Tiny Cabins, Food App Win Top Prizes in VIU Business Plan Competition
December 3, 2014
Two bright ideas taking top honours in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Business Plan Competition are tiny, affordable homes on wheels and a smartphone app that helps shoppers identify foods that fit into diets limited by allergies. Final pitches were made by 10 finalists before a panel of business expert judges in a ‘Dragon’s Den’-style competition at VIU Nov. 28. Rewild Homes took first... Read more
Nanaimo Students Earn Full Tuition Scholarships to VIU
October 28, 2014
Hard work in high school pays off – just ask nine top graduating students from Nanaimo who now attend Vancouver Island University (VIU). Bernadette Alvarez (Woodlands Secondary), Anjelica Lum (Wellington Secondary), Kaitlin Ovcharov (John Barsby Secondary), Genevieve Amaral (Dover Bay Secondary), Courtney Davidson (Cedar Secondary) and Matthew Lineker (Nanaimo Christian School), each received a... Read more
VIU Welcomes Alaska Undergrad as Killam Fellow
September 26, 2014
A busy year of academic studies in her Psychology major lies ahead for Charlotte Stark, who is attending Vancouver Island University (VIU) this year as a Killam Fellow on exchange from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Killam Fellowships are awarded to undergraduate students in Canada and the US by Fulbright Canada, which facilitates educational exchanges for scholars in the two countries.... Read more
VIU Baking Program Grad Wins Lt. Governor's Silver Medal
June 19, 2014
A graduate in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Professional Baking and Pastry Arts program will be awarded the University’s Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for her outstanding work in the program. Miriam Popma, whose hometown is Duncan, will receive the medal at VIU’s convocation ceremonies for graduates in Trades and Applied Technology programs in Nanaimo’s Port Theatre on Friday, June 20... Read more
High School Students Explore Trades at VIU
June 18, 2014
When Dustin Decouteau’s grandfather taught him a bit about welding, he thought he might be onto something he could enjoy as a career once he graduates high school. In Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) first offering of the 12-week Introduction to Trades program, the Woodlands Secondary Grade 11 student had a chance to learn even more about the welding trade – enough to convince him to enroll in... Read more
VIU Students Heading to Skills Canada National Competition
June 3, 2014
Students Toshi Akama, Thalia Austin, Cam Chanin and Erin Hollywood have been working hard to perfect the skills they’ve learned in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Culinary Arts, Construction and HVAC programs, and will be putting those skills to the test against competitors across Canada at the Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) in Toronto June 4 to 7. “I’m nervous, and I feel like... Read more
VIU To Award Five Honorary Degrees and Two Alumni Awards at Spring Convocation
May 10, 2014
Vancouver Island University (VIU) will be awarding five Honorary Degrees and two Distinguished Alumni Awards at the 2014 spring convocation ceremonies at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre, June 2 - 4. Five Honorary Degrees will be awarded to celebrate the recipients and their considerable achievements. These five outstanding individuals are being honoured as each speaks to VIU's values. Although they... Read more
Carvers Chosen for VIU Students' Union Totem Pole Project
May 7, 2014
Carvers representing three Vancouver Island First Nations have been selected to create two totem poles to grace the entrance of Shq’aphut, the Aboriginal Gathering Place at Vancouver Island University (VIU). The four carvers who will begin their work on donated logs are George Hunt Jr. (Kwakwaka’wakw), Qwaya Sam (Ahousaht First Nation), Noel Brown (Snuneymuxw) and Thomas Jones (Snuneymuxw). The... Read more
Tourism Students Awarded in 'Project Change 3.0' Competition
April 29, 2014
Vancouver Island University (VIU) Tourism and Hospitality student projects exploring local food sustainability and opportunities for ethical giving through Nanaimo non-profit organizations have earned awards in the annual Project Change 3.0 competition sponsored by LinkBC. The two winning projects originated from a third year Tourism class taught by Dr. Aggie Weighill, earning third and fourth... Read more
Student Creates Award-Winning Website for Nanaimo Park Users
April 23, 2014
Student Kim Wetten combined her two passions – birding and physical fitness – to create a new website for Nanaimo park users. The website provides information about public parks in Nanaimo, including photographs, bird species and an estimate of how many steps it takes to walk through park trails. Entitled “Steps, Sparrows and Smartphones: Modernizing Nanaimo’s Parks and Birding Information,”... Read more