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18 SUmmEr 2016 88 90 WheN eNgiNeer Tim Collings joined SFU in 1989, the young innovator probably wouldn't have predicted that he would impact millions of families with an invention the size of a fingernail: the V-Chip. Collings figured out a way to encode a rating system into TV signals, and the practical invention gave parents "viewer control"—the power to decide how much violence or sexual content was appropriate for their children to watch on TV. Years later, Collings won a number of accolades for his early 1990s invention. He also demonstrated the V-Chip to U.S. President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore at a press conference. Soon, his invention became a household word: Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and required V-Chips to be included in all future TVs sold in the U.S. V is for Viewer Control 1985 1994 1987 TOP TECHS Apple, IBM and SFU, along with the CRB Foundation, fund SFU's Exemplary Centre for Interactive Technologies in Education (ExCITE). Established by Gerri Sinclair, it is Canada's first "new media" lab. BEE SPEAK SFU researchers, including Mark Winston, a bee biol- ogist, and Keith Slessor, a chemist, discover the key chemical components of the pheromones honeybee queens use to communicate. In 1997, the pair creates two commercial pheromones-based products. SFU's third decade is characterized by an exploration of the human condition through technology. Parents reclaim power over TV programs, dance moves are animated, and complacency is challenged with an award for controversy On May 5, SFU's downtown Vancouver campus opens at Harbour Centre. (Read more about the campus on page 42.) 89 88 BEE SPEAK SFU researchers, including Mark Winston, a bee biol- EXCHANGE CHINA SFU signs its first agreement with Jilin University in Changchun. This new relationship took root during SFU's mission to China in 1983, which sought to explore the idea of student and scholarly exchanges with Chinese universities. 85 VIRTUAL LEARNING Dr. Linda Harasim brings excellence to SFU with her innovations in collaborative online learning. A professor at SFU's School of Communications, Harasim is no newcomer to virtual learning: she taught the world's first online course and her groundbreaking work formed the foundation for the University of Phoenix online. Together with SFU researcher Tom Calvert, Harasim co-led a fed- eral network of centres of excellence in online learning from 1995 to 2003. This visionary work funded hundreds of researchers at more than 32 universities throughout Canada, and included international partnerships with the United Nations and the European Union.

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