Step on a rusty nail? Scratch yourself in the garden? Better look at your tetanus status! 

As we move into spring, people who enjoy working in the gardens or tackling renovations will get going on their projects. One of the issues that should be addressed is ensuring you are up to date with your tetanus boosters, which are due every 10 years. 

Tetanus is a serious and often deadly disease caused by bacteria that live in dirt, dust, and soil.  

What are the symptoms?

The toxin that is released into the body affects the nervous system, causing painful muscle spasms. The first symptom is usually a spasm of the jaw muscles ("lockjaw") followed by painful spasms of muscles in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs.

How is it spread?

Most people think they can get tetanus from stepping on a rusty nail. While this is true, you can get tetanus just as easily from a small scrape or a cut. You can get tetanus from any object that breaks open your skin while working in the garden or doing repairs to your home, or even from an animal bite.  

Who is at risk?

People of all ages can be affected by tetanus.

What vaccine is used to prevent it?

For adults: Tdap: Tetanus and diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine is most commonly used on PEI for adults, and it is recommended to receive a booster every 10 years for continued protection. If you have a PEI health card, you can access this vaccine at no cost at the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre and Public Health Nursing. If you do not have a health card, you can purchase the vaccine at cost at pharmacies or travel clinics. 

Video: https://youtu.be/4EeVUHA4tmQ

Helpful sites: https://immunize.ca/diseases-vaccines

The search committee for the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, announces upcoming public presentations by each of the finalist candidates. Since the search process began last summer, the committee has undertaken a comprehensive search and selected the following finalists for a series of stakeholder meetings on campus. Presentations are scheduled on the following dates/times.

Dr. Preston Smith, Dean, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

• Public Presentation: Friday, May 12, 2023, 1:30 to 2:30 pm, KC Irving Building, Room 104 

Dr. Kent Stobart, Professor, Department of Paediatrics, and Vice-Dean, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

• Public Presentation: Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 1:30 to 2:30 pm, KC Irving Building, Room 104 

All are welcome to attend. For any who are unable to attend, the presentation will be recorded and available afterward for viewing from a secure site. Paper copies of each candidate's CV will be available for viewing in the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Research. Following each presentation, you are invited to provide feedback on the candidate’s suitability for the role to vpar@upei.ca.

24 May, 1300-1430hrs Atlantic / 1330-1500hrs NL

Engineers and scientists use MATLAB to organize, clean, and analyze complex data sets from diverse fields such as climatology, predictive maintenance, medical research, and finance. In this session, we discuss how MATLAB can help analyze and visualize data effectively. Topics include: datatypes and preprocessing capabilities designed for engineering and scientific data; Interactive and customizable 2D and 3D data visualizations; apps and live editor tasks that help with interactive data cleaning, preparation, and code generation; tips and tricks to accelerate code performance; and sharable reports automatically generated from your analysis.

DETAILS & REGISTER:
https://mathworksmeeting.webex.com/weblink/register/rc1960a3bba6e06b7a84c4b2f58b24077 

In order to accommodate UPEI computer classroom and lab software adds, drops, or modifications for the 2023 fall semester, we have set a firm deadline of JUNE 01, 2023.

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

• New software requirements (licensed or freeware) providing the software name and vendor
• Version upgrades to existing software (Are multiple versions required? If yes, provide specifics.)
• Software that can be decommissioned.

More information is available here

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend Melissa Bishop's public presentation of her PhD dissertation proposal research titled "Lost in Space: Stories of Teachers Navigating Virtual Learning Environments." Please join us in person in MH 417 (Memorial Hall, UPEI) or through the Zoom link below.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://upei.zoom.us/j/69110778097?pwd=eVVoMnFVSm8rRHZVZmhQZnlYWlAyQT09

Meeting ID: 691 1077 8097
Passcode: 694686

The Healthy Campus Committee provides two FREE Meditation and Yoga classes per week for UPEI faculty and staff. The 45-minute class offers meditation and gentle yoga stretches. The meditation segment of the class creates more calm, inner peace, and balance that benefits your emotional well-being and overall health. Yoga instructor Pam Harris Stewart leads the 12:10--12:55 pm class on Thursdays, and yoga instructor Colleen Gallant leads the 4:15--5:00 pm class on Tuesdays.

Preregistration is required.

1.  Go to recreation.upei.ca.

2.  UPEI faculty/staff – click on green "UPEI LOGIN" button. Sign in with your UPEI email address and password.

3.  Go to Wellness (UPEI Faculty/Staff) icon and follow the prompts

Please contact Angela Marchbank, coordinator of Fitness & Wellness, at amarchbank@upei.ca with any questions.  

When practicing good consent, we open ourselves up to rejection. Even thinking about asking for consent can bring up worry, dread, and avoidance regarding rejection. As educators and violence prevention workers, how do we equip individuals so that they make considerate, courageous choices in the face of rejection (and other awful feelings)?

The Action Now Youth Advocacy Network is hosting a one-hour workshop on May 26 at 1:00 pm AT with Karen B.K. Chan, an award-winning sex and emotional literacy educator in Toronto, Canada, with 25+ years of experience. Karen (aka BK) is dedicated to having difficult conversations that are real, transformative, and kind.

To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rejection-resilience-with-karen-b-k-chan-tickets-628706727747

The search committee for the Dean of Education has arranged the video presentations for candidates Dr. Miles Turnbull and Dr. Douglas Gosse.

Dr. Turnbull’s presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YKjZpil4mX-iwF0Zv1JXXWM6U0s2WnqF/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Gosse’s presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qiYs5txsq2yhHwUPQEGrACBicbTajH-y/view?usp=sharing

The committee welcomes your feedback on the candidates. Please send feedback by email to vpar@upei.ca by 4:00 pm on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Thank you for your valued input into this search process.

All feedback remains confidential.

"Teilhard de Chardin: A Book of Hours," co-edited by Dr. Libby Osgood, CND, assistant professor in the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, and Dr. Kathleen Deignan, CND, Iona College, New York, will be launched on Wednesday, May 17, at 7:00 pm at the Charlottetown Library Rotary Room. 

The book is an edited volume of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s most inspirational work set by the editors in the format of liturgical hours. Osgood and Deignan, both sisters in the Congregation of Notre Dame, turned Teilhard de Chardin’s over 6,000 pages of writings into eight evolutive days of prayers for dawn, day, dusk, and dark.  

Born in Sarcenat, France, in 1881, Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit priest and an accomplished paleoanthropologist who researched human beginnings and wrote imaginative, mystical writings on the evolutionary nature of the world and the cosmos. His writings were rejected by ecclesiastical authorities and the Jesuit leadership who placed him under interdiction and refused to allow him to publish his writings or to teach in France. Despite the interdiction, he continued to write. He bequeathed his writing to his secretary, Jeanne Mortier, who ensured that they were published after his death in New York City in 1955. 

The launch will be a celebration of Teilhard’s life and work, and Osgood will read from the book during the launch. The book is available at the Bookmark in Charlottetown. 

The UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment department (HSE) is offering Standard and Emergency First Aid/CPR training sessions:

Standard First Aid/CPR
June 12 and 13, 2023
8:30 am–4:00 pm
Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142

This comprehensive two-day course offers first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills for those who need enhanced training as a work requirement (high-risk areas such as labs).

Emergency First Aid/CPR
June 15, 2023
8:30 am–4:00 pm
Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142

This basic one-day course offers lifesaving first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills. 

The cost of registration will be covered by HSE for all UPEI faculty and staff, including students who require training for on-campus employment. Students who do not require training for on-campus employment are welcome to attend; however, the cost of registration will not be covered. Please note that lunch will not be provided.

As space is limited, please pre-register by contacting Jacky Buell by the end of the day Thursday, June 1, 2023, via email (hse@upei.ca) or by phone (902-566-0901).

The search committee for the Dean, Faculty of Medicine, announces upcoming public presentations by each of the finalist candidates. Since the search process began last summer, the committee has undertaken a comprehensive search and selected the following finalists for a series of stakeholder meetings on campus. Presentations are scheduled on the following dates/times.

Dr. Preston Smith, Dean, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

• Public Presentation: Friday, May 12, 2023, 1:30 to 2:30 pm, KC Irving Building, Room 104 

Dr. Kent Stobart, Professor, Department of Paediatrics, and Vice-Dean, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

• Public Presentation: Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 1:30 to 2:30 pm, KC Irving Building, Room 104 

All are welcome to attend. For any who are unable to attend, the presentation will be recorded and available afterward for viewing from a secure site. Paper copies of each candidate's CV will be available for viewing in the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Research. Following each presentation, you are invited to provide feedback on the candidate’s suitability for the role to vpar@upei.ca.

A new children's chapter book will be launched on Sunday, May 21, at 2 pm, at Beaconsfield Carriage House, 2 Kent St., Charlottetown.

Adventures of an Island cat named Brupp is a one-volume edition that includes all of the previously published novels about Prince Edward Island's most famous cat as well as a never-before-published story, Brupp and the Milk River Orphans. 

The BOOKMARK will host the launch of Adventures of an Island Cat Named BRUPP.

For more information, contact: BOOKMARK at 902-566-4888 or charlottetown@bookmarkreads.ca, or Deirdre Kessler at kessler@upei.ca

From June 15 to 16, Memorial University will host the 2023 CBIE Atlantic Regional Meeting. This event will focus on the future of international education through a series of breakout sessions, roundtables, and networking activities.

The CBIE Atlantic Regional Meeting is an annual meeting of international education practitioners and is an opportunity to share knowledge, share resources, and keep abreast of immigration and other changes in the sector. This event also serves as an annual networking event for those involved in international education in Atlantic Canada and is a precursor to the national conference each November.

Why Attend This Event?

• Network with international education professionals.
• Hear from thought-leaders on important IE topics. 
• Participate in Q&A with sector stakeholders from Canada and the world. 

Who Will Be There?

• International education practitioners and leaders from K-12 schools, colleges, institutes, and universities.
• Corporate partners and association colleagues.
• Federal and provincial government officials.
• Register online at https://cbie.ca/upcoming-events/regional-meetings/atlantic-regional-meeting/

The UPEI Department of Facilities Management was recently notified of a security Incident with SchoolDude. As part of Brightly Software's efforts to remedy this, they have reset the passwords for all users. This is why there has been difficulty logging in to SchoolDude.

To use the SchoolDude application again, you will need to reset your password. Please visit login.schooldude.com and click on the link "Forgot Login Name or Password?" to send a password reset link to your UPEI email account.

If you have any questions or require assistance with work orders, please reach out to Maggie at Facilities Management at 902-566-0312.

ITSS would like to take this opportunity to remind you not to use the same passwords for different accounts. If you feel you used your SchoolDude password elsewhere, we advise you to change that password as well. Please reach out to the Service Desk for assistance: 902-566-0465 or helpdesk@upei.ca.  https://go.upei.ca/PasswordReset/strong_password.html

The UPEI Healthy Campus Committee has an employee focus on mental health and wellness initiatives on campus. We are looking for energetic and engaged faculty and staff representatives to assist with planning, promoting, and delivering activities and programs, and communicating information to faculty and staff within the group they represent. Meetings take place three to four times per year along with an annual planning session.

If you are interested and/or have questions about this fun and important committee, please contact Angela Marchbank at amarchbank@upei.ca by Thursday, May 25. Let's keep our teams healthy and engaged! 

The search committee for the Dean of Education has arranged the video presentations for candidates Dr. Miles Turnbull and Dr. Douglas Gosse.

Dr. Turnbull’s presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YKjZpil4mX-iwF0Zv1JXXWM6U0s2WnqF/view?usp=sharing

Dr. Gosse’s presentation can be viewed at the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qiYs5txsq2yhHwUPQEGrACBicbTajH-y/view?usp=sharing

The committee welcomes your feedback on the candidates. Please send feedback by email to vpar@upei.ca by 4:00 pm on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Thank you for your valued input into this search process.

All feedback remains confidential.

"Teilhard de Chardin: A Book of Hours," co-edited by Dr. Libby Osgood, CND, assistant professor in the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, and Dr. Kathleen Deignan, CND, Iona College, New York, will be launched on Wednesday, May 17, at 7:00 pm at the Charlottetown Library Rotary Room. 

The book is an edited volume of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s most inspirational work set by the editors in the format of liturgical hours. Osgood and Deignan, both sisters in the Congregation of Notre Dame, turned Teilhard de Chardin’s over 6,000 pages of writings into eight evolutive days of prayers for dawn, day, dusk, and dark.  

Born in Sarcenat, France, in 1881, Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit priest and an accomplished paleoanthropologist who researched human beginnings and wrote imaginative, mystical writings on the evolutionary nature of the world and the cosmos. His writings were rejected by ecclesiastical authorities and the Jesuit leadership who placed him under interdiction and refused to allow him to publish his writings or to teach in France. Despite the interdiction, he continued to write. He bequeathed his writing to his secretary, Jeanne Mortier, who ensured that they were published after his death in New York City in 1955. 

The launch will be a celebration of Teilhard’s life and work, and Osgood will read from the book during the launch. The book is available at the Bookmark in Charlottetown. 

The Writing Centre will be open during the first summer session for both in-person and online appointments from May 15 to June 15.  We'll have a reduced schedule but will add availability through the term.

To see our schedule, receive updates, and make an appointment, go to https://upei.mywconline.com/

Congratulations to all graduates and thank you to our Writing Centre clients for sharing your academic journey with us!

As part of the UPEI Hearing Conservation Program, audiometric testing will take place on June 9 and 16, 2023 in Kelley Memorial Building, Room 313. These tests take approximately ten minutes to complete. 

It is important, especially in high-volume workplaces, to have your hearing tested annually. All are welcome to attend.

Please pre-register for audiometric testing by contacting Jacky Buell at HSE@upei.ca  or 902-566-0901 by June 1, 2023.

Rescheduled from April 12!

Date: May 23, 2023

Time:10am

Location: Bill and Denise Andrew Hall (AH), Room 142

WCB will combine these two presentations:

Workplace Safety for Supervisors
Supervisors play a critical role in ensuring health and safety in the workplace. Because they direct the work of others, supervisors are well-positioned to impact safety culture at work. This session will introduce participants to the concept of due diligence and inform them of the legal responsibilities supervisors have for worker safety.

Young Worker Safety: Changing the Culture
Participants will learn what is now known about the significant influence supervisors can have on young worker safety, and how employers and supervisors might capitalize on this. Participants will hear what young PEI workers say about their hesitation to raise their workplace safety concerns, and what they can do to encourage young workers to speak up.

This session is for anyone on campus in a supervisory role.  To register, please contact Jacky Buell at hse@upei.ca or (902) 566-0901 by May 16, 2023.