This is an introductory lesson adapted from the Library Carpentry workshop on Introduction to working with Data [https://librarycarpentry.org/lc-data-intro/index.html] that introduces people with library- and information-related roles, or those in the Humanities and Social Sciences professions that work with data, to using regular expressions. Regular expressions are a concept and an implementation used in many different programming environments for sophisticated pattern matching. They are an incredibly powerful tool that can amplify your capacity to find, manage, and transform data and files. The lesson provides background on the regular expression language and how it can be used to match and extract text and to clean data. No previous experience with programming is required.

For details and registration, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-hss-working-with-data-series-regular-expressions-tickets-427316544287 
 

Version control is the practice of managing and sharing changes to documents, programming code, websites, or any other files to keep track of what’s been changed, by whom, when, and why. All previous versions of files are saved, and you can even revert to a previous version. Git-portal sites, like GitHub or GitLab, offer many useful features to facilitate collaborative development. In this beginner-level session, we will show you how to create a repository, record changes to files, explore and restore from the recorded history, and how to resolve conflicts (when one member overwrites another’s changes).

For details and registration, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/using-git-tools-to-manage-file-changes-and-collaborate-version-control-tickets-427310927487 

IT Systems and Services will be performing network maintenance on our campus network on November 20 from 8 to 11 am. During this time, there will be intermittent connectivity on the campus network. If you are off campus, many services such as Microsoft solutions (including email), Google, Zoom, upei.ca, Moodle, etc., that are in the cloud will not be impacted.  

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. 

Once again, the UPEI Bookstore will be offering Christmas staff shopping to all staff and faculty. Staff will be able to charge purchases from the UPEI Bookstore to their personal account between Monday, November 28, and Saturday, December 3, 2022. Payroll deductions will be from January 20-April 28, 2023. Your 20% discount will apply.

Please contact bookstore@upei.ca for any questions.

The search committee for the Dean of Nursing announces an upcoming presentation by Dr. Christina Murray, one of the short-listed candidates for this position. Dr. Murray will deliver a public presentation on Wednesday, November 16, at 9:00 am in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142. 

Dr. Christina Murray is recognized nationally for her work on labor mobility and family-centered research. In 2018, Dr. Murray was awarded the Mirabelli-Glossop Award for her significant contributions to advancing Canadian understanding of unique family issues. Since 2020, her work has focused on the experiences of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and advocacy for policies that help to support grandparents on Prince Edward Island.

She received her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Prince Edward Island and her Master of Nursing from the University of Calgary, where she studied the professional development and continuing education needs of practicing school health nurses in the Calgary Health Region. Dr. Murray obtained her PhD from the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. At UPEI, she has been the coordinator of strategic planning for the Faculty of Nursing, a member of the UPEI Senate, vice-chair of the Senate Steering Committee, chair of the Senate Nominating Committee, and a member and acting chair of the Senate Academic and Student Disciplinary Committee. Since July 2022, she has served as interim dean of the Faculty of Nursing at UPEI. 

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.  

The University of Prince Edward Island community is saddened to learn of the passing of UPEI Founder and retired faculty member Don MacCormac on November 7, 2022. Campus flags have been lowered to half-mast in his memory.

Donations in Mr. MacCormac’s memory may be made to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation or the PEI Humane Society. Online condolences may be made and his obituary viewed at www.islandowned.ca

UPEI sends its deepest condolences to Mr. MacCormac’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Read the full message sent to the UPEI community.
 

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for students is coming in January 2023!

UPEI is improving the security of your account and your data by introducing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all students. MFA will be required on January 24, 2023.

What is MFA?
MFA is an electronic authentication method where access is granted after two or more pieces of evidence (or factors) are successfully presented to an authentication mechanism. MFA prevents a security breach by an unauthorized third party that may have been able to discover your password, for example.

Does MFA impact me?
Anyone using a UPEI account in a student capacity will required to have MFA. Some examples include

-    students, full time and part time, currently registered for courses in all UPEI programs
-    students, full time and part time, who are eligible to register for courses but may not have registered in the current semester
-    newly admitted students who will be attending UPEI in a future semester and currently have an @UPEI email account
-    students who graduated in May 2022 and will be transitioning to alumni email accounts
-    students who have enrolled in courses in the past 12 months but who may not be currently registered
-    students who have enrolled in continuing education courses and have been issued an @UPEI email account

How does MFA impact me? 
In January, students must have MFA to access many UPEI applications and services, including Outlook email, OneDrive, Google Drive, and myUPEI. Once MFA is enabled, you will continue to sign in using your UPEI email address and password, just like you do today. However, there will be one additional step, such as responding to an app notification on your mobile device before you are able to access the services mentioned above.

How do I set up MFA? 
Instructions on how to set up MFA can be found at ITSS M365 Info

Can I set up MFA prior to January 24?
Yes! In fact, it is strongly recommended that all students register for MFA prior to January 24 to avoid any interruption in accessing UPEI services.

If you require additional assistance or have further questions, contact the ITSS Help Desk at helpdesk@upei.ca or (902) 566-0465.
 

Presenter: Shahreen Rahman

Title:  Investigating the function of the Schwann cells in impaired diabetic wound healing 

Abstract:

Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial disorder that occurs due to a lack of insulin and hyperglycemia. In this work, we related the two major complications of T2DM: wound healing defects and diabetic peripheral neuropathy in the skin. Cutaneous nerves extend throughout the dermis and epidermis and control both the functional and reparative capacity of the skin. Nerve axons are reduced in the skin of a diabetic and further decrease in wounds. From previous work, our lab demonstrated as apposed to the nerve axons, the associated Schwann cells located around the wound are important to undergo an extensive reprogramming process and migrate towards the wound bed releasing bioactive molecules, which contribute to wound closure. However, their role is still unknown in diabetic wound healing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence and contribution of Schwann cells in cutaneous wounds following an injury and observe the effectiveness of Oncostatin M to rescue diabetic wounds. Methods: To investigate this, we have used the diabetic rodent model— genetically modified Db/Db diabetic mice (n=5) lacking leptin receptors. A 6mm punch biopsy wound is induced in the back skin, and healing is tracked for 5, 10, 15, and 21 days. As days 10 and 15 showed the most significant changes, we performed the immunofluorescent analysis of S100B & P75NTR and neurofilaments will determine the numbers of Schwann cells and axons to examine the interventions. The immunohistochemistry was performed to understand the mechanism of Oncostatin-M, a pleiotropic, IL-6 family member that is released from Schwann cells (SCs)to rescue the diabetic wound as an experimental therapy. Results: Immunofluorescence staining showed 85.28% reduction in S100β positive and 80.14% reduction in p75NTR positive Schwann cell markers on day 10 as well as 72.35% S100β positive cells and 65.28% p75NTR positive cells still reduced at day 15 indicating a significant (p≤0.05) percentage reduction of Schwann cells number in the dermis of diabetic skin wounds and healing is delayed while the control wounds returned to baseline by day 15 post-injury. The rescue treatment with Oncostatin-M contributed to the healing progression of the diabetic wound compared to vehicle treatment increased proliferation of epidermal cells to 61% and angiogenesis to 28.67% than the vehicle-treated wound. Conclusion: The outcome of this study could pave the path for novel therapeutic intervention for diabetic wound healing and could be a potential clinical trial to explore the possibility of accelerating wound healing to rescue peripheral vascular disease and other chronic wound-induced limb amputation. 

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

Everyone is welcome.

The E-Learning Office is hosting an online tutorial on creating and running Moodle quizzes. This workshop will be available online at 10 am on Tuesday, November 15. If you are unable attend the session at that time, you can still complete the registration and request a recording. Click here to register for this session.

The Office of the President cordially invites you to attend the MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing Celebration.

Please join members of the MacLauchlan family, guest speaker Gary MacDougall, and the UPEI community in Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall, to celebrate the achievements of UPEI students.

For more information, please contact Donna Lawless at dlawless@upei.ca or 902-566-0637.

Mentor applications for the Study & Stay PEI program are now open! If you are a working professional and passionate about sharing your knowledge, skills, and experience with international students in Prince Edward Island, this volunteer opportunity is for you! You can now sign up at https://studypei.ca/.

As a mentor, you will

• meet with your assigned student four times between January and June 2023;
• share your knowledge, skills, advice, and connections;
• work one-on-one with your mentee to support their professional learning goals;
• give your mentee feedback on areas of strength and improvement;
• be open and responsive to questions related to working in the province;
• be available to support your student in their professional journey.

Meetings will typically last an hour and can be conducted in person (following the public health guidelines), online, or by phone.

If you enjoy spending time with international students while helping them better understand PEI's workplace culture, we would be lucky to have you sign up as a mentor today! Please contact us at studyandstaypei@upei.ca if you have any questions. Thank you!

A memorial service in honour of F. Alan Reesor, faculty member in the UPEI Department of Music from 1970–1997, will be held at St. Peter's Cathedral on Rochford Street in Charlottetown, on Sunday, November 13, 2022, at 2:30 pm. Alan forged an international reputation as an organist, choral director, and musicologist and was awarded the title of professor emeritus at UPEI in 1998. A variety of Alan’s friends, colleagues, and former students will gather to perform and pay tribute to his remarkable legacy of music and the far-reaching impact he had on the lives of so many people. Those unable to attend in person may watch the event through live-streaming at
https://www.youtube.com/cha.../UCDFzXrCQaxe7cj-XFaYSPIQ/live

The UPEI Department of Music will present a faculty recital, "Autumn Colours," featuring string players Jeffrey Bazett-Jones (viola), Sean Kemp (violin), and Natalie Williams Calhoun (cello); Magdalena von Eccher (piano); and Karem Simon (clarinet) presenting music by Mozart, Stravinsky, and Brahms. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students and may be purchased at the admissions desk.

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions--new, renewal, or amendment--is Friday, January 6, 2023, for the January meeting. Please note that the Animal Care Committee does not meet in December.

Please note that 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."

To view any UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice, go to 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.

This is an introductory lesson adapted from the Library Carpentry workshop on Introduction to working with Data [https://librarycarpentry.org/lc-data-intro/index.html] that introduces people with library- and information-related roles, or those in the Humanities and Social Sciences professions that work with data, to using regular expressions. Regular expressions are a concept and an implementation used in many different programming environments for sophisticated pattern matching. They are an incredibly powerful tool that can amplify your capacity to find, manage, and transform data and files. The lesson provides background on the regular expression language and how it can be used to match and extract text and to clean data. No previous experience with programming is required.

For details and registration, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-hss-working-with-data-series-regular-expressions-tickets-427316544287 
 

The UPEI Events Calendar is the perfect place to promote your student, staff, faculty, or campus-related event on the upei.ca website!

Anyone with a upei.ca email address can log into the website and create an event to help spread the word to the UPEI campus community. Your event will appear in the complete list of UPEI events and on the UPEI homepage as the actual date of your event approaches.

Visit the Submit a Campus Notice or UPEI Calendar Event page to add events that are UPEI "owned" or hosted, or is affiliated with UPEI.

Questions? Contact communications@upei.ca.

Overview: This course will review the basics of dealing with difficult people. Everyone is different, and so are their personalities, so this course will help participants deal with those different personality types in difficult situations. Topics and material on the subject will be reviewed, and then chances to practically apply the knowledge will take place through some role-playing on how to diffuse difficult situations and remain calm. For more information, go to https://files.upei.ca/professionaldevelopment/upei_pd_dealing_with_difficult_people.pdf

Designed for: People who are involved with customer or client service, or people who deal with demanding and/or difficult individuals within their workplace

Type of Delivery: In-person

Duration: One course for six (6) hours

Facilitators: Lee Gallant

The Zoetis Award for Research Excellence is one of AVC's most prestigious awards recognizing an AVC faculty member whose research over the past three years shows promise of attaining national recognition. It is a great pleasure to announce that the 2022 recipient is Dr. Mark Fast from the Department of Pathology and Microbiology.

As has been traditional for the award, Dr. Fast will give a public presentation in Lecture A at the Atlantic Veterinary College today (November 9) at 3:30 pm. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to gather in recognition of Dr. Fast's achievements by attending this lecture and a brief reception afterward.

UPEI honours its rich heritage and traditions by acknowledging members of the campus community who have contributed to its mission in an exceptional way by naming them “Founders,” an initiative established by President Emeritus Wade MacLauchlan in 2000.

Recognizing our Founders is an opportunity to honour those who have worked diligently and passionately to build the University into the highly regarded institution of higher education it is today. The award is presented to members of the campus community who have played a direct role in supporting the vision, reputation, and continued success of the University and/or creating a new era of educational, research, and/or service excellence at the University.

Typically, two nominees are selected each year. Nominations are limited to one page (500 words) in length and must address the following three areas:

1. Why do think this nominee is a worthy recipient of this award?
2. How has the nominee met the criteria of the award?
3. Please include any further information you feel is important about the nominee.

If you wish to submit a nomination for this award, please email your submission to communications@upei.ca, including your name, business telephone number, email address, and relationship to the nominee along with the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person you wish to nominate. Completed nominations must be received by November 21, 2022, at 11:59 pm.

If you are interested in learning more about this award and past award winners, please visit our UPEI Founders web page.

For more information, contact: Nicole Phillips, Director of Communications and University Relations @ nphillips@upei.ca or 902-566-0947.

The E-Learning Office is hosting an online tutorial on creating and running Moodle quizzes. This workshop will be available online at 10 am on Tuesday, November 15. If you are unable attend the session at that time, you can still complete the registration and request a recording. Click here to register for this session.