National Phase 3 clinical trials have begun for the most promising new stroke treatment in decades. Paramedics at five hospitals across the country are testing NA-1: a drug that had some of its most important early testing right here at UPEI by a team including Dr. Tracy Doucette, Dr. Catherine Ryan (Psychology), and Dr. Andrew Tasker (Biomedical Sciences).

NA-1, which The Globe and Mail calls Canada's first 'blockbuster pharmaceutical' since insulin, proved effective through two rounds of clinical testing at lessening cell death in stroke victims with minimal side-effects. This intra-ambulance trial, dubbed FRONTIER, gives paramedics the opportunity to administer NA-1 soon after a stroke when every minute is precious.

'The start of the FRONTIER trial is a watershed moment in the history of stroke trials,' said Dr. Andrew Tasker. 'If NA-1 proves effective in this trial it will change the landscape for the development of neuroprotectant drugs and is a wonderful endorsement of the value of investigator-driven, basic research in universities. For our lab teams at UPEI to have been major contributors to NA-1's early development is extremely gratifying.'

NA-1 has also shown to be beneficial for all types of stroke, compared to the clot-busting medication tPA, which can only be administered in confirmed cases of ischemic stroke. NA-1 is not designed to break down clots in the brain. It instead acts as a neuroprotectant which enhances the brain's ability to withstand stroke.

"This is a terrific example of how a small group of talented and dedicated scientists can make a discovery that promises to have a huge impact on the treatment of one of the world's most prevalent and debilitating diseases,' said Dr. Robert Gilmour, UPEI's Vice-President Research and Graduate Studies. 'UPEI is extremely fortunate to have been the home base for this pioneering group of scientists, and we congratulate them on this groundbreaking achievement."

The FRONTIER trial began March 16 in Toronto and is expanding to other cities across Canada. Participating hospitals include St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, Trillium Health Partners, and Vancouver General Hospital.

The FRONTIER trial is supported by a Multi-Investigator Research Initiative grant from the Brain Canada Foundation, and is supported by NoNO Inc. The Globe and Mail published a story on Monday, March 23 about the FRONTIER trial. Read about it here.

Gough, MacMillan, and Scott named Athletes of the Year

UPEI's Department of Athletics and Recreation celebrated the 2014-15 season at the 46th annual UPEI Athletic Awards Gala on Saturday, March 28, recognizing outstanding student athletes who have excelled in sport, the classroom, and serving the community. The UPEI Alumni Association's Outstanding Athlete of the Year awards went to women's basketball star Amy Gough and to co-winners, men's basketball standout, Tyler Scott, and dual athlete Cole MacMillan (men's soccer and hockey).

The event, held at the PEI Brewing Company, included student-athletes, coaches, staff, along with senior administration, alumni, donors, sponsors, and booster club supporters.

UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, 'The UPEI Panther Celebration and Athletic Awards Gala is an exciting opportunity for student-athletes, coaches, staff and their supporters to reflect on a great season. It is also a wonderful occasion for the University community to recognize athletic, academic, and community service excellence among our Panther student-athletes.'

'Tonight is when we, as a Panther community, remember the fun times and the individual and team challenges and successes,' said Director of Athletics and Recreation Chris Huggan. 'It is a night for all Panthers to feel proud about representing the University and the pieces of history that they have contributed to Panther Sport. It is also a time to get excited about what lies ahead for next season, and for those seniors who are graduating, what their next steps in sport and in life will be.'

In addition to the Athlete of the Year awards, club and varsity team awards were presented. The MVP and Rookie of the Year award winners from each team include:

MVP, Rookie

Women's volleyball Ellie Beck, Rachel Hughes
Men's rugby Harrison Torr, Brian MacKay
Women's rugby Megan Larkin, Alysha Corrigan
Field hockey Katherine Koughan, Hannah Gormley
Men's soccer Jared Murphy, Ben Keefe
Women's soccer Emilie Pelletier, Julia MacSwain
Men's hockey Chris Desousa, Marcus Power
Women's hockey Samantha Sweet, Emma Weatherbie
Men's basketball Tyler Scott, Milorad Sedlarevic
Women's basketball Amy Gough, n/a
Swimming Rebekah Nitschmann, Hannah Jenkins
Joël Legault, Martin Sobey

The J.T. 'Mickey' Place Awards are presented by the UPEI Student Union to student-athletes who have made a contribution to student leadership on their team and on campus. John Thomas 'Mickey' Place was connected not only with Athletics at UPEI, but also with all aspects of campus life. These awards were given in his memory to: Lauren Chamberlain (women's rugby), Emily Ross (field hockey), Adam Lowther (men's soccer), Kelsie Collier (women's soccer), Mason Wilgosh (men's hockey), Ferran Brown (women's hockey), Geoff Doane (men's basketball), Darcy Zinck (women's basketball), and Rebekah Nitchsmann (swimming).

The Gordon and Muriel Bennett Award is given to a student (male or female) who, over four years, best combined athletic achievement and academic excellence. Men's soccer student-athlete Jared Murphy was this year's recipient.

The W.A. Ledwell Award goes to a student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding athletic ability in the intercollegiate program, academic excellence, and the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and citizenship. Samantha Sweet from women's hockey was the recipient.

One of the evening highlights was the presentation of the Passion for Life Award, originated in memory of Rene Ayangma, a former UPEI soccer player. All nominees were recognized and the overall award winner was women's basketball player Danielle MacDonald.

'A successful Athletics program is important to the University and it is at events like tonight's celebration where we can demonstrate that,' added President Abd-El-Aziz. 'On behalf of the entire UPEI family, I congratulate everyone for representing UPEI in the community with Panther Pride. I am very proud of you.'

About the UPEI Athletes of the Year and Major Award Winners

Amy Gough, a 5'10' guard on the women's basketball team, is a fifth-year nursing student from, St. John's, NL. She was named The Wave Athlete of the Week twice during the regular season and an AUS First Team All-Star and had a tremendous AUS championship, being named to the AUS Championship Tournament All-Star Team.

Tyler Scott is a 6'2' guard from Halifax, NS who was a strong performer for the men's basketball team all season. The second-year business administration student was named The Wave Athlete of the Week several times as well as CIS Athlete of the Week for November 10 to 16. He was an AUS First Team All-Star and a CIS Second Team All-Canadian.

Cole MacMillan, from Stanhope, is a fourth-year Arts student who plays both varsity soccer and hockey. In men's soccer, the 5'11' striker was the team's nominee for the Passion for Life Award, was an AUS First Team All-Star, and CIS Championship All-Star.

Jared Murphy, a Charlottetown native, is 5'10' striker for the men's soccer team. The fifth-year Business Administration student has consistently performed at an elite level during his entire university career. He is a CIS Academic All-Canadian, AUS First Team All-Star, CIS Championship All-Star, and CIS Championship bronze medallist. He was a four-time UPEI Athlete of the Week and an AUS Athlete of the Week during the 2014-15 season.

Samantha Sweet, from O'Leary, is a fourth-year Science student and three-time CIS Academic All-Canadian. The 5'6' forward has been assistant captain for the past two years and led her women's hockey team to an AUS championship in 2012. She was The Wave Athlete of the Week and AUS Athlete of the Week for the week ending December 3, 2014.

Danielle MacDonald is a 5'5' guard from Sydney Mines, NS, who was the women's basketball team's nominee for the Passion for Life Award. A leader on- and off-the-court, the fifth-year Science student was the major force behind her team's 'Shoot for the Cure' fundraiser, in support of breast cancer research. She was The Wave Athlete of the Week for the week ending February 22, 2015.

UPEI's Robertson Library and the Canadian Museum of History are proud to announce that the launch of a new website, bowingdownhome.ca, will take place at a series of events across the province in early April. The website is devoted to Prince Edward Island fiddling traditions.

The launch parties, fittingly being held at community halls, will include presentations about the website, refreshments, and ceilidhs, featuring fiddlers whose music appears on the site. Events start at 7:30 pm with doors opening at 7:00 pm:

• April 7: Murray Harbour Community Centre
• April 8: Vanier Centre, Wellington
• April 9: BIS Hall, Charlottetown
• April 10: Little Pond Community Centre

Bowing Down Home, made possible by a generous donation by the late Bishop Faber MacDonald, a fiddler himself, aims to represent the rich traditional fiddle playing of Prince Edward Island, as it was heard throughout the Island at all sorts of events, from weddings to house dances and community socials. These traditions have not been well represented before in either commercial or field recordings.

About 120 Island fiddlers are featured-young and old, Anglophone and Francophone-representing all of the Island's diverse regional playing styles, along with literally hundreds of different tunes. Bowing Down Home is based primarily on recordings collected by Ken Perlman, a musician and folk-music researcher from Boston. He is probably best known on PEI for his tune collection, The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island: Celtic & Acadian Tunes in Living Tradition.

The website project was originally commissioned in 2008 by the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Québec. In 2011, UPEI's University Librarian Mark Leggott struck an agreement with the Museum to allow the Library to host and display this digital collection. The Robertson Library already hosts numerous digital collections using the locally-developed, open-source software, Islandora.

The Robertson Library has reached out to the Island fiddling and scholarly community to help vet the accuracy of its information, and looks forward to continued input from the families and friends of those whose music and oral histories are highlighted on the site.

Mr. Perlman's new book on Island fiddling just published by University of Tennessee Press, Couldn't Have a Wedding Without the Fiddler: the Story of Traditional Fiddling on Prince Edward Island will also be released at the BIS Hall launch party on April 9.

Dedicated to making UPEI ‘destination of choice' for higher learning

The University of Prince Edward Island's Board of Governors announced today that Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz has been reappointed to the position of President and Vice-Chancellor of the University for a second five-year term.

'Since joining UPEI, Alaa has worked tirelessly with the University community to improve teaching, learning and research. He inspires everyone to do their very best and cares deeply about the success of UPEI's students,' noted Tom Cullen, chair of the Board of Governors. 'The President's academic and institutional leadership has contributed significantly to the growing profile and reputation of UPEI.'

In his first term as president, Abd-El-Aziz led a consultative process to produce the UPEI Strategic Plan (2013-18), which guides the University in its academic development, enrolment management planning, and improving student success. This plan, developed through Abd-El-Aziz's trademark collaborative style, has been the impetus for several initiatives to enhance the University's teaching, learning, research, and service mission, including, the establishment of the School of Sustainable Design Engineering, the new academic planning process, and the creation of eight alumni chapters.

'I am deeply honoured by the confidence extended to me by the University's Board of Governors and am delighted to have the opportunity to fulfill the strategic direction we have embarked on over the coming years,' said Abd-El-Aziz. 'I am dedicated to working with my colleagues to make UPEI a destination of choice for Island, Canadian, and international students.'

Under Abd-El-Aziz's leadership, UPEI's financial position has remained positive despite challenging economic times. With his guidance, the University has consistently delivered balanced budgets based on academic priorities, encouraged steady student enrolment in the face of demographic decline, and negotiated a difficult collective bargaining agreement in an open and collaborative manner.

'Alaa has demonstrated the ability to make difficult but necessary decisions to ensure the financial viability of the University,' added Cullen. 'His initiatives have positioned UPEI for success and positive transformation.

'He is a true champion for our University.'

The Board of Governors consulted widely with University stakeholders, including the campus community, government, and business and non-profit organizations during the presidential review process. The Board of Governors is the governing body of the University and is comprised of 26 individuals drawn from the community at large and administrative, alumni, faculty, staff, and student representatives.

About the University of Prince Edward Island

Located on 140 acres in Charlottetown, the birthplace of Confederation, the University of Prince Edward Island has a rich history with roots in two founding institutions, Prince of Wales College (est. 1834) and St. Dunstan's University (est. 1855). UPEI honours this proud legacy through a growing reputation for research innovation and academic excellence.

UPEI's four faculties (arts, education, science, and veterinary medicine) and two schools (business and nursing) offer a wide range of programs and degrees to approximately 4,400 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, from over 60 countries.

Home to multiple Canada Research Chairs, a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Aquatic Epidemiology, endowed research chairs, and 3M National Teaching Fellows, UPEI offers its students a tightly-knit community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni that takes pride in supporting their success.

UPEI'S Centre for Health and Biotech Management Research (CHBMR) is running the first instance in Canada of a web-based addictions treatment program known as CBT4CBT. The pilot program will be run in Lennox Island and Abegweit First Nations communities.

CBT4CBT is an award-winning Cognitive Behavioural Therapy developed at the Yale School of Medicine by Dr. Kathleen Carroll. In PEI, CBT4CBT will be run and assessed by a research team from UPEI's CHBMR, including Dr. Michelle Patterson.

'Ever since I first discovered Dr. Carroll's work with CBT4CBT, I believed it to be an ideal program to offer in Canadian, and particularly First Nation, communities,' said Dr. Patterson. 'CBT4CBT has real potential to improve addictions treatment options and enhance the quality of life within the communities of Abegweit and Lennox Island, as well as other rural populations throughout Canada.'

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy strives to allow patients to recognize triggers, improve coping mechanisms, and alter the behaviour that leads to substance abuse. CBT4CBT is the first program to offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy online alongside traditional treatment options such as counselling.

'The First Nations community of Lennox Island is proud to be the first trial site in Canada for the implementation of this new computer-based mental health and addictions treatment program,' said Matilda Ramjattan, Chief of the Lennox Island First Nation. 'Based on the need for improved care in our rural communities and the success of this new approach in previous studies in the U.S. we expect to see notable benefits.'

Brian Francis, Chief of the Abegweit First Nation adds, 'The CBT4CBT program has the potential to be a great resource for those suffering from substance abuse in our community. We believe that this program will positively impact our community as a whole as well as other First Nations and non-First Nation communities in Canada.'

Online delivery of CBT4CBT will allow 24/7 access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for remote and rural communities that often struggle with the availability of treatment options.

'This initial trial in the Lennox Island and Abegweit First Nations communities constitutes a crucial first step in bringing a new frontline approach to improve Mental Health and Addictions treatments to Prince Edward Island and Canada,' said Dr. Juergen Krause, dean of UPEI's School of Business, and director of the CHBMR. 'It is our goal at the Centre for Health and Biotechnology Management Research to identify and implement new and meaningful research projects, such as the CBT4CBT, which address predominant needs in our communities.'

The research team at CHBMR is in negotiations to run CBT4CBT in other health care settings and communities on Prince Edward Island and looks forward to more exciting announcements in the near future.

On March 30, CBC's The National aired an emotional feature story on McGuigan family who lost father and husband, Brendon McGuigan, in a double homicide last summer.

Last November, the Men's Hockey Panthers held a benefit game for the family in Montague and were so touched by seven-year-old Kayden that they connected the family with New York Islander defenceman Travis Hamonic. Hamonic, who lost his own father at age 10, invites a child whose parent has died, and their family, to be his guest at every Islanders home game.

Read and view CBC story

Engineers PEI, the association of professional engineers on Prince Edward Island, announced the addition of two scholarships and the creation of a new endowment to support students enrolled in UPEI's new School of Sustainable Design Engineering. This brings the total number awards that Engineers PEI funds from six to nine.

Justin Dunn, President of Engineers PEI, made the announcement at the annual UPEI Engineering Design Expo and Awards Ceremony on April 8. 'Engineers PEI has generously supported numerous awards at UPEI since 1994,' said Dunn, 'but with the launch of the new School of Sustainable Design Engineering, our membership wanted to increase our support to UPEI and further recognize engineering students and their achievements in this design-focused, project-based learning environment.'

The additional scholarships include two new entrance awards valued at $1,500 each awarded to a female student and a male student entering the first year of the four-year UPEI sustainable design engineering degree program who graduated from a Prince Edward Island high school.

Engineers PEI also approved a one-time contribution of $15,000 to start an endowment fund to allow our members and supporters of the engineering program to contribute to growing a new scholarship awarded to a graduating student. Members and supporters will receive a tax receipt directly from UPEI for their donations, which will also be matched by Engineers PEI. This award will be granted to a graduating student from the degree program who registers as an Engineer-in-Training in Prince Edward Island and who has maintained a high academic standing throughout their engineering studies.

'On behalf of the entire UPEI community, I thank Engineers PEI for their outstanding generosity over the years to UPEI students and for their support of our new School of Sustainable Design Engineering. In establishing these additional awards, Engineers PEI is helping us build upon a long history of excellence in engineering education and take it to an entirely new level,' said UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz.

The UPEI School of Sustainable Design Engineering, the first of its kind in Canada, develops engineers who have exceptional design skills combined with a global perspective and who are ready from day one of graduation to meet the challenges of today's world.

Until 2014, UPEI educated future engineers through a two-year diploma program that required all graduates to continue their education at another institution to complete an engineering degree. In September 2014, the University of Prince Edward Island established the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design Engineering, a four-year degree program. Engineers PEI played an active role in advising the University in the development of this new program, and the construction of a cutting-edge 75,000 square-foot facility to house the School of Sustainable Design Engineering (scheduled completion date is September 2016).

The new awards will go into effect for the 2015-16 academic year.

Over the next several weeks, a number of candidates for tenure-track positions in the School of Sustainable Design Engineering will be visiting campus. The School encourages members of the campus community to attend the public presentations scheduled for each candidate as per the following schedule:

Dongbing Li - Monday, April 20, 2:45-3:45 pm, McDougall Hall, Room 246
"Process and Product Development Based On Fast Pyrolysis of Forestry Residues"

Dongbing Li is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) at Western University where he has maintained an active portfolio of research projects sponsored by BioFuelNet Canada, Lignoworks Research Network, and industrial partners. His major research interests focus on optimization and value-added opportunities in chemical and bioresource engineering.

Andrew Swingler - Tuesday, April 21, 10:45-11:45 am, McDougall Hall, Room 246
"Who, What, When, How & Why of Micro-Grids, the Impacts for Communities and the latest in R&D"

Andrew Swingler is an expert in micro-grid energy systems with more than 12 years direct industry experience; including serving as Head of Technology Anticipation for Schneider Electric's international solar business. Andrew's experience and expertise ranges across the intelligent grid spectrum from high-performance off-grid PV-hybrid power systems to the integration and optimization of injecting PV and stored energy directly to the grid.

Bishnu Acharya - Wednesday, April 22, 10:45-11:45 am, McDougall Hall, Room 246
"Bioprocessing and Bioconversion of Biomass & Bio-waste to Biofuel and High Value Product"

Bishnu Acharya is the General Manager-Projects for Greenfield Research Incorporated, an energy and environment related research and development company in Halifax. He has been working for developing clean and sustainable energy and bio-resource technologies for the last 8 years with focus on transferring the knowledge gained through research into industrial application. Bishnu has taught both graduate and undergraduate engineering courses at Dalhousie University, the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand and at Kantipur Engineering College in Nepal.

Dan Nkwetta - Friday, April 24, 2:45-3:45 pm, McDougall Hall, Room 246
"Practicality of Sustainable Energy Systems and Mechatronics: Design, Integration, Automation and Optimization"

Dan Nkwetta is the director of applied alternative and sustainable energy research laboratory (ASERL) and a professor and researcher of sustainable energy systems at New Brunswick Community Colleg, Saint John campus. He also currently serves as expert consultant for NSERC strategic grants, NSERC Community Colleges Innovation Grants, sustainable development technology Canada (SDTC) and national reviewer for Canadian Technologies Accreditation Board (CTAB).

Hossein Ahari - Monday, April 27, 10:45-11:45 am, McDougall Hall Room 246
"Optimization of Laminated Dies Manufacturing"

Hossein Ahari is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Sustainable Design Engineering at UPEI. He holds a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering respectively. After more than seven years working in different industry and research sectors as a mechanical and aerospace engineer and also building a successful career in trade and technology managing his own business, Hossein earned his PhD from the department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2011.

T3 Trius Transit has added a one-time bus service on Sunday, April 19 to assist students writing exams at the University of Prince Edward Island. University Avenue Express route (#1), that travels between the Confederation Centre of the Arts and the Charlottetown Mall, will operate from 8:00 am to 10:30 pm, following the Saturday schedule.

Buses will leave the Confederation Centre every half hour at the top and bottom of the hour, and leave the Charlottetown Mall every 30 minutes, at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour, with stops at UPEI both ways.

Earlier this year, UPEI extended the number of teaching days in the semester due to the number of storm closures, which resulted in a compressed exam period and some exams being scheduled on Sunday, not a normal practice.

Mike Cassidy, President of T3 Trius Transit said, 'When the UPEI administration and Student Union approached me to see if we could accommodate this need, I was only too happy to help out to alleviate some stress for students who are focused on exams.'

'We realized that, with the adjusted schedule, some students might face difficulty in securing transportation to campus on Sunday,' added Jackie Podger, UPEI's Vice-President Administration and Finance. 'UPEI thanks Mike for helping us address this challenge by adding the Sunday bus service.'

'Students don't need the added pressure of finding a way to get to campus during the exam period,' commented UPEI Student Union President Lucas MacArthur. 'The Student Union applauds UPEI and T3 Transit in coming up with a solution!'

For the full, regular T3 Trius Transit Schedule, visit www.triustransit.ca