Canadian journalist and author Gwynne Dyer will speak at UPEI on Monday, September 22 as part of his cross-Canada university and college tour. The event will take place in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, room 242 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall at 7:00 pm. Sponsored by the UPEI Faculty of Arts, Dyer’s lecture is entitled "What the First World War Taught Us." Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

Brick Repointing: Amber Masonry will begin brick repointing around the west entrance way of Dalton Hall Thursday, September 18. This work will take approximately two weeks to complete (weather dependent), and will be completed during evenings (start time of 4:00 pm) and weekends. Please ensure your windows are closed before 4:00 pm and over the weekends during this time. Roof Repairs: Amber Masonry will be doing repairs on the lower shingled roof on the west side of Main Building beginning Thursday, September 18. This work will take approximately one week to complete (weather dependent). If you have any questions or concerns please contact Jackie MacPhail at jmacphail@upei.ca or 6034.

Just a reminder to all students, staff, and faculty that the upcoming deadline for the First Semester Award Cycle is October 1; this has been moved two weeks prior to the date in past years to allow us to provide students with the awards and financial support more efficiently, in accordance with academic calendar dates. The application form can be found at: http://www.upei.ca/studentlife/1st-semester-award-cycle If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Adrienne Montgomery in Scholarships, Awards and Financial Aid at amontgomery@upei.ca or (902) 620-5187.

Thursday, September 18: 8:00 pm EST (M) Hockey @ Carleton Friday, September 19: 5:00 pm (W) Soccer @ UNB (webcast on AUStv) 7:15 pm (M) Soccer @ UNB (webcast on AUStv) 8:00 pm EST (M) Hockey vs. Queen's (@ Carleton) Saturday, September 20: 2:00 pm (W) Rugby vs. Saint Mary's at UPEI (webcast on AUStv) 5:30 pm Field Hockey @ Saint Mary's 8:00 pm (M) Hockey @ Carleton 8:30 pm Field Hockey @ Dalhousie Sunday, September 21: 8:00 am Field Hockey vs. UNB (@ Saint Mary's) 11:00 am Field Hockey vs. Mount Allison (@ Saint Mary's) 1:00 pm Field Hockey vs. StFX (@ Saint Mary's) 1:00 pm (W) Soccer @ UdeM (webcast on AUStv) 3:15 pm (M) Soccer @ UdeM (webcast on AUStv) 4:00 pm Field Hockey vs Acadia (@ Dalhousie) For more information, check out www.gopanthersgo.ca

Researchers at the UPEI Human Performance and Health Research Laboratory are seeking UPEI faculty and staff volunteers for a study investigating the physiological outcomes of using standing desks in the workplace. Interested participants who meet the following criteria are asked to contact Brittany at upeiexerciselab@gmail.com: -18 years of age or older -Waist circumference greater than 88 cm (women), or greater than 102 cm (men) -- the researchers can help measure this for you -Work in an office that will allow the installation of a standing desk for 12 weeks If you'd like to try a standing desk in your workplace for three months, free of charge, please contact Brittany at the contact information listed above. Participants will also receive information about their personal cardio-metabolic disease risk factors which include baseline caloric needs, blood pressure, body composition, blood lipid profile, and aerobic fitness.

Canadian journalist and author Gwynne Dyer will speak at UPEI on Monday, September 22 as part of his cross-Canada university and college tour. The event will take place in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, room 242 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall at 7:00 pm. Sponsored by the UPEI Faculty of Arts, Dyer’s lecture is entitled "What the First World War Taught Us." Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

Brick Repointing: Amber Masonry will begin brick repointing around the west entrance way of Dalton Hall Thursday, September 18. This work will take approximately two weeks to complete (weather dependent), and will be completed during evenings (start time of 4:00 pm) and weekends. Please ensure your windows are closed before 4:00 pm and over the weekends during this time. Roof Repairs: Amber Masonry will be doing repairs on the lower shingled roof on the west side of Main Building beginning Thursday, September 18. This work will take approximately one week to complete (weather dependent). If you have any questions or concerns please contact Jackie MacPhail at jmacphail@upei.ca or 6034.

Ged Martin, author of “John A. Macdonald: Canada’s First Prime Minister,” graduate of Cambridge University, and UK’s first Chair of Canadian Studies at Edinburgh University will deliver the keynote address at UPEI’s Versions of Canada 2014 Conference held September 25–28. Martin will deliver his address on Friday, September 26 at 3:30 pm in Room 142, Bill and Denise Andrew Hall. Martin will speak about the Charlottetown Conference and his argument that Canadian Confederation was not born in Prince Edward Island. Martin questions the instant acceptance of Confederation and traces the intellectual roots of the idea of Confederation back to the mid-1850s. Versions of Canada 2014 Conference is organized by the Canadian Studies Program at the University of Prince Edward Island in conjunction with the Canadian Studies Network. For more information on the conference, visit http://conferences.upei.ca/versionsofcanada2014/

The Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island will hold its 26th annual Open House on Saturday, September 27, from 10 am-2 pm. Organized and run by AVC students, AVC Open House is an opportunity for the public to go behind the scenes at a veterinary medical college. Visitors will see many demonstrations and exhibits, including a parade of dog breeds; clicker training with dogs; a painted cow and horse; and much more. Children can bring their favourite stuffed toys for a check-up and treatment at the always-popular Teddy Bear Clinic. And they can have their faces painted, get balloon animals, and learn how to gown up for surgery. Visitors are welcome to bring canned cat or dog food or toys for the PEI Humane Society. AVC Open House is one of the largest, most successful open houses in Atlantic Canada. Everyone is welcome to attend!

On Monday, September 22 at 9:30 am in the Duffy Science Centre, Room 204, Kyle Knysh, BSc will defend his Master of Science thesis entitled: "Agricultural Land Use Impacts on Cool - Spring Flora and Fauna, With An Emphasis On Freshwater Invertebrate Diversity And Phenology in Spring Pools Of Eastern Prince Edward Island (Canada)." Everyone is welcome to attend.

The next UPEI on-site training session in animal use and care will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 1:00-4:00 pm in the AVC Lecture Theatre A. This will be a three-hour training session with handout, based on Canadian Council of Animal Care (CCAC) Recommended Syllabus (exam included). The CCAC requires that all personnel involved with the use of animals in research, teaching, testing, and service take this course. (A refresher course is required every five years.) Please notify animalcare@upei.ca by 12:00 noon on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 if you or any of your staff will be attending this session.

The next UPEI on-site training session in animal use and care will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 1:00-4:00 pm in the AVC Lecture Theatre A. This will be a three-hour training session with handout, based on Canadian Council of Animal Care (CCAC) Recommended Syllabus (exam included). The CCAC requires that all personnel involved with the use of animals in research, teaching, testing, and service take this course. (A refresher course is required every five years.) Please notify animalcare@upei.ca by 12:00 noon on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 if you or any of your staff will be attending this session.

On Monday, September 22 at 9:30 am in the Duffy Science Centre, Room 204, Kyle Knysh, BSc will defend his Master of Science thesis entitled: "Agricultural Land Use Impacts on Cool - Spring Flora and Fauna, With An Emphasis On Freshwater Invertebrate Diversity And Phenology in Spring Pools Of Eastern Prince Edward Island (Canada)." Everyone is welcome to attend.

UPEI faculty and staff are encouraged to remind undergraduate students to sign up for the Montreal Exchange University Partnership: Trading Simulation. Deadline to apply is Friday, September 19. Students interested in the securities market have the opportunity to get involved in an options trading simulation with a grand prize of $10,000, second place prize of $5,000, and third place prize of $2,500. Students are asked to build a team (one to four students) and sign up for an eight-week simulation held during the 2014 fall term. A UPEI classroom session will be held for registered teams on Wednesday, September 24, location TBD. To register, visit www.m-x.ca/sim This is an excellent opportunity for students to develop a better knowledge of options and discover securities trading. The best performing team at each university, as well as the top 50 teams registered, having fulfilled the mandatory components, will receive a certification of participation. No experience is required (education session will be available for students) and the simulation is free to register! For more information, please contact Ling Chen, Student Ambassador of the Montreal Exchange at upei.mx.ambassador@gmail.com

The Celebration of Student Success (formerly Deans’ Honours Night) for the Faculties of Arts and Science will be held on Tuesday, September 30 at 7:00 pm in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. At this prestigious event, arts and science students who are on the Dean’s List for the 2013-14 academic year, will be presented with a certificate recognizing their accomplishments. UPEI faculty and staff are encouraged to attend as we celebrate our first-class standing students. Student awards, with the exception of the Haines Academic Award of Merit, will be presented at another time.

We have our first Faculty of Education PhD dissertation defence happening this week! Please take a look at the highlights for information concerning the actual defence, guest speakers, and the celebration. We hope you can join us. Highlights: Thursday, September 18 Dr. Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandez will present "The Problem of "Method" in Youth Participatory Action Research" from 10:00-11:30 am in the Young Lives Research Lab in Dalton Hall. Friday, September 19 Verne Lorway's Dissertation Defence - Please join us for the public component of the defence beginning at 10:00 am in AVC room 286A N. Title: "Disrupting the "maestro:" Tuneful youth insights for engaged music in education." Dr. Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandez will present "Why the Arts Don't do Anything: Towards a New Logic of Cultural Production." This presentation will take place from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building. After the presentations, please join the Faculty of Education in celebrating Verne Lorway and the first doctoral defence in the PhD in Educational Studies program from 4:00-5:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building.

​Accessibility ​Services at UPEI has approximately 300 students with disabilities who are registered for various types of accommodations, both physical and academic. These disabilities are often invisible, and can include mobility impairments such as back, knee or soft tissue injury, MS, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, lupus, and other disorders. There is an increased need for chairs and tables in the classrooms to accommodate the needs of these students. Accessibility Services asks for your assistance in not moving or using the chairs/ tables that are designated for these students. The tables have a wheelchair symbol on them, and need to be kept on an accessible level, especially if the classroom is theatre style; the chairs will be marked with a Reserved sign. We thank you for your assistance. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Cathy Rose at crose@upei.ca or (902) 628-4364.

This week we are looking at Dr. Terry Anderson's article "The Distant Crowd: Transactional Distance and New Social Media Literacies." It explores different social spaces in which we interact and learn. It would be great to hear more about how these spaces are being used or how they are perceived by those of us here at UPEI. As a great way to explore two different social spaces, you can share your thoughts in the Moodle course: http://moodle.upei.ca/course/view.php?id=4809 or on the open UPEI blog: http://projects.upei.ca/terrytalks/

This Wednesday, September 17 the UPEI Multicultural Choir and Song Circle will meet in the Steel Building from 4:30-5:30 pm to SING! Last Wednesday was the group's first meeting, and it was a great success with 20+ students, a few faculty and staff members, and a few people from the community! The choir encourages both experienced singers and new singing enthusiasts to join in sharing world music and song from different countries and cultures. Rehearsals will take place on Wednesdays in the AIRS/CMTC Multimedia Room 104, basement of the Robertson Library. For more information and to join the email list, please contact Shannon Moore at smmoore@upei.ca. All are welcome!

We have our first Faculty of Education PhD dissertation defence happening this week! Please take a look at the highlights for information concerning the actual defence, guest speakers, and the celebration. We hope you can join us. Highlights: Thursday, September 18 Dr. Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandez will present "The Problem of "Method" in Youth Participatory Action Research" from 10:00-11:30 am in the Young Lives Research Lab in Dalton Hall. Friday, September 19 Verne Lorway's Dissertation Defence - Please join us for the public component of the defence beginning at 10:00 am in AVC room 286A N. Title: "Disrupting the "maestro:" Tuneful youth insights for engaged music in education." Dr. Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandez will present "Why the Arts Don't do Anything: Towards a New Logic of Cultural Production." This presentation will take place from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building. After the presentations, please join the Faculty of Education in celebrating Verne Lorway and the first doctoral defence in the PhD in Educational Studies program from 4:00-5:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building.