A research project examining the ecology and behaviour of urban red foxes on Prince Edward Island is seeking the help of the public through a new website, launched today. The public can report sightings of red foxes at upei.ca/redfox, which will track the distribution, abundance, movement, and habitat of the animals.

'Tracking animal movements and distribution, especially for a large animal such as the red fox, is time-consuming and expensive research,' said Dr. Marina Silva-Opps, a terrestrial ecologist and Associate Professor of Biology at UPEI. 'It requires trapping, affixing a radio collar, and a lot of human resource time. We know from the experiences of other researchers in Europe that we can map fox sightings using the public's help, which is a great first step toward our goal.'

The website uses Google Maps technology to easily allow users to plot out the exact location of a fox sighting. Users can also contribute details about their sighting.

'The more detail of the sighting, the more valuable the contribution,' said Dr. Silva-Opps. 'I'm extremely grateful for the participation in this project of The Wildlife Division of the PEI Department of Forest, Fish, and Wildlife; Dr. Sheldon Opps from the Animal Movement and Resource Selection group; and UPEI biology student William Robbins.'

Islanders are encouraged to report their fox sightings regularly to help the research team build a rich amount of data to draw upon.

The University of Prince Edward Island invites high school science students on PEI to a day of discovery for the 2012 Gairdner Student Lecture. The lecture is Wednesday, October 17 at 10:30 am in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre's McMillan Hall.

After the lecture, students are invited to take a guided tour of campus with a special focus on the Faculty of Science and the Atlantic Veterinary College. As part of the tour, UPEI would like to treat visiting science teachers and students to lunch in the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall.

Tours and lunch will be finished by 1:30 pm to allow students to return to school.

About our lecturer: Dr. Lorne Babiuk is the 2012 Canada Gairdner Laureate, and vice-president of research at the University of Alberta. In his research career, he brings together two areas of health usually addressed separately: animals and humans. One third of all human deaths are caused by infectious disease; about 70 per cent of the new diseases of the last 30 years are transmitted from animals to humans. Dr. Babiuk identified a vaccine to control rotavirus in calves, which was then developed into a human vaccine.

Please RSVP by October 10 to Rebecca Drum at recruitment@upei.ca or (902) 628-4353. We look forward to seeing you!

Dr. Jan Pechenik, professor at Massachusetts's Tufts University and author of 'A Short Guide to Writing About Biology' was on campus last week to deliver two writing workshops to science faculty and graduate students.

On Thursday, October 4, Dr. Pechenik spoke with science professors about how to teach through writing, and shared tips on how to incorporate writing into courses without 'killing themselves in the process.' Issues covered included plagiarism, peer review, and teaching students to write well. The workshop was ideal for professors who want to incorporate more writing into their curriculum. The workshop was attended by faculty from Science, Education, AVC, and Holland College.

On Friday, October 5, Faculty of Science graduate students were treated to Dr. Pechenik's advice on how to write brilliant papers, lab reports, and theses. This session was considered an applied workshop in the Biology Seminar Series, and was co-sponsored by the Science Graduate Studies committee and the Department of Biology. Support was also received from Science Atlantic, through a fund for speaker tours for Atlantic universities, and support from the Office of the VP Academic. Science students were in attendance, as well as students from AVC, Business, and Education.

'The workshops were engaging and fun, with great practical examples for both students and faculty,' said Dr. Donna Giberson, Professor, Department of Biology. 'Both faculty and students were extremely impressed, and are already asking if we can do something like this again.'

Dr. Pechenik has a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from Duke University, and a PhD in Biological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island. He directed the ‘Writing Across the Curriculum' program at Tufts University for six years, and has given workshops all over the world to faculty and students on various aspects of writing. Dr. Pechenik is currently a professor of Invertebrate Zoology and Marine Biology in Tufts' Department of Biology.

Dr. Pechenik also delivered workshops and presentations to students and faculty at St. Francis Xavier and Cape Breton University.

The Mickey Place Memorial Basketball Tournament presented by Rodd Hotels & Resorts begins on Friday, October 12 with eight basketball teams from across Canada competing in the annual three-day event.

UPEI men's basketball team will tip-off against the University of Regina, Ryerson University, and Saint Mary's University, while the women's team will take on the University of Guelph Gryphons, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, and the Memorial University Seahawks of Newfoundland.

'We are very excited to kick off our 2012-13 season by hosting the Mickey Place Tournament. Regina, Ryerson, and Saint Mary's are all competitive CIS and AUS championship contenders, and we are looking forward to this early test,' said Kendrick. 'There is no doubt that this will be a wonderful weekend of basketball action!'

The tournament is named after John Thomas 'Mickey' Place, a long-time friend of Panther Sport, a former UPEI student union employee, and a UPEI honorary degree recipient. UPEI is also excited to announce that Rodd Hotels & Resorts is on board as presenting sponsor for the next three years.

The annual Sport Legacy Dinner to honour Academic All-Canadians from the last varsity season and to celebrate named award winners takes place on Thursday, October 11, in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre's McMillan Hall, with a reception at 6:30 pm and dinner to follow at 7:00 pm. The UPEI Hall of Fame induction will also take place during this year's annual celebration.

The UPEI Sports Hall of Fame committee is pleased to announce that it will induct UPEI basketball star Jennifer Moore (née Johnston), and UPEI's football defensive star Hubert 'Socky' MacDonald.

The UPEI men's hockey team begins their regular season on Friday, October 12, when they host rival Université de Moncton at 7:00 pm at MacLauchlan Arena. Members of the AUS championship winning UPEI women's hockey team will be on hand to drop the ceremonial puck at 6:55 pm.

Although the Panthers have lost AUS all-star forwards Jared Gomes and Matt Carter who graduated this spring, they have retained most of their core players. Last weekend's pre-season exhibition game in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, saw UPEI defeat Université de Moncton 3-1, so the team will look to continue its recent success in the ultra-competitive AUS men's hockey conference.

'There is no question that we lost some great players due to graduation,' said Head Coach Forbes MacPherson. 'Those players had been with me since day one, and they are to be credited with being part of the solution that has taken our program to the next level. The goal this summer was not to re-build, but to re-load, and we are excited about our new group going into the season.'

Continuing the trend from last year, the Panthers' line up will be filled once again with local talent-nine Islanders have committed to the program. New to the Panthers this season is Cole MacMillan, a rare dual athlete at UPEI, who played last season with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, and the Amherst Ramblers, and will join the hockey Panthers following the soccer season. Also new are Colin Beck (Truro Bearcats), Mason Wilgosh (Tri-City Americans), Tyler Brown (Kingston Frontenacs and Sarnia Sting), and Jordan Mayer (Mississauga Majors and Belleville Bulls).

Dylan Quaile, in his second year as captain, alongside Jordan Knox, Chris Desousa, Harrison McIver, Matt Maione, and Matt Boyle will round out the leadership group. Desousa, an AUS All-rookie forward is attending an AHL camp for the Chicago Blackhawks. Goaltending will be a strength for the Panthers this season with all-star Mavric Parks, and former team MVP Wayne Savage returning.

'We will be a very hard working team that will offer an exciting brand of hockey,' added MacPherson. 'There has been a tremendous amount of interest in our program recently and I believe that we will be a team the community will enjoy watching.'

The men will host St. Thomas University next on Saturday, October 13 at 7:00 pm at MacLauchlan Arena.

Season seats are still available but are selling quickly. Visit gopanthersgo.ca to purchase tickets. The Box Office will open at 6:00 pm on October 12.

UPEI's second-year engineering design class students will be demonstrating their 'Rube Goldberg' machines on Friday, October 12, from 3-5 pm in McMillan Hall. These contraptions are deliberately over-engineered or overdone machines that perform a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction. The student devices are extremely complex, colorful, extravagant, entertaining, and unpredictable. The best of the useless machines will win a cash prize donated by Engineers PEI!

UPEI and Engineers PEI are pleased to work together to provide a fun competition for engineering students and to reward creativity and hard work through the 'Rube Goldberg' machine competition.

Come check out these hilarious contraptions and meet with engineering students, faculty, and representatives from Engineers PEI. All are welcome to attend.

On Friday, September 28, UPEI hosted a Prince of Wales College (PWC) memorabilia showcase. PWC alumni and friends gathered together in UPEI's Robertson Library to display and donate their memorabilia to the University Archives & Special Collections unit. As an added bonus, graduates of PWC reconnected over conversation and refreshments, taking a nostalgic walk down memory lane.

One artifact donated-among the many-was a correspondence seal that was found by Rogers Bell in his late father's belongings. His father, PEI Supreme Court Justice Reginald Bell, was a PWC alumnus and served on PWC's Board of Governors from 1965-1969. Justice Bell would have had the seal in his possession for various official College correspondence.

'I'm pleased to grant this to its rightful place-UPEI-the successor institution of Prince of Wales College' said Bell.

Dr. Ernie Prowse, a graduate of the last class of PWC, the only year in which PWC granted degrees, travelled from Truro, NS, for the event to donate his PWC 1969 graduation ring in mint condition for the archives. Russell Pickard, from Moncton, NB, brought many items including an issue of The Guardian newspaper dated May 16, 1969 that featured portraits of each graduating member of the PWC Class of 1969. It was a popular item-as attendees read the edition over Pickard's shoulder, four 1969 classmates realized their connection and were reunited.

UPEI's Director of Advancement Tracey Comeau was pleased to see PWC alumni come together to preserve their memorabilia and re-establish a special camaraderie. 'As the successor institution, UPEI has a sense of obligation to preserve the memories of our predecessor institutions which set the rigorous post-secondary education standards that remain the common threads in the fabric of a UPEI education,' said Comeau. 'When the PWC Alumni Executive made a decision to assign contributed funds to support preservation of their history, UPEI was able to put a call out for memorabilia with the ways and means to preserve and share these treasures.'

For nearly 40 years, the UPEI Archives & Special Collections unit has been collecting, preserving, and sharing unique material relating to the province of Prince Edward Island and the University. This includes PWC's vital contribution made to PEI's heritage of higher learning. As such, these archives have served as an invaluable source for writers and historians.

UPEI continues to accept memorabilia from its predecessor institutions. View the current collection online at http://vre2.upei.ca/pwc/. For more information, contact the UPEI Alumni Office at (902) 566-0687 or alumni@upei.ca.

UPEI basketball star Jennifer Moore (née Johnston) and UPEI football defensive star Hubert 'Sock' MacDonald were inducted into UPEI's Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 11 during the third annual Sport Legacy Celebration. Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Academic All-Canadians from the last varsity season and named financial award winners for this year were also celebrated.

The event welcomed approximately 200 student-athletes, coaches, donors, sponsors, family, and friends to the W.A. Murphy Student Centre's McMillan Hall for a reception at 6:30 pm, followed by a dinner and award presentations at 7:00 pm.

'This is a wonderful time of year-during the excitement of the fall sports season-to pause and celebrate accomplishments from long-ago and from the most recent season,' said Ron Annear, Director of UPEI Athletics & Recreation. 'Tonight is an opportunity to pay tribute to these success stories.'

John Horrelt, owner of Sporting Intentions and longtime sponsor of Panther Sport, was guest speaker. He described how he first began supporting UPEI field hockey by providing the team with supplies to build a baby barn to raffle off, so they could leverage his investment many times over, raising thousands of dollars over the years. For Horrelt, supporting sport is more than cutting a cheque-it's about knowing that by providing resources, he and other donors and sponsors are involved in enabling student-athletes to succeed both in their athletics and academics.

The following is a list of CIS All-Canadians and named award winners:

CIS student-athletes are recognized as Academic All-Canadians if they have maintained a grade point average of 80 per cent, or better, over the previous academic year while competing on one or more of their university's varsity teams. This year, UPEI celebrated 57 Academic All-Canadians-that's over 30 per cent of the student-athlete population:

Dual Athlete: Jenelle MacKenzie-rugby and hockey

Basketball: Katelynn Donahoe; Julia McKenna; Marie-Christine Parent; Geoffrey Doane; Matthew McKenna

Field Hockey: Michelle Clow; Ellen Dixon; Leanne Doiron; Kathryn Hay; Danielle LeClair; Marina MacAulay; Lauren Matheson; Amy Rawlinson; Erica Ross; Kristy Wu

Hockey: Jared Gomes; Jordan Knox; Travis McIsaac; Harrison McIver; Devan Praught; Jhase Sniderman; Ryan Taylor; Patrick Wall; Jaimelynn Donaldson; Olivia Doughart; Ashley Fitzpatrick; Amber Gaudette; Jessie-Anne Howard; Christina Kelly; Melanie Matthews; Kristen Nash; Jessica Rosenbaum; Samantha Sweet; Bailey Toupin

Rugby: Hannah Austin; Monique Bernard; Megan Larkin; Marley MacInnis; Shannon Moore; Sumara Profit; Rebecca Robison

Soccer: John Chandler; Jared Murphy; Colby O'Donnell; Marc Pineau; Giuseppe Scichilone; Trevor White; Andrea Archibald; Kayla Balderston; Allyson Seviour; Sara Stewart; Lynn Symington

Swimming: Stephanie Alp; Genevieve Cormier; Janet Gamble; Rebecca Milton

UPEI Alumni Engagement Awards: Allyson Seviour, women's soccer; Logan Dawson, men's soccer; Hannah Austin, women's rugby; Leanne Doiron, field hockey; Jamielynn Donaldson, women's hockey; Dylan Quaile, men's hockey; Julia McKenna, women's basketball; Terrence Brown, men's basketball, Sydney Morley, swimming

The Dennis Clough Men's Hockey Scholarship: Matt Boyle

The Neil and Lila MacLeod Memorial Scholarship: Shannon Moore

The Urban McInnis Memorial Awards: Aaron Robbins and Marie-Christine Parent

The Harry and Marjorie MacLauchlan Scholarships: Travis McIsaac and Jordan Knox

The Gerry Gillis Memorial Scholarship: Alex Wall

The Grant Thornton 'Harry MacLauchlan' Scholarship: Matt Maione

The Michael and Jennifer (Johnston) Moore Mentor/Mentee Program: Danielle MacDonald (Mentor) and DJ Smith (Mentee)

The Keefe Family Hockey Scholarship: Alex Wall

The Andrews Hockey Growth Scholarship: Harrison McIver

The Colin F. MacDonald Scholarship: Katherine Koughan

The Peter J. Tremblay Memorial Award: Leanne Doiron

The Cox & Palmer Awards: Allyson Seviour, women's soccer; Hannah Austin, rugby; Marina MacAulay, field hockey; Rebecca Milton, swimming

The Profit Family Athletic Awards: Genevieve Cormier, swimming; Shannon Moore, rugby

For Information:
Lynn Boudreau
UPEI Athletics & Recreation
Communications & Events
(902) 566-0991
lboudreau@upei.ca

University chaplain Sister Susan Kidd celebrated 25 years as a sister of the Congregation of Notre Dame on Sunday, October 14. A special Mass was held at 6:00 pm in the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre followed by a light reception.

Before her time here at UPEI, Sister Sue was a high school gym teacher, a religion teacher, a master of divinity student, a vocational director, and a missionary in Africa.

Sister Sue sees her role here at the University as a privilege and opportunity. 'Whether I'm in my office or at the food bank, whether I'm meeting people on campus, at the gym, the coffee shop, or just wandering through in my day, it's an opportunity for my life to get richer because I'm touched by other people's lives.'

UPEI students, staff, and faculty all love spending time with Sister Sue and sharing their views, questions, and concerns about faith with their University chaplain. 'Sister Sue is one we can talk to when we have questions or doubt about our faith and she gives us very solid answers and strength to continue to pursue our faith on campus,' said UPEI student Shannon Moore.

'Where is it all going in the future? I don't have a crystal ball. And in fact, I don't think I want one,' Sister Sue added. 'God has gently nudged me all along and I think God continues to do that-whether it be my work, my relationships, or my role in the church.'

UPEI congratulates Sister Sue on her recent accomplishment and wishes her all the best in her future endeavours-wherever her path may lead her!