On September 8, hundreds of new students will get to know the campus, other students and meet their profs at RockVIU new student orientation. Highlights include:
Welcome ceremony in the gym at 9 am.
Meeting their profs and other students in their programs from 10 am to noon.
Photo/video highlight: Checking out services VIU offers, community partners and playing carnival games at the Connect Fair between 12 and 4 pm in the RBC Plaza (outside Building 200).
Email Jenn.McGarrigle@viu.ca if you want to attend.
Learn more about what our featured back to school experts are looking at right now:
VIU back to school experts
The role of technology in team sports
From wearable trackers to performance apps, technology is changing youth sports. VIU researcher Professor Dr. Jordan Herbison is studying how these tools affect young athletes, team dynamics and development. His goal is to help parents and coaches use technology in ways that support youth development, team dynamics and mental health.
Read more about Jordan's research
Getting youth involved in AI policy development
Artificial intelligence is shaping the future. VIU Computer Science professor and researcher Dr. Ajay Shrestha wants to make sure young people help shape it too. Supported by a new research grant, he's exploring how youth can play a bigger role in developing Canada's AI policies and ensuring their voices are heard as technology evolves.
Read more about Ajay's research
Featured:
Breeding more resilient shellfish
As oceans warm, become more acidic and lose oxygen, shellfish face growing challenges. VIU researcher Dr. Tim Green and his team are studying how oysters and other shellfish adapt to these changes, including whether climate resilience traits affect disease resistance and seafood safety.
Improving health care for substance users
What happens when people who use substances don't feel safe seeking care at the hospital? VIU researcher Dr. Sharon Karsten is leading a new three-year project to better understand the barriers they face. Her research aims to improve care, reduce stigma and strengthen connections across the health-care system.
Learn more about Sharon's research
Happening at VIU
VIU hosts free all-ages community event on October 24
Vancouver Island University’s largest annual community event is back for a fourth year of free, fall-themed fun.
VIU Fest takes place on Saturday, October 24 from 12 to 4 pm at the Nanaimo campus. Spend an afternoon at the Nanaimo campus and learn more about what VIU students and faculty are working on. Stroll the Indigenous artisan market, take part in hands-on activities and science demos and enjoy delicious food options.
There will also be lots of prizes such as tuition giveaways, a fun zone with kid-friendly activities and a community corner featuring a variety of local organizations. The grand prize is a full year (up to $7,500) in tuition credits as well as $2,500 credits for VIU Food Services. Considering taking a program at VIU? Take a pop-up class. Designed for youth ages 15 to 25, pop-up classroom experiences are taught by VIU faculty and give attendees the chance to experience for themselves what hands-on learning is like at VIU.
Whether you’re thinking about becoming a VIU student, or you’re just looking for something fun to do on a Saturday afternoon with family and friends, the event has something for everyone.
Stay tuned for further details coming soon.
Sign up for updates on the VIU Fest website
Loaves & Fishes hosts Free Food Market at VIU
On Monday evenings, Loaves & Fishes is now operating a Free Food Market in the Windsor Plywood Trades Discovery Centre. Loaves and Fishes operates 13 Free Food Markets per week across the city to bring food directly to where people live.
“Partnering with Vancouver Island University to open a Loaves & Fishes Free Food Market on campus will make it easier for students and community members to access food where they need it,” said Peter Sinclair, Executive Director. “We are grateful to VIU for recognizing the importance of food security and working with us to create a welcoming market that is open to everyone.”
The Great Vancouver Land Grab
A new travelling exhibit exploring the history and legacy of the E&N Railway land grant is now on display in Cowichan.
The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab examines how nearly two million acres of Vancouver Island land were transferred to private ownership in the 1880s, and how those decisions continue to shape land use, forestry and treaty negotiations. VIU Adjunct History Professor Kelly Black worked on the exhibit. VIU alum and Snuneymuxw artist and storyteller Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, contributed illustrations to the exhibit.
The free exhibit is currently at Vancouver Island Regional Library’s Cowichan branch (next door to VIU’s Cowichan campus) and will travel across Vancouver Island through in 2027.
VIU in the News
Simulated shopping experiences, preparing for wildfires, a Free Food Market comes to VIU’s Nanaimo campus and improving hospital care. Here’s how VIU experts showed up in the news over the summer.
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