The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada recently announced that UPEI was successful in its proposal to take part in the Canada Corps University Partnership Program. This program is financed by the Canadian International Development Agency, and "is a way for Canadians to work together to promote good governance and institution-building in developing countries."

Working in partnership with the Mikinduri Children of Hope Foundation (Cornwall, PEI) and the Tigania Widows Support Group (Mikinduri, Kenya), Shannon Burke, a third-year nursing student, will spend the upcoming summer in Mikinduri, Kenya. She will be assisting Sister Elizabeth Kilemba in the local medical dispensary, and helping to facilitate the opening of the much-needed Maternity Ward clinic. Shannon will be working closely with expectant mothers and other women in the village, providing educational sessions on good health practices. Shannon has recently completed a maternity rotation as part of the UPEI Nursing program and will be able to draw on her experiences with prenatal care, labour and delivery, and postnatal care. She is very much looking forward to this opportunity. "This is a very unexpected but exciting opportunity. I'm sure it will be a life-changing experience and am confident that I will gain a great appreciation for all of the modern conveniences available in Canada. I look forward to sharing my experiences when I return."

Ted Grant, President of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Foundation, is delighted by the announcement. "This project will be a great support to the people in Mikinduri, who struggle daily with shortages of good food and clean water. The Mikinduri Children of Hope Foundation's many supporters on PEI can take great satisfaction from knowing their efforts truly are making a difference in this village."

The University has made a strong commitment to internationalization, and the Canada Corps Partnership Program allows UPEI to reach out to another part of the world and benefit from Shannon's internship. UPEI looks forward to sharing Shannon's experiences with the university community, as well as with the Island community at large, upon her return to Prince Edward Island.

Kim Critchely, Dean of Nursing and Shannon's supervisor for this project, is also excited by this project. "This is an excellent opportunity for Shannon. Such international experiences are wonderful as they prepare nursing students to provide culturally competent care - care that reflects the unique understanding of the values of diverse populations and individuals."

This year marks the pilot phase of the Canada Corps University Partnership Program and is designed to "foster a new generation of Canadians committed to applying our country's values and expertise to help build a safer, more prosperous and more democratic world."

The first meeting of the founding board of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance was held recently in Charlottetown. The BioAlliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building the PEI economy through bioscience products and services. It brings together local bioscience-based businesses, research and academic organizations, and government agencies to create the right conditions for job creation, retention and economic growth. Rory Francis is Executive Director The Chair is Dr. Regis Duffy. UPEI is represented on the board by President Wade MacLauchlan.

"Research excellence in the biosciences and the availability of skilled human resources are crucial to our success in this area," said President MacLauchlan. "That's why we have been expanding our research facilities, hiring great scientists and emphasizing student retention." The value of research and development at UPEI has increased by 450% over the past five years, with a leading role played by researchers in the bioscience area.

"This is Prince Edward Island's bridge to the new economy," said Rory Francis. "We all recognize the limits of our natural resource base to further expand our economy. We're an Island, after all. Now it's time to work with the limitless opportunity in really understanding natural biological processes and, from that, develop new products that improve health and quality of life."

Products being produced by PEI's biotech businesses range from pharmaceutical ingredients used in the treatment of diseases, to replacements for antibiotics in animal feeds, fish health vaccines, nutraceuticals and non-pharma health products. Taxol, extracted from Ground Hemlock, is used in one of the world's most important cancer treatments.

Dr. Regis Duffy, founder of DCL BioVectra,and Chair of the UPEI Board of Governors, said that the application of new technologies of biological systems are solving problems and creating new business opportunities in human and animal health care, nutrition, food safety and environmental protection around the world.

"We have a choice in PEI: to be the providers of scientific expertise and new products for these markets, or to purchase them from others at a net cost to our economy," he said. "If we aren't active participants in developing these new technologies and products, we'll be like PEI at the end of our prosperous shipbuilding era: we can pretend steamships haven't been invented, but not for long."

The Canadian bio-based economy is the second largest in the world, with revenues of $4 billion, currently growing at 15% annually. Already, PEI has 15 companies, with sales of over $60 million per year and over 400 employees. This does not include the bioscience-related jobs and economic impact at research and academic institutions like the new NRC Institute for Nutrisciences and Health, the Food Technology Centre, UPEI's Science Faculty and Atlantic Veterinary College, and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada's research facilities.

Other BioAlliance Board members include Alan Andreason (Fortius), Garth Greenham (Aquahealth-Novartis), Shane Patelakis (Progressive BioActives), Pete Desai (Desai and Desai Inc), Brian MacMillan (Holland College), Michael O'Brien (Development and Technology), Joan Kean-Howie (National Research Council), and Manon Proulx (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada).

Over the next several months, the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance will work to identify and implement some of the key initiatives necessary to ensure the growth and development of the bio-economy in Prince Edward Island.

The University of Prince Edward Island has appointed a new Dean of Nursing. Dr. Kim Critchley officially takes over the position on July 1. She joined UPEI in 1996 and has served as Acting Dean of the School of Nursing since August 2004. Her new appointment is for six years.

"Kim Critchley has been a fine leader for UPEI's Faculty of Nursing during her year as Acting Dean. Our Faculty is on a very positive track at a time when it is so important to the entire community to have excellent education and research in the field of nursing," says UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan.

"As a leader, I embrace life-long learning, humble self reflection, careful listening, and openness to new ideas," says Critchley who holds a doctorate degree from the University of Helsinki. Her thesis work involved cardiovascular rehabilitation and lifestyle modification following a myocardial infarction. Her clinical areas of expertise are emergency and critical care nursing. Primary health care, cardiovascular rehabilitation, Aboriginal and children's health are her research areas of interest.

Dr. Critchley is co-director of the Children's Applied Research Team at UPEI. She is president elect of the Atlantic Region Canadian Schools of Nursing and the co-principal of the Atlantic Research Training Centre which offers masters and doctorate degrees in applied research. She is co-investigator for an international nursing student exchange program between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico and she represents UPEI on a similar exchange involving universities in Sweden, Finland, England, and Estonia.

Dr Critchley was born and raised in Cape Breton Island. After nursing and teaching for several years in Alberta and British Columbia, she is delighted to make PEI home for herself and her children.

Internationally-Known Scientists Attract Close to $2 Million for Health and Environmental Research

The University of Prince Edward island has added two internationally-known scientists to its rapidly-growing pool of research talent in the Faculty of Science and at the Atlantic Veterinary College. Dr. Michael van den Heuvel and Dr. Cai Song have been named Tier 2 Canada Research Chairs. Their appointments were announced today by the Honourable David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry and minister responsible for the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program.

"Our universities are vital centres of cutting-edge research and innovation," said Minister Emerson. "The ideas generated at these institutions extend the frontiers of knowledge and create a deeper understanding of the complex world in which we live. Communities all over the country will see the benefits of the work done by the more than 1500 Chairholders who conduct research at Canadian universities."

Combined with infrastructure support from the Canadian Foundation of Innovation (CFI), the new funding to UPEI will add up to $1.25 million over the next five years. This federal support will be complemented by contributions of over $ 625,000 from provincial, regional, and national industry and agency partners.

"The Canada Research Chairs program is having a tremendous impact on the University of Prince Edward Island. Our Chairs are further enhancing UPEI's research capacity, and extending our reputation for research excellence. In a small university context, this program has facilitated drawing national and international research expertise to Prince Edward Island where our Chairs and their colleagues work to address the kinds of environmental, economic and health issues of fundamental importance to us all," said Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice-President of Research and Development at UPEI.

Canada Research Chair Cai Song is an internationally-known researcher in the emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology, which is the study of how the immune and nervous systems affect mental health. Dr. Song and her research team are working to understand the causes of brain inflammation, which often leads to disturbances in thinking, memory, and behaviourand#151;all symptoms of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

"The great benefit of receiving a Canada Research Chair is that it will enable me to focus on devising effective treatments, with minimal side-effects, that can halt the progression of these diseases, and even prevent them from developing in the first place," she said.

Dr. Michael van den Heuvel is UPEI's incoming Canada Research Chair in Watershed Ecological Integrity. He is joining UPEI from the New Zealand Forest Research Institute to focus on the health of the freshwater and near-shore marine environments of PEI. His research will be based on the observation that animal populations respond in unique and predictable ways to changes in their environments. Through observing these biological responses in aquatic animals, scientists can better understand the causes of adverse changes to the environment. Dr. van den Heuvel's research will address questions about how to monitor environmental problems and develop effective solutions to ensure a sustainable future.

UPEI now has a total of five Canada Research Chairs. Dr. Alastair Cribb, Canada Research Chair in Comparative Pharmacology and Toxicology, is investigating the molecular factors that underpin adverse drug reactions, with an overarching goal to improve drug safety. Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, Canada Research Chair in Island Studies, focuses on the comparative, trans-national, and critical study of islands. Dr. Franck Berthe, Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Health Sciences: Mollusc Health, explores the complex interactions among molluscs, pathogens, and their environments. His research works to support the development and sustainability of the mollusc fisheries and aquaculture industry in PEI, the Atlantic region, and around the world.

Students following the Master of Arts Programme in Island Studies (MAIS) at UPEI are presenting their research in international and regional conferences and starting to have their research published.

Graduate student Kathy Stuart recently presented an academic paper at the 11th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Her paper, "The impact of scale on energy pricing in small islands" identified social, political, and environmental factors affecting the cost of electricity in small islands, using case studies from eight islands in the Caribbean. Participants from over 40 countries presented more than 400 papers during the three-day conference. Speakers included well-known international experts on sustainable development research and practice, industrial ecology, cleaner production, and environmental policy. and those working for the implementation of corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility strategies.

Kathy Stuart's paper "Energizing the Island Community: a review of policy standpoints for energy in small island states and territories" has been accepted for publication in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Sustainable Development, published by Wiley Inter-Science.

"Participation at international conferences allows students to get a direct sense of the ongoing, and#145;cutting-edge', academic debates in their areas of interest. Getting published in international journals is the epitome of scholarship and a clear recognition that one's research is recognized by peers as a contribution to knowledge," says Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, Canada Research Chair in Island Studies at UPEI, and a tutor in the MAIS Programme.

The Master of Arts in Island Studies Programme introduces participants to the fresh and creative insights that an islands perspective brings to economic development, public policy, environmental management and cultural appreciation. Other MAIS students have been busy too: Joy Elliott, Laura Lee Howard, Janice McKendrick, and Luke Walker presented papers at the 8th International Small Islands Studies Association Conference in Kinmen, Taiwan, and Laurie Brinklow presented at the 1st Small Island Cultures Research Institute Conference in Kagoshima, Japan.

On June 28, at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at the University of Prince Edward Island, Donna and Richard Hassard, AVC fundraising chairs, will kick off a campaign to raise $7.5 million for the expansion and renovation project slated to break ground this fall.

"We are excited to have leaders of this cailbre forging the way for our fundraising efforts. Donna and Richard's professional and personal experience are a great addition to our team," says Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of AVC. "I am confident that over the next two years we will achieve our target to enabling us to continue our commitment to excellence in research, teaching and service."

Originally from Canada, though they spent 25 years working in the US, the Hassards recently moved to PEI from Manhattan where Richard worked for CIBC. During his career, his responsibilities included global loan distribution with offices in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Toronto and New York. Donna volunteered extensively with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The Hassards have spent the past few months with AVC researchers and students getting to know the various initiatives at AVC. "It didn't take us long to decide that PEI is where we wanted to call home. And once here, it didn't take us long to decide we wanted to be a part of AVC and help the College to continue their work in providing excellent service to Atlantic Canada, top-notch education, and high quality research," says Donna Hassard.

Already, more than $ 1 million has been donated to the College with a significant portion of that coming from two estates. A bequest of $200,000 from the Estate of George Wakeling will go toward the provision of quality care to animals. Wakeling lived in Crapaud, PEI for 15 years with his wife Clarice before moving to Oromocto, NB. He passed away in 2004. His wife predeceased him.

A second bequest of more than $300,000 was made to AVC from the estate of a Rothesay, NB resident who was very fond of animals.

"These generous donations to AVC will support the College's ongoing commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service. It is gratifying that the College is attracting such significant support from animal-lovers in the region,"says Richard Hassard. "We are grateful to be remembered in the wills of such compassionate people."

For twenty years, AVC has been Atlantic Canada's Centre of Excellence for veterinary medicine. With more than 800 graduates, a veterinary teaching hospital caring for more than 3,500 large and 5,000 small animals each year, and ongoing world-class research, the College is committed to educate veterinarians, promote animal health, and provide services for the management of the health and well-being of animals.

Prince Edward Island researchers and businesses will benefit from a new Atlantic region-wide commercialization network, called Springboard, launched in PEI at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) on June 28. Springboard encourages collaborative work on the transfer of technology among universities in Atlantic Canada and works with universities and the private sector to advance the commercialization of research. UPEI is one of 14 Atlantic universities which are members of Springboard.

"Springboard will help to accelerate the transfer of research and development to the private sector where it can benefit everyone in Atlantic Canada through increased economic activity," said the Honourable Joe McGuire, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

Details of the network and its objectives were introduced to representatives of the local business community, governments and economic development agencies.

"Commercialization of research is essential in advancing the knowledge economy in PEI and in the Atlantic region," said Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice-President of Research and Development, UPEI. "Springboard will play a key role in helping UPEI and other Atlantic universities to make our technology transfer work with the private sector more effective and efficient."

Dr. Schultz added that UPEI currently has two technologies under license to private sector companies, and expects that these numbers will increase as some of the university's major research initiatives mature and lead to new product opportunities. "We are particularly optimistic about the possibilities of new technologies from the major research investments that are being made in the biosciences, animal and human health areas," she said.

"Springboard's objective is to bring research to life in Atlantic Canada," said Sarah Jane Snook, Executive Director, Springboard. "It will assist university members to lead the commercialization of research across the Atlantic region by providing access to a broader range of resources than can be provided at any single institution."

Springboard is supported by ACOA through the Atlantic Innovation Fund with a $3.6 million contribution over three years. Springboard will provide proof of concept, patenting, and legal funds for university researchers to expedite the commercialization of research.

More information about Springboard can be obtained by visiting: www.springboardatlantic.ca

The 2005 UPEI Distinguished Visitor Speaker Series continues on Wednesday, July 6 with a presentation by Geoff MacDonald CFA, MBA, Vice-President, AIM Trimark Investments entitled, The risks of investing with the crowd.

As the lead manager for Trimark Canadian Endeavour Fund, Trimark Income Growth Fund, and Trimark Global Endeavour Fund, Geoff MacDonald manages over $9.7 billion in assets. These funds have brought in $3.8 billion in gross sales within the last two years. MacDonald also runs a US mid-cap fund that was highlighted "Category King" by the Wall Street Journal. He holds a BBA from Bishop's University, an MBA from the University of Windsor, and is also a designated Chartered Financial Analyst. He began his investment career in 1994 and worked as an investment analyst and portfolio manager at the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board before joining Trimark in 1998.

Throughout the summer and early fall, the UPEI Distinguished Visitor Speaker Series will feature weekly presentations by respected teachers, leaders, and innovators. The series was launched in 2004 and has been designed to "inspire, educate, and celebrate UPEI's heritage which has been built upon the highest standards of excellence." The July 13 speaker will be Dr. Bruce Craig on the topic, Lives of Lies: Espionage, Treason and the Making of a Spy.

The risks of investing with the crowd takes place on July 6 in the KC Irving Chemistry Centre Lecture Theatre, University of Prince Edward Island, 3:00 and#150; 4:00 pm. Admission is free. Tours of the historic UPEI campus are available after the presentation at 4:00 pm. Everyone is welcome. More information is available from Linda Callaghan at 566-0415 or lmcallaghan@upei.ca.

Beginning the week of July 11, 156 12- to 14-year-olds will attend the Atlantic Veterinary College's (AVC) Vet Camp 2005. Throughout July, campers will gain veterinary experience that will include learning to properly handle exotic animals like an albino gopher snake, perform first aid on a dog, as well as go on rounds in the AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital, observe surgeries and read animal x-rays.

Interest has grown steadily in the seven-year history of AVC Vet Camp. In fact, it has grown so popular that the College holds a lottery each spring to see who gets to attend. Since 1999, AVC has provided more than 600 junior high students from Australia to PEI with the opportunity to attend the first and only veterinary camp in Canada. This year, campers from as far away as the Czech Republic and British Columbia will attend the three, one-week long Vet Camp sessions.

AVC Vet Camp provides aspiring veterinarians with a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the College's renowned learning centres, laboratories and Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

"Many veterinarians have dreamed of becoming a veterinarian since they were a child," says Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of AVC and founder of the AVC Vet Camp program. "And our Vet Camp gives junior high students a real window into the day-to-day life of a veterinarian at a time when they begin to make critical choices that will impact where they want to be in 10 years."

"We are very excited to kick off Vet Camp 2005 and introduce our first campers to AVC," says Debbie Musgrave, a second year doctor of veterinary medicine student at AVC and Coordinator of Vet Camp. "We have worked hard to provide our campers with amazing experiences that will open their eyes to the exciting world of veterinary medicine."

Located on the University of Prince Edward Island campus in Charlottetown, PEI, AVC is an Atlantic Canadian institution and the youngest of Canada's four veterinary colleges. AVC is committed to excellence in teaching, animal and human research, and client services ranging from diagnostic testing to specialized animal care. AVC is gearing up to break ground this fall for an expansion and renovation project that will take $32 million and two years to complete. A fundraising campaign is currently underway with a goal of raising $7.5 million toward the AVC expansion and renovation project. Construction highlights include; a new four-level 57,000 square-foot research complex, an expansion of the aquatic area, a new learning commons, an expansion and update of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, as well as various upgrades to laboratories and services.

Please visit www.upei.ca/avc/camp for more information on AVC Vet Camp 2005.

One of the world's leading interpreters of Buddhism has made a generous gift to the University of Prince Edward Island. Two copies of each of 60 books written by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda were presented recently to the Robertson Library and the L.M. Montgomery Institute. Dr. Ikeda is president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Buddhist association of more than 12 million members in 190 countries and territories, and founder of several educational, cultural and research institutions. He is also a highly-respected writer, poet, and peace activist in his native Japan and internationally.

Some of his major books include: Choose Life: A Dialogue with Dr. Arnold J. Toynbee; Dawn After Dark with Dr. Renand#233; Hughye; Before It Is Too Late with Dr. Aurelio Peccei; Dialogue of World Citizens with Dr. Norman Cousins; and Choose Peace, with Dr. Johan Galtung. He is also the author of a series of humanistic children's books, translated into over ten languages. They include The Snow Country Prince, The Cherry Tree, The Princess and the Moon and Over the Deep Blue Sea.

The two Ikeda collections were presented to UPEI by Tony Meers, Director of SGI Canada. The presentation was followed by a speech by Hiro Mitsumura, a long-time friend of the author, who teaches Japanese in the UPEI Department of Modern Languages. He said that Ikeda often quotes from Montgomery's works, and he pointed out that her view of life and Dr. Ikeda's Buddhist teachings have much in common: both writers celebrate the power of individuals to transform life around them for good, and the strength of communities to support learning and well-being.

In thanking the Soka Gakkai International for its gifts of friendship to UPEI, Dr. Elizabeth Epperly, founding chair of the L.M. Montgomery Institute, stated,"Today's ceremony brings together two gifted writers who share a fascination with beauty and with nature. Montgomery had a long-standing interest in Japan, and her Anne has been a best-seller there for more than five decades; Dr. Ikeda's interest in Montgomery strengthens the bridge between Prince Edward Island and Japan and will offer new ways for us to celebrate imagination, creativity, and art."