VIU News & Experts: November 6, 2024

Remembrance Day, US election, memory development 🧠

In this issue of VIU news & experts: 

• Re-translating a classic war novel
• US election results
• Studying memory development

Featured experts

All Quiet on the Western Front – re-translated

For two years, VIU Professor Emerita Dr. Katharina Rout has been engrossed in a re-translation of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. This classic First World War novel is widely regarded as the most influential anti-war novel ever written. Read more.

Putting a human face to the Canadian war experience

VIU History Professor Dr. Stephen Davies is founder of the Canadian Letters and Images Project, an online, digital archive of Canadian wartime letters and related materials. Through this project, people can learn about the wartime experience through the words and images of ordinary Canadians. The letters and photographs are sent to Davies by families across Canada to be scanned. Once they are part of the collection, he returns the originals to the family members. This year, Davies has teamed up with Theatre students to develop audio recordings of the archived letters for the CLIP website. Read more about the project.

Expert available to comment on US election

Dr. Michael MacKenzie, VIU’s Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership, has been closely following the US election and is available to share his thoughts on the results.

Looking for an expert for another story? Connect with VIU Experts.

VIU news

Researching how memory works

Have you ever been in the middle of telling someone a story when you have the sneaking suspicion that this isn’t the first time you’ve told them this tale? VIU Psychology Professor Dr. Becky Earhart is researching destination memory ­– how someone remembers who they told something to, and what information they shared. Her research will help provide a better understanding of children’s memory development, and specifically memory for conversations, which has implications for how children learn through dialogue. Read more.

Rural Recreation Summit

The future of recreation in rural communities and small cities is the topic of a provincial conference happening at Vancouver Island University (VIU) November 13 and 14. Hosted by VIU’s World Leisure Centre of Excellence, the Rural Recreation Summit features sessions by experts in risk management, leisure education, social prescribing and inclusive recreation opportunities. Read more.

Nanaimo Remembers

A VIU video memorial project that tells the story of Nanaimo soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First and Second World Wars will be displayed across the city until November 11. Learn more.

Flower Power: Milner Gardens & Woodland receives national recognition

VIU’s Milner Gardens & Woodland has received the prestigious 5 Blooms rating from Communities in Bloom, a national non-profit organization that evaluates cultural and natural environments across the country. The Rhododendron Species Garden was also highlighted as the only one of its kind in Canada. Learn more.

VIU in the news

VIU student Alyona Latsinnik broke an election scandal. Latsinnik exposed a Conservative candidate’s racist remarks. The story broke in the Vancouver Sun, went viral and was quickly picked up by other news outlets. Read the Vancouver Sun article. The Discourse speaks to Latsinnik and VIU Journalism Professor Stephen Hume. Read the article.
 
VIU’s Political Studies department is hoping that technology they’ve developed on campus will spur greater participation from young voters in next year’s federal election. Read more.
 
Congratulations to the VIU Mariners women's soccer team -- this year's PACWEST BC champions! With this championship, the team punch their ticket to the CCAA Women’s National Championship in Squamish hosted by Capilano University in November. Read more from the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
 
VIU's theatre department explores love, death and growing up with its production of the Pulitzer-winning play, Our Town. Read more from the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
 
VIU Master of Community Planning Professor Mark Holland moderated a discussion on Vancouver Island's housing crisis at the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance summit. Read more from the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
 
By using the waste of Koi fish to grow fresh produce, Vancouver Island University engineering student Jayden Corbeil (Iversen) is hoping to improve food supply issues in remote communities with an open-source aquaponics project. Read more in this Ha-Shilth-Sa article.
 
A controversial plan to borrow $90 million to address what the City of Nanaimo is calling critical upgrades to its public works yard is facing pushback from some residents. Dr. Michael MacKenzie, VIU’s Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership, weighs in on the alternative approval process for CBC News.

Happening at VIU

Indigenous Speakers Series featuring Brandi Morin

Acclaimed journalist Brandi Morin is the keynote speaker for VIU’s tenth annual Indigenous Speakers Series. On Wednesday, November 20, she will speak on “Indigenous truth in the face of power: a journalist's call to action.” Her keynote transforms her personal story of survival into an urgent call for change. She shares her journey from a childhood marked by intergenerational trauma to becoming a leading voice in journalism. Through raw and honest storytelling, she challenges Canadians to move beyond superficial gestures of reconciliation and confront the ongoing impacts of colonialism. Get free tickets.

Urban Issues Film Festival

The 17th annual Urban Issues Film Festival, hosted by third-year Geography students, takes place Friday, November 22 starting at 6 pm. This year's theme is “Oas-City.” Films will explore issues that challenge and enable the city as a metaphorical, life-sustaining refuge and place of resilience, safety, sanctuary, community and happiness. Free admission, free pizza and free parking in lot N! Learn more.