News Stories
Grant Funds Prototype of Resilience Education Video Game
January 14, 2021
VIU Professor Dr. Leigh Blaney receives $10,000 grant to develop Firefighter Edge, a video game that could help firefighters cope with stress and anxiety experienced on the job.Vancouver Island University (VIU) Health and Human Services (HHS) Professor Dr. Leigh Blaney is branching out into the world of video game development. A BC SUPPORT Unit grant of $10,000 will help Blaney and her... Read more
VIU Professor Appointed to Reference Group for Review of Indigenous Research
November 12, 2020
Georgina Martin is the only BC representative to be elected to a national group responsible for providing direction on building mutually respectful relationships between Indigenous communities and researchers.Dr. Georgina Martin, a VIU Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies Professor, has been elected to a newly established, national group for the culturally appropriate review of Indigenous research and is... Read more
Supporting Health-Care Professionals Suffering From Emotional Distress
June 12, 2020
VIU professor receives federal government grant to aid in the development of an innovative psychedelic medicine-assisted therapy program for the treatment of mental health issues experienced by first responders.A Vancouver Island University (VIU) Nursing professor developing a psychedelic medicine-assisted therapy and resilience training program has received a sizeable federal government grant.... Read more
Alum of the Month: Hannah McSorley
January 14, 2020
It’s been a few years since Hannah McSorley graduated from Vancouver Island University, but her connections to the institution remain strong. Thanks to a research background in environmental analytical chemistry which she gained while still a student at VIU, as well as significant field experience in hydrology, McSorley is working for the university’s Coastal Hydrology Research Lab as an analyst... Read more
Building Resilience in Volunteer Firefighters
December 11, 2019
A VIU professor is helping volunteer firefighters cope with the physical and mental effects they may experience when they are involved in a traumatic incident.Firefighters are the real-life heroes. The people who put their lives on the line to save our homes and rescue us from motor vehicle accidents. They also have a higher than normal exposure to horrific events than the average person.“There... Read more
Removing Barriers to Online Learning for Trades Students
November 29, 2019
Examining Trades and Technical education learning and teaching in a digital age.Digital access to textbooks, lesson plans and research has been transforming the way people learn for the last two decades, but not across all disciplines equally. “Education changes lives,” says Sally Vinden Instructor in the Faculty of Trades and Applied Technology at Vancouver Island University (VIU). “As... Read more
Assessing Creative Tourism in Rural BC and Yukon
November 21, 2019
Two Vancouver Island University (VIU) researchers are heading north to analyze a relatively new economic driver ̶̶ creative tourism and its impact on rural communities.Two Vancouver Island University (VIU) researchers are leading a study into the role the cultural sector and creative tourism play in the sustainability of smaller, rural cities and towns in northern British Columbia and... Read more
Overcoming Barriers to Active Transportation With E-Bikes
October 8, 2019
A VIU student research project aims to help cities formulate cycling plans that include electric bicycles.Vancouver Island University (VIU) Masters of Community Planning student Eleni Gibson used to enjoy cycling. That was when she lived in Victoria, but after moving to Nanaimo to pursue her post-secondary education, it became a grueling activity.“I was trying to cycle but it's a 35-minute bike... Read more
Lunch Series Feeds Curious Minds Looking to Satisfy Appetites for Knowledge
September 19, 2019
VIU Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Office’s fall lunch and learn series fosters supportive environment to present and discuss ideas.Lunch can be a time to nourish the mind as well as the body thanks to Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) annual Bring Your Lunch and Learn Series starting this fall.The series, presented by VIU’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Office... Read more
Research @ VIU
September 18, 2019
Every year, faculty and students at VIU go out into communities to participate in research that is having a significant impact on the region as well as giving students important experiential learning opportunities. Here are a few projects they engaged in this year. For more stories, visit research.viu.ca. Gender Historians Bring International Research Journal to VIUThe world’s leading... Read more