Campus Notices
The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre salutes faculty, staff, and students for their uptake of flu vaccines and the COVID-19 boosters this year. Over three days, we vaccinated 607 individuals for influenza and 533 COVID-19 boosters were provided for a total of 1,140 vaccines delivered. The team actually ran out of flu vaccines prior to the end of the third clinic.
If you have not had a chance to obtain flu vaccine or COVID-10 boosters, please contact public health nursing in your area or a local pharmacy to obtain them. The Health Centre will not be ordering additional flu/COVID-19 vaccines for 2023.
A big thank you to the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre staff as well as our volunteers who assisted to make the clinics so successful and work so hard to protect the campus community.
Thinking of an idea for a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study? Join us for this introductory and interactive workshop where we will: work through the different stages in a SoTL project, engage in hands-on work designing your SoTL project, and plan the next steps for your SoTL question. Tuesday Nov. 7, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Online and in-person options will be available depending on needs of the group. RSVP by Nov. 3, 2023
Join the multi-faith community on Tuesday, November 7, at 12:05 pm for about 30 minutes at the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre to pray for peace in our troubled world.
A quick reminder to faculty and graduate students of the Show Up & Write sessions hosted in the Teaching and Learning Centre (RL230) every Tuesday and Friday morning from 9:30 to 10:30: grab a friend and bring along any writing project and join us for an hour of focused writing. You don't need to RSVP, just show up and write.
Drop-ins are welcome to join the fall reading group in discussing Reigniting Curiosity and Inquiry in Higher Education: A Realist’s Guide to Getting Started with Inquiry-Based Learning. Get the e-book through the Robertson Library. Reading group meetings will be in the TLC (RL 230) on
- Wednesday, November 8, 10:30 am
- Wednesday, November 22, 10:30 am
The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next presentation of the 2023--2024 Environmental Sciences and Human Biology seminar series on Friday, November 3, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. in Kelley Memorial Building, Room 237.
Dr. Nick Mercer, UPEI Environmental Studies/Island Studies, will present “Assessing energy [in]justice and resistance in diesel-powered Labrador.”
All are welcome.
The IRG and SERG programs support stand-alone projects through the funding of fully developed research proposals.
VALUE: up to $5000 for a one-year term
APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 15, 2023, by 4 pm
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Tenured, tenure-track, term, and sessional UPEI faculty in Arts, Business, Education, IKERAS, Nursing, 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 a co-applicant with a tenure/tenure-track UPEI faculty member.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Program guidelines and application instructions can be found at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/resources-and-tools/internal-funding.
Apply using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal.
ITSS will be upgrading the campus wireless network from 8:00--10:00 am on Saturday, November 4.
During this time, the wireless network across the campus may be unavailable. Normal services should resume after 10:00 am.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
The ITSS Team
Dear UPEI community members,
I want to invite you to the following seminars:
Seminar 1: Presenter: Maja Lykke Brinch; When: Thursday, November 2, 12 pm AT; Format: Online
To attend, please register here
Title: "Source Tracking of Sporadic Infections—Exemplified with Salmonella and Campylobacter"
Bio: Maja Lykke Brinch is a PhD student at the National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark, working with Professor Tine Hald. She is a visiting scholar at the University of Guelph and University of Prince Edward Island. Her PhD focuses on strategies to reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance. She is working with different source attribution methodologies and compartmental models to investigate the transmission of resistance between animals and humans and to assess the impact of prevention strategies, such as vaccines.
Seminar 2: Presenter: Dr. Ian Gardner; When: Monday, November 6 ,10 am; Format: In-person, Room AVC*286C N, AVC*286B N
Title: "Simulation modelling of waterborne spread of pathogens among Atlantic salmon sites in Nova Scotia"
Bio: Ian A. Gardner holds a PhD and master’s degree in preventive veterinary medicine from the Davis School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California. Ian is internationally recognized for developing methods to assess disease risk in terrestrial and aquatic food animals. Ian was the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Aquatic Epidemiology at UPEI. As a Chair, he developed a strong research network in aquatic epidemiology in Canada and worldwide.
Javier Sanchez
Professor Epidemiology
Director CVER
This beginner-level session is the first in our Humanities and Social Sciences data organization and analysis series. To use tools that make computation and analysis more efficient, such as programming languages like R or Python, we need to structure our data the way that computers need the data. In this workshop, you will learn good data entry practices, how to avoid common formatting mistakes, approaches for handling dates in spreadsheets, basic quality control and data manipulation, and exporting data from spreadsheets. We will focus on examples and challenges from the Humanities, Social Sciences, and library research fields and use librarycarpentry.org materials. There are no prerequisites.
Thinking of an idea for a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study? Join us for this introductory and interactive workshop where we will: work through the different stages in a SoTL project, engage in hands-on work designing your SoTL project, and plan the next steps for your SoTL question. Tuesday Nov. 7, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Online and in-person options will be available depending on needs of the group. RSVP by Nov. 3, 2023
Join the multi-faith community on Tuesday, November 7, at 12:05 pm for about 30 minutes at the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre to pray for peace in our troubled world.
Entitled "Songs and Dances", this concert on Thursday, November 2, will feature music spanning five centuries, including music by Renaissance composer Anthony Holborne, Victor Ewald's Brass Quintet No. 1, an arrangement of Gustav Holst's Second Suite in F (originally for wind ensemble), Canadian composer Morley Calvert's Three Dance Impressions, Björk's Overture from "Dancer in the Dark" and more!
The Maritime Brass Quintet brings the highest caliber chamber music to venues across the Maritimes, and is comprised of five of Canada’s finest brass players: Curtis Dietz and Richard Simoneau (trumpet), Gina Patterson (horn), and two UPEI Music Alumni: Dale Sorensen (trombone) and Bob Nicholson (tuba & bass trombone).
Overview: Conflict and dispute are a natural part of life and are often found in the workplace. Conflict itself can be a healthy thing, but it also can be very destructive. How conflict and dispute are resolved can ultimately determine the success or downfall of your work environment.
The Certificate in Conflict Resolution program will provide the practical skills required to turn conflict in the workplace into a positive, instead of allowing it to decay morale and productivity. Areas such as conflict theory, managing different types of people, communication within conflict, having difficult conversations, restorative dialogue, and Indigenous approaches to conflict resolution, will be examined and discussed in detail.
At the end of the Certificate in Conflict Resolution program, participants will have the skills and confidence necessary to resolve conflict, mediate, and bring together opposite parties within the workplace.
Please note that completion of the Foundations of Conflict Resolution is mandatory in order to register for and complete any other courses within this certificate program.
Designed for: Managers, team leaders, supervisors, human resources personnel, union representatives, and anybody who works with other people.
Duration: Six (6) courses for forty-eight (48) hours
Courses:
- Foundations of Conflict Resolution
- History of Conflict with Indigenous People
- Conflict Skills: Applications and Insights
- Communication Skills for Conflict Resolution
- Handling Difficult Conversations
- Restorative Dialogue
Facilitators: Jacinta Gallant, Bethany Knox, Julie Pellissier-Lush.
With the release of the UPEI Review Report, the University has coordinated two confidential processes to support faculty and staff who have experienced harm from harassment, sexual violence, or discrimination at UPEI.
Confidential third-party personal counselling:
The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre has engaged a psychologist to meet individually with faculty and staff, by appointment. Employees may email Caylin Jenkins at cbjenkins@upei.ca, indicating “Appointment required” in the subject line. Caylin will coordinate with the psychologist and confirm the time and location of the appointment with the employee.
Making a confidential disclosure:
People have asked about the process for making disclosures of incidents of harassment or discrimination by senior executive members of the University. The University has established an independent third-party process to address any such issues with Resonance Inc., a multidisciplinary human resources firm, based in Saint John, NB, that specializes in workplace assessments. The contact person at Resonance is Trisha Perry, who may be reached at tperry@resonanceinc.ca or (506)799-0412.
For more information, go to https://www.upei.ca/response-to-independent-review/community-support
The IRG and SERG programs support stand-alone projects through the funding of fully developed research proposals.
VALUE: up to $5000 for a one-year term
APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 15, 2023, by 4 pm
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: Tenured, tenure-track, term, and sessional UPEI faculty in Arts, Business, Education, IKERAS, Nursing, 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 a co-applicant with a tenure/tenure-track UPEI faculty member.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Program guidelines and application instructions can be found at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/resources-and-tools/internal-funding.
Apply using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal.
ITSS will be migrating staff, faculty, and student devices onto our new network. Wired and wireless services in Duffy Science Centre will be intermittently disrupted between 8:00 am and noon.
No action is required from staff, faculty, or students in DSC.
If you experience any issues after this migration window, please reboot your computer. If you are still having connectivity issues after a reboot, please email helpdesk@upei.ca or call the Help Desk at 902-566-0465.
Thank you,
The ITSS Team
This tip applies to Windows users only, which is most of the campus. The less you use the mouse, the better for your body, and the less likely you are to get aches and pains in your wrist and forearms. To use the keyboard to navigate Word’s interface, tap the Alt key once. Word will display boxes with one or two letters next to everything on the interface that you normally access with the mouse. Type the letter or letters to access the feature. More boxes with letters will appear as you drill down to the exact option that you want. It takes a while to get used to, but it's worth it.
Happy Halloween!
October is breast cancer awareness month and the UPEI Health and Wellness wishes to share the following information.
Every year, an estimated 27,900 Canadians are diagnosed with breast cancer and thousands more are living with the disease. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, while tremendous progress has been made, breast cancer is still the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women, with 1 in 8 expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime. This year's theme, “No one should face breast cancer alone,” serves as a reminder for providers to consider the many ways they can partner with patients and families in the prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer.
According to the Siteman Cancer Centre, some ways to prevent breast cancer include:
- Keep Weight in Check.
- Be Physically Active.
- Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables – and Limit Alcohol (Zero is Best)
- Don't Smoke.
- Breastfeed, If Possible.
- Avoid Birth Control Pills, Particularly After Age 35 or If You Smoke.
- Avoid Hormone Therapy for Menopause.
- Tamoxifen and Raloxifene for Women at High Risk.
According to the CDC, some of the symptoms of Breast Cancer include:
- New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
- Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
- Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
- Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
- Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
Women 40+ on PEI can self refer to the PEI Breast Screening Program; also, if you have a first-degree relative with Breast Cancer you can request imaging 10 years earlier than the age of your relative who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
To request an appointment for breast screening, visit Skip the Waiting Room or call 1-888-592-9888 (toll-free). For other questions, call the mammography department at: Queen Elizabeth Hospital: 902-894-2915 or 902-894-2924. Prince County Hospital: 902-438-4570.
Breast imaging is the examination of the breast to demonstrate any changes and abnormalities using mammography and/or ultrasound.
A mammogram is an x-ray test of the breast tissue. It can provide information about lumps, calcifications and other abnormalities that may be present in the breast. It is also available for screening purposes for women without any breast problems.
Breast ultrasound uses sound waves – not radiation – to show breast tissue. A breast ultrasound can show areas of the breast, including the areas closest to the chest wall that are difficult to see in a mammogram. Breast ultrasound is used to check any abnormalities in the breast and provide further information.
The Office of Research is seeking feedback from researchers at UPEI on the draft Institutional Research Data Management Strategy.
Research data management (RDM) refers to the processes applied through the lifecycle of a research project to guide the collection, documentation, storage, sharing and preservation of research data.
As a requirement of the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, all institutions eligible to administer CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC funds must have an institutional RDM strategy and publish it publicly. In addition, the policy also includes guidelines related to data management plans and data deposit. Researchers needing to create a data management plan or deposit their research data can utilize the https://data.upei.ca site. For guidance and support regarding RDM, you can reach out to Kim Mears (kmears@upei.ca).
Stay tuned for upcoming RDM learning opportunities.
–Marva Sweeney-Nixon, Associate Vice-President Research and Dean of Graduate Studies.
