The 2024 Global Village celebration will take place in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, on November 30 at 3:30 pm. Global Village is a celebration of the multiculturalism and diversity that exists on campus, so students from all over the world showcase their culture and traditions, as well as help encourage cultural sensitivity and a global perspective. Global Village is held annually to showcase all the different cultures represented at UPEI both within and outside Canada. This is a student-led event that features cultural exhibitions, processions, and performances.

The Robertson Library’s OER Development Program is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include: 

• Open Educational Resource or Textbook Grant: up to $7000 for the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook, or major adaptations of existing textbooks; 
• Open Textbook Adaptation Grant: up to $4,500 for the adaptation of one or more open educational resources or open textbooks to create a new version or edition of a resource (i.e., a Canadian edition of an existing open textbook); 
• Supplementary Resources Grant: up to $2,500 for the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including, but not limited to test banks, slide decks, recordings, or interactive media, etc. 

Applications that support first-year courses will be given priority as they reach the greatest number of students, but all applications will be reviewed and considered. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025. For more information, or to apply, visit https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants. 

Questions about your grant idea? Don’t need a grant, but you’d like to make an OER? Contact Keri McCaffrey, One Health and Scholarly Communications Librarian, at knmccaffrey@upei.ca or Charlene VanLeeuwen, Teaching and Learning Centre, at cvanleeuwen@upei.ca. 

ITSS, including the helpdesk, will be closed for a departmental staff meeting on Friday, November 8, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. During this time, you can still submit a ticket by emailing helpdesk@upei.ca or calling 902-566-0465. We’ll respond as soon as we return on Tuesday, November 12, at 8:00 am. Thank you for your understanding!

ITSS Team

UPEI graduate students are invited to join Dr. Wendy Rodgers (President and Vice-Chancellor) and Dr. Suzanne Kresta (Dean, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering), co-chairs of the University Strategic Plan Steering Committee, to discuss the University's strategic direction. The forward-thinking consultations are an opportunity to learn more about the priorities and goals of our graduate students as the University develops its roadmap for the future.

In collaboration with the UPEI Graduate Student Association, a conversation with graduate students will be held on 

Friday, November 8
12:00 noon to 1:00 pm
Room 142, Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, UPEI

Those who are unable to attend in person may join via this Teams Town Hall link.

For more information about the strategic planning process at UPEI, visit https://www.upei.ca/president/strategic-planning

UPEI graduate students and post-doctoral scholars are encouraged to register for the FREE virtual 2024 Canadian Career Symposium for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars, presented by the Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network (GPDN). REGISTRATION IS OPEN: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1028291406277

The career symposium, spanning Tuesday, November 19 to Thursday, November 21, is three half-days of virtual career content (workshops and panels) specifically for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars studying in Canada. The content is applicable to both research-focused and course-based scholars, with topics including the role of values in career decision-making, applying your research skills to career planning, networking strategies for graduate students, and more! View the full Career Symposium Agenda here.

The career symposium will feature PEI-based speakers:

• Sasha Nandlal, UPEI PhD Ed candidate, a panelist on: "What I Learned from Serving on a Faculty Search Committee"
• Monic Vokey, Recruitment Consultant, PEI Public Service Commission, a panelist on: "Exploring Careers in the Public Sector"

Registration gives access to attend the live-streamed virtual sessions from 2:00 to 5:00 pm each day and to access the recordings* for up to one year after the symposium. Attendees are welcome to attend all sessions, or join just those of special interest. (*Panels will be available only as live-streams.)

Registration is free for UPEI graduate students and post-doctoral scholars due to sponsorship and coordination support of the symposium by the UPEI Faculty of Graduate Studies.

On November 4, UPEI launched its first Employee Engagement Survey. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to complete this survey. It is greatly appreciated! 

This is a reminder that there is one week left to complete the survey. Please visit myUPEI for more information about the Employee Engagement Survey: myUPEI – Employee Engagement.  

The survey will be open to faculty, staff, and student employees. If you do not receive an e-mail link and think you should have, please contact: hrengage@upei.ca 

Each employee who completes a survey is eligible to enter into a draw for UPEI swag. You can enter the draw by delivering your survey confirmation page in person to Human Resources at Kelley Memorial Building 143, or you can e-mail a screenshot to hrengage@upei.ca no later than November 22. 

Should you need a quiet place to complete your survey, please feel welcome to attend a computer lab on one of the dates indicated below. UPEI’s Employee Engagement Officer will also be available to provide support if needed. 

November 12: 10:00 am–2:00 pm, Duffy Science Centre, Room 202 

November 13: 12–3:00 pm, Robertson Library, Room 264 

Together, we will build a supportive community where everyone can thrive—Your Voice, Our Future! 

UPEI has a Working Alone Procedure to protect the health and safety of all UPEI employees and students who work alone including after-hours and when working off-site. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that their staff and students are safe when working alone. 

• Working alone means an employee/student working at a workplace is the only employee/student at that workplace in circumstances where assistance is not readily available to the employee/student in the event of injury, ill health, or emergency.
• There are two categories of working alone plans: 
  1. areas with low risk where a UPEI Standard Working Alone Plan is used; 
  2. areas with risk where a Site-specific Working Alone Plan is required.
• The UPEI Safe App is an excellent tool to use when working alone. When the app is activated, Security Services monitors and responds if necessary.
• Please visit the HSE SharePoint site for more information on the Working Alone Procedure.

As always, feel free to contact Health, Safety, and Environment at hse@upei.ca with any questions or concerns. 

The Robertson Library’s OER Development Program is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include: 

• Open Educational Resource or Textbook Grant: up to $7000 for the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook, or major adaptations of existing textbooks; 
• Open Textbook Adaptation Grant: up to $4,500 for the adaptation of one or more open educational resources or open textbooks to create a new version or edition of a resource (i.e., a Canadian edition of an existing open textbook); 
• Supplementary Resources Grant: up to $2,500 for the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including, but not limited to test banks, slide decks, recordings, or interactive media, etc. 

Applications that support first-year courses will be given priority as they reach the greatest number of students, but all applications will be reviewed and considered. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025. For more information, or to apply, visit https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants. 

Questions about your grant idea? Don’t need a grant, but you’d like to make an OER? Contact Keri McCaffrey, One Health and Scholarly Communications Librarian, at knmccaffrey@upei.ca or Charlene VanLeeuwen, Teaching and Learning Centre, at cvanleeuwen@upei.ca. 

The next public event at the Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory is scheduled for Thursday, November 7, 7:30-9:30 pm. The Department of Physics invites you to come look through our telescope at the moon, planets, stars, or nebulae. Meet us in room 417 of Memorial Hall. We’ll have some astronomy activities and information for a variety of ages that you can peruse while you wait for your turn to go up to the observatory. You can take an elevator up to room 417, but it is necessary to climb stairs up one floor to the roof and into the observatory to reach the telescope.

This event is weather-dependent; in the event of cloudy weather, it will have to be cancelled. Visit our website (https://projects.upei.ca/astronomy/) on Thursday morning to see the event status.

ITSS, including the helpdesk, will be closed for a departmental staff meeting on Friday, November 8, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. During this time, you can still submit a ticket by emailing helpdesk@upei.ca or calling 902-566-0465. We’ll respond as soon as we return on Tuesday, November 12, at 8:00 am. Thank you for your understanding!

ITSS Team

UPEI graduate students are invited to join Dr. Wendy Rodgers (President and Vice-Chancellor) and Dr. Suzanne Kresta (Dean, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering), co-chairs of the University Strategic Plan Steering Committee, to discuss the University's strategic direction. The forward-thinking consultations are an opportunity to learn more about the priorities and goals of our graduate students as the University develops its roadmap for the future.

In collaboration with the UPEI Graduate Student Association, a conversation with graduate students will be held on 

Friday, November 8
12:00 noon to 1:00 pm
Room 142, Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, UPEI

Those who are unable to attend in person may join via this Teams Town Hall link.

For more information about the strategic planning process at UPEI, visit https://www.upei.ca/president/strategic-planning

The Bookmark and UPEI’s Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies (IKERAS) will host a book launch for Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga’s new book, "The Knowing," on Thursday, November 7, at 7 pm, in the UPEI Performing Arts Centre amphitheatre (Room 121S). 

"The Knowing" is a riveting exploration of Talaga’s family’s story and a retelling of the history of the country now called Canada. For generations, Indigenous People have known that their family members disappeared, many of them after being sent to residential schools, “Indian hospitals,” and asylums through a coordinated system designed to destroy who the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people are. Talaga retells the history of this country through an Indigenous lens, beginning with the life of her great-great-grandmother Annie Carpenter and her family as they experienced decades of government- and church-sanctioned enfranchisement and genocide.

This event is free and open to everyone, but tickets are required. To book tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/tanya-talaga-in-conversation-with-jenene-wooldridge-tickets-1042270046767 or call the Bookmark at 902-566-4888.

Please note that challenging topics will be discussed at the event, including, but not limited to, historical traumas, the Residential School system, sexual abuse, and suicide.

The Animal Care Committee does not meet in December. The deadline for Animal Care protocol submissions--new, renewal, or amendment--is Friday, January 3, 2025, for the January meeting.

Please note that as of June 1, 2020, all animal user protocols must be submitted through UPEI Researcher Portal at https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/

For new protocols, select "applications" and for renewal or amendment protocols, select "events."

UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx. 

Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month. The committee requires at least one month for processing applications.

The Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER) will present a seminar titled "The use of Generative AI tools in research" on December 4 at noon in AVC 205N (Lecture B). The presenters are Keri McCaffrey, One Health and Scholarly Communications Librarian, and Katelyn Browne, Instructional Services Librarian.

As academics, the draw of a time-saving tool is always of interest. When are the current Generative AI tools available truly useful, and when might they be distractions or time wasters? Join us for a review of the types of Gen AI tools that are being marketed to researchers with an open discussion on potential uses and relevant concerns. We are interested in your questions as well as your own experiences and recommendations.

Pizza will be provided by CVER. Please join us. All are welcome.

The Robertson Library’s OER Development Program is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include: 

• Open Educational Resource or Textbook Grant: up to $7000 for the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook, or major adaptations of existing textbooks; 
• Open Textbook Adaptation Grant: up to $4,500 for the adaptation of one or more open educational resources or open textbooks to create a new version or edition of a resource (i.e., a Canadian edition of an existing open textbook); 
• Supplementary Resources Grant: up to $2,500 for the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including, but not limited to test banks, slide decks, recordings, or interactive media, etc. 

Applications that support first-year courses will be given priority as they reach the greatest number of students, but all applications will be reviewed and considered. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2025. For more information, or to apply, visit https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants. 

Questions about your grant idea? Don’t need a grant, but you’d like to make an OER? Contact Keri McCaffrey, One Health and Scholarly Communications Librarian, at knmccaffrey@upei.ca or Charlene VanLeeuwen, Teaching and Learning Centre, at cvanleeuwen@upei.ca. 

The next public event at the Earl L. Wonnacott Observatory is scheduled for Thursday, November 7, 7:30-9:30 pm. The Department of Physics invites you to come look through our telescope at the moon, planets, stars, or nebulae. Meet us in room 417 of Memorial Hall. We’ll have some astronomy activities and information for a variety of ages that you can peruse while you wait for your turn to go up to the observatory. You can take an elevator up to room 417, but it is necessary to climb stairs up one floor to the roof and into the observatory to reach the telescope.

This event is weather-dependent; in the event of cloudy weather, it will have to be cancelled. Visit our website (https://projects.upei.ca/astronomy/) on Thursday morning to see the event status.

IT Systems and Services, in collaboration with the Robertson Library, now offers extended hours of technical support to cover evening classes. Extended support hours will run from 4:30 to 8:00 pm Mondays through Thursdays, and 4:00 to 8:00 pm on Fridays.   

This service will be delivered by the Robertson Library Service Desk (reference@upei.ca, 902-566-0583). 

Support areas include password resets, account locks, wifi, and basic computer/podium troubleshooting. 

ITSS, including the helpdesk, will be closed for a departmental staff meeting on Friday, November 8, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. During this time, you can still submit a ticket by emailing helpdesk@upei.ca or calling 902-566-0465. We’ll respond as soon as we return on Tuesday, November 12, at 8:00 am. Thank you for your understanding!

ITSS Team

UPEI graduate students are invited to join Dr. Wendy Rodgers (President and Vice-Chancellor) and Dr. Suzanne Kresta (Dean, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering), co-chairs of the University Strategic Plan Steering Committee, to discuss the University's strategic direction. The forward-thinking consultations are an opportunity to learn more about the priorities and goals of our graduate students as the University develops its roadmap for the future.

In collaboration with the UPEI Graduate Student Association, a conversation with graduate students will be held on 

Friday, November 8
12:00 noon to 1:00 pm
Room 142, Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, UPEI

Those who are unable to attend in person may join via this Teams Town Hall link.

For more information about the strategic planning process at UPEI, visit https://www.upei.ca/president/strategic-planning

ACENET has the following upcoming training available to researchers and students. There are no fees. 

Registration is available on our new training portal:
REGISTRATION 
https://www.acenet.training/courses

Desktops in the Cloud
November 5, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
The Cloud provides access to hardware resources beyond those available on your laptop or desktop, though you may still want to interact with that hardware as if it were your laptop using a graphical user interface (GUI) desktop. In this workshop we will install a GUI desktop on a remote virtual machine and connect to it from our laptop, allowing us to use this remote desktop almost as if it were our local machine.

Introduction to Python & Coding for HSS - Parts I and II in the HSS Python Series
November 6 and 13, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic | 1330-1630hrs NL (online)
This is a beginner-level 4-part series for humanities and social sciences researchers (HSS) and librarians. Introduction to Python and Coding for HSS - Parts I and II focus on introducing participants to basic coding concepts and fundamentals to help them confidently participate in high-level conceptual discussions with computer programmers or technical team members. We will use Python due to its vast popularity, easy syntax, and powerful extensions while working in the user-friendly and convenient JupyterLab environment. These general concepts will be reinforced and illustrated with the hands-on development of simple programs that can help with text-based research and analysis immediately.

Command the Cloud
November 7, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
In ‘Introduction to Cloud’, we used the OpenStack web interface to create our first virtual machine. With this web interface many common tasks can be performed, however, some important tasks cannot be completed using only the web interface; instead a command line interface (CLI) is needed. The CLI also allows access to some additional and very useful tasks, such as downloading virtual machine images, and provides access to information not shown in the web interface. In this workshop, we will show how to setup and use the OpenStack CLI and perform some common tasks when managing virtual machines.

Using Git Tools Part I: Version Control
November 19, 1300-1630hrs Atlantic / 1330-1700hrs NL
Version control is the practice of managing and sharing changes to documents, programming code, websites or any other files to keep track of what’s been changed, by whom, when, and why. All previous versions of files are saved and you can even revert to a previous version. Git is a version control software. Git-portal sites, like GitHub or GitLab, offer many useful features to facilitate collaborative development. This is the first workshop of a two-part series. The first session focuses on version control. The second explores using Git for collaborative development. This beginner-level session will introduce you to Git. We will show you how to create a repository, record changes to files, explore and restore from the recorded history, and resolve conflicts (when one member overwrites another’s changes).

Introduction to API Querying for HSS -- Part III in the HSS Python Series
November 20, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
This is a beginner-level 4-part series for humanities and social sciences (HSS) researchers (HSS) and librarians. API Querying and Textual Analysis - Parts III and IV focus on allowing participants to apply basic coding concepts to API querying and text-based analysis. API stands for application programming interface. It acts as a communication interface so different computers/systems can talk to the application hosting the API. Querying APIs in HSS research is useful because data changes rapidly and it is a way to capture a small piece of a much larger set of data.

Using Git Tools Part II: Collaboration Platforms
26 November, 1300-1630hrs Atlantic / 1330-1700hrs NL
Version control is the practice of managing and sharing changes to documents, programming code, websites or any other files to keep track of what’s been changed, by whom, when, and why. All previous versions of files are saved and you can even revert to a previous version. Git is a version control software. Git-portal sites, like GitHub or GitLab, offer many useful features to facilitate collaborative development. This is the second workshop of a two-part series. The first session focuses on version control. This session will focus on collaborative development workflows using Git-collaboration sites like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. It will demonstrate how to work with branches, issue tracking, contribute to projects using pull-/merge-requests, code-review, run CI/CD-pipelines, and use other common features of these platforms.

Textual Analysis using Python for HSS - Part IV in the HSS Python Series
November 27, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
This is a beginner-level 4-part series for humanities and social sciences (HSS) researchers (HSS) and librarians. API Querying and Textual Analysis - Parts III and IV focus on allowing participants to apply basic coding concepts to API querying and text-based analysis. We will use a Python library to analyze textual data and learn about common natural language processing (NLP) tasks such as part-of-speech tagging, noun phrase extraction, sentiment analysis, classification, and more to explore meaningful trends in language patterns.

Visualization with R
November 27, 1300-1500hrs Atlantic / 1330-1530hrs NL
While working with large sets of numbers, it is often quite useful to display the information graphically. Often, we use basic graph types such as histograms, scatter plots, bar charts, boxplots etc. In this session, we will use the programming language R to create visualizations of large datasets. Basic knowledge of R is recommended, although not mandatory. By the end of this session, participants will be able to create simple scatterplots, histograms, and box plots; compare the plotting features of base R and ggplot2 package; plot with ggplot2; plot time series data; and arrange and export plots.

Registration is available on our new training portal. 
REGISTRATION: https://www.acenet.training/courses