On Wednesday, May 10, ITSS will conduct routine maintenance on the Moodle application and related services from 9 pm to 12 midnight. During this time, there will be intermittent access to and performance issues.

We encourage students, faculty, and staff who may need documents or links located in Moodle to plan ahead and bookmark or download the resources they may need during this period.

If you have any questions, please contact the ITSS Help Desk at 902-566-0465.

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.

The search committee for the Dean, Faculty of Education, 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. Miles Turnbull, Professor of Education, and Vice-Principal, Academic and Research, Bishop's University:

• Public Presentation: Monday, May 8, 2023, 2:00 to 3:00 pm, AVC, Room 205N 

Dr. Douglas Gosse, Professor of Education, and Associate Dean, Faculty of Education and Professional Studies, Nipissing University: 

• Public Presentation: Wednesday, May 10, 2023, 2:00 to 3:00 pm, AVC 205N

 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.

16 May-13 June, Tuesdays, 930-1130 and 1300-1500 hrs Atlantic / 1000-1200 and 1330-1530 NL

This course will educate participants in common tools and techniques used in high-performance computing and scientific computation. Over 5 weeks with 20 hours of teaching time, we will cover general parallel computing, Dask, OpenMP programming, GPU accelerator programming, and Message Passing Interface (MPI) programming. Each session will include lectures and learning exercises. These will be oriented to those learners seeking a more advanced experience. There will be online office hours each week so participants can ask questions about the course content and exercises. Participants must have familiarity with the Unix command line, at the level expected after completion of the ACENET Basics Series, along with some programming experience.

DETAILS & REGISTER:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-parallel-computing-school-2023-tickets-607639204217 

16 May, 1300-1500hrs Atlantic / 1330-1530hrs NL

Through live demonstrations and examples, you will learn how MATLAB can be used to visualize and analyze data, perform numerical computations, and develop algorithms. Topics include: accessing data from many sources (files, other software, hardware, etc.); using interactive tools for iterative exploration, design, and problem-solving; automating and capturing your work in easy-to-write scripts and programs; and sharing your results with others by automatically creating reports.

DETAILS & REGISTER: 
https://mathworksmeeting.webex.com/weblink/register/r2994fa43badbeffd5b4a8cfea0b7930b 

12 May, 1000-1130hrs Atlantic / 1030-1200hrs NL

The national systems use a job scheduler called “Slurm”. In this session, you will learn how Slurm works and how it allocates jobs, helping you to: minimize wait time by framing reasonable requests; ask for only the resources you need, to improve efficiency; increase throughput; run more jobs simultaneously; and troubleshoot and address crashes. This workshop is designed for new HPC users, or for experienced users either transitioning to Slurm or seeking to improve efficiency with the scheduler. Prerequisites: Completion of Introduction to Linux and Introduction to Shell Scripting, or prior experience with both.

DETAILS & REGISTER: 
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-basics-job-scheduling-with-slurm-tickets-607579465537

11 May, 1000-1130hrs Atlantic / 1030-1200hrs NL

Shell scripting helps you save time, automate file management tasks, and better use the power of Linux. You’ll learn how to use the command line to carry out repetitive tasks, extract information from files quickly, combine commands in powerful ways, learn about job scripts, shell variables, and looping commands, and capture a workflow so you can re-use it easily. Save time, reduce errors, and use Linux more effectively. This workshop is designed for either new High Performance Computing (HPC) users who are familiar with working in a Linux environment, or for experienced users seeking to get more out of shell scripting. It is one of the core courses to help users get up and running on ACENET and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada systems. Prerequisite: ACENET Basic Series Introduction to Linux, or previous experience with Linux.  

DETAILS & REGISTER: 
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-basics-introduction-to-shell-scripting-tickets-607593868617

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 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/.

Overview: All Canadians are called to learn about Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples and how we can move forward in reconciliation and restitution. In the Indigenous Cultural Awareness course, facilitator Julie Pellissier-Lush will highlight and explain in-depth the traditional knowledge of the Mi’kmaq (the Indigenous peoples of Mi’kma’ki, and specifically Epetwitk), their life before contact with Europeans, the role of colonization on the Mi’kmaq, and how all Canadians move forward positively with Indigenous peoples. This will be done in a fun way that will focus on participants feeling safe in the learning circle provided and ensure all taking part in the course will leave with a greater knowledge of traditional Mi’kmaq teachings and history, and how to engage and grow through truth, reconciliation, and restitution.  

Designed for: Anybody, from employees to executives, to managers and entrepreneurs, who wish to learn about the traditional ways and knowledge of Indigenous – specifically Mi’kmaq – people, their journey, and how all Canadians can move forward positively in terms of truth, reconciliation, and restitution with Indigenous peoples  

Type of Delivery: In person

Duration: One course for six hours. 

Facilitator: Julie Pellissier-Lush 

More Information: https://files.upei.ca/professionaldevelopment/upei_indigenous_cultural_awareness_course.pdf 

Four poems from Laurie Brinklow’s PEI Book Award-winning poetry, My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press/Walleah Press), have been set to music by one of Tasmania’s best-loved composers, Don Kay. The Atlantic String Machine, with guest soloist Hannah O’Donnell, will perform the song cycle’s world premiere on Saturday, May 13, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's Church in Charlottetown as part of the final concert of their 2022-23 season entitled “Coming Together.”

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite, or at the door.

Four poems from Laurie Brinklow’s PEI Book Award-winning poetry, My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press/Walleah Press), have been set to music by one of Tasmania’s best-loved composers, Don Kay. The Atlantic String Machine, with guest soloist Hannah O’Donnell, will perform the song cycle’s world premiere on Saturday, May 13, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's Church in Charlottetown as part of the final concert of their 2022-23 season entitled “Coming Together.”

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite, or at the door.

Ever need to highlight text quickly?

You may wish to highlight a large area of your document in order to change the font, text color, etc. Normally, you would drag the cursor across the block of text, but this can be laborious especially if the text block is large and covers more than one page.

To do this quickly, click on the start of the block of text to be highlighted. Scroll down to the end of the block of text and hold down the Shift key. Click on the end of the text, and everything will be highlighted, ready for whatever action you need to take.

If you need to highlight the entire document, then you can use Ctrl + A

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

This week, we welcome our new food service provider, Dana Hospitality, to campus. We want to give you a chance to try their yummy, made-from-scratch, home-cooked food, so lunch all week will be half-price. 

All You Care to Eat Breakfast made to order from 7:30 to 9:30 am for $8.95 + tax  

All You Care to Eat Lunch from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm for $11.95 + tax (discounted to $5.95 + tax) 

Bon Appetit!

Effective Tuesday, May 9, 2023, IT Systems and Services (ITSS) will be moving to a new location on a temporary basis while our current space is being renovated to better serve the campus community. 

The ITSS Helpdesk will still be available from 8 am–4 pm, Monday to Friday, by calling 902-566-0465 or emailing helpdesk@upei.ca, but its physical location will now be AVC 218S.

If you need to contact an ITSS team member, please email them or leave them a voicemail, and they will get back to you as soon as possible.

We hope to see you in our renovated space soon, and we thank you in advance for your patience!

The ITSS Team

Join us as six teams of undergraduate students pitch their businesses for a share of $56,000 in prize money to support their entrepreneurial ventures on Thursday, May 11, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Room 242.

To register to attend, visit  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/harry-w-maclauchlan-entrepreneurship-program-live-pitch-event-tickets-626414361217

Do you have a student co-presenting at the Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference in June 2023? There is one travel bursary available for up to $1000 for an undergraduate student who is co-presenting with a UPEI instructor. To apply, send a letter to the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC@upei.ca) by May 15, 2023. The letter of application should include the following:

• accepted abstract
• the name and program of the undergraduate student
• a brief explanation of the student's role in the presentation 
• a detailed budget. 

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, June 2, for the June meeting. 

Please note that as of June 1, 2020, all animal user protocols must be submitted through UPEI Researcher Portal at https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/

For new protocols, select "applications," and for renewal or amendment protocols, select "events."

UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx. 

Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month. The committee requires at least one month for processing applications.

Note:  All investigators are reminded that any deviations in animal use, including unexpected mortality, must be reported to the ACC and University Veterinarian Jonathan Spears at 902-620-5026.

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.