Ringers

At the annual athletics awards banquet in March Vikes women's basketball star Krystal O'Byrne was awarded the university's highest varsity athletics honour, the President's Cup, for her accomplishments on and off the basketball court. O'Byrne, who graduates this year with an A average and a BSc in biology, has also won the 2004 Sylvia Sweeney TSN Award from Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) for her commitment to athletics, academics and community involvement. O'Byrne volunteers with the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children and as a fundraiser for cancer research through the Journey of Hope. Also at the awards banquet, rugby player Ed Fairhurst was named male outstanding athlete-of-the year and paralympic swimmer Stephanie Dixon won top female honours. For a complete list of all award winners visit: web.uvic.ca/atrsweb/vikes/.

Dr. Julio Navarro (physics & astronomy) has won the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. The award, valued at approximately $71,000 Cdn, recognizes Navarro's research accomplishments in galaxy formation and cosmology. This award is intended to assist extended research visits by foreign scientists to German science institutes and universities. Navarro, who begins a sabbatical year in July, is making plans to work with Dr. Simon White, director of the Max Planck Institute of Astrophysics in Garching, Germany.

Dr. Ali Dastmalchian, dean of business, is one of the newest members of the board of directors of the BC Venture Society, a non-profit entity that operates the TELUS New Ventures BC competition. One of North America's largest technology business idea competitions, the province-wide contest includes a unique mix of business education seminars, networking, mentoring and $120,000 in cash and prizes. The exposure and cash help entrepreneurs acquire the business skills they need to get their technology ideas to market. UVic has been a supporter of the competition since it began in 2001.

The Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs has granted Dr. Marion Ehrenberg (psychology) the 2004 Award for Excellence in Professional Training. The award recognizes Ehrenberg's outstanding contributions to students in her role as teacher and director of the clinical psychology graduate program at UVic. "Dr. Ehrenberg is alert to the way she can merge research and clinical practice," says Jennifer Pringle, a doctoral student in the clinical lifespan program. "She's a strong and supportive role model who is highly respected among students in the program."

Dr. Betty Hanley (curriculum & instruction) has won the Jubilate Award, presented biennially by the Canadian Music Educators Association (CMEA) for outstanding contributions to music education in Canada. A faculty member at UVic since 1987, Hanley teaches music foundations and choral music in the elementary, secondary and graduate programs. She's been very active in the CMEA through her work in organizing symposia and conferences, and co-edited a book to mark the organization's 40th anniversary.

Dr. Mark Colgate (business), Thea Vakil (public administration) and business student Mario Ramos were on hand to receive the UVic Commerce Students Society (CSS) Award of Excellence at the 10th annual Commerce Business Banquet on March 18. Each year the CSS recognizes an instructor (in this case, two), student and business for their outstanding achievement and contribution to the faculty of business. KPMG was this year's recipient for the business award.

Dr. Anne Marshall has been appointed to a three-year term as chair of the department of educational psychology & leadership studies, beginning July 1. Also, in our March Ringers column, it was incorrectly stated that Drs. Kathy Gillis (school of earth & ocean sciences) and Will Hintz (biology department) are heading their respective units for four-year terms. They are, in fact, serving five-year terms ending in December 2008.

Dr. Daniel Scott (child & youth care) and instructors Robina Thomas and Jacqui Green (social work) are the 2004 recipients of the faculty of human and social development's Excellence in Teaching Awards. Scott, a leading researcher in the field of spirituality and children, has had a major hand in developing postgraduate programs in child and youth care. Green and Thomas, of the Haisla and Coast Salish Nations, respectively, are the architects and co-teachers of two innovative First Nations specialization programs in the school of social work.