Welcome to spring! The UPEI Writing Centre will remain open for appointments until the final day of classes, Tuesday, April 9. See our tutors for support with any stage of your final writing or research assignment. We can also help you refine and practice presentations.

In-person appointments are held in Robertson Library 274; online appointments are also available. As always, make your appointment at https://upei.mywconline.com/

And we're looking for tutors to begin work in September! If you're a strong writer who enjoys helping others develop their skills, check out the posting at https://www.upei.ca/hr/employment-opportunities. Closing date: Friday, April 5.

Are you trying to find some dedicated time to finish a writing project that needs focused attention? Time to Write retreats offer concentrated time to support your writing efforts and can be instrumental in the initiation or completion of scholarly work such as an article, book or book chapter, grant proposal, curriculum or OER development, conference presentations, or other scholarly, creative projects.  

Time to work on writing projects away from home and campus for a few days can be incredibly productive. Participation in a writing retreat with colleagues at various stages of their career not only provides quiet, focused writing time away from teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities, but it also offers mentorship and networking opportunities with colleagues from a range of disciplines. The retreat provides an opportunity to develop a supportive writing group with colleagues from across campus and join group discussions on writing and publishing. 

A Time to Write retreat will be offered from Tuesday, June 4 to Friday, June 7, 2024, at the North Rustico Cottages in North Rustico.   

Participants must have a project (e.g., grant application, research publication) at a stage where sustained writing time makes sense with background research and/or data collection and analysis completed to the point that they are ready to write. Participants must be prepared to commit to the full program--a total of three days focused on writing--and contribute $300. The retreat is open to faculty (term and sessional faculty are encouraged to apply) and librarians in any academic unit at UPEI. Interested participants will email an expression of interest consisting of a summary of the project they plan to work on and their writing goals for the retreat to TLC@upei.ca by 12:00 noon, Monday, April 15, 2024. Six to eight participants will be accepted for this Time to Write retreat.

The Indigenous Perspectives on Climate Change course (ACC2030/IKE2030) will host an exhibition on April 3 at 3:30 in the Robertson Library lobby. The exhibition will showcase creative pieces by students based on their reflections of knowledge-keeper Elder Gary Joe Augustine's presentation. Elder Augustine is from Elsipogtog First Nation. 

For more information, please reach out to the instructor and coordinator Margaret Augustine at maugustine@upei.ca and Donald Moses at dmoses@upei.ca.

The McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill are beginning their recruitment cycle for the Atlantic region and are encouraging students in their third and fourth years to attend the upcoming information session. Students will learn what is involved in applying for this scholarship opportunity at the online session for Atlantic universities on April 4 at 12:30 pm ADT. The invitation and RSVP link are included below along with the scholarship criteria:

Invitation and RSVP link: https://bit.ly/ATLuniv-ap04

To be eligible for the 2025 cohort, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• You are a current student on track to earn your first bachelor’s degree by August 2025.
• You earned your first bachelor’s degree in the last five years (January 2019 or later).
• You earned your first bachelor’s degree more than five years ago and are 30 years or younger in 2024.
• Note: two-thirds of scholarships are offered to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and refugees, and one-third are offered to international candidates.

Interested in exploring collaboration opportunities with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC)? Meet Drs. James Johnston and Fabrice Berrué, Directors of Research and Development at the NRC’s Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre.

The NRC’s Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre provides scientific research, services, and technology development for the sustainable transformation of Canadian agricultural and marine bio-based resources into higher-value products. 

In collaboration with industry, academia, other government departments and stakeholders, the NRC helps address technology and commercialization challenges. Leveraging unique facilities, they offer expertise and R&D support in the following research areas:

1.           Atypical fermentation and bioprocessing

2.           Advancing Marine bioproducts towards commercialization

3.           Algal Bioproduction

4.           Zebrafish Research 

5.           Ocean Monitoring and conservation 

6.           Protein - Plant Processing Ingredients 

7.           Prediction Modelling and Analytics (Ag)

8.           Climate Resilience Agriculture 

9.           Other Technical Services and Facilities (e.g. NMR, Mass spec, etc.)

Following the NRC’s 20-minute presentation, time will be allocated for feedback and discussion with the UPEI research community regarding how these strategic research areas align with your research goals.

Contact: Sandra LeClair at sleeleclair@upei.ca for more information.

Senator Kim Pate will give a presentation titled “Why We Need a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income” at two public events on PEI in April.

The first presentation will take place on April 3 at Westisle Composite High School, Elmsdale. The second presentation will be on April 4 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Room 242, University of Prince Edward Island. Both presentations begin at 7:00 pm.

The events are sponsored by the Saint Dunstan’s University Institute for Christianity and Culture at UPEI. Admission is free.

For information, contact Marion Clorey, Chair of SDU Out-Reach Committee at mgclorey@gmail.com  or (902) 675-2598.

Join Courtney Matthews and Kim Mears for a Lunch and Learn session to learn about Open Educational Resources (OERs) and some alternatives for licensing Indigenous OERs. They'll start with the larger OER conversation and how OERs benefit students and the academy, share resources for finding existing OERs, and then take a look at the local UPEI OER context. There will be ample time to discuss details that specifically support OER creation for Indigenous researchers and educators. We'll be in the Teaching and Learning Centre, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230, on April 5 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm.

The University’s operating budget will be presented to the UPEI Board of Governors for approval at their April 2 meeting.

Dr. Greg Keefe, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor, invites faculty, staff, and students to join him for the UPEI Budget Update 2024–2025 on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Room 242 at 3:30 pm.

For those who cannot attend in person, below is a Zoom link:

https://upei.zoom.us/j/67991431607?pwd=SGYwbjdHQTRBSG94QjlrRy93SVQrdz09

Meeting ID: 679 9143 1607
Passcode: 602297
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One tap mobile
+17806660144,,67991431607#,,,,*602297# Canada
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All members of the UPEI community are invited to the installation ceremony of the Honourable Diane F. Griffin as the tenth Chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island on Friday, April 5, 2024, at 2:30 pm in the amphitheatre at the Performing Arts Centre (enter via 216S and 217S).

Faculty members are also invited to be part of the Academic Procession and wear their academic regalia. The procession will assemble in Andrew Hall 142 at 2:00 pm. If you don't have your own academic regalia, there will be a limited supply of black gowns available. If you wish to participate, please email rsvp@upei.ca, and use the subject line: Academic Procession.

This session is designed to prepare colleagues to review teaching dossiers as part of the tenure and promotions process at UPEI. We touch on applicable clauses from the collective agreement, consider elements from EDI training, and discuss how to think about and assess teaching contributions. There will also be time to ask questions of colleagues with experience serving on the URC about best practices, and guidelines for reviewing a tenure or promotion file. There will also be discussion around what to look for when reviewing interdisciplinary work and how to see if it is well contextualized and accessible to a broader audience.  This session can be particularly helpful for colleagues chairing a DRC or those from cognate departments. 

The session will take place on April 11 at 9:30 am in the Teaching and Learning Centre, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230. Seats are limited, Please RSVP. 

A separate session geared toward colleagues preparing their tenure and promotion files for the coming year will be organized in early May. Details will be shared in campus notices and the next TLC newsletter. 

Our Coffee Break Conversation will be hosted by Kristy McKinney, Instructional Multimedia Specialist, and Keltie MacPhail, Community History Librarian. Bring your favourite morning beverage and join us in the TLC on April 16 at 10:30 am.

The Department of Physics is offering up its extra eclipse glasses to students, staff, and faculty through a (free) raffle.

Fill out this form to be entered for the chance to win two (2) pairs of eclipse glasses. The form will be open for entries from 8 am on Tuesday, April 2, until 4 pm on Wednesday, April 3.

Twenty winners will be determined by a random draw and contacted by email on Thursday, April 4. Winners must be able to pick up the glasses on Friday, April 5, from FSDE 203A between 9-11 am or 2-4 pm.

The Facilities Department would like to remind the campus that due to the workload requirements following Convocation, we are requesting that the University community not book any events that will require a setup for the weekend and Monday immediately following the last ceremony.  

Thank you.

Under the direction of Dr. Nicole Strum, the UPEI Wind Symphony will perform traditional and contemporary works for winds and percussion by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ron Nelson, Ferdinand David, Joni Greene, and Joanne Harris. The concert features Jacob Reddin, a fourth-year trombone major, as soloist.

The concert takes place on April 4 at 7:30 pm in the UPEI Performing Arts Centre 121S. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students, payable by cash at the door. Accessible parking is available, and the theatre has an accessible entrance via elevator.

All students are invited to attend an information session on the UPEI Faculty of Medicine. A presentation will be followed by a Q&A with Dr. Preston Smith, Dean of UPEI Faculty of Medicine, and representatives from admissions, clinical learning and simulation, and anatomy.

Are you trying to find some dedicated time to finish a writing project that needs focused attention? Time to Write retreats offer concentrated time to support your writing efforts and can be instrumental in the initiation or completion of scholarly work such as an article, book or book chapter, grant proposal, curriculum or OER development, conference presentations, or other scholarly, creative projects.  

Time to work on writing projects away from home and campus for a few days can be incredibly productive. Participation in a writing retreat with colleagues at various stages of their career not only provides quiet, focused writing time away from teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities, but it also offers mentorship and networking opportunities with colleagues from a range of disciplines. The retreat provides an opportunity to develop a supportive writing group with colleagues from across campus and join group discussions on writing and publishing. 

A Time to Write retreat will be offered from Tuesday, June 4 to Friday, June 7, 2024, at the North Rustico Cottages in North Rustico.   

Participants must have a project (e.g., grant application, research publication) at a stage where sustained writing time makes sense with background research and/or data collection and analysis completed to the point that they are ready to write. Participants must be prepared to commit to the full program--a total of three days focused on writing--and contribute $300. The retreat is open to faculty (term and sessional faculty are encouraged to apply) and librarians in any academic unit at UPEI. Interested participants will email an expression of interest consisting of a summary of the project they plan to work on and their writing goals for the retreat to TLC@upei.ca by 12:00 noon, Monday, April 15, 2024. Six to eight participants will be accepted for this Time to Write retreat.

The Indigenous Perspectives on Climate Change course (ACC2030/IKE2030) will host an exhibition on April 3 at 3:30 in the Robertson Library lobby. The exhibition will showcase creative pieces by students based on their reflections of knowledge-keeper Elder Gary Joe Augustine's presentation. Elder Augustine is from Elsipogtog First Nation. 

For more information, please reach out to the instructor and coordinator Margaret Augustine at maugustine@upei.ca and Donald Moses at dmoses@upei.ca.

It is time again to reach out to our students during a stressful time--FINALS. The Chaplaincy Centre hosts a free meal for students, with the help of faculty and staff. Please use this link to sign up for a 30-minute (or more) shift to volunteer. Opportunities to set up, serve, and clean up are available as well a chance to mingle with students in an informal conversation with good food. 

On Friday April, 12, we will offer two serving times:11:30 am-1:00 pm and 4:30-6:00 pm. Please check back closer to the day as schedules change and time slots may open up. Contact Sister Sue at sukidd@upei.ca or Lauren at lvanvliet@upei.ca for further information.  

Sister Sue and Lauren

The McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill are beginning their recruitment cycle for the Atlantic region and are encouraging students in their third and fourth years to attend the upcoming information session. Students will learn what is involved in applying for this scholarship opportunity at the online session for Atlantic universities on April 4 at 12:30 pm ADT. The invitation and RSVP link are included below along with the scholarship criteria:

Invitation and RSVP link: https://bit.ly/ATLuniv-ap04

To be eligible for the 2025 cohort, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• You are a current student on track to earn your first bachelor’s degree by August 2025.
• You earned your first bachelor’s degree in the last five years (January 2019 or later).
• You earned your first bachelor’s degree more than five years ago and are 30 years or younger in 2024.
• Note: two-thirds of scholarships are offered to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and refugees, and one-third are offered to international candidates.

Interested in exploring collaboration opportunities with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC)? Meet Drs. James Johnston and Fabrice Berrué, Directors of Research and Development at the NRC’s Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre.

The NRC’s Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre provides scientific research, services, and technology development for the sustainable transformation of Canadian agricultural and marine bio-based resources into higher-value products. 

In collaboration with industry, academia, other government departments and stakeholders, the NRC helps address technology and commercialization challenges. Leveraging unique facilities, they offer expertise and R&D support in the following research areas:

1.           Atypical fermentation and bioprocessing

2.           Advancing Marine bioproducts towards commercialization

3.           Algal Bioproduction

4.           Zebrafish Research 

5.           Ocean Monitoring and conservation 

6.           Protein - Plant Processing Ingredients 

7.           Prediction Modelling and Analytics (Ag)

8.           Climate Resilience Agriculture 

9.           Other Technical Services and Facilities (e.g. NMR, Mass spec, etc.)

Following the NRC’s 20-minute presentation, time will be allocated for feedback and discussion with the UPEI research community regarding how these strategic research areas align with your research goals.

Contact: Sandra LeClair at sleeleclair@upei.ca for more information.