In the Community

Donation to VIU Automotive Program Enhances Student Learning

March 4, 2015

Students in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Automotive Service Technician program are practicing their skills on a new state-of-the-art tire changer thanks to a generous donation by the New Car Dealers Association of BC. “It was a unanimous decision by the Board to donate the $7,180 John Bean tire changer to VIU,” says John Wynia, Chairman of the Board for New Car Dealers Association of BC... Read more


Community Invited to Opening of New Science Studio March 14

March 3, 2015

The Nanaimo Science and Sustainability Society (NS3) will mark International Pi Day on Saturday, March 14 with a big community science celebration and the opening of their new Science Studio at Departure Bay Elementary School. Families with school age children are invited to drop in from 10 am to 2 pm. Admission is by donation. “As a non-profit society, our mission is to inspire families and... Read more


'Rats Around Town' topic of Science & Technology lecture at VIU March 4

March 2, 2015

Rats have been, and continue to be, the source of numerous germs transmissible to people and responsible for significant human morbidity and mortality in cities globally. Despite anecdotal evidence that rats are thriving in cities across Canada, there is little data in Canada on rats, their parasites and their pathogens. Kaylee Byers, a PhD candidate at the University of BC, will deliver a free... Read more


'The Servant of Two Masters' on Stage at VIU in March

February 24, 2015

Jokes and innuendo, slapstick antics, mistaken identities and general hilarity. Theatre students at Vancouver Island University (VIU) will present their talents for all this and more during The Servant of Two Masters, a comedic play written in 1745 and on stage in March at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre. Opening night is Thursday, March 5 at 8 pm. “These types of plays, written in the Italian commedia... Read more


Short Fiction Contest Returns for Vancouver Island and Gulf Island Writers

February 18, 2015

Writers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are once again invited to take up their pens and fire up their word processors for the 2015 Islands Short Fiction Contest.  Co-sponsored by the Nanaimo Arts Council, the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL), and the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Department of Creative Writing and Journalism, the contest seeks entries of up to 2,000 words... Read more


Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Hosts Free Lecture on Sustainability Education at VIU Feb. 19

February 16, 2015

The Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) and its affiliated Research Institute at Vancouver Island University (VIU) is hosting two free public lectures – including one in Parksville - featuring Dr. David Zandvliet on Thursday, February 19. Dr. Zandvliet is the Director of Simon Fraser University’s Institute for Environmental Learning and his presentations will discuss sustainability... Read more


VIU Academic Dual Credit Info Session on Feb.16

February 12, 2015

Grade 12 student Caitlyn McNicoll is getting a head start on her university studies, and highly recommends Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Academic Dual Credit program to other senior high school students thinking about doing the same. In her final year at Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS), McNicoll is taking advantage of a partnership between VIU and Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools... Read more


VIU Jazz Program Welcomes Jennifer Scott for Feb. 17 Master Concert

February 11, 2015

Jazz, blues and world music artist Jennifer Scott will perform as a guest of Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Jazz Studies program on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 pm in the Choral Room (105) of Building 320. “We’re talking about gorgeous tone and absolutely killer technique,” Vancouver Province music critic Renee Doruyter has written of a performance by Scott, who has appeared on Jazzbeat,... Read more


"No Impact Week" Comes to VIU Feb. 15 - 22

February 11, 2015

The No Impact experiment is coming to Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo. No Impact Week is a one-week carbon cleanse February 15 to 22 that allows participants to experience the difference lowering their impact on the environment can have on quality of life, the community, and the planet. “The No Impact Week is about discovering how living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle... Read more


VIU Book Reading Highlights Contributions of Early Chinese Canadian Pioneers

February 10, 2015

Award-winning author Alison Marshall will visit Vancouver Island Feb. 18 and 19 to discuss her new book Cultivating Connections: The Making of Chinese Prairie Canada, which highlights the contribution of early Chinese Canadian pioneers. According to Marshall’s research, in the late 1870s, thousands of Chinese men left coastal British Columbia and the western United States and headed east. For... Read more