With funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Aboriginal Youth Internship Program, the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI is sending two interns to Chiloe Island, Chile, in February. Olivia Levi of Miramichi, NB, and Samantha Lewis of Lennox Island First Nation, PEI will spend the next four months working with aboriginal communities in Chile.

Chiloe Island is part of a large archipelago located off the coast of southern Chile. Many of their native youth migrated to urban areas in recent decades, seeking work in industrial aquaculture. Now they are returning home, after the collapse of the industrial aquaculture industry in which they were employed. However, these young men and women return without knowing the traditional ways of their native Williche community and without the skills necessary to make a living at the traditional livelihoods of farming and fishing. The bridge between elders and youth has been lost.

In recent years, interns from the Institute of Island Studies have been helping to document cultural practices on Chiloe. This will help the Williche Council of Chiefs develop programs to reintroduce Williche youth to their traditional knowledge. Modern scientific knowledge will also be integrated with tradition to develop livelihood options.

Olivia is a member of the Metepenagiag First Nation in Miramichi. She has been studying political science and business, and is active in her community. 'This past summer, I was involved in a student project at home which brought pride to me and to my community,' said Olivia. 'I learned that there is nothing stopping me from contributing, and now I want to share that with other native groups. So I view Chiloe as an opportunity to see what difference I can make there, what I can share, and what I can learn.'

Samantha is from Lennox Island First Nation, PEI. She serves on the Mi'kmaq and Maliseet Atlantic Youth Council as the PEI youth representative. She is also involved with the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council as the female representative for PEI/NB, and just recently she has been elected as the youth member of the Aboriginal Women's Association of PEI. Samantha is a cultural promoter and performer through singing, dancing and cultural storytelling. She has been dancing women's fancy shawl for 9 years, and has developed a new love of hoop dancing and jingle dress dancing. 'I have been involved in advocating for youth and I am passionate in preserving our Mi'kmaq culture,' she said. 'I am proud to represent the Mi'kmaq people and I look forward to learning and working with the Williche natives of Chile.'

The two women will depart for Chile on February 5 and will live and work with the Williche native communities for the next four months.

"Olivia and Samantha have been busy preparing for their work in Chiloe, and we look forward to the contributions they will make there, and also to what they will bring back to share,' said Dr. Irene Novaczek, Director of the Institute of Island Studies.

UPEI will be celebrating its eleventh annual International Development Week (IDW), February 6-12, with all events open to the public. The 2012 theme will be 'Building Democracies: Instilling Civil Societies and Developing Democratic Processes.' IDW is a national event held each year to increase awareness of Canada's role in international development. The events also serve to educate the general public on life in developing countries.

Some of this year's IDW Week events include a community luncheon, global jam, student symposium, film screenings, and special guest presentations including Nadia Kostiuk, Vice-President of Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Kostiuk will speak on current challenges to development cooperation.

The full schedule of events is posted on upei.ca/idw. For more information, contact Dr. Christian Lacroix, Dean of Science, (902) 566-0320 or lacroix@upei.ca.

UPEI's Family and Nutritional Sciences (FANS) Society is committed to building a strong community, and this year was no different. The student group, which includes foods & nutrition, family science, child studies, and kinesiology students, was recently involved in a number of fundraising and awareness initiatives, which raised over $3,800.

Their monthly fundraising began in September, with a FANS team taking part in the annual CIBC Run for the Cure. The students had a coffee and muffin sale to raise funds and they also sought out sponsors. Despite poor weather conditions, the team was awarded the 'Post-Secondary Individual Challenge Award 2011' for being the top post-secondary fundraising team in PEI.

Samantha Smith, co-president of FANS, thanks the society for enhancing her overall experience at UPEI, 'FANS has succeeded in making real change on campus and in our community,' she said. 'In the process of fundraising and bringing about change, we have all gained so much in return.'

Throughout the month of October, FANS continued to raise funds for cancer research when they took part in the annual UPEI Relay for Life. The group picked apples from a local orchard and baked delicious apple treats as a way to raise extra money. FANS also had a student team registered in the PEI Relay for Life that took place in May, and was recognized as 'The Most Spirited Team.'

In the months of November and December, the society didn't slow down. They participated in The Kidney Foundation's 'Bowling for Research' fundraiser, where they were applauded for being the only student group to take part. For many years, FANS has been involved in providing gifts to needy families during the holiday season. Throughout the fall semester, FANS raised money by selling departmental clothing and other fundraising activities to provide gifts for the local family. FANS also partnered up with UPEI's Diversity Office in December, to aid in the cultural and religious celebrations of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Members of the FANS team dedicated many hours to prepare 300 cookies-shortbread, Mandelbrot, and sesame cookies, to represent each respective celebration.

Currently, the FANS Society is selling cookbooks compiled with student and faculty recipes. Profits from cookbook sales will be used to support the Canadian Council for the Blind and next year's Christmas family fundraiser. In March, FANS will participate in 'Nutrition Month,' where they will inform the campus community on healthy eating. The society also puts on weekly yoga sessions, and the drop-in donations are used to support a student attending the annual Dietitians of Canada national conference.

'We're so pleased to see the FANS Society take such initiative in helping out these great causes,' said Kathy Gottschall-Pass, Professor and Chair of the Department of Applied Human Sciences. 'It's students like them who make the university and its community a better place.'

Lorenzo Parker, of the Horton High School Griffins, has committed to attend the University of Prince Edward Island in the fall of 2012. The 6'3' guard has been an all-star or MVP in every tournament that his team has entered this season, and he has scored 40 or more points in several games this year. Parker will be rejoining Coach Tim Kendrick with the Panthers, after having had him as a high school coach for two years in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Parker is excited to join the UPEI Panthers next year, 'I'm looking forward to being reunited with Coach Kendrick at UPEI, and competing for the chance to win some AUS and CIS championships.'

'We are thrilled to have Lorenzo joining us. He is a very good player with tremendous potential. We certainly had him rated as one of the top high school players in the Maritimes...if not the top,' said UPEI Head Coach, Tim Kendrick. 'As good a player as he is, he is an even finer young man. He will make a great Panther!'

The UPEI Panthers are currently in first place in the 2011/2012 AUS rankings, and the Horton Griffins hold first place in Nova Scotia's West Region league, as well as in the Mainland Athletic Conference in Nova Scotia.

The University of Prince Edward Island celebrated today the launch of a new contract research company based partly on UPEI technology. Bio-valuation Outsourcing Solution (BioVOS) provides services to the pharmaceutical industry to test new drugs and treatments for neuro-inflammatory, metabolic, and cardiovascular disorders, including stroke and heart disease.

'Pharmaceutical companies face real challenges when bringing a new drug to market,' says Dr. Tarek Saleh, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at UPEI's Atlantic Veterinary College and CEO of BioVOS. 'Drug development takes up to 15 years with a success rate of just one in five thousand at an average cost of more than a billion dollars. Contract research organizations, such as BioVOS, can help streamline that process and make it more affordable.'

BioVOS has exclusive agreements in place to use more than one hundred in vivo and in vitro research models and techniques developed by the Atlantic Centre for Bioactive Valuation (ACBV) and other partners. The research of ACBV was made possible by generous funding from Innovation PEI and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

Three Oaks Innovations Inc., the commercialization arm of the University of Prince Edward Island, helped navigate the partners involved in BioVOS toward today's business launch.

'We are excited to have been a part of the process that led to this deal,' said Sophie Theriault, Managing Director of Three Oaks Innovations Inc. 'BioVOS' scientific expertise, mixed with the state-of-the-art, SPF- equipped facilities will provide pharmaceutical clients with efficient and high-quality reporting. This is an exciting venture for Prince Edward Island.'

'BioVOS is the result of the collaboration and excellence built on the UPEI campus between the Atlantic Veterinary College and the NRC-INH,' said Dr. Katherine Schultz, UPEI's Vice-President of Research. 'With the help of Three Oaks Innovations Inc., the expertise of UPEI is making a real contribution to future Island prosperity.'

'I want to congratulate Dr. Saleh for this exciting achievement,' said Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President of UPEI. 'This is our fourth spin-off company from UPEI, and our second in the last 18 months. We're turning research into commercial output at a rate twice that of any other post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada.'

Dr. Fiona Walton, Professor of Education at UPEI, has been awarded a 2012 3M National Teaching Fellowship. Each year, the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and 3M Canada join together to reward exceptional teaching and learning at Canadian universities. Walton was among the 10 teaching fellows chosen for this year.

She is known as a visionary, a determined and courageous educator who makes a difference, and creates a lasting legacy in aboriginal education. Dr. Shannon Murray, Professor of English at UPEI and also a 2001 3M National Teaching Fellow, agrees.

Murray was the one who nominated Walton for the prestigious award. 'Her work has expanded the notion of what, and where, a university can be in the Canadian context,' said Murray. 'This was exemplified on Canada Day 2009, when 21 Inuit women students in Iqaluit graduated with master of education degrees. Fiona was instrumental in establishing that groundbreaking program.'

Walton describes her teaching philosophy as teaching toward bettering selves, teaching beyond the classrooms, and teaching toward caring and democratic communities. This is exactly what she has demonstrated throughout her work in Inuit education for over 30 years.

UPEI President, Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz expressed the University's pride in Walton. 'On behalf of UPEI and its community, I extend congratulations to Fiona for this great accomplishment. Her passion and caring nature complement her high standards in teaching and learning, and we couldn't be more proud of her.'

Walton is deeply honoured to represent UPEI as a 2012 3M Teaching Fellow, 'Thanks to Shannon Murray and many other colleagues; teaching well is greatly valued at UPEI. I have received encouragement, support, and advice within a culture that helps us all to improve student engagement and learning- something I believe to be very important.'

Dr. Peter Meincke, former UPEI president from 1978-1985, was recently among the first 60 recipients recognized with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal during the inaugural presentation ceremony on February 6, at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa.

Recipients of this prestigious award are said to have made Canada a better place, and have called on others to also act out of goodwill. The commemorative medal will be presented to 60,000 deserving Canadians throughout the year, to celebrate their significant contributions and success, as well as to recognize them for their dedication and service to our country.

Meincke was recognized specifically for his 'commitment and expertise in promoting the technological innovations necessary for sustainable development worldwide.'

During Meincke's time at UPEI, he took it upon himself to increase awareness and understanding of the crucial role that technology plays in our daily lives, and to discover how society can best encourage these innovations, which are necessary for sustainable development. Specifically, in 1992, Meincke created the Small Islands Information Network for UPEI's Institute of Island Studies, to provide an opportunity for small islands to build a viral infrastructure to support their sustainable development.

The awards presentation marked the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada.

After recently hearing about the efforts of Volunteer Eco Students Abroad (VESA), two UPEI students, Kirsten Van Der Velden and Kyle Murphy have signed up to volunteer in Fiji in April.

The students will board with a Fijian family during their two-week volunteer journey. While in Fiji, they will aid an important sustainable community development project, where they will partake in daily tasks in conjunction with the villagers and the village chief. Some of the major issues the village faces include a lack of fresh running water, rundown schools and poor infrastructure, little to no education on conservation, sustainability, health and hygiene, and English proficiency.

Van Der Velden, an arts student at UPEI, can't wait to begin the volunteer initiative, 'I'm excited to experience another culture firsthand,' she said. 'I'm looking forward to really making a difference in their lives, and in my own as well.'

The UPEI team will be busy constructing and installing water catchments in villages that have no access to safe drinking water, refurbishing and painting schools and playgrounds, and developing English lesson plans to cater to both young and older Fijian children.

Fundraising efforts have been going well so far, with the group raising close to $5,000 to support their travel costs. Upcoming fundraising events include 'Fight for Fiji! Featuring The Downwalls with special guest Don Younie' at Baba's Lounge on February 11 from 10:00 pm-2:00 am, as well as a Halo tournament taking place on February 19 at 6:00 pm, at Microplay in Charlottetown.

For more information on these events, or to find out how you can help out, contact Kirsten Van Der Velden at (902) 394-6040 or kirsten.velden@gmail.com.

For information on VESA initiatives, http://www.vesabroad.com/.

UPEI's Department of Computer Science and Information Technology (CSIT) and the School of Business are teaming up with Timeless Technologies, a local software and web development company, to present to its students 'The Big Pitch'-Venture Capital Funding.

CSIT and Business students will work together in teams of four to develop a concept and a business plan for the 'next killer mobile app.' Students will have the opportunity to be mentored by Timeless Technologies and UPEI faculty members as they develop their ideas over the next month in preparation for 'The Big Pitch' event in March. A panel of judges, with representatives from Timeless, UPEI, and the Innovation and Technology Association of Prince Edward Island, will select the winners.

Alan Duncan, Dean of UPEI's School of Business, is thrilled that Timeless Technologies is offering students the opportunity to take their ideas to product. 'They are offering to share their experience and expertise to assist in this project,' he said. 'This is an unrivalled opportunity for UPEI faculties to collaborate, and for students to experience a real world situation, which will likely be a highlight of their careers with UPEI.'

The students' pitches must be focused on the worldwide mobile device market, must be Internet-based businesses, and must have a defined revenue stream immediately upon launch.

Timeless Technologies will hire the winning team, provide them with salaries, and a budget of $50,000 to execute their business plan and develop their mobile application with Timeless' Development, and Sales and Marketing teams over the summer. The winning team will also share in the profits once the mobile application gets to market!

For more information, contact thebigpitch@timelesstech.com, or visit http://www.facebook.com/timelesstech.

Robyn Christensen, a fourth-year science student at UPEI, went on a trip to Uganda last year that forever changed her. Since that trip, Robyn created and leads UPEI's International Charity Club, a group dedicated to helping the less fortunate in third world countries.

This May, the club will embark on a three-week journey to Uganda with the Watoto program, a holistic care initiative that helps orphaned children and vulnerable women in Uganda. The club will work on various infrastructural projects in order to better the quality of life for infants living in African baby homes. They will also be responsible for bathing, feeding, and most importantly, loving these children.

Christensen recalls the thin, tiny children, sitting on the sidewalks in the African country, and describes their eyes as 'lifeless' with 'every last vestige of hope and idealism drained from them.' She believes that it is people from her generation, and from Canada, that will make an impact on the world. 'This club is as much about helping the less fortunate as it is about educating UPEI students to appreciate their wealth, and make poverty a concern, so that they too can be a part of the solution.'

February is a time of fundraising for the club. Valentine's Day (February 14) events include a bake sale from 11:00 am-2:30 pm in the Robertson Library as well as a 'Spread the Love' musical event at the Dunk in Breadalbane at 7:30 pm. On February 28, the club will show a film screening in conjunction with Invisible Children (http://www2.invisiblechildren.com/) at 7:00 pm in McDougall Hall, room 242. The club will host a musical event on February 29 from 8:00-11:00 pm in McMillan Hall, at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, with musical talents, Meaghan Blanchard, Colour Code, and Bad Habits.

The group also has an ongoing 'Loonie for Love' campaign, where they seek one loonie from every Islander. The team's great sense of humour and passion to raise funds is demonstrated as they roam campus and PEI dressed up in loon costumes to secure loonies from locals.

UPEI's International Charity Club consists of approximately 13 student members, seven of whom will travel together to Uganda. Those traveling to Africa include: Robyn Christensen, Jenny Vessey, Christen Vessey, Kristyn MacKenzie, Lucas MacArthur, Sarah-Lynn Boyle, and Ryan Gallant.

The group has raised $7,500 so far and hopes to raise an additional $10,500 before May.

For more information on the events and how you can help out, http://www.indiegogo.com/UPEI-Goes-to-Africa or contact Robyn at (902) 394-5629 or rchristensen@upei.ca.