UPEI Athletics and Recreation announced Scott MacDonald will join the men's basketball program as an assistant coach, effective immediately. The position opened recently when former assistant coach Pat Havard was selected as Crandall University men's basketball head coach.

MacDonald brings with him plenty of coaching experience at various PEI levels-ten years in the PEISAA at the intermediate level, which led him to a provincial title and three silver medals during his time coaching at East Wiltshire Intermediate School. MacDonald also coached the Canada Games Team PEI for five summers, and coached at the 2001 Canada Games against UPEI head coach Tim Kendrick who was on Team Nova Scotia's coaching staff.

'We're pleased to have Scott join our program. Our players are very familiar with him and they're excited that he'll now play a greater role with our team,' said Kendrick. 'I expect him to have a positive impact on the Panthers.'

Aside from coaching, MacDonald has held positions with Basketball PEI, including a term as president. He's also been involved in the Charlottetown Minor Basketball program and the UPEI Green & White Club.

As a lifelong Panther fan, MacDonald is excited to be a part of the program. 'I'm truly excited about joining such a seasoned coaching staff. Having known Coach Kendrick for several years, I think we share the same traits and anything I can contribute to the team will be a bonus,' said MacDonald. 'Being around the team the past two seasons, most of the players are familiar with me, and I look forward to working with them and being one of the best teams in the AUS and the CIS.'

'On behalf of the University of Prince Edward Island, I wish to welcome Scott to the Panther coaching staff,' said UPEI Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Schurman.

UPEI men's hockey head coach Forbes MacPherson is pleased to announce the addition of right winger Cody McNaughton, who scored 81 career goals with the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm.

McNaughton, a 5'10,' 180-lb native of Pembroke, Ontario, is the Storm's career leader in games played. His high-energy and feisty style made him a fan favourite in Guelph where he was voted as the fan club's most popular player for 2012-13. He says UPEI hockey fans can count on him to bring that same style and attitude to the Island.

'I pride myself on being the ultimate team guy. I try to give my very best every shift and do whatever it takes to make the team successful,' said McNaughton. 'From everything I have learned about the team and the fans, that is the way the Panthers are built, and I expect to fit right in this fall.'

Coach MacPherson believes McNaughton is a solid two-way player who isn't afraid to mix it up. 'Cody doesn't mind getting his nose dirty, he is very responsible defensively and, as his numbers suggest, he can score big goals,' said MacPherson. 'The fans in Guelph loved him because he's an energetic player who comes to play. I expect that will endear him to the Panther faithful at MacLauchlan Arena.'

McNaughton said the decision to join UPEI came down to two main factors, conversations with the coaching staff and a commitment to winning.

'The Panthers have a proud tradition of success. Forbie and the staff have this team moving in the right direction and I just want to do everything I can to help this team win a championship,' added McNaughton. 'At this point in my career, I want to focus on getting a quality education and improving as a hockey player.'

McNaughton will see a couple of familiar faces in the Panthers' dressing room as he reunites with former Guelph teammate Matthew Maione and fellow incoming freshman Brock Beukeboom.

'The addition of Cody will make our men's hockey team even tougher to play against,' said UPEI Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Schurman. 'Character, talent, and commitment to winning are special traits and Cody's got them all.'

The Panthers finished the 2012-13 season ranked ninth in CIS standings.

Friends of Men's Hockey will host the annual banquet July 4 at UPEI's Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall. Guest speaker will be Dr. Bill Montelpare, a leading researcher in reducing the risk of concussions and increasing the accuracy of determining when an athlete who has suffered a concussion is ready to return to play. Tickets are on sale now.

They are as connected to the Prince Edward Island identity as red pigtails and sandy beaches-lupine flowers burst into colourful blossoms just as the Island summer hits its peak. A UPEI research project is looking for input from the public to help answer questions about the genetics of this iconic flower.

'We're accustomed to seeing big patches of lupines along the roads of Prince Edward Island in June and July,' said Dr. Karen Samis, a plant geneticist and assistant professor of biology at UPEI. 'One question we're examining is: why are the purple flowers more prominent than the pink or white?'

Dr. Samis conducted a small survey last year to examine some of the differences between plants of different flower colours, including their ratios within populations, and the number of seeds produced by stems of each colour.

'The fruits were particularly telling, because one would think that, since purple-flowered plants were the most common, they might produce the most seeds,' explained Dr. Samis. 'We found quite the opposite. Pink, by far, creates more seeds per stem. That raises a number of new questions we're now investigating.'

Dr. Samis said this could suggest an ebb and flow of flower-colour distribution among lupine patches over time.

'Perhaps, in a number of years, pink will become more prominent than purple. Purple may respond by creating more seeds, and then purple will become more prominent.'

Dr. Samis invites the public to help answer these questions by submitting their photos of lupine patches at upei.ca/lupines.

'We're hoping that people have, over a number of years, taken photos of a particular lupine patch several times,' said Dr. Samis. 'We'd like to compare these and see if there has been a change over time from one colour to the next, or if what we saw last year is always true; that purple is always more common than pink and white.'

The public can submit their photos to upei.ca/lupines, and answer a few simple questions about the patch of lupines, and where they are located on the Island.

'I'm hoping people see the fun in this and look back through their family photos,' said Dr. Samis. 'Perhaps there is a patch of lupines near their house or cottage that they like to take a photo of every year. Maybe there's a patch in the background of a family portrait that's been taken several times over the years. Any way we can get them, we'd like to see these photos.'

UPEI Athletics and Recreation announced this week the extension of women's basketball head coach Greg Gould to an additional three-year contract, through to the end of the 2015-16 season. Gould joins men's basketball head coach Tim Kendrick as the second coach this year to sign a three-year extension at UPEI.

'Having Greg sign for a longer term to lead the women's basketball program is a major step for Panther sport-not only for great results in the AUS, but to provide a positive student-athlete experience-which is a priority for us at UPEI,' said Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Schurman. 'Greg is a proven winner and tactician who cares for his players a great deal. He understands the importance of community engagement, alumni, pride, and giving back. We're very pleased to have Greg and his family commit to UPEI for three more seasons.'

Gould took over the program last year and led the Panthers to their best season in the last four years-finishing sixth in the league with 20 points. Gould helped to establish the team as a hardworking team and plans to continue to strive for excellence for his athletes both on and off the court. Last year's women's basketball team had five members receive CIS Academic All-Canadian mentions. Gould enjoys living on PEI, and with this extension, he and his family are now able to look forward to establishing long-term roots in their community.

'I'm excited to be in charge of the UPEI women's basketball program for the next three years. I would like to thank our athletics department, the University, the Green & White Club, alumni, and friends for showing their confidence in my leadership,' said Gould. 'I look forward to working together as we move the program forward to the top of the AUS conference.'

UPEI's Panther Academy will deliver a week-long soccer camp at Three Oaks High School in Summerside, July 29-August 2.

The full-day camp will be led by UPEI soccer head coach Lewis Page and will feature drills, a skills challenge, mini world cup, and a player assessment. The Panther Academy soccer camp offers everything a young player needs in order to improve and advance.

The cost of the camp is $175, and with the Panther Academy PEI Soccer Club rebate program, $20 will be donated to the Summerside United Club for Summerside United registered campers.

'We're really excited to be able to take our camp on the road,' said Page. 'UPEI is PEI's university, and it will be great to work with young players in the Summerside area who may be future students and future varsity athletes.'

To register, visit pantheracademy.ca or call Panther Central at (902) 566-0368.

Suzanne Nicholson, a fifth-year UPEI student will swim across the Northumberland Strait this summer to raise funds for the UPEI swim team. This year marks Nicholson's last on the team and she hopes her fundraiser will motivate her teammates and the UPEI community to challenge themselves when setting goals.

Nicholson, a UPEI swim record-holder, is described by many as 'a true leader who has improved and matured significantly since joining the swim team in 2009.' She's known as a dedicated and motivated swimmer who is the first to cheer on teammates and other UPEI varsity sport athletes. Nicholson plans to conquer the Strait during the week of August 19-24 depending on the best day for tides, wind, and weather.

'My fundraising goal for the UPEI swim team is to raise $10,000, which the program needs in order to excel,' said Nicholson. 'I really hope others will feel motivated by my upcoming swim challenge and realize that they too can push boundaries.'

Nicholson has dedicated several months of training-50 km pool and open water swims each week, as well as biking and running-in preparation to swim the Strait. The swim itself is over 13 km and will take more than four hours.

'This is a huge goal for Suzanne,' said UPEI swim head coach Bill Calhoun. 'I'm very proud of her for taking this on. Training is going well and we're looking to bump up to 10km practices soon.'

'Suzanne is a perfect example of the commitment and pride Panther athletes are best known for,' said UPEI Athletics and Recreation director Bill Schurman. 'Taking on the challenge of swimming the Northumberland Strait to help her teammates and help grow Panther Swimming speaks volumes about her character.'

For more information on how you can support Nicholson, visit the event's Facebook page-'Suzanne Conquers The Strait,' or contact the UPEI Panther Central desk at (902) 566-0368 to make a donation.

(L to R): ARCPEI board member Alyssa MacAusland; UPEI Rainbow Alliance president Ashley Arsenault; Treena Smith, member of the UPEI Action Committee on Sexuality and Gender Diversity; and Vickie Johnston, director of Student Affairs at UPEI raise the pride flag in recognition and support for the LGBTQQ2T community. The flag was raised on Monday, July 8 on the UPEI campus to kick off PEI's Pride Week which takes place July 8-14.

The Climate Research Lab at the University of Prince Edward Island is offering a new and valuable tool for researchers who require climate projections for anywhere on the planet. The lab has downloaded raw data from 40 global climate models and translated, analyzed, verified, and converted it into a usable dataset for researchers.

'This is the world's most advanced science, and will be part of next year's Fifth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),' said Dr. Adam Fenech, director of the Climate Research Lab. 'If researchers require projections that are monthly, seasonal, or annual over the next century, we can provide them.'

Watch Dr. Fenech explain.

The UPEI Alumni Association will present its annual Distinguished Alumni and Inspiring Young Alumni awards on Friday, July 26 at 3:30 pm in UPEI's Faculty Lounge, Main Building, as part of this year's summer reunion weekend.

This year's recipients are the Honourable J. Armand DesRoches, SDU'63 and J. Paul S. Young, BSc'02, BScR'07, MBA'12. DesRoches will be presented with this year's Distinguished Alumni Award, which commemorates a graduate for their outstanding contributions to knowledge, the arts, the community, and the university or humanity. Young will be presented with the Inspiring Young Alumni Award, which honours a graduate, under the age of 40, who has shown outstanding determination in achieving success at a young age.

Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. RSVP to Anthony at alumni@upei.ca or 566-0761. Immediately following this event is the All-Years Reunion Mixer; all are welcome to attend.