The UPEI Faculty of Graduate Studies invites the UPEI community to attend the 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) Competition. 

The Three Minute Thesis challenges research graduate students to explain their research project to a non-specialist audience in just 3 minutes, using only 1 slide. This year’s competitors represent a range of disciplines, including Education, Science, Sustainable Design Engineering, and Veterinary Medicine. 

Join us to support UPEI graduate students and learn about the fascinating and impactful research taking place across campus in this fast-paced and engaging format. 
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three competitors, and the first-place winner will go on to represent UPEI at the regional 3MT competition. 

Audience members will also have the opportunity to play fun and supportive 3MT Bingo while watching the presentations for a chance to win a prize. 

Date: Friday, March 20, 2026 
Time: 4:00–6:00 pm 
Location: Fox & Crow, W.A. Murphy Student Centre 

Light refreshments and door prize draws will be available.

UPEI students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to attend.

Along with many other institutions in Canada, UPEI is taking part in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) again this semester. The survey collects important information on students' participation in programs and activities, as well as their perceptions of personal growth and university support. Results from the survey will inform initiatives to improve student experience. 

Many first- and fourth-year students in Arts, Business, Nursing, Science, and Sustainable Design Engineering have been invited to fill out the survey. Students are encouraged to check their UPEI email for the invitation and to complete the survey. If you have questions about the survey, please contact Dr. Yuqin Gong, Manager of Institutional Research at the Office of VP Academic and Research, via 902-566-0361 or ygong@upei.ca.

Thank you to the students for responding to the survey and to all who helped spread the word about the survey.

The search committee for the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering Associate Dean Academic invites you to the upcoming public presentation by the finalist candidate. Since the search began, the committee has conducted a comprehensive search and selected one finalist for a series of stakeholder meetings on campus.

The presentation is scheduled on Tuesday, March 10 2026, at 1:30 pm, AVC 287N.

The UPEI Department of Music is thrilled to be hosting its first Contemporary Music Festival, March 6-13, 2026. All events are open to the public and take place in Steel Recital Hall or the Performing Arts Centre Theatre.

The festival kicks off with pianist Megaria Halim in Archipelagic Voices: Folk and Contemporary Music by Southeast Asian Composers on Friday, March 6 at 7:30pm and continues with UPEI Department of Music Faculty in Bleakness and Beauty, featuring the music of PEI-born composer Amy Brandon, on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30pm.

Other performers or presenters include Indigenous cellist Cris Derksen, experimental jazz trio forgalhorn, and French contemporary music ensemble Proxima Centauri.

Tickets are available online or by cash at the door.

We had originally scheduled the second annual edition of the "Hearts and Flowers" President's Town Hall for February 12, to fall in the month sometimes known for the time to give “hearts and flowers,” as well as for the short days of midwinter. We had to postpone the event due to a university closure caused by inclement weather.

The Town Hall has been rescheduled, and will be now held on Friday March 6!

President's Town Hall: Hearts and Flowers!
Friday, March 6, 2026 
2:00–3:00 pm 
Amphitheatre, Duffy Science Centre, DSC 135

The Town Hall will be an opportunity to share examples of success, what we are proud of at UPEI, and to give heart emojis and flower bouquets! Let's give a shoutout to campus community members and celebrate our Panther Pride.  

If you are unable to attend in person, you are welcome to join us virtually at this Teams Town Hall link.

Fisher Scientific is having an open information show in the foyer of KC Irving Chemistry Centre on March 11, 9:30 am-11:30 am.

This is an opportunity to meet and connect with your local Fisher Scientific team. There will be a chemical specialist and a safety/clean room specialist present so if you have any questions or inquiries on these topics please ask.

You are invited to attend UPEI’s Administrative Services Showcase on Monday March 9, 12:00-2:00, McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre - an opportunity to connect directly with the administrative teams that support our campus community.

Information booths hosted by:

• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Rights
• Human Resources
• Finance
• Communications
• IT Systems and Services
• Facilities
• Student Support Services

Each area will highlight what they do and the key processes and resources they manage - many identified through feedback shared during Dr. Jane Ngobia’s Listening Tour.

This event is designed to:

• Demonstrate how campus feedback has been heard 
• Showcase initiatives and improvements currently underway
• Clarify what colleagues can expect moving forward
• Identify items still under consideration
• Create space for renewed dialogue and campus engagement

Strengthen your understanding of administrative services, ask questions, gather resources, and be part of ongoing conversations about improving the systems that support learning and student success at UPEI. All faculty and staff are encouraged to drop in. Light snacks available

Dr. Kayla Murphy, BA, MEd, Ed.D., a candidate for the tenure-track associate professor position in the Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research and Applied Studies (IKERAS), will give a research presentation titled "Relational Accountability in Education: Indigenous Methodologies, Student Experience, and Institutional Responsibility” on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 11:30 am in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142.

The seventh meeting of the UPEI Senate will take place on Friday, March 27, 2026, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in Room 102 at Alumni Hall (618 University Avenue). To view the 2025-2026 calendar of Senate meetings or documents for the upcoming meeting, click here. (Posted one week before the meeting)

All meetings are open to members of the University community, although certain in-camera items (e.g., granting of degrees) may require the Senate to go into a closed session. Only members of Senate are permitted to address the Senate unless otherwise recognized by the chair. 

For logistical purposes, members of the UPEI community who wish to attend the open session of a UPEI Senate meeting are asked to contact senate@upei.ca one week prior to the meeting. While Senate is an in-person meeting, members of the University community may request a virtual connection when they are unable to attend in person. 

The Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR), a research institute at Queens University, works to improve the health and well-being of Canada’s military members, Veterans, and their families. By connecting researchers, government, and other interested partners, CIMVHR helps find solutions to the unique health challenges faced by those who serve, have served and their families. Their work supports better care, policies, and programs for nearly a million Canadians connected to military life.

Every year, CIMVHR hosts an annual conference. This year CIMVHR Forum 2026 will be held in Halifax. Prior to the conference, the group is organizing local engagement sessions to showcase local military, Veteran, public safety personnel, and family health research. The sessions will also offer an opportunity to learn more about CIMVHR, the Journal of Military Veteran and Family Health, and CIMVHR Forum 2026 (www.cimvhrforum.ca). 

Colleagues who might be interested in this population or who may study in a field relevant to the event are invited to attend. Space is limited. Attendance must be confirmed by registering using the link https://cimvhr.ca/conferences/ by March 20, 2026.

HALIFAX ENGAGEMENT SESSION
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Location: The Westin Nova Scotian, Atlantic Ballroom
Time: 9:30 am–1:30 pm. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

CHARLOTTETOWN ENGAGEMENT SESSION
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Location: Delta Hotels Prince Edward
Time: 9:30 am–1:30 pm. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

All are welcome to attend the UPEI Arts Review book launch for Volume XV, Mending, on Thursday, March 5, 3:30 pm, SDU Main Building, Faculty Lounge (Room 201). This will be a celebration of student writing, with a public reading and a book sale. Light refreshments will be available.

Join UPEI President Wendy Rodgers for casual "coffee chats" at Tim Horton's in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on Wednesday, March 11 from 8:00-9:00 am.

These coffee chats offer a relaxed setting where any member of the UPEI community can drop by, grab a drink, and chat with Wendy about anything on your mind. Whether you want to share ideas, ask questions or simply say hello, these chats are a great way to connect with the president in a comfortable and informal environment.

The search committee for the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering Associate Dean Academic invites you to the upcoming public presentation by the finalist candidate. Since the search began, the committee has conducted a comprehensive search and selected one finalist for a series of stakeholder meetings on campus.

The presentation is scheduled on Tuesday, March 10 2026, at 1:30 pm, AVC 287N.

Tune in to the upcoming FSDE Student Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 5th 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Atlantic Time

The Ceremony will be live-streamed via Facebook:

1. Go to the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/upeiengineering/live_videos/
2. Look for the red “LIVE” badge at the top of our posts or video section.
3. Click the video to start watching.

Students are invited to the Climate Career day, Wednesday, March 11 from 10-12:30 in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building (Room 201) to meet with local professionals and organizations that work with climate issues. This opportunity is intended to connect students with potential employers while also learning about different career paths. 

Guest speakers will take part in a panel discussion at 11am where they will chat about their roles, how they found their way into climate work, climate projects their organization is working on, and how to find joy in a challenging field of work. 

Free to attend.

The Robertson Library is pleased to welcome Dr. Svetlana Kochkina, who is taking up her duties as our new University [Chief] Librarian during the first week of March. Dr. Kochkina joins us from McGill University Libraries, where she held several key positions over the past 15 years, including a recently-concluded term as Acting Head of the renowned Osler Library of the History of Medicine. Dr. Kochkina is also a distinguished book historian and digital humanities researcher, and is Past President of the Bibliographical Society of Canada. A "meet and greet" is planned for later this month to give our UPEI and Island user communities an opportunity to welcome Dr. Kochkina in-person; further details will be announced shortly. 

Simon Lloyd, who served as interim University Librarian from July, 2025 - February, 2026, will be returning to his duties with our University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) unit, and will also be supporting Dr. Kochkina during her transition into the University Librarian role. 

The UPEI Department of Music is thrilled to be hosting its first Contemporary Music Festival, March 6-13, 2026. All events are open to the public and take place in Steel Recital Hall or the Performing Arts Centre Theatre.

The festival kicks off with pianist Megaria Halim in Archipelagic Voices: Folk and Contemporary Music by Southeast Asian Composers on Friday, March 6 at 7:30pm and continues with UPEI Department of Music Faculty in Bleakness and Beauty, featuring the music of PEI-born composer Amy Brandon, on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30pm.

Other performers or presenters include Indigenous cellist Cris Derksen, experimental jazz trio forgalhorn, and French contemporary music ensemble Proxima Centauri.

Tickets are available online or by cash at the door.

We had originally scheduled the second annual edition of the "Hearts and Flowers" President's Town Hall for February 12, to fall in the month sometimes known for the time to give “hearts and flowers,” as well as for the short days of midwinter. We had to postpone the event due to a university closure caused by inclement weather.

The Town Hall has been rescheduled, and will be now held on Friday March 6!

President's Town Hall: Hearts and Flowers!
Friday, March 6, 2026 
2:00–3:00 pm 
Amphitheatre, Duffy Science Centre, DSC 135

The Town Hall will be an opportunity to share examples of success, what we are proud of at UPEI, and to give heart emojis and flower bouquets! Let's give a shoutout to campus community members and celebrate our Panther Pride.  

If you are unable to attend in person, you are welcome to join us virtually at this Teams Town Hall link.

The Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER) will host the visit of Prof. Elaine M. S. Dorneles, a Brazilian scholar, this March. She will work with Prof. Sanchez during her visit. Prof. Dorneles will give a seminar as part of CVER academic activities.

Speaker:     Elaine Maria Seles Dorneles, DVM PhD, Professor, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

Title:           From farm to public health: A One-Health perspective on zoonotic diseases in Brazil

Date:           Thursday, March 5, 2026

Time:          2-3 p.m.

Location:    AVC Lecture Theatre B

Bio: Dr. Elaine M S Dorneles is a veterinarian and professor at the Federal University of Lavras (Universidade Federal de Lavras, UFLA), Brazil. She works in the field of animal health and public health. Her research focuses on zoonotic diseases, particularly brucellosis and tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases affecting dairy cattle, with emphasis on One Health, antimicrobial use and resistance, and milk quality and safety. She coordinates and participates in research and extension projects aimed at improving disease control strategies at the farm level and reducing risks to public health.)

As part of the UPEI Department of Religious Studies’ Theology on Tap series, Dr. Doug Al-Maini, associate professor of philosophy, St. Francis Xavier University, will give a talk titled “Greek Mysticism Leading into the Christian Era” on March 12 at 7 pm. The presentation will take place at the Salvador Dali Café, The Arts Hotel, 155 Kent Street, Charlottetown. All are welcome to attend.

“Scholars have long noted and been fascinated by a tradition of mysticism within the broader history of Christianity; they have also noted how much that tradition was influenced by the Greek philosophers who preceded it,” says Al-Mani. “Indeed, Augustine famously says that ‘By the Platonic books I was admonished to return into myself . . . I entered and beheld with the eye of my soul a light unchangeable.’ There is wide agreement that Augustine is referring to the influence that reading Plotinus, among other authors, had on him, and how it helped him make sense of Christianity. But what was in those Neo-Platonic texts that was so affecting for Augustine?

“In this talk, I will attempt to give an overview of the main theses of the ‘Greek Mystics’ and the thinking that brings them to the positions they hold. Included among these ‘Mystics’ are figures such as Parmenides, Empedocles, Plato, Plotinus, and Proclus, some of whom are not usually associated with mysticism. In different ways, these philosophers argue to what they think is the limit of what can be properly expressed discursively and then show how that cannot give a full and satisfying account of Being itself and all that could be experienced; this in turn helps define the parameters of mysticism for future thinkers.”

For more information about the series, contact event coordinator Alexandra Durant at alexandrajdurant@gmail.com, or follow Theology on Tap PEI on Facebook.