Daily Planet host to speak to UPEI students about climate change
Jay Ingram, host of Discovery Channel Canada’s popular show Daily Planet, will speak about climate change to students at the University of Prince Edward Island on Thursday, October 16, and Friday, October 17.
Ingram will give a presentation called “Cool Ideas for Global Warming” to the students taking the university’s new Global Issues course during his visit. Dr Tim Goddard, UPEI Dean of Education, says, “We are delighted that our first-year students will have the opportunity to engage with Jay Ingram on this important topic. Global warming is a global issue, and this type of event is core to our vision of the course.”
On October 16, Ingram will speak in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre’s McMillan Hall at 7 p.m., with simultaneous live broadcasts in Rooms 243 and 246 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, and Lecture Theatre A in the Atlantic Veterinary College.
His talk on Friday, October 17, takes place at 2 p.m. in Room 135 of the Duffy Science Centre, with simultaneous live broadcasts in Room 104 in the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre and Room 242 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall.
Both presentations are free and open to the general public, but seating is limited.
Ingram has been the host of Daily Planet since it began in 1995. At the time it was the only hour-long, prime-time daily science show in the world. Prior to joining Discovery, he hosted CBC radio’s national science show, Quirks and Quarks, from 1979 to 1992. During that time he won two ACTRA awards, one for best host, and several Canadian Science Writers’ awards. He wrote and hosted two CBC radio documentary series, and short radio and television science stories for a variety of programs.
He was a contributing editor to Owl magazine for 10 years, and wrote a weekly science column in the Toronto Star for 12. He has also written 10 books, most recently The Daily Planet Book of Cool Ideas, which explores what people can do to reverse global warming and what they are doing to create a sustainable future.
He has received the Sandford Fleming medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for his efforts to popularize science, the Royal Society’s McNeil medal for the Public Awareness of Science and the Michael Smith award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. He is a distinguished alumnus of the University of Alberta and has received four honorary doctorates.
Ingram’s visit to UPEI coincides with National Science and Technology Week, which runs from October 17 to 25.
Ingram will give a presentation called “Cool Ideas for Global Warming” to the students taking the university’s new Global Issues course during his visit. Dr Tim Goddard, UPEI Dean of Education, says, “We are delighted that our first-year students will have the opportunity to engage with Jay Ingram on this important topic. Global warming is a global issue, and this type of event is core to our vision of the course.”
On October 16, Ingram will speak in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre’s McMillan Hall at 7 p.m., with simultaneous live broadcasts in Rooms 243 and 246 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, and Lecture Theatre A in the Atlantic Veterinary College.
His talk on Friday, October 17, takes place at 2 p.m. in Room 135 of the Duffy Science Centre, with simultaneous live broadcasts in Room 104 in the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre and Room 242 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall.
Both presentations are free and open to the general public, but seating is limited.
Ingram has been the host of Daily Planet since it began in 1995. At the time it was the only hour-long, prime-time daily science show in the world. Prior to joining Discovery, he hosted CBC radio’s national science show, Quirks and Quarks, from 1979 to 1992. During that time he won two ACTRA awards, one for best host, and several Canadian Science Writers’ awards. He wrote and hosted two CBC radio documentary series, and short radio and television science stories for a variety of programs.
He was a contributing editor to Owl magazine for 10 years, and wrote a weekly science column in the Toronto Star for 12. He has also written 10 books, most recently The Daily Planet Book of Cool Ideas, which explores what people can do to reverse global warming and what they are doing to create a sustainable future.
He has received the Sandford Fleming medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for his efforts to popularize science, the Royal Society’s McNeil medal for the Public Awareness of Science and the Michael Smith award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. He is a distinguished alumnus of the University of Alberta and has received four honorary doctorates.
Ingram’s visit to UPEI coincides with National Science and Technology Week, which runs from October 17 to 25.
UPEI reaches all-time high enrolment in 2008-2009 academic year
Despite regional demographic challenges in post-secondary enrolment, the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) recorded its highest-ever enrolment for full and part-time students for this academic year.
Enrolment statistics released by the Association of Atlantic Universities today show that total full and part-time enrolment at UPEI stands at 4,245 this year, an increase of 5.5 per cent over last year. The number of full and part-time undergraduate students rose to 3,968, and full and part-time graduate students increased to 277.
“Increased enrolment at UPEI reflects our growing reputation for high-quality, diverse undergraduate and graduate programs, strong student engagement, cutting-edge research, and award-winning faculty,” says Rosemary Herbert, vice-president of academic development.
In fact, a recently released National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) shows that first- and fourth-year students attending UPEI have a high degree of satisfaction with their experience at the university. Of 1,513 first-year and fourth-year students invited to fill out the survey, 53 per cent completed it in the spring of 2008, well above the Canadian average response rate of 39 per cent.
First-year science student Dana Hadway, from Didsbury, Alberta, is one of 15 first-year students attending UPEI from that province. Now one of three Alberta students on the UPEI women’s field hockey team, Hadway is enjoying the positive learning and social environment that the university offers its students.
“UPEI is really friendly,” she says. “It’s a close-knit community – there is always someone to talk to, and the other teams always come to cheer us on. Academically, I really appreciate the small class sizes and the fact that our professors are more than willing to help us and spend time with us.”
The number of international students at UPEI increased to 354, up 27.8 per cent over last year and a record high for the university. The students come from 46 countries around the world, including China, Korea, France, Finland, Sweden, Mexico, Japan and Australia.
Fourth-year business student Cuiying Li, of Guangzhou, China, says that when she came to UPEI, she discovered that it offers international students a supportive environment to learn English. She also enjoys her course work, reasonable tuition and small class sizes here. In fact because of her experience, three of her friends from Guangzhou are studying computer science and business at UPEI.
Recruitment officer Chris Power has noticed in his travels that more and more students across Canada are taking note of UPEI and asking for information about the programs offered here.
“Some of our greatest ambassadors are our current students, sharing stories in their local communities.”
Enrolment statistics released by the Association of Atlantic Universities today show that total full and part-time enrolment at UPEI stands at 4,245 this year, an increase of 5.5 per cent over last year. The number of full and part-time undergraduate students rose to 3,968, and full and part-time graduate students increased to 277.
“Increased enrolment at UPEI reflects our growing reputation for high-quality, diverse undergraduate and graduate programs, strong student engagement, cutting-edge research, and award-winning faculty,” says Rosemary Herbert, vice-president of academic development.
In fact, a recently released National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) shows that first- and fourth-year students attending UPEI have a high degree of satisfaction with their experience at the university. Of 1,513 first-year and fourth-year students invited to fill out the survey, 53 per cent completed it in the spring of 2008, well above the Canadian average response rate of 39 per cent.
First-year science student Dana Hadway, from Didsbury, Alberta, is one of 15 first-year students attending UPEI from that province. Now one of three Alberta students on the UPEI women’s field hockey team, Hadway is enjoying the positive learning and social environment that the university offers its students.
“UPEI is really friendly,” she says. “It’s a close-knit community – there is always someone to talk to, and the other teams always come to cheer us on. Academically, I really appreciate the small class sizes and the fact that our professors are more than willing to help us and spend time with us.”
The number of international students at UPEI increased to 354, up 27.8 per cent over last year and a record high for the university. The students come from 46 countries around the world, including China, Korea, France, Finland, Sweden, Mexico, Japan and Australia.
Fourth-year business student Cuiying Li, of Guangzhou, China, says that when she came to UPEI, she discovered that it offers international students a supportive environment to learn English. She also enjoys her course work, reasonable tuition and small class sizes here. In fact because of her experience, three of her friends from Guangzhou are studying computer science and business at UPEI.
Recruitment officer Chris Power has noticed in his travels that more and more students across Canada are taking note of UPEI and asking for information about the programs offered here.
“Some of our greatest ambassadors are our current students, sharing stories in their local communities.”
University of Prince Edward Island and College of the Bahamas sign collaborative agreement
The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is expanding its international connections, with the signing of an agreement with the College of the Bahamas (COB).
Delegates from the COB recently visited UPEI and signed the agreement, opening up a world of exciting opportunities for future collaborations. While on P.E.I., they participated in a public forum called “Sharing the Land,” organized by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, which focused on issues surrounding heritage management and land use conflict in island jurisdictions.
With over 50 agreements in numerous countries, UPEI is becoming a mobile university, welcoming many international visitors and students each year, and providing opportunities for students to travel and experience diverse cultures. In addition, UPEI’s faculties are engaging in collaborative research and teaching opportunities.
UPEI’s Faculty of Science is actively pursuing its relationship with the COB, which recently involved the delivery of a course entitled “Medicines from the sea” to students from both schools. UPEI's Dr. Russell Kerr, the lead instructor for the course, looks forward to the next offering in the Bahamas.
Future plans include the offering of a course in plant biology by Dr. Christian Lacroix, Dean of Science at UPEI, in conjunction with a colleague from Montreal’s botanical garden and a faculty member from the COB, at the Grace Research Centre on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. Faculty members from the respective institutions will be invited to a workshop to explore faculty exchanges and the development of other field courses which will be offered in the Bahamas and Canada.
For more information on internationalization at UPEI, please contact Alaina Roach O’Keefe, International Education and Development Project Coordinator, at (902) 894-2842 or aroach@upei.ca.
UPEI students show high degree of satisfaction with their education
The 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) shows that first- and fourth-year students attending the University of Prince Edward Island have a high degree of satisfaction with their experience at the university.
Of 1,513 first-year and fourth-year students invited to fill out the survey last spring, 53 per cent responded, well above the Canadian average response rate of 39 per cent. And the news is good for UPEI!
The survey reveals that UPEI provides its students with more opportunities for interactions and collaborations among students, faculty, and staff, and for community involvement. It also shows that UPEI students care about their education and are more “engaged” in shaping their own educational experience.
Eighty-three per cent of first-year students and 88 per cent of fourth-year students rated their entire educational experience at UPEI as “good” or “excellent.” And 83 per cent of first-year students and 85 per cent of fourth-year students would pick UPEI again if they could start their university education over again. Eighty-one per cent of first-year students and 78 per cent of fourth-year students rated the quality of academic advisement they received at UPEI as “good” or “excellent.
First- and fourth-year UPEI students also fared well in the NSSE benchmarks used to rate effective education practices; they were more engaged than, or as engaged as, average students in NSSE-participating institutions in Canada. The benchmarks are: Level of Academic Challenges (LAC), Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL), Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI), Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE), and Supportive Campus Environment (SCE).
This year’s NSSE results also show the progress UPEI has made since 2006 when the university participated in the survey for the first time. For example, the 2006 NSSE identified the Level of Academic Challenge for first-year students as an area for improvement. This year’s survey reports a significant increase in first-year students’ scores for this benchmark.
The survey provides feedback about curriculum, student services and campus life. In the months to come, the campus community will work together to examine the NSSE results and identify areas to address to further improve students’ experience and student engagement at UPEI.
Institutional research officer Yuqin Gong will give presentations about the NSSE data to the campus community this fall. Please contact Yuqin at 566-0361 or ygong@upei.ca if you wish to receive more information.
Of 1,513 first-year and fourth-year students invited to fill out the survey last spring, 53 per cent responded, well above the Canadian average response rate of 39 per cent. And the news is good for UPEI!
The survey reveals that UPEI provides its students with more opportunities for interactions and collaborations among students, faculty, and staff, and for community involvement. It also shows that UPEI students care about their education and are more “engaged” in shaping their own educational experience.
Eighty-three per cent of first-year students and 88 per cent of fourth-year students rated their entire educational experience at UPEI as “good” or “excellent.” And 83 per cent of first-year students and 85 per cent of fourth-year students would pick UPEI again if they could start their university education over again. Eighty-one per cent of first-year students and 78 per cent of fourth-year students rated the quality of academic advisement they received at UPEI as “good” or “excellent.
First- and fourth-year UPEI students also fared well in the NSSE benchmarks used to rate effective education practices; they were more engaged than, or as engaged as, average students in NSSE-participating institutions in Canada. The benchmarks are: Level of Academic Challenges (LAC), Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL), Student-Faculty Interaction (SFI), Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE), and Supportive Campus Environment (SCE).
This year’s NSSE results also show the progress UPEI has made since 2006 when the university participated in the survey for the first time. For example, the 2006 NSSE identified the Level of Academic Challenge for first-year students as an area for improvement. This year’s survey reports a significant increase in first-year students’ scores for this benchmark.
The survey provides feedback about curriculum, student services and campus life. In the months to come, the campus community will work together to examine the NSSE results and identify areas to address to further improve students’ experience and student engagement at UPEI.
Institutional research officer Yuqin Gong will give presentations about the NSSE data to the campus community this fall. Please contact Yuqin at 566-0361 or ygong@upei.ca if you wish to receive more information.
UPEI top undergraduate university in research income growth over six years
The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) was the top Canadian undergraduate university in research income growth from 2002 to 2007, according to Canada’s Innovation Leaders 2008, a report published by Research Infosource.
From 2002 to 2007, research income at UPEI rose from $5.2 million to $13.2 million, an increase of 153.8 per cent, says the report. Research Infosource is Canada’s premier source of research and development information.
"UPEI’s surge in research funding is based in faculty excellence and strong partnerships,” says Dr. Katherine Schultz, vice-president of Research and Development. “Our positioning as first in our category is a clear reflection of UPEI’s research focus and the energy with which we pursue our goals. UPEI's researchers are to be commended for this achievement.”
Research Infosource has ranked UPEI fourth out of 17 primarily undergraduate Canadian universities in its undergraduate research universities of the year category. UPEI is the only university from the Maritimes in the top ten of the undergraduate category.
Schultz says that as one of the top ten research-intensive universities in Canada, UPEI is well-situated to be a leader in research in the region and the country.
In 2008, external grants and contracts for all research areas at UPEI rose to $16.4 million in 2008, with a goal of reaching $40-million within 10 years. This translates into greater opportunities for UPEI faculty and students to participate in ground-breaking research, and in the establishment of state-of-the-art research facilities on the campus.
Take, for example, biology student Ashleigh Allen, one of 26 undergraduate students who received awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council last summer for research projects. Allen spent her summer working with her supervisor Dr. Robert Hurta, investigating the possible protective effects that natural “bioactive” compounds extracted from two species of seaweed may have against cancer cells. Under Hurta’s guidance, she learned about working in a cancer research lab, something she is interested in pursuing in the future.
UPEI now has seven faculty members who hold prestigious Canada Research Chairs in the sciences, and the social sciences and humanities. Their research covers the study of small islands; development of natural compounds from marine organisms; population health; the role of inflammation in diseases such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's; development of a research and training program to understand challenges faced by youth; watershed ecology; and the development of minimally invasive techniques to monitor and treat disease such as prostate cancer.
Researchers are also contributing to discoveries related to school health, immigration, stroke, infectious diseases in marine life, cultural engagement, invasive species, animal movement, “green” chemistry,” and learning in a virtual environment, among others.
As well, UPEI researchers collaborate with the PEI BioAlliance, the federal and provincial governments, and the local business community to move their research from the lab into the community and the economy.
The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada recently released a report that found Canadian universities performed 36 per cent of the country’s research and development, well above the average of other developed countries. The report also notes that university research is estimated to have contributed as much as $60 billion to the country’s gross domestic product in 2007.
From 2002 to 2007, research income at UPEI rose from $5.2 million to $13.2 million, an increase of 153.8 per cent, says the report. Research Infosource is Canada’s premier source of research and development information.
"UPEI’s surge in research funding is based in faculty excellence and strong partnerships,” says Dr. Katherine Schultz, vice-president of Research and Development. “Our positioning as first in our category is a clear reflection of UPEI’s research focus and the energy with which we pursue our goals. UPEI's researchers are to be commended for this achievement.”
Research Infosource has ranked UPEI fourth out of 17 primarily undergraduate Canadian universities in its undergraduate research universities of the year category. UPEI is the only university from the Maritimes in the top ten of the undergraduate category.
Schultz says that as one of the top ten research-intensive universities in Canada, UPEI is well-situated to be a leader in research in the region and the country.
In 2008, external grants and contracts for all research areas at UPEI rose to $16.4 million in 2008, with a goal of reaching $40-million within 10 years. This translates into greater opportunities for UPEI faculty and students to participate in ground-breaking research, and in the establishment of state-of-the-art research facilities on the campus.
Take, for example, biology student Ashleigh Allen, one of 26 undergraduate students who received awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council last summer for research projects. Allen spent her summer working with her supervisor Dr. Robert Hurta, investigating the possible protective effects that natural “bioactive” compounds extracted from two species of seaweed may have against cancer cells. Under Hurta’s guidance, she learned about working in a cancer research lab, something she is interested in pursuing in the future.
UPEI now has seven faculty members who hold prestigious Canada Research Chairs in the sciences, and the social sciences and humanities. Their research covers the study of small islands; development of natural compounds from marine organisms; population health; the role of inflammation in diseases such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's; development of a research and training program to understand challenges faced by youth; watershed ecology; and the development of minimally invasive techniques to monitor and treat disease such as prostate cancer.
Researchers are also contributing to discoveries related to school health, immigration, stroke, infectious diseases in marine life, cultural engagement, invasive species, animal movement, “green” chemistry,” and learning in a virtual environment, among others.
As well, UPEI researchers collaborate with the PEI BioAlliance, the federal and provincial governments, and the local business community to move their research from the lab into the community and the economy.
The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada recently released a report that found Canadian universities performed 36 per cent of the country’s research and development, well above the average of other developed countries. The report also notes that university research is estimated to have contributed as much as $60 billion to the country’s gross domestic product in 2007.
Marketing expert to speak to Global Issues students at UPEI on November 6
Debra Sandler, worldwide president of McNeil Nutritionals LLC, a Johnson and Johnson company, will speak to students in the Faculty of Education's Global Issues course on Thursday, November 6.
Her presentation, "The Global Consumer: Transforming Markets and Brand Communications," will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in McDougall Hall 242, with overflow seating in Kelley 237, and again from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Duffy Amphitheatre. Members of the public are welcome to attend one of the sessions.
Sandler has had a distinguished career in consumer product marketing and brand management, including international management responsibilities with Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi Co., and others. She was responsible for the highly successful consumer launch of SPLENDA in the U.S. Today, SPLENDA is the number-one selling sugar substitute in the United States.
She holds a BBA. in International Trade from Hofstra University and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. She also has an honorary degree from Long Island University’s School of Pharmacy. She has been recognized for her marketing and leadership success, including Advertising Age’s Power 50 Marketers Award for Excellence in Marketing (2004), by Ebony magazine as one of the “Top 15 African American Female Executives in Corporate America,” and by Black Enterprise as one of the Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America.
Her presentation, "The Global Consumer: Transforming Markets and Brand Communications," will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in McDougall Hall 242, with overflow seating in Kelley 237, and again from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Duffy Amphitheatre. Members of the public are welcome to attend one of the sessions.
Sandler has had a distinguished career in consumer product marketing and brand management, including international management responsibilities with Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi Co., and others. She was responsible for the highly successful consumer launch of SPLENDA in the U.S. Today, SPLENDA is the number-one selling sugar substitute in the United States.
She holds a BBA. in International Trade from Hofstra University and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. She also has an honorary degree from Long Island University’s School of Pharmacy. She has been recognized for her marketing and leadership success, including Advertising Age’s Power 50 Marketers Award for Excellence in Marketing (2004), by Ebony magazine as one of the “Top 15 African American Female Executives in Corporate America,” and by Black Enterprise as one of the Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America.
UPEI hosts public forum on P.E.I.’s environment on November 13
The Environmental Studies program at the University of Prince Edward Island is hosting a public forum called “State of the Island Environment 2008: Looking Back, Looking Ahead” on Thursday, November 13, at 7 p.m. in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Room 242.
“The aim of these forums is to bring together a diverse panel of knowledgeable and concerned people from environmental organizations and government agencies to discuss important local environmental issues that have included water quality, waste and GMOs,” says Dr. Don Mazer, the former coordinator of the Environmental Studies program.
“Public education is an important part of the mission of our program,” says Dr. Darren Bardati, the new Director of Environmental Studies at UPEI. “UPEI is an ideal place to bring together members of the university community and the broader Island community to hear different perspectives on the critical issues that face the Island.”
This is the fifth forum on environmental topics that has been hosted by the program; it revisits the theme of the first forum in 2000, which was called “The State of the Island Environment.”
“Given the many significant developments in the past decade related to issues such as water quality, nitrates, fish kills and climate change, it seemed important to us to revisit this general theme in order to offer some historical perspectives on these issues, as well as to look at visions for a sustainable future,” says Bardati.
The panel will include a number of participants from the early forums who will offer a variety of informed perspectives. They include Diane Griffin, Nature Conservancy of Canada; Daryl Guignion, a wildlife biologist and retired UPEI biology professor; Sharon Labchuk, Green Party of Canada; and Gary Schneider, Environmental Coalition of PEI and Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project. They will be joined by the Honourable George Webster, Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry. UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan will be the moderator for the forum.
The panelists will offer their views on the current state of the Island environment, how things have changed in the eight years since the first forum, their analysis of the key factors that contribute to environmental issues on PEI, and their ideas about how to move toward a sustainable future. A question period will follow the presentations. Bardati has also emphasized the forum as an important part of students’ course work in Environmental Studies, and encouraged their involvement in the discussion.
“We look forward to an evening of informative presentations and lively exchange that will give us all a chance to reflect on how we can preserve and enhance the ecological well-being of the Island and of Islanders,” says Bardati.
Admission to the forum is free, and everyone is welcome. For more information, please contact Darren Bardati at (902) 620-5066.
“The aim of these forums is to bring together a diverse panel of knowledgeable and concerned people from environmental organizations and government agencies to discuss important local environmental issues that have included water quality, waste and GMOs,” says Dr. Don Mazer, the former coordinator of the Environmental Studies program.
“Public education is an important part of the mission of our program,” says Dr. Darren Bardati, the new Director of Environmental Studies at UPEI. “UPEI is an ideal place to bring together members of the university community and the broader Island community to hear different perspectives on the critical issues that face the Island.”
This is the fifth forum on environmental topics that has been hosted by the program; it revisits the theme of the first forum in 2000, which was called “The State of the Island Environment.”
“Given the many significant developments in the past decade related to issues such as water quality, nitrates, fish kills and climate change, it seemed important to us to revisit this general theme in order to offer some historical perspectives on these issues, as well as to look at visions for a sustainable future,” says Bardati.
The panel will include a number of participants from the early forums who will offer a variety of informed perspectives. They include Diane Griffin, Nature Conservancy of Canada; Daryl Guignion, a wildlife biologist and retired UPEI biology professor; Sharon Labchuk, Green Party of Canada; and Gary Schneider, Environmental Coalition of PEI and Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project. They will be joined by the Honourable George Webster, Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry. UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan will be the moderator for the forum.
The panelists will offer their views on the current state of the Island environment, how things have changed in the eight years since the first forum, their analysis of the key factors that contribute to environmental issues on PEI, and their ideas about how to move toward a sustainable future. A question period will follow the presentations. Bardati has also emphasized the forum as an important part of students’ course work in Environmental Studies, and encouraged their involvement in the discussion.
“We look forward to an evening of informative presentations and lively exchange that will give us all a chance to reflect on how we can preserve and enhance the ecological well-being of the Island and of Islanders,” says Bardati.
Admission to the forum is free, and everyone is welcome. For more information, please contact Darren Bardati at (902) 620-5066.
Popular poet and novelist Anne Simpson gives reading on November 20
Anne Simpson, one of Atlantic Canada’s finest poets and novelists, and a popular creative writing teacher, returns to PEI with a new novel, Falling. She will give a reading on Thursday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m., at the Confederation Centre Art Galley in Charlottetown. A reception and book signing will follow.
Simpson lives in Antigonish, where she teaches part-time and coordinates the Great Blue Heron Writing Workshop at St. Francis Xavier University.
In Falling, on a Nova Scotian shore, a young woman makes a mistake that claims her life, while down the beach, her brother Damian is unaware she is drowning. Beginning with this shattering event, Simpson’s mesmerizing novel takes us to Niagara Falls, where Damian and his mother Ingrid scatter Lisa’s ashes and visit Ingrid’s estranged brother, once a famous daredevil of the Falls, now blind and mentally disabled. Old wounds and new misunderstandings collide.
Her first book of poetry, Light Falls Through You, won the Atlantic Poetry Prize and the national Gerald Lampert Award for best first poetry book. Her second collection, Loop, won Canada’s prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the 2003 Governor General’s Award. Quick, her third poetry book, won the 2007 Pat Lowther Award for best poetry collection by a Canadian woman. Her first novel, Canterbury Beach, was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Award in Nova Scotia.
Anne Simpson’s reading is sponsored by the UPEI Department of English, the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, and The Canada Council for the Arts.
Simpson lives in Antigonish, where she teaches part-time and coordinates the Great Blue Heron Writing Workshop at St. Francis Xavier University.
In Falling, on a Nova Scotian shore, a young woman makes a mistake that claims her life, while down the beach, her brother Damian is unaware she is drowning. Beginning with this shattering event, Simpson’s mesmerizing novel takes us to Niagara Falls, where Damian and his mother Ingrid scatter Lisa’s ashes and visit Ingrid’s estranged brother, once a famous daredevil of the Falls, now blind and mentally disabled. Old wounds and new misunderstandings collide.
Her first book of poetry, Light Falls Through You, won the Atlantic Poetry Prize and the national Gerald Lampert Award for best first poetry book. Her second collection, Loop, won Canada’s prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the 2003 Governor General’s Award. Quick, her third poetry book, won the 2007 Pat Lowther Award for best poetry collection by a Canadian woman. Her first novel, Canterbury Beach, was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Award in Nova Scotia.
Anne Simpson’s reading is sponsored by the UPEI Department of English, the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, and The Canada Council for the Arts.
PEI Health Research Institute holds Café Scientifique November 20
Remember when you and your friends spent hours debating the “big questions” of the day? Well, here’s your chance to take part in an interactive discussion about a topic that affects many people.
The PEI Health Research Institute (PEI HRI) will host its second Café Scientifique on Thursday, November 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Confederation Centre’s Studio Theatre.
Entitled “Battling Brain Disease,” the café will explore the question of whether medical research should take a more integrated approach to understanding and battling brain disease.
The speakers will be Dr. Andy Tasker, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Atlantic Veterinary College, and Director of the Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research, and Dr. Cai Song, Canada Research Chair in Psychoneuroimmunology, University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), and Visiting Worker, National Research Council. The moderator for this event is Dr. Tracy Doucette, Assistant Professor of Biology, UPEI.
Tasker will give a presentation called “Searching for the Philosopher’s Stone: a new approach to understanding neurological disorders,” and Song will speak about “How the Brain and Body communicate in health and disease.”
“The human brain is extremely complex, and there are many diseases of the brain or impairments of brain function that have traditionally been seen as different,” says Tasker. “With increasing knowledge, however, we are starting to see similarities, common elements and relationships between the mechanisms underlying different conditions.”
Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Café Scientifique events bring together researchers and members of the public in an informal environment to exchange ideas and opinions. The goal is to engage the public and heighten awareness of the significant role that science and research play in improving the health of Canadians.
Refreshments will be available. There is no cost to attend this event, but you must register in advance. Please contact Susan Hornby at the PEI HRI to register at (902) 894-2812 or peihri@upei.ca.
Located at UPEI, the PEI HRI supports, promotes and enhances quality research related to human health on Prince Edward Island, contributing to the health of Islanders and Canadians, and to the economy of P.E.I.
The PEI Health Research Institute (PEI HRI) will host its second Café Scientifique on Thursday, November 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Confederation Centre’s Studio Theatre.
Entitled “Battling Brain Disease,” the café will explore the question of whether medical research should take a more integrated approach to understanding and battling brain disease.
The speakers will be Dr. Andy Tasker, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Atlantic Veterinary College, and Director of the Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research, and Dr. Cai Song, Canada Research Chair in Psychoneuroimmunology, University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), and Visiting Worker, National Research Council. The moderator for this event is Dr. Tracy Doucette, Assistant Professor of Biology, UPEI.
Tasker will give a presentation called “Searching for the Philosopher’s Stone: a new approach to understanding neurological disorders,” and Song will speak about “How the Brain and Body communicate in health and disease.”
“The human brain is extremely complex, and there are many diseases of the brain or impairments of brain function that have traditionally been seen as different,” says Tasker. “With increasing knowledge, however, we are starting to see similarities, common elements and relationships between the mechanisms underlying different conditions.”
Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Café Scientifique events bring together researchers and members of the public in an informal environment to exchange ideas and opinions. The goal is to engage the public and heighten awareness of the significant role that science and research play in improving the health of Canadians.
Refreshments will be available. There is no cost to attend this event, but you must register in advance. Please contact Susan Hornby at the PEI HRI to register at (902) 894-2812 or peihri@upei.ca.
Located at UPEI, the PEI HRI supports, promotes and enhances quality research related to human health on Prince Edward Island, contributing to the health of Islanders and Canadians, and to the economy of P.E.I.
