Research
Chris Darimont's research shows how extreme human predatory behavior is responsible for widespread wildlife extinctions, shrinking fish sizes and disruptions to global food chains.
Passengers are helping UVic geographer Maycira Costa and grad students understand ocean health and declining salmon populations in the Salish Sea.
Terry Prowse is researching the interplay of temperature and snow in the mountains and how it has a huge impact on our lives.
Jutta Gutberlet is leading the Participatory Sustainable Waste Management project, which examines the health risks and livelihoods of waste pickers in Bangladesh.
Undergraduate student Levi Hildebrand says combining his two passions, geography and film making, to share research is very inspiring.
Our vibrant research program
Geography faculty members conduct research locally and globally to benefit environmental and social causes. Our laboratories are faculty established and managed to carry out specific research programs through a geographic perspective.
All labs include workstations for graduate students to assist in department projects and gain valuable research experience in their field of interest.
Learn more about our department projects and collaborations here!
UVic Geography on:
Student research
Students undertake their own research for undergraduate courses, during an honours undergraduate degree, as a recipient of the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award, or during graduate degrees.
Students have a variety of opportunities to share and present their research, both at UVic and elsewhere. Common options for early-career researchers include:
- Bridging the Gap, an annual student conference organized by the UVic Department of Geography
- JCURA Research Fair, a UVic undergraduate research fair for recipients of the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award (JCURA)
- WDCAG Meeting, an annual meeting of the Western Division, Canadian Association of Geographers. The location of this conference changes from year to year.
Students are encouraged to present their research and attend conferences when possible, as this promotes networking, community building, development of presentation skills, and exploration of other areas of geography.
BRIDGING THE GAP
Bridging the Gap is an annual conference organized by the UVic Department of Geography to showcase student research.
Trilby Buck (BSc student) presents at Bridging the Gap 2017
Pei-Ling Wang (PhD student) presents at Bridging the Gap 2017
Matt Fuller (PhD student) presents at Bridging the Gap 2017
General Information
- When: usually in March
- Who: all geography students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate) from any school are welcome to participate
- Accepted presentation types: posters, hands-on demonstrations, videos, multimedia, powerpoint, and any other presentation style that a student would like to explore
- Registration: Students who are interested in participating will need to register at least 2 weeks in advance. Detailed information about registering will be posted on the Geography website and social media accounts a couple of weeks before the deadline.
Since the presentations were so varied, everyone got a chance to talk about something new and interesting to them [during the breaks between sessions]. It was easy to make connections using the topics, and I expanded my understanding of geography beyond the technical side. I had a really cool conversation with fellow student Dana Johnson and professor Teresa Dawson about social and financial barriers to being zero-waste. That's not what I'm studying, but I care about it, and that conversation wouldn't have happened without Bridging the Gap. Needless to say, it lived up to its name.
Trilby Buck
BSc sudent
I found [Bridging the Gap] to be a great and fun experience to learn about the fantastic work being done in our geography department by fellow students. Geography is so diverse, and I think it's great to see how the sub-disciplines blend together to create practical solutions to real-world problems. And it was great to practice presentation skills!
Nalin Dhillon
BSc Honours sudent