The Torch

The UVic Torch Alumni Magazine is published biannually by the University of Victoria and the UVic Alumni Association and distributed free of charge to approximately 56,000 UVic graduates and supporters.

The magazine builds active interest in UVic by striving to reflect its high level of academic, research, cultural and athletic achievement; the accomplishments of outstanding alumni; the current intellectual, cultural, and social life on campus; and the university’s heritage.

View the latest issue and archives.

Dark matters

A UVic team is shedding light on why some brain cells go to the dark side and damage the brain—and how we can prevent it.

A nose for health

UVic doctoral student Jamie Knight is championing smell testing as a way to gain insights into brain health.

Brain gain

PhD student and former Vikes swimmer Taylor Snowden-Richardson, BSc ’19, is studying how a cognitive-training system designed for athletes can help people with Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Ringside: Healing words

UVic grad Kahentehtha Angela Elijah studies the complex connection between emotion and speech as part of her work in Indigenous language revitalization.

Making space

As the first female dean of Engineering and Computer Science at UVic, Mina Hoorfar wants to cultivate a climate of inclusion and belonging in the growing faculty.

Bright futures for UVic science grads

UVic science grads Yamila Franco and Paige Whitehead bring an earth-friendly, bioluminescent glow stick into the light.

Supporting resilience and recovery

Through the Research Accelerator Fund, UVic alumni are boosting six projects focused on making communities stronger in the wake of the pandemic.

Building an emerald city

A team of researchers from civil engineering at UVic aims to cut emissions and make landmark buildings in Greater Victoria greener.

More than an education

Jana Schulz (BCYC ’17), a leader in her Métis community, is using her skills to help address health inequities and gender-based violence.

Healthy vision

While still a UVic student, Boma Brown (BA ’14) founded the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour to promote equity in health care.

Fresh start for psychology alum

Alyssa Talley (BSc ’11) founded the meal-kit service, Local Urban Bites, to help busy people put healthy, locally sourced meals on the table.

Bold type

UVic’s newest president, Dr. Kevin Hall, is an energetic innovator and a civil engineer with a deep commitment to the environment, reconciliation and widening the pathways to university.

On the frontlines in Iran

UVic Health Informatics graduate Dr. Mahmood Tara, MD, PhD ’07, discusses his work helping to fight COVID in Mashad, Iran.

Ry Moran returns

Adventurer, father, lifelong learner and proud Métis, Ry Moran (BA ’02) has joined UVic as the inaugural Associate University Librarian – Reconciliation.

UVic grad leads user-friendly no-waste store

UVic alumna Paula McPhee co-owns Zero Waste Emporium with her husband, Nairn. The couple has received recognition for their green enterprise, including Ecostar and Surfrider Foundation awards.

Building bridges: Far from home

Students at a new field school learn by visiting the sites where Japanese Canadians were held in internment camps during the Second World War.