The annual Dr. Frances Gray Performance Competition is a public recital that showcases five of the Department of Music’s outstanding emerging artists selected in a preliminary round: Seth Cudmore-Gallant (trombone), Timothy Luk (piano), James Ronahan (baritone), Emi Smith (soprano), and Nathan Wright (alto saxophone). The top awards include a cash prize. The winners will be chosen by an adjudication panel consisting of distinguished members of PEI's musical community.

For more information on the Department of Music’s upcoming recitals and events, visit upei.ca/music.

The 2025 theme for Data Privacy Week is “Put Privacy First,” highlighting the need for all of us to take steps to safeguard our privacy both online and offline. Data Privacy Week highlights the impact that technology is having on our privacy rights and underlines the importance of valuing and protecting personal information. For individuals, putting privacy first means being empowered to protect your fundamental right to privacy. For organizations, integrating a privacy-first approach ensures privacy compliance within all initiatives and programs, and builds user trust. 

To learn more about how you can put privacy first, reach out to the UPEI Access and Privacy Office at accessprivacy@upei.ca or click the link below for resources from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:

https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the-opc/what-we-do/awareness-campaigns-and-events/data-privacy-week/

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to scramble your way through a presentation you have no control over? It’s more fun than you think, and you can experience it yourself (or just come to watch!) on Tuesday, February 4, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship in 201 Robertson Library! No pre-registration required!

Note: If you would like to participate, please bring a phone or computer that can access wi-fi or cellular data.

In honour of Apukna'jit and Indigenous Story Telling Month, we are hosting a "Sharing Our Stories and Apukna'jit Spirit Ceremony" event with local knowledge keepers, community members, and UPEI staff and students on Wednesday, February 5, from 1:00-3:00 pm in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142. Four local knowledge keepers will share stories in a sharing circle.

Apukna'jit is the spirit of the winter. In some ways, the tradition involves making offerings to Apukna'jit with the hope of a light winter and an early spring. We do so by making tobacco offerings and a plate of food to feed Apukna'jit.

We have 30 seats available;  others may stand outside the circle.

Wela'lin, hope to see you there.

UPEI piano professor Magdalena von Eccher will present a solo piano recital featuring Robert Schumann's colourful Faschingschwank aus Wien, Op 26 (Viennese Carnival) alongside Bach's marvelous Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911, interwoven with other selections including Schoenberg's Op. 19 and Ravel's Sonatine. Magdalena will be joined by pianist Glen Montgomery for Debussy's charming piano duet, Petite Suite.

Happy New Year!

The UPEI Health Research Network is looking for full/part-time undergraduate students for the Connections program, which will start in February 2025. 

Would you like to meet new friends and be involved in an inclusive and non-judgmental environment to learn about food, health, stress, coping, and physical activity? 

The staff at the Health Research Network is offering a free eight-session program to help connect undergraduate students to provide an environment for learning on a variety of topics around health and well-being and connecting to the student community. Snacks will be provided at each session!

Check out our Instagram @upeihrn and our Facebook page "UPEI Health Research Network" for our program posters! 

This free program will include eight weekly (2 hour) group education sessions, including 1 hour with a registered dietitian and health educator followed by 1 hour of exercise sessions with a kinesiologist (plus open gym times) located in the lower level of the Steel Building. These sessions will be student-centered so we welcome any level of knowledge and ability. 

If you are interested in registering and booking the pre-assessment screening requirement before starting the program, please email Anja and Laurie at connections@upei.ca for more information or to register. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Anja and Laurie 

The excitement for this Saturday's Gold Rush draw is growing as big as the pot! With no winners in the last FOUR draws, the total pot has grown to more than $16,300!

Gold Rush is a virtual fundraising initiative that raises funds for UPEI’s athletic and recreation programs. You can now select a specific team, club, or program to direct your proceeds from each of your tickets. 

Play today and every week for a chance to win! Download the UPEI Panther Recreation app from the App Store or on Google Play, or play from your computer. The weekly draw is held at 8:00 pm every Saturday.

The UPEI Office of Research Services will host a Research Breakfast on Thursday, February 6, at 7:30 am in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

Dr. Misty Rossiter will present “Healthy Eating Environments: A Responsive Approach to Feeding Children, and Dr. Senthilkumar Thiruppathi will speak about “Sustainable Automation for the Agri-food and Aquaculture Sector in PEI.”

Please join us at this free event to learn more about UPEI research, and network over a delicious breakfast. Hope to see you there!

Seating is limited. Register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/upei-researcher-breakfast-tickets-1205630646719?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next presentation of the 2024-25 Environmental Sciences & Human Biology seminar series on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. in Duffy Science Centre, Room 204. Dr. Enooyaq Sudlovenick, Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies, will present “Beluga whales, arctic marine mammals, and Inuit knowledge.”

The Department of Religious Studies presents Theology on Tap on February 3, at 7:00 pm, at the Salvador Dali Cafe, The Arts Hotel, 155 Kent Street, Charlottetown.  Professor Peter Koritansky will ask the provocative question, "Does Morality Depend on God?"  We look forward to an engaging talk, excellent discussion, and much fellowship and fun. Please join us! For more information, visit our Facebook page. 

The Lunch and Learn: What are Executive Functions? workshop, scheduled for noon today (January 30), is postponed. The session will be rescheduled for a date in February. 

Dr. Naijin Li, a candidate for a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Biology, will give a presentation titled “Developing and Implementing Inquiry-Based Experiments and Learning Resources for Lab Courses” on Monday, February 3, 2025, at 11:45 a.m. in Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Many first-year students are invited via their UPEI email to participate in the CUSC-CCREU 2025 Survey of First Year Students, along with students from more than 30 other Canadian institutions. Core areas covered by the survey include

• motivation for and transition to post-secondary education
• use of and satisfaction with various facilities and services
• students’ academic profile
• financing education
• assessment of the overall university experience

First-year students are asked to check their UPEI email to see if they have received an invitation to participate. If so, they are asked to complete it as soon as possible. Responses are confidential, and participation is voluntary. To learn more about the survey, visit http://cusc-ccreu.ca. If you have any questions about the project at UPEI, please contact Dr. Yuqin Gong, Manager of Institutional Research, Office of the Vice-President Academic and Research, at ygong@upei.ca.

UPEI piano professor Magdalena von Eccher will present a solo piano recital featuring Robert Schumann's colourful Faschingschwank aus Wien, Op 26 (Viennese Carnival) alongside Bach's marvelous Toccata in C Minor, BWV 911, interwoven with other selections including Schoenberg's Op. 19 and Ravel's Sonatine. Magdalena will be joined by pianist Glen Montgomery for Debussy's charming piano duet, Petite Suite.

Are you committed to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, indigenization, and decolonization (EDIID) at post-secondary institutions and excited to help shape something new? We’re in the early stages of organizing an EDIID conference (name to be determined) at UPEI, dedicated to sharing, learning, discussing, and navigating EDIID in post-secondary spaces. While the date is yet to be determined, forming a planning committee is a key step in bringing this vision to life—and we need your help!

What’s Involved?

Committee members will

• Collaborate to determine the conference theme, sessions, and potential activities.
• Plan a budget and logistics (e.g., space, catering, information package for attendees, organizing volunteers, honourariums).
• Assist with fundraising.
• Develop and maintain conference website.
• Review and evaluate abstract submissions from potential conference applicants, and contact successful applicants.
• Identify and reach out to potential keynote speakers and sponsors.
• Determine accommodation needs of attendees.
• Prepare for a potential launch on a date TBD by the committee

The committee will begin by meeting monthly once we have our committee, with specific roles assigned based on interests and availability. The remaining meeting schedule will be determined by the committee.

Who should apply?

We welcome applications from anyone at UPEI committed to EDI, indigenization, and decolonization and who is excited to contribute.

How to get involved:

To apply, please submit a short expression of interest by February 14 to equity@upei.ca. Let us know:

1. Your name and contact information
2. A little about yourself (e.g., background, interests)
3. Why you’re interested in helping plan this potential conference

Questions? Contact EDI and Human Rights at equity@upei.ca.

Are you looking for talented and motivated students or recent graduates to join your team? If so, don’t miss the chance to register as an employer for the 2025 UPEI Summer Job and Career Fair!

The Summer Job and Career Fair is a great opportunity for UPEI departments to connect with potential employees or interns. You will be able to meet with hundreds of students and alumni from various disciplines and backgrounds and promote your department’s employment opportunities.

The fair will take place on March 12 (storm date: March 13, same time) from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

Space at the fair is limited and restricted to employers hiring for 2025 summer jobs or looking to hire May 2025 graduates or recent grads. Registration is FREE for all UPEI departments, but you need to register by February 21 at 4:00 pm to secure your spot.

To register, please fill out this 👉registration form.

Registration includes a folding table, two chairs, electricity (upon request), and wireless internet.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Community and Industry Outreach Coordinator Jess Cameron at careerfair@upei.ca or (902) 894-2817.

We hope to see you at the fair!

UPEI's Human Resources team has grown and services have expanded. Check out our informational document outlining our services and respective team members! 

This guide can be found by visiting myUPEI>Menu>Administrative Services>Human Resources. The PDF link will be found at the top of the Human Resources page, under our contact information. You can also visit the document by clicking here.

This is a living document, so please check back from time to time to ensure you are referencing the most up-to-date information.

A public forum titled “The Future of Professional Journalism and Public Broadcasting” will take place at the UPEI Performing Arts Centre Amphitheatre (121S) on Wednesday, February 5, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. 

The forum will be led by award-winning journalists Ian Petrie, former national and regional reporter for CBC; Paul MacNeill, publisher of "The Eastern Graphic" and a champion of local news media; Teresa Wright, freelance journalist covering politics and policy; Sally Pitt, journalist and instructor at Holland College; Rick MacLean, journalist and UPEI instructor; and Rafael Barliardo, journalist on culture and politics in Brazil.  

Participants will explore the following topics:

• Why are many professional journalism organizations losing audience, and in some cases, trust?
• What does this decline in audience and trust mean for democracy, and keeping those in power accountable? 
• What do younger generations think about the conventional news media?  
• What can be done to preserve the integrity, expand the reach, and ensure the economic viability of professional journalism into the future?  

This free event is sponsored by the UPEI journalism program, the UPEI Faculty of Arts, and the UPEI Office of the Vice-President Research and Academic. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Please join us on Friday, January 31, at 3:30 pm in FSDE 128B for the next lecture in our Pizza Seminar series. In this seminar, David LeBlanc will give a talk on the potential of machine learning techniques to evolve into models of human intelligence. Pizza and pop will follow the presentation.

The excitement for this Saturday's Gold Rush draw is growing as big as the pot! With no winners in the last FOUR draws, the total pot has grown to more than $16,300!

Gold Rush is a virtual fundraising initiative that raises funds for UPEI’s athletic and recreation programs. You can now select a specific team, club, or program to direct your proceeds from each of your tickets. 

Play today and every week for a chance to win! Download the UPEI Panther Recreation app from the App Store or on Google Play, or play from your computer. The weekly draw is held at 8:00 pm every Saturday.