The University of Prince Edward Island will host an information session for students interested in pursuing a career in medicine or learning more about the new Faculty of Medicine and joint Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at UPEI in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland. The session will take place on Thursday, May 4, 2023, from 6:00–7:00 pm in the Kelley Memorial Building, Room 211. 

There will be a general presentation and overview of the new Faculty of Medicine, followed by a Q&A session with UPEI representatives including Dr. Greg Naterer, Vice-President Academic and Research; Dr. Cathy Vardy, Executive Director, Medical Program Development; Jeff MacLean, Manager of Admissions; and Paul Young, Chief Operating Officer, UPEI Faculty of Medicine.

Pre-registration is not required for this session.

Presenter: Toyin Adekanmbi

Thesis title: "Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change on the Potato Yield of Prince Edward Island"

Abstract: Potatoes are a significant staple crop contributing to food security and the economy of Prince Edward Island (PEI). Due to the recent state of potato production in PEI, it has become crucial for farmers and decision-makers to understand how climate change will affect potato cultivation activities to strategize adaptation measures. A crop simulation model was used to assess potential potato yields under the CMIP6 scenarios generated from seven GCMs, using one historical period as the baseline with three future periods. The combined effect of changing temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration was considered. The results showed a potential decline in potato yields of PEI under the current farming practices. Specifically, potato yields will decline by 6% to 80% between the 2050s and the 2090s, which will be significant under high-emission scenarios. The study can serve as a scientific basis for developing adaptation strategies for sustainable potato cultivation in PEI. 

Friday, April 28, 2023, 9:30 am via web conference

If you wish to attend the public presentation, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator at gsc@upei.ca to receive the link.

Everyone is welcome. 

The final presentations in Environmental Sciences & Human Biology seminar series for A/Y 2022-23 will take place on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. in the Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Drew McLean, MSc candidate, Human Biology, will present “Investigating the Effects Diabetes has on Schwann cells.”

Tyler Power, MSc candidate, Environmental Sciences, will present “The influence of oyster leases and eelgrass on nearby communities in two Prince Edward Island bays.”

All are welcome.

On Thursday, April 27, Dr. Philip J. Ivanhoe, chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Georgetown University, Washington DC, will give a lecture titled “Oneness, Virtue, and Happiness: Confucian, Comparative, and Contemporary Perspectives.” The lecture will take place in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, starting at 2:15 pm. 

Dr. Ivanhoe specializes in the history of East Asian philosophy and religion and its potential for contemporary ethics. He has held numerous endowed chair positions, including Distinguished Chair Professor of Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University; Chair Professor of East Asian and Comparative Philosophy and Religion, City University of Hong Kong; John Findlay Visiting Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Boston University; and Austin J. Fagothey, S. J. Distinguished Visiting Chair, Santa Clara University. He has published over 30 books and more than 100 articles in Confucian studies and comparative ethics.

The lecture is part of the 2023 Korean Studies International Speaker Series presented by the UPEI Faculty of Arts and Asian Studies Program. The series is supported by the international Seed Program for Korean Studies and Laboratory Program for Korean Studies grants through the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service, the Academy of Korean Studies.

Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Dr. Edward Chung, director of Asian studies and professor of religious studies, at chung@upei.ca or 902-566-0324.
 

The University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering (FSDE) will showcase the best in sustainable design engineering by its students at the annual Student Design Expo on Friday, April 28, starting at 1 pm. Projects can be viewed through the afternoon until 3:30 pm.

Student projects will be presented in person. Each project is the result of collaboration between FSDE students and an industry or community partner. Students were tasked with designing and creating solutions to their partners’ unique challenges. We look forward to seeing everyone in person again.

The deadline for a few select Entrance scholarships is May 1, 2023. Click the application link below or visit the webpage to access the application forms for more information. Members of the campus community are encouraged to share this information with any eligible incoming students.

• E. Marion and Donald N. MacKenzie Entrance Scholarship in Nursing
• Friends of UPEI Calgary - Bill & Denise Andrew Scholarship in Nursing
• Friends of UPEI Calgary - Lou MacEachern Scholarship in Business
• Friends of UPEI Calgary Scholarships
• From VK to C in 50 Scholarship

Applications and any supporting documents should be sent electronically to scholarships@upei.ca or in-person to the Scholarships and Awards Office at 202 Dalton Hall.

Presenter: Toyin Adekanmbi

Thesis title: "Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change on the Potato Yield of Prince Edward Island"

Abstract: Potatoes are a significant staple crop contributing to food security and the economy of Prince Edward Island (PEI). Due to the recent state of potato production in PEI, it has become crucial for farmers and decision-makers to understand how climate change will affect potato cultivation activities to strategize adaptation measures. A crop simulation model was used to assess potential potato yields under the CMIP6 scenarios generated from seven GCMs, using one historical period as the baseline with three future periods. The combined effect of changing temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO2 concentration was considered. The results showed a potential decline in potato yields of PEI under the current farming practices. Specifically, potato yields will decline by 6% to 80% between the 2050s and the 2090s, which will be significant under high-emission scenarios. The study can serve as a scientific basis for developing adaptation strategies for sustainable potato cultivation in PEI. 

Friday, April 28, 2023, 9:30 am via web conference

If you wish to attend the public presentation, please contact the Graduate Studies Coordinator at gsc@upei.ca to receive the link.

Everyone is welcome. 

The final presentations in Environmental Sciences & Human Biology seminar series for A/Y 2022-23 will take place on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. in the Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Drew McLean, MSc candidate, Human Biology, will present “Investigating the Effects Diabetes has on Schwann cells.”

Tyler Power, MSc candidate, Environmental Sciences, will present “The influence of oyster leases and eelgrass on nearby communities in two Prince Edward Island bays.”

All are welcome.

Research Ethics Board (REB) applications involving "more than minimal risk" must be reviewed by the full UPEI REB. The next deadline for submitting these protocols is Friday, April 28, 2023, for review at the May 17 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 materials are received.

All research compliance applications, including for REB, must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal (https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/). Instructions for using the site are available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca for more information about the Researcher Portal, or the REB application, review, and approval process.

The next deadline for submitting biosafety applications, including new applications, renewals, and/or amendments, is Friday, April 28, 2023. These applications will be reviewed at the May 18 meeting.

All research compliance applications, including biosafety application forms, must be submitted through the UPEI  Researcher Portal. Information about the Researcher Portal, including instructions for using the site, is available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms.

Please contact the Research Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the Researcher Portal, or about the biosafety application, review, and approval process.

Please join us on a round-the-world thesis defence by MAIS student Fiona Steele. Entitled "When stories lead to sustainable tourism – the role podcasting plays in the development of sustainable tourism on islands,” the thesis is co-supervised by Drs. Susan Graham (Business) and Laurie Brinklow (Island Studies), with UPEI Adjunct Graduate Faculty member Dr. Andrew Jennings (University of the Highlands and Islands) serving on the committee. Dr. Valia Papoutsaki from New Zealand will serve as External Examiner, and Dr. Jean Mitchell (Sociology/Anthropology) will chair. To receive the Zoom link, please contact Dr. Brinklow at brinklow@upei.ca. Everyone is welcome! 

Every year in Canada, since 1997, we have celebrated National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week. The purpose of this week is to increase awareness of the need for individuals to think about and take action to become organ and tissue donors. The last week of April was specifically chosen to commemorate the death of Stuart Herriott, a toddler killed in a motor vehicle incident in the riding of Pickering-Scarborough East in 1994. The child's parents donated his organs and, in turn, helped to save and improve the lives of four others.

Bill C-202, enacting National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week in Canada was passed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology on Feb. 4, 1997. The bill was brought forward by former Liberal Member of Parliament Dan McTeague who says the intent of the bill was to encourage education and awareness about donation and allow Parliament to take a leadership role in addressing the scarcity of organs and thinking about those who die every year waiting for a transplant.

According to Canadian Blood Services, approximately 4,400 Canadians are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant and many more are waiting for tissue transplants. The sad reality is that on average, 250 Canadians die each year waiting. Public opinion data indicates that 90 per cent of Canadians approve of organ and tissue donation yet only 32 per cent have actually put their names on an organ donation registry.

Organ and Tissue Donation by the numbers:

• 90: Percentage of Canadians who polls show support organ and tissue donation. 
• 32: Percentage who have actually registered their decision to be a donor.
• 8: Number of lives that can be saved by one donor.
• 75: Number of patients who could receive tissue from one donor.
• 4400: Number of Canadians awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant.
• 250: Average number of Canadians who die each year waiting.
• 6: Number of times more likely you are to need a transplant than become an organ donor.
• 90+: Age of Canada’s oldest organ donor. 
• 2: Number of minutes it takes to register your decision to be an organ donor online

For more information, visit https://www.blood.ca/en/about-us/media/organ-and-tissue-donation/backgrounder-national-organ-and-tissue-donation-awareness-week.

The Government of Prince Edward Island invites students aged 14 to 24 to undertake anti-racism work on PEI. Students can apply for funding ranging from $100 to $1,500 for projects that must align with one or more of the following goals: strengthening organizational capacity with activities focused on anti-racism; public outreach, engagement, and advocacy; and strengthening BIPOC communities. Project proposals will be accepted until May 1, 2023. For more information, visit princeedwardisland.ca/antiracismmicrogrants

On Tuesday, May 2, Dr. Jin Y. Park, professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at American University, Washington DC, will give a lecture titled “Women in Contemporary Buddhism: Reflections on Korean Zen Master Kim Iryŏp.” The lecture will take place in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, starting at 2:15 pm.

Dr. Park is the founding director of the Asian Studies Program at American University. She is the author, editor, or translator of 10 books and has published more than 60 articles in Buddhist studies and comparative religion. She is currently president-elect of the American Academy of Religion, the largest and most prestigious scholarly organization in religious studies. She is the first East Asian scholar to hold this position. She concurrently serves as president of the North American Korean Philosophy Association and has also been president of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. She also held a visiting scholar’s position in Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong, Germany, and Japan, and has delivered more than 200 talks around the world.

The 2023 Korean Studies International Speaker Series is supported by the global Seed Program for Korean Studies and Laboratory Program for Korean Studies grants through the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea, and the Korean Studies Promotion Service, Academy of Korean Studies.

Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Dr. Edward Chung, director of Asian studies and professor of religious studies, at chung@upei.ca or 902-566-0324.

On Thursday, April 27, Dr. Philip J. Ivanhoe, chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Georgetown University, Washington DC, will give a lecture titled “Oneness, Virtue, and Happiness: Confucian, Comparative, and Contemporary Perspectives.” The lecture will take place in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, starting at 2:15 pm. 

Dr. Ivanhoe specializes in the history of East Asian philosophy and religion and its potential for contemporary ethics. He has held numerous endowed chair positions, including Distinguished Chair Professor of Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University; Chair Professor of East Asian and Comparative Philosophy and Religion, City University of Hong Kong; John Findlay Visiting Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Boston University; and Austin J. Fagothey, S. J. Distinguished Visiting Chair, Santa Clara University. He has published over 30 books and more than 100 articles in Confucian studies and comparative ethics.

The lecture is part of the 2023 Korean Studies International Speaker Series presented by the UPEI Faculty of Arts and Asian Studies Program. The series is supported by the international Seed Program for Korean Studies and Laboratory Program for Korean Studies grants through the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service, the Academy of Korean Studies.

Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Dr. Edward Chung, director of Asian studies and professor of religious studies, at chung@upei.ca or 902-566-0324.
 

The OER Development Program, administered through the Teaching and Learning Centre and the Robertson Library, is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include:

• Open Textbook Grant: Two grants of up to $6000
  • the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook; 
• Open Textbook Adaptation Grant: up to $4,000
  • the adaptation of one or more open textbooks to create a new version or edition of an open textbook (i.e., a Canadian edition of an existing open textbook);
• Supplementary Resources Grant: up to $2,000
  • the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including, but not limited to test banks, slide decks, or interactive media, etc.

The deadline for applications is Friday, May 19, 2023, with work expected to begin during the spring or summer of 2023. 

More information is available at https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants.

Questions about your grant idea? Contact TLC@upei.ca. 

Questions about OERs? Read more at http://opencontent.org/definition/.

The UPEI Bookstore will be closed for its annual inventory count on Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28. Any online orders submitted during this time will be processed on Monday, May 1. The final day for internal charges is Wednesday, April 26. 

The UPEI Annual Fund is an integral part of our fundraising needs every year, allowing us to provide students with an excellent postsecondary education through investments in technology, educational equipment, renewed study spaces, experiential learning opportunities like conferences around the world, and so much more. Thanks to the generous support of donors, students receive the resources that they need to reach their full potential. The 2022/23 Annual Fund is coming to a close, but there is still time to give!

Ways to Give

• Online by visiting upei.ca/donate
• Mail: UPEI Annual Fund, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3
• Telephone: (902) 894-2888 or toll free at 1-866-453-4119
• In person: Alumni Hall, 618 University Avenue, Charlottetown
• Gifts of Marketable Securities: Process description and form

I begin with gratitude. The UPEI Campus Food Bank continues to respond in our small way to student need. We do so through the generosity of many who donate time and finances. In the first months of 2023, we welcomed over 1400 student visits. Thank you!

We will continue in May and June to be open on Wednesdays from 2:00 to 6:00 pm, and we count on your support. Please click this link to sign up for one hour (or more) of service. Occasionally, we need to contact a volunteer so we ask that you include a phone number or email address with your name. 

Sister Sue

Colleagues from UPEI registering for the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) Conference in Charlottetown from June 13 to 16 can receive a discounted rate by emailing TLC@upei.ca for the discount code.

If you have a student attending the STLHE conference, please make sure they are aware of the STLHE Conference Student Bursaries. The deadline for student bursaries is April 28.