Nova Scotian writer Leo McKay Jr., who reads at UPEI on February 25, was teaching English with his wife Kathy in Japan, when he woke up one morning to the word “Stellarton,” his home town, on the radio. The Westray Mining Disaster had just occurred. That event, fictionalized as the Eastyard disaster at Albion Mines, along with McKay’s lineage as the descendent of miners and his childhood in Pictou County, is at the heart of his novel Twenty-Six.

McKay, and Alberta poet and UNB graduate Erin Knight will read at 7:30 p.m., February 25, in the UPEI Faculty Lounge, Main Building. A reception and book signing will follow.

McKay’s fiction debut, Like This, was an impressive collection of gritty and potent short stories, with characters and a narrative voice that grabbed readers by the heart and gut. It was a finalist for the Giller Prize. A graduate of UBC’s MFA program in Creative Writing, he teaches English and Creative Writing at a high school in Truro.

In Twenty-Six, a family is changed forever after the devastating mining accident. Alistair MacLeod writes, "Universal in its scope, this is a novel about those who live and die in the underground of a coal-mining community. It is also about the families they leave behind on the surface. ‘Subterranean’ in a variety of ways–some of them quite wondrous–the novel is about memory, loss, guilt, and the light of redemption–sometimes, but not always, before it is too late."

And David Adams Richards writes that "Leo McKay Jr. has given us a book compassionate as love, tough as nails. The novel is a magnificent human drama, profound, haunting, and elegiac."

Erin Knight’s first book of poetry, The Sweet Fuels, reflects on the notion of orientation--whether in terms of magnetic north or street signs, the entrails of an animal or the vowels in a name--as a task of translation. Originally from Edmonton, she received an MA in Creative Writing and English from the University of New Brunswick.

This event is sponsored by the UPEI English Department, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

A four-member undergraduate engineering team from the University of Prince Edward Island finished second in the consulting engineering category of the Atlantic Engineering Competition held in Moncton earlier this month.

This success earned them a spot in the Canadian Engineering Competition, which will be held at the University of Waterloo from March 6 to 8.

At the Atlantic Engineering Competition, the students, all in their third year of UPEI's engineering program, competed against fourth- and fifth-year students from other Atlantic universities. The four students come from across P.E.I.: Mary Beth MacInnis, from Souris; Anne Somers, Charlottetown; Matt Duffy, Kinkora; and Gustavo Zanatta, Summerside.

During the regional competition, the consulting engineering teams had to develop a solution to a real-world problem, using the theme of sustainable development. Each team had six hours to develop an economically feasible design with minimal social and environmental impacts. The UPEI team had to find a way to boil water without using firewood. Upon receiving their problem, they selected Haiti as their region of focus.

The team decided to use bio-fuels for their solution, and developed a plan for using sugarcane to produce ethanol. The sugarcane would be crushed in a press to extract the juice, which would be fermented and distilled. The leftover sugarcane stalks would be sun-dried and burnt to distill the juice, which would result in the production of ethanol.

They also did an impact study that considered the environmental, social, political and economic aspects of the project, which they presented to the competition judges, along with their design, at the end of the six hours. The following day, they formally presented their project to the judges.

At the national competition, the team will be presented with a new project, for which they will have to develop a solution, produce a report and present their project within a few hours of intense research and design.

'We are very proud of all of our students,' says Dr. Wayne Peters, chair of the engineering department. 'The current success in regional and national competitions shows that, once again, UPEI engineering students are some of the best in the country. It's exciting to see that they excel in environmental design challenges. This gives me great hope for the future of engineering at UPEI and for the Island community.'

The team's success follows a tradition of excellence. Zanatta competed at the nationals in 2007. While taking a year away from school to serve as a Canadian infantry soldier in Afghanistan last year, Duffy gained a reputation for designing unique field equipment to help improve the safety for Canadian military vehicles. And in 2006 and 2007, UPEI engineering students won at the national competition in junior design, a high rate of success for one of the smallest engineering programs in Canada.

Photo (left to right): Mary Beth MacInnis, Matthew Duffy, Gustavo Zanatta and Anne Somers

Lawrence Hill, writer-in-residence at UPEI, will give a public reading on Friday, February 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the UPEI Faculty Lounge, Main Building. Hill is a novelist, journalist, memoir author and documentary film writer.

He will also give a writing workshop on fiction and non-fiction on Saturday, March 8, 1:30-4:45 p.m., in the UPEI Faculty Lounge.

Hill's white mother was a civil rights activist in Washington, D.C., who married an African American in 1953. They left for Canada the day after their marriage. The story of his parents' marriage, emigration to Canada, and experience of raising a family in a white suburb of Toronto is contained in Hill's best-selling memoir, Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada. In 2005, a documentary film written by Hill, Seeking Salvation: A History of the Black Church in Canada, won the American Wilbur Award for best national television documentary.

The Book of Negroes, Hill's new novel, transports the reader from an African village to a slave plantation in the southern U.S., from the Halifax docks to manor houses of London. It explores the history of British slavery and liberation in the U.S., Canada, England, and West Africa, through one extraordinary woman's tale of migration and survival. It was recently nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.

For further information or to register for the workshop, contact the UPEI English Department at (902) 566-0389.

Faculty of Arts students who are majoring in English at the University of Prince Edward Island have a new opportunity to enrich their educational experience through international study. A joint agreement with the Misr International University (MIU) gives UPEI students the option of completing the final year of their four-year degree in Egypt.

English majors from MIU will have a similar opportunity to travel to Charlottetown for their final year at UPEI. Students who complete the requirements of this new program will be awarded a joint Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Prince Edward Island and the Misr International University.

During a recent ceremony in Cairo, the agreement was signed by Dr. Brent MacLaine, Chair of the UPEI English Department, and Mamdouh Elgharib, Career Development Specialist with Student Services.

"This agreement creates a wonderful educational opportunity for students at both universities to widen their academic horizons,” say MacLaine. “The pursuit of scholarship, whatever the discipline, in an international context enriches both the student and the community."

“Students in these program gain a more worldly perspective which, in turn, increases the value of their degree in the marketplace," says Elgharib.

MIU is a leading university in the Egyptian private university system. The introduction of this first joint degree strengthens an already positive and co-operative relationship between the two universities. It is the latest of a growing number of exchange agreements that make it possible for UPEI students to travel the world while furthering their university education.

UPEI and Holland College will celebrate the achievement of women in sport across Canada at their first Women in Sport dinner, featuring Canadian women's hockey star Cassie Campbell as guest speaker, at the Culinary Institute of Canada, on March 13, at 7 p.m.

The dinner, which will be emceed by Matt Rainnie, of CBC Radio's Mainstreet program, will be hosted by both post-secondary institutions, and their athletes who represent their school colors with great pride.

Mike Redmond, Coach of the UPEI's women's soccer team, and Albert Roche, Manager of Student Services and Athletics with Holland College, are the driving force behind this event.

"This event will not only be a celebration of Women in Sport, but also will also be a tremendous vehicle to promote varsity opportunities for female athletes,' says Roche. 'Partnering with UPEI on this project illustrates our joint commitment to Island athletes and our integrated approach towards varsity sports development on PEI.

Redmond and Roche are thrilled that Campbell agreed to be the guest speaker at this inaugural event.

'It is with great pleasure that we welcome Cassie Campbell as our guest speaker to our first ever women in sport dinner,' said Redmond. 'Cassie is an example of what hard work and determination are all about in both the athletic and professional world. She is one of the best known female athletes in Canada and around the world, it will be great to hear the message she delivers. Our continued cooperation with Holland College allows both institutions to grow and prosper in the very challenging world of College and University Athletics.'

At age five, Campbell laced up her first pair of skates. As the former Captain of Canada's National Women's Hockey Team and a heroine of Canadian sport, she has taken part in three Winter Olympic Games, seven International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championships, nine Four Nations Cups and the Torino Ice Tournament. Her teams have won 21 medals in total, including 17 gold medals and four silver medals.

Campbell joined Hockey Night in Canada as a rinkside reporter after retiring from professional hockey in August 2006. On October 14, 2006, Campbell became the first woman to do colour commentary on a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast.

She holds an honours sociology degree from the University of Guelph, and runs an annual street hockey tournament that raises over $200,000 a year for Ronald McDonald House. Along with Hall of Famers Bobby Orr and Mike Bossy, she is a spokesperson for Chevrolet Safe and Fun Hockey Program.

Her hometown of Brampton, Ontario, recently broke ground on the Cassie Campbell Community Centre, and Prince Edward Island officially named March 14 Cassie Campbell Day. Earlier this year, she was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. In October 2007 she was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Bold, dynamic, and passionate, Campbell draws on her accomplishments as the captain of the gold-medal winning Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Team to explore the themes of leadership, teamwork, motivation, and determination. A lively, passionate, and engaging speaker, she knows firsthand about the key roles that teamwork, determination, and great leadership play at the most challenging times.

Tickets for the dinner are $75 each or $600 for a table of eight. The evening will include a live and silent auction to raise funds to help both institutions support female varsity programs and athletic awards. For more information or for tickets, contact Lynn Boudreau at (902)566-0991 or lboudreau@upei.ca, or Nadine Stavert at 566-6977 or nrstavert@hollandc.pe.ca.

The public is invited to attend a presentation called 'Access of students with learning disabilities to higher education: Issues and Solutions' by Dr. Carla DiGiorgio on March 7, at 4:30 p.m., in the Main Building, Room 040, at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI).

The Social Economy and Sustainability Research Network, Subnode 2: Inclusion and Empowerment, based at the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, is hosting the presentation.

DiGiorgio is working with research colleagues from UPEI and Holland College, as well as the Learning Disabilities Association of PEI, to find out about barriers and challenges facing adults with learning challenges as they attempt to access postsecondary or basic education in P.E.I. The researchers are collecting data from instructors in these institutions and from various programs to discover where the challenges are for the programs themselves, and what practices can be shared and developed to increase support to adult learners.

DiGiorgio has been an assistant professor with the Faculty of Education at UPEI since 2005 and a research partner with the Social Economy since 2006. Her areas of research include inclusive education, learning disabilities, language and cultural studies, policy and school change, and gifted education. She has a PhD in Inclusive Education from the University of South Australia, and a Master of Arts in Education, Learning Difficulties and Administration from Saint Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia.

The Atlantic chapter of the Social Economy seeks to increase the region's capacity for a dynamic social economy built on partnerships, knowledge and networks by working with its peoples and community partners to meet their research needs and to influence policy at the provincial and municipal levels.

The goal for Subnode 2 is to bring community partners and academics together to conduct research and to hold information sessions focusing on the theme of inclusion and empowerment of marginalized people in the social economy of Atlantic Canada.

For more information, please contact the Institute of Island Studies at (902) 566-0377.

The University of Prince Edward Island officially welcomed Island native and UPEI graduate Dr. William Whelan as Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Biomedical Optics at a reception in the Duffy Science Centre recently.

'We are delighted that Dr. Bill Whelan has joined UPEI as a Canada Research Chair, and that this honour is going to a UPEI graduate,' said UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. 'In addition to being recognized as a potential international leader in research, Dr. Whelan will be an inspirational colleague and teacher.'

As Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Optics, Whelan is developing more reliable ways to treat prostate cancer, a disease that will affect one of nine Canadian men. Prostate cancer is undetectable in its early stages, making it the number three killer among all cancers for men.

He is working on a minimally invasive technique that uses light and sound, instead of surgery or radiation, to deliver, monitor and assess treatment. During treatment, small flexible optical fibres are inserted into the cancerous tissue. Heat from a laser that is connected to the fibres destroys the cancerous cells. To ensure healthy cells are not damaged, sensors are implanted in the surrounding tissue, providing real-time feedback to make sure the laser is hitting its mark.

Whelan is also working on innovative ways of monitoring treatments; his remedy is to create ultrasound waves in the body by delivering nanosecond pulses of light at affected areas of tissue. This new technique, called optoacoustic imaging, offers higher-quality images than conventional ultrasound imaging. To complement these new medical techniques, he will also map the relationship between light and tissue, which will give researchers better models of how tissues work.

A native of Summerside, Whelan received a BSc (Physics) from UPEI in 1988, followed by an MSc (Health and Radiation Physics) and PhD (Medical Physics) from McMaster University. He spent 11 years with the Department of Physics at Ryerson University (Toronto). In January 2008, he joined UPEI full-time as an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Optics.

'We are very proud to welcome Dr. Whelan to the Faculty of Science,' says Dr. Christian LaCroix, Dean of the Faculty of Science, 'and we look forward to his leadership and contribution to the development of our research capacity in the Health Sciences.'

Whelan's designation marks the sixth Canada Research Chair awarded to UPEI - the third in the Faculty of Science - since the program was established the nationwide program in 2000. The Canada Research Chairs program was created to assist universities in attracting top researchers in Canada and abroad to solve the country's most important medical, scientific and social problems.

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Photo: Dr. William Whelan (centre), CRC in Biomedical Optics at UPEI, is congratulated on his appointment by Dr. Christian LaCroix, Dean of Science (left), Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice-president of Research and Development (second left), Dr. Carmen Gervais, Acting Director of the Canada Research Council Secretariat (second from right), and H. Wade
MacLauchlan, President of UPEI (right).

When the University of Prince Edward Island's new 48,000 square foot School of Business Administration opens later this year, one of the facility's main features will bear the name of one of the Island's most prominent business families.

The business school's dramatic, two-level entrance will be called the Schurman Market Square in recognition of the contribution made by the Island's well-known Schurman family to UPEI. With its architectural interplay of wood, stone and glass, this multi-functional space is designed to reflect the optimism, excitement and forward-thinking of a 21st-century business environment. A permanent display will highlight the Prince Edward Island Business Hall of Fame and its laureats.

Island businessman Michael Schurman, who is chair of UPEI's $50-million Building a Legacy capital campaign, which is in its final year, is proud of the Island's only university and to have his family's name on the business school's Market Square.

'UPEI is such an important element of the cultural, economic, social and educational life on Prince Edward Island,' he said recently. 'To support the university is the same as supporting the development and growth of the province. It is so easy to support UPEI because it benefits all Islanders.'

UPEI's reputation for excellence in education and research has grown immensely, says Schurman, and it continues to grow, attracting the best in faculty and students.

Contributions to the campaign have allowed the university to improve and expand its infrastructure, create scholarships, and to fund research, particularly in the science and social science fields.

The new business school will provide students with a state-of-the-art learning environment and offer new undergraduate programs such as specializations in entrepreneurship and biotech management, and proposed graduate degrees in innovative management and biotech management. It will also include the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, the Centre for Lifelong Learning, the Tourism Research Centre and the PEI BioAlliance.

The Atlantic Veterinary College has also benefited from the capital campaign. A recently completed 57,000 square foot research complex includes space for animal and human health sciences, workspace for graduate students, and centres of expertise such as the Lobster Science Centre.

'These state of the art facilities, together with the outstanding achievements of UPEI faculty, staff, students and graduates, are putting UPEI on the map,' says Wade MacLauchlan, President of UPEI. 'This could not be done without community support and the generous leadership of donors like Mike Schurman and his family, and we really, really appreciate that.'

Launched in 2003, the Building a Legacy campaign is the most comprehensive and ambitious in the history of UPEI with the goal of raising over $50 million by the end of 2008. The campaign supports capital expansion, graduate research, athletics, new research chairs and other campus-wide improvements.

Photo: Pat and Michael Schurman, their daughters Kim Horrelt (far left) and Margo Thompson (second left), and UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan (right) look over the Schurman Market Square from the second level during a recent tour of the university's new School of Business.

The newly renovated study area in the Robertson Library was the location for a special UPEI book celebration recently. Three professors from the Faculty of Arts presented excerpts from their latest books and led a public discussion about ideas that ranged from the evolutionary dynamics of interpersonal relations, to female migration, to the link between mental health and architecture.

Malcolm Murray, Lisa Chilton and James Moran were the guest presenters for the launch of the library’s first Celebrating the Book event, which was organized by Suzanne Jones, Robertson Library’s Outreach and Communications Librarian.

“With this inaugural event, the library acknowledged the continuing importance and relevance of books in this increasingly high-tech world,” says Jones. “It also showcased the fresh new design of our current periodicals and study area.” The renovated periodicals area, designed by Luis Roman from Fortune 50 Design, provides students with bright, comfortable work spaces featuring new study carrels and a modern decor.

In addition to hosting public presentations by professors or staff who have recently published their work, the Robertson Library is celebrating books in several other ways. The library is recognizing the contributions of Islanders through a bookplate project; re-arranging the book collection to create new book spaces and free up space for new acquisitions; and increasing purchasing dollars for books in all areas of study.

For the second time in three years, first- and fourth-year students at UPEI are being given the opportunity to have a direct impact on their university education through the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a national study that asks about the student experience inside and outside the classroom.

UPEI is one of three dozen Canadian universities that take part in the survey. In 2006, 42% of UPEI first- and fourth-year students participated in the first NSSE survey on the campus. The survey is used by UPEI administrators as an indication of what the university is doing well, and what it might do better, in areas of curriculum, student services and campus life.

This year more than 1.4 million undergraduate students at 774 schools in the United States and Canada will receive invitations to participate in NSSE. Since the survey began in 2000, the sample size and number of colleges and universities participating in this effort have increased. This is the ninth full survey since its inception.

The aggregated results (i.e., no individual student’s response would be identified) from the first NSSE at UPEI were presented to the Senate, ARPC, APFC,  Student Council, and each faculty, as well as at a public meeting, provoking campus-wide discussions surrounding student engagement.

According to two of UPEI’s deans, survey results from two years ago have had a considerable impact on the way things are being done at UPEI. “For example, retention issues, particularly of first-year students, are the focus of our attention,” says Dr. Richard Kurial, Dean of Arts. “We are endeavouring to discover why folks leave and what can be done to make them consider otherwise. Essentially, we're having a whole new look at what it is we do, and what it is students want from a university education.”

Dr. Christian Lacroix, Dean of Science, agrees. “As a result of the NSSE survey results, we implemented the Science Help Centre last fall. This ‘students helping students’ model in various disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Family and Nutritional Sciences) is working well and addressing some of our retention/engagement issues.”

“Another aspect that my office has concentrated on this year is making time for regular meetings with Science student societies to keep the lines of communication open and making sure our students are heard,” says Lacroix. “To address engagement issues further, we also plan to develop a cohort model for our lab sections for the next academic year. This means that groups of Science students will be in the same labs (in Chemistry, Physics, Biology) throughout their first year. We're very excited about all of those initiatives because they enhance our level of connection with our students.”

Other outcomes have included the creation of an Equity Outreach Office in Student Services, the inaugural Student Leadership Symposium held last October, and the implementation of a campus-wide overhead monitor system to communicate with students.

The confidential survey is administered online for first- and fourth-year students. It is not mandatory, but students who complete the survey will receive a $10 gift certificate for the UPEI Bookstore.

For further information about the NSSE Survey, please contact the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning at (902)566-0743, or the NSSE office at (812) 856-5824, or online at http://nsse.iub.edu/index.cfm.