In the Community

Player turned coach enjoying life on the sidelines

January 6, 2009

Life is very different these days for VIU women’s basketball assistant coach Maria Kirkbride, who spent the last five years as one of VIU’s best players. “This was a great opportunity for me as an ex-player and I feel honoured to stand on the sidelines as a coach,” said Kirkbride. “As a very recent former player, I think my experience will really help the team this year.” Kirkbride acts as... Read more


Book Review

January 5, 2009

Review - Feminist Philosophy And Science Fiction Utopias And Dystopias by Judith A. Little (Editor) Prometheus Books, 2007 Review by Bob Lane, MA Jan 6th 2009 (Volume 13, Issue 2) Thought experiments are a staple in philosophy. We all remember the unconscious violinist, the Thomson lamp, Galileo's complex objects, People seeds, and Einstein's elevator. These "experiments" are narratives... Read more


VIU tackles disaster management in Belize

December 10, 2008

Students and faculty from Vancouver Island University are heading to Belize to help the country become better prepared at coping with disasters. The project team, including 14 students, will be led by Geography professor Dr. Larry Wolfe and Dr. Victoria Macfarlane of the Psychology department. “It’s a unique field school experience for students,” said Wolfe. “It’s not often that one can save... Read more


VIU professor wins Emmy Award for work on Golf Channel

December 9, 2008

Ray Penner couldn’t have imagined that writing a paper on the physics of golf would one day lead to an Emmy Award. But win an Emmy he did – a George Wensel Technical Achievement Award for his work on a technology used by the Golf Channel. “If someone had asked me a couple of years ago what the chances of winning an Emmy were, I’d say about the same as winning a Grammy,” said Penner, a Physics... Read more


VIU grad serves as 'role model' for mature students

December 4, 2008

Anything is possible. Just ask Sandy Neal, a former stay-at-home mom who made a quantum leap from raising kids to studying jellyfish. Neal is a research assistant for renowned scientist Dr. Andy Spencer in a Biology lab at Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus. They conduct pure research using some of the earliest multicellular organisms, including jellyfish and flatworms, to better... Read more


Engineering students win awards

December 3, 2008

The Department of Physics and Engineering at Vancouver Island University is pleased to congratulate the winners of the first year engineering project awards. Seth Ellerbeck and Perry Taylor received a $300 prize for their project that controlled the temperature of water held within a tin can by lifting and lowering it onto a heating place. Although they would have been able to design a solution... Read more


Students win millennium scholarships

December 1, 2008

Vancouver Island University students received prestigious awards from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation recognizing their active citizenship, leadership, innovative thinking and academic achievement. First year Bachelor of Arts students Celia White and Courtenay Crucil received national Excellence awards valued at $5,000, while Jordan Neave received $4,000. Third year students Kyle... Read more


International students recognzied at VIU

November 28, 2008

The academic and humanitarian efforts of overseas students attending Vancouver Island University were officially recognized during International Education Week. As part of the week-long celebration, VIU President Dr. Ralph Nilson presented scholarships and certificates ranging from $250 to $1,000 to deserving students. VIU currently has over 1,000 international students from more than 50... Read more


Men's Volleyball ranked #1 in Canada

November 27, 2008

The VIU Mariners have a new look and name for the 2008/09 season. In May 2008, Malaspina University-College was granted full university status by the government and they also received a new name, Vancouver Island University. For the Men's Volleyball team, there was a changing of the guard at this time as the team was losing six starters for the next season. These athletes were either moving... Read more


Singing faculty stage benefit concert for students

November 26, 2008

Most people have heard of the 'singing Christmas Tree' but how about singing faculty? Adult Basic Education teachers at Vancouver Island University are staging a benefit concert Friday, November 28 to raise money for students who need financial assistance for their education. Teachers Tom Leavitt, Paul Hurwitz, Lynn Redford and Graham Sheehan, along with former Bookstore employee Jim Powell,... Read more