Message from UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment: Finding birds on campus

There has been extensive media coverage recently about the presence of avian influenza in wild birds in Atlantic Canada. The UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment office advises members of the campus community to not handle any dead, injured, or sick birds as they can harbour diseases. If you find an injured, sick, or dead wild bird on campus, do not pick it up. Instead, contact either PEI Fish and Wildlife (902-368-4683) or the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (902-628-4314).

The 2022 UPEI Virtual Career Fair is underway with virtual lunchtime events taking place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in March. These events will feature live presentations from employers and Q&A sessions. Students can connect with employers and learn about job opportunities in a variety of industries. 

Students can learn more and register for the events on Eventbrite. For anyone who can't make the live events, there is a YouTube playlist of recorded videos and information sheets on each employer, available on the Career Fair website. 

Please be sure to share these details with any students you know who might be looking for part-time or full-time work!

Questions? Email experientialed@upei.ca.

If you are working on a teaching dossier to support an award nomination, then join us for a session on Monday, March 14, at 12:30 pm, to learn more about the process and to get suggestions to make your dossier stand out to adjudication committee members. A panel of three teaching and educational leadership award recipients will be here to share their experiences. The session will take place in the Teaching and Learning Centre and will be recorded. For more details, e-mail TLC@upei.ca. 

The OER Development Program is once again offering grants ($2000--$6000) for the development of Open Educational Resources.These grants support the creation of a new open textbook, the adaptation of an existing open textbook (new edition or combining chapters from several open textbooks), or the creation of lab manuals, guide books, test banks, slide decks, etc. Past project examples include

• Applied Statistics in Healthcare Research by William J. Montelpare, Emily Read, Teri McComber, Alyson Mahar, and Krista Ritchie
• Engineering Mechanics: Statics by Libby (Elizabeth) Osgood, Gayla Cameron, and Emma Christensen

The application and more details are available at https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants. The application deadline is Friday, March 25, 2022. 

Do you have questions about your project and whether it qualifies as an OER? Attend a Zoom information session to chat with Kim Mears about your project:

• Monday, March 7, 2022, 9:00--9:30 am
• Thursday, March 10, 2022, 4:00--4:30 pm
• Tuesday, March 15, 2022 12:00 noon--12:30 pm
• Friday, March 18, 2022 3:00--3:30 pm
• Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 10:00--10:30 am

All meetings will use the same Zoom Meeting link: https://upei.zoom.us/j/69644379544?pwd=cy96TC9TNmduaDI3S3l5UzFWSHpyQT09 

Meeting ID: 696 4437 9544, Passcode: 185297

The Robertson Library’s OER Development Program is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include:

• Open Textbook Grant: 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.

Applications that support first year courses will be given priority as they reach the most amount of students, but all applications will be reviewed and considered. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 25, 2022, with work expected to begin during Spring or Summer. More information is available at https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants.

Questions about your grant idea? Contact Kim Mears at kmears@upei.ca. Questions about OERs? Read more at http://opencontent.org/definition/.

The University of Prince Edward Island community is saddened to learn of the passing of UPEI Professor Emeritus, Dr. F. Alan Reesor on March 9 in Charlottetown. The flags in front of the Kelley Memorial Building have been lowered to half-mast in his memory. 

Dr. Reesor was a long-time faculty member of the UPEI Music Department, joining the University as musicologist and organ professor in 1971. He taught for 27 years, serving as chair of the music department for 19 years before retiring in 1997. He was conferred the rank of professor emeritus at the 1998 convocation and continued teaching UPEI’s organ majors well past retirement.

Donations in Dr. Reesor’s memory can be made to the UPEI Music Scholarship Fund. Online condolences may be made and his obituary viewed at https://macleanfh.ca/death-notices/obituaries/

UPEI sends its deepest condolences to Dr. Reesor’s family, friends, and colleagues.

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To all users of UPEI Researcher Portal,

Please be advised that some of the online forms in the UPEI Researcher Portal will be updated on March 15, 2022.  Forms created prior to March 15, 2022, using the older versions, will be processed as usual.  However, after March 15, 2022, all forms must be submitted using the new, most current version. The titles of all revised forms will include “rev. Mar 2022”.   The titles of the older form versions will include “DO NOT USE”.

After March 15, 2022, submission of newly created forms using the older versions will not be accepted.

The following forms will be revised to correct minor errors, improve clarity, and in some cases, modify information requests. 

The following newly revised application forms include:

• Application for Biosafety Permit (rev. March 2022)
• Research CONTRACTS Approvals Form (rev. March 2022) 

Details on the access and usage of the UPEI Researcher Portal is found at https://www.upei.ca/research-services/forms. Please contact Research Services at researcherportal@upei.ca or 902-566-0843 with any questions.

Message from UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment: Finding birds on campus

There has been extensive media coverage recently about the presence of avian influenza in wild birds in Atlantic Canada. The UPEI Health, Safety, and Environment office advises members of the campus community to not handle any dead, injured, or sick birds as they can harbour diseases. If you find an injured, sick, or dead wild bird on campus, do not pick it up. Instead, contact either PEI Fish and Wildlife (902-368-4683) or the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (902-628-4314).

As the end of the semester approaches and we focus on exam preparation, you might be thinking about various formats. This digest provides a summary of a recent research study examining time-limited tests.  

It's that time of year for award nominations!  Are you working on one right now? Here's a resource with 5 tips for writing strong letters of support that might make the difference for the colleague or student that you hope will be recognized. 

If you are working on a teaching dossier to support an award nomination, then join us for a session on Monday, March 14, at 12:30 pm, to learn more about the process and to get suggestions to make your dossier stand out to adjudication committee members. A panel of three teaching and educational leadership award recipients will be here to share their experiences. The session will take place in the Teaching and Learning Centre and will be recorded. For more details, e-mail TLC@upei.ca. 

Beginning March 14, yoga instructor Colleen Gallant will lead a Hatha Yoga class on Monday and Wednesdays from 4:30--5:15 pm, March 14--April 20. There will be a total of 12 classes. Fees: UPEI students--$10; UPEI faculty and staff--$25; all others--$100, plus applicable taxes. To register, log into recreation.upei.ca and click on Fitness Programs. Please contact Angela Marchbank, Fitness and Wellness Coordinator, at amarchbank@upei.ca if you have questions.

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

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 can be submitted at any time but require up to a two-week review period. They are normally reviewed by the IBC chair or designate, the BSO or designate, and one other voting member of the IBC. 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.  

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.

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, March 25, 2022.

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.

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.

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

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, April 1, for the April 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.

UPEI will host a virtual Relay for Life event on Sunday, March 20, from 7:00--9:00 pm. Relay for Life is a fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society. It includes opening and closing ceremonies, a luminary ceremony in which we honour loved ones affected by cancer, guest speakers, and games. This year, our fundraising goal is $10,000, and we have already raised over $3,000.

The cost to participate in the event is $20 and includes a t-shirt and luminary. If you are interested in signing up or making a donation, you can do so at the following link:

https://support.cancer.ca/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLY_NW_odd_?pg=entry&fr_id=28072

If you have any questions about the event, you can email Sarah Doak at sjdoak@upei.ca.

It's that time of year for award nominations!  Are you working on one right now? Here's a resource with 5 tips for writing strong letters of support that might make the difference for the colleague or student that you hope will be recognized. 

If you are working on a teaching dossier to support an award nomination, then join us for a session on Monday, March 14, at 12:30 pm, to learn more about the process and to get suggestions to make your dossier stand out to adjudication committee members. A panel of three teaching and educational leadership award recipients will be here to share their experiences. The session will take place in the Teaching and Learning Centre and will be recorded. For more details, e-mail TLC@upei.ca. 

Beginning March 14, yoga instructor Colleen Gallant will lead a Hatha Yoga class on Monday and Wednesdays from 4:30--5:15 pm, March 14--April 20. There will be a total of 12 classes. Fees: UPEI students--$10; UPEI faculty and staff--$25; all others--$100, plus applicable taxes. To register, log into recreation.upei.ca and click on Fitness Programs. Please contact Angela Marchbank, Fitness and Wellness Coordinator, at amarchbank@upei.ca if you have questions.

We are so excited to share this free event! Join us tonight (Thursday, March 10) at 7:00 pm for "A Winter's Night of Poetry with Poet Laureate Julie Pellissier-Lush"!

Julie will share her amazing work in her new book, Epekwitk Mi'kmaq Poetry from Prince Edward Island. This event is to all students, faculty, and staff and will be held on Zoom. To join, click the link below:

https://upei.zoom.us/j/65023366990...
Meeting ID: 650 2336 6990
Passcode: 235688

We have hot chocolate and popcorn packages available for pick up in the Mawi'omi Indigenous Student Centre. Can't wait to see you there! You won't want to miss it!