Backgrounder: Canada's academic stars to converge on Victoria

Canadian Marine Biodiversity Symposium: Resources, Opportunities, and Responsibilities:
•    Takes place Nov. 26, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
The symposium will feature a range of researchers from across Canada discussing ways to build, protect and sustain marine ecosystems in the face of climate change and other human pressures.
•    Among them, UVic biologist Julia Baum, who will talk about the current challenges in managing Canada’s oceans, and how we can work toward rebuilding Canada’s fish populations and meet international commitments for healthy ocean ecosystems;
•    UVic geographer and humanist Rosemary Ommer will discuss why marine biodiversity is important, as well as food security and human attitudes to the ocean and its diversity.
•    To pre-register for the symposium (cost $33/students, $78 public, deadline Nov. 20) visit http://bit.ly/CVENT1.

UVic faculty members to be honoured at the AGM:

Celebrated playwright Joan MacLeod has 10 plays under her belt, all of them rooted in issues revolving around social justice and often inspired by current events. Her first play, Jewel, was about the 1982 sinking of the Ocean Ranger oil rig off Newfoundland. Another focused on the death of Victoria teenager Reena Virk. Her current play looks at policing and mental illness.

Chemist Frank van Veggel is an international leader in the design and study of new photonic nanomaterials—extremely small materials that interact with light. The research has applications in health, computing and telecommunications. He’s currently looking at how optical and magnetic nanoparticles can be used to improve the diagnosis of prostate, breast and brain cancer.

Philosopher James Young is a leading authority on the philosophy of language, art and ethical issues in the arts, such as those raised by cultural appropriation—the practice of borrowing from other cultures. “If we do not, as a society, pose philosophical questions we’re no better than apes who try to accumulate as much food as they can,” he says. “If philosophy teaches us anything, it’s that there’s good reason to doubt that a life of selfish accumulation of wealth is a life well-lived.”

Composer Dániel Péter Biró has earned national and international acclaim for his compositions, which integrate elements of ancient chant traditions with cutting-edge technology. He has explored a wide range of ethnic musical traditions, including Hungarian folk music in Budapest, Jewish and Islamic chant in Israel and the Netherlands, and Jewish and Christian chant at UVic.

Getting us up off the couch and moving is the goal of exercise psychologist Ryan Rhodes who studies the psychology of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. His primary focus is on how to motivate families, youth and older adults to be more active—work that helps shape new theories in health behaviour and inform health policy in government and recreation sectors.

Described as “one of the most energetic and productive researchers in astronomy and astrophysics in Canada…with major worldwide impact,” astronomer Sara Ellison couples observations from powerful telescopes with computer simulations to understand how galaxies form and evolve over time. “Astronomy allows us to understand the important questions of who we are and where we came from, and where the universe is ultimately going,” she says.

An influential writer dedicated to chronicling the people and stories of Vancouver Island, Comox Valley-born Jack Hodgins (professor emeritus) won the Governor-General’s Award in 1979 for The Resurrection of Joseph Bourne and the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence in 2006. He was awarded the City of Victoria Book prize in 2011 for his novel, The Master of Happy Endings.

Julio Navarro is one of the world’s leading cosmologists whose research on galaxy formation and evolution—primarily using sophisticated computer simulations—has shaped our current understanding of how structures in the universe formed. He’s especially well known for his work on dark matter, a mysterious substance that holds galaxies together.

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