Top 10 of 2015

December 25, 2015

As UVic welcomes the start of another great year, we are also celebrating all the memorable moments and compelling stories of 2015.

Prosthetic devices for amputees in the developing world, a study of the Earth's hidden groundwater and a grad student who delved deep to defend his master’s project were some of the many captivating UVic stories in 2015.

Here are just 10.

Immersion was the Edge for UVic grad student

At UVic, every student is immersed in dynamic learning. Mike Irvine took the UVic Edge to new depths to defend his master’s project when he donned flippers and leapt into the Salish Sea, taking academia underwater.

Read more about the UVic Edge (officially launched February 2015)
Read Mike’s story in the Ring
Watch the UVic video
This story as told by the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet and the Globe and Mail

3D technology brings better prosthetics within reach

In the Biomedical Design Lab, UVic engineer Nikolai Dechev works with students to make low-cost 3D-printed prosthetic hands and get them to amputees in the developing world where they’re needed the most.

Read the story from the Torch
Watch the UVic video
This story as told in the Times Colonist and on CBC.ca

CARSA is open to all

Just hours into the community tours of UVic's newly opened Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) in May 2015, every corner of the massive facility was filled with activity then, in September, Vikes fans passed for the first time through the recently unveiled Lynda and Murray Farmer Walk of Excellence for the first game in the new gym.

Read the story in the Ring (CARSA) and on Vikes News (Walk of Excellence)
Watch the UVic video
The story of CARSA as told in the Times Colonist and for the walkway in September

Ancient human footprints discovered on BC central coast

UVic archaeologists Duncan McLaren and Daryl Fedje, also researchers with the Hakai Institute, were digging for prehistoric stone tools and bones – only to discover what could be the oldest human footprints in North America.

Read the story in the Ring
This story was picked up widely, including by Scientific American, Daily Mail (UK) and the Globe and Mail

ONC ‘most exciting’ expedition yet – aboard the Nautilus

The "most exciting expedition" yet for Ocean Networks Canada involved two ships and a world-class team of experts (one of whom helped discover the Titanic) visiting eight underwater sites over three weeks in the Salish Sea and Pacific Ocean, measuring underwater landslides, detecting whales, understanding ship noise, mapping the seafloor and more.

Read the UVic news release
This story as told by Global BC TV (including an interview with the Titanic explorer) and the Globe and Mail

Are humans the ultimate predator?

Wildlife extinctions, shrinking fish sizes and disruptions to global food chains can largely be blamed on the world’s ‘super predator’ – humans. A team led by UVic geographer Chris Darimont and biologist Tom Reimchen points to extreme human predatory behavior as a culprit.

Read the story in the Ring
This story garnered widespread attention from national and international media, including BBC News, the Washington Post and the Toronto Star, with the study published in the journal Science

Healing through connection: UVic responds to TRC recommendations

UVic has a long history of working in partnership with Indigenous communities and promoting reciprocal learning opportunities, and the university responded to heed the call to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A new UVic video also captured the resonance behind a decades-old collection of children’s paintings.

Read about the UVic response in the Ring
Watch the UVic video
More on Indigenous focus at UVic
President’s update on the TRC report (PDF)

Study is first to map Earth’s hidden groundwater

A study led by UVic hydrogeologist Tom Gleeson produced the first data-driven estimate of the Earth’s total supply of groundwater. The report shows that less than six per cent of groundwater is renewable within a human lifetime.

Read the story in the Ring
This story triggered significant media coverage around the world, including by CBC.ca, USA Today and the LA Times, with the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience

A single drop of blood for medical diagnostics

What if you could avoid the dreaded blood test? A research team based at UVic and led by biochemists Terry Pearson and Leigh Anderson is poised to revolutionize medical diagnostics with a new method involving just one drop of blood.

Read the story in the Ring
Watch the UVic video
This story as told in the Vancouver Sun and by Canadian Press on CTV News

Sisters of St. Ann gift creates $2-million endowment

A $2-million donation by the Sisters of St. Ann extends their legacy of educating those most in need with the creation of the UVic Youth in Care Student Award, which will cover tuition costs for up to 15 former youth in care students each year.