VIU is pleased to announce the recipients of the Provost’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Awards for 2023.
Early Career Research Excellence Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize employees at the beginning of their academic careers who have demonstrated significant promise in their research program. The award is presented to a researcher in the first six years of their academic career, and who has contributed to scholarly, research and creative activity in their area(s) of expertise. Nominees must have completed their doctoral degree or started their position at VIU within 6 years to be eligible for this award.
Recipient: Dr. Heather Wiebe, Faculty of Science and Technology – nominated by Dr. Eve Stringham
Dr. Heather Wiebe, Professor of Chemistry at Vancouver Island University, is a computational chemist whose research program focuses on the effects of high pressure on the biochemistry of deep-sea organisms. In a very short period, Heather has built an award-winning research program that gives undergraduate researchers unique opportunities to conduct cutting-edge research and present their findings in a variety of settings including peer-reviewed journal articles, conferences, and public lectures.
Recipient: Dr. Sarah Crover, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – nominated by Dr. Marni Stanley
Dr. Sarah Crover has been a member of the English department at VIU since 2019. She holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia and a Masters from the University of Toronto. She teaches and researches Shakespeare, but also works on the production of pageants and processions in the Elizabethan era, and the role of the river Thames.
Interdisciplinary Research Award
This is a university-wide award given to an employee who has demonstrated excellence in collaborative interdisciplinary, multi-disciplinary, or trans-disciplinary research initiatives. This award will be granted to researchers who excel at identifying and working with collaborators outside their primary discipline to push knowledge boundaries and create new insights, innovations, or societal impacts.
Dr. Andrew Loudon is a microbial ecologist keenly interested in the science of food fermentation and applied research to produce safe and delicious food. Chef Daniel Ross has been working in Culinary Arts for over 35 years in various restaurants, hotels, retirement living and catering before becoming an instructor at VIU.
Through a multi-disciplinary collaboration, Andy and Daniel brought students together from different faculties and very different education programs to jointly focus their efforts on understanding and working together on real-life applied research.
Debra Hellbach and Olivia Alexander at the Centre for Seafood Innovation played a critical role in developing the concept and organized the Dragon’s Den-style event called the Urchin Tank.
Distinguished Researcher Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an employee who has achieved exceptional scholarly achievement and impact on advancing knowledge in science, engineering, health, education, the arts, the humanities, social sciences, or other academic fields of study. Recipients will have demonstrated exceptional ability to convey the significance of scholarship and creative activities to their discipline and the public.
Recipient: Susan Juby, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – nominated by Dr. Marni Stanley
Susan Juby was raised in Smithers, BC and has lived in Toronto, Vancouver, and Nanaimo. Her novels have been awarded many prizes and honours. Republic of Dirt won the Leacock Medal for Humour. The Fashion Committee was a Horn Book Best Book of the Year and The Truth Commission was the winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Award for Children’s Literature. Susan lives on Vancouver Island, where she teaches creative writing at Vancouver Island University.
Knowledge Mobilization Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an employee who has demonstrated effort in communicating research beyond the University resulting in significant impacts on society. This award recognizes the ability of the researcher(s) to facilitate conversations and collaborations with organizations and communities outside the academy, combining knowledge from different spheres of society to generate new ideas.
Recipient: Dr. Leigh Blaney, Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Services – nominated by Collen Price
Leigh Blaney's research is based on extensive knowledge and clinical background in mental health and substance use assessment and intervention. She has a comprehensive perspective on mental health that includes but isn’t limited to acute psychiatry, crisis intervention, clinical counselling, community and forensic psychiatry and health promotion and prevention. Her knowledge has influenced her passion for research which has focused on critical incident stress debriefing and resilience in firefighters and first responders, nationally and internationally.
Recipient: Dr. Stephen Davies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – nominated by Dr. Marni Stanley
Dr. Stephen Davies holds a PhD from McMaster University and a Masters from the University of Warwick. He has been a Professor in the History Department since 1992 and is the Founder and Project Director of The Canadian Letters and Images Project which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to its web archive each year.
Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an employee who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting undergraduate student researchers. Recipients will demonstrate an ability to guide student research, creative projects and development that has helped VIU learners move from directed to independent research and creative work. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e., publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU undergrad students.
Recipient: Dr. Jamie Gorrell, Faculty of Science and Technology – nominated by Dr. Eve Stringham
Dr. Jamie Gorrell, Professor of Biology at Vancouver Island University, is an NSERC award-winning biologist whose research program focuses on population genetics and ecology with particular emphasis on the endangered Vancouver Island marmot. Jamie is passionate about educating the next generation of research ecologists and many undergraduate trainees at VIU have benefited from his mentorship.
Provost Awards for SRCA Selection Committee: Jessica Gemella, Jodi Latremouille, Joslynn Affleck, Lynda Robinson, Kathleen Reed, Mark Williams, Nova Heartland (student), Cheryl Warsh, and Nicole Vaugeois (Chair).
SRCA Service Award
This award is given to recognize and celebrate an employee whose exemplary service contributions on institutional committees have enabled and supported excellence in scholarship, research and creative activity at Vancouver Island University. Recipients of the award have dedicated significant time, expertise, initiative, and leadership to committees.
Recipient: Ms. Sarah Leduc, Faculty of Science and Technology – nominated by Daniel Roth
Sarah Leduc is the Lab Coordinator at Vancouver Island University, Deep Bay Marine Field Station. Sarah coordinates all of the research activities that have occurred here for the past ten years, as well as managing the maintenance of the complex Platinum LEED building systems. She has been the foundation of support for numerous researchers who have worked for VIU, and through her dedication she has facilitated the success of many scholarly research programs.
Recipient: Dr. Jasmine Janes, Faculty of Science and Technology - nominated by the SRCA Service Committee
Jasmine Janes is being recognized for her leadership as the chair of the VIUFA Assisted Leave Committee
Recipient: Dr. Wendy Simms, Faculty of Education - nominated by the SRCA Service CommitteeWendy Simms is being acknowledged for her service as the Research Ethics Board (REB) chair and her ongoing review for the Pedagogy Merit Review for the Animal Care Committee.
SRCA Service Award Selection Committee: Nicole Vaugeois (Chair), Kristin Smart, Lyn Locke, Leyla Innala, Jennifer Kebe, Kendra Stiwich, and Chris Turner.
Deans’ Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Award
This award is given to recognize an employee who has demonstrated scholarly, research and creative activities (SRC) achievements and impact on their disciplines during the previous academic year. The Deans in each Faculty can nominate one employee each year for this award. Nominations received on the web-based form will be forwarded to the Deans for a determination of the recipient of the Award.
Recipient: Dr. Jamie Gorrell, Faculty of Science and Technology – nominated by Dr. Eve Stringham
Dr. Jamie Gorrell, Professor of Biology at Vancouver Island University, is an NSERC award-winning biologist whose research program focuses on population genetics and ecology with particular emphasis on the endangered Vancouver Island marmot. Jamie is passionate about educating the next generation of research ecologists and many undergraduate trainees at VIU have benefited from his mentorship.
Recipient: Cindy Davidson, Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Services - nominated by Dr. Lynda Phillips
Cindy Davidson continually designs, develops, and offers new learning opportunities for students across discipline-specific learning outcomes in several Healthcare Programs (HCA, HCAP, PN and PD&T). Over the past several years, Cindy has designed and/or developed four programs, two of which have opened new opportunities for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Human Services and provided students with a pathway that uses their work-based experience in an educational setting.
Recipient: Dr. Louis Mattar, Faculty of Education - nominated by Dr. David Paterson
Dr. Mattar is a role model for students and connects with them with his sunny disposition and full attention. He has stood as chair of the new Kinesiology program at a time of transition and tirelessly solved the many issues that emerge with a change of this magnitude. Louis has built an extensive research profile and teaches courses where undergraduate students are afforded the opportunity to engage in research. He has opened some innovative opportunities for team teaching within the department. As chair, he is hands-on and deeply connected with all classes, faculty, and students. Louis has participated in and chaired Senate committees and is always first to volunteer when service opportunities appear. He is a valued member of his department and always represents the faculty well.
Recipient: Dr. Alan Gilchrist, Faculty of Social Sciences - nominated by Dr. Elizabeth Brimacombe
Dr. Alan Gilchrist, a faculty member in VIU’s Geography Department for nearly 25 years, is a superb facilitator of student learning in environmental geography, physical geography, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Alan studies water, both as a life-sustaining resource that requires management and as an agent of erosion that shapes our world’s landscapes. His work is important and timely as the earth’s climate is rapidly changing, water supplies are finite, and extreme weather events are impacting local watersheds. Alan is leading the understanding of future climate scenarios, studying many relevant variables, including seasonal variation in water resources, global warming, and sustainable use of water. His scholarly work, integrally woven together with his teaching, informs course content and teaching materials in VIU’s Geography program. Students are meaningfully engaged as research assistants.
Alan’s academic training and professional designation as a Professional Geoscientist (EGBC) have supported him well in advancing the field of hydrology. Highlights of his recent accomplishments include developing a series of mapping tools to help protect and manage water resources on Vancouver Island, assessing stream channel erosion to inform watershed restoration projects in northern BC, and determining how changes in water flow and storage impact communities. His work on watershed management has directly informed industry, First Nations and government, notably informing policy development for supporting wise water resource management decisions. VIU recognizes the critical role that learning institutions play in taking meaningful action to address sustainability and the climate crisis. Alan’s research and leadership epitomize VIU’s 2022 position statement on climate action and sustainability: At VIU, our people, knowledge, and resources can provide models and contribute to solutions that positively impact our institution, region, and beyond.
2022 Award Recipients
VIU is pleased to announce the recipients of the Provost’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Awards for 2022.
Early Career Research Excellence Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members at the beginning of their academic careers who have demonstrated significant promise in their research program. The award is presented to a researcher in the first six years of their academic career, and who has contributed to scholarly, research and creative activity in their area(s) of expertise. Nominees must have completed their doctoral degree or started their position at VIU within 6 years to be eligible for this award.
Recipient: Dr. Whitney Wood, Faculty of Arts & Humanities - Nominated by Dr. Timothy D. Lewis
Since accepting a Canada Research Chair (Tier Two) appointment focused on the Historical Dimensions of Women’s Health based within the History Department at Vancouver Island University in 2019, Dr. Whitney Wood has personified research excellence. Her extensive and multi-faceted research endeavours, including numerous publications, considerable editorial work, multiple conference presentations, ongoing collaborative partnerships with colleagues and students, successful grant applications, and community engagements have significantly heightened VIU’s research profile within the academic community and beyond.
Graduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting graduate student researchers. The recipients will have demonstrated excellence in their ability to guide graduate student research, creative projects and development helping VIU learners to move from directed to independent research and creative work. They inspire, motivate and support student learning, and maintain open communication and accessibility to students. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e. publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU graduate students.
Recipient: Dr. Farhad Moghimehfar, Faculty of Management - Nominated by Garrett Stone
Dr. Farhad Moghimehfar is a faculty member in the Department of Recreation and Tourism Management at VIU. His teaching and research interests are sustainable tourism and equity, diversity, and inclusion in leisure and recreation. Before joining VIU, Farhad served as an instructor at the University of Alberta and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Northern BC. He has provided community and professional advisory services and supervised graduate students in Canada and internationally.
SRCA Service Award
This award is given to recognize and celebrate individuals whose exemplary service contributions on institutional committees have enabled and supported excellence in scholarship, research and creative activity at Vancouver Island University. Recipients of the award have dedicated significant time, expertise, initiative, and leadership to committees including, but not limited to the Research Ethics Board, the Animal Care Committee, the Biosafety Committee, the Vancouver Island University Research Awards Committee, the VIUFA Leave Committee, the Student Research and Travel Committee (STAR), the NSERC Awards Selection Committee, the Graduate Scholarship Selection Committee.
Recipient: Dr. Eric Demers - Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by the SRCA Service Award Committee
Recipient: Lyn Locke - Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity office - Nominated by the SRCA Service Award Committee
Dean's Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Award
This award is given to recognize individual faculty members who have demonstrated scholarly, research and creative activities (SRC) achievements and impact on their disciplines during the previous academic year. The Deans in each Faculty can nominate one faculty member each year for this award. Nominations received on the web-based form will be forwarded to the Deans for a determination of the recipient of the Award.
Recipient: Maureen O’Connor, Faculty of Health and Human Services - Nominated by Dr. Patricia O'Hagan
Maureen O'Connor is a Professor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has been teaching VIU nursing students since 2002. Her expertise and leadership in Perioperative Practice was recognized by the BC Ministry of Health (MOH) in 2022. Maureen was invited to participate in the provincial task group identifying a BSN Perioperative learning pathway. She is a leader in the newly established provincial BSN Perioperative learning pathway which focuses on student retention. As part of Maureen’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activities she is assessing the effectiveness of the pathway integrated within the final fourth-year practicum placement to increase the number of Perioperative nurses in the healthcare team.
Recipient: Dr. Pamela Shaw, Faculty of Social Sciences - Nominated by Dr. Elizabe
Dr. Pam Shaw, an accomplished educator and scholar, is the Director of VIU’s Community Planning Program. Her credentials include 3M Teaching Fellow and Research Director of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI). Pam recently secured over one million dollars in funding for MABRRI. Her contributions to innovative new programming include a Professional Indigenous Lands Management Certificate. Her co-authored textbook, Planning Canadian Communities (7th edition) is the most frequently adopted planning text across Canada. Bravo Pam!
Recipient: Dr. Paula Waatainen, Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr’s Rachel Moll and David Paterson
Dr. Paula Waatainen teaches Social Studies methods to future teachers in our Bachelor of Education programs. She conducts design-based research in collaboration with teachers who want to build their assessment literacy in designing assessments of competency. She is passionate about situating learning in real-world problems, processes, and places, and in building student capabilities in design and critical thinking within social studies and other areas of learning.
Provost Awards for SRCA Selection Committee
Jessica Gemella, Faculty of Trades and Applied Technology; Joslynn Affleck, Faculty of Science and Technology; Kathleen Reed, Library; Louis Mattar, Faculty of Education; Lynda Robinson, Work Integrated Learning (CEL); Mark Williams, Faculty of Social Science; Monir Shahzeidi (student); Susan Juby, Faculty of Arts & Humanities; and Nicole Vaugeois, AVP, SRCA, (Chair).
Provost Awards for SRCA Service Award Selection Committee
Chris Turner, Research Ethics Officer; Leyla Innala, Animal Care Officer; Jennifer Kebe, Biosafety Officer; Kendra Stiwich, Director, Graduate Studies and Student Research; Kristin Smart, Research Services Coordinator; Nicole Vaugeois, AVP, SRCA, (Chair).
2021 Award Recipients
VIU is pleased to announce the recipients of the Provost’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Awards for 2021.
Collaborative Research Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members that have demonstrated excellence in collaborative projects and research undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary or multi-institutional team. This award will be granted to a researcher who excels at creating and maintaining collaborations with industry, university and/or community partners to facilitate research that affects positive changes in their respective field.
Recipient: Dr. Spencer Russell, Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr. Eve Stringham
Dr. Spencer Russell is a professor in the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and an expert in fish pathology and immunology. His research on the pathogenesis of Tenacibaculum bacteria, the cause of mouth rot in salmon is highly relevant as this disease results in significant economic loss for the aquaculture industry. Spencer’s long-term goal is to develop a vaccine that can be utilized in preventive strategies to reduce reliance on antibiotics to control outbreaks.
Recipient: Alison Taplay, Faculty of Health and Human Services - Nominated by Dr. Patricia O’Hagan
Alison Taplay has served as a valued instructor since 2009 for the Educational Assistant and Community Support (EACS) program on our Powell River (PR) campus. Alison’s teaching, research and collaborative work comes together through her role as the PR program placement coordinator. She has developed and expanded employer and community partnerships to ensure rich and engaging student experiences. Alison is committed to addressing full participation of students who lack a voice by identifying the requisite changes in procedures and policy. She most recently presented her findings on access to postsecondary education for individuals who identified with an Intellectual Disability, including autism.
Graduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting graduate student researchers. The recipients will have demonstrated excellence in their ability to guide graduate student research, creative projects and development helping VIU learners to move from directed to independent research and creative work. They inspire, motivate and support student learning, maintain open communication and accessibility to students. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e. publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU graduate students.
Recipient: Mark Holland, Faculty of Social Sciences - Nominated by Dr. Pam Shaw
Mark Holland is driven by a deep commitment to ensure the next generation of planners are appropriately educated to be effective in their calling to create better communities. His focus is on student success, and he strives to ensure students have the best possible education. The letters of support for Mark speak to this dedication and his positive influence: as noted by one student, "This guy is worth every penny of the tuition we paid."
Recipient: Dr. Sean Toal, Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr. Marian Riedel
Dr. Sean Toal is a Professor in the Faculty of Education, teaching in the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program and serving the faculty as the Field Experience Coordinator in undergraduate programs. He started working with graduate students in 2015, teaching a variety of courses within MEDL, supervising many theses, and serving on the VIU Research Ethics Board. Prior to joining VIU, he worked for several years as a K-12 teacher, school principal, and district leader.
Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting undergraduate student researchers. Recipients will demonstrate an ability to guide student research, creative projects and development that has helped VIU learners to move from directed to independent research and creative work. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e. publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU undergrad students.
Recipient: Dr. Tim Green, Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr. Eve Stringham
Dr. Tim Green, Canada Research Chair in Shellfish Health and Genomics, is an internationally recognized expert in shellfish aquaculture. In his work, Tim has supervised undergraduate research projects aimed at understanding the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of shellfish adaption to environmental stressors. Inspired by these early career experiences, several of his mentees have continued onto research positions in graduate school or governmental agencies.
Deans’ Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Award
This award is given to recognize individual faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly, research and creative activities (SRCA) achievements and impact on their disciplines during the previous academic year. The Deans in each Faculty can nominate one faculty member each year for this award. Nominations received on the web-based form will be forwarded to the Deans for a determination of the recipient of the award.
Recipient: Carla Tilley, Faculty of Health and Human Services - Nominated by Dr. Patricia O’Hagan
Carla Tilley is an experienced critical care nurse, researcher, mentor and colleague in the BSN program. Her research identifies the gaps in policy, support and programs for internationally educated nurses. This research is critical for the workforce development of Registered Nurses across BC.
Recipient: Dr. Marian Riedel, Faculty of Education -Nominated by Dr. Rachel Moll and Dr. David Paterson
Dr. Marian Riedel has been working in the field of education for over 25 years. Marian joined the Faculty of Education in 2011 and is currently Chair of Graduate Programs and teaches in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Her research interests include international field placement and exploring understandings of good teaching. Her current work explores K-12 experiences of rapidly transitioning to alternate delivery during the onset of the COVID 19 global pandemic.
Recipient: Dr. Sally Vinden, Faculty of Trades & Applied Technology - Nominated by Glynis Steen
Sally has demonstrated an enthusiasm for supporting best practices in Trades education, at home and internationally. She is a lifelong learner, earning a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Implementation Theory. Today, as a Curriculum, Teaching & Learning Specialist she comes to this work as practitioner and scholar and is constantly seeking out opportunities to learn, discover, and lend her ideas to move projects and people forward. She is collaborative and innovative in her pedagogical designs.
Recipient: Dr. Spencer Russell, Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr. Eve Stringham
Dr. Spencer Russell is a professor in the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and an expert in fish pathology and immunology. His research on the pathogenesis of Tenacibaculum bacteria, the cause of mouth rot in salmon is highly relevant as this disease results in significant economic loss for the aquaculture industry. Spencer’s long-term goal is to develop a vaccine that can be utilized in preventive strategies to reduce reliance on antibiotics to control outbreaks.
Recipients Dr. Sylvie Lafrenière (Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning) and Dr. Gillian Anderson - Faculty of Social Sciences - Nominated by Dr. Elizabeth Brimacombe
Sylvie Lafreniere and Gillian Anderson, accomplished researchers and educators within the Department of Sociology, are strong contributors to a vibrant learning environment in the Faculty of Social Sciences. This past year they responded to the research call to Social Scientists to document the lived experiences of COVID-19, launching a collaborative research project entitled, “The Burden of Care: Exploring the Gendered Impact(s) of COVID-19 on Mothers’ Caring Labour.” Their timely and innovative research will be vitally important to post-pandemic social and community planning.
This research project is remarkable in several ways. It responds to a pressing need to document and analyze the gendered impacts of COVID-19. Sylvie and Gillian were hoping for 20-25 participants but received over 800 responses to their survey research call. Clearly, parents across the region felt the need to articulate their experiences during the pandemic. Evidence suggests that the pandemic has led to a “she-cession” in that women’s labour has been particularly impacted, and that these impacts will be long-lasting. Gillian and Sylvie’s research makes a timely contribution to the analysis of this “she-cession”, documenting women’s changing paid and unpaid labour patterns in the Canadian pandemic context. Their research makes a significant contribution to the larger sociological analysis of work and gender, and offers some fascinating commentary on the gendered nature of care. Gillian and Sylvie have already presented their findings at a number of forums and published an article on this research. Next steps in knowledge mobilization include sharing research results with local community organizations, and regional and provincial policymakers.
Sylvie and Gillian’s work embraces many of VIU’s values including understanding, diversity, and engagement. The research engages students in the process and supports VIU’s role in applied research projects that serve our community. The research also highlights the importance of wellness and wellbeing and emphasizes the ways in which care labour is critical to society, and yet can come at a tremendous toll for individual caregivers.
Provost Awards for SRCA Selection committee
2020 Award Recipients
VIU is pleased to announce the recipients of the third annual Provost’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Awards for 2020.
Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting undergraduate student researchers. Recipients will demonstrate an ability to guide student research, creative projects and development that has helped VIU learners to move from directed to independent research and creative work. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e. publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU undergrad students.
Recipient: Dr. Linda Shea, Faculty of Health and Human Services - Nominated by Dr. Patricia O’Hagan
Dr. Linda Shea has been teaching undergraduate BSN students since 1997. She is passionate about creating learning spaces for her students that promote self-knowing, curiosity, and critical inquiry as foundations for excellence in clinical practice and scholarship. In view of emerging trends in health care, there is an urgent need for creative solutions to address complex issues impacting the health and well-being of humanity in our local and global communities. Linda believes that a strong foundation in critical inquiry will equip students to engage their curiosity, follow the threads of their passion, and creatively respond to emerging trends in health care through scholarship and practice. Linda’s dissertation focused on Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory, an evolutionary developmental meta-framework for organizing disciplinary knowledge founded on diverse ontological and epistemological assumptions. This systematic and unified arrangement invites consideration of cherished disciplinary viewpoints in relation to perspectives that may be less well known or even marginalized, so these insights may be leveraged toward pragmatic ends.
Graduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting graduate student researchers. The recipients will have demonstrated excellence in their ability to guide graduate student research, creative projects and development helping VIU learners to move from directed to independent research and creative work. They inspire, motivate and support student learning, maintain open communication and accessibility to students. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e. publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU graduate students.
Recipient: Mary O'Neill, Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr. Marian Riedel
Mary has been an enthusiastic member of VIU's Faculty of Education since 1991 and has seen the department advance in its integration of technology in all curriculum areas. She currently serves as Program Coordinator for the department’s Online Learning & Teaching graduate Diploma (OLTD) program and acts as the liaison for OLTD graduates laddering into the M.Ed. Leadership program. She has supervised numerous graduate student Major Projects and has been a key innovator in online teaching both at post-secondary level, as well as at the K-12 level through the work of program graduates she has mentored.
Early Career Research Excellence Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members at the beginning of their academic careers who have demonstrated significant promise in their research program. The award is presented to an outstanding researcher in the first five years of his or her academic career, and who has made an outstanding contribution to scholarly, research and creative activity in their area(s) of expertise.
Recipient: Dr. Jasmine Janes, Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr. Tim Goater
Dr. Jasmine Janes is a Biology professor at VIU. Her current research interests are integrative and multidisciplinary, combining ecological, molecular, and genomic approaches, to answer fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology. She is a recipient of collaborative research grants from BC Ministry of Agriculture and Genome BC to study novel tools to prevent diseases in oysters. Most recently, Jasmine was awarded a prestigious five-year NSERC Discovery Grant to study the coevolutionary interactions between fungi, orchids, and insect pollinators.
Recipient: Dr. Lindsay McCunn, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities - Nominated by Deborah Matheson
Lindsay McCunn, PhD is a Professor of psychology at VIU and the Director of the Environmental Psychology Research Lab. She chairs the environmental psychology section of the Canadian Psychological Association and is an Associate Editor of the premier journal in her field—the Journal of Environmental Psychology. She is also the Commissioning Editor of the journal Cities and Health. Lindsay’s research in applied psychology has been published in a number of interdisciplinary journals.
Recipient: Dr. Shannon Dames, Faculty of Health and Human Services - Nominated by Dr. Patricia O’Hagan
Shannon joined VIU's BSN program as a sessional faculty member in 2013, and a full-time faculty member in 2014. Shannon has worked in various capacities related to nursing over the last 15 years. She has experience in emergency medicine, forensic nursing, and multiple public health programs from front line through management. She pursued her Master in Public Health while working in the United States at Oregon Health and Sciences University and received a doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Calgary with a focus on researching the core factors that promote human (including nurses) ability to thrive. Since completing her doctorate, Shannon frequently serves as a speaker and educator in the area of resilience. She led a team of practitioners to develop an evidence-informed curriculum using experiential methods and communities of practice to develop greater resilience and ultimately to promote human flourishing (Rootstothrive.com). In recognizing that only 20% of those suffering from mental health distress are seeing improvements in the current mental health system, she was awarded a CIHR and other grant and philanthropic funds to forge a new path. Working with six agencies in BC and multiple practitioners and policy makers, she is developing and studying the combination of resilience development and psychedelic-assisted therapies, all delivered within a novel and innovative outpatient mental health model.
Knowledge Mobilization Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding effort in communicating research beyond the University resulting in significant impacts in society. This award recognizes the ability of the researcher(s) to facilitate conversations and collaborations with organizations and communities outside the academy, combining knowledge from different spheres of society to generate new ideas.
Recipients: Antje Bitterberg and Cheryl Cameron, Faculty of Health and Human Services - Nominated by Sheila Grieve
Committed to creating respectful and democratic practices, Antje Bitterberg, a faculty member in our Early Childhood Education and Care Program, has extended her role to include working as a pedagogist in early years settings in our community. As pedagogist, she works alongside children, educators, students, and families by contributing pedagogically to ongoing projects and bringing the British Columbia Early Learning Framework to life. This role is funded by the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Cheryl Cameron brings a deep appreciation for the arts and thoughtful eye to her work as practicum coordinator with the Early Childhood Education and Care Program and as Atelierista at Lexie's Little Bears Child Care. Cheryl is humbled to be engaging with early years settings in the Cowichan Valley as faculty pedagogist. Inspired by the BC Early Learning Framework, Cheryl connects with communities of practice through reflective thinking, active dialogue and grappling with the complexities of pedagogical choice.
Deans’ Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Award
This award is given to recognize individual faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly, research and creative activities (SRCA) achievements and impact on their disciplines during the previous academic year. The Deans in each Faculty can nominate one faculty member each year for this award. Nominations received on the web-based form will be forwarded to the Deans for a determination of the recipient of the award.
Recipient: Dr. Monica Soth, Faculty of Health and Human Services - Nominated by Dr. Patricia O’Hagan
Monica Soth has been a practicing dental hygiene for over 30 years. She is an experienced researcher, curriculum consultant, administrator, and educator. Monica joined the VIU Dental Hygiene program in 2007 and has served as an educator, clinic lead, and program Chair. She gives back to the profession through service on many provincial, national, and international dental hygiene committees and regulatory organizations. She has presented at provincial and international conferences and serves as a peer-reviewer for an international dental hygiene journal. Monica received her diploma in dental hygiene from Vancouver Community College (1989) and a MEd (2007). In 2020, Monica completed the UBC Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD) where she investigated the impact of a quality assurance program on dental hygiene practice in BC.
Recipient: Dr. Mark Williams, Faculty of Social Sciences - Nominated by Dr. Elizabeth Brimacombe
Mark Williams, Professor of Political Studies, is an accomplished scholar and educator. An expert on the foreign economic policy of Indonesia, his academic book on this subject was short-listed for the Weller Prize with the British Columbia Political Science Association. His textbook, The Politics of the Asia-Pacific: An Active Learning Textbook, will be released soon. He is faculty advisor to VIU’s Model United Nations club and an award-winning teacher who was featured in Shaw TV’s Teachers Above and Beyond Series.
Selection committee
Nicole Vaugeois, Chair, SRCA; Joslynn Affleck, Faculty of Science; Mark Williams, Faculty of Social Sciences; Lynda Robinson, Work Integrated Learning (CEL); Elliott Marchant, Faculty of Social Science; Cameron Hoffman McGraw, Library; Louis Mattar, Faculty of Education; Michael Ribicic, Student representative; Susan Juby, Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
2019 Award Recipients
VIU is pleased to announce the recipients of the second annual Provost’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Awards for 2019.
Distinguished Researcher Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members who have achieved exceptional scholarly achievement and impact on advancing knowledge in science, engineering, health, education, the arts, the humanities, social sciences, or other academic fields of study. Recipients will have demonstrated exceptional ability to convey the significance of scholarship and creative activities to their discipline and the public.
Recipient: Dr. Erik Krogh, Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr. Christine Tong, Larissa Richards, and Dr. Todd Barsby
Dr. Erik Krogh joined VIU’s Chemistry Department in 1998. He is co-founder and co-director of the Applied Environmental Research Laboratory (AERL). In this time, he and his collaborators have been awarded over $5 million in funding. Dr. Krogh has written 48 research papers/chapters and 34 technical reports; given 123 invited lectures, including 74 community engagement presentations; and participated in 132 peer-reviewed conference presentations. He has mentored undergraduate and graduate students in over 50 research projects.
Graduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting graduate student researchers.
The recipients will have demonstrated excellence in their ability to guide graduate student research, creative projects and development helping VIU learners to move from directed to independent research and creative work.
They inspire, motivate and support student learning, maintain open communication and accessibility to students. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e. publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU graduate students.
Recipient: Dr. Bonita Davidson, Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr. Rachel Moll
Dr. Bonita Davidson has been a faculty member since 2005 and teaches research methods and does graduate student supervision in the Masters of Educational Leadership program in the Faculty of Education. Her research strengths and interests are in the area of measurement and she enjoys applying these skills to the analysis of data in various educational contexts.
Deans’ Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Award
This award is given to recognize individual faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly, research and creative activities (SRCA) achievements and impact on their disciplines during the previous academic year. The Deans in each Faculty can nominate one faculty member each year for this award.
Recipient: Dr. Wendy Simms, Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr. Allyson Fleming
Dr. Wendy Simms is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at VIU, teaching in both the Teacher Education and Master of Education programs. Her research focuses on citizen science in the classroom, with an emphasis on the design of learning environments that foster identity exploration and development. Wendy is involved in numerous science outreach initiatives, is a Board Member of the Nanaimo Science and Sustainability Society (Ns3), and serves on the VIU Research Ethics Board.
Recipient: Dr. Imogene Lim, Faculty of Social Sciences – Nominated by David Hopwood
Dr. Imogene Lim, anthropologist, scholar and educator, champions understanding and advocacy regarding social justice issues. Imogene studies ethnicity in Canada, food and culture, and historical wrongs, while forging meaningful community connections. Together with the Province’s Legacy Initiatives Council, Imogene co-authored the book, Celebration: Chinese Canadian Legacies in British Columbia. She recently co-developed the exhibit, 150 Years and Counting: Fighting for Justice on the Coast, a catalyst for dialogue regarding human rights. Imogene is leading positive change!
2018 Award Recipients
VIU is pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural Provost’s Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Awards for 2018.
Collaborative Research Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in collaborative projects and research undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary or multi-institutional team. This award will be granted to a researcher who excels at creating and maintaining collaborations with industry, university and/or community partners to facilitate research that effects positive changes in their respective field.
Recipient: Dr. Lindsay McCunn, Faculty of Social Science - Nominated by Ms. Deborah Matheson
Dr. Lindsay McCunn is a Professor of psychology at VIU and Director of the Environmental Psychology Research Lab. Her research concerning sense of place, organizational commitment, and other psycho-social constructs has been published in numerous interdisciplinary journals; she is also on the Board for the Journal of Environmental Psychology and is the Commissioning Editor for the journal Cities and Health. McCunn also serves as Chair for the Environmental Psychology section of the Canadian Psychology Association and co-chairs VIU’s Sustainability Advisory Committee.
Recipient: Dr. Paige Fisher, Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr. Rachel Moll
Dr. Paige Fisher is Director of the Centre for Innovative Educational Leadership at VIU and is active on a number of advisory boards such as the Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre, Nacu Mat Tatalut (Collaborative Professional Learning for SD68) and the provincial Rural Education Advisory. Her research projects include the six Campus Communities of Pedagogical Inquiry Project – a learning partnership among the BC Ministry of Education, six BC Faculties of Education, and school districts across the province. Her other practice and research interests include global education and she has led field schools for pre-service teachers in Ghana, Belize and India.
Distinguished Researcher Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members who have achieved exceptional scholarly achievement and impact on advancing knowledge in science, engineering, health, education, the arts, the humanities, social sciences, or other academic fields of study. Recipients will have demonstrated exceptional ability to convey the significance of scholarship and creative activities to their discipline and the public.
Recipient: Dr. Cheryl Warsh, Faculty of Arts and Humanities - Nominated by Dr. Tim Lewis
Dr. Cheryl Krasnick-Warsh has been a member of VIU’s History department since 1994, teaching in the fields of women’s, medical, family, and cultural histories. She held Fulbright and Hannah fellowships, and has published seven books with an eighth forthcoming. While at VIU, she has served for 13 years as Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, and is now co-editor of the journal of Gender and History. Warsh became a Fellow in the Division of Arts and Humanities in the Royal Society of Canada in 2017.
Recipient: Dr. Chris Gill, Facutly of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr. Don Noakes
Dr. Chris Gill is a Chemistry professor at VIU and co-director of the Applied Environmental Research Laboratories (AERL), which is moving into expanded space in the recently completed VIU Health and Sciences Centre. The AERL’s pure and applied research has lead to numerous advances for direct environmental, industrial and more recently, bio-analytical measurements. Dr. Gill’s current research interests continue to involve the development of direct MS instrumentation and applications for direct, real-time chemical measurements, including the development of rapid, on-site drug testing strategies for use in the opioid crisis.
Recipient: Dr. Lev Idels, Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr. David Bigelow
Dr. Lev Idels began teaching in VIU’s mathematics department in 2001 after immigrating from Russia in 1995. Idels is passionate about VIU’s place on a scientific world map, and spearheaded the university’s first international math conference in 2004. His research has focused on developing new mathematical models for use in a variety of applications. Idels has published more than 70 papers and was awarded a prestigious pilot grant from NSERC, along with more than 15 VIU research grants. Idels is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Mathematical Modelling.
Early Career Research Excellence Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize faculty members at the beginning of their academic careers who have demonstrated significant promise in their research program. The award is presented to an outstanding researcher in the first five years of his or her academic career, and who has made an outstanding contribution to scholarly, research and creative activity in their area(s) of expertise.
Recipient: Dr. Jamie Gorrell, Faculty of Science and Technology - Nominated by Dr.’s. Tim Goater, Caroline Josefsson, and Joslynn Affleck
Dr. Jamie Gorrell teaches in the biology department at VIU and since 2016 has enlisted the help of 491 students to conduct research on regional issues including Garry Oak trees, black-tailed deer, wolverines and Vancouver Island marmots with support from the VIU Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity office. Most recently, he was awarded a five-year NSERC Discovery Grant to study the ecological and evolutionary impacts of genetic bottlenecks and captive breeding on the slow recovery of marmots since their rapid decline that almost drove the species to extinction.
Graduate Research Mentor Award
This is a university-wide award given to recognize an individual who has demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting graduate student researchers.
The recipients will have demonstrated excellence in their ability to guide graduate student research, creative projects and development helping VIU learners to move from directed to independent research and creative work.
They inspire, motivate and support student learning, maintain open communication and accessibility to students. They will have encouraged and supported students to share the results of their work as appropriate to the discipline (i.e. publications, presentations, performances) and their efforts will have resulted in transformative learning experiences for VIU graduate students.
Recipient: Dr. Mary Ann Richards, Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr. Rachel Moll and Ana Vieira
Dr. Mary Ann Richards has been a member of the Faculty of Education at VIU since 2010. Her opportunities to instruct and supervise graduate students in research methods through the lens of education, and to serve with VIU’s Research Ethics Board, have enabled her to continue her exploration of human experiences, especially related to literacy and learning. That investigation began during her own graduate studies and fostered a fascination with research as a tool for understanding and meaning-making.
Deans’ Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Award
This award is given to recognize individual faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly, research and creative activities (SRCA) achievements and impact on their disciplines during the previous academic year. The Deans in each Faculty can nominate one faculty member each year for this award.
Recipient: Dr. Allyson Fleming,Faculty of Education - Nominated by Dr. David Paterson
Dr. Allyson Fleming teaches in both the Teacher Education program and the Master’s of Educational Leadership program in the Faculty of Education. She works at both the Cowichan and Nanaimo campuses and is the co-ordinator for the Faculty of Education in Cowichan. Her research interests include ways in which teacher educators identify, understand or interpret factors that enable or constrain them in teaching for social justice in teacher education, and the catalytic potential of inhabiting the ‘tragic gap’ between the binaries of social justice theory and practice.
Recipient: Dr. Cathryn Spence, Faculty of Arts and Humanities - Nominated by Dr.’s Tim Lewis and Ross MacKay
Dr. Cathryn Spence teaches in VIU’s History department. She is the author of Women, Credit, and Debt in Early Modern Scottish Towns, co-editor of the Edinburgh Housemails Taxation Book, 1634-6, and co-editor of the North American office of the international journal Gender & History with VIU history colleagues. Her monograph, Women, Credit, and Debt, won the 2016 Women’s History Network (UK) Book Prize for the best first book in the field of women and gender, and her research has received funding from SSHRC, the Strathmartine Trust, and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
Recipient: Dr. Lindsay McCunn, Faculty of Social Sciences - Nominated by Dr. Elizabeth Brimacombe
Dr. Lindsay McCunn is a Professor of psychology at VIU and Director of the Environmental Psychology Research Lab. Her research concerning sense of place, organizational commitment, and other psychosocial constructs has been published in numerous interdisciplinary journals; she is also on the Board for the Journal of Environmental Psychology and is the Commissioning Editor for the journal Cities and Health. McCunn also serves as Chair for the Environmental Psychology section of the Canadian Psychology Association and co-chairs VIU’s Sustainability Advisory Committee.
Selection committee: Nicole Vaugeois, Chair, SRCA; Joslynn Affleck, Faculty of Science; Mark Williams, Faculty of Social Sciences; Micki McCartney, Student Affairs; Elliott Marchant, Faculty of Social Science; Louis Mattar, Faculty of Education; Michael Ribicic, Student representative; Susan Juby, Faculty of Arts and Humanities.