Making historical sense of census data
What can data stored in a bunker under the Clearihue building in the early part of this century tell us about life 100 years ago? Dr. Eric Sager (history) has devoted his own life to exploring such questions and on Apr. 11, he received a career achievement award from the Confederation of University Faculty Associations (CUFA) of BC in recognition of this work, marking a special personal milestone in his own history.
The spirit of aloha: Indigenous Governance exchange
Having never been to Hawai’i before, I had a typical vision of the tropical paradise: sandy beaches lined with palm trees, a coconut drink decorated with a miniature umbrella in hand, the occasional hula dancer in sight, and a plethora of tourists. This distant, magical place seemed breathtakingly beautiful, but it also seemed a little too conventional for my liking. But when the opportunity came for me to complete an elective course in Hawai’i, I jumped at the chance not knowing that a transformative, life-changing experience awaited me.
Course pairs up grad students and BC ministry and everyone benefits
Nine students brought their graduate program to life this past spring by adding a crash course in knowledge mobilization to their schedules. GS 505: Research and Evaluation in Children, Youth and Family Services Policies is a multi-disciplinary internship, spearheaded by UVic Knowledge Mobilization Services and instructed by Dr. Gord Miller, (child and youth care). The program paired graduate students with practitioners and policymakers in British Columbia’s Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) to produce research that is immediately applicable to the world around them.
JCURA: A cornucopia of undergrad research
The Michele Pujol room in the Student Union Building was brimming with enthusiasm on April 10 as up-and-coming young scholars showcased their original research projects at the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards Fair. Established in 2009, the JCURA program encourages the development of strong academic relationships by funding collaborative research projects between faculty and undergraduates, giving promising students an appetite for original research in the process. This year there were 99 JCURA scholars, supervised by 87 faculty members, across 41 departments and schools.
Prof’s rare book collection celebrated
Local bibliophiles got a special opportunity to celebrate, inspect and actually handle a large variety of remarkable volumes at a special exhibition from the Dr. Pat Köster Book Collection in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room in the McPherson Library–Mearns Centre for Learning on April 19.
Inspirational business prof wins major teaching award
Dr. A.R. “Elango” Elangovan, professor and director of international programs with the Gustavson School of Business, is among 10 Canadian scholars honoured with a 2012 3M National Teaching Fellowship, and the ninth UVic scholar to receive this honour since its inception. The award recognizes exceptional achievements and contributions by teacher-scholars across Canada.
Siemens to deliver Distinguished Professors Lecture
Do you enjoy paging through hardcovers? Are books dead? What form of reading are readers most comfortable with? Dr. Ray Siemens, a specialist in Early Modern texts and a distinguished professor in UVic's Department of English, is helping turn the page on reading in the modern era. Siemens is UVic's 12th Distinguished Professor, a Canada Research Chair in Humanities Computing, and leads the Electronic Textual Cultures Laboratory (ETCL) at UVic. He is giving a Distinguished Professors Lecture on March 7 at 7 p.m.
Supporting teaching excellence for a third of a century
Dr. Neil Gold picks his words carefully. Not only because he is a law professor, but because he is addressing an issue some academics struggle to balance in their careers. Gold is at UVic to give a talk about the scholarship of teaching and learning, marking the 33rd anniversary of the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC).
Ideal teachers share best practices
Great teachers help shape lives. That’s why movies like Finding Forrester, Dead Poets Society and To Sir, With Love can resonate so deeply. Now, a new initiative launched in January by UVic’s Learning and Teaching Centre is helping inspire the next generation of university professors. Teaching excellence is a top priority at UVic, and at the end of January, past recipients of UVic teaching awards opened their classroom doors for two days to graduate students for a firsthand experience of excellent teaching in action.
Undergrad class publishes book on development economics topics
Most university students don’t have their research published until they are in graduate school—not so for students in Dr. Alok Kumar’s third-year Development and Economics course. Kumar compiled his students’ research into a book—Governance, Social and Physical Infrastructure, and Development—that was recently published by Lambert Academic Publication in Germany.
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