Campus Notices
The IRG and SERG programs support stand-alone projects through the funding of fully developed research proposals.
VALUE: up to $7,000 for a one-year term
APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 16, 2024, 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 co-applicants but cannot be the principal investigator. A professor emeritus or adjunct professor may apply as co-applicant with a tenure/tenure-track UPEI faculty member.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Program guidelines and application instructions can be found here. Apply using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal.
Information regarding 2024 recipients can be found here.
Presenter: Leah Gauthier
Title: “Soil Microorganisms As Biopesticides: From Soil To Organism To Natural Product”
Abstract: This thesis defense will present research on advances in all critical stages of biopesticide candidate discovery including microorganism isolation, bioactivity screening, and the structural elucidation of microbial natural products with biopesticidal properties. Using a modified ichip, novel bacterial species were isolated from an agricultural Fusarium head blight (FHB) nursery, exhibiting antagonism against Fusarium spp. and other fungal pathogens. This supports the hypothesis that the FHB nursery harbors beneficial microorganisms adapted to fight Fusarium. A thin layer chromatography direct bioautography assay was optimized to screen for NPs active against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot in canola. Antifungal NP leads were identified, showcasing the assay’s utility in detecting known and novel NPs. Subsequent structure elucidation of lead compounds by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and chemical derivatization revealed novel cyclic lipopeptides, boyetchkins A-C, from a new Pseudomonas species. Collectively, this work provides a framework for isolating and characterizing biopesticide candidates with commercial potential.
Date/Time /Location: Friday, October 18, 2024, 9:00 am, AVC 286A
Everyone is welcome.
UPEI Strategic Plan Development: Upcoming Staff and Faculty Consultations
UPEI staff and faculty members are invited to join Dr. Wendy Rodgers (President and Vice-Chancellor) and Dr. Suzanne Kresta (Dean, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering), co-chairs of the University Strategic Plan Steering Committee, to discuss UPEI’s direction over the next five years.
Two upcoming consultation sessions are planned for UPEI employee groups.
Participants can attend the sessions in person or online:
UPEI Staff Members
Tuesday, October 15
3:00 to 4:00 pm
Room 104, K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre, UPEI
UPEI Faculty Members
Thursday, October 17
1:00 to 2:00 pm
Room 104, K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre, UPEI
Input by email is always welcome! strategicplan@upei.ca
Upcoming consultation sessions for undergraduate and graduate students are currently being planned in collaboration with UPEI Student Union and the UPEI Graduate Student Association.
The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre is offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments throughout November for all students, faculty, and staff.
The updated COVID-19 vaccine is designed to target current variants more effectively, boosting your immunity and reducing the risk of severe symptoms. Protect yourself and those around you by scheduling your appointment today.
To book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, email healthcentre@upei.ca with “COVID” in the subject line. Also, members of the campus community attending the flu vaccine clinics on October 23, 24, or 30 may book their COVID-19 vaccine appointment at that time.
Important details:
- It is recommended that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine are scheduled 3-6 months after your last dose or 3-6 months after COVID-19 illness (whichever is later).
- Vaccines are provided at no cost.
- Please note that we cannot administer COVID-19 vaccines to children under 12 years of age.
- Bring a valid provincial health card or your student ID for registration.
- A 15-minute observation period is required after your vaccination to monitor for any adverse reactions. Please plan your visit accordingly.
Protect yourself and help to reduce the spread in your community. Get vaccinated this November!
The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre will offer flu vaccine clinics in October to all students as well as faculty, staff, and their families.
Flu clinic schedule:
- Wednesday, October 23, 10:00 am-3:00 pm, McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre
- Thursday, October 24, 1:00–7:00 pm, McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre
- Wednesday, October 30, 12:00 noon–7:00 pm, The McCain Foundation Learning Commons Atrium, Atlantic Vet College
Important details:
- Vaccines are administered on a first-come, first-served basis—no appointment is necessary.
- This service is free of charge.
- We are unable to administer vaccines to children aged 2 and under.
- Please bring a valid provincial health card or student ID for registration.
- You are required to wait 15 minutes in the post-vaccine waiting area after receiving your flu shot to ensure no allergic reaction. Please plan your time accordingly.
COVID-19 vaccines will be available in November. Members of the campus community who attend one of the flu vaccine clinics can book an appointment for their COVID-19 vaccine at that time, or they can email the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre at healthcentre@upei.ca to make an appointment. If you are booking an appointment by email, please put COVID in the subject line.
Stay healthy this flu season - come get vaccinated!
Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Island Lecture Series on October 22 will celebrate the launch of "Finding Home at the Harbour" by Barbara Palmer Rousseau. Weaving natural history with her own story and illustrations, Rousseau highlights the resilience of the Island and its inhabitants to ongoing environmental change in this collection of illustrated essays published by Island Studies Press. The lecture and launch will be held from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building Room 201, University of Prince Edward Island.
A frequent summer visitor to PEI, Rousseau experienced its true beauty when she moved here from Ontario. At her cottage in St. Peters Harbour on the northeast shore, she learned the seasonal rhythms of spring peepers and barefoot beach walks, fall hurricanes, and winter freeze-up. Her creativity returned as she began to sketch her fox family neighbours, the nearby dunes, and the sand-locked lighthouse. Her essays reflect on the fluid nature of the shore and tell a story of adaptation and hope.
Rousseau moved to PEI in 2020 to return to school after a 30-year career in Ottawa’s software development industry. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) at UPEI, studying the environmental history of the north shore dunes and the resulting implications for the future of the Island.
The event is free, and all are welcome. Books will be available for purchase. For more information, contact Bren Simmers at Island Studies Press, 902-566-0386 or ispstaff@upei.ca.
Join us in sharing songs from around the world weekly on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building.
Relax, have fun, and sing! No experience is necessary
Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Come one, come all!
Find out about phishing!
It's Technology Tip Tuesday, and this October--Cybersecurity Awareness Month--we at ITSS want to remind you not to fall for tricks on the web.
Phishing is a cyber criminal's attempt to get sensitive information by pretending to be the legitimate sender. These criminals usually impersonate organizations that seem legitimate at first glance. They may ask for important and personal information while pretending to be banks, phone providers, online stores, streaming services, government organizations, and more. They might even impersonate the people you know!
Creepy, right?
The key to avoiding phishing is to carefully review the details and content they send you before opening any links or documents, and before sharing your personal information. In this week’s cybersecurity awareness training course, we cover the topic of phishing and how to avoid falling for traps set up by online attackers.
We encourage UPEI staff and faculty to visit the Terranova Cybersecurity Awareness Training Portal to complete the course and increase your online security! Log in securely to Terranova with our UPEI SSO.
All campus community members are also encouraged to explore the “Become CyberSafe” section of the ITSS website at https://go.upei.ca/ithelp for more information about cybersecurity.
For more content like this, tune into Technology Tip Tuesday via the campus notices and the ITSS site to learn some scary good tricks this season!
The Association of Atlantic Universities is pleased to partner with Acadia University to host the 2024 Annual AAU Teaching Showcase in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mik’maq people and part of the beautiful Annapolis Valley in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. The 2024 AAU Teaching Showcase will take place in person on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at Acadia University.
To view the schedule, go to https://www.canva.com/design/DAGPzLlrB0Q/3RPyUb_NIOvbXmHrzxgmkw/view
Keynote workshop: We are excited to announce this year’s AAU Teaching Showcase Keynote Workshop! Titled "Ay, Ay, AI!: Innovate or Die?", this interactive keynote workshop by Dr. Jodi L. Porter and Rev. John Campbell of Acadia Divinity College offers time and space for participants to consider the future of higher education given advances in artificial intelligence.
Registration is now open! For details, go to Acadia University - 2024 AAU Teaching Showcase.
Join Megan Glover and Lisa Steele on October 16 at 12:00 pm in the TLC to learn about Moodle activities for use in active syllabi and anonymous surveys.
The Generative AI Taskforce (GAIT) will host two workshops for faculty interested in learning about GenAI. This second workshop will be tailored to the GenAI curious. Attendees will explore one or two GenAI apps and consider how GenAI might be used for course design, learning activity development, or the creation of a rubric. This workshop will be on Wednesday, October 16, at 1:30 pm in the TLC. Colleagues are encouraged to bring a device to this workshop.
The SSHRC Exchange Publication Awards support the publication of manuscripts—written or edited by UPEI faculty—by Island Studies Press (ISP). These awards are being funded by a SSHRC Institutional Grant, therefore, the subject matter of the publication must be compatible with SSHRC’s mandate (see http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_FEE7261A.html for more information). One (1) award is available for 2024.
The award of $7,000 will be disbursed to Island Studies Press to cover publication costs (including editing, photo and other permissions, design, printing, marketing, and other costs associated with publishing a book). Authors will be offered ISP’s standard publication contract, which ensures authorial copyright and includes a royalty structure. Authors will also see their manuscripts reviewed through a peer-review process where appropriate.
ELIGIBILITY:
- Eligible applicants must be Tenured, Tenure Track, Term or Sessional UPEI Faculty, who are employed by UPEI at the time of application.
- Manuscripts may be single- or multi-authored results of academic research projects; textbooks; edited proceedings of a conference; or works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, or drama that pertain to the author(s)' discipline.
- The subject matter of the manuscript must meet SSHRC’s mandate.
- Past recipients of the SSHRC Exchange Publication Award or UPEI Internal Publication Award cannot apply for support for the previously funded manuscript.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 1, 2024
Submit documents electronically to UPEI Research Services at researchservices@upei.ca
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Applicants are to submit a package that includes:
- Book proposal/summary (maximum of one page)
- A completed or close-to-complete manuscript and a Table of Contents. Note: the manuscript must be complete no later than three months after winning the award
- A curriculum vitae that includes your credentials as author(s)/editor(s)
- Two letters of support (e.g., from your Department Chair, Dean, professional association)
Selection Committee: A selection committee comprised of the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Institute of Island Studies, plus two members of the ISP Publishing Committee, will assess the proposals and make a recommendation to the Associate Vice-President Research. The Managing Editor of the ISP will be a member of the Committee in a non-voting capacity. To assist in making its recommendations, the selection committee will use a single-blind peer review of the submitted manuscript. Final decisions on publication remain with the Island Studies Press and the Institute of Island Studies.
Reporting: A copy of the book, along with a narrative outlining the publication process—prepared in collaboration with staff at Island Studies Press—must be submitted when the book is complete. Previous recipients of the UPEI Internal Publication Awards include Lori Mayne, Department of English, Laurie Brinklow, Institute of Island Studies, Linyuan Guo-Brennan, Faculty of Education, and Josh MacFadyen, Faculty of Arts.
For more information on the Publication Awards program, contact Dr. Laurie Brinklow at brinklow@upei.ca or 902-894-2881.
UPEI Strategic Plan Development: Upcoming Staff and Faculty Consultations
UPEI staff and faculty members are invited to join Dr. Wendy Rodgers (President and Vice-Chancellor) and Dr. Suzanne Kresta (Dean, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering), co-chairs of the University Strategic Plan Steering Committee, to discuss UPEI’s direction over the next five years.
Two upcoming consultation sessions are planned for UPEI employee groups.
Participants can attend the sessions in person or online:
UPEI Staff Members
Tuesday, October 15
3:00 to 4:00 pm
Room 104, K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre, UPEI
UPEI Faculty Members
Thursday, October 17
1:00 to 2:00 pm
Room 104, K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre, UPEI
Input by email is always welcome! strategicplan@upei.ca
Upcoming consultation sessions for undergraduate and graduate students are currently being planned in collaboration with UPEI Student Union and the UPEI Graduate Student Association.
All members of the UPEI research community are invited to attend a presentation about research security by Beth Canin, Regional Advisor (Atlantic), Research Security Centre. The presentation will cover information about the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships and the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC) and how these requirements relate to all tri-agency research grants and all CFI grants.
The information session will take place in the Teaching and Learning Centre, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230, on October 24 from 12:00-1:00 pm. There will be an option to join virtually for those who are unable to attend in person.
Bring your lunch; coffee and treats will be provided. Please RSVP here.
Join us in the Department of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Rights, Kelley Memorial Building, Room 115, for an educational display on Islamophobia, where we will explore its origins, widespread effects, and the vital importance of addressing it within our university community.
Event highlights:
- In-depth presentations: Discover the historical roots of Islamophobia, orientalism, and anti-Arab racism, examining how it has evolved over time and how it manifests in our daily lives and institutions.
- Case studies: Delve into how the war on Palestine and the War on Terrorism exemplify Islamophobia in action, shaping public perception, policy decisions, and global narratives about Muslims and Arabs.
- Interactive discussions: Engage in meaningful conversations about the significance of recognizing and combating Islamophobia, and how it can foster a more inclusive campus environment.
Why understanding Islamophobia matters:
Understanding Islamophobia is crucial for several reasons:
- Combatting stereotypes: By recognizing the origins and impacts of Islamophobia, we can challenge harmful stereotypes that perpetuate discrimination and division. This understanding helps us foster empathy and respect among diverse communities.
- Promoting inclusivity: Universities are places for learning and growth. Addressing Islamophobia is essential for creating an inclusive environment where all students feel safe, valued, and able to express their identities.
- Global perspectives: Islamophobia affects millions worldwide, particularly in conflict areas. By studying its manifestations, such as in the war on Palestine and the war on terrorism, we gain insights into broader issues of human rights, justice, and global solidarity.
The northeast entrance of the Kelley Memorial Building features an automatic door with a 36-inch clearance. The door swings outward and leads to a ramp that is 62 inches wide. Please note that the ramp makes a sharp right turn, after which the width reduces to 36 inches.
At the end of the ramp, you will find the exhibit entrance, which has a door clearance of 32 inches and a small bump at the threshold. We encourage all visitors to reach out if you require additional assistance or have any questions regarding accessibility.
The IRG and SERG programs support stand-alone projects through the funding of fully developed research proposals.
VALUE: up to $7,000 for a one-year term
APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 16, 2024, 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 co-applicants but cannot be the principal investigator. A professor emeritus or adjunct professor may apply as co-applicant with a tenure/tenure-track UPEI faculty member.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Program guidelines and application instructions can be found here. Apply using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal.
Information regarding 2024 recipients can be found here.
The UPEI Access and Privacy Office has recently relocated to Alumni Hall (ALH). We invite folks to drop by our new spot and visit the team. Additionally, if you have any access- or privacy-related questions, please reach out by email at accessprivacy@upei.ca
The Writing Centre will be open during the mid-semester break as follows:
- October 12 (Saturday)
- October 15 (Tuesday)
- October 16 (Wednesday)
- October 17 (Thursday)
Please go to upei.mywconline.com to make an appointment.
The New Orford String Quartet will perform on the SDU Stage in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall on November 1, 2024, at 7:30 pm. Comprised of elite orchestral leaders and soloists Andrew Wan, Jonathan Crow, Sharon Wei, and Brian Manker, the quartet has been described by the Toronto Star as “nothing short of electrifying.”
This is a rare opportunity for Island audiences to hear a truly world-class string quartet. The program will feature Mozart's emotionally intense Quartet in D minor; the PEI premiere of Métis composer Ian Cusson's Yume (Dreams), inspired by Akira Kurosawa's film of the same name; and Franz Schubert's Death and the Maiden, a masterpiece of haunting melodies and vigorous intensity.
Accessible parking is available, and the theatre has an accessible entrance via elevator.
Applications for the Fall 2024 Work-Integrated Learning bursary are due on Friday, October 11, at 11:59 pm. Students who are engaging in a project or placement with a community or industry partner as part of a course or program requirement are invited to visit https://www.upei.ca/exed/students/wil-bursary for details and complete an application.
