Acclaimed nature photographer Paul Nicklen, whose work depicting climate change on wildlife and natural ecosystems has appeared in National Geographic, will be presented with a UVic honorary degree in June.
Nicklen, a University of Victoria alumnus, is co-founder of SeaLegacy, a group of photographers, filmmakers and other media practitioners who use their skills to bridge emotion and scientific understanding.
He will be presented with an honorary degree June 16 at the convocation ceremony at the University Centre Farquhar Auditorium.
Nicklen is one of six recipients of honorary degrees this June. Others are:
• Murray Farmer, Victoria businessman and an early supporter and proponent of Ocean Networks Canada and the NEPTUNE and VENUS ocean observatories. He is to be honoured on June 15.
• Joy Kogawa, author of Obasan, a semi-autobiographical account of Japanese Canadians sent to internment camps during the Second World War. Considered by the Literary Review of Canada to be one of the most important pieces in Canadian literature, it had a pivotal role in convincing the federal government to offer an official apology to Japanese Canadians in 1988. To be honoured June 12.
• Brian Lo, a Victoria banker who built bridges between the corporate sectors of B.C. and Asia. As a member of the UVic board of governors, Lo also helped strengthen the university’s presence in Asia. To be honoured June 14.
• Christina Munck, co-founder of two conservation organizations contributing to the understanding of coastal environments through non-profit, community-based research. Munck and her husband, Eric Peterson, created the Quadra Island-based Tula Foundation and the Hakai Institute. They have also contributed to the UVic Environmental Law Centre. To be honoured June 15.
• Timothy Vernon, the founding director of Pacific Opera Victoria, recognized for the quality of its productions ranging from classical to contemporary. To be honoured June 13.
Granted to recognize contributions and distinctions earned in scholarship, research, teaching, creative arts and the community, honorary degrees are typically awarded with a graduating group of students. Recipients are asked to address the graduates.
Previous UVic honorary degree recipients include wildlife artist Robert Bateman and jazz singer Diana Krall. — Times Colonist
