

time of the next three year planning cycle (2004).

The reviewers, the Department and the Dean all comment upon the reclassification

of the Chair's directorship from a Type A to a Type B unit under policy A 13.04.

There are comments that this reclassification was undertaken without adequate

consideration of the activities, student enrolments, faculty resources, and stage of

development of the Department. I wish to correct this inaccurate portrayal of the

process which led to the reclassification of units. All departments were

comparatively assessed on the basis of current figures as well as historical trends in

the areas of student enrolments, faculty complement, and staff resources. This

university-wide comparison has established, I believe, relative equity across

departments.

I concur with the recommendation of the reviewers that the gender imbalance in the

faculty complement of Chemistry needs to be addressed. The request by the

Department to search for an NSERC University Faculty Award candidate should be

supported. With 5 scheduled retirements in the next three years, Chemistry should

be aggressive in its encouragement of female applicants. The Department should

seek the advice of the Associate Vice President, Policy, Equity and Legal for

suggestions in advancing this goal.

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

DEAN OF SCIENCE

BURNABY. BRITISH COLUMBIA V5A I

Telephone: (604) 291-3771

Fax Number: (604) 291-3424

Response of the Dean of Science to the

Comments/Recommendations of the External Review of the

Department of Chemistry ?

and the response to them by the Chair of Chemistry

First let me say that I am very pleased with the review that was carried out

on the Department of Chemistry. The Review Team did a thorough job

identifying a few areas of concern but overall coming to the conclusion that the

department is well organised, has an exceptional leader in Mario Pinto, has been

able to recruit excellent new faculty and graduate students, and as a group the

faculty are working towards common identifiable goals. This is a very positive

review and I concur with the vast majority of their conclusions.

There are some factual errors and overstatements that have been noted

and corrected by the Chair of Chemistry. In particular, the formation of the

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry on April 1, 2000 not 1997

. (p.5) really has had little direct effect on the operation of the Department of

Chemistry. IMBB ran both the undergraduate biochemistry program and the

graduate program in molecular biology and biochemistry and it could be argued

that the Chemistry Department was counting faculty and students that were for

all intents and purposes in another department (in the making). Therefore, "The

departure of a large number of former female chemistry faculty into the new

Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department" is false and misleading. There

were two such faculty and they are Jamie Scott (100% MBB) and Rosemary

Cornell (50 % MBB and 50% Chemistry) at this time. This does not mean that

the issue of gender equity is not an issue. It is. Erika Plettner is the only full time

tenure track faculty member (as opposed to Lecturers). I support

Recommendation 20 that Chemistry takes advantage of the NSERC UFA

program to correct gender imbalance but would not limit the search to the field

of Structural and Chemical Biology. There is arguably a greater need in

Materials Science.

In the Faculty of Science, we do not use FTE or headcount as the unit of

the undergraduate. We use a weighted course registration that is rather complex

and even different from that used by the VP Academic for budget purposes.

The Review Team seems to be confused by the term "Environmental

Science". They use this term as if it only applies to Chemistry. Environmental

Science is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that has its own Director

and is run out of the Dean's Office. The comments on p.6 are incorrect and

misleading.

The concerns about the reclassification of the Chemistry Department from

a type A to a Type B have been implemented despite the protests of the

Department and the Dean. There do not seem to be any hard and

fast

rules

concerning the criteria for what constitutes a Type A or type B department.

These rules should be established and should take into account the number of

faculty, the number of students (undergrad and graduate), and the amount of

research being carried out by the department (research dollars brought in and

peer-reviewed publications produced). The position of Associate Chair in

Chemistry has been established and this goes a long way to address the concerns

of the Review Team.

Space is a problem for the whole university, but it is a major limitation for

expansion or indeed realisation of our present potential in the Faculty of Science.

It can only get worse as new more active faculty replace those coming to the end

of their careers unless new space is produced by building. With 14 CRCs

expected over the next five years, space is the single most important resource in

Science. it is hoped that initiatives underway address the existing need for space

before seeking space for additional undergraduates.

The nomination of faculty and staff, irrespective of department, for major

awards is a priority in the Faculty of Science.

All

Chairs should be active in this

regard as well as the Dean. The Grants Facilitator, Dr. Adrienne Drobnies, is co-

ordinating this effort and the recent results in the BC Science Council Awards

attest to this commitment.

The Review Team were probably not fully informed about the credit given

to CHEM 481, especially with respect to related courses in other departments.

The Chair of Chemistry has clarified the situation.

The tutorial system is a hallmark of Simon Fraser and an effective way of

dealing with large lecture classes. However, it is not the only method available.

Other schemes such as open tutorial labs, and computer assisted personal

assignments are equally valid and effective ways to help undergraduates learn.

Often it is a combination of these methods that work best and Chemistry is to be

commended for its innovative approach in this area.

Co-op continues to be encouraged in Science. The numbers are growing,

in part because the co-op co-ordinators are now housed physically among the

departments rather than in the Maggie Benson Centre. A Chemistry/ Physics co-

op co-ordinator, Maggie Verity, has been hired and is in place in an office

adjacent to the one used by the Chemistry Student Union. She has been given a

high profile.

The concern about "release time" from teaching for Lecturers is a

negotiated workload and therefore not an item for the Review Team.

/0.

...3

The Review Team expressed their strong approval and endorsed the

quality of the undergraduate program in Chemistry. I agree with them. There is

no need for new required courses at this time and I believe the Department is

constantly monitoring the situation and is best placed to make such changes as

are required. This is particularly true for the proposed Environmental Science

and Technology Program.

The Review Team did not seem to be fully aware of the training that is

available and, indeed mandatory, for graduate students before they are allowed

to be a Teaching Assistant. There is always room for more specialised training

when labs are concerned but I am sure that the Chemistry Department has this in

hand.

The issue of safety is campus-wide when it comes to working late in

research labs and in walking at night alone on campus. There are schemes in

place (e.g., Walk Safe) to make the environment safer and I have personally seen

more activity by Campus Security Patrols. The University infrastructure does

not lend itself to card keys. I believe reasonable measures are already in place to

address the concerns raised in Recommendation 13.

The Review Team (p.12) did not seem to understand that the Teaching

Assistantship budget is tied to the need for teaching undergraduates in tutorials

or labs and that it is not meant primarily to be a source of graduate student

. support. As the younger faculty establish themselves they will be able to attract.

more scholarship winners as graduate students. This is in fact happening and is

well documented by the Chair in his response. The number of graduate students

is climbing rapidly as is the quality of intake. it is still common across Canada to

admit a student into an MSc program rather than go directly into a PhD. The

number of transfer requests is not unusual.

The question of a course-based Masters in Analytical or Environmental

Chemistry is definitely premature at this time and should not be considered for

at least five years.

The Review Team appreciated the hiring plan developed by Chemistry

and the Dean supports and applauds the Department (and especially the Chair)

for their wisdom in identifying key areas of concentration. Joint initiatives with

other departments are to be encouraged and the Dean is not aware of "systemic

impediments" that might hinder these collaborative efforts.

The meaning behind Recommendation 23 is not clear. The Faculty of

Science is always receptive and pro-active in seeking funding opportunities for

faculty.

A new Department Assistant has been hired to replace Ms. T. Evans

(Recommendation 24) who left to pursue her career elsewhere. A reclassification

of this position is in order given the workload associated with this dynamic

department.

Ii. ?

The Chemistry Department in total is very active in seeking external

funding for major pieces of equipment. I have no concerns here and in fact think

that they are an example to other departments.

In conclusion, the Review Team did an excellent job investigating the

Chemistry Department in a thorough and professional manner. No one can

dispute the quality or the experience of the members of the Review Team.

Therefore, when they state, "the Chemistry Department is an excellent unit";

"This undergraduate program can justifiably claim to be one of the best in

country"; "The research operation and reputation is very strong, especially in

Materials Science and in Chemical and Structural Biology"; "On-going faculty

recruitment has added excellent scientists"; etc., then everyone has reason to feel

proud of their colleagues. Much of this is a reflection on the Chair of Chemistry,

Mario Pinto, who has done an outstanding job leading and marshalling the

collective power of the faculty and staff. It is very reassuring that the many

positive aspects of the Chemistry Department were recognised by the Review

SCUP 01-66

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Department of Chemistry

Memorandum

jUN 2 B OO

To: ?

J. Waterhouse, Vice President, Academic

From: B.M. Pinto, Chair of Chemistry

Date: June 22, 2001

Re: Responses to the External Reviewers' Recommendations

File:

Vic3 pç.Cflt

ACAD

Please find attached the response of the Chemistry Department to the external reviewers'

1.3.

Response of the Chemistry Department to the Comments/Recommendations of the

External Review Team

Prepared by B.M. Pinto?

June.

27, 2001

1. Factual Errors

We wish to correct a few statements of fact presented in the "Overview of the Department".

P5: The FTE count cited is actually a headcount and is misleading. This statement should be

replaced with the statement, "The Department had

425

annualized undergraduate FTEs in

2000-2001 out of a Faculty of Science total of 2,430, i.e. 17.5%".

P5 The statement, is made that there was a departure of a large number of female chemistry

faculty into the new Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (DMBB). In fact,

there were only two female faculty in Chemistry, Drs. R. Cornell and J.K. Scott, who are

now members of the DMBB.

PS Regarding the nuclear chemistry positions, the statement should read, "convert some of

the nuclear chemistry positions through impending retirements into other positions", not just

Materials Science positions.

P6 Regarding the classification of the Department as Type A or Type B, "impending

classification" should be changed to "reclassification".

2. Responses to the Specific Comments/Recommendations

i) Recommendations Related to Undergraduate Teaching and Curriculum

The Departmental Undergraduate Studies Committee (DUGSC) was pleased to see the

very positive evaluation of the Chemistry undergraduate program. The Committee's

responses to the reviewer's recommendations in this area are:

Viewpoints and Comments from Undergraduates

Recommendation 5

The Department has used a rolling teaching plan for years that provided teaching

schedules 1 year in advance. However, very recently, the DUGSC has been working

on a course-offering schedule that would predict the offerings for

four years

with

tentative teaching assignments for two years and a firm commitment for one year. It

is hoped that the Chair will be able to provide the teaching resources to meet this

schedule. With this schedule and an individualized course audit, the students should

be able to more easily plan their academic program and avoid delays due to missed

courses.

Recommendation 6

The Committee felt that there was some confusion between the reviewers and the

students they met concerning the workload of the undergraduate research course,

CHEM 481, relative to similar courses in MBB. The MBB courses are at times

/4'.

spread over 2 semesters. In any case, it is the policy of the Department to ensure that

the individual instructors limit the workload of the students to that appropriate for the

hours of credit given. The Committee does not feel that the best interests of the

students or the program would be served by increasing the credit for CHEM 481.

Recommendation 7

The Department reluctantly took the step of converting regularly scheduled tutorials

in the large enrolment course to open tutorials (a drop in format) due to resource

limitations. This followed the practices in other Science Departments where the

change was considered to be pedagogically beneficial. Nevertheless, as resources

permit, these large enrolment chemistry courses do offer a mixture of the 2 tutorial

formats. This mixed offering helps both those who wish a more structured tutorial

and those who wish to get a quick answer to their current problem.

Cooperative Education

Recommendation 8

The Committee is very much in favour of the recommended increased chemistry

COOP support. It is our understanding that the COOP program is currently searching

for a full time chemistry COOP coordinator that would address this recommendation.

Lecturers and Senior Lecturers

Recommendation 9

• Although the working conditions of faculty is not within the mandate of the DUGSC,

it supports the recommendation that lecturers be given additional time to further their

expertise and develop new course material. At present, Senior(Lecturers) are entitled

to one non-teaching semester after eight semesters of teaching. Increasing enrolments

without additional resources has placed a strain on the teaching program. This

increase has led to an increase in the number of laboratory sessions that must be

offered for a given course. The Senior(Lecturers) carry a heavy teaching load in that

most of them are involved with large enrolment courses. They have lost most of the

time they have had for renewal or development activities during a teaching semester,

with a resultant loss to the overall teaching program.

With the recent change in the Teaching Appointments structure from Lab Instructors I

and II to Lecturers and Senior Lecturers it is anticipated that Lecturers will be

teaching a wider variety of both laboratory and lecture courses. Even now, some of

our Lecturers teach as many as five different courses in one year. Teaching a variety

of courses requires more time for preparation and for development of course content.

The Chemistry Department has initiated discussion on means by which increased

development time could be provided for (Senior)Lecturers.

Curriculum Issues

It should be clarified that the CHEM 381 course that the reviewers suggested should be

created has already been approved and is to be given for the first time in 2002-1.

/3,.

Recommendation 10

The Department has just completed a major curriculum revision and is now making

final adjustments to fine-tune the course offerings. It is felt that some time should

pass to assess these changes before making any major new changes. The concept of

generating 'streams' has been discussed but will await further consideration until

more experience with the present curriculum is obtained.

Recommendation 11:

The proposal for an Environmental Science and Technology Program is in the early

stages of consideration by some members of the Department. These ideas have not

progressed to the point of consideration by the DUGSC. The Committee concurs

with the reviewers that it is premature to consider implementation of this program at

this time.

ii) Recommendations Related to the Graduate Program

The Department Graduate Studies Committee (DGSC) was generally pleased with the

comments of the external review team.

Recommendation 1

The DGSC agrees with this recommendation and has taken a proactive approach to

the problem of recruitment. The DGSC has made an effort to attract more national

scholarship award winners to the graduate program. Three NSERC PGS A

scholarship holders have already committed to Ph.D. studies in the Department in

2001-3. In addition, two industrial sponsors (Methanex and Xerox) were recruited to

support NSERC industrial postgraduate scholarships, and an NRC graduate

scholarship was secured. In addition, during the last year a new endowment fund for

a graduate student scholarship was solicited from a former Chemistry alumnus, Dr.

J.D. Harrison. This Fall, the first Harrison Endowment Scholarship will be awarded

to a worthy graduate student.

Comment by review team: p11, 1st paragraph, line 3

The DGSC anticipates that the number of graduate courses taught per semester will

increase as recently appointed faculty assume a full teaching load. In fact, this will

have an effect in the 2001-3, 2002-2, and 2002-2 semesters.

Comment by review team: p11, Recommendation 12

Students already receive training in pedagogic skills during "TAday". However, the

DGSC agrees that implementation of an instrument training session for TAs in

particular courses would be beneficial.

Comment by review team: p11, 1st paragraph of section "Viewpoints from Chemistry

Faculty and Administration"

Currently (2001-2), there are

graduate students (32 Ph.D. and 21 M.Sc.); however,

we have received acceptance notices from 15 new graduate students and are awaiting

replies from 5 students who have been admitted to the University. In addition, there

are 8 other students (4 NSERC PGS A holders) who are considering SFU for their

graduate work. Thus, we anticipate that in 2001-3, the total graduate student

If'.

• ?

enrolment in Chemistry will be about 70 students.

Comment by review team: p12, 2nd paragraph of section "Viewpoints from Chemistry

Faculty and Administration"

We agree with the review team that "such a level of requests (for transfer from the

M.Sc. to the Ph.D. program) and resulting transfers are common in many Chemistry

Departments at other Canadian universities." Students who do not show adequate

evidence of independent research in their B.Sc. degree are usually admitted to the

M.Sc program, with the proviso that they may request transfer to the Ph.D. program

upon satisfactory performance in research and course work. This is a common

practice across Canada.

Comment by review team: p12, Recommendation 14

The DGSC agrees with the recommendation.

iii)

Other Recommendations

Recommendation 2

The Chemistry Department is out of space! Significant reallocation of space has

already taken place to accommodate the newly appointed faculty and recently

acquired equipment. The reallocation has caused some tension. In the most recent

change, the Analytical Chemistry teaching laboratory was reassigned to the Canada.

Research Chair, Dr. N.R. Branda. In order to accommodate any future hires, new

space will have to be identified elsewhere, e.g. Discovery Park or the Science

Technical Workshops.

Recommendation 3

The Chair currently nominates faculty for internal, national, and international awards.

A nominating committee charged with this duty will be struck in the Fall, 2001, as

suggested by the review committee.

Recommendation 4

Regarding the reclassification of the Chemistry Department as a Type B department,

we object very strongly. The Department provides very extensive service teaching

with a significant laboratory component. In the 2000/2001 fiscal year, twenty-two

faculty members and

4.5

lecturers served 425 annualized undergraduate FTEs out of

the Faculty of Science total of 2,430, i.e 17.5%. In comparison, 36 faculty and

5.5

lecturers/laboratory instructors in the Department of Biological Sciences served 520

annualized undergraduate FTEs, i.e 21.4%. The organization of the teaching duties

for the efficient offering of the undergraduate program, coupled with the faculty

renewal in the past 4 years (10 faculty and 3 lecturers), the necessary space

reallocation, grant mentorship programs, and the management of facilities,

instrumentation, technical support staff (7), secretarial staff (3), and administrative

staff (4) provide a challenging task for the Chair of the Chemistry Department if

he/she has a very active research program.

The Chair is very active in formulating a vision for the Department and in

spearheading initiatives to achieve this vision. The Department has gone through an

active period of faculty renewal that has resulted in a higher research profile for the

Department both within SFU and externally. In the 1999/2000 fiscal year, twenty-

two faculty members attracted $3,070,934 in external research grants. This represents

25.2% of the total external research funding attracted by faculty members in the

Faculty of Science. In comparison, thirty-six faculty members in the Department of

Biological Sciences attracted $4,071,730 (33.4% of Faculty funding) in external

research grants. Faculty renewal has continued and this Fall there will be

Chemistry Faculty,

(Senior)Lecturers, and 4 associate members with primary

appointments in DMBB. The faculty renewal has also led to a steady increase in the

number and quality of graduate students. In the last three-year period, the

Department has graduated 16 M.Sc. and 22 Ph.D. students. This Fall, there will be

approximately 70 graduate students enrolled, with about

NSERC postgraduate

scholarship winners, 2 NSERC industrial postgraduate scholarship holders, 1 GREAT

award winner, and 1 NRC scholarship winner.

The undergraduate curriculum in the Chemistry Department has undergone extensive

revisions and changes in the past three years to offer a more efficient and exciting

Chemistry program. In 1999, the Major and Honours undergraduate programs in

Chemistry received accreditation from the Canadian Society for Chemistry. The

number of graduating students with a Major or Honours degree in Chemistry has

increased in the past few years from 16 in 1997 to 32 in the year 2000. We expect to

graduate 36 such students in the year 2001. In the summer of 2001, there were 7

NSERC undergraduate fellowship winners, 16 research assistants, and 12 students

doing independent research study courses.

The Chair is shocked that the extremely positive growth in the Department would be

rewarded by a demotion in status. In view of the on-going expansion, the service

teaching component, and the complexity of operation of the Chemistry Department,

we strongly urge the senior administration to reverse the decision to reclassify the

Department as a Type B department.

Recommendation 13

We agree with this recommendation.

Recommendation 15

We agree strongly with this recommendation. The latest faculty salary settlement has

rectified this anomaly. Morale is certainly higher, and Dr. J. Osborne, Associate

V.P., Academic should be commended for initiating this action.

Recommendation 16

We agree with this recommendation.

Recommendation 17

The Canada Research Chair in Materials Science, Dr. N.R. Branda, has already been

appointed. An additional position in Materials Chemistry (Dr. K.N. Slessor's

retirement position) has been earmarked for September, 2004. Furthermore,

negotiations have already begun with Dr. L. Dalton, a Materials Scientist, for a Tier 1

CRC position in 2003.

/1.

• ?

Recommendation 18

We agree with this recommendation and will take further steps to establish a more

recognizable, higher profile Materials Science unit.

Recommendation 19

This recommendation will require cooperation between Departments and the

assignment of joint positions to more than one unit by the senior administration.

Recommendation 20

We agree strongly with this recommendation. The Department has only one female

faculty member. This inequity must be corrected! We request permission to search

for a NSERC University Faculty Award candidate in the high priority area of

Chemical and Structural Biology for the Fall, 2002.

Recommendation 21

We agree with this recommendation and will take further steps to establish a more

recognizable, higher profile Chemical and Structural Biology unit.

Recommendation 22

We agree with this recommendation. We will continue to plan this new initiative

with the expectation of additional hiring in this area.

• ?

Recommendation 23

We agree with this recommendation. We are aggressively pursuing the establishment

of two NSERC Industrial Research Chairs for R.H. Hill (sponsor: EKC Technology

Inc.) and S. Holdcroft (sponsor: Ballard Power Systems).

Recommendation 24

Given the complexity of operation of the Chemistry Department and the multiple

duties assumed by the Department Assistant, we have requested a reclassification of

this position to a higher grade. We have also posted the position to identify a capable

individual to replace Ms. Evans.

Recommendation 25

A grant proposal for upgrading the 600 MHz NMR spectrometer has been submitted

to the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund

(P1: Pinto). Another grant proposal for a 500 MHz NMR spectrometer, with multiple

users from the Departments of Chemistry and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry,

has already been prepared (P1: Pinto) and will be submitted to NSERC in the

competition for major installations in the Fall, 2001. We are hopeful that part of the

2001 infrastructure monies from the Province to SFU will be forthcoming for use as

matching funds or institutional contributions for the CFI and NSERC grant proposals,

respectively. A CFI application has also been submitted, with UBC as the lead

institution, for mass spectrometers. Dr. G. Agnes of the Chemistry Department is

• SFU's representative on this application. If successful, the Chemistry Department

will acquire two mass spectrometers. Local infrastructure monies will be required for

the appropriate renovation of the laboratory to house the spectrometers. If

unsuccessful, we will apply to NSERC for funding in the 2002 major installation

iq.

competition and infrastructure monies will be required as an institutional commitment

towards the cost of a mass spectrometer.

SCUP 01-66

External Review

Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University?

March

5-6,

2001

Reviewers:

Dr. Joseph Cerny

Department of Chemistry

University of California at Berkeley

419 Latimer Hall

Berkeley, California

USA 94720-1460

e-mail: joe—cemy@Ibl.gov

Dr. Glen Tibbits (Internal member)

School of Kinesiology

Simon Fraser University

Burnaby, British Columbia

Canada V5A 1S6

e-mail: glen_tibbits@sfu.ca

Dr. John C. Vederas (Chairman of Committee)

Department of Chemistry

University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta

Canada T6G 2G2

e-mail: john.vederas @ualberta.ca

Dr. Martin Moskovits

Division of Mathematics, Life and Physical Sciences

College of Letters and Science

University of California, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

USA 93106

e-mail: mmoskovits@ltsc.ucsb.edu

-2-

Background ?

.3 ?

Synopsis of Review Team's Evaluation ...................... . ........................................................................... 4

Overviewof Department

............................................... . ......................................................................... 5

Overview and Chair's Comments ................................................................................................5

Viewpoints and Comments from Vice Presidents and Deans.......................................................6

Undergraduate Teaching and Curriculum.............................................................................................8

Viewpoints and Comments from Undergraduates........................................................................8

CooperativeEducation................................................................................................................8

Lecturersand Senior Lecturers....................................................................................................9

CurriculumIssues .......................................................................................................................9

Graduate Teaching and Curriculum

.................................................................................................

Viewpoints and Comments from Graduate Students .......................................................... . .......

Viewpoints from Chemistry Faculty and Administration...........................................................

Facultyand Research

.........................................................................................................................

AssistantProfessors ..................................................................................................................

Future of Nuclear Science in the Chemistry Department...........................................................13

MaterialsScience......................................................................................................................

Chemical and Structural Biology Group....................................................................................15

EnvironmentalChemistry .........................................................................................................

Resources, Facilities and Support

......................................................................................................

Library......................................................................................................................................

Departmental Business and Facilities Management...................................................................17

Technical Staff and Support Facilities.......................................................................................

Scheduleof Interviews

...........................................................................................................................

-3-

•

BACKGROUND

Background.

The external review team received the following documents prior to their review:

Simon Fraser University Calendar

2. Graduate Studies Fact Book

Curriculum Vitae for Chemistry Department Faculty

Chemistry Department Self Study with statistics on enrollments and research grants etc.

Previous External Review (September 1994) and departmental response

Canada Research Chairs - Strategic Research Plan of Simon Fraser University

Senate Guidelines for External Reviews and Terms of Reference

President's Agenda and Organisational Charts

Review Committee Schedule (see schedule of interviews at end)

The external review team was asked by Dr. John Waterhouse at the outset to consider a number of

specific issues in addition to those in the terms of reference document:

1 The extent of focus by the chemistry department on the research interface with other units

2 The impact and direction of the Chemistry faculty renewal in progress

3 Is Chemistry successfully covering a broad range of subdisciplines in research and teaching?

4 How important is the Nuclear Chemistry area with respect to points 2 and 3?

Should the department be doing more in Environmental Science?

6 Is there interest in a professional Master's program in Analytical Chemistry which is course-based

and has differential fees?

7 There is concern that there aren't enough graduate students in Chemistry even though they should

have sufficient resources to attract more

8 Why does Chemistry make frequent requests to upgrade students from M.Sc. status to Ph.D. status?

These issues were discussed with Chemistry Department members and recommendations to address

them are made by the review team in the context of this document.

-4-

SYNOPSIS OF REVIEW TEAM'S EVALUATION

Overall the Chemistry Department is an excellent unit which provides very extensive service

teaching and has a highly successful, well-liked, undergraduate program. This undergraduate program

can justifiably claim to be one of the best in the country. The Department's research operation and

reputation is very strong, especially in Materials Science and in Chemical and Structural Biology. The

on—going faculty renewal has added excellent scientists who have the potential to make this department

one of the very top, not only at SFU, but within Canada. The Department is also well-poised to develop

two additional unique areas, namely Nuclear Chemistry (in conjunction with TRIUMF) and

Environmental and Analytical Chemistry. Clearly the faculty and the Chair, Professor Mario Pinto, have

done a truly outstanding job in building and renewing this unit. The external review team also felt that

the SFU Administration appears to be strongly supportive of the Department's efforts to improve its

stature and capabilities.

A major challenge faced by the Department is improvement of recruitment of highly qualified

Ph.D. students (ideally more scholarship holders). This requires making potential applicants aware of the

special strengths of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University in light of strong competition from other

institutions, including nearby University of British Columbia. Success in this will depend not only on

active recruitment strategies, but also on:

increased graduate scholarships (with consequent reduction in average teaching assistant

load)

improved inter-departmental consultation and collaboration in the key focus areas

improved facilities in the areas of NMR and mass spectrometry

continued aggressive fund-raising for faculty chairs

increased faculty visibility and status via successful nomination for awards and recognitions

adequate research space

The external review team has made a series of

recommendations within this document, of which

many key ones will impact on the above issues. Others can be viewed as suggestions for improving or

fine-tuning of a well-run operation.

-5-

OVERVIEW OF DEPARTMENT

Overview and Chair's Comments.

An overview of the department was provided by the

background documents as well as by the presentation of the departmental chair, Dr. Mario Pinto.

Currently there are 21 faculty and 4.5 lecturers, with the former teaching an average of two semesters

per year. The lecturers teach two courses per semester with a one semester break every three years. The

Department has a substantial teaching load with a FIE student total given as

4,335

for the 2000/01 fiscal

year. The number of majors or honours chemistry students graduated was given as 32 in 2000 (up from

16 in 1997) with an expected total of 36 in 2001. The number of graduate students in 1999/2000 was 43

(27 PhD and 16 M.Sc.). The creation of the new Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

(MBB) in 1997 has led to a reduced faculty, graduate student and undergraduate student complement

(seen in statistical summaries), despite the fact that some faculty hold joint appointments in both

departments. However, the Chemistry Department has been increasing its undergraduate and graduate

enrollments since that time.

About two thirds of the department has been replaced in recent years through faculty renewal,

•

which has led to a very research active and energetic group of professors. Only about three of the 21

regular faculty do not hold NSERC operating grants, and the total external research funding for

1999/2000 was $3,070,934 (steady rise since 1997). The department is planning to expand two primary

areas, namely Materials Science and Chemical-Structural Biology, as well as two smaller and more

specialized areas, Nuclear Science and Environmental Science. CRC Chairs in the major areas are being

recruited, with a Tier2 Chair in Materials Science pending. The Chair's areas of concern with respect to

research include the need for additional faculty, space and improvement in the quality of graduate

students. Currently graduate students must undertake extensive teaching assistantships throughout their

stay. Because of external competition from UBC and other institutions, the quality and number of

graduate students is not as high as might be desired. For example there are relatively few NSERC

scholars and a large proportion of the graduate students are in the M.Sc. program. The department

realizes that it must specialize in certain areas, and there are considerable discussions as to whether to

continue the current Nuclear Science Program (presently Ca. four faculty) or whether to convert some of

these position through impending retirements into Materials Science positions. There is also some

concern about gender and equity issues with the departure of a large number of former female chemistry

faculty into the new Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department. However, in this respect Dr.

Erika Plettner has been hired under the NSERC University Faculty Award Program. Dr. Pinto also

"7'-.

believes that the department has failed to achieve the deserved amount of external recognition in terms

of awards for its faculty and may lack some confidence as a result. Environmental Science wants to

expand by hiring additional faculty and providing additional courses. At present it has approximately

five B.Sc. students registered and the proposal is to have one NSERC Chair and one CRC Chair in this

area.

Dr. Pinto also expressed some concern about the impending reclassification of the Chemistry

Department from a "Type A" to "Type B" due to its decrease in size after the creation of the Department

of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. He felt that this may make the Chair's position less attractive in

the future given the large student teaching load and complexity of operation and facilities. The external

review team is not sufficiently informed of SFU internal operations to make an accurate judgement

about this. However, there is no doubt that a chemistry department undergoing faculty renewal with

extensive instrumentation, facilities, support staff, heavy service teaching and cooperative program is a

more challenging task for a chair than many other types of departments which lack these.

Viewpoints and Comments from Vice Presidents and Deans.

The team met individually with

Dr. Bruce Clayman (VP Research), Dr. William Davidson (Dean of Science), Dr. Jon Driver (Dean of

Graduate Studies), and Dr. Judith Osborne (Associate VP Academic). The two deans are relatively new

in their positions, but appear very well-informed of activities and issues in the Chemistry Department.

The division of duties between the various offices is similar to what is common in many universities.

The administration appeared to be supporting strongly the core academic mission of the science

departments, including chemistry. The need for graduate scholarships was expressed by the Dean of

Graduate Studies, echoing messages heard from many quarters. One of the obvious effects of the low

number of graduate fellowships is the need for graduate students to take on a great deal of teaching

assistant work throughout their studies, which thereby extends their program length. Research space is

also a key problem, apparently University-wide, but it is clear that expansion of programs and renewal

of faculty will place great pressure on increased allocation of this valuable resource to Chemistry.

Recommendation 1:

Efforts should be made to increase scholarship support to graduate students so as

to enable them to dedicate more time to research and reduce the level of TA commitment. Some of these

efforts could be initiated by the department in partnership with the university's

advancement/development office.

P_j

-7-

Recommendation

2: Additional space for experimental chemistry will need to be located to

accommodate proposed new research-active faculty, including Canada Research Chairs and NSERC

Industrial Chairs or University Faculty Awards. Whether this can be done within the existing allocation

to Chemistry will need to be examined very carefully.

Recommendation 3:

A committee within the Department should actively focus on nomination of both

junior and senior faculty for both national and international awards. These may include recognitions

from the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the federal and provincial governments, the Alfred P. Sloan

Foundation and the American Chemical Society as well as others.

Recommendation 4:

The proposed reclassification of the Chemistry Department should be re-examined

in light of its on-going expansion, service teaching and complexity of operation.

-8-

UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AND CURRICULUM

Viewpoints and Comments from Undergraduates.

The undergraduate Chemistry program is

viewed as excellent, well-structured and very well-liked by the undergraduate students. Its strengths

include a highly successful co-op program and great flexibility due to the trimester system, which is

viewed as a unique positive attribute by the students. The students especially praised the quality of

teaching and the personal interactive atmosphere created by the Chemistry faculty. The undergraduates

did express concerns that the co–op program sometimes conflicts with required courses, and that

scheduling of upper level courses (limited by instructor availability and departmental resources) can

make it difficult for them to complete their degree program in four years. An issue mentioned by both

the undergraduate and the graduate students was the importance of knowing the course schedule two

years in advance so that they could plan their courses to finish the B.Sc. degree or the required graduate

courses in a timely manner. Many students also felt that the undergraduate research course CIIEM 481

entailed a level of work that was out of proportion with the meager

credits they received. They

perceived that in other departments (e.g. MIBB) students receive 10 credits for work of equal time and

intellectual commitment. Another theme emerging from undergraduate discussions was the reduction in

the number of tutorial classes given. Traditional tutorials appear to have been replaced to a considerable

extent with "open tutorial" drop-in centres where undergraduates may obtain help with course materials.

This was seen as a negative development by many.

Recommendation

The scheduling of courses, especially with year-round instruction is complex.

However, the department may wish to re-examine its course scheduling with the goal of enhancing the

prompt completion of the requirements for the majors and honors chemistry program.

Recommendation 6:

The department may wish to consider increasing the number of credits given to

the undergraduate research course, CHEM 481

Recommendation

7: Restoration of regularly scheduled tutorials in strategic courses should be

considered. Tutorials are an extremely valuable component of undergraduate chemistry teaching,

especially in large classes.

Cooperative Education.

As indicated above, all concerned—faculty, lecturers, the co-op

coordinator (John Simms), students—are enthusiastic about this program, and most undergraduates who

met the external review team are participating in it. The main concern voiced by several groups, is the

desirability of providing more upper division chemistry courses in the summer, such that undergraduates

who take a co-op position in the Fall semester are not disadvantaged later in finding courses that would

let them complete their B.Sc. on time (see above). A suggestion was made to have on the transcript the

name of the company where each co-op experience occurred. The review team noted that the current

coordinator (who is one-half time) will be moving in May to a full-time position with the Dean of

Science Office, and that a full-time chemistry co-op coordinator will be hired.

Recommendation 8:

A replacement chemistry co-op coordinator should be hired as planned. This is

viewed as essential for the continued success of the program.

Lecturers and Senior Lecturers.

This group of teaching-only faculty performs an absolutely

essential function in the department. Although primarily charged with instructing the laboratory portions

of chemistry courses, most also give regular lectures in a significant number of courses. In their absence,

the teaching loads of regular research-active faculty in the Chemistry Department would be considerably

heavier than those typical of other universities with significant research activity. To replace their

teaching function and maintain current loads for research-active faculty, it would be necessary to recruit

at least two tenure-track faculty members for each lecturer. The Lecturers and Senior Lecturers in SFU' s

Chemistry Department are a dedicated, hard-working, highly professional group, who were pleased with

the recognition they receive. Their contract, however, permits them only one semester off out of every

nine. In a system with year-round instruction this seems entirely too low a level of release time to permit

them to update their teaching material, introduce new laboratory curricula and ensure that they are able

to easily maintain an appropriate level of professionalism.

Recommendation 9:

Lecturers and Senior Lecturers should be given approximately twice the "release

time" from teaching that they are currently permitted.

Curriculum Issues.

A number of faculty interest groups, including inorganic, physical,

analytical/environmental and organic chemistry expressed desire to add courses to the curriculum.

Examples of proposed changes include: establishing CHEM 331 as a required Inorganic/Physical course

in which symmetry, group theory and spectroscopy would be taught; increasing frequency of offering

•

CHEM

415

(Analytical); development of a 4' year course in environmental science and technology

which would also encompass alternative energy sources and sensors; and creation of an optional course

CHEM 381 in intermediate organic chemistry for chemistry majors. However, the review team noted

7q'

that the

the department recently revised its curriculum after extensive discussion. The team also felt that the

imposition of additional requirements would reduce flexibility, and that the program would become less

attractive to undergraduate students. In addition, unless a considerable number of new faculty were

hired, teaching load would increase substantially.

The creation of an ambitious non-traditional Environmental Science and Technology (EST)

Program was also suggested, with the proposed new 4

year environmental science and technology

course (see above) as the first step. Such a course and program could be extremely valuable if properly

planned and executed. However, the proposal for the EST Program did not yet seem to be sufficiently

developed to allow the team to form an accurate opinion regarding its present merits. Given existing

departmental teaching commitments, it is also uncertain whether sufficient resources are available to

make this program immediately viable. This is not meant to be a negative statement regarding the

potential value of implementing such a program in the future, but rather a statement of its current state

of development.

Recommendation 10:

The present curriculum is effective, substantial and well-balanced. New required

courses should not be added to the undergraduate curriculum in the next year or two. The department

could consider establishing "thematically named" streams (materials stream, biological stream, etc.) to

their honors and majors program through which students would be given greater flexibility to

concentrate in an area of interest.

Recommendation 11:

The proposed Environmental Science and Technology Program requires further

planning and resources before possible implementation. The question should be re-examined when a

more concrete plan is created.

30.

-11-

GRADUATE PROGRAM AND CURRICULUM

Viewpoints and Comments from Graduate Students.

Chemistry graduate students are very

enthusiastic about their studies and research experience, and would like to see more Ph.D. students in

the program. They did express some concern that there are few if any lecture courses exclusively for

graduate students. This can be a problem for former SFU undergraduates who enter the graduate

program as they normally have already had most of the relevant courses. The graduate students feel that

their teaching load is substantial, and that there is a lack of graduate student fellowships compared to

support for colleagues at other universities (see recommendation 1 above). There also appears to be

considerable interest among the graduate students for at least some formal training (pedagogy) to assist

them for their first semester of teaching. The external review team noted that there is little in the way of

formal instruction of graduate students on how to be effective teaching assistants, and that in many

courses there are no regular TA meetings. Laboratory supervisors (Lecturers) and technical staff also

noted that many graduate teaching assistants needed extensive help on use and management of

laboratory equipment, and that problems could be alleviated by more regular advance instruction (see

•

also below under Facilities). Interestingly, a number of female graduate students indicated that they did

not feel safe working in the research laboratory in the evenings (as is common at many institutions)

because of potential criminal activity. They suggested that increased campus security patrols and a

system of electronic door locks with card keys would be desirable.

Recommendation 12:

A formal one or two day session on specific pedagogic and organizational skills

required for teaching of "chemistry as a laboratory science" to undergraduates should be instituted for

graduate students at the start of each term. Special instrument training should be required of TAs who

teach in instrument-intensive lab courses. In this regard, a system of regular TA meetings may be helpful

in many courses.

Recommendation 13:

The university administration should examine evening security to decide whether

the perception of danger is accurate. Reasonable measures should be taken to address this issue.

Viewpoints from Chemistry Faculty and Administration.

The overall graduate program

appears to be in good shape, but an increase in both the number of graduate students and in the relative?

percentage of Ph.D. students would be desirable. Acquisition of more national scholarship winners

(NSERC holders) would be especially welcome, and aggressive recruitment of such individuals is

31.

- 12-

needed, perhaps with the aid of additional financial incentives. Generally the research faculty felt that

the graduate students should do significantly less service as a teaching assistant, with more support on

fellowship and research funds (see recommendation 1 above). At the same time, there was a feeling that

additional teaching assistantship support to the department would be very welcome to reduce the burden

on current teaching assistants, and thereby shorten their program length and increase research

productivity. Whether the department can actually reduce the time to the Ph.D. is uncertain—many

5.4

years.

During the initial meeting with the administration, the review team was asked to examine why

the Chemistry department has so many requests to upgrade M.Sc. candidates to Ph.D. candidates. This

appears to originate from the SFU requirement that a graduate student have demonstrated some research

accomplishment before being admitted into a Ph.D. program. Some of the current Ph.D. candidates are

directly admitted into that program based on their undergraduate research accomplishments, whereas

others have to prove themselves in the M.Sc. program before advancing further. However, such a level

of requests and resulting transfers are common in many chemistry departments at other Canadian

universities.

The administration also asked the review team to examine establishment of a course-based

professional Master's degree in Analytical or Environmental Chemistry with a possible view to

continued education and distance education programs. There was a suggestion of possible differential

fees to assist support of such a program. This idea, which is clearly applicable and popular within the

overall Simon Fraser University mandate, is rare in chemistry areas. The general consensus in discussion

with Chemistry faculty was that the demand and the teaching resources for this type of program are

presently insufficient to allow immediate implementation. With its relative youth, the chemistry faculty

should build its research profile and fulfill its regular teaching mandate as a first priority and then, as the

number of faculty and resources increase, possibly examine undertaking programs such as a professional

Masters.

Recommendation 14:

A course-based Masters degree in Analytical or Environmental Chemistry

should not be added in the immediate future.

S2.

- 13-

FACULTY AND RESEARCH

L r

Assistant Professors.

The external review team met individually with the recently-hired

assistant professors in a variety of chemistry areas. All of the assistant professors appear to be excellent

scientists—a tribute to the department's strong recruitment efforts. They all found the department to be

hospitable and generally very well-organized. They felt that they received outstanding mentoring from

senior faculty and the chair. These younger faculty also appreciated that they were given adequate space

for rapid growth, teaching relief in the first year

(e.g. a single course) and reasonable start-up funds (e.g.

experimentalists obtained ca $100,000 over two years). Individuals who started several years ago

sometimes had to wait up to 6 months for renovations, but such delays appear to have been eliminated

for more recent hires As a group, the junior faculty appear to be very successful in attracting graduate

students and acquiring external funding. There was a legitimate case made regarding salary inequities

which have resulted from the policies of the university regarding recent scale increases and lack of

retroactive adjustment.

Recommendation 15:

Salary inequities resulting from timing of hiring of individuals in comparable

• positions are very demoralizing, and the University should do its best to eliminate these as. a high

priority.

The Future of Nuclear Science in the Chemistry Department.

The committee examined

points raised in the nuclear chemists' position paper provided as preliminary information. Many of the

current nuclear science faculty are retiring, and there is controversy about whether to replace these

individuals with researchers in other areas or to continue the relatively unique activity in nuclear

chemistry. The completion and successful operation of ISAC-I at TRIUMF, and the funding of new

building and construction of ISAC-il provide an unique experimental capability for studies with

radioactive beams with a state-of-the-art facility which is only a short commute from SFU. (The

incoming TRJUMF Director also has major research interests in studies with ISAC-I and –II.) The

department is in an enviable position to take advantage of this new experimental capability for studies of

exotic nuclei, nuclear astrophysics, transuranium chemistry and superheavy elements, materials science

and nuclear medicine. It is also important to note that ISAC-11 will be the only major North American

radioactive beam facility from the period of its completion in

2004-05

until at least 2011, which is the

earliest that a proposed, very expensive, "rare isotope accelerator" can be approved and constructed in

the United States.

33.

-14-

Recommendation 16:

The external review committee recommends that 1.5 nuclear chemistry faculty

positions be maintained with another

0.5

coming from a joint appointment at TRIUMF. This would take

advantage of the new facilities at TRIUMF, provide enough mutual intellectual support for nuclear

chemistry in the department, and permit the small but quite significant nuclear science minor to be

maintained. This can be especially attractive if these scientists need few resources at the Burnaby

Campus site. A key requirement is that the individuals hired in nuclear chemistry should be able to

interact scientifically with their colleagues in the Chemistry Department.

Materials Science.

The Chemistry Department has correctly identified Materials Chemistry as a

major thrust for future recruitment. This theme is also identified by SFU as one of its areas of

concentration in the Strategic Plan produced for the CRC Chair program. This field is very strong at

SFU and involves several other departments (e.g. Physics and Engineering). Internal cohesion among

members of the materials group is informal, yet synergies have been established through research

collaborations and participation in the Pacific Centre for Advanced Materials and Microstructures (a

joint initiative with UBC formed partly as a CFI venture). The review team was also impressed with the

plans for creating a CFI and BCKDF funded materials analysis laboratory, for which an impressive level

of private-sector funding has been identified. This concentration of analysis instrumentation would also

create an opportunity to construct new space to house the facility. However, the review team felt that

even greater synergy could be created among the materials scientists at SFU through the development of

a more identifiable entity with theme-based programs and events such as a materials seminar series. The

Chemistry Department's aspiration for at least two new positions in this area (one CRC Chair and one

additional position bridged to a retirement in 2002) seems very reasonable. This would allow the scope

of teaching in upper division materials-related courses to be expanded. Some suggestions were made

that the granting of FTEs along strict departmental lines (especially in a climate where new departments

are being created) together with the fear that the formation of new cross-disciplinary groups would lead

to the formation of other new departments discourages interdisciplinarity. If such systemic barriers to

interdisciplinary development do exist, efforts should be made to address them.

Recommendation

17: The Department's plan for two positions in materials chemistry (including one

CRC Chair) should be implemented.

- 15-

Recommendation 18:

The materials scientists at SFU with interdisciplinary membership in several

departments should form a more recognizable and identifiable subunit (but not a separate department)

which could then undertake theme-based initiatives (e.g. joint seminars, consultation on recruitment of

faculty, collaborative projects etc.).

Recommendation 19:

Systemic impediments (if any exist) for departments to seek joint positions or to

engage in joint planning for positions in order to achieve interdisciplinary goals should be addressed.

Chemical and Structural Biology Group.

At the request of the review team, an additional 15

minute session was scheduled with the supporters of the chemical and structural biology initiative within

the Chemistry Department. This proved to be a very large group having many of the members of the

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MBB) as well as all the individuals who hold joint

appointments in both departments. It is clear that this is an active area with extensive collaborations in

both established and emerging research endeavours. Certainly the chemical and structural biology group

is a main strength of the Chemistry Department. Discussions with individual faculty members reveal

there is a certain level of tension between the Department of Chemistry and the relatively new

Department Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with respect to undergraduate teaching, resources and

graduate curriculum. The creation of a separate MBB department has reduced the numbers of graduate

students, undergraduates and faculty in Chemistry, as can be seen from the statistical summaries. It has

also shifted the gender balance such that the Chemistry Department now only has one female faculty

member. Although many individual faculty members in the two departments collaborate successfully

within the chemical and structural biology initiative, there is some lack of communication and

consultation despite many common program and recruiting goals. The departments also do not seem to

hold many joint meetings or seminars. The group plans a search for a female candidate for an NSERC

University Faculty Award position be initiated in the fall of 2001.

Recommendation

20: The Chemistry Department should continue to strive to correct the gender

imbalance created by the separation of the MBB Department. The NSERC University Faculty Award

program, which has been successfully used in the past, should be pursued as a source of funds as

planned.

3^.

-16-

Recommendation 21:

The chemical and structural biology initiative should be supported and enhanced

through improved consultation and joint initiatives with MBB, perhaps as suggested above for theS

materials science program.

Environmental Chemistry.

Although this is a very important area, the external review team met

only two faculty members who expressed active interest in further expansion of this program. Although

it is listed as a secondary initiative of the Chemistry Department by the departmental chairman,

Professor Mario Pinto, the plans for this are not yet well-developed and planning for the program is still

at an early stage. Suggested addition of courses in this area will put an additional burden on the

departments teaching commitments unless new faculty are hired.

Recommendation

22: The environmental chemistry initiative requires further planning and

development, along with additional hiring in this area (if feasible), before implementation.

Recommendation 23:

There is a very strong need for aggressive fund-raising for additional support of

faculty Chairs.

36.

- 17-

RESOURCES, FACILITIES AND SUPPORT

Library.

The review team met with the departmental library committee, Ms. Natalie Gick

(Chemistry Liaison Librarian) and Mr. Todd Mundle (Head of Collections at SFU Library). Mr. Mundle

presented an excellent overview of the SFU Library and its relationship to the Chemistry Department.

He also elaborated on the various databases (e.g. Beilstein, crystal structure databases, STN) and the

interlibrary loan system which is available to researchers in the Department. The general perception was

that the library system is highly organized with excellent access for chemistry research. Although the

lack of a medical school may result in certain types of journals not being available in the system, these

can be readily acquired through interlibrary loan. Overall the impression is one of a very well

functioning library.

Departmental Business and Facilities Management.

The review team met with the laboratory

coordinator/student advisor, Dr. Ken MacFarlane, and the departmental assistant/office manager, Ms.

Teri Evans. Both of these individuals presented an overview of their duties and operations. Ms. Evans is

•

the business manager who takes care of the budget as well as supervising and actually completing a

large number of secretarial duties. Unfortunately, she plans to leave to continue graduate studies in the

near future. Dr. MacFarlane has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from UBC and is responsible for a large array of

departmental functions. In addition to being the coordinator for both teaching and research laboratories,

he is also: the supervisor of seven technical staff; the key person involved in undergraduate registration

and advising; the individual responsible for departmental safety and security; the person who controls

purchase and management of departmental equipment, materials, supplies and renovations. It is clear

that both of these individuals are uniquely talented and very hard-working. Replacement of Ms. Ten

Evans will be absolutely essential and probably difficult to achieve with an individual with the same

capabilities. Space for instrumentation and research and teaching were listed as key problems that

confront the department. Another important issue is the eventual replacement of teaching instruments

even though function and maintenance is very good at present. Not much space is left for expansion of

the Department through new hiring.

Recommendation 24:

It is essential that, if Ms. Evans leaves as planned, she be replaced by an

individual capable of assuming her multiple duties within the Chemistry Department.

r L

­

-1

37.

- 18-

Technical

Staff

and Support Facilities.

The department lists five teaching technicians and two

facilities technicians. In addition there is a senior technical person (Dr. Alan Tracy) who supervises the

NMR facility, does a great deal of the NMR training and assists supervision of graduate students. All of

the technical staff appear highly capable, professional, dedicated and hard working. Overall, the

operations seem very well-run and provide the necessary facilities to support the research efforts. Some

technical staff did express a desire for a greater level of communication with the academic personnel

responsible for the teaching labs in order to better coordinate the operation. The staff also advocated

more extensive training of the graduate teaching assistants, especially in instrumental labs (see also

recommendation 9 above). An important issue impacting the department's research capability is the

need for increased space. For example, Dr. Z. Ye would like to have separate furnace lab to house his

six high-temperature furnaces for reasons of personal safety resulting from the volatilization of toxic

materials. There was also some concern whether the central machine shop was adequately staffed, and

there seems to be a temporary problem with long waits for glass blowing requests. The review team did

note that researcher access to certain basic instrumentation, in particular high field nuclear magnetic

resonance (NMR) and modern mass spectrometry (MS) is not as extensive and routine as at many

institutions.

Recommendation

25:

Researchers within the Chemistry Department should seek major external

funding for new NMR and MS research equipment as soon as possible.

SYNOPSIS AND OVERALL SUMMARY -

See First Section

L-]

31.

REVIEW COMMITTEE SCHEDULE

MONDAY MARCH

VP Academic - Dr. John Waterhouse

VP Research - Dr. Bruce Clayman

Dean of Graduate Studies - Dr. Jon Driver

Dean of Science - Dr. William Davidson

Director, Academic Planning & Resources - Ms. Sue Roppel

8:45

9:45

Chair of Chemistry, Dr. B.M. Pinto - Overview of the Department

Laboratory Coordinator - Dr. Ken MacFarlane

Departmental Assistant - Terri Evans

11:15

11:45

Co-operative Education - John Simms

12:00

1:15

Lunch, Diamond University Centre - Graduate Studies Committee

(Andy Bennet, George Agnes, Gary Leach, Erika Plettner, Zuo Ye)

(Danny Leznoff, George Agnes, Vance Williams, Pete Wilson) with Natalie

Gick, Science Librarian and Todd Mundle, Head of Collections *

2:00

2:30

Materials Scientists (Steve Dodge, Brett Heinrich, Ross Hill, Steve Holdcroft,

Karen Kavanagh, Gary Leach, Danny Leznoff, Jeff Sonier, Mike Thewalt,

Simon Watkins, Vance Williams and Zuo Ye) *

2:30

3:00

Inorganic Faculty Group - Curriculum

3:00

3:30

Physical Faculty Group - Curriculum *

3:30

4:00

Analytical Faculty Group - Curriculum *

4:00

4:30

Nuclear Faculty Group - Curriculum and Nuclear Science Minor

4:30

5:00

Organic Faculty Group - Curriculum

5:00

5:30

Review Committee Meeting

5:30

7:00

Reception: Diamond University Centre with Faculty, Staff, Graduate Students

-20-

TUESDAY MARCH

6TH ?

Room SSB8114 unless otherwise specified

8:00

8:10

Dr. Erika Plettner - Assistant Professor, Bio-organic

8:10

8:20

Dr. Josh Wilkie - Assistant Professor, Theoretical

8:20

8:30

Dr. Vance Williams - Assistant Professor, Materials Organic

8:30

8:40

Dr. Pete Wilson - Assistant Professor, Synthetic Organic

8:40

8:50

Dr. Danny Leznoff - Assistant Professor, Inorganic

8:50

9:00

Dr. Paul Li - Assistant Professor, Bio-analytical

9:00

9:30

VP Research, Dr. Bruce Clayman ?

SSB81 14

- Research Profile of the Department

9:30

9:50

Dr. Zuo Ye - Associate Professor, Materials - Moskovits

C8078

Dr. George Agnes - Associate Professor, Analytical - Cerny

5SB81 14

Dr. Andy Bennet - Associate Professor, Physical Organic -Vederas

SSB8140

9:50

10:10

Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Jon Driver

SSB81 14

- Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

10:10 10:30

Dr. Rosemary Cornell -Professor, Lipid Biochemist, DMBB Moskovits SSB81I

Dr. Keith Slessor - Professor, Bio-organic -Vederas ?

C8078

Dr. Bill Richards - Professor, Protein Biochemist, DMBB - Cerny

Dean of Science, Dr. W. Davidson

SSB81 14

- Status of the Chemistry Department within the Faculty of Science

12:00 1:00

Lunch, Diamond University Centre ?

- Undergraduate Studies Committee

(Ralph Korteling, Ross Hill, Paul Li, Ken MacFarlane, Evelyn Palmer,

Josh Wilkie, Pete Wilson)

1:15 1:30

Chemical and Structural Biology Group

SSB81 14

1:30 2:00 Undergraduate Students

SSB81 14

2:00 2:20

Associate VP Academic, Dr. Judith Osborne ?

SSB81 14

- Resources and Space

2:20 2:35

Dr. Ralph Korteling - Professor, Nuclear ?

- Cerny ?

C8078

Dr. Paul Percival - Professor, Physical - Moskovits ?

SSB8114

Dr. Steve Holdcroft - Professor, Materials Vederas

SSB81

4'o.

-21-

TUESDAY MARCH

6TH

Room SSB8114 unless otherwise specified

2:35 2:50

Dr. Dipankar Sen -Professor, Nucleic-acid Bioch, DMBB -Vederas

SSB8140

Dr. John D'Auria - Professor, Nuclear

- Cemy ?

SSB81 14

Dr. Ross Hill - Professor, Materials - Moskovits

C8078

2:50

3:30 Review Team meeting

SSB81 14

3:30

3:40 Dr. B.M. Pinto - Chair

SSB8114

3:40

4:30

Meeting - President's Conference Room, Strand Hall

VP Academic - Dr. John Waterhouse

VP Research - Dr. Bruce Clayman

Dean of Graduate Studies - Dr. Jon Driver

Dean of Science - Dr. William Davidson

Director, Academic Planning & Resources - Ms. Sue Roppel

fl,

41,.