ACENET has the following upcoming training available to researchers and students. There are no fees. 

Registration is available on our new training portal:
REGISTRATION 
https://www.acenet.training/courses

Desktops in the Cloud
November 5, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
The Cloud provides access to hardware resources beyond those available on your laptop or desktop, though you may still want to interact with that hardware as if it were your laptop using a graphical user interface (GUI) desktop. In this workshop we will install a GUI desktop on a remote virtual machine and connect to it from our laptop, allowing us to use this remote desktop almost as if it were our local machine.

Introduction to Python & Coding for HSS - Parts I and II in the HSS Python Series
November 6 and 13, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic | 1330-1630hrs NL (online)
This is a beginner-level 4-part series for humanities and social sciences researchers (HSS) and librarians. Introduction to Python and Coding for HSS - Parts I and II focus on introducing participants to basic coding concepts and fundamentals to help them confidently participate in high-level conceptual discussions with computer programmers or technical team members. We will use Python due to its vast popularity, easy syntax, and powerful extensions while working in the user-friendly and convenient JupyterLab environment. These general concepts will be reinforced and illustrated with the hands-on development of simple programs that can help with text-based research and analysis immediately.

Command the Cloud
November 7, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
In ‘Introduction to Cloud’, we used the OpenStack web interface to create our first virtual machine. With this web interface many common tasks can be performed, however, some important tasks cannot be completed using only the web interface; instead a command line interface (CLI) is needed. The CLI also allows access to some additional and very useful tasks, such as downloading virtual machine images, and provides access to information not shown in the web interface. In this workshop, we will show how to setup and use the OpenStack CLI and perform some common tasks when managing virtual machines.

Using Git Tools Part I: Version Control
November 19, 1300-1630hrs Atlantic / 1330-1700hrs NL
Version control is the practice of managing and sharing changes to documents, programming code, websites or any other files to keep track of what’s been changed, by whom, when, and why. All previous versions of files are saved and you can even revert to a previous version. Git is a version control software. Git-portal sites, like GitHub or GitLab, offer many useful features to facilitate collaborative development. This is the first workshop of a two-part series. The first session focuses on version control. The second explores using Git for collaborative development. This beginner-level session will introduce you to Git. We will show you how to create a repository, record changes to files, explore and restore from the recorded history, and resolve conflicts (when one member overwrites another’s changes).

Introduction to API Querying for HSS -- Part III in the HSS Python Series
November 20, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
This is a beginner-level 4-part series for humanities and social sciences (HSS) researchers (HSS) and librarians. API Querying and Textual Analysis - Parts III and IV focus on allowing participants to apply basic coding concepts to API querying and text-based analysis. API stands for application programming interface. It acts as a communication interface so different computers/systems can talk to the application hosting the API. Querying APIs in HSS research is useful because data changes rapidly and it is a way to capture a small piece of a much larger set of data.

Using Git Tools Part II: Collaboration Platforms
26 November, 1300-1630hrs Atlantic / 1330-1700hrs NL
Version control is the practice of managing and sharing changes to documents, programming code, websites or any other files to keep track of what’s been changed, by whom, when, and why. All previous versions of files are saved and you can even revert to a previous version. Git is a version control software. Git-portal sites, like GitHub or GitLab, offer many useful features to facilitate collaborative development. This is the second workshop of a two-part series. The first session focuses on version control. This session will focus on collaborative development workflows using Git-collaboration sites like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. It will demonstrate how to work with branches, issue tracking, contribute to projects using pull-/merge-requests, code-review, run CI/CD-pipelines, and use other common features of these platforms.

Textual Analysis using Python for HSS - Part IV in the HSS Python Series
November 27, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL
This is a beginner-level 4-part series for humanities and social sciences (HSS) researchers (HSS) and librarians. API Querying and Textual Analysis - Parts III and IV focus on allowing participants to apply basic coding concepts to API querying and text-based analysis. We will use a Python library to analyze textual data and learn about common natural language processing (NLP) tasks such as part-of-speech tagging, noun phrase extraction, sentiment analysis, classification, and more to explore meaningful trends in language patterns.

Visualization with R
November 27, 1300-1500hrs Atlantic / 1330-1530hrs NL
While working with large sets of numbers, it is often quite useful to display the information graphically. Often, we use basic graph types such as histograms, scatter plots, bar charts, boxplots etc. In this session, we will use the programming language R to create visualizations of large datasets. Basic knowledge of R is recommended, although not mandatory. By the end of this session, participants will be able to create simple scatterplots, histograms, and box plots; compare the plotting features of base R and ggplot2 package; plot with ggplot2; plot time series data; and arrange and export plots.

Registration is available on our new training portal. 
REGISTRATION: https://www.acenet.training/courses

The Bookmark and UPEI’s Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies (IKERAS) will host a book launch for Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga’s new book, "The Knowing," on Thursday, November 7, at 7 pm, in the UPEI Performing Arts Centre amphitheatre (Room 121S). 

"The Knowing" is a riveting exploration of Talaga’s family’s story and a retelling of the history of the country now called Canada. For generations, Indigenous People have known that their family members disappeared, many of them after being sent to residential schools, “Indian hospitals,” and asylums through a coordinated system designed to destroy who the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people are. Talaga retells the history of this country through an Indigenous lens, beginning with the life of her great-great-grandmother Annie Carpenter and her family as they experienced decades of government- and church-sanctioned enfranchisement and genocide.

This event is free and open to everyone, but tickets are required. To book tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/tanya-talaga-in-conversation-with-jenene-wooldridge-tickets-1042270046767 or call the Bookmark at 902-566-4888.

Please note that challenging topics will be discussed at the event, including, but not limited to, historical traumas, the Residential School system, sexual abuse, and suicide.

The Institute of Island Studies, UPEI Faculty of Science (Foods and Nutrition program in Applied Human Sciences), the Campus Food Bank, and the UPEI Student Union invite our campus community to attend the 2024 Harry Baglole Memorial Public Symposium in Island Studies: “Homelessness and Food Insecurity on Canada’s Food Island.” This symposium is a collaborative initiative with the Native Council of PEI, Meals on Wheels, the John Howard Society of PEI, the Adventure Group, and the Upper Room Hospitality Ministry. 

The event will be held on Thursday, November 7, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Don and Marion McDougall Hall. Prior to the symposium, between 4:00 and 6:00 pm, information booths in the Schurman Market Square will provide an opportunity to learn more about a few not-for-profit organizations doing work related to the themes that we are talking about later in the evening. Please drop by to chat with people from the Community Outreach Centre, John Howard Society of PEI, Meals on Wheels, the PEI Food Exchange, ResourceAbilities, and PEI Family Violence Prevention Services, and help us support their efforts. 

The symposium will include opening presentations by Dr. Jennifer Taylor, Professor of Foods and Nutrition and food insecurity researcher, and  Jacinta Brown, a UPEI alumna and Program Manager of the Community Outreach Centre with The Adventure Group. We will also hear about a new research project on food insecurity in rural PEI by Oliver Batchilder, an Islander studying at Mount Allison University. We will then share some related research and resources followed by a short break. The second part of the evening features a panel discussion in which we will hear from Chris Clay (Reaching Home Coordinator, Native Council of Prince Edward Island), Josh Constantinou (Coordinated Access Coordinator, John Howard Society of PEI), Haley Zavo (Executive Director, Meals on Wheels PEI), and Mike MacDonald (Executive Director, Upper Room Hospitality Ministry).  

The final segment of the symposium is focused on audience participation. Our aim is to gather ideas and thoughts about how best we can all work together, in different ways, to continue, support, and strengthen meaningful work to better Prince Edward Island. Sébastien Parker, Assistant Professor, cross-appointed with UPEI's departments of Political Science and Sociology, will wrap up the evening by providing closing thoughts. Sébastien joined UPEI in 2024, and is also affiliated with the Cleantech Academy here and the Social Change Lab at the University of Toronto.

Seating at the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium is limited, and we request that you RSVP to iis@upei.ca if you would like to ensure that you will be able to attend in person. We will also provide the option to watch the event online through a link on www.islandstudies.com and the Institute of Island Studies social media. If you are driving, we encourage parking in UPEI’s general lots (parking in the general lots is free in the evenings). All are welcome. 

Students interested in learning more about Study Abroad opportunities available to them while they are attending UPEI are invited to an information session on November 6, 2:00 to 3:00 pm, Robertson Library, Room 210. Please RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/study-abroad-info-session-tickets-1056622058019?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Animal Care Committee does not meet in December. The deadline for Animal Care protocol submissions--new, renewal, or amendment--is Friday, January 3, 2025, for the January 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.

Hey Arts students! The Dean of Arts warmly invites you to our monthly Fall Fika in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, Room 201. Fika is a Swedish tradition that encourages taking a break to enjoy coffee and snacks while catching up with friends. There will be hot drinks, yummy treats, and engaging conversations with your classmates and faculty. We hope to see you there!

Dates:

• Tuesday, October 22, 10:00—11:00 am
•  Tuesday, November 12, 10:00—11:00 am
•  Monday, December 2, 11:00 am—12:00 pm

Stacey MacKinnon, Brenton Dickieson, and Ryan Drew from the Curiosity and Inquiry Research Collaboration Lab (CIRCL) and Inquiry Studies team will share preliminary observations from their research, funded with an Internal Gen AI and Assessment Innovations Research Grant, in the TLC on November 6 at 12:30 pm.

PEI Energy will shut off the hot water in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Blanchard Hall, and the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall overnight on Tuesday, November 5, to repair a leaking line. In Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, there will be no domestic hot water during the shutdown, and in the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall and Blanchard Hall, there will be no domestic or baseboard hot water. It is anticipated that hot water service will be restored by the evening of Wednesday, November 6, upon successful repairs. 

Facilities Management apologizes for the inconvenience. 

Hi Panthers!!!

"If students from the "Take Your Kids to Work Day" activity would like to have a campus tour, please email apply@Upei.ca, and we will coordinate some group tours.   

UPEI graduate students are invited to join Dr. Wendy Rodgers (President and Vice-Chancellor) and Dr. Suzanne Kresta (Dean, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering), co-chairs of the University Strategic Plan Steering Committee, to discuss the University's strategic direction. The forward-thinking consultations are an opportunity to learn more about the priorities and goals of our graduate students as the University develops its roadmap for the future.

In collaboration with the UPEI Graduate Student Association, a conversation with graduate students will be held on 

Friday, November 8
12:00 noon to 1:00 pm
Room 142, Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, UPEI

Those who are unable to attend in person may join via this Teams Town Hall link.

For more information about the strategic planning process at UPEI, visit https://www.upei.ca/president/strategic-planning

UPEI values its employees and recognizes the importance of programming such as "Take Our Kids to Work Day" when grade nine students join their parents at work as an opportunity to expose our youth to future job possibilities and to teach the value of education and the rewards of hard work. 

To ensure the safety of all, the following criteria must be met before your child may be permitted to participate in the program at UPEI:

a) Permission is received from your supervisor.

b) Appropriate precautionary measures are taken, and hazards have been considered or removed during the visit.

c) Supervision of children is required at all times.

d) Supervisors may require additional safety measures prior to such visits and may require written parental consent authorizing the site visit.

Examples of high-risk safety areas include, but are not limited, to

1. Shops, mechanical rooms, confined spaces, food preparation areas.
2. Any areas, indoors or out, containing power tools or machinery with exposed moving parts or rotating equipment.
3. Areas with excessive noise, temperatures, inadequate ventilation, or potential for exposure to chemicals or hazardous biological material.
4. University vehicles, heavy-duty, or other motorized equipment.
5. Any other high-risk areas such as rooftops, construction zones, etc.
6. Laboratories or specialized work areas that include chemicals, biological hazards, radioactive hazards, flammables, explosives, compressed gases, sharp objects, lasers, research animals, hazardous wastes, or other environmental hazards. Please refer to the UPEI Laboratory Safety Manual for specific laboratory visitor guidance.

Supervisors must email HSE@upei.ca prior to November 6 to notify that a child will be at the workplace and include the date, workplace location(s), and activity.

For any questions or concerns please contact your supervisor.

The Bookmark and UPEI’s Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies (IKERAS) will host a book launch for Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga’s new book, "The Knowing," on Thursday, November 7, at 7 pm, in the UPEI Performing Arts Centre amphitheatre (Room 121S). 

"The Knowing" is a riveting exploration of Talaga’s family’s story and a retelling of the history of the country now called Canada. For generations, Indigenous People have known that their family members disappeared, many of them after being sent to residential schools, “Indian hospitals,” and asylums through a coordinated system designed to destroy who the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people are. Talaga retells the history of this country through an Indigenous lens, beginning with the life of her great-great-grandmother Annie Carpenter and her family as they experienced decades of government- and church-sanctioned enfranchisement and genocide.

This event is free and open to everyone, but tickets are required. To book tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/tanya-talaga-in-conversation-with-jenene-wooldridge-tickets-1042270046767 or call the Bookmark at 902-566-4888.

Please note that challenging topics will be discussed at the event, including, but not limited to, historical traumas, the Residential School system, sexual abuse, and suicide.

The Institute of Island Studies, UPEI Faculty of Science (Foods and Nutrition program in Applied Human Sciences), the Campus Food Bank, and the UPEI Student Union invite our campus community to attend the 2024 Harry Baglole Memorial Public Symposium in Island Studies: “Homelessness and Food Insecurity on Canada’s Food Island.” This symposium is a collaborative initiative with the Native Council of PEI, Meals on Wheels, the John Howard Society of PEI, the Adventure Group, and the Upper Room Hospitality Ministry. 

The event will be held on Thursday, November 7, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Don and Marion McDougall Hall. Prior to the symposium, between 4:00 and 6:00 pm, information booths in the Schurman Market Square will provide an opportunity to learn more about a few not-for-profit organizations doing work related to the themes that we are talking about later in the evening. Please drop by to chat with people from the Community Outreach Centre, John Howard Society of PEI, Meals on Wheels, the PEI Food Exchange, ResourceAbilities, and PEI Family Violence Prevention Services, and help us support their efforts. 

The symposium will include opening presentations by Dr. Jennifer Taylor, Professor of Foods and Nutrition and food insecurity researcher, and  Jacinta Brown, a UPEI alumna and Program Manager of the Community Outreach Centre with The Adventure Group. We will also hear about a new research project on food insecurity in rural PEI by Oliver Batchilder, an Islander studying at Mount Allison University. We will then share some related research and resources followed by a short break. The second part of the evening features a panel discussion in which we will hear from Chris Clay (Reaching Home Coordinator, Native Council of Prince Edward Island), Josh Constantinou (Coordinated Access Coordinator, John Howard Society of PEI), Haley Zavo (Executive Director, Meals on Wheels PEI), and Mike MacDonald (Executive Director, Upper Room Hospitality Ministry).  

The final segment of the symposium is focused on audience participation. Our aim is to gather ideas and thoughts about how best we can all work together, in different ways, to continue, support, and strengthen meaningful work to better Prince Edward Island. Sébastien Parker, Assistant Professor, cross-appointed with UPEI's departments of Political Science and Sociology, will wrap up the evening by providing closing thoughts. Sébastien joined UPEI in 2024, and is also affiliated with the Cleantech Academy here and the Social Change Lab at the University of Toronto.

Seating at the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium is limited, and we request that you RSVP to iis@upei.ca if you would like to ensure that you will be able to attend in person. We will also provide the option to watch the event online through a link on www.islandstudies.com and the Institute of Island Studies social media. If you are driving, we encourage parking in UPEI’s general lots (parking in the general lots is free in the evenings). All are welcome. 

Eye and face protection is vitally important in workspaces that may pose risk of injury or harmful exposure to a worker’s eyes or face such as 

• flying objects, particles, and dust (e.g., grinding, cutting, hammering, sawing)
• splashes (including droplets and sprays) from chemicals and biological material
• radiation (e.g., welding) and lasers
• abrasive and molten material

In 2021, eye protection became mandatory in UPEI laboratories as a measure to ensure the safety of all laboratory workers. The details of eye and face protection can be found on the HSE SharePoint site including a UPEI Eye and Face Protection Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Each supervisor will be responsible for including eye and face protection in all applicable site-specific SOPs. 

For any questions or concerns please contact hse@upei.ca for assistance.  

Join us in sharing songs from around the world weekly on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building.

Relax, have fun, and sing! No experience is necessary

Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Come one, come all! 

Sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf12pyvSYhvdXaZHUx93UiHC57bP1lNo-Bc8BgYTGnrCdmkag/viewform?usp=sf_link

The Animal Care Committee does not meet in December. The deadline for Animal Care protocol submissions--new, renewal, or amendment--is Friday, January 3, 2025, for the January 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.

Stacey MacKinnon, Brenton Dickieson, and Ryan Drew from the Curiosity and Inquiry Research Collaboration Lab (CIRCL) and Inquiry Studies team will share preliminary observations from their research, funded with an Internal Gen AI and Assessment Innovations Research Grant, in the TLC on November 6 at 12:30 pm.

PEI Energy will shut off the hot water in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Blanchard Hall, and the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall overnight on Tuesday, November 5, to repair a leaking line. In Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, there will be no domestic hot water during the shutdown, and in the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall and Blanchard Hall, there will be no domestic or baseboard hot water. It is anticipated that hot water service will be restored by the evening of Wednesday, November 6, upon successful repairs. 

Facilities Management apologizes for the inconvenience. 

The registration deadline for Pitch Battles is today at 11:59 pm. If you want a chance at winning a part of the $2,000 prize pool, get your application in today! 

Open to all full-time UPEI and Holland College students, Pitch Battles gives participants the opportunity to work with students in other areas of study, get paired with an experienced entrepreneur mentor, and examine a fun new sector that will be revealed once the competition starts on November 6. 

To learn more about the competition and to register, check out our website here!

Hi Panthers!!!

"If students from the "Take Your Kids to Work Day" activity would like to have a campus tour, please email apply@Upei.ca, and we will coordinate some group tours.