NEPTUNE Canada project director Dr. Chris Barnes stands inside the frame of a node used in the world’s largest undersea observatory. Photo: UVic Photo ServicesFive 13-tonne subsea nodes on the ocean floor, trillions of subatomic collisions deep underground near Geneva, and an NBA champion as UVic’s newest honorary degree holder are just a few of the many reasons UVic was featured in the news for 2009. More »
NEPTUNE Canada ocean observatory goes live
On Dec. 8, data began flowing from the world’s largest and most advanced cabled ocean observatory. Information from hundreds of scientific instruments and sensors installed on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean is now available 24/7.
UVic writing student
wins Journey Prize
In November, UVic master’s student Yasuko Thanh won the $10,000 Journey Prize, one of Canada’s top literary awards for new writers, for her novel Floating like the Dead, a fictional account of life on D’Arcy Island, a tiny islet near Victoria that was used as an isolated, segregated colony for people with leprosy.
Steve Nash accepts
UVic honorary degree
Two-time NBA MVP winner Steve Nash accepted an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from UVic at a special convocation ceremony on Sept. 18.
UVic’s Green Car
design wins award
In June, the UVic EcoCAR team’s fuel-efficient, low-emission car of the future placed second overall at the EcoCAR Challenge student competition in Toronto for the design of this Extended Range Electric Vehicle that runs on electric power and E85 ethanol.
UVic has sights
set on subatomic action
In November, the world’s biggest science experiment—the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which accelerates beams made up of trillions of protons into deliberate head-on collisions—powered up again and the subterranean action was in Europe and at UVic. Several crucial components used in two large multi-purpose detectors recording the action were designed and built by UVic scientists.
UVic scores high in national research ranking—again
In October, UVic was named a “Research University of the Year” in the 2009 ranking of the country’s top research universities by Re$earch Infosource. In the annual survey, UVic placed third in the comprehensive category, the highest ranked comprehensive university outside Ontario. UVic has held this position for the last seven years.
Michael Audain’s $2-million gift benefits visual arts at UVic
In April, UVic announced a $2-million gift from BC art philanthropist Michael Audain and the Audain Foundation to establish the Audain Professorship in Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest. The gift brings a distinguished practising artist to teach in UVic’s Department of Visual Arts.
CanConnect provides better communication worldwide
In April, members of CanAssist demonstrated CanConnect, a one-of-a-kind invention to help seniors and people with cognitive and other disabilities communicate and stay in touch. CanConnect, a simple and user-friendly Skype interface, allows users to make free telephone calls and have face-to-face chats in real time over the Internet.
Drinking more than your share
In April, the University of Victoria’s Centre for Addictions Research (CARBC) announced that 53 per cent of alcohol consumed in Canada is consumed by just 10 per cent of Canadian residents aged 15 years and older. Says CARBC Director Dr. Tim Stockwell, “it is clear that … restricting the number of liquor outlets and hours of trading will effectively target hazardous drinking by heavier drinkers with minimal inconvenience to lighter drinkers.”
Unnatural selection
Trophy hunting and commercial fishing are driving the most rapid evolutionary changes ever observed in the wild, according to a study published in January in the online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study was co-authored by UVic biologist Dr. Tom Reimchen and led by Dr. Chris Darimont, who began the work while a biology PhD candidate at UVic.
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