Malaspina High School Brings Cultures Together
August 13, 2009
According to two graduating Nanaimo students, Malaspina High School (MHS) creates not just a love of learning in the classroom, but a cross cultural learning experience resulting in tight friendships. Ryan Porteous and Odai Khalaileh are new roommates and new graduates of the high school located on VIU’s campus. Formerly known as Malaspina International High School, MHS is an independent school... Read more
New trades training facility approved for Powell River campus
August 7, 2009
A major overhaul of a trades training facility at Vancouver Island University’s Powell River campus is good news for students and the community. The $976,000 investment, announced Friday by the federal and provincial governments under phase two of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, will replace the current out-of-date and aging trades building with a new, efficient facility that will greatly... Read more
VIU grad named national Aboriginal Ambassador
August 7, 2009
Vancouver Island University graduate Carol Bob is on a roll. She is one of two recipients of a $5,000 Aboriginal Ambassador award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Earlier this year, NSERC awarded Bob with her third prestigious Undergraduate Student Research Award in chemistry, valued at $4,500 and handed out to Canada’s most promising student... Read more
New beginning through education
August 6, 2009
Not long ago, Dan McNeill was heading down a wrong path, in a dying industry with no future. He realized his only hope was a new beginning through education. McNeill always loved the ocean – he grew up in a fishing family and that’s where he hoped to make his career. He gillnetted salmon and herring, long-lined halibut and black cod and dove for sea urchins. He developed a keen interest in... Read more
VIU offers mentorship workshop for Aboriginal students
July 31, 2009
A new mentorship program for Aboriginal students at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo will get off the ground in September thanks to the efforts of student Ian Caplette. Caplette, of First Nations descent himself, was once a high school drop-out living on the streets to survive. Today, he’s turned his life around and is completing a Bachelor of Arts, major in First Nations Studies at VIU... Read more
Love of marine science leads student to Norway
July 30, 2009
When Andrea Bozman began classes at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, she never expected to be searching for polar bears near the Arctic Circle. Thanks to her hard work and dedication to marine science, and VIU’s international connection with a prestigious university in Norway, that’s exactly the kind of unique undergraduate learning experience Bozman enjoyed. Ready to start her fourth... Read more
Mature student experiences 'rebirth' in Italy
July 29, 2009
"Believe in yourself. If I can do it, anyone can." With these words of wisdom, single mom Kim Moes hopes to inspire other 'mature' students to return to school. Moes dropped out of high school 20 years ago, but resumed her studies at Vancouver Island University with gusto. She recently made the Dean's list for outstanding academic achievement, won a scholarship and participated in a one month "... Read more
Five VIU students win $75,000 in provincial scholarships for innovation
July 29, 2009
Five Vancouver Island University (VIU) students have an extra $15,000 each, thanks to scholarships from the BC Innovation Council (BCIC). Jim Yen-Chun Cheng, Harikrishnan Jayaraman, Ethan Yi-Fu Lin, Jennifer Schofield and Zoe Xiang Lan Wan, all in the Master of Business Administration Program (MBA), were selected by the council. “We did pretty well this year,” said Brock Dykeman, Director of... Read more
Nigerian visitors learn about leadership in Nanaimo
July 24, 2009
Vancouver Island University (VIU) tourism professor Dr. Ken Hammer is sharing his leadership skills globally without leaving home. Hammer led a special week-long leadership training session for a group of nine business professionals visiting Nanaimo from the Institute of Treasury Management in Ibadan,Nigeria. “The program consisted of leadership workshops, trips into the community and... Read more
VIU researcher wins major grant to study sea lice
July 24, 2009
Vancouver Island University professor Dr. Duane Barker has received a three-year $413,000 research grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to study one of the most controversial topics in BC - sea lice and their impact on salmon farming. It’s the largest single, non-equipment grant ever awarded to a Vancouver Island University researcher, and great news... Read more