Funded Projects
In April 2024, Memorial University launched the 100th Anniversary Fund to help the Memorial community celebrate our centennial. There were 55 inspired applications to the fund. Competition was tight. And in the end, we were able to support 35 exciting projects that will look back on our history and launch us forth into an exciting future.
More information will be available as these projects evolve and reach fruition. But for now, we’re offering a sneak peek at the thrilling things happening across our campuses in 2025.
100 Memorial Poppies for 100 years
Harlow Campus
The Harlow Campus will install 100 poppies at the campus’s entrance to mark the centennial of Memorial University. On the long pathway to the main entrance, the 100 poppies will represent Memorial’s 100 years and remember the university’s foundation as a living memorial. Behind the poppies, on the wall of the student residence, a plaque will be installed to tell the story of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the establishment of Memorial University. This would also engage the entire Harlow community, informing everyone of the history of the university.
100 Years of Careers: Celebrating a Century of Maritime Excellence and Innovation
Marine Institute, Academic and Student Affairs
100 Years of Careers will celebrate the contributions of Memorial and the Marine Institute to the rich history of marine careers in Newfoundland and Labrador. This event will be held at the Marine Institute and invite students from grades 10, 11 and 12 from across the province to attend. It will also be an informative and engaging event for parents, guidance counselors and career teachers. By opening our doors to the community we will create better awareness of marine careers while sharing the auspicious 60-year history of the Marine Institute. Historical booths will highlight the history of the fishery, and our student guests will be introduced to the roles marine careers will play in shaping the technological advancements and environmental concerns that will secure a sustainable future.
100 Years of Growing Together
Labrador Campus, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies
The Labrador Campus will develop a legacy and celebration garden at the Pye Centre for Northern Boreal Food Systems to commemorate Memorial’s 100th anniversary. This garden will become a focal point of our developing community and a public space in the heart of the Pye Centre. Featuring native food and flowering plants from across Labrador and Newfoundland, there will be spaces for resting and contemplation, and multi-lingual signs will celebrate Memorial’s 100 years and the work of the Labrador Campus, the Pye Centre and all who made the dream of Northern-led post-secondary education in Labrador possible. This will be a communal space to reflect on and be inspired by those who came before, and to collectively envision our future as a campus, a university and a community-led hub of Northern-focused food systems research and education.
100th Anniversary Commemorative Art
Labrador Campus of Memorial University, School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies
To celebrate Memorial’s centennial, the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies will commission a special art piece from locally and nationally recognized Innu artist Mary-Anne Penashue. The piece will commemorate the strength of Memorial’s past and the promising future ahead for the Labrador Campus while celebrating the incredible richness and history of Innu and Indigenous cultures and communities throughout Labrador. Displayed prominently on the first floor of the Labrador Campus, it will become a key focal point of our entrance area and stand as a testament and celebration of bringing people together from diverse backgrounds for shared learning and understanding and the exciting future on the horizon that we will create together.
100th Anniversary Graduate Studies Story Booth
School of Graduate Studies
The 100th Anniversary Graduate Studies Story Booth will celebrate the centennial by showcasing all the major milestones in graduate studies at Memorial University. This booth will appear during orientation sessions and other events organized by the School of Graduate Studies, providing an engaging experience for new students and the public. The booth not only highlights Memorial University's long-standing history, but also serves as a fun and memorable way for graduate students to capture their first moments at Memorial. The story booth is more than just a photo opportunity; it is a bridge to connect new graduate students with Memorial’s rich legacy, fostering a sense of belonging and community from the very beginning of their graduate journey.
100th Anniversary: The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s Special Edition Research Report and Celebration
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
This centennial project includes the creation of a special research report for 2025, featuring a detailed article on the history and evolution of engineering at Memorial and two feature articles from long-term research partners. Additionally, ten public lectures by industry leaders and alumni will be hosted, highlighting various aspects of Memorial Engineering’s past, present, and future. These lectures will cover various aspects of engineering, including historical achievements, current developments and future trends. The goal of the series is to engage the community and enhance public understanding of the role the faculty plays here at home and around the world.
2025 Teaching and Learning Conference
Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL)
CITL supports the evolution of teaching and learning and engages with the broader community by hosting Memorial’s annual Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC). The TLC provides educators, researchers, staff, students and alumni with an opportunity to embrace a broader vision in teaching and learning and create pan-university interest and participation in the practice and scholarship of teaching and learning. The conference has grown to become one of Memorial’s signature events with over 400 registrants for a two-day program of keynote speakers, plenaries and concurrent sessions of peer-reviewed presentations. The topics will build on past initiatives and innovations in teaching and learning to enhance future online learning and education in the province.
Alumni in Concert
School of Music
In 2025, the School of Music will celebrate its 50th anniversary in tandem with Memorial's centennial. The Alumni in Concert project will showcase School of Music alumni in performance during the Music at Memorial Concert Series and through short artist residencies within the School of Music and our greater community. We will shine the spotlight on our amazing alumni throughout the 2025-26 season. This will allow alumni to return to their roots at the School of Music, share their professional experience with current students and engage with our entire community.
Building a Legacy for Memorial University's Future: Legacy Horizon Society & Launch Event
Office of Development and Alumni Engagement
To mark the centennial and lay the foundation for the next 100 years at Memorial, the Planned Giving program will create the Horizon Society. The society will build a community for our donors, show our appreciation for their commitment and demonstrate the impact legacy gifts have on our students and the quality of the university. Donations help drive student success, now and in the future. And the centenary year is a wonderful occasion to launch this initiative that will recognize the philanthropy that helps sustain our future.
Celebrating ISER: A Public Symposium and Digital Exhibit
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Anthropology/ISER/J. R. Smallwood Foundation
The Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) is one of Memorial’s original institutes established to support research related to Newfoundland and Labrador. At ISER’s formation, there was relatively little social-science research being conducted about the province. This digital exhibit and public symposium will focus on links between ISER’s activities and Memorial's special obligation to the people of the province over the past 65 years. The exhibit and symposium will also look forward to where things are headed a few years into this recent milestone
A Century of Politics and the Next 100 Years
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Political Science
This informative series will feature 10 talks to mark 10 decades of political upheaval and advances—and to reflect on the next century’s pressing issues. The public will be welcomed to join 10 “lightening talks” by prominent alumni, current students and faculty members of the Department of Political Science. Each event will reflect on a century of political engagement in Newfoundland and Labrador while exploring how we can prepare for vital issues of the next one hundred years.
Champney’s West Aquarium Open House
Faculty of Science, Department of Ocean Sciences
This open-house event will support and promote the Champney’s West Aquarium. Champney’s West is a small community on the Bonavista Peninsula (Trinity Bay side) that, like many others, once thrived on the inshore fishery. The aquarium plays a key role in maintaining the community’s historic link to the ocean and providing opportunities for economic development, and Memorial has supported the endeavour since the beginning. This public event will celebrate this partnership and the community’s resourcefulness with educational displays and workshops related to the local marine environment.
Coast Lines: 100th Anniversary Event
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Office of Development and Alumni Engagement
Coast Lines, Memorial University’s popular public book club, will host a special event at the Emera Innovation Exchange (Signal Hill Campus) to celebrate the rich literary history of Newfoundland and Labrador and the role Memorial has played in fostering and shaping the province’s literary community. The event will feature a pair of distinguished authors: an established writer with deep connections to Memorial and a recently published emerging author and alumnus of Memorial’s creative writing program. The celebration will recognize Memorial’s past contributions to a province with a rich cultural history, while simultaneously setting the stage for its continued impact on the literary world.
Collecting for the Future: Revisiting and Expanding Newfoundland and Labrador's Cultural Documentation at the Folklore and Language Archive
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Folklore
Collecting for the Future seeks to expand the collections of MUNFLA through a research, lecture and concert series that will engage students, alumni, faculty, staff, members of our creative communities and the public. The archive contains diverse materials donated by more than 12,000 contributors on topics covering custom and belief, song, music, dance, legend, tale, material culture, occupational folklore, childlore and various other aspects of Newfoundland and Labrador culture. We aim to bring awareness, increase engagement, and encourage collection to design a future MUNFLA that reflects the inclusive and diverse peoples that consider themselves a part of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Curiosity and Wonder: STEAMing Ahead!
Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science
Science Rendezvous started with only a couple departments in the Faculty of Science and has since expanded to include the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine, and School of Pharmacy, as well as many local exhibitors from the community. It is a free, family, educational event that attracts over 1000 visitors to our university. The event offers the youth of our province practical activities and showcases the way science is integral to our daily lives. It also works to counteract societal messages that prevent women from entering the sciences and engineering. The theme for Science Rendezvous 2025 is “Wonder”. The opportunity to expand the event under the banner of the 100th anniversary will attract other faculties at Memorial and other entrepreneurs in our community to showcase the careers built on the foundation of a university education.
Down-Darting Birds, All Song: The Pratt Lecture Series, 1968–2025
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Memorial University Press
Dedicated to fostering the public appreciation of the literary arts, the Pratt Lecture is the oldest public lecture at Memorial University. Since 1968, the series has attracted such impressive lecturers as George Elliott Clarke, Dionne Brand, Northrop Frye, Terry Eagleton, Ursula K. Le Guin, Alberto Manguel and Anne Carson. In honour of Memorial’s 100th anniversary, the Pratt Lecture Committee, Memorial University Press, and Breakwater Books are planning a commemorative volume compiling a curated selection of past lectures. Publication of this special volume will coincide with the 2025 lecture and will be followed by a celebratory book launch event with an author panel, poetry readings and other performances.
Festival of Blooms
Botanical Garden
The Festival of Blooms is an annual signature event at the Botanical Garden. The multi-day event celebrates our summer blooms and all things flowering in the Garden. A hub of activity—from talks and walks, workshops, music and a family bloom day complete with a petal parade, the festival in 2025 will look back to celebrate the horticulturalists who curated the early garden displays, and our Heritage Garden, which was populated by local residents with heritage plants from their homesteads and gardens. And looking forward, we will highlight the current work of faculty and graduate students undertaking research at the garden, particularly around conservation.
Glancing Back While Forging Forward: Global Engagement and Internationalization at Memorial University
Internationalization Office
International students have become an integral part of the Memorial University community. Over the last 25 years, international enrolment has grown nearly tenfold. At this juncture, the Internationalization Office seeks to look back on this history through the lens of the students, faculty and staff that have been part of this growth, and to envision and reimagine what the future looks like for international students. This project includes the production of a film that solicits the stories and feedback from Memorial University alumni, faculty, staff, students and administrators about their time at Memorial and their global experiences.
Global Learning Centre Open House Event
Internationalization Office
Memorial University's Global Learning Centre is the home of the Internationalization Office and Go Abroad teams. Together, they provide support and advocacy for international students, generate partnerships and agreements with universities and organizations all over the world, and support international exchanges for domestic students who want to learn abroad. An open-house event will welcome the university community and external partners and introduce them to the Global Learning Centre. This event will familiarize the community with The Global Learning Centre while acknowledging the impact internationalization efforts have made at Memorial and the impact it will continue to make in the future.
Growing Roots and Bearing Fruit
Faculty of Education
As a symbol of the teaching profession and the role education has played in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Faculty of Education will plant two apple trees to bear fruit and beautify the grounds. And a dedication ceremony will be held to mark the occasion.
Looking Back: Exploring Historical Data
RAnLab, The Harris Centre
This project will highlight data trends over the past 100 years related to the population, economy and society of Newfoundland and Labrador. The project will draw on historical data sources such as the 1921, 1935 and 1945 censuses of Newfoundland and Labrador and undigitized government documents. Special attention will be given to information related to Memorial University to showcase key milestones alongside provincial historical trends. This project provides an opportunity to reflect on historical data, contemplate our current situation and consider how data can inform how we look towards the future.
Looking Back, Launching Forth: Indigenous Peoples, Reconciliation and Indigenization at Memorial University
Office of Indigenous Affairs
This project will include the publication and launch of an edited collection of essays about Indigenous Peoples and Indigenization at Memorial University. The collection will reflect on early work in Indigenous student support, consider the current work of Indigenous faculty and the Office of Indigenous Affairs, and acknowledge the efforts of non-Indigenous faculty and staff. The collection will be tied to the Forum on Indigenization and Reconciliation at Memorial (FIRM) in 2025. The theme for FIRM 2025 is “Looking back, launching forth,” and many of the pieces intended for the collection will benefit from the cumulative knowledge of attendees and the workshopping opportunities the forum provides.
Memorial University Honorary Doctorate Reception
Student Life
The Honorary Doctorate Recipient Reception will serve as a distinguished gathering where past recipients of honorary doctorates from Memorial University, alongside those receiving this prestigious recognition in the 100th year of the university, come together to celebrate their achievements and contributions. We will look back and launch forth by honoring the past, celebrating the present, and envisioning a future guided by excellence and collaboration. The event will stand as a testament to the university's commitment to recognizing and celebrating exceptional individuals who contribute to the advancement of knowledge, culture and society.
Memorial University's Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Annual Conference 2025
Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism
In May of 2025, the Office of the Vice-Provost, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-AR) will host a full-day international EDI-AR conference in St. John’s. Themed "Past, Present & Future of EDI-AR," this annual conference aims to convene a diverse group of participants, including students, staff, researchers, faculty, retirees, alumni, community leaders and industry professionals from across the globe, to share success stories and achievements in addressing EDI-AR. Through this event, the university, and particularly the EDI-AR portfolio, will glean insights from best practices and strategies in addressing EDI-AR issues applicable within the university and the communities we serve. This will pave the way for collaborative research projects and exchange programs and enrich all the university's EDI-AR initiatives.
Newfoundland Quarterly Special Online Articles and Panel Discussion
Office of Public Engagement, Newfoundland Quarterly
Two generations of artistic creation, collaboration and expression have passed since Sandra Gwyn's seminal article "The Newfoundland Renaissance" was published in Saturday Night magazine. In 2025, The Newfoundland Quarterly will undertake a special series of articles concerning these two generations of post-Newfoundland Renaissance art, culture and creation and the significant role played by Memorial’s Extension Service in these developments. The articles will be followed by a panel discussion building on and expanding beyond the information in the published texts. And our discussions will be open to the public and free to attend.
One Hundred Years of Muslim Lives and Narratives in Newfoundland and Labrador and at Memorial University
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Religious Studies and Political Science
As we prepare for the publication of a new book with Memorial University Press, we’re planning a special book launch and tour for our community to mark this momentous occasion. Drawing on oral history interviews, historical sources and our growing archival donations, our book celebrates the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and stories of settlement, adversity, triumph and contributions from self-defined Muslims in our province. The event will include local participants of the book project and will feature an exhibit and a tour of the QEII library archives. This will be an important moment to share narratives of hope, sacrifice and settlement in a province that has changed significantly over the last century.
Picture Us: A Research at Memorial Event
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
In recognition of Memorial’s centennial celebration, the Office of the Vice-President (Research) will showcase Memorial’s diverse research activities through a series of photographic art exhibits featuring up to 100 researchers and their work. Picture Us: A Research at Memorial Event will consist of up to 10 exhibits with each exhibit featuring up to 10 researchers. The exhibits, to be held between March 2025 and April 2026, will showcase the curiosity, ingenuity and creativity of Memorial’s researchers and their transformative work.
Public Engagement Symposium 2025: A Celebration of Collaboration
Office of Public Engagement
Public Engagement Symposium 2025: A Celebration of Collaboration will be a two-day knowledge sharing and professional development opportunity for Memorial students, faculty and staff. The symposium will bring the university community together to celebrate successes and share lessons learned over the past decade since Memorial first launched its Public Engagement Framework while envisioning and charting new approaches to public engagement to reflect our changing university, province and world.
Rabble Rousers: A 21st Century Relaunch of the “Ladies” Reading Room
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Gender Studies and Political Science
In operation from 1909-1934, the “Ladies Reading Room” in St. John’s acted as a self-taught university for middle- and upper-class women, who had been banned from men’s fraternal society clubs where they had previously attended lectures and debates. The reading room was led by women suffragists of the time, such as Armine Gosling, who hosted the earliest reading room out of her home on LeMarchant Road. Rabble Rousers: A 21st Century Relaunch of the “Ladies” Reading Room proposes to renew a dedicated space that will serve as a community reading room and launch an event series open to the public.
Social Work Education at Memorial University: Celebrating the Past and Present, Reflecting on Future Directions
School of Social Work
The School of Social Work (SSW) is excited to be part of Memorial University of Newfoundland’s success story as the university celebrates its 100th Anniversary in 2025. In 2018, the SSW celebrated its 50th anniversary, and we will build on that recent success by organizing a one-day event. Social Work Education at Memorial University: Celebrating the Past and Present, Reflecting on Future Directions will engage with students, alumni, faculty, staff, donors and benefactors, and all admirers and well-wishers of social work as we celebrate and reflect together.
Stars in the Firmament: A Celebration of the Grenfell Visual Arts Community
Grenfell Campus, School of Fine Arts
The School of Fine Art’s visual arts program began in 1988. Since then, our alumni have built reputations as creative leaders both provincially and nationally. To celebrate their accomplishments, we will hold a campus-wide art exhibition in Summer 2025 to showcase the work of our inspiring visual arts alumni. Walls and corridors across Grenfell Campus will be adorned by their work, and we will complement the exhibition with a series of talks, discussions and creative workshops. More than a reunion, Stars in the Firmament will celebrate the history of the program, showcase our amazing alumni and inspire our entire community.
Transforming the Field: Celebrating the Development of the ICP-MS Method for Earth Sciences at Memorial
Faculty of Science, Department of Earth Sciences
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the development of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as a transformative analytical method in the Earth sciences. Not only was this technique created at Memorial, led by Dr. Henry Longerich, but it was further developed here as well. This project will celebrate a genuinely groundbreaking, even revolutionary, achievement in the field and create a permanent exhibit to be housed in the atrium of the Alexander Murray Building. A complementary online video resource will also be created to explanation the technique and feature interviews with the original creators.
Trailblazers of the Space Age: Telemedicine at Memorial University and the Launch of Satellite Technology for Remote Healthcare and Education
Faculty of Medicine
In the 1970s, Memorial University became a global leader in the use of satellite technology for the delivery of healthcare services and educational programs to rural and remote locations. Memorial delivered accredited continuing medical education programming to rural physicians, enabling the transmission of medical data and offering remote medical consultation services. By reflecting on and building awareness about this history, this project will connect the university community with their own exceptional history, contribute to our institutional identity and demonstrate to the wider public how Memorial University fostered innovation and vision with the courage to take risks on a global scale.
Victorian Lanterns for the Merry and Bright Festival
Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden will install Victorian Lanterns for the Merry and Bright Festival. The lanterns, with their shadowbox designs and LED backlighting, will create a winter wonderland for all visitors to the garden and add a fitting historical touch to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Memorial University.