Speaker: Will Robbins, Biomedical Sciences
Title: Investigating Novel Transmission Routes of the Canid Metastrongylids Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis.

This event is Tuesday, March 19 at 3:30 pm in AVC Lecture Theatre B.

If your device isn't working, try turning it off and back on again. 
Sometimes it really does work!
You're welcome, ITSS.

The School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences welcomes the campus community to a public research presentation by Dr. Faiza Khan Khattak, candidate for tenure track position in Data Analytics, on Wednesday, March 20th, 3:00 pm at Cass Science Hall, Room 101. 

Presentation Title: Automatic extraction of information from patient-clinician dialogues

Abstract: AutoScribe is a system for automatically extracting pertinent medical information from dialogues between clinicians and patients. The system parses the dialogue and extracts entities such as medications and symptoms, using context to predict which entities are relevant. It also classifies the primary diagnosis for each conversation. A novelty of this work is that, unlike most of the existing systems which primarily use lexicon-based term matching, AutoScribe uses linguistic context and time information to extract entities and also determines which entities are relevant. 

All are welcome to attend.

The E-Learning Multimedia Development Grant is being offered for the second time as an opportunity for faculty and staff members to create a multimedia course resource with the help of the E-Learning Instructional Multimedia Specialist over the Summer 2019 semester. Find out more about the grant here.

If you have questions related to your multimedia project ideas, please contact Kristy McKinney at kmckinney@upei.ca

Closing date for applications is April 5, 2019 and completed application forms can be sent to dmoses@upei.ca with the subject line “E-Learning Multimedia Development Grant Application 2019.”

This week we have a short video for you all to watch and discuss. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk, entitled "The Danger of a Single Story," and her warning against homogenized views of any group of people, seems especially appropriate in light of recent news. Go to http://projects.upei.ca/arts-equity-and-inclusion/ and click on the 'join the discussion' image. Share with colleagues and tell us what you think!

AS part of the Molecular and Macromolecular Sciences Seminar Program, Dr. Michael Freund from Dalhousie University will be presenting on Conjugated Polymer Composites for Biologically Inspired Sensing and Energy Storage/Conversion Systems. 

Conjugated polymers are an exciting class of materials that hold great promise in emerging electronic, sensing and energy applications. The excitement surrounding the field has resulted from the tremendous possibilities presented by merging the vast knowledge base of synthetic organic chemistry and polymer science with critically important areas of electronic materials and solid-state physics. This rapidly growing field presents opportunities for revolutionizing material science and electronics in ways we are just beginning to imagine. This presentation will discuss the development of conjugated polymers for use in artificial photosynthesis and artificial olfaction, inspired by biological systems. In particular, recent developments in the design of membranes consisting of electronically and ionically conducting polymers will be discussed including their figures of merit and engineering challenges for use in coupling the absorption of light with the generation of solar fuels. In the area of artificial olfaction, the development of chemically diverse conjugated polymer sensing elements compatible with CMOS integrated circuits will be described. 

This event is Wednesday, March 20 at 12:30 in KCI 104. His presentation will be followed by a pizza luncheon in the Chemistry Student Lounge, KCI 200. 

The School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences welcomes the campus community to a public research presentation by Dr. Faiza Khan Khattak, candidate for tenure track position in Data Analytics, on Wednesday, March 20th at 3:00 pm in Robertson Library, Room 208.

Presentation Title: Empowering Clinicians with Machine Learning

Abstract: My work is focused on applying machine learning techniques to clinical data to improve the healthcare system. I will present two of my ongoing projects. The first project is about using real-time information to predict ICU-transfer of patients. The preliminary study shows that using real-time information (in the form of short text messages between nurses and doctors regarding the patients’ condition) can improve the ICU-transfer prediction accuracy. The second project, AutoScribe is a system for automatically extracting pertinent medical information from dialogues between clinicians and patients. The system parses the dialogue and extracts entities such as medications and symptoms, using context to predict which entities are relevant. It also classifies the primary diagnosis for each conversation. 

All are welcome to attend.

On Saturday, the University of Prince Edward Island lowered the flags in front of Kelley Memorial Building to half-mast in honour of the victims of the terrorist attack that took place at two Mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday, March 15. In a statement issued to students, faculty, and staff, the University of Prince Edward Island expressed its condolences to the entire Muslim community on these senseless crimes of hate and violence.

Expert and novice instructors alike find it challenging to write effective statements for assessment of learning. This workshop will provide you with some evidence for what is relevant and effective. It will provide you with a systematic approach for writing statements. And it will provide you with an alternative method to the standard learning outcome or objective. The workshop takes place on Tuesday, March 26th from 10:30 am to 11:30 am in Room 265 of the Robertson Library. REGISTER

The Island Lecture Series March lecture is Tuesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. in the SDU Main Building Faculty Lounge on the UPEI campus, and will feature Jocelyn Plourde speaking about his Island Studies master’s research in Samsø, Denmark.

“From Policy to Action” is a research project that delves into the link between public policy and the deployment of renewable energy systems. At the heart of the research is a case study of the Danish island community of Samsø. Also known as the Renewable Energy Island, Samsø transitioned away from conventional (fossil fuel) energy sources to being 100% carbon-neutral in only ten years. As part of his presentation, researcher Jocelyn Plourde will discuss the details of Samsø’s transition, the role of public policy in that transition, and the lessons that communities like Prince Edward Island can learn from Samsø’s example.

While “from away,” Jocelyn Plourde has lived in PEI for more than a decade. He lives in Charlottetown and teaches high school math and sciences at École La-Belle-Cloche, in Rollo Bay. Jocelyn obtained his degrees in sciences and in education at the University of Ottawa. His thesis titled “From Policy to Action – Renewable Energy in Samsø, Denmark” was written as part of UPEI’s Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program, which he completed in June of 2018. 

Admission to the lecture is free and everyone is welcome to attend. This is the last lecture of the season. The series will start up again in the fall. For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

It's time for another event in the series of discussions about indigenization and decolonization being presented by the Faculty Development Office and the Indigenous Education Advisory Circle's faculty development committee. On Wednesday, March 20, from 3:00-4:00 in HSB 106, Gary Evans will present on and lead a discussion about “Indigenization at Other Universities.” Come out and join the conversation!

The UPEI Faculty of Arts, Asian Studies Programme, and Korean Studies Project are pleased to announce the following special lecture by a prominent scholar, our 2019 annual speaker in the AST International Seminar and Speaker Series:

Professor Charles K. Armstrong, Department of History, Columbia University (NYC), https://history.columbia.edu/faculty/charles-k-armstrong/  will give a special lecture entitled “North Korea and the Prospects for Peace” on March 25 (Monday), 1:30-2:45 pm in the Faculty Lounge (room 201), Main building. We will begin at 1:00 with reception and refreshments. (Storm-day backup: Tuesday, March 26, 2:30-3:45 pm).  This is a controversial but thought-provoking topic. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to understand or discuss “the latest development in US-Korean relations especially after the 2nd Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam, as well as the history of conflict on the Korean peninsula and the prospects for peace between North and South Korea....”

Dr. Charles K. Armstrong is The Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies in the Social Sciences in the Department of History at Columbia University, NYC.  A famous international scholar in History and Asian Studies, especially the study of contemporary Korean history and politics and international relations. He authored or edited five outstanding books, including Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950–1992 (Cornell University Press, 2013) and The Koreas (Routledge, 2014). His current publication projects include a history of modern East Asia (forthcoming) and American cultural policy in East Asia during the Cold War. He holds a BA in Chinese Studies (Yale University), an MA in International Relations (London School of Economics), and a PhD in History (University of Chicago).

The Island Lecture Series March lecture is Tuesday, March 19, at 7 p.m. in the SDU Main Building Faculty Lounge on the UPEI campus, and will feature Jocelyn Plourde speaking about his Island Studies master’s research in Samsø, Denmark.

“From Policy to Action” is a research project that delves into the link between public policy and the deployment of renewable energy systems. At the heart of the research is a case study of the Danish island community of Samsø. Also known as the Renewable Energy Island, Samsø transitioned away from conventional (fossil fuel) energy sources to being 100% carbon-neutral in only ten years. As part of his presentation, researcher Jocelyn Plourde will discuss the details of Samsø’s transition, the role of public policy in that transition, and the lessons that communities like Prince Edward Island can learn from Samsø’s example.

While “from away,” Jocelyn Plourde has lived in PEI for more than a decade. He lives in Charlottetown and teaches high school math and sciences at École La-Belle-Cloche, in Rollo Bay. Jocelyn obtained his degrees in sciences and in education at the University of Ottawa. His thesis titled “From Policy to Action – Renewable Energy in Samsø, Denmark” was written as part of UPEI’s Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program, which he completed in June of 2018. 

Admission to the lecture is free and everyone is welcome to attend.

This is the last lecture of the season. The series will start up again in the fall.

For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The E-Learning Office is hosting some workshops on using Moodle for quizzes. 
On Tuesday, March 19th is a session on importing your your questions into Moodle and setting up graded online quizzes
On Wednesday, March 20th is a session on using Moodle to create paper quizzes that can be scanned and graded. 

For more information about these sessions, or to register please view this form.

For more E-Learning Office workshops check out upei.ca/teachingsupport/workshop-calendar

Thank you to everyone who participated, attended and helped out at the 3 Minute Thesis competition on March 12th. The below participates were awarded the 3MT prizes:

First place – Melanie Bos, MSc Sustainable Design Engineering – Supervisor: Aitazaz Farooque. Melanie will also be representing UPEI at the Eastern Regional 3MT on April 30th at McGill University.
Second place – Lomeharshan Lall, MEd – Supervisor: John Doiron
Third place – Ashley McKibbon, MSc – Supervisor: Fred Kibenge
People’s Choice Awards:
Melanie Bos, MSc Sustainable Design Engineering – Supervisor: Aitazaz Farooque
Tartela Alkayyali, MSc, Sustainable Design Engineering – Supervisor: Ali Ahmadi