The Ring

The Ring is the University of Victoria’s community newspaper. Its purpose is:

• to advance the mission and objectives of the university as articulated in the strategic plan
• to inform members of the campus community about news and events of interest to them and
• to help build a sense of community among faculty, staff and students at UVic.

Learn more about The Ring and access the print archives and advertising rates and schedule.

Latest stories

Learning the history of the world's oceans

The Ring

Cultural perspectives on ocean science stand out for new doctoral grad.

Rainforests of the ocean

The Ring

Kelp forests are a rich ecosystem critical to many species such as herring and salmon, but researchers know that kelp is decreasing in some areas of the Pacific Northwest. Detailed maps of kelp beds developed by the British Navy in the 19th century are helping modern scientists chart habitat change in coastal BC.

Queenswood now the Ocean-Climate Building

The Ring

The Ocean-Climate Building officially opened Jan. 10 with an event acknowledging the funding support to renovate and reconfigure the Queenswood residential care facility. At the opening, the Government of Canada announced $12.6 million over four years for ONC, the anchor group in the building.

Looking deep into space from the deep sea

The Ring

Could the world’s next large-scale neutrino detector be built at the bottom of the ocean? This summer, as part of its 2018 Wiring the Abyss expedition, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) is installing specialized equipment at its deepest site in the northeast Pacific Ocean to assess the location’s suitability for observing neutrinos

Marine ecologist’s global impact

The Ring

Julia Baum, an international rising star in marine conservation ecology and an outspoken advocate for science-based decisions on global issues such as climate change and overfishing, is UVic's newest Steacie Fellow.

Human disturbance affects fish diversity

The Ring

In a study that spans Canada's Pacific Coast, UVic researchers have confirmed that human disturbance of seagrass meadows results in lower fish diversity. While human activity is known to impact a variety of ecosystems, the effect of human activity on coastal biodiversity is largely unknown. Coastal seagrass meadows are important nursery grounds for commercial and ecologically significant fish species.

Impact of noise on killer whales

The Ring

Three UVic researchers have been awarded a total $935,000 in federal funding to study the impact of underwater noise on endangered southern resident killer whales and the chinook salmon they depend on for almost 80 per cent of their diet.

US grad student part of sharks study

The Ring

PhD biology candidate Amy Teffer from New England is one of more than six dozen authors, including UVic fisheries ecologist Francis Juanes, of a new study on the foraging habits of the world’s shark populations. She calls UVic “the obvious choice” for her doctorate.

Arctic sea ice research

The Ring

Expanded community engagement into more Arctic communities is helping UVic's Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) carry out the ocean science that matters most to the people who live in Canada’s North.

Climate role of undersea canyons

The Ring

Unprecedented high-resolution data from undersea canyons off Vancouver Island's west coast is helping us understand the importance of these canyons as rapid-transit corridors for carrying carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea.

Federal investment in ONC

The Ring

UVic's world-leading Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) received $7.2 million in new funding from the federal government last month to continue its work monitoring Canada’s ocean and coasts.

Citizen science on BC Ferries

The Ring

Citizen scientists helped researchers this summer better understand ocean health and declining salmon populations in the Salish Sea. Approximately, 1270 passengers on BC Ferries took part in an onboard coastal naturalist program and learned how to use a tablet and app to collect images of the sea and sky.

Tiny life forms, big impact

The Ring

Biological oceanographer Diana Varela is studying the marine diatoms of Saanich Inlet, just north of campus. These unicellular lifeforms are the crux of ecosystems both aquatic and terrestrial. Part of a larger group of microscopic algae known as phytoplankton, diatoms drift across the top layer of oceans, seas and lakes.

Peak contamination levels from Fukushima now known

The Ring

For the first time since 2011, peak contamination levels in Pacific Canadian waters from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster are known, says a UVic scientist who has been monitoring levels since the meltdown of three reactors at the plant.

Broadcast of Arctic live dive

The Ring

Two UVic alumni who went on to found the innovative non-profit Fish Eye Project led a live dive Aug. 27 in the icy waters of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, as part of the Canada C3 expedition.

Eyes on the deep

The Ring

Hundreds of citizen scientists from around the world participated in a recent study counting deep-water sablefish off the Tofino coast. That’s a lot of eyes focused on the deep.