Biology

A small flower with yellow and cream petals is on the edge of extinction in Canada and a VIU research team is fighting to save it.

Bryan Lamprecht, a VIU Biology student, is working with Dr. Jasmine Janes, a VIU Biology Professor, studying Hosackia pinnata, also known as Bog bird’s-foot-trefoil. The rare species is red-listed in BC and Canada. There are only five sites where this rare flower grows in Canada, all near Nanaimo. The plant also grows along portions of the western coast of the United States.  

Safeguarding birds for future generations is crucial, says Chelsey Watts.

Emma Peterson and Lizzy Schafers visited remote BC parks this summer to count and catalogue plants. Their work was part of a biodiversity survey research project overseen by Dr. Jasmine Janes, a VIU Biology Professor.

The summer research experience allowed both students to gain hands-on skills outside a classroom setting. For Lizzy, a Bachelor of Science student majoring in Biology, the experience reinforced her plans to go to grad school and study botany. 

Networking is an integral skill for students who want to pursue research, says Krystyn Forbes.

Krystyn graduated in June with a Bachelor of Science degree, with a Biology honours. He worked as a research assistant for the past two summers with Dr. Jamie Gorrell, a VIU Biology Professor. He recommends that students talk to their professors about research opportunities.

VIU alum Mac Barrera’s undergraduate research was not only published in an international journal, it has also led to new insights about the endangered Vancouver Island marmot.  

“It’s exciting. I feel very proud,” says Mac, who now works as a lab technician in VIU’s Biology department. “Getting an undergrad research paper published in a legitimate, peer-reviewed journal is rare.”

Receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship Award this past year was an honour that allowed me to live the experience of a lifetime and fulfill a dream that I otherwise would not have been able to.

The living world has fascinated Ally Badger ever since she was a child, and she always knew she wanted to pursue biology.

She graduated this June with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology. Navigating the challenges of the pandemic and the worsening climate crisis over the past few hasn’t been easy, but despite these obstacles Ally received a perfect grade point average. 

Danielle Groenendijk is graduating from VIU this June with a Bachelor of Science, major in Biology and minor in Kinesiology – graduating with honours.

She is also a member of the VIU Mariners women’s volleyball team and the combination of both a strong volleyball program and the academic programs offered was a major factor in why she decided to attend VIU. 

Gordon Skocic is graduating this June with a Bachelor of Science, major in Biology and minor in Chemistry. He is a co-valedictorian for the faculty of Science and Technology, sharing the honour with fellow Bachelor of Science grad Baneesha Gill.

Baneesha Gill is graduating this June with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology and specializing inmolecular cell biology. She is a co-valedictorian for the Faculty of Science and Technology, sharing the honour with fellow Bachelor of Science grad Gordon Skocic.