Message from the Dean

Peter Loock

Hello everyone,

Greetings from your extended family in UVic Science. The campus feels eerily empty these days. A few lost souls wander around – eager first years trying to get their bearing on their campus, maybe?  But for most of us this is the calm before the storm.

In a few short weeks the first-year and the second-year cohort will come to the UVic campus for the first time to take in-person classes, take teaching lab courses and make new friends. My colleagues and I are in equal measure anxious and excited to welcome all students back to campus life.

In addition, the undergraduate enrolment in our Faculty of Science has reached a historic high, even though we also require the highest-ever entrance GPA to be accepted into our programs! Clearly, a career in science has become increasingly attractive over the last year. That should not be a surprise to anyone, considering that scientists have played an enormous role in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, and are rightly seen as role-models to the next generation.

You'll find inspiring stories in this semester's newsletter (email  to sign up) that features UVic Science alumni, exciting new research happening across our disciplines, and newly aquired leading-edge equipment previously unavailable on Vancouver Island.

Also in this newsletter we are excited to announce our Lipson Lecture speaker for this year: Jill Heinerth. Being a professional explorer she will talk about her many expeditions and adventures in the upcoming lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 27. Stay tuned for upcoming details!

Sincerely,

Peter Loock
UVic Dean of Science