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.”
Dr. Fenech has worked extensively in the area of climate change since the IPCC First Assessment Report in 1988. He has edited seven books on climate change, most recently on climate impacts and adaptation science. Dr. Fenech has worked at Harvard University researching the history of the science/policy interfaces of climate change. He has represented Canada at international climate negotiating sessions, written climate policy speeches for Canadian environment ministers, and authored Canadian reports on climate change to the United Nations. Dr. Fenech has taught at the University of Toronto as well as the Smithsonian Institution for over 15 years, and lectures regularly at universities across Canada and around the world. He is presently the director of UPEI’s own Climate Research Lab that conducts, facilitates, and hosts research and science on the vulnerability, impacts and adaptation to past and future climate change. As part of the IPCC, he was co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Researchers can get in touch with Dr. Fenech at climate@upei.ca. Follow along with the research of the UPEI Climate Research Lab at upei.ca/climate.
For information:
Dave Atkinson, Research Communications Officer, UPEI
(902)620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca

The UPEI Alumni Association presented its annual Distinguished Alumni and Inspiring Young Alumni Awards on Friday, July 26 as part of this year’s summer reunion weekend.
The Honourable J. Armand DesRoches, SDU’63 and J. Paul S. Young, BSc’02, BScR’07, MBA’12 are this year’s recipients. 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.
Upon graduation from St. Dunstan’s University, DesRoches went on to receive his LLB degree from Dalhousie University. He was admitted to the bars of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and practiced law in Summerside before joining the Canadian Armed Forces. During his 22-year career as a Canadian Forces legal officer, DesRoches was at various times: the legal advisor to the Commander of 1 Combat Group in Calgary, stationed in Germany where he provided legal advice to a number of units in Europe, and chief legal advisor to the Commander of Maritime Command in Halifax. DesRoches also held the position of military trial judge for 10 years, three of which he was the chief military judge for the Canadian Forces.
In 1991, DesRoches retired from the Canadian Forces as deputy judge advocate general with the rank of navy captain and was appointed to the trial division of the Supreme Court of the province. During his time there, he rendered numerous decisions that had a lasting impact on PEI, including moving electoral boundaries to provide fairer distribution of voters among electoral districts and establishing a French school in the Summerside area.
DesRoches retired from the Bench in 2004, and in 2005, joined Stewart McKelvey as counsel. In 2007, he was named a member of the Pensions Appeal Board, the third level of appeal under the Canada Pension Plan. DesRoches has been married to Judie for 45 years, has four daughters, and nine grandchildren.
Paul Young couldn’t get enough of UPEI. In 2002, he obtained his bachelor of science degree, majoring in chemistry and physics. Then, with aspirations to enter a career in healthcare, Young entered the radiography program offered by UPEI and the QEH and graduated in 2004. He completed a second undergraduate degree from UPEI in applied sciences, and most recently, in 2012, Young graduated with his master of business administration from UPEI.
In 2005, Young received his advanced diploma in MRI and spectroscopy from Winnipeg’s Red River College and The National Institute for Biodiagnostics. He then moved to Ottawa to begin his healthcare career.
Through relentless hard work, dedication, and determination, Young quickly became known and respected within his field. After having worked with several hospitals and private clinics, he landed a highly sought after job as clinical lead instructor at The Ottawa Hospital, the second-largest teaching hospital in Canada. He was the youngest technologist ever hired for the position. By 2007, Young had expanded his experience to encompass four provinces and 10 hospitals and private clinics, and had become one of the most sought-after technologists in his field.
In 2008, Young and his family moved back to PEI where he became the youngest manager at the Diagnostic Imaging Services department for the Prince County Hospital. He was recently appointed to a new role with Health PEI, and is now the manager of the primary care network for West Prince. Young lives in Summerside with his wife Erika and daughter Brielle.
“The UPEI Alumni Association is proud to award Armand and Paul with this year’s Distinguished Alumni and Inspiring Young Alumni Awards,” said Alumni Association President Bruce Davison. “It’s individuals like them that make us proud to call ourselves UPEI alumni. On behalf of the Association, we send our congratulations to Armand and Paul.”
For a full summer reunion weekend schedule, visit http://remember.upei.ca/events/summer-reunion-weekend-2013

The University of Prince Edward Island welcomed hundreds of new students and their families during this weekend's welcome events including International Welcome Day, UPEI's Welcome Day, and the kick-off to UPEI Student Union's O-Week.

International Welcome Day on Friday, August 30, gave students from outside of Canada the opportunity to experience student life at UPEI, get to know the campus and surrounding areas, and help students transition to life in Canada.

UPEI's second annual Welcome Day took place on Saturday, August 31, allowing students to 'one-stop-shop' all things UPEI as they toured around campus, paid for their tuition and other fees, picked up their ID cards and meal plans, registered for courses, and much more.

'Welcome Day is an opportunity for students to come together, meet their peers, professors, UPEI staff and faculty, and get all of their UPEI questions answered,' said Manager of Student Affairs Treena Smith. 'By getting familiarized with campus before classes begin, students alleviate their stress and uncertainty. It's an exciting day for all involved.'

This year parents were able to alleviate some of their stress too at sessions that were offered to provide university life information and tips for parents on how to support their university student. A couple of the sessions were specifically geared to parents with students living in residence.

The UPEI Student Union was also on site at Welcome Day with an information booth to answer questions on the upcoming orientation week events. Orientation Week, or O-Week, starts Saturday night with PlayFair-a popular campus attraction during university orientation weeks that introduces a non-threatening way for students to meet each other. O-Week takes place August 31-September 7 with a variety of activities including a barbecue, a pancake breakfast, guest speaker Drew Dudley, The O-Mazing Race, Shine Day, and more.

Many UPEI students look forward to Shine Day and with approximately $5,000 in online donations to date, are hoping to reach this year's goal of $33,000. UPEI has been taking part in Shinerama-Canada's largest post-secondary fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research and treatment-since 1977 and is known for its successful Shinerama campaigns. In 2010, UPEI raised $26,000; in 2011 it raised $32,000; and in 2012, raised $30,000.

UPEI staff, faculty, and the Student Union welcome new students as they transition to university life. These welcome events give students the chance to meet new friends, and familiarize themselves with campus before classes even begin.

UPEI Women's Basketball announced recently that a new community basketball tournament-the first annual Subway Panther Pride 3v3 basketball tournament-will take place on Sunday, September 29 at UPEI's Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre and Colonel Gray High School. The tournament will raise funds for the UPEI Women's Basketball program in support of their exhibition game schedule and athletic financial awards.

'I'm very interested in the overall development of the sport of basketball on Prince Edward Island,' said UPEI Women's Basketball Head Coach Greg Gould. 'I believe that getting youth into the game at a young age is the key to developing Island talent who will later be able to compete at the varsity level.'

The tournament will feature five divisions for both males and females-grades 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, an open recreation division, and an open competitive masters division. Registration is $60.00 per team with teams of three to four players.

Program supporter and tournament organizer Chris Huggan added, 'Not only will this tournament provide another opportunity to play basketball, we hope it will promote the sport and build a stronger sense of spirit and pride in the Island and Panther basketball communities.'

For more information or to register, contact UPEI Panther Central at panthercentral@upei.ca, (902) 368-6308; visit Courtside Sneakers or contact organizer Chris Huggan at clhuggan@edu.pe.ca or (902) 368-6860 ext. 250. Early Registration: Players who register by September 15 will receive a tournament T-shirt and a $5.00 Subway gift card.

UPEI's Winter's Tales Authors' Reading Series kicks off the 2013 season with the talented Susan Glickman and Julie Bruck, who will read on Thursday, September 26, at 7:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, UPEI Main Building. Bruck won the 2012 Governor General's Award for poetry, and Glickman is a talented poet, fiction writer, and young adult novelist.

Their reading is sponsored by the UPEI English Department with funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and League of Canadian Poets. A reception and book signing will follow. Admission is free.

The UPEI women's rugby team had a very successful exhibition weekend hosted by StFX in Truro on Saturday August 31. UPEI came out on top in their first game against Acadia University's second team winning 17-7. They then went on to play against Dalhousie University's club team, winning 53-0. In their final matchup, the girls took on the host team, losing their battle 63-0.

It was a great opportunity for our very young team to work out some of the kinks and get used to playing with each other. The team relied heavily on returning players Kayla Weatherbie, Rebecca Chapman, and Danielle Lacey. Over half of this year's team is made up of first year players, and they certainly made some major contributions; Holly Jones, Megan Thorpe, and Holly Hartlen were very dynamic, especially on the offence.

'This is going to be a growing year for the team and I'm looking forward to watching them grow with each game,' said Head Coach Shannon Atkins.

UPEI plays their first regular season game on Saturday, September 7 at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The UPEI Department of Music is pleased to announce their 2013-14 concert season. This year's series offers an exciting blend of faculty, local, regional, and national artists and several international guests. Highlights include the winner of the 2013 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Competition, pianist Everett Hopfner; the eclectic music of Diomira with accordion, piano, and percussion; the virtuoso guitar playing of Eduardo Menozzi Costa; and an evening of superlative jazz with the Mike Murley Septet.

The season opens on Sunday, September 8 at 7:30 pm in UPEI's Dr. Steel Recital Hall with Duo :nota bene: featuring violinist Eva Steinschaden and pianist Alexander Vavtar. The two musicians, both graduates of the Mozarteum University, have concentrated primarily on music of the Viennese Classical School.

In 1999, the duo was the only Austrian ensemble to be accepted into the master class of the Trio di Trieste. Since then, they have worked with the world-famous musicians of the Trio di Trieste at the Scuola Superiore di Musica da Camera del Trio di Trieste in Duino/Italy. To date, they have recorded six CDs, all under the Viennese Extraplatte label. Since its inception in 1996, the Duo :nota bene: has performed over 400 concerts in more than 35 countries. In September 2013, the duo will make its first concert tour in Canada, performing in Toronto, Antigonish, St. John's and Charlottetown.

The duo's program at UPEI will feature works by Mozart, Schubert, Kreisler, and Nussbichler. The concert tour is made possible with the support of the Austrian Cultural Forum Ottawa.

On Sunday, September 22 at 7:30pm the recital series continues at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall with 'A CORNUCOPIA OF MUSIC' featuring David Parker, horn; Frances Gray, piano; and Morgan Saulnier, flute.

Tickets for both recitals are $15 (adults) and $10 (seniors/students) and can be purchased at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall the night of the performance, or in advance as part of a Season Pass which includes 12 concerts and is now available at a 30 per cent discounted rate.

The complete schedule for the 2013-2014 Concert Series can be found at www.music.upei.ca/recital-series

For more information, or to purchase a pass, contact Susan Stensch at 566-0507 or music@upei.ca.

The UPEI Field Hockey squad of seven first-year players and eight returning players travelled to McGill University in Montreal this past weekend for a pre-season tournament. On Saturday, August 31 the young squad-some playing new positions for the first time-had one tie and one win in games against Queen's University.

The first game was a 1-1 tie with UPEI's Katherine Koughan (2nd-year defender) taking a self pass at the top of the circle and stick-handling in to score UPEI's first goal of the tournament. In the second game on Saturday, UPEI defeated Queen's by a score of 2-1. Queen's had scored early on in the game, but UPEI came back with goals from first-year player and Charlottetown Rural grad Sydney Stavert, and fourth-year player Eliza MacLauchlan. Eliza, who normally plays midfield, had moved to the forward line for that game.

On Sunday, the Panthers played their 3rd and 4th games in a strong heat (26.5 degrees) losing their first game 2-1 to McGill with UPEI's first-year player Hannah Dykerman scoring a goal with 15 minutes left in the game. The Panthers worked hard all game but missed a number of opportunities to tie the game. An hour later, the Panthers played their 4th game against McGill and lost 3-0.

The pre-season tournament was a great opportunity for coaches Charla Currie and Lacey MacLauchlan to see this year's squad in action. The squad will practice for the next three weeks before they host the first tournament of the season at UPEI on Sept 21 and 22.

There is still an opportunity for new playersto tryout for field hockey. Interested players are asked to contact Head Coach Charla Currie or UPEI Athletics.

Colonel Gray High School senior Alexander MacKay of Charlottetown is this year's PEI recipient of the Pearson College Scholarship. The annual scholarship covers full tuition and residence for two years of pre-university study at the prestigious Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific's United World College (UWC).

Named in honour of the late Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Laureate, Lester B. Pearson, the UWC 'of the Pacific' is an institution where students can learn to promote peace and understanding in the world. Each year, 200 students from over 80 countries attend Pearson College through donor-supported scholarships and take part in a challenging UWC life skills co-curricular program.

MacKay is the son of Karen Rose and Les MacKay and is described as an outstanding, intelligent, well-spoken, and devoted student and individual.

'Selecting a single candidate from a group of outstanding applicants is an enviable challenge, and the students who applied for the Pearson scholarship this year were an exceptional group to interview,' said Darcy McCardle, Assistant Registrar at UPEI and member of the PEI Selection Committee. 'Alex is a remarkable young man with a host of talents that will serve him very well as he embarks on this tremendous educational opportunity. The Selection Committee is very pleased to see Alex represent PEI at Pearson College, and we wish him all the best in this experience.' The PEI Selection Committee consisted of McCardle, Vickie Johnston, Director of Student Affairs at UPEI, and Miles Turnbull, UPEI Dean of Education.

'We look for promising students who show courage, leadership, and a sense of determination in their desire to make a difference, to help change the world,' emphasized Ms. Heather Gross, Admissions Director at Pearson College UWC.

MacKay noted on his application that he's considering studying sciences at the university level and has particular interests in engineering and political science. MacKay is heavily involved in sports and music, and recently represented Prince Edward Island in triathlon at the 2013 Canada Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

'Attending United World College will allow me to achieve my full potential. At Pearson, there will be no restraints on what my goals and dreams will be-no one to step in to say it cannot be done,' commented MacKay in his application. 'Pearson would be a step towards the life that I would like to lead, one that creates change and has an impact. I have a strong desire to constantly learn and fill my mind, but also to teach, and fill the minds of others.'

UPEI congratulates Alex on his well-earned scholarship!

The horn of plenty will be very much in evidence when David Parker stars as the featured performer in the second UPEI concert of the season entitled 'A Cornucopia of Music.' Works for horn and piano by Saint-Saëns, Strauss, Dukas and Poulenc, and a solo for horn entitled Appel interstellaire by Messiaen will form part of the program. Pianist Frances Gray will perform solo in an Intermezzo and a Capriccio from the intimate romantic music of Brahms. The concluding work welcomes flutist Morgan Saulnier to join in an engaging trio for this unusual combination of instruments. The Ballade, Pastorale and Dance by Eric Ewazen makes a lot of demands on each of the performers, but shows the brilliant talent of this American composer. The concert takes place on Sunday, September 22 at 7:30 pm at UPEI's Dr. Steel Recital Hall. Tickets are available at the door for $15 (adults) and $12 (seniors and students).

Parker is a regularly featured horn soloist and chamber musician and appears in chamber music series throughout the Maritimes including Scotia Festival of Music, Dalhousie University's Faculty Series, the Music Room, Music at The Three Churches in Mahone Bay, University of New Brunswick's Music on the Hill, and the Charlottetown Festival. Parker holds degrees in music from Acadia University, the University of Toronto, and Boston University. His influential teachers have included Eugene Rittich, Daniel Katzen, and Hermann Baumann. He has received generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. He was formerly a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Sinfonietta. He has also performed with the Toronto Symphony, the Boston Lyric Opera, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Parker has been the principal hornist of Symphony Nova Scotia and instructor of horn and brass chamber music at Dalhousie University since 2000. He coaches the winds and brass of the Youth Orchestras of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and is a frequent guest teacher with Sistema New Brunswick. He performs regularly with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra on natural horn.

Gray is well known for her solo and chamber music performances, broadcasts, adjudicating, and teaching. She has recorded three solo CDs-'Poems for Piano,' 'The Evocative Piano,' and 'Soundscapes of Spain'-all nominated for ECMA classical music awards. She has performed throughout Canada, in the United States, England, Belgium, Russia, and Australia. She is the pianist/keyboardist with the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra, with whom she has performed many times as concerto soloist. Dr. Gray holds a music degree from McGill University and MM and DM degrees from Indiana University where she studied with Menahem Pressler, renowned pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio. Awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship, Gray spent a year at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. She also attended master class sessions at Tanglewood with the Russian duo-piano team, Victor Babin and Vitya Vronsky. She has been a long-time valued professor of piano and theory at UPEI and has frequently adjudicated county and provincial music festivals and competitions in the Atlantic Region.

Saulnier holds a masters degree in flute performance from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), and a bachelor of music from UPEI. Saulnier has performed extensively throughout Atlantic Canada, and in 2006, placed third in the woodwind category at the National Music Festival of Canada. Saulnier has appeared as soloist with various ensembles, most recently performing Ibert's Flute Concerto with the MUN Chamber Orchestra. She has also appeared as soloist with the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra and the UPEI Wind Symphony. She is a member of PEI's new music group, eklektikos, and the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra. Saulnier has performed in several master classes across the country, receiving guidance from Michel Debost, Susan Hoeppner, Camille Churchfield, and others. While maintaining a busy performance schedule, Saulnier is in high demand as a flute and piano instructor in Charlottetown, where she is a sessional flute instructor at UPEI.