Speaker: Elena Yan, Pathology and Microbiology

Title: Development of multiplex RT-PCR based diagnostic procedures for detecting eight viruses and one viroid in the Potato Nuclear Stocks Certification program

Everyone welcome.

Go CODE Girl Day is an exciting opportunity for girls in Grades 7 to 10 to visit the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering at the University of Prince Edward Island and learn about the world of computer programming and software development for engineering applications. We will introduce, inspire, and equip girls with the digital skills needed to pursue interests in the fastest growing industries of technology, computing and engineering. UPEI FSDE has been a participant in Go CODE Girl Day since 2017, which is an initiative that takes place annually at 20+ universities with Engineering programs across Canada. Technology is revolutionizing our world, and she who knows how to code holds the power of change in her hands!

Registration is FREE but space is limited.  Sign up today: https://events.onwie.ca/ and after you register, tweet that you're coming, if you like! @EngineeringUPEI #GoCODEGirl

Additional details can be found here: https://sites.google.com/upei.ca/fsde-go-code-girl/home and http://www.onwie.ca/programs/go-code-girl

Deadline to register is Monday, March 2, 2020 by 12 noon.

The Faculty of Business will be hosting Marketing Candidate Dr. Suzanne Rath on January 20th & 21st. During the visit, Dr. Rath will be presenting her research entitled - “Pangs of Persuasion: When Persuasion Attempts Lower Consumers’ Social Worth.” This presentation will occur on Monday, January 20th from 11:30am-12:30pm in McDougall Hall, Room 329. All are welcome to attend this presentation.

UPEI Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development is pleased to announce the following new offerings for 2020:

NEW CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Professional Communications Certificate:

Writing Fundamentals - Apr 3, 2020
Writing Strategically - May 1, 2020
Error-free Writing - Jun 5, 2020
Digital Communications - Oct 2, 2020
Public Speaking Fundamentals - Nov 6, 2020
The Presentation Toolbox - Dec 4, 2020

NEW INDIVIDUAL COURSES

Customer Service for Managers - April 9, 2020
Customer Service for Front Line - May 21, 2020
Stress Reduction and Mindfulness in the Workplace - May 6-8, 2020

If you are UPEI staff or faculty, PD funding is available to you. Visit these links:

Contract employees:
Information about your PD coverage
Application Form

CUPE employees:
Information about your PD coverage    
Application Form

Faculty members:
For information about your coverage please email dasmith@upei.ca.

Visit www.upei.ca/professional-development to find out more! 

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 first UPEI & Friends Neuroscience Journal Club of 2020 will be held on Friday January 17, 2020 from 3-4 pm in the Fishbowl conference room of the Duffy Research Centre (NRC).  All faculty, students and staff with an interest in neuroscience are most welcome.  For a copy of the paper to be discussed please contact Jessica Rock (jrock@upei.ca) or Andy Tasker (tasker@upei.ca)

Always wanted to help save the world from climate change? Want summer employment working at Canada’s National Parks? Don’t have a major identified yet for your studies? Or aren’t particularly pleased with the major that you have selected? Join the Associate Dean of the School of Climate Change and Adaptation, Dr. Adam Fenech, to find out about UPEI’s newest program of study – the Bachelor of Science in Applied Climate Change and Adaptation on Thursday January 16 at noon in HSB103. A great program that teaches the fundamental sciences but allows you to apply those sciences through the use of drones, virtual reality, geographic information systems, carbon accounting, impact assessment and data analysis. All towards helping our governments, communities, businesses, households and individuals combat climate change. Guess what? The program provides you with two summers of employment working at Canada’s National Parks. And each student receives a free smartphone and tablet for school activities. That’s not all - there are scholarships for students entering into the 3rd year of the program. Find out more and enjoy a free pizza lunch (we’ll even throw in a drink as well). Students only please! Please RSVP at climatechangeadmin@upei.ca so we make sure that we have enough pizzas. Or use that email if you want more information. 

Procurement Services has launched a new intranet page, under Administrative Services, on myUPEI. Here you will find current forms, FAQs, and a current list of Preferred Vendors.

 Check out the list of Preferred Vendors to see more than 30 contracts that are available to the university. These contracts have been established to provide cost savings for departments when making purchases.

 Please send any questions and feedback to procurement@upei.ca. 

The Island Lecture Series January lecture features Dr. Tina Pranger speaking about her new book, Beyond the Asylum: The Evolution of Mental Health Care in Prince Edward Island, 1846-2017. How we as Islanders have historically cared for these people has evolved considerably over the past century and a half. Today, Islanders can access a comprehensive spectrum of mental health services that include — but also go far beyond — the asylum/mental hospital. Beyond the Asylum, the first-ever history of mental health care in PEI, richly details this often bumpy evolution of care. Tina Pranger, PhD (Social Science and Health), has over 35 years of experience in the mental health field, most recently as a mental health officer with Veterans Affairs Canada. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

The UPEI Multicultural Choir and Song Circle resumes rehearsals Wednesday 4:30, Faculty Lounge,  SDU Main Building. This is a non-audition group that learns and sings songs from the many cultures represented at UPEI.  All members of the UPEI community - students, staff, and faculty are welcome.  Instruments also welcome.  Take this opportunity to have a break, relax, meet new friends, and share the cultures of the world through song.  

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, February 7 for the February meeting.

Ensure you download the current forms from http://upei.ca/research-services/research-certifications/animal-care, use the most current Adobe Reader to complete forms (only current forms will be accepted).  To view any UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice, they can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx.   

Both the signed hard copy and electronic protocol submission must be submitted by the deadline date.

• Submit one copy of original protocol with signature to AVC - North Annex, Biomedical Sciences Dept., Rm 2302
• Submit an electronic copy to animalcare@upei.ca  

Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month.  The Committee requires at least one month for processing applications.
 
For more information, please contact Sherri Pineau, ACC Administrative Assistant at 902-566-0973.

The first UPEI & Friends Neuroscience Journal Club of 2020 will be held on Friday January 17, 2020 from 3-4 pm in the Fishbowl conference room of the Duffy Research Centre (NRC).  All faculty, students and staff with an interest in neuroscience are most welcome.  For a copy of the paper to be discussed please contact Jessica Rock (jrock@upei.ca) or Andy Tasker (tasker@upei.ca)

Please join Nauman Nazeer for his Molecular and Macromolecular Sciences Seminar Program presentation of the " Synthesis of Antimicrobial Peptide-Polymer Hybrids."

The rise in antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to public health across the globe, as traditional antibiotics are increasingly becoming ineffective against several common pathogens. Therefore, there is a growing demand for new classes of antimicrobial drugs to replace traditional antibiotics. The innate immune system of living organisms is a source of several antimicrobial molecules, such as antimicrobial peptides, which provide a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics. This presentation discusses the development of synthetic antimicrobial peptides derived from the avian protein Angiogenin-4, as well as the potential applications of antimicrobial peptide-polymer conjugates as novel therapeutic strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens.

Please join Leah Gauthier for her Molecular and Macromolecular Sciences Seminar Program presentation entitled " The Chemical Potential of Soil Metabolites."

A diverse and poorly understood component of agricultural soils are the metabolites produced by soil-dwelling microorganisms. These microbes and their metabolites are largely unexplored due to the inability to culture approximately 99% of microorganisms inhabiting soils. That being said, those that are culturable can be harnessed as biomolecule factories for the production of biopesticides, a natural alternative to synthetic pesticides. In addition, the extraction and metabolomic analysis of soil biochemicals allows one to relate to its metabolic profile to its soil properties, including disease suppressive qualities and pollution levels. In this seminar research pertaining to the discovery of biopesticides active against the pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and the application of 1H NMR metabolomics for determining the impact of crop management practices will be discussed.

Faculty of Education brings you a research presentation titled Safe and Inclusive Schools in Kenya by Dr. Carolyn Thorne. 

This research centres on the impact of the Safe and Inclusive Schools project and the inclusive education workshops for educators that focused on positive discipline, inclusive educational teaching strategies for all learners, inclusion, and accessibility in schools in Mukerwe’ini and Meru, Kenya. Using a Transformative Learning Theory framework and data collected from questionnaires and interviews of Kenyan teachers, this study revealed as a result of attending the workshop many positive changes and transformations have occurred for educators themselves and the way they teach and support their students in their classrooms.

All are welcome. 

Always wanted to help save the world from climate change? Want summer employment working at Canada’s National Parks? Don’t have a major identified yet for your studies? Or aren’t particularly pleased with the major that you have selected? Join the Associate Dean of the School of Climate Change and Adaptation, Dr. Adam Fenech, to find out about UPEI’s newest program of study – the Bachelor of Science in Applied Climate Change and Adaptation on Thursday January 16 at noon in HSB103. A great program that teaches the fundamental sciences but allows you to apply those sciences through the use of drones, virtual reality, geographic information systems, carbon accounting, impact assessment and data analysis. All towards helping our governments, communities, businesses, households and individuals combat climate change. Guess what? The program provides you with two summers of employment working at Canada’s National Parks. And each student receives a free smartphone and tablet for school activities. That’s not all - there are scholarships for students entering into the 3rd year of the program. Find out more and enjoy a free pizza lunch (we’ll even throw in a drink as well). Students only please! Please RSVP at climatechangeadmin@upei.ca so we make sure that we have enough pizzas. Or use that email if you want more information. 

The Faculty of Business will be hosting Marketing Candidate Heejung Park on January 14th & 15th. During the visit, Mr. Park will be presenting his research entitled - "Platforms, Products, and Message: Best Uses of Social Media to Promote Sustainability Messages." This presentation will occur on Wednesday, January 15th from 11:30am-12:30pm in McDougall Hall, Room 329. All are welcome to attend this presentation.

Co-hosted by the UPEI Student Union, and UPEI Experiential Education Office, STRIDE is a one-night event organized for diverse students who are interested in pursuing leadership on campus. STRIDE will provide hands-on, skill-building activities such as, Conceptualizing Leadership, Public Speaking, and Self-Advocacy. These engaging activities will provide STRIDE's diverse participants the tools to pursue elected, or hired leadership at UPEI. Historically at the Student Union , groups such as women, LGBTQ2+, and international students have been underrepresented in elected positions, particularly at the executive level. The UPEISU and Experiential Education Office want to provide engaging, useful, skill-building activities that will equip diverse students to pursue leadership.

Please join Nauman Nazeer for his Molecular and Macromolecular Sciences Seminar Program presentation of the " Synthesis of Antimicrobial Peptide-Polymer Hybrids."

The rise in antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to public health across the globe, as traditional antibiotics are increasingly becoming ineffective against several common pathogens. Therefore, there is a growing demand for new classes of antimicrobial drugs to replace traditional antibiotics. The innate immune system of living organisms is a source of several antimicrobial molecules, such as antimicrobial peptides, which provide a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics. This presentation discusses the development of synthetic antimicrobial peptides derived from the avian protein Angiogenin-4, as well as the potential applications of antimicrobial peptide-polymer conjugates as novel therapeutic strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens.

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the campus community to the next Environmental Sciences/Human Biology seminar on Friday, January 17th, 2020 at 12:30 pm in the Duffy Science Centre, Room 204.

Dr. Sarah Finch from the UPEI Department of Applied Human Sciences will present "Vitamin D and associated factors in chronic disease prevention and management."

All are welcome