Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/609048
FALL 2015 simon 29 SFU.CA MAKING SCIENCE ACCESSIBLE Follow Jennifer Gardy on Twitter and you're likely to see photos of the burger she ate for lunch posted alongside links to measles genomic epidemiology papers. If you've ever wondered who gave you that nasty cough or runny nose, Jennifer Gardy is likely the best person to ask. The senior scientist with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and creator of the scientific field known as genomic epidemiology has pioneered research that uncovers the origins and transmission of infectious diseases in order to understand, control and ultimately prevent serious outbreaks. And while that might be a big enough challenge for many people, Gardy hasn't stopped there. Her goal is to make science more accessible, and she achieves this objective through friendly social media posts and numerous TV appear- ances (Gardy has guest hosted CBC Television's long-running documentary series "The Nature of Things" and Discovery Channel Canada's nightly science news magazine "Daily Planet"). Despite her PhD from SFU's Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, which earned her the Governor General's Gold Medal as top graduat- ing PhD student, she effortlessly breaks down the barriers that make scientific research seem intimidating, addressing popular questions like whether the current trend of wearing shoes with- out socks could post a health risk. This she attri- butes to her multi-faceted experiences at SFU, where she combined her research in microbial genomics and bioinformatics with science journal- ism, freelancing for SFU News. "Being trained as a researcher in such an interdisciplinary environment made me into someone who draws inspiration from a range of fields," Gardy says. "Even though my work is largely in microbiology and health, there are threads from communication, computer science, design, even music. It lets me work in a really unique space and stand out from the crowd." JENNIFER GARDY Q Q SFU's Burnaby cam- pus library is named after B.C.'s longest- serving premier, W.A.C. Bennett. Bennett was a big supporter of educa- tion in the province, and established SFU during his tenure by grant- ing the funding for its construction in 1963. Bennett resigned his leadership in 1973 and died in 1979. C H A MP IONS , INNO VATORS , DOERS + C H A NGE M A K ERS