Monday, November 14, is World Diabetes Day, and the theme this year is "Education to Protect Tomorrow."  Approximately 16,000 Islanders are living with diabetes; 95 per cent have type 2 diabetes. If diabetes is unmanaged or undiagnosed, individuals living with it could experience complications that are challenging and potentially life-limiting.  To learn more, check out Diabetes Canada's website.

For more information about PEI's provincial diabetes program, go to https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-pei/diabetes-program

To screen and understand your risk of developing diabetes, visit https://www.diabetes.ca/resources/tools---resources/take-the-test

If you think you are at risk of having diabetes, visit the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre for a blood glucose check.

This is an introductory workshop to research data management for Humanists and Social Scientists. The Tri-Agencies, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), require that researchers make their data openly available to the public. What does this mean for Humanists and Social Scientists that don’t work with traditional “data” and instead work with humans, books, or art? The session will focus on the importance of data management planning. Specifically, we will cover the tools and services available to Atlantic Canadian researchers that can help you better manage your data, enhance the discoverability of your research, and ensure that your valuable research data are preserved for future reuse. Special attention will also be given to managing sensitive data, including FRDR’s Sensitive Data Pilot Project. This session will be co-facilitated by a data librarian to foster a discussion of the role of research data management in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

For details and registration, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-hss-working-with-data-series-intro-to-rdm-tickets-427325280417 

This session will focus on collaborative development workflows using Git-collaboration sites like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket and will demonstrate how to work with branches, issue tracking, contribute to projects using pull-/merge-requests, code-review, how to run CI/CD-pipelines and use other common features of these platforms. Prerequisite: basic experience using Git or participation in the 17 November workshop.

For details and registration, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/using-git-tools-to-manage-file-changes-and-collaborate-collaboration-tickets-427311378837 

UPEI Athletics and Recreation has a new recreation portal that is used for all fitness, intramural, panther academy, and staff/faculty wellness programming.  

To gain access, log into recreation.upei.ca, and click on "Sign In" in the upper right-hand corner. Ensure that you click on the green button that states UPEI LOGIN --- use your UPEI username/email and password to gain access. Do NOT sign in on the community button, and do NOT reset the password. Use the same email/username and password that you use to log into myupei.ca.

Once you are on the site, please take some time to click and review it. For UPEI staff/faculty, click on the Wellness (UPEI Faculty/Staff) icon to view and/or register for any wellness programs. UPEI staff/faculty also have discounts on specialty fitness classes, small group training, and virtual fitness programming.   

UPEI students have access to intramural programs. Only full-time UPEI students have access to intramurals. The site includes the team they are on, game stats, and game schedules with dates, times, and locations.

Those who have purchased Sports Centre memberships and wish to attend a membership fitness class must log in and sign up for a class on a specific date and time.  As well, if they can't make the class, they have to cancel it.  Instructions are found in the class description. 

Take some time as well to view your profile. Click on your name and then your profile. This profile will give you access to program registrations, program attendance, memberships (start and end dates), etc.   

NOTE:  All UPEI staff and faculty have a "default membership." This is not a membership with any membership benefits. Instead, it is a membership that will give you access to discounts on programming and allow you to register for UPEI staff/faculty wellness programs.

Athabasca University is hosting a virtual institute on Wednesday, November 23, from 1:45 to 8:00 pm Atlantic. Join the conversation about innovative, unique assessment strategies; hear about research that is currently underway; find research collaborators; share your alternative assessment practices and experiences; ask questions of others trying something new; and learn how you can support alternative assessment in your department or faculty. The participation of individuals from around the world and from a variety of institutional roles will allow participants to consider alternative assessment holistically and from multiple perspectives. Click on the links for more details about the speakers and schedule, and to register.

Governor General’s Literary Awards & Scotiabank Giller Prize: 2021 Finalists and Winner/s

Embrace your love of reading! Check out our book display and find your next great book!

The Robertson Library has award-winning Canadian books for you to discover, whatever genre of books you are in the mood to read.

The display includes the finalists and winners of the 2021 Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks) in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama.

The Canada Council for the Arts is responsible for administering and promoting the Governor General’s Literary Awards. The awards recognize Canada’s best English-language and French-language books in seven categories and encourage Canadians to read Canadian literature. 

Lists of finalists and winning books from previous years are available on the Canada Council for the Arts website.

Also included in the book display are the longlist, shortlist, and winner of the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize. The Scotiabank Giller Prize is awarded annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English.

Check out the Scotiabank Giller Prize website for further information, including this year’s winner, The Sleeping Car Porter, by Suzette Mayr.

The 2022 Governor General’s Literary Awards and Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists and winner/s will be displayed in the Library next semester.

Discover your next best author – read award-winning Canadian literature!

Instantly create a PivotTable without learning about PivotTables. PivotTables are extremely useful tools, but if you have not yet had the chance to learn how to create one, Excel may be able to do all the work for you. Select the data to be included in the PivotTable, go to the Insert tab, Tables group, and select Recommended PivotTables. If you have enough data, Excel will give you some options of PivotTables to choose from. 

If you're registered with Accessibility Services and would like to receive your accommodations for final exams, you must book in AccessDeck no later than November 28, 2022.

If you try to book a final but can't find the course code, please email astesting@upei.ca with your student ID number and course code you're looking for. Remember to book under the "Finals" tab, and do not book exams under the "Midterms" tab.

If you're having trouble logging into AccessDeck, please contact us to let us know! Late bookings will not be accepted, so make sure to troubleshoot any problems ASAP.

Author Leonard Cusack will speak about his new book, Caught in a Changing Society: St. Dunstan's University 1950-1969, at the Benevolent Irish Society, Edward Whelan Irish Cultural Centre, 582 North River Road, Charlottetown, on Wednesday, November 23, at 7 p.m.

Published by Island Studies Press, Caught in a Changing Society chronicles the golden years of expansion at an esteemed Catholic university and what led to the creation of the University of Prince Edward Island.

During his career, Cusack was a high school teacher and principal, a public servant, and a sessional lecturer in history at UPEI. He is the author of three previous books, including Owen Connolly: The Making of a Legacy 1820–2016. 

All are welcome to attend this free event.

The UPEI Healthy Campus Committee is hosting a Virgin Pulse GO program/Destination GO Challenge celebration and a faculty/staff coffee break on Wednesday, November 23, at 10:00 am, in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

During the coffee break, we will celebrate the results of the Virgin Pulse GO program/Destination GO Challenge with team prizes, individual prizes, and draws.

Nurses from the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre will take blood pressures and provide blood pressure information. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided.

All UPEI faculty and staff are invited to attend even if they didn't participate in this year's Virgin Pulse GO wellness program and/or Destination GO Challenge. There will be a door prize draw for those in attendance.

Mark your calendars! Giving Tuesday is November 29!

Giving is not just about donating...it is about making a difference!

We are extremely grateful for people like you who choose to give back through donations, volunteering, and genuine acts of kindness on Giving Tuesday and throughout the year! You truly make a difference! 

We are hoping you will consider providing a gift, of any amount, to support the AVC Wildlife Service at UPEI on Giving Tuesday! 

Your generosity helps support a range of services for wildlife care, enabling us to provide a valuable educational and public service by treating injured and sick wildlife at AVC. Visit upei.ca/friends/giving-tuesday for more details.

Every donation made before or on Giving Tuesday designated to the “AVC Wildlife Service” will be matched by an incredible anonymous donor up to $10,000, making your gift that much more impactful! 

Thank you for your generous act of giving and for making a difference for the AVC Wildlife Service at UPEI!

Donate Today! 🙂

upei.ca/donate

Giving Tuesday is a global movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Black Friday. As the “opening day of the giving season,” it is a time when charities, companies, and individuals join together and rally for favourite causes. To learn more about Giving Tuesday, you can visit givingtuesday.ca

Overview: Project management is a core competency in our rapidly changing environment. This certificate discusses and evaluates what is a project, what defines success, management of stakeholders, communication, leadership, project lifecycles, risk, budgets, and schedules. The program emphasizes agile and change management skills, which are important in today’s project environment. At the certificate completion, participants will have the confidence and ability to plan, manage, and complete almost any project size.

Designed for: Professionals who are responsible for managing projects, programs and portfolios, project team leads, managers whose resources are allocated to projects or who support project work, business analysts, project sponsors

Type of Delivery: In-person

Duration: Six courses for a total of forty-two hours; the “Foundations of Project Management” course is two days, and all other courses are one day

Facilitator: David Boyce

For more information, head to https://www.upei.ca/professional-development/certificates/project-management-certificate. 

If you're registered with Accessibility Services and would like to receive your accommodations for final exams, you must book in AccessDeck no later than November 28, 2022.

If you try to book a final but can't find the course code, please email astesting@upei.ca with your student ID number and course code you're looking for. Remember to book under the "Finals" tab, and do not book exams under the "Midterms" tab.

If you're having trouble logging into AccessDeck, please contact us to let us know! Late bookings will not be accepted, so make sure to troubleshoot any problems ASAP.

This is a reminder that the UPEI Biosafety Policy requires that all principal investigators confirm the security and complete inventory of all biohazardous materials being used or stored. This confirmation is due in November of each year.

Inventory records must be kept up to date throughout the year. Any inventory discrepancies noted during an annual lab inspection may lead to an in-depth inventory audit by the biosafety committee.

To confirm your inventory is up to date, take the following steps:

1. Access your inventory at http://biosafety.vre3.upei.ca

2. Review your inventory record and update if/as necessary. Confirm the accuracy and your approval of the inventory record by following the steps listed below.

• Select User Menu (top right of screen), then My account (from the left side of the drop-down screen).
• Click Edit (just below the username).
• Click on Information (on the top right section of the screen).
• Scroll down this page. Below the box with the phone number, you will notice a box next to I accept. If you have not already done so, please read this section and, if you agree, please check this box.
• To report your inventory is up to date, please enter the date that you confirm this in the 2022 box. Please use the yyyy/mm/dd format.
• Hit Save! Task completed.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you are not yet a user of this site but store or use biohazardous materials, please contact me to arrange access.

Rhoda Speare

Biosafety Officer

Phone 620-5071; E mail: rspeare@upei.ca

Hi everyone, especially new employees and students,

The AVC Veterinary Teaching Hospital has an online pet store (myVETstore.ca) as well as our on-site pet food offerings. This 24/7 service offers a huge selection of food, treats, toys, and supplies for cats, dogs, pocket pets, and exotics. Every purchase supports the next generation of veterinarians. At times, it can be inconvenient for you to shop in person. Our home delivery option is perfect as we prefer that clients have orders shipped directly to their homes.

To facilitate this, we reduced the order purchase amount from $80 to $30 before tax to have it qualify for free shipping to your home. As well, if you sign up for auto orders, you can save 5% on your order.

How does it work? If you haven't already, we invite you to sign up for an account for the AVC myVETstore through this link: https://www.myvetstore.ca/avcvth

Once you sign up, you can place your order, which will then be processed. You will receive an email letting you know when your order has shipped or is available for pickup. Certain orders that do not qualify for home shipment can still be shipped to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for pickup.

If you receive the staff/AVC student food discount at the VTH and are not seeing your discount on the AVCmyVetstore website pricing when you sign in, please email avcmyvetsore@upei.ca with the email address you used to sign up.

If you're a working professional and passionate about sharing your knowledge, skills, and experience with international students in PEI, this opportunity is for you! You can sign up as a mentor today: https://lnkd.in/eBsvSpWr.

The Study & Stay PEI program provides international students with enhanced one-on-one and group support throughout their final year of study at a post-secondary institution in PEI. The program also includes a managed mentorship component, providing opportunities for students to apply what they’ve learned, build connections, and gain a deeper understanding of PEI’s workplace culture. As a mentor, you can be a part of this support system and share your valuable knowledge, skills, and experience with students.

Please contact us at studyandstaypei@upei.ca if you have any questions. Thank you.

Author Leonard Cusack will speak about his new book, Caught in a Changing Society: St. Dunstan's University 1950-1969, at the Benevolent Irish Society, Edward Whelan Irish Cultural Centre, 582 North River Road, Charlottetown, on Wednesday, November 23, at 7 p.m.

Published by Island Studies Press, Caught in a Changing Society chronicles the golden years of expansion at an esteemed Catholic university and what led to the creation of the University of Prince Edward Island.

During his career, Cusack was a high school teacher and principal, a public servant, and a sessional lecturer in history at UPEI. He is the author of three previous books, including Owen Connolly: The Making of a Legacy 1820–2016. 

All are welcome to attend this free event.

The UPEI Healthy Campus Committee is hosting a Virgin Pulse GO program/Destination GO Challenge celebration and a faculty/staff coffee break on Wednesday, November 23, at 10:00 am, in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

During the coffee break, we will celebrate the results of the Virgin Pulse GO program/Destination GO Challenge with team prizes, individual prizes, and draws.

Nurses from the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre will take blood pressures and provide blood pressure information. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be provided.

All UPEI faculty and staff are invited to attend even if they didn't participate in this year's Virgin Pulse GO wellness program and/or Destination GO Challenge. There will be a door prize draw for those in attendance.

The next deadline for submitting biosafety applications including new applications, renewals, and/or amendments is Friday, November 25, 2022. These applications will be reviewed at the December 15, 2022, meeting.

All research compliance applications, including biosafety application forms, must be submitted through the Researcher Portal. Information about the Researcher Portal, including instructions for using the site, is available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms. Contact researchcompliance@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the Researcher Portal.

Please note that the IBC has instituted a new category of protocol amendment: biosafety permit minor amendment. This event form is included in the Researcher Portal. Minor amendments that are strictly limited to changes in personnel and/or funding. Forms can be submitted at any time but require up to a two-week review period. The forms are normally reviewed by the IBC chair or designate and the BSO or designate. If the amendment is approved, then an approval notification will be sent to the PI. Submissions via this route may be sent for full committee review at the discretion of the IBC chair and the BSO.  

For more information about the IBC review and approval process, please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca

Ethics protocols that involve "more than minimal risk" must be reviewed by the full UPEI Research Ethics Board (REB). The next deadline for submitting these protocols is Friday, November 25, 2022, for review at the December 21 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 forms are received.

All research compliance applications, including Research Ethics Board application forms, must be submitted through the Researcher Portal. This online system is paired with electronic approvals to replace the hard-copy signatures process. For more information about the REB review and approval process, please contact the Compliance Coordinator at researchcompliance@upei.ca.

Information about the Researcher Portal, including instructions for using the site, is available at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms. Contact researcherportal@upei.ca if you have any questions about accessing or using the Researcher Portal.