Campus Notices
Title of the Thesis “Immunomodulatory and Antimicrobial Properties of Peptide-modified Surfaces”
Abstract:
Macrophages are critical regulators of immune response, inflammation, and tissue repair. Modulating macrophage behavior by physical (nanopatterned surfaces) and chemical methods (host defense peptides, HDPs) offers significant therapeutic potential, particularly in controlling infections, inflammation, tissue regeneration, and cancer immunity. In this study, HDPs and nanopatterned surfaces are combined in a single approach to modulate macrophage polarization and antimicrobial efficacies. mCA4, an HDP developed in Ahmed laboratory at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) was evaluated for its mechanism of immunomodulation upon macrophage treatment, and was found to trigger intracellular signaling pathways, including (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) (PI3K)/ protein kinase B(Akt), extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4). To improve peptide stability and bioavailability, mCA4 was immobilized on thermally cross-linked PVA and poly (MAAc) cicada wing-inspired nanopatterned surfaces, via a Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition method demonstrating controlled peptide release over time.
The antimicrobial properties of untreated nanopatterned surfaces showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity due to their topographical features. However, immobilization of mCA4 on the surfaces, had detrimental effects on antimicrobial properties, likely due to peptide release dynamics and enhanced bacterial attachment, preventing direct mechanical damage by nanopillared surfaces to the bacterial membranes. Furthermore, macrophages polarization studies revealed on anti-inflammatory profile of bare surfaces and mCA4-modified surfaces shifted macrophage polarization towards a pro-inflammatory state, as a function of peptide concentration deposited on the surface. This study demonstrates the potential of integrating both chemical and physical strategies to modulate macrophage response and enhance antimicrobial activities for inflammatory disease treatment.
Friday March 21, 2025, 1:00 pm via web conference
If you wish to attend the public presentation, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator at gsc@upei.ca to receive the link.
Title: "Integration of Machine Learning and Remote Sensing Data for Evaluating Climate Extremes in the Agricultural Production System of Prince Edward Island"
Abstract:
Climate change threatens global agriculture by altering weather patterns and intensifying extreme events, posing challenges for Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, where rainfed potato farming is crucial. Potatoes, highly sensitive to climatic variability, require precise monitoring to enhance resilience. This study utilizes high-resolution satellite remote sensing to assess climate impacts on PEI potato crops across four fields (2021–2022). Multispectral data from Landsat 8, PlanetScope, and Sentinel-2A estimated evapotranspiration (ETc), soil moisture, drought conditions, and yield. Sentinel-2A showed strong correlations between NDVI and crop coefficient (Kc), with ETc peaking at 4.0 mm/day (2021) and 3.7 mm/day (2022). Soil moisture indices derived from Landsat 8 and MODIS correlated well with field data, confirming reduced moisture under high temperatures. Long-term drought analysis (2012–2022) identified 2020 as the most severe drought year, with significant seasonal droughts in June 2021 and 2022. Machine learning models, particularly gradient tree boosting (GTB), effectively predicted yield (R² = 0.71–0.78, RMSE = 2.82–5.96 t/ha). This study underscores the value of remote sensing and ML in optimizing water use, managing drought, and improving yield prediction for sustainable agriculture in PEI.
Friday March 21, 2025, 9:00 am, AVC 278N
Everyone is welcome.
Join UPEI President Wendy Rodgers for casual "coffee chats" at Tim Horton's in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on Friday, March 21 from 8:00-8:45 am.
These coffee chats offer a relaxed setting where any member of the UPEI community can drop by, grab a drink, and chat with Wendy about anything on your mind. Whether you want to share ideas, ask questions or simply say hello, these chats are a great way to connect with the president in a comfortable and informal environment.
Stay tuned for future "coffee chat" dates!
The Department of Companion Animals will interview Dr. Julia Cusack for a tenure-track faculty position in Diagnostic Imaging. Dr. Cusack will be on campus on Wednesday, March 19, and Friday, March 21, 2025.
Dr. Cusack received her DVM in 2019 from the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. She then completed a large animal rotating internship and is currently completing an DVSc and clinical residency program in Diagnostic Imaging at the Ontario Veterinary College.
As part of the interview process, she has been asked to present a 50-minute seminar on two separate topics: the first, a topic that would be appropriate to teach to third-year veterinary students; the second, to present her research interests:
SEMINAR NOTICE - Dr. Julia Cusack
“Common Pitfalls in Pulmonary Patterns”
“Bilateral Limb Postmortem CT Imaging of Racehorses: Insights into Fractures, Stress Remodeling and Developmental Orthopedic Disease”
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 12:30 pm, AVC Lecture Theatre B
Any interested faculty and staff are invited to attend. A copy of her CV and cover letter will be available from Jill Blaquiere (jnblaquiere@upei.ca).
Got a business idea you’re excited about? Join the Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship for MiniPitch on Thursday, March 20 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. It’s a great opportunity for students to sharpen their presentation skills and develop new ideas. Prepare a three-minute pitch, face a three-minute Q&A, and participate in a two-minute feedback session to discover what you did well, where you can improve, and what steps you should take next to move forward with your idea!
The first eight presenters to register will have their spots booked, and we will have some wildcard spots at the event if you don’t get registered in time!
The UPEI Philosophy reading group will meet on Thursday, March 20, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in downtown Charlottetown (the exact location is TBD). All are welcome.
During this gathering, we will discuss Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? The following passages capture the spirit of the book:
"It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism"
"Capitalist realism insists on treating mental health as if it were a natural fact, like weather (but, then again, weather is no longer a natural fact so much as a political-economic effect). In the 1960s and 1970s, radical theory and politics (Laing, Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari, etc.) coalesced around extreme mental conditions such as schizophrenia, arguing, for instance, that madness was not a natural, but a political, category. But what is needed now is a politicization of much more common disorders. Indeed, it is their very commonness which is the issue: in Britain, depression is now the condition that is most treated by the NHS. In his book The Selfish Capitalist, Oliver James has convincingly posited a correlation between rising rates of mental distress and the neoliberal mode of capitalism practiced in countries like Britain, the USA and Australia. In line with James’s claims, I want to argue that it is necessary to reframe the growing problem of stress (and distress) in capitalist societies. Instead of treating it as incumbent on individuals to resolve their own psychological distress, instead, that is, of accepting the vast privatization of stress that has taken place over the last thirty years, we need to ask: how has it become acceptable that so many people, and especially so many young people, are ill?" - M. Fisher
If you would like to attend, please reach out to Dr. Max Schaefer at mschaefer@upei.ca for more information.
Add some student energy to your team this summer. Ambitious UPEI Co-op students are seeking work experiences related to their program of study and opportunities to make connections in the workforce.
Students' programs include Computer Science, Business, Economics, Actuarial Science, Analytics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Studies, and Applied Communication, Leadership & Culture.
Contact Karen Turner, job development coordinator for UPEI Co-operative Education, at co-op@upei.ca
Join us for the 35th UPEI Faculty Development Summer Institute (FDSI) with multiple days of great professional development focusing on active learning in higher education. The FDSI is relevant to educators at all career stages, especially early career faculty and those looking at tenure and promotion. Ask your Dean or talk to colleagues about their FDSI experiences! Don't miss this opportunity to participate in what past participants have found to be a milestone experience in your teaching career! Join colleagues from across Canada for this year’s FDSI from May 26 to 29, 2025. To learn more, ask questions, and register, check out the FDSI website.
If you are involved with planning a conference or event this year, the UPEI Bookstore can get your custom tote bags, shirts, stickers, pens and so much more. Please contact us for pricing and availability of the items you need for your event. Give us a call 902-566-0625 or email at bookstore@upei.ca.
IMPORTANT! All final exam scheduled from April 9-May 2 must be booked by March 26 at 11:59 pm!
Final exams are now available to be booked through accommodate! This deadline is to provide our testing services team with enough time to coordinate rooms, accommodations, and proctors.
EARLY BOOKING INCENTIVE: Book before March 19 at 11:59 pm to be entered for prize draws.
FINAL BOOKING DEADLINE: Wednesday, March 26 at 11:59 pm (late bookings will not be accepted.)
Please Note:
- The 7-day booking minimum DOES NOT apply for final exams (April 9 - May 2). If you have any technical issues, an email must be sent to astesting@upei.ca by March 26 at 11:59 pm at the latest to ensure a seat for your exam.
- Due to the high volume of accommodated exams for finals, late bookings will not be accepted. Please double check in accommodate that you have all your exams booked. If the exam information is not in accommodate, please email astesting@upei.ca immediately.
- 7:00 pm exams - all 7:00 pm exams are scheduled in accommodate to start at 6:30 pm.
- Students with an accommodation for more than 1.5x - If you have a time accommodation that is greater than time and a half, you must contact astesting@upei.ca to request accommodations, as we need to manually book your exam.
How to book a test or exam: Video | Step-by-step guide
PRIZE DRAW BONUS: If you register for your final exams in accommodate by Wednesday March 19 at 11:59 pm, your name will be entered into a draw to win some prizes! If you do not have any final exams and would still like to enter, please email astesting@upei.ca to let us know, and your name will be entered into the draw.
Best of luck with your exam preparation, and please reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Accessibility Services Team
Are you or someone you know living with Alzheimer’s disease? We are conducting a research study to explore how physical activity (e.g., walking, jogging) affects mood, thinking skills, social engagement, and quality of life in people with Alzheimer’s disease on Prince Edward Island.
We are looking for adults aged 55 or older with a formal diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease to take part. Participation includes:
- Wearing a small, lightweight device (called an actical) for 7 days to track physical activity levels (not location).
- Answering questions about mood, thinking skills, social support, and quality of life (approximately 1 hour, online, by phone, or in-person).
- An optional follow-up interview (30 minutes) to discuss your experience with physical activity.
Participation will help improve understanding of how physical activity can support dementia care on PEI. All information will remain confidential. Participation is voluntary, and participants can withdraw at any time.
For more information or to sign up, please contact Fairouz Gaballa at strongresearchlab@gmail.com or leave a massage at 902-566-0941.
This research is part of a master’s degree in Island Studies with a focus in psychology. Some of the data will also contribute to an honours degree in psychology. This project has been approved by the UPEI Research Ethics Board and complies with tri-council guidelines for research involving human participants.
Title of the Thesis “Immunomodulatory and Antimicrobial Properties of Peptide-modified Surfaces”
Abstract:
Macrophages are critical regulators of immune response, inflammation, and tissue repair. Modulating macrophage behavior by physical (nanopatterned surfaces) and chemical methods (host defense peptides, HDPs) offers significant therapeutic potential, particularly in controlling infections, inflammation, tissue regeneration, and cancer immunity. In this study, HDPs and nanopatterned surfaces are combined in a single approach to modulate macrophage polarization and antimicrobial efficacies. mCA4, an HDP developed in Ahmed laboratory at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) was evaluated for its mechanism of immunomodulation upon macrophage treatment, and was found to trigger intracellular signaling pathways, including (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) (PI3K)/ protein kinase B(Akt), extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4). To improve peptide stability and bioavailability, mCA4 was immobilized on thermally cross-linked PVA and poly (MAAc) cicada wing-inspired nanopatterned surfaces, via a Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition method demonstrating controlled peptide release over time.
The antimicrobial properties of untreated nanopatterned surfaces showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity due to their topographical features. However, immobilization of mCA4 on the surfaces, had detrimental effects on antimicrobial properties, likely due to peptide release dynamics and enhanced bacterial attachment, preventing direct mechanical damage by nanopillared surfaces to the bacterial membranes. Furthermore, macrophages polarization studies revealed on anti-inflammatory profile of bare surfaces and mCA4-modified surfaces shifted macrophage polarization towards a pro-inflammatory state, as a function of peptide concentration deposited on the surface. This study demonstrates the potential of integrating both chemical and physical strategies to modulate macrophage response and enhance antimicrobial activities for inflammatory disease treatment.
Friday March 21, 2025, 1:00 pm via web conference
If you wish to attend the public presentation, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator at gsc@upei.ca to receive the link.
Title: "Integration of Machine Learning and Remote Sensing Data for Evaluating Climate Extremes in the Agricultural Production System of Prince Edward Island"
Abstract:
Climate change threatens global agriculture by altering weather patterns and intensifying extreme events, posing challenges for Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, where rainfed potato farming is crucial. Potatoes, highly sensitive to climatic variability, require precise monitoring to enhance resilience. This study utilizes high-resolution satellite remote sensing to assess climate impacts on PEI potato crops across four fields (2021–2022). Multispectral data from Landsat 8, PlanetScope, and Sentinel-2A estimated evapotranspiration (ETc), soil moisture, drought conditions, and yield. Sentinel-2A showed strong correlations between NDVI and crop coefficient (Kc), with ETc peaking at 4.0 mm/day (2021) and 3.7 mm/day (2022). Soil moisture indices derived from Landsat 8 and MODIS correlated well with field data, confirming reduced moisture under high temperatures. Long-term drought analysis (2012–2022) identified 2020 as the most severe drought year, with significant seasonal droughts in June 2021 and 2022. Machine learning models, particularly gradient tree boosting (GTB), effectively predicted yield (R² = 0.71–0.78, RMSE = 2.82–5.96 t/ha). This study underscores the value of remote sensing and ML in optimizing water use, managing drought, and improving yield prediction for sustainable agriculture in PEI.
Friday March 21, 2025, 9:00 am, AVC 278N
Everyone is welcome.
Join us on Friday, April 4, from 5:00–7:00 pm, at The Fox & Crow as we welcome the UPEI Class of 2025 to our alumni family! This event is open to all 2025 grads and UPEI/SDU/PWC alumni.
Celebrate the last day of classes with free refreshments, live entertainment by Ryan Merry, fun door prizes to be won, and more!
- Every 2025 grad in attendance will get a complimentary grad gift!
- Alumni who RSVP and attend the event will be entered to win an alumni prize pack.
- All 2025 grads who attend will be entered to win additional door prizes.
- Grand prize draw: two lucky grads will each win a $1,000 cash prize* sponsored by TD Insurance.
To RSVP, please fill out the form found here.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Faith Phillips at fsteeves@upei.ca or 902-566-0687.
*Only 2025 grads are eligible to win and must be present at the time of draw.
Join UPEI President Wendy Rodgers for casual "coffee chats" at Tim Horton's in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on Friday, March 21 from 8:00-8:45 am.
These coffee chats offer a relaxed setting where any member of the UPEI community can drop by, grab a drink, and chat with Wendy about anything on your mind. Whether you want to share ideas, ask questions or simply say hello, these chats are a great way to connect with the president in a comfortable and informal environment.
Stay tuned for future "coffee chat" dates!
The Island Lecture Series is pleased to present a talk by Heidi Haering on Tuesday, March 18, at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, Room 201.
Drawing on anthropological fieldwork for a master’s thesis, this talk will deal with the struggle to define the “family farm” in PEI and how this ambiguity helps or hinders the work of farmers, agribusiness and government. It will discuss how participant definitions of the “family farm” contrasted with how they farmed and were sometimes at odds with their ideals. This talk will also shed light on the possible reasons that agribusiness and governments look to the pastoral romanticism of “family farm.”
Heidi Haering lives in Charlottetown and has recently completed her MA in Anthropology from Memorial University. Her thesis is entitled: “Three keywords in the campaign against farmland consolidation and the loss of small farms through the lens of the Prince Edward Island Chapter of the National Farmers Union."
This event is hosted by the Institute for Island Studies at UPEI. Free, all are welcome.
The Department of Companion Animals will interview Dr. Julia Cusack for a tenure-track faculty position in Diagnostic Imaging. Dr. Cusack will be on campus on Wednesday, March 19, and Friday, March 21, 2025.
Dr. Cusack received her DVM in 2019 from the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. She then completed a large animal rotating internship and is currently completing an DVSc and clinical residency program in Diagnostic Imaging at the Ontario Veterinary College.
As part of the interview process, she has been asked to present a 50-minute seminar on two separate topics: the first, a topic that would be appropriate to teach to third-year veterinary students; the second, to present her research interests:
SEMINAR NOTICE - Dr. Julia Cusack
“Common Pitfalls in Pulmonary Patterns”
“Bilateral Limb Postmortem CT Imaging of Racehorses: Insights into Fractures, Stress Remodeling and Developmental Orthopedic Disease”
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 12:30 pm, AVC Lecture Theatre B
Any interested faculty and staff are invited to attend. A copy of her CV and cover letter will be available from Jill Blaquiere (jnblaquiere@upei.ca).
The City of Charlottetown is developing a new active transportation plan and is seeking community input. This could have an important impact on members of the UPEI campus community. To learn more about the plan, and provide feedback, please visit: https://www.charlottetownhall.ca/atplan.
A celebration of author Deirdre Kessler’s contributions to the PEI literary community will take place on Thursday, March 20, at 7:00 pm in Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall, UPEI. The evening will be co-hosted by Dr. Richard Lemm, UPEI professor and Island author, and Dr. Laurie Brinklow, coordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies program at UPEI. It will include short readings of Kessler’s work by other Island writers, students, and friends.
Deirdre has had a pronounced influence on the Island’s culture and literary scene as an author, educator, and advocate for Lucy Maud Montgomery’s writing. She is a former Poet Laureate of Prince Edward Island, a novelist, children’s author, non-fiction writer, and occasional radio broadcaster. For many years, she has been a sessional professor with the UPEI Department of English, teaching children’s literature, creative writing, and a course on L.M. Montgomery. She has supported other writers as a workshop facilitator, book editor, and teacher. She has also been involved in the L.M. Montgomery Institute from its early days and is on the editorial board of the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies.
All are welcome to attend this free event sponsored by the Bookmark, Charlottetown’s locally owned, independent bookstore, and the UPEI Department of English. For more information, please contact Heather Doran at heather@bookmarkreads.ca or 902-566-4888.
Take a breather, relax with friends, and paint a planter pot! This event is a great chance to be creative, meet new people, and envision ways to cultivate care and community on campus. How can each of us be a seed of change? What do each of us need to grow and thrive?
All art supplies will be provided, and you will receive seeds to grow in your new pot.
Students, staff, and faculty are all welcome to attend.
Hosted by the UPEI Student Union Student Wellness Coordinator and the UPEI Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Office on March 19, 11:00 am at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, McMillan Hall.
