Campus Notices
The Department of Physics is once again hosting public viewings of the sun using our solar telescopes throughout the summer. At these events, you can view the sun's chromosphere through our ground-based telescope before climbing to the observatory and viewing the sun's photosphere through a different telescope. And if you don't know what a chromosphere or a photosphere is, we'll teach you!
Our next viewing is scheduled for Friday, July 26, from 12:30-2:00 pm. As of Thursday afternoon, the forecast is calling for clouds, which would prevent our viewing, but we can't be sure until Friday morning. Check our website mid-morning Friday to find out if the event has been cancelled. We will also be trying again in two weeks, on Friday, August 9.
All are invited to view the online thesis defence of Anthony Harris for Master of Science (Mathematical and Computational Sciences) on Wednesday, July 31, at 1 pm.
Title of the Thesis: “Spatial Temporal Connection: A Disaster-Resilient Application-Level Protocol”
Abstract:
We live in a digital age where communication networks are accessible from even the most remote locations on earth. Unfortunately, a side effect to this high availability is an increased dependency on centralized communication networks such as internet and cellular service providers. This reliance translates to more corporate oversight to handle the data processing and transmission, exposing us to governing, privacy and network fragility concerns in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
This thesis explores these centralized communication vulnerabilities through a disaster-resilient lens and proposes a novel solution in the form of an application-level protocol named Spatial Temporal Connection or STC. This protocol, when combined with the open-source, mobile Android application DewSTC, provides an ease-to-use messaging service when centralized networks fail.
Founded on the dew computing principles of Independence and Collaboration, DewSTC acts as both client and server, relaying local and neighboring user data in a delay-tolerant and ad hoc Bluetooth mesh network. Text messages can eventually reach their destination using the concept of movement-over-time without the need for cables, a constant power supply, or even pre-established connections.
While the protocol cannot guarantee message delivery, its routing architecture increases user autonomy, network adaptability and robustness during periods of limited to no connectivity.
The Office of Recruitment and First-Year Advisement is hosting the Summer Open Day today for all incoming first-year students at UPEI this fall to join us for an exciting and information-filled morning at the UPEI campus, followed by lunch at the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall! Incoming students can take campus and residence tours, participate in a mini-student service fair to understand the services and resources available as incoming UPEI students, and attend sessions to learn about everything UPEI!
Renewal of Employee Parking Permits who use payroll deduction is now open for Faculty and Staff for 2024–2025. Please visit the UPEI Security web page and select “Buy a staff or faculty parking pass” or click on the app link below (note: app will not work with Internet Explorer). Permits holders in Lots B, C, DRC, and reserved spaces have no expiry date, but must be renewed yearly as well.
Please DO NOT select the lot you may wish to move into—that is what the wait list is for (see below). New employees will be assigned to the General Lots. All permit holders will be reassigned to their current lot/space.
We would like to advise that there will be an increase in permits this year. The last increase for a permit was in 2014. The cost of a permit will increase by 5%. This change will affect any permits issued or sold for the 2024-2025 school year. If you use payroll deductions your biweekly deductions will increase on September 13, 2024.
If you use payroll deduction, and no longer use a UPEI lot to park, please email parking@upei.ca so we can stop your deduction.
Employees taking a leave of absence from UPEI and using parking lots B, C, F, G, or DRC must email parking@upei.ca with their ID#, name, departure date, and expected return date to maintain access to their assigned lot.
All fields with a red asterisk must be filled in, including office phone number and if you have an electric vehicle.
If you have a student in your household that is starting UPEI in September and they have their own vehicle, remember to include the vehicle info, their name, and ID# on the application if you are paying for their parking. Students will only be assigned a general permit.
If you are in a gated lot and you have a student that will be using your vehicle to come and go during the workday, please include their information on the application as an additional driver. If you wish to add additional information after you have submitted your form, you must resubmit a new application and inform parking@upei.ca that you have done so.
If you change your vehicle, please email parking with the Make, Model, Province/State, Plate #.
If you would like to be added to the wait list for a designated lot or wish to change lots, please email parking@upei.ca with the following information. (Note: if you are already on the wait list there is no need to resubmit.) While you are on the waitlist, you will be assigned to your current lot until a spot opens in your requested location.
Employee ID #:
Name (last, first):
Contact Email:
Phone Number:
Current lot:
Requested lot:
Please direct any questions or information changes to parking@upei.ca
If you have already applied for your 2024-2025 Parking Permit, you can disregard this email.
902-566-0312
parking@upei.ca
NOTE: Parking meters are enforced year round, M-F, 8-5.
Everyone is welcome to attend the MSc (Mathematical and Computational Sciences) thesis defence of presenter Bowen Xu on Friday, July 26, at 10 am in HSB 105.
Title of the Thesis: “Deep Reinforcement Learning for Smart Restarts In Exploration-only Exploitation-only Metaheuristic Hybrids”
Metaheuristic algorithms excel in addressing challenging optimization problems but often face the issue of premature convergence, limiting their potential during extended optimization periods. This research aims to overcome this limitation by integrating Reinforcement Learning to implement intelligent restart mechanisms in metaheuristic processes. The objective is to enhance the algorithms' ability to explore and exploit the solution space more effectively, thereby improving performance in complex optimization scenarios.
The study starts with a review of current metaheuristic algorithms, highlighting the issue of premature convergence. It then explores Reinforcement Learning principles, particularly their decision-making capabilities, to optimize metaheuristic performance. A novel framework is proposed where Reinforcement Learning agents monitor the optimization process, identify stagnation phases, and initiate intelligent restarts. These restarts are strategically guided by the agents' learned policies, ensuring diversified search when necessary and focused exploration of promising regions.
Experiments on benchmark optimization problems demonstrate that integrating Reinforcement Learning significantly mitigates premature convergence, leading to superior solution quality and robust performance across various domains. This research not only addresses a critical limitation in metaheuristic optimization but also suggests new applications of Reinforcement Learning for enhancing algorithmic efficiency. The findings underscore the potential of intelligent restart mechanisms to transform optimization, enabling more effective and adaptive metaheuristic solutions.
Join us for a Cultural Social Night! Show off your unique cultural attire and enjoy an unforgettable evening of board games, laughter, and socializing at the Dawson Lounge (Rm. 520), 5th Floor, SDU Main Building.
Date: Friday, July 26
Time: 5:00–8:00 pm
Presented by the UPEI Campus Life Program. This event promises fun, connection, and cultural celebration. Don’t miss out—mark your calendars and invite your friends! See you there!
The Office of Recruitment and First-Year Advisement is hosting the Summer Open Day on Friday, July 26th, from 9 AM for all incoming first-year students at UPEI this fall to join us for an exciting and information-filled morning at the UPEI campus, followed by lunch at the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall! Incoming students can take campus and residence tours, participate in a mini-student service fair to understand the services and resources available as incoming UPEI students, and attend sessions to learn about everything UPEI!
On Thursday, July 25, Ancillary Services and IT Systems and Services (ITSS) will be replacing the system that manages UPEI meal plans and campus card account balances. The new system is named Avro.
There will be an outage on the morning of July 25 between 8 am and noon as we transition from the current Multiplan system to the new Avro system. During this period new ID cards will not be issued and using the PaperCut printing system may be affected.
There will be no impact to door access via Salto card-reading locks.
To access your campus card account the new link to use is go.upei.ca/campuscard
Important note, please do not attempt to add funds to your campus card account via online credit card payment until Friday, July 26. Doing so may impact the transfer of your existing account funds.
If you have any questions or issues related to meal plans, campus card account balances, or PaperCut printing please contact Ancillary Services at 902-566-0330 / residence@upei.ca or the ITSS Help Desk at 902-566-0465 / helpdesk@upei.ca
Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
Regards,
Ancillary Services and ITSS
Everyone is welcome to attend the MSc (Mathematical and Computational Sciences) thesis defence of presenter Bowen Xu on Friday, July 26, at 10 am in HSB 105.
Title of the Thesis: “Deep Reinforcement Learning for Smart Restarts In Exploration-only Exploitation-only Metaheuristic Hybrids”
Metaheuristic algorithms excel in addressing challenging optimization problems but often face the issue of premature convergence, limiting their potential during extended optimization periods. This research aims to overcome this limitation by integrating Reinforcement Learning to implement intelligent restart mechanisms in metaheuristic processes. The objective is to enhance the algorithms' ability to explore and exploit the solution space more effectively, thereby improving performance in complex optimization scenarios.
The study starts with a review of current metaheuristic algorithms, highlighting the issue of premature convergence. It then explores Reinforcement Learning principles, particularly their decision-making capabilities, to optimize metaheuristic performance. A novel framework is proposed where Reinforcement Learning agents monitor the optimization process, identify stagnation phases, and initiate intelligent restarts. These restarts are strategically guided by the agents' learned policies, ensuring diversified search when necessary and focused exploration of promising regions.
Experiments on benchmark optimization problems demonstrate that integrating Reinforcement Learning significantly mitigates premature convergence, leading to superior solution quality and robust performance across various domains. This research not only addresses a critical limitation in metaheuristic optimization but also suggests new applications of Reinforcement Learning for enhancing algorithmic efficiency. The findings underscore the potential of intelligent restart mechanisms to transform optimization, enabling more effective and adaptive metaheuristic solutions.
The Office of Research Services has launched a new internal funding program intended to enhance research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. The SSHRC Seed Funding program supports activities that will strengthen a SSHRC grant proposal and lead to the submission of an application by March 31, 2026.
- VALUE: up to $2500
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 15, 2024 by 4 pm
- ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Tenured, tenure track, and term UPEI faculty members in Arts, Business, Education, IKERAS, Nursing, Medicine, Science, or Sustainable Design Engineering, and Librarians, who are employed by UPEI at the time of application and for the duration of the award. Faculty members in Veterinary Medicine may participate as a co-applicant but cannot be the Principal Investigator. A professor emeritus or adjunct professor may apply as co-applicant with a tenured/tenure-track UPEI faculty member.
- FOR MORE INFORMATION: Program guidelines and application instructions can be found here.
To apply, please use the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal.
For questions, contact Leslie Cudmore, Research Grants Coordinator, at lcudmore@upei.ca or 902-566-0709.
Join us for a Cultural Social Night! Show off your unique cultural attire and enjoy an unforgettable evening of board games, laughter, and socializing at the Dawson Lounge (Rm. 520), 5th Floor, SDU Main Building.
Date: Friday, July 26
Time: 5:00–8:00 pm
Presented by the UPEI Campus Life Program. This event promises fun, connection, and cultural celebration. Don’t miss out—mark your calendars and invite your friends! See you there!
There will be a UPEI Bloodborne Pathogen Training Session on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, from 10:30 am-12:00 pm.
This session is for those individuals whose research involves human blood, tissue, and other bodily fluids. If you wish to attend you must pre-register by contacting Jacky Buell at HSE@upei.ca before Thursday, August 8, 2024. Please provide your name, department and email address.
If you have any questions about this training session, please contact Dr. Rhoda Speare, rspeare@upei.ca.
Dana Hospitality will host a weekly BBQ every Thursday this summer from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm (weather permitting) in front of the AVC main doors. Check out the menu here. For potential weather cancellations and up-to-date information, please visit @UPEI_Eats.
Everyone is welcome to attend the MSc (Mathematical and Computational Sciences) thesis defence of presenter Bowen Xu on Friday, July 26, at 10 am in HSB 105.
Title of the Thesis: “Deep Reinforcement Learning for Smart Restarts In Exploration-only Exploitation-only Metaheuristic Hybrids”
Metaheuristic algorithms excel in addressing challenging optimization problems but often face the issue of premature convergence, limiting their potential during extended optimization periods. This research aims to overcome this limitation by integrating Reinforcement Learning to implement intelligent restart mechanisms in metaheuristic processes. The objective is to enhance the algorithms' ability to explore and exploit the solution space more effectively, thereby improving performance in complex optimization scenarios.
The study starts with a review of current metaheuristic algorithms, highlighting the issue of premature convergence. It then explores Reinforcement Learning principles, particularly their decision-making capabilities, to optimize metaheuristic performance. A novel framework is proposed where Reinforcement Learning agents monitor the optimization process, identify stagnation phases, and initiate intelligent restarts. These restarts are strategically guided by the agents' learned policies, ensuring diversified search when necessary and focused exploration of promising regions.
Experiments on benchmark optimization problems demonstrate that integrating Reinforcement Learning significantly mitigates premature convergence, leading to superior solution quality and robust performance across various domains. This research not only addresses a critical limitation in metaheuristic optimization but also suggests new applications of Reinforcement Learning for enhancing algorithmic efficiency. The findings underscore the potential of intelligent restart mechanisms to transform optimization, enabling more effective and adaptive metaheuristic solutions.
IT Systems and Services (ITSS) will be performing emergency changes to the network between 5:30 and 8:30 pm on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. During this period, users may experience authentication issues on both the campus wired and wireless networks. There will be no impact to Moodle, Outlook email, OneDrive, or other web services.
ITSS apologizes for the inconvenience.
The Office of Research Services has launched a new internal funding program intended to enhance research excellence in the social sciences and humanities. The SSHRC Seed Funding program supports activities that will strengthen a SSHRC grant proposal and lead to the submission of an application by March 31, 2026.
- VALUE: up to $2500
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 15, 2024 by 4 pm
- ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Tenured, tenure track, and term UPEI faculty members in Arts, Business, Education, IKERAS, Nursing, Medicine, Science, or Sustainable Design Engineering, and Librarians, who are employed by UPEI at the time of application and for the duration of the award. Faculty members in Veterinary Medicine may participate as a co-applicant but cannot be the Principal Investigator. A professor emeritus or adjunct professor may apply as co-applicant with a tenured/tenure-track UPEI faculty member.
- FOR MORE INFORMATION: Program guidelines and application instructions can be found here.
To apply, please use the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal.
For questions, contact Leslie Cudmore, Research Grants Coordinator, at lcudmore@upei.ca or 902-566-0709.
Join us for a Cultural Social Night! Show off your unique cultural attire and enjoy an unforgettable evening of board games, laughter, and socializing at the Dawson Lounge (Rm. 520), 5th Floor, SDU Main Building.
Date: Friday, July 26
Time: 5:00–8:00 pm
Presented by the UPEI Campus Life Program. This event promises fun, connection, and cultural celebration. Don’t miss out—mark your calendars and invite your friends! See you there!
Come say hi, have a snack and play a round of Jenga with UPEI's new Employee Engagement Officer, Jessica Field!
Jessica would like to hear from you and get your thoughts on all things employee engagement. How do you think we should welcome new employees to UPEI? How would you like to be recognized for the work you do? What professional growth opportunities would be most meaningful to you? What initiatives would you like to see on campus that would enhance your experience while at work? What are some areas that make our workplace great that we should leverage? How can we make a positive impact in our communities, both on and off campus?
Thursday, August 1 @ AVC 280N, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Wednesday, August 7 @ SDU Main Building 201 - Faculty Lounge, 12:00 pm-2:00 pm
Tuesday, August 13 @ Kelley Memorial Building 234, 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Open to all employees at UPEI. Complimentary light refreshments will be provided, and attendees will have a chance to win UPEI swag!
Unable to attend?
Stay tuned for future opportunities. If you'd prefer to connect individually, please feel free to reach out to Jessica at jfield@upei.ca
Dana Hospitality will host a weekly BBQ every Thursday this summer from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm (weather permitting) in front of the AVC main doors. Check out the menu here. For potential weather cancellations and up-to-date information, please visit @UPEI_Eats.
UPEI alumni, friends and members of the campus community are invited to take in the excitement of a Canadian Premier League match as the HFX Wanderers host Atlético Ottawa. This is a family friendly event with group tickets secured in The Kitchen.
Saturday, August 24, Halifax, Nova Scotia
12:30 pm | Gahan House Nova Centre
2:00 pm | Walk to Wanderers Grounds
3:00 pm | HFX Wanderers vs Atlético Ottawa
Ticket price: $20
Join us for pre-match munchies at Gahan House Nova Centre beginning at 12:30 pm and score some UPEI gear to add to your kit before we march together to the Wanderers Grounds at 2 pm.
Questions about the Wanderers and the Wanderer Grounds? Please visit What to know before you go
General questions about the event or UPEI Alumni? Please get in touch with us by email at alumni@upei.ca or call Stephen at 902-388-6578
