Announcements and events

Rhonda Reidy had not intended to spend years studying whale faeces. Reidy planned on statistically modelling the impact of humpback whale predation on prey populations. Once she realized that no one knows what humpbacks are eating when underwater, Reidy pivoted. Her PhD and recent publication provide some of the first species-specific details on what humpback whales in the Salish Sea are eating.

UVic Engineers and Scientists collaborated with Pani Energy, SFU, Victoria and Nanaimo regional districts to find signs of Covid-19 in sewage. No one had previously shown this could be done for communities this small.

UVic Physics and Astronomy professor Sara Ellison's group has revealed that, contrary to modern simulations, recently merged galaxies are up to 60 times more likely to abruptly stop forming stars.

Colin Goldblatt, associate professor in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, brings his climate modelling and remote-sensing data expertise to a national Canadian Space Agency mission to launch 3 new climate-science instruments into space. The High-altitude, Aerosol, Water vapour and Clouds (HAWC) mission, is part of multi-nation NASA satellite mission monitoring water vapour and clouds.

A new scholarship will support emerging entomologists in UVic Science. The Ross Ian Storey Endowment will provide one or more scholarships to academically outstanding Canadian graduate students in the Department of Biology whose focus is entomology, the study of insects.

Dr. Mark Lewis joins the Faculty of Science as the inaugural Gilbert and Betty Kennedy Chair in Mathematical Biology and Professor in the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics and Biology.

Astrophysics alum breaks stereotypes, biochemist’s unusual pathway to PhD, changing the university model for next generation of leaders, and more! Check out our latest newsletter.

I am happy to present to you, once again, a smorgasbord of newsclips and updates. To many visitors of our beautiful campus the summer appears to be the slow time of the year – undergraduate students have largely left the campus and many of our dining facilities have shut down. Meanwhile, to many researchers this is the busiest season: the time when field studies are undertaken, lab-based research projects run at full speed, and many of us travel to conferences to present our work and get new ideas.

“I’ve been called the creative, persuasive and decisive force behind many successful SaaS Platforms and recently sold a very successful company. Mostly, I’m just stubborn, curious and fortunate.” Swannie is Chair of our inaugural Alumni Advisory Board.

The $2M grant to eliminate syphilis, three celebrated science alum, hands-on science in local schools and more! Check out our latest newsletter.

“I think a common Indigenous approach to learning means learning with our whole selves,” says Tri-Faculty Indigenous Resurgence Coordinator Lydia Toorenburgh, “That enables us to learn about relationship, responsibility, and how to live our learnings in our everyday lives.” Last month we launched a new speaker series with Indigenous scientists. Recordings available!

Matthew Thibodeau (Biochemistry & Microbiology) takes first prize at Honours Fest, with Chloe McKee (Biology) coming in second and Annabel Rowley (Chemistry) third. Explore all the student research presentations on our new Honours Fest blog.

We have again have a smorgasbord of exciting news! Now where do I start? Did you know Dr. Caroline Cameron in the Biochemistry and Microbiology Department leads one of only a few labs in the world studying the bacterium that causes syphilis? Open Philanthropy, an American Foundation, saw the potential in her team’s research on the vicious Treponema pallidum and awarded her team a $2M USD grant to fund their research.

How would you like to help BC communities better prepare for 'the Big One' and support science education in local schools? SchoolShake is a first-of-its kind outreach and citizen science program for Vancouver Island.

The REACH Teaching and Research Awards and Provost’s Awards for Engaged Scholarship virtual ceremony was held February 18, 2022. The full recording is available now.

Bryce Hugo Jones (BSc '16) receives a Distinguished Alumni Award. He is an entrepreneur on a quest to have the largest possible impact on climate change and inspire others to take action. "It was clear in 2009 that I wanted to be an entrepreneur," says Jones, "It was clear at UVic around 2013 that I wanted to do something on climate change. In 2017, I started brainstorming ideas. In 2019, this one stuck!"

Robert Niven (BSc '01) receives a Distinguished Alumni Award. "A lot of young people feel worried and powerless with the climate crisis," says Niven, "Joining or, even better, starting a climate-tech company empowers you to make a difference. It can be an extremely fulfilling and exciting career. The industry is going through explosive growth at the moment and requires all different skills and experience levels."

Damineh Akhavan (BSc '06) receives a Distinguished Alumni Award. "Life is short, and we are only here on this planet for a finite time," says Akhavan, "I hope during my time here and with the work I do, I can inspire others to do better and be better for ourselves, others and our planet."

I am writing to offer support to those affected by the war in Ukraine. I also would like to present opportunities to contribute to the humanitarian effort required to help mitigate the impact of this unprovoked attack on the Ukrainian people.

Neuroscience alum studies psychological impact of urban design, break-through galactic discoveries, celebrated deep-sea research and more! Check out our latest newsletter.

I am writing from a campus that is brimming with students, again. As you may know, in December the emergence of the omicron variant prompted an abrupt transition from in-person exams to online exams, and then a two-week delay in the return to in-person classes in January. These adjustments were difficult for students and instructors, but were necessary to comply with provincial guidelines and to keep students and staff safe.

I started homebrewing while researching my Doctoral thesis in the 1990’s,” says science alum Michael Allan Kuzyk, “It wasn’t until my career pushed me from the lab to a desk that I really started to get interested in the complexity of all grain brewing and propagating yeast.” Kuzyk is a member of our inaugural Alumni Advisory Board.

A message from our Tri-Faculty Resurgence Coordinator: December 1st was my one year anniversary working as the Indigenous Resurgence Coordinator for the Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities. In my role, I support faculty and staff with their decolonization learning and I work with Indigenous students to provide support, advocacy and cultural programming.

It certainly is nice to have students back on campus! We even had an in-person convocation ceremony which allowed me to read the names of all 45 BSc students who were “gowned up” to walk across the stage of the Farquhar Auditorium, and receive their degree from our phenomenal Chancellor Shelagh Rogers.

Last year over $5.4 million from UVic’s donor-funded endowments was awarded to 2,256 students. In this video, students Kevin Bruce and Zoe Molder—both passionate about marine ecology—share how funding from the endowments is helping them make our oceans better for future generations.

UVic will never forget Sept. 13, 2019 and all those affected by the tragic bus accident that night. Our final report on implementation of the Bamfield recommendations is now available online.

UVic Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair Nicole Templeman is awarded a $25K Banting Research Foundation Discovery Award to examine the link between insulin and egg cell quality during aging.

Our hearts go out to the Cowessess First Nation and all Indigenous Peoples across Canada. The 751 unmarked graves found at a former Residential School in Saskatchewan is a devastating confirmation of profound loss that Indigenous communities have long known to be the truth, and it affects all of us deeply.

With heavy hearts, we share the recent news that the remains of 215 children were found in an unmarked, mass grave on the site of the former Kamloops Residential School. All of us from the Dean’s office want to express our profound feelings of grief and anger at this injustice, and to send our love and support to all Indigenous people as they grapple with this news.

Lydia Toorenburgh is our inaugural, tri-faculty appointed Indigenous Resurgence Coordinator. Read about her background, journey, and plans.

Checking in with Science’s inaugural Associate Dean Research Dr. Laura Cowen, an ecological statistician with a biology background. Read about her path to the Dean’s office and plans to promote research.

For the past 10 years Honours Fest winners have received monetary prizes thanks to the generosity of Fritz Boehm. Boehm chats about his life-long love of science and desire to encourage future generations.