In the Community

CVIJOBS & VIU Partner to support adult tutoring in Oceanside Region

March 12, 2015

A new partnership between the Central Vancouver Island Job Opportunities Building Society (CVIJOBS) and Vancouver Island University (VIU) will ensure adult tutoring programs continue in the Oceanside region. During the past few weeks VIU has been exploring the potential for CVIJOBS to take the lead on the Adult Tutoring Program, as the University shifts its focus to support other regional... Read more


Restoring Bluebird Population topic of VIU Science & Technology talk March 11

March 9, 2015

Sixty years ago, western bluebirds were a common occurrence in the Garry Oak meadows and savannahs of southwestern BC. However, this bluebird population experienced rapid declines throughout its range in the latter half of the 1900s, caused by loss of Garry Oak habitat, removal of standing dead trees that provide cavities for nesting, and competition for nest cavities with exotic birds such as... Read more


VIU To Award 31 Canadian QE II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships

March 5, 2015

Vancouver Island University (VIU) will award more than $800,000 in prestigious scholarships to 31 undergraduate, graduate and international students through the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (QES) program. “I’m very pleased to announce that VIU will work in partnership with the University of Belize (UB) and community partners in Belize and in Canada, on the new... Read more


VIU Dental Assistant Students 'Catch A Smile' with Rotary

March 5, 2015

Nanaimo area school children are benefiting from lessons in good dental health and nutrition delivered by a local dentist and Vancouver Island University (VIU) Dental Assistant students volunteering in the “Catch a Smile Campaign.” A program of the Rotary Nanaimo Daybreak Club, the Catch a Smile Campaign was organized by Rotarians Donna Allen and Dr. San Mahara, who partnered with the VIU Dental... Read more


Donation to VIU Automotive Program Enhances Student Learning

March 4, 2015

Students in Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Automotive Service Technician program are practicing their skills on a new state-of-the-art tire changer thanks to a generous donation by the New Car Dealers Association of BC. “It was a unanimous decision by the Board to donate the $7,180 John Bean tire changer to VIU,” says John Wynia, Chairman of the Board for New Car Dealers Association of BC... Read more


Community Invited to Opening of New Science Studio March 14

March 3, 2015

The Nanaimo Science and Sustainability Society (NS3) will mark International Pi Day on Saturday, March 14 with a big community science celebration and the opening of their new Science Studio at Departure Bay Elementary School. Families with school age children are invited to drop in from 10 am to 2 pm. Admission is by donation. “As a non-profit society, our mission is to inspire families and... Read more


'Rats Around Town' topic of Science & Technology lecture at VIU March 4

March 2, 2015

Rats have been, and continue to be, the source of numerous germs transmissible to people and responsible for significant human morbidity and mortality in cities globally. Despite anecdotal evidence that rats are thriving in cities across Canada, there is little data in Canada on rats, their parasites and their pathogens. Kaylee Byers, a PhD candidate at the University of BC, will deliver a free... Read more


'The Servant of Two Masters' on Stage at VIU in March

February 24, 2015

Jokes and innuendo, slapstick antics, mistaken identities and general hilarity. Theatre students at Vancouver Island University (VIU) will present their talents for all this and more during The Servant of Two Masters, a comedic play written in 1745 and on stage in March at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre. Opening night is Thursday, March 5 at 8 pm. “These types of plays, written in the Italian commedia... Read more


Short Fiction Contest Returns for Vancouver Island and Gulf Island Writers

February 18, 2015

Writers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are once again invited to take up their pens and fire up their word processors for the 2015 Islands Short Fiction Contest.  Co-sponsored by the Nanaimo Arts Council, the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL), and the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Department of Creative Writing and Journalism, the contest seeks entries of up to 2,000 words... Read more


Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Hosts Free Lecture on Sustainability Education at VIU Feb. 19

February 16, 2015

The Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) and its affiliated Research Institute at Vancouver Island University (VIU) is hosting two free public lectures – including one in Parksville - featuring Dr. David Zandvliet on Thursday, February 19. Dr. Zandvliet is the Director of Simon Fraser University’s Institute for Environmental Learning and his presentations will discuss sustainability... Read more