Students from UPEI’s Department of Physics organized and hosted the 2017 Atlantic Universities Physics and Astronomy Conference (AUPAC). This annual conference brings together undergraduate physics students and university faculty from across Atlantic Canada to share research findings and stimulate new collaborations. Conference co-chairs Phoenix McCloud and Andrew Cameron, along with their organizing team, worked through the school year to make this year’s conference a smashing success.

“I congratulate our physics students for organizing and delivering an engaging scientific program, for hosting conference participants at UPEI and for being exceptional UPEI ambassadors,” said Dr. William Whelan, chair of the Department of Physics. “It is impressive to see students, many in their graduating year, take on the responsibility of organizing and hosting an Atlantic Canadian Conference. This is exactly the type of student-led initiative UPEI should encourage and support.”

AUPAC drew together more than 70 participants from across the region. The conference featured 40 research presentations by undergraduate physics students, including presentations by UPEI’s own Patrick Connolly, Patrick Strongman, Andrew Cameron, David Heckbert, Deanna Kerry, Phoenix McCloud and Aidan Tremblett. Dr. Whelan reports each gave an excellent presentation and congratulates Patrick Connolly for winning the Student Choice Award.

The conference included a presentation by Dr. Shohini Ghose (Wilfred Laurier University and a TED Fellow) on sexism in science. Dr. Ghose also moderated a panel discussion on Women in Science, which included local physicists and engineers, Megan Glover (UPEI), Kelly Galloway (Engineering Technologies Canada), Reina Lamothe (PEI Cancer Treatment Centre), and Li-Hong Xu (UNB). 

Plenary talks at AUPAC included “What's the matter with our universe,” by Dr. Stephane Courteau (Queen's University), “Asteroseismology: dissecting stars,” by Dr. Catherine Lovekin (Saint Mary's University), “Lightning and thunder in tissues,” by UPEI’s Dr. Whelan, and “How to make a career from counting, floating, melting and black tape,” by Dr. Jeff Dahn (Dalhousie University).

Congratulations to all involved!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Registration for UPEI’s 2017 Summer Sessions and the release of the myUPEI "Student Planning" tool have been rescheduled to now begin Tuesday, February 28, 2017.

The myUPEI Celebration (and opportunity to learn more) that was originally scheduled for Thursday, February 16 has been rescheduled to Monday, February 27 at 12:00 pm in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. All students, staff, and faculty are invited to visit the learning stations, and to enjoy the free swag and refreshments!

The Office of the Registrar and the Project Beacon team wish to thank the UPEI community for their patience and willingness to adapt throughout this organizational transformation project.

For more information, visit the myUPEI frequently asked questions page.

The next Island Studies Lecture features Island historian Georges Arsenault speaking about connections between Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands. Arsenault has explored links going as far back as 250 years when Islanders sailed to the Maggies to participate in the walrus hunt. His lecture is Thursday, February 23, at 7 pm in the Faculty Lounge of SDU Main Building.

In more recent times, when the Magdalen Islands were part of the Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown, many PEI priests served in the Maggies while priests from there were posted in Island parishes. Later, more than 30 young Acadian women from the Island studied at the Havre-aux-Maisons Normal School and came back home to teach, mainly in Acadian schools. Since the early 1900s, young people from the Maggies have been coming to work and study on the Island. In the last decade or so, the PEI Acadian and Francophone community has cooperated with the Magdalen Islands to develop projects in both the cultural and economic fields. Arsenault will explore the many connections that have been forged over the centuries between these insular communities.

A native of Abram-Village, Georges Arsenault lives in Charlottetown. He is the author of many publications on Acadian history and folklore and a well-known lecturer. He is the president of the Sister Antoinette DesRoches Historical Society. Georges was recently made a member of the Order of Canada. 

Admission to the lecture is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

Watch for details for another lecture about islands March 14. For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The next OpenPages event highlights Everyday Women’s and Gender Studies by Dr. Ann Braithwaite. The reading and discussion is Wednesday evening March 1, at 7 pm in the new first-floor lounge of UPEI’s Robertson Library.

OpenPages features local authors speaking about their books: what inspired them, what they learned, and what they want to share. The public is warmly invited to this evening. Light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Ann Braithwaite is professor and coordinator of Diversity and Social Justice Studies at UPEI. She co-authored this new book with Dr. Catherine M. Orr, professor and chair of Critical Identity Studies at Beloit College.

Everyday Women’s and Gender Studies’ is a guide to engaging students in the challenges and pleasures of thinking critically about gender, race, and sex today. By focusing on “the everyday,” it speaks to the importance of students’ understanding the taken-for-granted circumstances of their daily lives. Everyday Women’s and Gender Studies explores the idea that “people are different, and the world isn’t fair,” and engages students in the inevitably complicated follow-up question: “now that we know, how shall we live?”

“This publication is of great significance for students from any faculty, even though it is most likely going to have the greatest impact in the Faculty of Arts,” said Dr. Nebojsa Kujundzic, dean of Arts at UPEI.

For more information, contact Joan Sinclair at Island Studies Press, ispstaff@upei.ca, or Simon Lloyd at the library, ssloyd@upei.ca.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Kiera Rigby (Women’s Basketball) and Ryan MacKinnon (Men’s Hockey), the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the week for February 13-20!

Kiera Rigby is a fourth-year Science student from Charlottetown and a member of the UPEI Women’s Basketball team. Rigby scored 20 points her final home game as a Panther, leading her team to a win 71-63 against Cape Breton University. She shot 40 per cent from the field and the three-point line. She also defended extremely well, said coach Greg Gould, holding her opponent to just six points.

Ryan MacKinnon is a second-year Business student from Summerside and a member of the Men’s Hockey team and plays defence for UPEI Men’s Hockey. MacKinnon scored a goal and notched three assists in the Panthers quarter-final playoff series against Saint Mary’s University. “Ryan had a great series for us,” said coach Forbes MacPherson. “He was a leader on the ice and in the locker room. We felt we were starting to play our best hockey of the season, and Ryan's play reflects that as well.”

Find more details at gopanthersgo.ca.

The City of Charlottetown bestowed a Heritage Award to UPEI’s Robertson Library at a ceremony Tuesday, February 21. The special award in honour of Heritage Day went to the library’s IslandArchives.ca project: a collection of online research tools which has made a significant contribution to the City’s collective heritage.

For more information, visit the press release announcing the awards issued by the City of Charlottetown and IslandArchives.ca.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation (PEI MHF) recently honoured Dr. Edward MacDonald with its Award of Honour. Dr. MacDonald is an associate professor of history at UPEI and a beloved teacher, editor, and author.

The Award of Honour recognizes outstanding service and continued contribution to the heritage activities of Prince Edward Island. Dr. MacDonald has become the “go-to historical guy” on PEI for his wide-ranging knowledge of Island history, and his generosity in sharing it through his teaching at UPEI, his participation in public events which mark our Island history, and his encouragement of many others to research, write, and publish historical articles or manuscripts on Prince Edward Island.

Dr. MacDonald was one of three editors of Time and a Place, An Environmental History of Prince Edward Island, which received a Heritage Activity award for 2016, at the recent PEI MHF awards evening.

Dr.  MacDonald has written other titles of particular historical value to PEI: If You’re Stronghearted: PEI in the Twentieth Century (2000), and he was co-author of The Landscapes of Confederation (2010).

 Congratulations, Dr. Ed!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

UPEI has joined the Canadian Bureau for International Education’s (CBIE) Learning Beyond Borders initiative to get more Canadian students to take advantage of learning experiences in other countries.

Reports indicate that annually only 3.1 per cent of full-time Canadian undergraduate university students have an education abroad experience. The number is even lower for full-time college students, at 2.5 per cent. This, despite reports from the students on the transformational nature of the experience, its many contributions to their academic and career achievements and its value in enhancing their communication skills, self-awareness and adaptability.

“One of the pillars of UPEI’s current strategic plan is the ‘student experience,’” said Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, president and vice-chancellor of UPEI. “We are improving student learning and experiences by examining what—and how—we teach in support of UPEI’s vision of becoming a leader in experiential learning. The Learning Beyond Borders initiative is a crucial tool for us to increase the number of students participating in global exchange opportunities. I am proud that UPEI is a part of it.”

As a partner in the Learning Abroad Innovation Zone, UPEI commits to identifying and addressing internal barriers to learning abroad and to participating in peer discussions with institutions across the country that are tackling similar issues and challenges. As a partner in the Learning Abroad Promotion Zone, UPEI commits to contributing to a national communications campaign to promote the value of learning abroad to students and other stakeholders by creating and sharing content on the impact and outcomes of learning abroad.

 “Canada is faced with the challenge of getting more of our students to take advantage of learning experiences in other countries,” said Karen McBride, President and CEO of CBIE. “It is time to leverage the leadership role of education institutions in a concerted and coordinated effort to give our generation of young leaders the knowledge, skills and global outlook they will need to thrive in our interconnected world.”

CBIE will provide support by organizing webinars and thematic peer discussions throughout the year to allow institutions to discuss challenges and potential approaches to common goals, identify best practices and disseminate supporting research and case studies as needed.

CBIE will promote the initiative on its website homepage and create a special landing page to showcase all CBIE and institution created content. CBIE will also regularly share content through its social media and member communications channels.

About CBIE

Established in 1966, the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) is a national, not-for-profit, organization dedicated exclusively to international education. Working closely with a membership of over 150 education providers nationwide, from K-12 to postgraduate, public and private sectors and with a network of strategic partners throughout Canada and around the globe, CBIE is ideally positioned to promote global learning by mobilizing expertise, knowledge, opportunity and leadership.

About UPEI

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

“I was born on the same day as Edgar Allan Poe and Dolly Parton,” jokes Eden Robinson, the next featured author in the Winter’s Tales Author Reading. “I am absolutely certain that this affects my writing in some way.”

Robinson is a powerful fiction writer of Haisla heritage born on the northern coast of British Columbia. She will bring her sense of humour and her visceral, impassioned, and deeply empathic new novel, Son of a Trickster, to the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown on Monday, March 13 at 7:30 pm.

The Strong Nations website notes that “Robinson has become one of Canada’s first female Native writers to gain international attention, making her an important role model.” She has been an advocate for Indigenous health care, housing, access to jobs, and land rights, and a critic of detrimental government policies. Her fiction has contributed significantly to the renaissance of Indigenous culture.

Robinson’s first book, a collection of stories, Traplines (1998), won the Winifred Holtby Prize for the best work of fiction in the Commonwealth. Traplines, which grew out of her Indigenous heritage, was a New York Times Editor’s Choice.

Her second book, the immensely popular novel Monkey Beach (2000), “is a mesmerizing tale of a young native woman coming of age while dealing with the demons that haunt her dreams, her family, and her heritage” (Peg Hill, Northern Star Magazine). Monkey Beach was nominated for the 2000 Governor General’s Award for fiction and the 2000 Giller Prize.

Son of a Trickster is a coming-of-age novel. Jared is a burnout kid in high school who sells weed cookies and has a scary mom who's often wasted. He smokes and drinks too much, but also has an immense capacity for compassion and an impulse to watch over people more than twice his age. He puzzles over why his maternal grandmother has never liked him and says he's the son of a trickster, that he isn't human. But ravens do speak to him—even when he's not stoned.

Eden received the 2016 Writers’ Trust of Canada Engel/Findley Award for a writer in mid-career with a remarkable body of work. The jury wrote, “In a world where the legacies of colonial violence are alive and present every day, Robinson’s work resonates with crucial political and ethical questions that everyone needs to consider. This is vital, engaged, and artful writing that sticks in the memory and makes us think about who, and where, we are.”

Eden Robinson’s reading is sponsored by the UPEI Faculty of Arts, the Department of English, and the Canada Council of the Arts. A book signing will follow. The public is invited and admission is free. For further information phone 902-566-0389.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Join UPEI’s Environmental Studies program for a public symposium on carbon pricing. “Putting a Price on Carbon: A PEI Perspective” runs Tuesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium (room 242) of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. All are welcome. The speakers for the evening include Dr. Rémi Morin Chassé, an environmental economist and assistant professor of economics at UPEI; and Erin Flanagan, director of the federal policy program for the Pembina Institute.

Flanagan is the co-author of more than 10 publications. She researches and promotes public policy solutions that reduce the environmental impact of fossil fuel development and that support Canada's transition to clean energy. Her technical and opinion work has been published in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and PostMedia newspapers across Canada. She appears regularly on national current affairs television programs, including CBC’s Power and Politics.

Flanagan holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering with a minor in public policy from the University of New Brunswick. Her contributions to technical and humanitarian issues have been highlighted by organizations including the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering. In 2016 she was named one of Canada’s top 30 under 30 in sustainability by Corporate Knights magazine, and has twice been named one of Ottawa’s “Top 100 lobbyists” by The Hill Times.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.