The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next Environmental Sciences/Human Biology seminar on Friday, January 31st, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. in the Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Don Jardine (MSc candidate in Environmental Sciences) will present "Selection of the best scientific indicators for understanding and communicating climate change impacts and adaptation on PEI".

All are welcome

To continue its ongoing work of encouraging the campus community to expand its thinking about equity and inclusion, the Arts Equity and Inclusion group is now starting up a reading group! Our focus is to think broadly about what terms like equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) mean in our work at UPEI, both in the classroom and outside of it. For our first meeting, we’ve selected a chapter by Dr. Malinda Smith from her co-authored book The Equity Myth, “A Dirty Dozen: Unconscious Race and Gender Biases in the Academy.” As you know, Dr. Smith was a speaker on campus last semester, and starting with her is a good way to return to some of the issues she raised then. The library has a copy of the book, but we’ve also put a PDF of the chapter on a shared Google folder, at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1C-Kp3Rgic3p4Beu_26WK5h4i0ZD4LZmv?usp=sharing (accessible to anyone with a UPEI email address; we’ll be putting future readings in the same folder). Take a look, grab a colleague, and come join the conversation on Wednesday Feb 12, at 3:00pm, in Cass 305. Everyone welcome!

The UPEI Department of Music presents the finals of its annual Dr. Frances Gray Music Competition on Friday, January 31, 2020, at 7:30 pm in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall. 

A highlight of the academic year, this performance features performers who are among this year’s finest emerging artists. They include:

• pianist Megan Grounds, a third-year Bachelor of Music Education student in the studio of Dr. Magdalena von Eccher; 
• mezzo soprano Melissa Lewis, a fourth-year Bachelor of Music student in the studio of Sung Ha Shin-Bouey; 
• baritone Nicholas Murphy, a third-year Bachelor of Music student in the studio of Stephen Bouey; 
• tenor Ian Soloman, a fourth-year Bachelor of Music student also in the studio of Stephen Bouey; 
• soprano Alexandra Sorensen, a second-year Bachelor of Music student in the studio of Sung Ha Shin-Bouey.

The distinguished adjudicating panel for this year's finals recital includes Shirley Anne Cameron, Deryl Gallant, and Amy Simon. 

Tickets will be available at the door. General admission is $15. Student admission is $10.

Adam Brimacombe's MA Island Studies thesis defence has been rescheduled to Friday, January 31st, 11:15am, in Rm. 210 Robertson Library.  Adam's thesis is entitled, " Aspects of Global Environmental Change in Relation to Papua New Guinea, Small Islands and Human Security". You are welcome to attend. However, given the limited seating, could you please reserve a seat by contacting Jim Randall, 902-620-5013 or jarandall@upei.ca .

Public Presentations by Candidates for the Dean of Science

The Search Committee for the Dean of Science is pleased to announce the upcoming public presentations for the two candidates for the position of Dean of Science. Each candidate will deliver a public presentation on Their Vision for the Faculty of Science.

Bill Whelan - January 29, 2020 - 9:30 – 11:00 – Public Presentation in Andrew Hall, Room 142

Nola Etkin - January 30, 2020 - 10:30 – 12:00 – Public Presentation in Lecture Theatre A - AVC 201N

The Atlantic Veterinary College is accepting applications for its popular Dr. Tim Ogilvie AVC Vet Camp, which will be held in July 2020. During each of the four one-week camps, participants will get a taste of what being a veterinarian is like. They will learn about animals, meet others who share their love of animals, and take part in fun, educational activities.

Students entering grades 7–9 in the fall of 2020 can apply for two junior camps, scheduled for July 6–10 and July 13–17. Students entering grades 10–12 in the fall are eligible to apply for two senior camps, which take place from July 20–24 and July 27–31.

For more information and to apply, visit upei.ca/avc/camp, or call 902-566-0589. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 13, 2020.

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next Environmental Sciences/Human Biology seminar on Friday, January 31st, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. in the Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Don Jardine (MSc candidate in Environmental Sciences) will present "Selection of the best scientific indicators for understanding and communicating climate change impacts and adaptation on PEI".

All are welcome

To continue its ongoing work of encouraging the campus community to expand its thinking about equity and inclusion, the Arts Equity and Inclusion group is now starting up a reading group! Our focus is to think broadly about what terms like equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) mean in our work at UPEI, both in the classroom and outside of it. For our first meeting, we’ve selected a chapter by Dr. Malinda Smith from her co-authored book The Equity Myth, “A Dirty Dozen: Unconscious Race and Gender Biases in the Academy.” As you know, Dr. Smith was a speaker on campus last semester, and starting with her is a good way to return to some of the issues she raised then. The library has a copy of the book, but we’ve also put a PDF of the chapter on a shared Google folder, at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1C-Kp3Rgic3p4Beu_26WK5h4i0ZD4LZmv?usp=sharing (accessible to anyone with a UPEI email address; we’ll be putting future readings in the same folder). Take a look, grab a colleague, and come join the conversation on Wednesday Feb 12, at 3:00pm, in Cass 305. Everyone welcome!

The UPEI Department of Music presents the finals of its annual Dr. Frances Gray Music Competition on Friday, January 31, 2020, at 7:30 pm in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall. 

A highlight of the academic year, this performance features performers who are among this year’s finest emerging artists. They include:

• pianist Megan Grounds, a third-year Bachelor of Music Education student in the studio of Dr. Magdalena von Eccher; 
• mezzo soprano Melissa Lewis, a fourth-year Bachelor of Music student in the studio of Sung Ha Shin-Bouey; 
• baritone Nicholas Murphy, a third-year Bachelor of Music student in the studio of Stephen Bouey; 
• tenor Ian Soloman, a fourth-year Bachelor of Music student also in the studio of Stephen Bouey; 
• soprano Alexandra Sorensen, a second-year Bachelor of Music student in the studio of Sung Ha Shin-Bouey.

The distinguished adjudicating panel for this year's finals recital includes Shirley Anne Cameron, Deryl Gallant, and Amy Simon. 

Tickets will be available at the door. General admission is $15. Student admission is $10.

Providing content for a course is the easy part of a course's development. Figuring out how to explain to students what that content will do for them is far more challenging. There are numerous ways to describe learning and just as many opinions as to which is best. Are learning targets even necessary? Come hear what the E-Learning Office has to say about targets for learning. This workshop is offered on two separate occasions: Wednesday, February 12th from 2:00 to 3:00 pm or Thursday, March 12th from 10:30 to 11:30 am in Room 265, Robertson Library. REGISTER

The UPEI Student Union will be closed on Wednesday, January 29th from 10am-2:30pm for Soup for the Soul. Sorry for any inconvenience.

This year, on the tenth annual Bell Let’s Talk Day, Canadians are encouraged to share the actions, large and small, that they are taking to improve the lives of people living with mental health issues. That’s why UPEI is joining in—to help create positive change. Read more about Bell Let's Talk Day activities on the UPEI campus on January 29:  Bell Let's Talk Swag, Info & Photobooths; Soup for the Soul at the Chaplaincy Centre, and the UPEI Women’s Hockey game versus the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues. 

For every text, mobile, and long-distance call made on the Bell network; tweet using #BellLetsTalk; social media video view; or use of the Facebook frame or Snapchat filter on Bell Let's Talk Day, Bell will contribute 5 cents more to Canadian mental health programs.
 

Mitacs Training and Synapse are co-hosting a free "Practice Your Presentation Skills I" workshop for UPEI graduates and postdoctoral fellows in Room 142 of Andrew Hall on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

There are still a limited number of spots open for registration in the course. 

Course registration is on first-come, first-served basis and can be made on EDGE. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided to all participants.

Practice Your Presentation Skills I – Charlottetown, PE (February 25, 2020)

In this one-day course, theory is introduced in short bursts and participants spend the majority of time practicing their presentation skills while receiving onsite feedback. The focus on extensive practice and feedback is what makes the program meaningful, and is what makes the learning stick.

Learning Outcomes:

Through completing this course, participants will: 

• Broaden their understanding of presentation logistics
• Gain a greater ability to persuade and motivate others
• Understand how to plan and structure presentations
• Understand how (and how not to) use visual aids
• Learn to engage others through genuine and authentic presentation
• Learn tools to overcome and manage fears of public speaking
• Gain onsite practice and receive expert and peer feedback
• Be perceived as an expert in their topic area

To learn more and register for this course, please click here or sign in to EDGE if you already have an account. Questions? Email Diego at training@mitacs.ca

The Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering invites the campus community to this week's Graduate Research Seminar by Jeff Bloemink, Ph.D., P.Eng., Associate Professor, entitled "Grid Enhancement using Power Electronics."

This event is Wednesday, January 29 at noon, in the FSDE building, room 128A (Note, room change for Winter seminars)

Everyone is welcome.

Textbook and other learning resource costs can contribute significantly to student debt. A proven method for mitigating and reducing barriers to learning and reducing costs for students is the use of open textbooks and other types of OERs. One of the UPEI Student Union’s policy priorities for 2018/2019 was an open textbook pilot project with the purpose of reducing the cost of accessing educational resources.

As a result of the student union’s advocacy efforts, through a strategic investment in student learning and success by the provincial government, the OER Development Program at UPEI has been created at the Robertson Library, supported by the province.

The funding program will run through 2020 and will be administered by the Robertson Library, and provides a variety of funding opportunities including: 

• an open textbook grant to support the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook,
• an open textbook adaptation grant to support the adaptation of one or more open textbooks to create a new version or edition of an open textbook,
• a supplementary resources grant to support the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including, but not limited to test banks, slide decks, or interactive media, etc. for an open textbook or other open education resource, or
• an honoraria for open textbook peer reviews to support individuals completing a formal peer review of an existing open textbook. 

The funding is available to any instructor of a credit course at UPEI and can be applied for as individuals or teams. For more information, see library.upei.ca/oerprogram. 

Adam Brimacombe's MA Island Studies thesis defence has been rescheduled to Friday, January 31st, 11:15am, in Rm. 210 Robertson Library.  Adam's thesis is entitled, " Aspects of Global Environmental Change in Relation to Papua New Guinea, Small Islands and Human Security". You are welcome to attend. However, given the limited seating, could you please reserve a seat by contacting Jim Randall, 902-620-5013 or jarandall@upei.ca .

Public Presentations by Candidates for the Dean of Science

The Search Committee for the Dean of Science is pleased to announce the upcoming public presentations for the two candidates for the position of Dean of Science. Each candidate will deliver a public presentation on Their Vision for the Faculty of Science.

Bill Whelan - January 29, 2020 - 9:30 – 11:00 – Public Presentation in Andrew Hall, Room 142

Nola Etkin - January 30, 2020 - 10:30 – 12:00 – Public Presentation in Lecture Theatre A - AVC 201N

On Wednesday January 29, 2020, ITSS will be conducting routine maintenance on the MyUPEI portal from 8 pm to 12 midnight. During this time there may be intermittent access and performance issues with accessing and using MyUPEI.

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

As a reminder, you can access Moodle directly using https://moodle.upei.ca.

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

The E-Learning Office is hosting the 3rd UPEI Teaching Community Conference on May 5th, 2020. This is a conference for UPEI faculty and staff to present on their teaching and how they support teaching here at UPEI.

The call for teaching and teaching support proposals is open for 30 minute presentations. If you are interested in presenting, please see our presentation proposal form: https://forms.gle/iXFSS42Ku8Epphqg6. Final deadline for proposals is April 17th, 2020.

In a flipped classroom learners engage with lectures or other materials outside of class to prepare for an active learning experience in the classroom. Flipping some classes, or even parts of a class, can add some variety and a change of pace and create more interest for both the learners and the instructor. This workshop, facilitated by the E-Learning Office, will introduce you to flipped instruction tools and techniques that can aid in creating a more active and engaging learning environment. You can attend this workshop on either Thursday, February 5th from 10:30 to 11:30 am or Wednesday, March 5th from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in Room 265 of the Robertson Library. REGISTER