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.
New community service comes to campus
VIU has partnered with Loaves & Fishes Community Food Bank to become a location for a Loaves & Fishes Free Food Market. The market, which takes place Monday evenings in the Trades Discovery Centre, is open to anyone in the community who registers in advance. Read more about it in CTV News, CTV News online, CHEK News, My Coast Now, Nanaimo News Now, Nanaimo News Bulletin, CHLY and Education News Canada.
Getting wildfire ready
BC is under a state of provincial emergency because of wildfires. VIU Recreation and Tourism Professor Jenn Houtby-Ferguson talks about what wildfire evacuation can mean for communities that rely heavily on tourism. Listen to the interview on CBC.
The joys of simulated shopping
People are turning to mock online shopping sites where you only place pretend orders to help curb compulsive spending. VIU Computer Science Professor Dr. Ajay Shrestha shares a few cautionary tips about these sites for CBC’s The Current.
Improving hospital care
VIU researcher Dr. Sharon Karsten is leading a three-year project to improve hospital care for people who use substances. Her research brings together healthcare providers, community organizations, students and people with lived experience to identify barriers and improve care. Read more from CHEK News and listen to her interviews with CBC Radio and People First Radio.
Empowering Indigenous sovereignty over salmon data
VIU and Ha’oom Fisheries Society are helping put salmon science in the hands of First Nations communities. Five Nations will own tools that can identify salmon stocks in 24 to 48 hours, supporting faster, Nation-led decisions, local training and stronger fisheries management. Read more on the Genome BC website.
Modernizing tech training
VIU’s Business Information Technology Systems diploma has been redesigned to prepare students for a rapidly changing tech sector, with training in AI, cybersecurity, user experience and more. Read more from the Nanaimo Bulletin as well as Academica Top 10, and watch this clip from Rogers TV.
Weighing in on water quality
Every summer, the City of Nanaimo tests local beaches and waterways for bacteria to help ensure they are safe for the public. VIU Chemistry Professor Chris Gill and Microbiology Professor Mercedes Hernandez share their expertise on E. coli, water quality and public health in this story from CHLY.
Finding a new home and career path
After years as refugees in Egypt, the Chawach family is building a new life in Nanaimo. Ken is studying information technology at VIU, while his mother and sister settle into their new community. Read more from the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
How hotel design helps you chill out
Hotels are designed to help you relax. Dr. Lindsay McCunn, a VIU Psychology Professor and environmental pyschologist, shares design tricks to bring the look and feel home in this Globe and Mail article (subscription required).
Protecting Vancouver Island’s shellfish industry
VIU researcher Dr. Tim Green is using new federal funding to study how shellfish can adapt to climate change, disease and ocean conditions. Watch this Rogers TV clip to learn more.
Expanding trades training
VIU is adding 64 new trades training seats for 2026-27, bringing its total to 1,550. BC’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Jessie Sunner visited VIU’s Nanaimo campus to announce the expansion. Read more from CHLY, Academica Top 10, CHEK News, The Times Colonist, Victoria Buzz, Nanaimo News Now and the Nanaimo News Bulletin.
Life-changing scholarship awarded to Nanaimo student
Nanaimo’s Elizabeth MacDonald will attend VIU this fall after receiving a life-changing $60,000 Cmolik Foundation scholarship. The award will support her studies in VIU’s Bachelor of Natural Resource Protection program. Read more from Nanaimo News Now.
Local women receive scholarships
Congrats to VIU students Macey Slamen, Erica Horsfield, Taeya Love and Daisy McBride on receiving Canadian Federation of University Women - Parksville Qualicum chapter scholarships! Since 1984, CFUW PQ has awarded more than $627,000 to local women. Read more about the scholarships in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach News.
Community service earns big scholarships
Congrats to Ahousaht First Nation’s Zakariyah Thomas and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation’s Marissa Tom-Charlie, who split this year's $22,000 Clayoquot Biosphere Trust Central Region nuučaan̓uł Education Award. Welcome to VIU! Read more about Zakariyah and Marissa at CHEK News.
Bringing theatre professors and students together
Nanaimo’s new Butterfly Theatre is teaming up with VIU’s Malaspina Theatre and theatre professor Leon Potter for its first production, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Read more from the Nanaimo Bulletin.
Weighing in on roadside attractions
"All the flora, and the slugs and ferns. I just felt so incredibly humbled and small.” VIU Geography Professor Dr. Matthew Bowes shares with CBC his awe after experiencing Cathedral Grove. Read more from CBC.
Meeting learning needs in qathet
Whether someone is exploring a new hobby, preparing for a career change or taking the next step toward a university degree, VIU's tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus continues to provide accessible, affordable options for learners of every type. Read more about this year's offerings from the Powell River Peak.
Exploring youth impact in AI policy
VIU Computer Science Professor Dr. Ajay Shrestha is studying how young people can help shape Canada’s approach to artificial intelligence. His research project examines privacy, accountability and user control, with the goal of helping develop more responsible AI policies. Read more from Education News Canada.
Taking on a new role
VIU alum and former professor Dr. Omar Karim has been named Interim Executive Director of the Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce. Read more from the Parksville-Qualicum Beach News.
Lunar eclipse viewing
A deep partial lunar eclipse happened on Thursday, August 27 during the late evening hours, with upwards of 96 per cent of the moon’s surface covered by Earth’s shadow. Astronomy Professor Dr. Gregory Arkos told Nanaimo News Now more about this phenomenon.
Annual meteor show delivers
Mother Nature is doing her part and providing clear skies for an annual meteor show. The Perseids meteor shower peaks overnight on Wednesday, August 12, into Thursday, August 13. VIU Astronomy Professor Dr. Gregory Arkos shares more with Nanaimo News Now.
Nanaimo has a world-class Leisure Centre of Excellence
VIU's World Leisure Centre of Excellence connects Nanaimo to a global research network built around one core idea: leisure, recreation, arts, and parks aren't optional extras. They're infrastructure. Read more about it in this Nanaimo Prosperity Corp article.
Researching solutions to the toxic drug crisis
Christopher Hauschildt, a Master of Arts in Global Leadership student at Royal Roads University and a Mitacs research intern at Vancouver Island University, talks to his alma mater about his work with Walk With Me, which addresses the toxic drug crisis. Read the Royal Roads article.
Running strong
VIU student and triathlete Ryan Seaman has had a busy competition year! In Half Ironman events in Oliver and Calgary, Seaman finished first. He was also fourth overall in Victoria and fourth in the T-100 in Vancouver where he was the first Canadian finisher! Nanaimo News Now profiled his accomplishments.
Innovation in health-care approaches
VIU researcher Dr. Caroline Variath was featured at Partnering in Health Innovation, which brought together health researchers, partners and community members to explore collaboration and discovery on Vancouver Island. She shared how community-engaged approaches can better support people requesting medical assistance in dying and their families. Learn more about research helping shape the future of health care in this Health Research BC article.
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