In the Community

IT’S ‘RHODO’ TIME AT VIU’S MILNER GARDENS & WOODLANDS

May 9, 2013

The Rhododendrons are in full bloom at VIU’s Milner Gardens & Woodlands, which means that more than 10 acres of this seaside retreat are bursting with a forest of colour. Some of the plants are more than 70 years old, and have grown to tree-sized proportions, bearing hundreds of blooms, as the garden’s Rhododendron collection was started in 1950 by the original owners of the property... Read more


FACULTY PERFORM COLLABORATIVE WORK ON REGIONAL & NATIONAL STAGES

May 8, 2013

A quartet of faculty from VIU’s Art & Design and Media Studies Departments has been collaborating for more than a year on an innovative performance piece that involves electronic imaging, spoken word, ambient sound and improvised vocals and instrumentals. The piece, entitled *Meridian*, immerses the audience in a visual and aural soundscape challenging them to give up their impulse to make... Read more


STUDENT WINS CARTO CUP TROPHY FOR COMPUTER MAPPING SKILLS

May 7, 2013

Graduate Shaunda Devenport is the winner of the 2013 Carto Cup in a cartographic design competition held at Vancouver Island University. Organized by VIU’s Advanced Diploma Geographic Information Systems (ADGIS) Applications program, the competition invites students from all departments to submit an original cartographic design for judging. Devenport entered a poster in the competition after... Read more


COMMUNITY COUSINS – VIU’S ABORIGINAL STUDENT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

May 6, 2013

For many Aboriginal students, making the transition to university can be a challenge. They’ve moved from tight-knit communities and are living in an unfamiliar city for the first time, far away from the support of their family and friends. They’re also trying to make it in a western academic world which for some is very different from the culture they grew up in. Enter VIU’s Community Cousins,... Read more


VIU LAUNCHES ALUMNI CONNECT CAMPAIGN

May 3, 2013

VIU’s Alumni Association is launching an exciting initiative to connect the more than 40,000 people around the world who have studied at the institution since it first started in 1936. The Alumni Connect Campaign asks all of the institution’s alumni to take a couple of minutes to update their profile and help build the growing alumni network. Everyone who does will be eligible to win some... Read more


VIU GRAPHIC ARTS STUDENT CREATES WINNING DESIGN

May 2, 2013

When Brian Kingzett was looking for a new, unique t-shirt design to help promote the Deep Bay Marine Field Station he knew who to call. Kingzett contacted Vancouver Island University visual arts professor Gregory Ball to see if his printmaking students could help. “It was a great opportunity for students to test their skills,” says Ball. About 20 students put their design skills to work in a... Read more


EXTREME SCIENCE SHOW RAISES FUNDS FOR AFRICAN SCHOOLS

May 2, 2013

Explosions, implosions, flying arrows, fire, lightning and illusions – these are some of the exciting things you’ll see at the fifth annual Extreme Science show this year. The startling and occasionally loud science demonstration will entertain more than 1,200 school students in four shows in Nanaimo May 14 to 17, and one in Duncan May 23. An evening show open to the public takes place May 16... Read more


VIU LAUNCHES MINOR IN JOURNALISM

May 2, 2013

Thanks to a nudge from students and a lot of work by VIU’s Creative Writing and Journalism (CREW) faculty, VIU is now offering students an opportunity to get a Minor in Journalism. Up until now, even if students had taken journalism courses, their degrees didn’t reflect that, instead showing a more general certification of bachelor in creative writing. “Over the years students questioned us... Read more


STUDENT PAPER SELECTED FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE

May 1, 2013

It’s not every day that a 21-year-old student is invited to present a research paper at an international conference. “It was a really cool and exciting experience,” says Michael Cantwell of Vancouver Island University. “It was nerve-wracking but a very big honour.” Cantwell, a History and Philosophy student at VIU, presented his research paper about self-deception at the 17th annual Philosophy... Read more


ASPIRING DOCTOR RECEIVES OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARD

April 29, 2013

Nathan Stefani is one of Vancouver Island University’s star students. Recently named Most Outstanding Student by VIU’s Biology department, Stefani will walk across the Port Theatre stage on June 4 to obtain his Bachelor of Science degree (major in biology, minor in chemistry). “Nathan is the type of student who’s made the most of his undergraduate experience,” says President Dr. Ralph Nilson. “... Read more