The UPEI men's hockey team will take on the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus in an exhibition game on Saturday, December 29, at 7:30 pm at the Credit Union Arena in Tignish.

Currently, the UPEI Panthers sit in sixth place in the AUS, while the Aigles Bleus lead slightly in league standings in fifth place. The Panthers are looking forward to drawing a large crowd to western PEI and are thrilled to reach out to Island communities to showcase the team, its competitors, and the league.

'It always adds more significance when we have players representing the surrounding communities,' said Panthers Head Coach Forbes MacPherson. 'There is that added element of playing in front of family and friends. We're looking forward to the game and to providing some of our players with the opportunity to play on their ‘home ice.''

'I'm personally looking forward to playing back in Tignish; it's my first time playing there competitively since I was about 10 years old,' said Jordan Knox, fifth-year forward from Skinners Pond. 'It should be a high-energy game for the players and fans so we hope to see a full-house.'

Tickets can be purchased at the arena in advance or on game night for $10 adults, $5 students/seniors.

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI Alumni Association President Bruce Davison, and Board of Governors Chair Tom Cullen will host a New Year's levee at UPEI's Don and Marion McDougall Hall on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, 11:00 am-1:00 pm.

All are welcome to attend and celebrate the New Year with the UPEI community!

For more information, contact (902) 566-0687 or alumni@upei.ca.

The good news: a recent study says your kids like school. The bad news: they don't like learning.

At the next Research on Tap, Dr. Sandy McAuley, Associate Professor of Education at UPEI, will lead a discussion about how school needs to change to engage students. The title of his discussion is 'Education for Innovation: problem solving for Twenty-first century schools.'

'K-12 students are capable of becoming relatively sophisticated creators of knowledge,' said McAuley. 'Right now, schools are not intellectually engaging for the majority of students. Intellectual engagement is critical for graduates who can take active roles in a culture of innovation which is becoming increasingly important for our future on PEI and Canada.'

The discussion begins at 7 pm, January 8, at The Pourhouse (above The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse in Charlottetown).

Research on Tap is a series of public discussions led by UPEI researchers. For more information, contact Dave Atkinson at (902) 620-5117 or datkinson@upei.ca.

Engineers PEI held their annual banquet recently with guest speaker UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz who addressed a crowd of nearly 125. Two members of UPEI's staff and faculty, David Taylor and Stephen Champion, received recognition awards for environmental and industry excellence at the dinner.

Abd El-Aziz delivered a lively speech emphasizing that engineering is not new to UPEI. The diploma program has been in place since the 1950s and has supported over 1,400 alumni-28% of which make up the membership of Engineers PEI.

'UPEI produces engineers that will help build the industry by bringing entrepreneurial mindsets and solutions for PEI firms as well as global clients,' said Abd-El-Aziz. 'We will also strive to develop UPEI's engineering program as an industry magnet to bring firms and business to us, here on PEI.'

UPEI's manager of environmental services, David Taylor, was recognized with the Engineers PEI Award for Environmental Excellence. Taylor has led a number of sustainability projects and initiatives on campus since he began working at UPEI in 2007, including a campus-wide policy establishing UPEI as a community leader in sustainability. For example, the University recently received an 'Environmental Calculator' from Cascades Fine Papers Group and Wood Wyant for UPEI's environmental savings in the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The Engineers PEI Ralph L. Woodside Memorial Award for Service to the Profession was awarded to UPEI engineering Assistant Professor Stephen Champion who has worked as an engineer on PEI in a range of professional capacities and is also a key player in the future development of the engineering program at UPEI. He has used his experience to teach first-and second-year university students in the engineering program, bringing them to understand the nature of engineering projects, the role of engineers in management, and many other aspects of the profession. Champion is the third UPEI engineering professor to receive this prestigious award and is in good company with Don MacEwen and Don Gillis; however, what makes this particular award even more special is the fact that he joins his father as a recipient.

UPEI congratulates David and Stephen on these well-deserved honours.

Stephen Champion receiving the Engineers PEI Ralph L. Woodside Memorial Award for Service to the Profession at a recent Engineers PEI banquet.

January Welcome Day is a new event for all students beginning classes in the winter semester. On January 5, new students are invited to the UPEI campus for a welcome and orientation, advisement, campus tours, and a free lunch! January Welcome Day takes place from 9:00 am-3:00 pm with sessions delivered by the UPEI Student Union, The Writing Centre, Pathways to Academic Success (PAS) and Transitions programs, Accessibility Services, and many more! The day's full schedule includes:

• 9:00-11:00 am: International Student Welcome, Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall
• 11:00-11:20: Session 1 Welcome to UPEI
• 11:20-11:40: Session 2 Your Student Union
• 11:40 am-12:00 pm: Session 3 upei.ca and Moodle 'how tos'
• 12:00-1:00: Free lunch, Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall
• 1:00-2:00: Campus tour, beginning at Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall
• 2:00-2:20: Session 4 The Writing Centre and Pathways to Academic Success
• 2:20-2:40: Session 5 Transitions Program and Accessibility Services
• 2:40-3:00: Session 6 Q&A

On Friday, January 4, the UPEI men's hockey team takes on Dalhousie University at 7:00 pm at the MacLauchlan Arena. The special night-dubbed 'Drew Power Night'-will include a moment of silence prior to the game to honour the former Panther who passed away recently and 'DP14' T-shirts will be on sale for $20 with all proceeds going to the Power family. The men's hockey team will also be recognizing Power with a display located outside their dressing room.

On Saturday night, January 5, the UPEI men's team takes to the ice again as they host Acadia University at 7:00 pm at the MacLauchlan Arena. As a bonus, local band Vintage will perform in the CARI complex lobby from 6:30-7:10 pm and again between 7:30-8:10 pm. This initiative is supported by the Registrar's Office, Student Affairs, and UPEI Athletics & Recreation. A cash bar will be located in the lobby for ticket holders aged 19 and older.

'A Panther hockey doubleheader is a great way for fans to see the men's and women's hockey teams in action,' said Ron Annear, director of UPEI Athletics & Recreation. 'We invite all UPEI students, staff, faculty, and community members to join us this weekend to kick-start the second half of the season where we'll begin the drive to the AUS Championship.'

Tickets can be purchased at the box office one hour before game time.

As part of the UPEI Music Department Recital Series, the Toronto-based jazz trio Myriad will perform at Dr. Steel Recital Hall on Tuesday, January 22 at 7:30 pm.

Myriad was an 'accident.' Chris Donnelly (piano), Daniel Fortin (bass), and Ernesto Cervini (drums) had never played together until a few substitutions and a twist of fate put them on stage together for the first time in late 2010. Since then, the trio has been making music in every jazz club in the greater Toronto area.

The band is a true collective. Each member acts simultaneously as a leader and a sideman. They play mostly original music that features different aspects of jazz improvisation, ensemble playing, and contemporary composition. Myriad is modern jazz, meets classical, meets pop, meets Oscar Peterson.

Donnelly represents a new generation of jazz pianists, composers, and improvisers dedicated to creating programs that are engaging, entertaining, and educating. He is continually praised for his virtuosic performances, musicality, versatility, and ability to captivate audiences.

Fortin was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto's Jazz Performance Program in 2007. Since moving to Toronto, Dan has been an active member of the city's music scene, playing with the likes of Mike Ruby, David Occhipinti, Dave Restivo, Barry Romberg, Harley Card, Chris Donnelly, and many others.

Cervini is making a name for himself as a consummate bandleader and in-demand sideman, repeatedly praised for his deeply musical, infectiously energetic talents. 'Time Out New York' encapsulated Cervini as 'a buoyant drummer as well as a sharp composer and bandleader,' while the jazz bible, 'Downbeat' described his fluid style as one that 'exemplifies ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee'.'

Myriad will be touring Canada to celebrate the release of their debut album with Alma Records.

A one-semester pass ($84 for adults; $56 for students/seniors) is available and provides access to seven recitals this winter at a 20% discount.

The UPEI women's basketball team will host the Saint Mary's University Huskies on Saturday, January 12 at 4:00 pm at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.

The Panthers are excited to host their annual 'Shoot for the Cure' event where fans can purchase pink hair flairs in the lobby from OT Hair Cutters for $10 and pink baked goods through a fundraising bake sale. UPEI pink print T-shirts can be purchased in advance for $12 through the UPEI Bookstore or by contacting lboudreau@upei.ca.

Twenty-five years ago on January 12, 1988, the University of Prince Edward Island registered its website through the .CA registry. University officials at the time knew they were among the first few to apply, but had no idea they registered the first-ever .CA domain name.

The director of UPEI's first computer centre (later known as the computer services department), Jim Hancock, was listed as the university's administrative contact on the original application.

'It's hard for young people today to imagine a time without the Internet,' says Hancock. 'UPEI was one of 10 Canadian universities that brought the Internet to Canada.' He remembers representing UPEI at a meeting in Victoria, BC and one of the other university delegates saying that it was like building the first railroad across Canada-this time an electronic railroad which would link our country in a way never imagined.

'We had no idea where this Internet 'thing' would lead, but it has changed our world profoundly. In being the first .CA domain, it clearly shows that our University has had, and will continue to have, a very important role to play not only in PEI, but in Canada,' adds Hancock.

David Cairns, retired senior technology advisor at UPEI was the technology contact on the .CA domain application and recalls the outstanding cooperation between the original institutions registered and the people 'behind the dream.'

'It allowed UPEI and the Island to access a bigger world beyond our own; we were able to communicate with peers from across the globe,' says Cairns. 'It was a time of network expansion on-campus as well. In 1990, we installed one of the first fibre-optic computer networks in Canada and we've been updating and improving our internal and external networks ever since.'

A celebration on May 14, 2012 marked the official delegation of the .CA domain by Jon Postel, operator of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to John Demco from the University of British Columbia. Demco and a group of volunteers ran the registry until 2000 when the newly incorporated Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) took over the responsibility.

'Having a .CA is like having a Canadian flag on your digital backpack,' says Byron Holland, president and CEO of CIRA. 'As the first to register a .CA, UPEI holds a unique role in the development of .CA. It is online pioneers like UPEI that helped shape the Canadian Internet landscape through .CA, and we would like to congratulate them on reaching the 25-year milestone.'

Swimmers from six Atlantic Canadian universities will compete in over 23 events at UPEI during the 2013 Subway AUS Swimming Championship, February 8-10. This is UPEI's second time as event host; the first time was in 2010. The swim heats will run each day beginning at 10:00 am with daily finals starting at 6:00 pm.

'Hosting the championship for the second time is a huge thrill for our swim team,' said UPEI Panthers swimming head coach William Calhoun. 'Swimmers from other teams are looking forward to competing in our pool-the fastest in the conference. I expect this event will bring a record-breaking weekend and numerous new CIS qualifiers.'

In conjunction with the swim meet, UPEI's swim team will host a fundraising event on Thursday, February 7 at the Rodd Royalty Hotel with a reception beginning at 6:00 pm and a dinner to follow at 6:45. Pierre Lafontaine, Swimming Canada CEO and national team coach, will be the guest speaker. A live and silent auction will also be held during the event.

'I'm personally very excited to have Pierre as our event's guest speaker,' added Calhoun. 'He's an electrifying speaker who sends everyone away feeling motivated and prepared for challenges to come.'

Tickets for the fundraising event can be purchased for $60, and 2013 Subway AUS Swimming Championship tickets can also be purchased for $15 for the weekend, or $10 per day. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please contact swimming@upei.ca.