If you would like to virtually attend the opening panel discussion and some of the presentations of the Teaching Community Conference, the morning sessions in Health Sciences Building, Room 104, will be available online. The full schedule for the Teaching Community Conference is available on the TCC website. Please register here for a Teams link. 

If you have any difficulty connecting, please email TLC@upei.ca for tech support. 

As part of the Grad Week celebrations, the Grad Week Committee will be organizing a CAMPUS CLOSET. The Campus Closet aims to allow students the opportunity to shop for free clothing, accessories, and footwear to add to their wardrobe and get work-ready!

The committee is now accepting donations for the Campus Closet. Please feel free to donate gently used clothing, accessories, and footwear for all genders. We will also accept children's clothing for our students with young children. Remember, jobs may be indoors, outdoors, in offices, and in all sectors. 

Donations can be dropped off at Dalton Hall, Room 209, or fifth floor reception, from now until April 30, or you can contact Sandra Griffin, Manager of Accessibility Services at sgriffin3@upei.ca, to arrange for items to be picked up!

Please contact Sandra Griffin at sgriffin3@upei.ca if you need any additional information. 

It is with a mix of gratitude and bittersweet emotion that we announce the retirement of Dana Sanderson, CIO, and Blair Vessey, Associate CIO, from IT Systems and Services.

Both Dana and Blair have been essential pillars of our team, and their outstanding contributions have made a lasting impact on our department and the organization as a whole. Dana and Blair's expertise, leadership, and camaraderie will be deeply missed, but we are excited for them as they embark on this well-deserved new chapter. We wish them all the best in their retirement and hope they find joy, relaxation, and the opportunity to pursue personal passions in the years ahead.

Please join us in celebrating Dana and Blair’s remarkable careers at a special gathering in the AVC Learning Commons on Friday, April 25, at 2:30 pm. 

Ms. Yasmin Koop-Monteiro is a candidate for the Sociology position at UPEI and a PhD candidate (ABD) in Sociology at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on social movements, climate change, environmental sociology, social network analysis, discourse analysis, and animal studies.

She has published in Energy Research & Social Science, Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Environmental Sociology, among others.

The title of Ms. Koop-Monteiro’s talk is: "The Influence of Human & Nonhuman Network Ties on High-Risk/Cost Animal Advocacy."

Friday, April 25, 2025, at 11:00 am, in SDU Main Building, Room 211.

Linux is the terminal interface used to enable you to use the ACENET and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) HPC clusters from your desktop. It's the tool you need to get your data on the clusters, run your programs, and get your data back. In this session, learn how to get started with Linux, how to create and navigate directories for your data, load files, manage your storage, run programs on the computing clusters, and set file permissions. This workshop is designed for those with no prior experience in working with a terminal interface.

This virtual workshop will be held on May 7, from 10:00 to 11:30 am. To register, go to https://www.acenet.training/courses

What is High Performance Computing (HPC) and what can it do for me? How can ACENET help? Used by researchers across many disciplines to tackle analyses too large or complex for a desktop, or to achieve improved efficiency over a desktop, this session takes participants through the preliminary stages of learning about high performance computing (HPC) and computing clusters, and how to get started with this type of computing. It then reviews software packages available for applications, data analysis, software development and compiling code. Finally, participants will be introduced to the concept of parallel computing to achieve much faster results in analysis. This session is designed for those with no prior experience in HPC, and are looking for an introduction and overview.  

This virtual workshop will be held on May 6, from 10:00 to 11:30 am. To register, go to https://www.acenet.training/courses

The UPEI Bookstore will be closed on Tuesday April 29 and Wednesday April 30 for our annual inventory count. To keep up with our hot new items and latest promotions follow us on Facebook and Instagram! 

Donations to the UPEI and AVC Annual Fund Campaigns help enhance student experiences inside and outside the classroom.

In recent years, contributions have been used for important investments in cutting edge technology, for the purchase of laboratory supplies, to refurbish study spaces, and to provide funding for experiential learning opportunities.

The postal strike last fall delayed both campaigns and as the end of fiscal year approaches, both remain slightly lower than previous years. Big thanks go out to all the faculty, staff and retirees who have already donated, your contributions represent a significant portion of funds raised to date. If you haven’t contributed yet, there is still time to help us reach our 2024-25 campaign goals.

Employees of UPEI can support the Annual Fund by giving through payroll deduction. To learn more, please visit: https://www.upei.ca/friends/employee-giving. 

It's not too late to hire a UPEI co-op student this summer. Motivated students from Computer Science, Analytics, Business, and Environmental Studies are looking for work experiences related to their program of study. 

Contact Karen Turner, Job Development Coordinator for UPEI Co-operative Education, at co-op@upei.ca 

Follow the program on LinkedIn to see student spotlights and other program updates. 

If you would like to virtually attend the opening panel discussion and some of the presentations of the Teaching Community Conference, the morning sessions in Health Sciences Building, Room 104, will be available online. The full schedule for the Teaching Community Conference is available on the TCC website. Please register here for a Teams link. 

If you have any difficulty connecting, please email TLC@upei.ca for tech support. 

As part of the Grad Week celebrations, the Grad Week Committee will be organizing a CAMPUS CLOSET. The Campus Closet aims to allow students the opportunity to shop for free clothing, accessories, and footwear to add to their wardrobe and get work-ready!

The committee is now accepting donations for the Campus Closet. Please feel free to donate gently used clothing, accessories, and footwear for all genders. We will also accept children's clothing for our students with young children. Remember, jobs may be indoors, outdoors, in offices, and in all sectors. 

Donations can be dropped off at Dalton Hall, Room 209, or fifth floor reception, from now until April 30, or you can contact Sandra Griffin, Manager of Accessibility Services at sgriffin3@upei.ca, to arrange for items to be picked up!

Please contact Sandra Griffin at sgriffin3@upei.ca if you need any additional information. 

Kevin Ryan, a clinical nursing instructor and graduate student in the UPEI Faculty of Nursing, will present “Nursing Stories and Songs” in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall, Steel Building, UPEI, on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

A tribute to the nursing profession, the show includes personal stories and original songs written and performed by Ryan. It includes themes familiar to nurses such as death, suicidal ideation, horizontal violence, and judgment, as well as reflections on the causes of compassion fatigue and burnout in nurses.

The show is intended for nurses, but anyone is welcome to attend. There is no charge for tickets. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Nurses in attendance will be offered an opportunity to participate in a research study as part of Ryan’s thesis for his Master of Nursing program. This involves completing an anonymous online questionnaire following the event. Participation is voluntary, and audience members do not have to be part of the study to attend the show.

In the case of inclement weather, the two performances will be rescheduled to Thursday, April 24, at 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

To learn more about Ryan, visit his website.

Convocation exercises are being held from May 13 to 16, at 10:00 am each day at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Each ceremony is preceded by a procession of graduates across campus. 

• May 13—Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Nursing
• May 14—McDougall Faculty of Business and Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering 
• May 15—Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Graduate Studies 
• May 16—Faculty of Science 

Faculty members who have regalia and wish to participate in the Academic Procession are asked to line up with the graduates in the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering building concourse 45 minutes before each ceremony.  

For those faculty members who would like to order regalia online through UPEI’s official gown supplier, GradCo, they are encouraged to do so ASAP at https://www.gradco.ca/upei/

The deadline for ordering is Wednesday, April 23, at 11:59 pm.  

Any faculty members who wish to purchase their regalia may contact GradCo at info@gradco.ca for information.  

In order to accommodate UPEI computer classroom and lab software adds, drops, or modifications for the 2025 fall semester, we have set a firm deadline of June 1, 2025.

It is critical that you email requests to smahar@upei.ca by the date above indicating the following.

• New Software Requirements (Licensed or Freeware).  Provide both Software name and Vendor
• Version Upgrades to existing software. Are multiple versions required? If yes, please provide specifics
• Software that can be decommissioned

NOTE:

• Software must be Windows 11 compatible
• Software must be licensed as network installation. Single workstation installations cannot be accommodated

Please begin to obtain and prepare any installation media (CD’s, DVD’s, thumb drives etc.) and related licensing information such as serial numbers. I will contact you after reviewing your email requests to coordinate a time to drop off media if file size permits, upload the installation file(s), zip them, if necessary, to Google drive and share for download.

Please do not drop off any media to the ITSS Help Desk.

The June 1, 2025 deadline is necessary to allow sufficient time to plan and implement the installation of new and upgraded software. This ensures our students will have the software resources they need. Any requests received after the deadline will be applied in the next round of software updates.

Click on the link below for a list of the currently installed software and their versions installed in the student labs and classrooms on campus.

UPEI LAB AND CLASSROOM SOFTWARE

CALLING UPEI EDUCATORS 

The Department of Diversity and Social Justice Studies, the Dean of Arts, and the Teaching and Learning Centre invite you to a half-day workshop on Friday, April 25 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (location TBA): Strengthening Interdisciplinary Culture Through Faculty Collaboration

The workshop invites UPEI instructors from across the university to help pilot a new model for enhancing interdisciplinary culture through collaborative curriculum design. The session is divided into two parts:

9:00–10:30 am | From DIRT to LUST: Lessons from a Decade of Interdisciplinary Innovation
Dr. Renée Valiquette (UPEI) and Dr. Sal Renshaw (Nipissing University) will share insights gleaned from a decade of delivering interdisciplinary concept courses. Their presentation will introduce a suite of strategies for crafting transformative interdisciplinary curricula. 

11:00 am–1:00 pm | Experiment in Co-Design
In the second segment, Renée and Sal will invite participants to help pilot an innovative model—adapted from their interdisciplinary undergraduate work—of collaborative curriculum design aimed at cultivating a deeper interdisciplinary culture among faculty. 

Everyone interested in building interdisciplinary cultures on campus in welcome to join! 

For more information and to register, please contact Renée Valiquette (DSJS) at rvaliquette@upei.ca. 

University of Prince Edward Island is hosting Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) 2025 Atlantic Regional Meeting in Charlottetown June 26 to 27. This event will focus on the future of international education through a series of sessions, roundtables and networking activities.

CBIE’s Atlantic Regional Meeting is an annual gathering of international education practitioners. It is an opportunity to share knowledge and resources and keep abreast of immigration and other changes in the sector. It also serves as an annual networking event for international education practitioners and is a precursor to the national conference held each November.

Registration is now open for the CBIE Atlantic Regional Meeting.

The ninth meeting of the UPEI Senate will take place on Friday, May 2, 2025, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in Room 102 at Alumni Hall (618 University Avenue). To view the 2024-2025 calendar of Senate meetings or documents for the upcoming meeting, click here.

All meetings are open to members of the University community, although certain in-camera items (e.g., granting of degrees) may require the Senate to go into a closed session. Only members of Senate are permitted to address the Senate unless otherwise recognized by the chair. 

For logistical purposes, members of the UPEI community who wish to attend the open session of a UPEI Senate meeting are asked to contact senate@upei.ca one week prior to the meeting. While Senate is an in-person meeting, members of the University community may request a virtual connection when they are unable to attend in person. 

The ACENET Embedded Technical Support program is designed to assist researchers in any discipline at Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institutions to adopt or improve their use of advanced computing techniques and resources in their research.

These tools have the potential to accelerate discovery in almost any discipline. However, the expertise necessary to optimize code, successfully migrate workflows from a desktop to an HPC cluster, build a cloud platform, or simply explore the capabilities and benefits of advanced computing may not be readily available, especially in smaller projects.

This program pairs our technical experts with innovative projects that have high potential for success and impact and require advanced computing resources, programming support, and/or in-depth technical expertise. Some examples of areas we can help are

• code parallelization and performance optimization for HPC systems 
• scientific or data visualization
• data analytics
• workflow migration from the desktop to a cluster
• applying research data management practices
• tailored training

Successful projects under this program are able to access focused and dedicated support from one to two of ACENET’s research consultants for a period of two to four months. During this period, the ACENET staff member will spend up to 50 per cent of their time working on the project.

The current call is open from 14 April until 18 May 2025.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at applications@ace-net.ca.

More information and submission form: https://ace-net.ca/consulting-support.html 

It is with a mix of gratitude and bittersweet emotion that we announce the retirement of Dana Sanderson, CIO, and Blair Vessey, Associate CIO, from IT Systems and Services.

Both Dana and Blair have been essential pillars of our team, and their outstanding contributions have made a lasting impact on our department and the organization as a whole. Dana and Blair's expertise, leadership, and camaraderie will be deeply missed, but we are excited for them as they embark on this well-deserved new chapter. We wish them all the best in their retirement and hope they find joy, relaxation, and the opportunity to pursue personal passions in the years ahead.

Please join us in celebrating Dana and Blair’s remarkable careers at a special gathering in the AVC Learning Commons on Friday, April 25, at 2:30 pm. 

Dr. Daphne Esquivel-Sada, a candidate for the Sociology position at UPEI, is currently a Lecturer in Sociology at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Her research focuses on the sociology of science and technology, biotechnology, and the environmental humanities. She has published in Technology in Society, Healthcare Policy, Journal of Community Genetics, Journal International de Bioéthique, among others. 

The title of Dr. Esquivel-Sada’s talk is: "BioTechdiversity : Conserving Colonialism in the Climate Change Era.” 

Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 11:00 am, SDU Main Building, Room 211.