The 2024-2025 MSSU Trainee Support Program is now accepting applications. This funding opportunity is open to trainees engaged in patient-oriented health research and entering or enrolled in a master’s, doctoral, or post-doctoral fellow program at universities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Funding amounts and duration:

Non-renewable awards will be available in the following amounts:

• Master’s level – $10,000 for 1 year
• Doctoral level – $15,000/year for 2 years
• Post-doctoral level – $20,000/year for 2 years

Deadline to apply: March 22, 2024, at 2 pm AT

Information session: February 22, 2024, at 3 pm AT

Join the information session about the requirements and process: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ek6x8aj0ff533bed&oseq=&c=&ch=  

In the meantime, visit the MSSU website for a program overview with more details, including links to the online application forms.

If you have any questions or would like to register for the information session, please email  Sharon.Skaling@nshealth.ca.

The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism, a book co-edited by Drs. Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings, will be launched at the Institute of Island Studies’ Island Lecture Series presentation on February 27. Featuring a discussion of the effect of bridges—physical or digital—on island life and culture, the event will take place from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI. 

Dr. Brinklow will take a humorous look at ferry crossings and how the various stages of the journey from the race to the dock to chatting with neighbours in the lineup can define Island life. Presenting virtually from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge, Dr. Jennings will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. Janice Pettit, PEI contributor, will share her interviews with Island residents about how the Confederation Bridge has affected “the Island way of life” 20 years later.

The event is free; all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase. 

Dr. Brinklow is a writer, editor, assistant professor, and coordinator of the UPEI Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program. She is the author of My island’s the house I sleep in at night and Here for the Music. A resident of Shetland, Scotland’s most northerly islands, Dr. Jennings is an associate professor of Island Studies based at UHI Shetland, where he works with the Institute for Northern Studies. Janice Pettit was an adjunct professor at UPEI where she taught the Introduction to Island Studies course for seven semesters. She now works for the PEI Public Service Commission.

The Bridge Effect was published by Island Studies Press with the support of a SSHRC Exchange Publication Award from the Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Research at UPEI. For more information, contact Bren Simmers at 902-566-0386 or ispstaff@upei.ca.

Peter is a five-and-a-half-year-old male neutered retired teaching beagle who is looking for a new home. He is a sweet and loving dog who loves to spend time with his people. He's the best dog to cuddle with and loves greeting you when you get home. If you want to feel loved, Peter is the dog for you.

He is looking for a new home because he is anxious of and doesn't get along with our other dog, so ideally, he would be the only dog in his new house. He does live with four cats, and he loves all of them and respects their boundaries. He doesn't have experience with kids but is very people friendly.

He has been diagnosed with social anxiety, so he has trouble reading the social cues of and communicating with other dogs. Partially due to this, he is also leash reactive to other dogs. He is currently on several medications for anxiety, and other than his issues with our other dog, he seems to be doing well in regard to his anxiety. He has had some trouble with house training but has been doing great lately, with only a few accidents in the last month. Peter also has mild hip dysplasia but currently does not need medication for it.

Peter really is a wonderful dog, and it was an extremely hard decision to begin the process to rehome him. I want him to have the best life, and I truly believe he is the perfect dog for someone, but he just needs to be without the stress of living with a dog that he doesn't like in order to live up to his full potential.

If you are interested or want more information, please contact Alyssa McGee at ajmcgee@upei.ca

The Robertson Library invites the campus community to a candidate presentations for the Library’s permanent-track position of One Health and Scholarly Communications Librarian. 

Candidate: Keri McCaffrey, MLIS

Title: What can the Library do to support scholarly communications at a university like UPEI?

When: Monday, February 26, 2024, 9:45 AM

Where: AVC 218S

Keri earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from Dalhousie University. She is currently a Legislative Research Analyst with the Government of Prince Edward Island.

Research Ethics Board (REB) applications involving "more than minimal risk" must be reviewed by the full UPEI REB. The next deadline for submitting these protocols is Friday, March 2, 2023, for review at the March 25 meeting.

Other ethics protocol submissions, including new applications that do not involve more than minimal risk, renewals, and amendments, may be submitted at any time. They will be sent for delegated review as soon as all necessary materials are received.

All research compliance applications, including for the REB, must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal (https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/). Instructions for using the site are available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca for more information about the Researcher Portal, or the REB application, review, and approval process.

The next deadline for submitting biosafety applications, including new applications, renewals, and/or amendments, is Friday, March 2, 2024. These applications will be reviewed at the March 21 meeting.

All research compliance applications, including biosafety application forms, must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal. Information about the Researcher Portal, including instructions for using the site, is available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Research Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the Researcher Portal, or about the biosafety application, review, and approval process.

IT Systems and Services will be performing network maintenance on Sunday, February 25, from 8 –10 am. During this time, there will be intermittent outages on the wired and wi-fi networks on campus. 

If you are off campus, services such as Microsoft solutions (including email), Google, Zoom, upei.ca, Moodle etc., that are in the cloud will not be impacted.   

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (2024), February is Heart Month, a time to raise awareness about the importance of cardiovascular health and an opportunity to focus on what we can do to improve our heart health. Heart disease impacts almost all of us at some point in our lives indirectly or directly. It is the second leading cause of death for both men and women in Canada.

Prevention plays an important role when it comes to heart and cardiovascular disease. Healthy behaviours such as being physically active, eating a variety of healthy foods, limiting highly processed foods, not smoking, getting proper sleep, and managing stress can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

If you have additional questions about heart health, reach out to the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre, or visit https://www.heartandstroke.ca/. Reduce your risk today!

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next presentation of the 2023-24 Environmental Sciences & Human Biology seminar series on Friday, February 23, 2024, at 12:30 pm in Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Romina Babazadeh, MSc. candidate, Saunders Lab, Department of Applied Human Sciences, will present “Mental health in individuals with metabolic syndrome.”

Julie Heckbert, MSc candidate, Taylor Lab, Department of Applied Human Sciences, will present "Food insecurity, food availability and household hardships in Prince Edward Island social assistance clients."

All are welcome.

UPEI annually acknowledges individuals for their outstanding contributions to the success of the University. The awards are valued at $1,000 each and given in recognition of excellence of faculty, librarians, clinical veterinary professionals, clinical nursing instructors, sessional instructors, and staff.

The awards will be presented during a Celebration of Colleagues to be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the UPEI Performing Arts Centre, PAC #121S. 

Nominations are open and must be submitted to universityawards@upei.ca by the last Friday in February each year. This year, nominations close on Friday, February 23.. 

For further details on the awards and the nomination process, please visit University Awards of Excellence.

The search committee for the Dean of Sustainable Design Engineering announces an upcoming presentation by a finalist candidate. Dr. Suzanna Kresta will give a public presentation on Monday, February 26, 2:00–3:00 pm, AVC 207N.

Dr. Kresta is a professor of chemical engineering and recently completed a term as dean of the College of Engineering (2018–2023) at the University of Saskatchewan. She received a BScEng (University of New Brunswick), MSc (Leeds University), and PhD (McMaster University) in 1992, all in chemical engineering. As dean at USask, she led the development and implementation of the College’s strategic plan, new co-operative education program, complete re-design of the first-year program, and three major building plan projects, among others. She has received several teaching and research awards, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for contributions to education in the province of Saskatchewan. Dr. Kresta is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering American Institute of Chemical Engineers Canada.

Since the search for the Dean of Sustainable Design Engineering began in June 2023, the committee has conducted a comprehensive search and selected an additional finalist for a series of stakeholder meetings on campus.

The Government of Prince Edward Island invites students aged 14 to 24 to undertake anti-racism work on PEI. Students can apply for funding ranging from $100 to $1,500 for projects that must align with one or more of the following goals: strengthening organizational capacity with activities focused on anti-racism; public outreach, engagement, and advocacy; and strengthening BIPOC communities. Project proposals will be accepted until February 26, 2024. For more information, visit princeedwardisland.ca/antiracismmicrogrants 

Join the International Student Office and the Robertson Library on Wednesday, February 28, as we present Ninth Floor, a documentary film about one of Canada's largest student occupations. In 1969, a group of students occupied a ninth-floor computer lab to protest their Montreal university's racist administration. The film will be shown in the Robertson Library, Room 235, at 6:00 pm. Doors will open at 5:30 pm. 

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next presentation of the 2023-24 Environmental Sciences & Human Biology seminar series on Friday, February 23, 2024, at 12:30 pm in Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Romina Babazadeh, MSc. candidate, Saunders Lab, Department of Applied Human Sciences, will present “Mental health in individuals with metabolic syndrome.”

Julie Heckbert, MSc candidate, Taylor Lab, Department of Applied Human Sciences, will present "Food insecurity, food availability and household hardships in Prince Edward Island social assistance clients."

All are welcome.

The English Corner is closed until Thursday, February 29.

Accessibility Services (first floor Dalton Hall) will close from noon until 2:00 pm on Thursday, February 22, for a staff meeting.

To submit an inquiry, please email accessibility@upei.ca or astesting@upei.ca (testing inquiries only).

Messages received during the closure will be answered as soon as possible.

Thank you!

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Global Women’s (and Allies) breakfast (GWB) will be held at the Fox & Crow, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, on February 27, 2024, from 7:30–9:30 am. Click here to register by February 22 at 4 pm. Breakfast is included for registered attendees.

Held in conjunction with the UN Day of Women and Girls in Science, the goal of the breakfast series is to establish an active network of people of all genders to overcome the barriers to gender equality in science. The theme of this year’s event is “Catalyzing Diversity in Science.”

Speakers will include Dr. Nola Etkin, dean of science; Dr. Marya Ahmed, associate professor of chemistry and engineering; and Leah Gauthier, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry. They will speak about their experiences as female leaders in science as well as their research, mentorship, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Also planned is a “tie-dye your lab coat” activity. Participants can bring clean lab coats and turn them into colourful garments.

A virtual information session regarding NSERC Alliance Grants will be held on Thursday, March 14, from 11:30 am-12:45 pm. The session will provide an overview of the Alliance Advantage and Alliance Society programs and will provide details on how to apply. The session will be presented by Shirine Jeradi, Manager, NSERC – Research Partnerships, and based in Atlantic Canada.

This session is open to anyone interested in learning more about NSERC Alliance Grants. RSVP via this Google form to obtain the zoom link.

The session will be followed by an opportunity for researchers to have short (10-15 minutes) one-on-one consultations with Shirine. If you are interested in a consultation, please note this on the Google form and indicate your availability. A private Zoom link will be sent to you for your consultation meeting.

Alliance grants encourage university researchers to collaborate with partner organizations, which can be from the private, public, or not-for-profit sectors. These grants support research projects led by strong complementary collaborative teams that will generate new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results to create benefits for Canada.

Alliance Advantage grants (formerly Alliance cost-sharing option 1) are for partner-driven projects. They fund projects focused on the partners’ goals, with at least one partner sharing in the costs of research.

Alliance Society grants (formerly Alliance cost-sharing option 2) fund projects with societal impact as the main driver.

Our next Coffee Break Conversation will be Monday, February 26, at 10:30 am, with Scott Cassidy and John McIntyre, co-chairs of UPEI’s GenAI Taskforce. Bring your favourite morning beverage, and join us in the TLC, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230. If you want to join us online, here's a zoom link .

UPEI annually acknowledges individuals for their outstanding contributions to the success of the University. The awards are valued at $1,000 each and given in recognition of excellence of faculty, librarians, clinical veterinary professionals, clinical nursing instructors, sessional instructors, and staff.

The awards will be presented during a Celebration of Colleagues to be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the UPEI Performing Arts Centre, PAC #121S. 

Nominations are open and must be submitted to universityawards@upei.ca by the last Friday in February each year. This year, nominations close on Friday, February 23.. 

For further details on the awards and the nomination process, please visit University Awards of Excellence.