DYK that assistance in developing a SoTL proposal for this grant program is available through the UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre? 

The Internal SoTL Research Grant (ISRG) program supports research pursuits in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) through the funding of fully developed research proposals. Researchers are encouraged to provide high-quality student training opportunities and to propose collaborations with others from different, but complementary, disciplines.  

VALUE: up to $1,500 for a two-year term. ISRG proposals for lesser amounts will be considered favourably.  

APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 13, 2022, by 4 pm

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Program guidelines and application instructions can be found at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/resources-and-tools/internal-funding.

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.  

Today is the last day to sign up as a mentor for the Study & Stay PEI Program! 

If you're a working professional and passionate about sharing your valuable knowledge, skills, and experience with international students in PEI, you can now sign up as a mentor here: https://forms.gle/t8kAwSJ1esQEGHZP7. 

As a mentor, you will be helping our international students apply what they’ve learned, build more connections, and gain a deeper understanding of PEI’s workplace culture. Please contact us at studyandstaypei@upei.ca if you have any questions. Thank you. 

Cette recherche, menée par Dre Rachelle Gauthier de la Faculté d'Éducation (ragauthier@upei.ca), vise à mieux comprendre la diversité qui existe dans nos connexions à la francophonie insulaire. Si vous avez 18 ans ou plus et que vous ressentez une connexion quelconque envers la francophonie de cette province, vous êtes invités à participer à la phase 1 de ce projet, qui est un bref sondage (neuf questions). Le lien envers la lettre de consentement est ici: http://surl.li/dnupp

(Materials available in English upon request, to ragauthier@upei.ca)

Merci beaucoup de votre participation! 

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.

PhD Thesis Defence

Presenter: Paula Tummon Flynn

Title of the Thesis: "The Fate of a Unique Strain of Irish Moss: Exploring the Role of Direct and Indirect Interactions with Crustaceans in a Marine Protected Area"

Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 9:30 am

Location: AVC 286C-N

Everyone is welcome!

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.

The Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering is pleased to announce an upcoming Master of Science in Sustainable Design Engineering (MSc-SDE) thesis defense on Friday, December 9, 2022, at 9:00 am.  Dr. Amy Hsiao and Dr. Grant McSorley's student, Lucas Gallant, will defend his thesis titled "Process parameter experimentation to optimize the surface roughness of 316L stainless steel complex geometries in direct metal laser sintering."

ABSTRACT:

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is an established technology in metal additive manufacturing (AM), where metal AM is rapidly rising in industrial use, research and development, and academic research. Continued research is needed to better understand the process and print properties to control and improve build parameters and as-built part quality. Characteristic defects in as-built parts of porosity, residual stress, and surface roughness (SR), namely for overhang geometries with downward-facing surfaces, can lead to part failures and reduced mechanical or related performance. Improving as-built roughness through informed process parameter selection and optimization, without compromising density, can reduce post-processing time and support material while improving part quality and performance. This thesis presents the experimental development of process parameters for the holistic minimization of as-built SR of 316L stainless steel DMLS prints and subsequent verification through application to a developed complex design. An initial benchmarking study of DMLS printers using a novel test artifact is included, followed by SR-focused experiments of N2 and Ar shielding gas, two powder sizes, and optimization of main laser exposure parameters using design of experiments tools. Characterization includes profilometry, 3D scanning, mechanical property measurement, optical microscopy, and residual stress deflection. The resulting optimized down-facing surface (‘downskin’) arithmetical average height roughness (Ra) was measured and found to be reduced by 28%. An upward-facing surface (‘upskin’) Ra below 5 µm is achieved for limited surfaces. The DMLS print parameters were used to improve the downskin roughness and pressure drop characteristics of a novel graded cell-size gyroid heat exchanger design.

The presentation and examination will be held in person in FSDE 223 with limited space but will also be available via Zoom. To receive the Zoom link to view the presentation, please contact Lisa Sanderson at lmsanderson@upei.ca

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.

Mentor applications for the Study & Stay PEI program are closing soon!

If you are a working professional and passionate about sharing your knowledge, skills and experience with international students in Prince Edward Island, this volunteer opportunity is for you! You can now sign up here: https://forms.gle/t8kAwSJ1esQEGHZP7. 

If you enjoy spending time with international students while helping them better understand PEI workplace culture, we would be lucky to have you sign up as a mentor today! Please contact us at studyandstaypei@upei.ca if you have any questions. Thank you! 

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, January 6, for the January meeting.

Please note that as of June 1, 2020, all animal user protocols must be submitted through UPEI Researcher Portal at https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/

For new protocols, select "applications," and for renewal or amendment protocols, select "events."

To view any UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice, they can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx. 

Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month. The committee requires at least one month for processing applications.

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 

December is HIV Awareness Month

The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre offers support and resources to community members who are at risk of or are living with HIV.

Some groups of people are affected by HIV more than others, but it can be passed on to anyone. But remember, HIV can't be passed on through casual contact like touching, kissing, or sharing cutlery or drinking glasses.

There is no cure for HIV, but there is excellent treatment. If you are diagnosed in good time and take your medication, you can have as long and healthy a life as everyone else.

Ways to prevent HIV

• Get tested regularly if you are sexually active.
• Take PrEP or PEP (tablets that prevent HIV) either before or just after you’ve been exposed to it.
• Use condoms.
• Never share needles.
• Take your medication if you are living with HIV.

Know your status!  

Book an appointment at the UPEI Health & Wellness Centre for confidential testing.

Seek professional assistance! ​

We can connect you with counselling support and medical professionals if you are HIV positive. Effective treatment for HIV suppresses the virus to such low levels that it can’t harm you and you can’t pass it on. 

U=U (undetectable = untransmissable).

Live positively! 

With the advent of HIV treatments, many people living with HIV are living longer and succeeding in life, with the same dreams, desires, and aspirations as anyone. Here are some tips to live positively:

• Stay active and exercise.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Eat a balanced diet.
• Avoid drugs and alcohol.
• Find a support system using resources like 
  • PeersAlliance.ca, which supports those living with and at risk for HIV, Hep C, and all sexually transmitted infections in PEI
  • PositiveLove.ca, the online dating app that connects people living with HIV 

For more information, contact the RN (registered nurse) at the UPEI Health & Wellness Centre at healthcentre@upei.ca, or call 902-566-0616.

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.

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

The Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering is pleased to announce an upcoming Master of Science in Sustainable Design Engineering (MSc-SDE) thesis defense on Friday, December 9, 2022, at 9:00 am.  Dr. Amy Hsiao and Dr. Grant McSorley's student, Lucas Gallant, will defend his thesis titled "Process parameter experimentation to optimize the surface roughness of 316L stainless steel complex geometries in direct metal laser sintering."

ABSTRACT:

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is an established technology in metal additive manufacturing (AM), where metal AM is rapidly rising in industrial use, research and development, and academic research. Continued research is needed to better understand the process and print properties to control and improve build parameters and as-built part quality. Characteristic defects in as-built parts of porosity, residual stress, and surface roughness (SR), namely for overhang geometries with downward-facing surfaces, can lead to part failures and reduced mechanical or related performance. Improving as-built roughness through informed process parameter selection and optimization, without compromising density, can reduce post-processing time and support material while improving part quality and performance. This thesis presents the experimental development of process parameters for the holistic minimization of as-built SR of 316L stainless steel DMLS prints and subsequent verification through application to a developed complex design. An initial benchmarking study of DMLS printers using a novel test artifact is included, followed by SR-focused experiments of N2 and Ar shielding gas, two powder sizes, and optimization of main laser exposure parameters using design of experiments tools. Characterization includes profilometry, 3D scanning, mechanical property measurement, optical microscopy, and residual stress deflection. The resulting optimized down-facing surface (‘downskin’) arithmetical average height roughness (Ra) was measured and found to be reduced by 28%. An upward-facing surface (‘upskin’) Ra below 5 µm is achieved for limited surfaces. The DMLS print parameters were used to improve the downskin roughness and pressure drop characteristics of a novel graded cell-size gyroid heat exchanger design.

The presentation and examination will be held in person in FSDE 223 with limited space but will also be available via Zoom. To receive the Zoom link to view the presentation, please contact Lisa Sanderson at lmsanderson@upei.ca

The Meditation and Yoga class on Thursdays for UPEI faculty and staff only will finish on Thursday, December 8. This class will be a Yoga Nidra class. Participants encouraged to take a blanket, pillow, and/or wear warm clothing.

The Meditation and Yoga class will begin again on Thursday, January 12, 2023.    

To register for this class, please log in weekly to recreation.upei.ca and sign up for the class and/or to cancel if you can't make it. Registration opens six days before the start of the class.