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, January 28, 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 researcherportal@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 researcherportal@upei.ca.

The next deadline for submitting biosafety applications including new applications, renewals and/or amendments, is Friday, January 28, 2022. These applications will be reviewed at the February 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 researcherportal@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 researcherportal@upei.ca

Welcome to the winter term, everybody!  New term, fresh start.

The Writing Centre will open for appointments on Monday, January 17. See us early for assignment support. Our friendly, capable tutors can assist you at all stages of the writing or research process, including getting started.

Go to https://upei.mywconline.com to see our schedule and make an appointment. ONLINE APPOINTMENTS ONLY until further notice.

Best wishes for a great term!

New(er) faculty members are invited to a Research Budgets Session this Friday, January 14, at 2:00 pm Atlantic, with Maria Steele, Manager of Research Services, and Deidre Smith, Manager of Financial Services. If there are specific questions you would like Maria and/or Deidre to address as part of the session, please email them to TLC@upei.ca. A minimum of 10 participants is needed to RSVP by Thursday Jan. 13 for this session to proceed.  Register here.

This session teaches participants how to use Compute Canada’s queuing environment on the national systems, using the job scheduler Slurm. Learn how the scheduler works, how it allocates jobs, what are reasonable requests to minimize wait time, how to make the best use of the resources to be more efficient, how to get more throughput, how to get more jobs running at the same time, and how to troubleshoot and deal with crashes. This workshop is designed for new HPC users familiar with Linux and Shell Scripting but who have not had experience with using Slurm, or for experienced users transitioning to Slurm or seeking to improve efficiency with the scheduler. In order to get the most from the session, participants are strongly encouraged to have a Compute Canada/ACENET account and to bring a laptop to do the exercises.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-basics-job-scheduling-with-slurm-tickets-230425889037

Participants will learn how to use shell scripting to exercise the power of the command line. Shell scripting helps you save time, automate file management tasks, and better use Linux. This session teaches you how to name, locate, and set permissions for executable files, taking input and producing output. Learn about job scripts, shell variables, and looping commands. This workshop is designed for new HPC users who are familiar with working in a Linux environment but have not had experience with shell scripting, and for experienced users seeking to get more out of shell scripting. In order to get the most from the session, participants are strongly encouraged to have a Compute Canada/ACENET account and to bring a laptop to do the exercises.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-basics-introduction-to-shell-scripting-tickets-230422137817

Linux is the terminal interface used to enable you to use the ACENET and Compute Canada HPC clusters from your desktop. It's the tool you need to get your data on the clusters, run your programs, and get your data back. In this session, learn how to get started with Linux, create and navigate directories for your data, load files, manage your storage, run programs on the computing clusters, and set file permissions. This workshop is designed for those with no prior experience working with a terminal interface.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-basics-introduction-to-linux-tickets-230403642497

What is high performance computing (HPC), and what can it do for me? How can ACENET help? HPC is used by researchers across many disciplines to tackle analyses too large or complex for a desktop, or to achieve improved efficiency over a desktop. This session will take participants through the preliminary stages of learning about HPC and computing clusters, and how to get started with this type of computing. Software packages available for applications, data analysis, software development, and compiling code will be reviewed. Participants will also be introduced to the concept of parallel computing to achieve much faster results in analysis. This session is designed for those who have no prior experience in HPC and are looking for an introduction and overview.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-basics-introduction-to-hpc-with-acenet-and-compute-canada-tickets-230402318537

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, February 4, for the February meeting.

Please note that as of June 1, 2020, all animal user protocols must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal. 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.

This blog post by Dr. Tony Bates, published January 8, 2022, shares an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of lecture-based online learning that he is working on for the third edition of his open book, Teaching in a Digital Age.

A reminder of the new internal research grants focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Faculty and Instructional staff such as lab instructors are eligible to apply for the Internal SoTL Research Grant (ISRG).

Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded for SoTL research initiatives at UPEI. Researchers are encouraged to propose collaborations with colleagues from different, but complementary, disciplines which can also provide high-quality student training opportunities.

SoTL involves:

• asking meaningful questions about student learning, and about the teaching activities designed to facilitate student learning,
• answering those questions by making relevant student learning visible to gather evidence of thinking and learning, and then systematically analyzing this evidence, and
• sharing the results of that analysis publicly to invite peer review, and to contribute to broader bodies of knowledge on student learning, and
• aiming to improve student learning by strengthening the practice of teaching (one’s own and others’).

Guidelines and application forms for the ISRG are available on the Research Services Internal Funding page  

Please submit applications using the UPEI Romeo Researcher Portal. The deadline for proposals is January 21, 2022 by 4:00 pm.  Applicants will be notified in early February.

If you have any questions about the funding, process, or if you’d like to discuss your idea, please reach out to Charlene VanLeeuwen, Teaching and Learning Centre Coordinator at 902.620.5217 or cvanleeuwen@upei.ca

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) 2022

The annual call for applications for the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is open. 

For CSJ 2022, the Government has committed to create 100,000 CSJ jobs for youth to help ensure that the program remains responsive to the employment needs of youth and employers. In 2022, CSJ is returning to its regular parameters and will offer quality jobs over the summer months.

Applicants are able to seek funding to hire youth (people aged 15-30 years) between April 25, 2022 and September 3, 2022. Work placements must be full-time (30-40 hours per week) quality jobs with a minimum duration of six weeks and a maximum of 16 weeks.

Approved public and private sector employers will be eligible to receive a wage subsidy reimbursement of up to 50% of the provincial or territorial minimum hourly wage.

For additional information and application information for this program please click here.

To apply for this program you will need to contact Michelle Massiah, Human Resources, mmassiah@upei.ca . The closing date for applications is January 20, 2022.

The Robertson Library has revised its hours from January 10–30, 2022.

The Library will be open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and will provide virtual reference service from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the Library will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and will provide virtual reference service from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Visitors to the Library are required to wear a mask. Given the current restrictions, we have reduced the number of study spaces to ensure physical distancing and have reduced occupancy levels in group study rooms. Students can still book study rooms. If you need a space to participate in an online class, we have several rooms available for that purpose. Online support is available during the posted hours, and many resources are available online. For those needing research support, connect with your librarian.

We will review hours on January 22, 2022. Please check the Library's website for updates. If you have questions, please contact Donald Moses, University Librarian.

On Saturday, January 15, ITSS will conduct routine maintenance on the campus network from 8-9 am. During this period, campus network and internet traffic will be disrupted.

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

New(er) faculty members are invited to a Research Budgets Session this Friday, January 14, at 2:00 pm Atlantic, with Maria Steele, Manager of Research Services, and Deidre Smith, Manager of Financial Services. If there are specific questions you would like Maria and/or Deidre to address as part of the session, please email them to TLC@upei.ca. A minimum of 10 participants is needed to RSVP by Thursday Jan. 13 for this session to proceed.  Register here.

The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre began offering on-campus COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Clinics on January 13 by appointment only. Appointments have been in high demand so additional clinics are being added as clinics become full.

To check availability and to book an appointment for a vaccine booster (or to obtain your first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine), visit this link: https://app.upei.ca/HCBookings.

Please note the following:

• you must be 18+ years of age.
• if you are currently self-isolating, do not come to the clinic.
• if you have symptoms of COVID-19, please obtain a negative test and wait for your symptoms to subside before booking your appointment.
• you need to bring a valid provincial health card or proof of international medical insurance. There is no charge for the vaccine. If your PEI health card has expired, please renew it at https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-pei/pei-health-card. If your health card is from a jurisdiction other than PEI, please contact your insurer to renew your health card.
• you must be a faculty, staff, student, or immediate family member (living with) to attend this clinic.

The clinics will be held in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre—look for signs that will direct you!

A Community of Practice on Enhancing the Mentorship Experiences of Graduate Students will begin in mid-January. If you are interested in participating, click here for more info and to RSVP.  Faculty in all career stages are welcome. 

Participants will learn how to organize their data to prioritize clarity, reproducibility, and interoperability, such that they can seamlessly load their data later into an analysis program. The spreadsheet programs covered will be Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. The examples explored will be from the field of Social Sciences, but the principles are relevant for any discipline that collects data in spreadsheets. No previous experience with spreadsheets or programming is required.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-introduction-to-spreadsheets-tickets-230400061787

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, February 4, for the February meeting.

Please note that as of June 1, 2020, all animal user protocols must be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal. 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.

The Robertson Library has revised its hours from January 10–30, 2022.

The Library will be open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and will provide virtual reference service from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. On Saturday and Sunday, the Library will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and will provide virtual reference service from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Visitors to the Library are required to wear a mask. Given the current restrictions, we have reduced the number of study spaces to ensure physical distancing and have reduced occupancy levels in group study rooms. Students can still book study rooms. If you need a space to participate in an online class, we have several rooms available for that purpose. Online support is available during the posted hours, and many resources are available online. For those needing research support, connect with your librarian.

We will review hours on January 22, 2022. Please check the Library's website for updates. If you have questions, please contact Donald Moses, University Librarian.