Are you planning a course for Winter 2023 with work-integrated learning components? Or are you interested in discussing what a work-integrated learning project could look like in your upcoming courses? The Experiential Education team is here to help! Email Shannon at smsnow@upei.ca for support with brainstorming, curriculum development, sourcing partners, and programming.

The annual call for applications for the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is open. 

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) is a program under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, which aims to provide flexible and holistic services to help all young Canadians develop skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market.

Applicants are able to seek funding to hire youth (people aged 15-30 years) between April 24, 2023, and September 2, 2023. Work placements must be full-time (30-40 hours per week) quality jobs with a minimum duration of six weeks and a maximum of 16 weeks.

Approved employers will be eligible to receive a wage subsidy reimbursement of up to 50 percent of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage of $14.50/hour.

For additional information and application information for this program, please click here.

To apply for this program, you will need to contact Human Resources:

Wendy Murphy at wmurphy@upei.ca (902) 628-4306, or

Monique Geurts at mgeurts@upei.ca (902) 566-0515.

The closing date for applications is January 9, 2023.

Award-winning educator and coach Dr. Elizabeth Wells, author of the book The Organized Academic, shares key strategies for making your career a more enjoyable, less stressful experience. Get ready for a new year with some tips on organization and productivity – with exercises and discussion around priorities and goals for a new year. This session focuses on “Why Am I Here?” – creating a compelling mission for your teaching, research, and service.

UPEI Panthers Men’s Hockey holiday gift packs are now available for purchase at the Eastlink Centre Box Office. The gift pack offers a great deal to watch one of the country's best hockey teams compete for an AUS title and a national championship.

Packages are $70 plus HST and include five individual tickets for the remaining 2022–23 regular season home games; $25 savings on a 2023 Cavendish Farms University Cup tournament pass; open ticket redemption; and the ability to hold a seat for the playoffs.

Consider purchasing a hockey holiday gift pack for the hockey lover on your list!

The next deadline for submitting biosafety applications including new applications, renewals, and/or amendments is Friday, December 30, 2022. These applications will be reviewed at the January 19, 2022 meeting.

All research compliance applications, including biosafety application forms, must be submitted through the Researcher Portal. Information about the Researcher Portal, including instructions for using the site, is available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms. Contact researchcompliance@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the Researcher Portal.

Please note that the IBC has instituted a new category of protocol amendment: biosafety permit minor amendment. This event form is included in the Researcher Portal. Minor amendments that are strictly limited to changes in personnel and/or funding. Forms can be submitted at any time but require up to a two-week review period. The forms are normally reviewed by the IBC chair or designate and the BSO or designate. If the amendment is approved, then an approval notification will be sent to the PI. Submissions via this route may be sent for full committee review at the discretion of the IBC chair and the BSO.  

For more information about the IBC review and approval process, please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca

Ethics protocols that involve "more than minimal risk" must be reviewed by the full UPEI Research Ethics Board (REB). The next deadline for submitting these protocols is Friday, December 30, 2022, for review at the January 18 meeting.

Other ethics protocol submissions, including new applications that do not involve "more than minimal risk"; renewals; and amendments may be submitted at any time. They will be sent for delegated review as soon as all necessary forms are received.

All research compliance applications, including Research Ethics Board application forms, must be submitted through the Researcher Portal. This online system is paired with electronic approvals to replace the hard-copy signatures process. For more information about the REB review and approval process, please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca.

Information about the Researcher Portal, including instructions for using the site, is available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms. Contact researcherportal@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the Researcher Portal.

As announced by President Keefe in his campus message of December 1, this year marks the return of the Festive Holiday Luncheon for UPEI faculty and staff. It will take place on December 21, from 11 am to 1:30 pm, in the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall. The cost is $15.99 (plus tax). Please RSVP to Marc Doiron by December 13 at marc.doiron@compass-canada.com.

Departments may charge the lunch to their discretionary budgets for their employees ($15.99 plus tax per employee). Alternatively, if departments wish to host a celebration off-campus during the holiday season, they can charge up to an equivalent amount of $15.99 (plus tax per employee) to their discretionary budgets.

The search committee for the Dean of Nursing has arranged the video presentations for candidates Dr. Christina Murray and Dr. Sandra Goldsworthy.

Dr. Murray's presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TWjj2XstokolKeY8jNwjb6xylnxcg16s/view

Dr. Goldsworthy's presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IMnLsjpanlrJQNqvzxJ9HrLmglcVB1_F/view

The committee welcomes your feedback on the candidates. Please send feedback by email to vpar@upei.ca by 4:00 pm on Monday, December 12, 2022.

All feedback remains confidential.

Thinking about health and wellness?  We can help!

The UPEI Department of Athletics and Recreation is offering a Sports Centre membership special, which extends beyond the campus to the greater Island community as well!

Purchase a one-year Sports Centre Fitness membership, including the walking track and squash courts, between December 1 and 23, 2022, and receive one month free....Your membership won't expire until January 31, 2024!

Visit Panther Central Desk at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre to purchase your membership. For more information, please visit recreation.upei.ca

Entries are now being accepted for the Science Exposed 2023 photo competition. Eye-catching images coming from research projects in the natural sciences, engineering, humanities, or health sciences can now be submitted. The individuals or groups that have the most successfully combined creativity and science will be awarded one of many cash prizes. The contest is organized by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and Acfas. The deadline to submit is January 30 at 11:59 pm (ET).
 
The goal of Science Exposed is to help foster a science culture in Canada by capturing vibrant research images that showcase the work of our talented research community. These images will help the Canadian population better understand and see, through the same lens as our scientists and engineers, the work that is being done behind the scenes.

Click here for more information. 

This week we'll have a few extra Tea(ching) Breaks as a quick change of pace as many of us focus on marking final exams, projects, and essays.  

Here's a provocative blog with a different take on artificial intelligence. It's a quick six-minute read: New AI tools that can write student essays require educators to rethink teaching and assessment.

UPEI is the first university in the country to launch "I'm Ready," a project working to eradicate HIV in Canada.

The study is sharing HIV self-testing kits and asking questions from the people who will use them so they can learn how to improve HIV testing and care in Canada.  Participation in "I'm Ready" is anonymous, and you control your own pathway through the program.  You will have access to a self-test and information/support.

If you are interested in this project, you need to download the I'm Ready, Test mobile app.

Once you have downloaded the I’m Ready, Test mobile app, you’ll be asked to  

1. consent to be part of the program, create a profile, and answer a pre-test survey; 

2. choose to have up to three self-test kits delivered to your home or another address, or opt to pick up a single kit at any one of our pickup locations (UPEI Health and Wellness Centre). If you already have a kit, continue to step #3. 

3. Once you have your self-test kit, open your I’m Ready, Test app again. You’ll then follow the steps in the app and use the test kit’s instructions to take the self-test; 

4. When you’re completed the test, you’ll record your result in the app anonymously and continue on in the app to access more information to keep you healthy by treating or preventing HIV. 

We’ll also send you follow-up surveys through the app to ask about where you’re at and whether you’ve accessed care and supports.  

You can pick up test kits from the registered nurse at the Health and Wellness Centre beginning December 12th.  

December 13, 14, 15, and 16, 12:00 to 4:00 pm Atlantic

This is a beginner-level workshop series that is hands-on, covering the fundamentals of Unix command line and basic genomic skills for short-read sequence data. Participants will learn how to do quality assessment, read trimming and filtering, data management, and task automation on the high-performance computing infrastructure resources from the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (formerly Compute Canada). Participants will be encouraged to help one another and to apply what they have learned to their own research problems. The workshop will cover a variant calling pipeline, and participants will learn skills that will be broadly applicable to other genomics tasks.

For details and registration, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-and-mgf-introduction-to-genomics-data-organization-and-analysis-tickets-427305721917 

The UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment department (HSE) is offering Standard and Emergency First Aid/CPR training sessions:

Emergency First Aid/CPR
January 11, 2023
8:30 am–4:00 pm
AH 142

This basic one-day course offers lifesaving first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills. 

Standard First Aid/CPR
January 12 and 13, 2023
8:30 am–4:00 pm
AH 142

This comprehensive two-day course offers first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills for those who need enhanced training as a work requirement (high-risk areas such as labs).

The cost of registration will be covered by HSE for all UPEI faculty and staff, including students who require training for on-campus employment. Students who do not require training for on-campus employment are welcome to attend; however, the cost of registration will not be covered. Please note that lunch will not be provided.

As space is limited, please pre-register by contacting Jacky Buell by the end of the day Wednesday, January 4, 2023, via email (hse@upei.ca) or by phone (902-566-0901).

As announced by President Keefe in his campus message of December 1, this year marks the return of the Festive Holiday Luncheon for UPEI faculty and staff. It will take place on December 21, from 11 am to 1:30 pm, in the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall. The cost is $15.99 (plus tax). Please RSVP to Marc Doiron by December 13 at marc.doiron@compass-canada.com.

Departments may charge the lunch to their discretionary budgets for their employees ($15.99 plus tax per employee). Alternatively, if departments wish to host a celebration off-campus during the holiday season, they can charge up to an equivalent amount of $15.99 (plus tax per employee) to their discretionary budgets.

Dr. Ziad Alostaz, a candidate for a tenure-track faculty position (competition #10A22) with the Faculty of Nursing, will give two public presentations on Thursday, December 15, 2022.

Public Teaching Presentation: Teaching and Scholarship in the Faculty of Nursing on Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 10:30 am in the Atlantic Veterinary College, Room 207N

Public Research Presentation: Building a Program of Research at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Prince Edward Island on Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 2:00 pm in the Health Science Building, Room 104

All are welcome to attend.

The search committee for the Dean of Nursing has arranged the video presentations for candidates Dr. Christina Murray and Dr. Sandra Goldsworthy.

Dr. Murray's presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TWjj2XstokolKeY8jNwjb6xylnxcg16s/view

Dr. Goldsworthy's presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IMnLsjpanlrJQNqvzxJ9HrLmglcVB1_F/view

The committee welcomes your feedback on the candidates. Please send feedback by email to vpar@upei.ca by 4:00 pm on Monday, December 12, 2022.

All feedback remains confidential.

The UPEI Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Women’s Vocal Ensemble, and Music Alumni, under the musical direction of Sung Ha Shin-Bouey and assisted by pianist Leo Marchildon, will present a concert featuring an eclectic mix of choral music and Christmas repertoire.

Included in the program are Handel’s “The King Shall Rejoice”, “Candlelight Carol” by John Rutter, and Gjeilo’s “O Magnum Mysterium” for mixed chorus and cello solo featuring Natalie Williams Calhoun, among many other choral gems. 

The recital takes place at 7:30 pm on Friday, December 9, at Dr. Steel Recital Hall. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students, and will be available for purchase with cash at the door on the night of the event.

Please see the link below for faculty to submit their expression of interest in a faculty-led international experience. 

Your expression of interest application will be reviewed by the selection committee on Monday, December 12, and you will be notified that day of their decision. From there, a formal proposal will be submitted (deadline TBD).

In the past, these experiences have been conducted in May, and we call them Maymesters (see examples in Maymester under Study Abroad Programs). 

Click here to submit your expression of interest in a faculty-led international experience. The deadline is December 9, 2022, for May 2024.

Expression of interest applications are closed for 2023 but are currently open for 2024. 

The excitement for this Saturday's Gold Rush draw continues to grow! With no winners in the last EIGHT draws, the total pot has grown to more than $13,200—the highest it's ever been—with half going to the winner of Saturday night's draw.

Gold Rush is a virtual fundraising initiative that raises funds for UPEI’s athletic programs. 

Play today and every week for a chance to win! Download the UPEI Panthers app from the App Store or on Google Play, or play from your computer. The weekly draw is held at 8 pm every Saturday.