After the unfortunate postponing of this conference in February, because of a snowstorm, Difficult Dialogues 3 is rescheduled! Everyone is welcome to join us Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11 for this conference featuring students from UPEI and around the Maritimes.

The conference begins Friday at 1:00 pm with a number of panel sessions, the keynote speaker (Dr. Alana Cattapan, Dalhousie, ""Hands Clean: On Purity and Power in Biomedical Research" )is at 4:30pm, a "mic drop/open mic event" is at 6:00pm (in the Main Building Faculty Lounge). The conference continues Saturday, starting at 9:00am, with a number of sessions continuing throughout the day. Meeting and social space is in Main 520, all sessions are in Main 213.

Everyone is welcome, all events are mobility accessible, and everything is free!

For more information, visit our website or Facebook page.

Chartwells is conducting a small survey and invites you to take 5 minutes and respond.
 

Jordan Stevenson, MSc student, will present a seminar on Wednesday, March 08, 2017 at 12:30 pm. Jordan Stevenson's presentation is entitled "Pharmaceutical Process Chemistry: Synthesis of Lansoprazole".  The seminar will be held in the Regis and Joan Duffy Research Centre, Lecture Theatre, Room 212. 

All are welcome!

The UPEI Music Department Recital Series 2016-2017 is pleased to present a senior recitals in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall, UPEI Campus, admission is free.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 7:30 pm will feature Emily Proude, saxophone, in collaboration with Frances McBurnie, piano. Emily Proude is a student in the studio of Dr. Nicole Strum, this recital is presented in fulfilment of the requirements for UPEI Music 436.

Emily will be performing works by Dubois, Bach, Bonneau, Tanaka and Creston.

All are welcome to attend!

The School of Nursing would like to welcome the campus community to the public presentation for Margie Burns' thesis examination. Margie will present her thesis entitled "Anticipating the Awakening: The Lived Experience of Families of Patients Undergoing Targeted Temperature Management after Cardiac Arrest" at 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 15 in HSB Rm. 103.

Join UPEI’s Environmental Studies program for a public symposium on carbon pricing. “Putting a Price on Carbon: A PEI Perspective” will take place Tuesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium (room 242) of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. The speakers for the evening include Dr. Rémi Morin Chassé, an environmental economist and Assistant Professor of Economics at UPEI; and Erin Flanagan, Director of the federal policy program for the Pembina Institute.

All are welcome!

Dr. Peter Foley, Assistant Professor, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Atlantic Veterinary College, will give a public workshop on Thursday, March 9, at 7:00 pm, about end-of-life issues with companion animals. 

Dr. Foley will offer information to help people act on behalf of their beloved pets as the end of life draws near. He will discuss palliative care options, assessing quality of life, deciding when euthanasia is right, the euthanasia procedure itself, and coping strategies for dealing with the loss of a pet.

Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. The workshop will take place at AVC in Lecture Theatre A. For more information, contact (902) 566-0589.

Everyone is welcome!

The Faculty of Education at UPEI is delighted to host the second Edcamp Charlottetown. Often described as 'un-conferences', democratic, free flowing gatherings with no predetermined speakers or session titles, Edcamps focus on channelling the voice of participants and exploring the themes that are relevant and pressing on the day. Edcamps are open to educators, students, and community members - anyone with an interest in education is welcomed. The 2016 #EdcampCharlottetown was an astounding success and we hope to have many of you with us on March 11th for this dynamic day of dialogue, networking, and brainstorming. 2017 is the year of "open in learning" and this has been chosen as a wide umbrella theme. We hope to trigger and nurture discussions on social justice, inclusion, access, UDL, technology, new literacies, social capital, critical pedagogy, educational reform, and much more. Bring up the topics that are relevant to you in 2017 and invite your networks. To register or for more information, please visit us on our Eventbrite Edcamp Charlottetown 2017 page.

UPEI Blood Drive will take place in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on March 16, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Appointments can be made by setting up a profile or downloading the Giveblood App.  Walk-ins will be accepted too!

Eligibility questions may be answerd by calling 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283). Donors must be at least 17 years of age and identification is required. It is highly recommended that donors be well hydrated and that they eat a sufficient meal prior to donating.
 

This week’s SCENT blog post addresses the issue of decolonizing universities – in this case, Oxford University. Click here to read “Oxford Uni Must Decolonise its Campus and Curriculum, Say Students,” and be sure to leave a response. And stay tuned for an announcement next week about a SCENT event coming up in late March that you won’t want to miss!

Dr. Gobinda Saha, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UNB and Director of the Nanocomposites and Mechanics Lab, will give a talk at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, March 8, in Rm. 212 of the School of Sustainable Design Engineering. Details are below. All are welcome!

Cermet Nanostructured Composites and High Pressure Cold Spray Coatings for Engineered Surfaces

The presentation will discuss the industrial challenges facing structural and non-structural materials in technology-intensive, high-end applications such as energy and environment, industrial manufacturing, aerospace and defence, automotive, and bio-resources. In doing so, the highlights of Dr. Gobinda Saha's research and innovation work in the Nanocomposites and Mechanics Laboratory at the University of New Brunswick in design, synthesis, manufacturing, testing/characterization and applications of ceramic-metallic (cermet) nanocomposite particles and high pressure cold spray coatings will be presented. The talk will further continue into the other major research area in design and pultrusion manufacturing of biocomposites reinforced with biochar nanoparticles in conventional GFRP composites for structural applications.

Randy Colbert is a Senior Consultant and Actuary with Towers Watson, one of the world's leading global advisory, broking and solutions companies. He will give a talk to explain a bit about what it means to be a consulting actuary and look at the funding of two public pension plans to demonstrate how a consulting actuary uses actuarial science in the real world.

All are welcome to attend on Monday, March 6, 3:00 - 3:50 pm, MCDH Rm. 246.
 

Career Services will be hosting the UPEI Career and Summer Job Fair on March 8, 2017 in Schurman Market Square, McDougall Hall from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend and develop networks with on-island and off-Island companies, organizations, and businesses. Our hope is that these networks will inspire our students and provide career opportunities in the future.

In recognition of the outstanding performance and dedication of our faculty and staff, a number of annual awards have been created to acknowledge their efforts and achievements.

Up to 10 Presidential Awards of Merit for UPEI Faculty, Librarians and Clinical Veterinary Professionals and four Presidential Awards of Merit for UPEI Staff will be awarded in 2017.  These awards will be presented during a Celebration of Colleagues to be held on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 from 2:00-4:00 in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

Susan Connolly, Associate Vice-President, Human Resources & Legal, will lead the process and chair the committee to select award recipients.

Nominations for both faculty and staff awards close on Friday, March 31, 2017.

For further details on the awards and the nomination process, please click here.

The School of Nursing would like to welcome the campus community to the public presentation for Margie Burns' thesis examination. Margie will present her thesis entitled "Anticipating the Awakening: The Lived Experience of Families of Patients Undergoing Targeted Temperature Management after Cardiac Arrest" at 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 15 in HSB Rm. 103. 

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is currently underway for first- and fourth-year students. NSSE annually collects information at hundreds of four-year colleges and universities about first-year and senior students' participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development.

Three UPEI students have already won $100 by completing the NSSE survey. However, if eligible students have not completed the survey yet, it is not too late to do so and to be included in the next early bird prize draws which are scheduled to take place on March 3, March 10, and the final grand prize in mid-April. First- and fourth-year students should check their UPEI email account for an email from NSSE to complete their online survey today.
 

Here's a snapshot of all the great free activities that are taking place today, Friday, March 3, as part of UPEI Mental Health Week 2017. We hope you enjoy the events we have organized this year and that you use every opportunity to come and celebrate together - relationships matter!

10:30 am - 11:30 pm:  The 'Write' Way To Calm: A Follow Up, Zen Zone, MSC Day Lounge
12:05 pm -12:50 pm:  Glow Yoga, Fitness Studio 1, Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm:  Let’s Listen, The Wave, MSC
4:30 - 5:30 pm:  Happy Hour Hustle, Fitness Studio 1, Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre

Here's a snapshot of all the great free activities that are taking place today, Thursday, March 2, as part of UPEI Mental Health Week 2017. We hope you enjoy the events we have organized this year and that you use every opportunity to come and celebrate together - relationships matter!

9:00 - 10:00 am:  The 'Write' Way To Calm, ZenZone, W.A. Murphy Student Centre Day Lounge
11:30 am - 1:30 pm:  Therapy Dogs—Meet and Greet, W.A. Murphy Student Centre Concourse
12:00 - 1:00 pm:   EFAP Seminar—“Understanding Depressive Illness”, Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building
12:00 - 1:00 pm:  SoundEscapes, Fitness Studio1, Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre
1:30 - 2:30 pm:  Grounding, Meditation & Mindfulness, Dr. Cassandra Goodwin, Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building
5:30 - 6:15 pm:  Glow Yoga, Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142 (bring a mat)
7:00 - 8:30pm:  A Night of Songs & Stories, Brian J. Dunn with Jon Matthews, Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre

View the full schedule for UPEI Mental Health Week.
 

Laura Carvalho, Pathology and Microbiology, will give a seminar entitled "Characterizing infection dynamics and host response in simultaneous infections of Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Moritella viscosa in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)" on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 3:00 pm in AVC Lecture Theatre "A".  Everyone welcome!

Randy Colbert is a Senior Consultant and Actuary with Towers Watson, one of the world's leading global advisory, broking and solutions companies. He will give a talk to explain a bit about what it means to be a consulting actuary and look at the funding of two public pension plans to demonstrate how a consulting actuary uses actuarial science in the real world.

All are welcome to attend on Monday, March 6, 3:00 - 3:50 pm, MCDH 246.