Wednesday, January 25 is a big night for the UPEI Men’s Hockey team. The Panthers take on Université de Moncton at 7 pm in MacLauchlan Arena and participate in the #PanthersBeKind challenge as part of Bell Let’s Talk Day. As one big act of kindness, the Panthers have invited members of Prince Edward Island’s growing Chinese population to the game.

The Panthers, AUS, and Bell have teamed up to support Bell Let’s Talk. Inspired by the AUS’s theme of “Be Kind,” UPEI’s Bell Let’s Talk Ambassadors, Jerika Gimpel and Olivia Murphy, began the #PanthersBeKind challenge. The challenge is simple: surprise someone in your community with a small act of kindness. Capture it on video, post it on social media, and challenge two others to do the same!

An estimated 350 members of the Chinese community in PEI are expected to Wednesday’s game, where there will be a showcase of their culture. After the game, there will be a family skate and opportunities to meet members of the team.

“Another big game with play-off implications,” said coach Forbes MacPherson. “With only six games remaining and four on the road, we have to take care of home ice and continue to build towards a playoff position. We are also excited to participate in Bell Let's Talk. Many Canadians are affected by mental illness during their life. This initiative helps support overcoming the stigma and get people talking.”

“Our goal is to develop stronger connections with our ever expanding PEI populations and community,” said Chris Huggan, director of UPEI Athletics and Recreation. “By reaching out and being kind, we hope to make the PEI Chinese community more aware of, feel more welcome at, and ultimately become more connected with both UPEI and UPEI Athletics and Recreation.”

Game tickets are now available for purchase online at panthertickets.universitytickets.com

Find more details at gopanthersgo.ca.

Both of UPEI’s basketball teams have a two-game home stand this weekend in the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.

Friday night, the Panther women host Acadia University at 6:00 pm. The men take the court at 8:00 pm. On Saturday night, the women play Saint Mary’s at 6:00 pm. The men play at 8:00 pm.

“The team is excited to be playing a pair of home games after a weekend off,” said UPEI Women’s coach Greg Gould. “Acadia is an up-tempo team who press and play a lot of zone defense. Saint Mary’s is a great defensive team that is very disciplined on offence and are very good three-point shooters. We will need to defend and rebound well to be successful against both teams.”

“We have a huge weekend in front of us,” said UPEI Men’s coach Tim Kendrick. “Acadia sits four points up on us, so a win for us would vault us into a tie for the final play-off spot. SMU handed us a beating at their place in November, so we are looking to bounce back in a big way. We are going to have to be at our best if we hope to take points from either of these two strong teams!”

Find more details at gopanthersgo.ca.

The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) will hold the 27^th annual International Development Week (IDW) February 6-11. UPEI is a proud member of the ACIC and will host two events for IDW.

IDW brings together the PEI members of the ACIC and development groups from across the country. 2017 also marks the 42^nd anniversary of the ACIC.

Cinema Politca Charlottetown will screen The Real Thing: Coca, Democracy and Rebellion in Bolivia Monday, February 6 at 6:00 pm in room 246 of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. The film explores the United States’ “war on drugs” and how it has affected the people of Bolivia. The screening is free, but donations will be accepted in support of student Fallon Mawhinney’s forthcoming trip to Bolivia with Uniterra and WUSC. There will also be a raffle basket and popcorn for sale.

Thursday, February 9 from 5:00-7:00 pm, there will be a panel discussion on the topic of violence against women. Panelists include:

• Sally Armstrong, a three-time Amnesty International award winner and member of the International Women’s Commission at the UN
• Masuma Asad Khan, a third-year IDS student at Dalhousie University, campaigns and outreach coordinator for the Equity and Accessibility Office for the Dalhousie Student Union, and president of the Dalhousie Muslim Student Association

The discussion will be held in Lecture Theatre A of the Atlantic Vetrinary College.

Timothy’s Café in Charlottetown will host presentations by NGOs and youth representatives of the ACIC on Sunday, February 11 from 2:30-4:30 pm. Timothy’s will also host displays from NGOs during the entire IDW.

For more information, see the ACIC website or contact Selvi Roy at selvi@acic-caci.org.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The University of Prince Edward Island supports the concerns expressed by Universities Canada and is troubled with the United States government’s executive order issued Friday, January 27, 2017 and its impacts. This action may affect students, faculty and staff at UPEI from several countries as it prevents them from entering the United States for 90 days.

UPEI champions our Prime Minister’s recent statement that “diversity is our strength”. UPEI values diversity and welcomes all of our international students who represent over 65 countries. “We are proud of our University and Island communities that embrace diversity and welcome students, faculty, and staff from around the globe,” says President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “This inclusivity enriches our campus and we are stronger because of it.”

Falling on the heels of the United States executive order, the entire country is reeling from news of an attack on a Quebec City mosque and on some of the most intrinsic values shared by Canadians, diversity and freedom of religion.

“Respect and collegiality is the foundation of our value compass, making the horrific events in Quebec City unfathomable. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those killed in the terrorist attack,” said Abd-El-Aziz.

UPEI’s highest priority is the well-being of students, faculty, and staff and the University supports them to the fullest extent possible. Students needing support, please contact Treena Smith, Manager of Student Affairs, at trlsmith@upei.ca or Nathan Hood, UPEI Student Union President, at president@upeisu.ca.

For faculty and staff members who may require support with regards to travel or other services, please contact Robert Gilmour, Vice-President Academic and Research, at rgilmour@upei.ca or Sue Connolly, Associate Vice-President of Human Resources and Legal at smconnolly@upei.ca.

Every week, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes two student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. Congratulations to Kiera Rigby (Women’s Basketball) and Dut Dut (Men’s Basketball), the UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the week for January 23-29!

Kiera Rigby is a fourth year Bachelor of Science student on the UPEI Women’s Basketball team from Charlottetown. “Kiera had two outstanding games on the weekend,” said coach Greg Gould. “She scored 22 points to spark the Panthers 69-65 comeback win over Acadia Friday night. She was even better Saturday in a come-from-behind win over nationally ranked Saint Mary’s University with 26 points, three rebounds, three steals, and blocking two shots.”

Dut Dut is a fifth-year Bachelor of Arts student from Ottawa and a member of the UPEI Men’s Basketball team. Dut leads the AUS in rebounds-per-game at 11.6. Despite two back-to-back losses for the Panthers, Dut had a great weekend, scoring 31 points and grabbing 32 rebounds in two games. “Dut Dut has been consistently a hard worker for us all season,” said coach Tim Kendrick. “He is a worthy candidate for Athlete of the Week.”

Both basketball teams play two-game home stands this weekend against the University of New Brunswick, and the UPEI Women’s Hockey team takes on St. Francis Xavier University and Saint Mary’s University on home ice. The Subway AUS Swimming Championships will be held at the Bell Aliant Centre on the UPEI campus February 10-12. Find more details at gopanthersgo.ca.

Two teams from UPEI’s School of Business had excellent showings at the recent Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. ICBC is Canada’s longest-running undergraduate business case competition, with participants competing in eight divisions: accounting, business policy, ethics, debate, finance, human resources, marketing, and management of information systems. One of UPEI’s teams placed first in the marketing division; a second team came in third in ethics.

UPEI’s case teams competed in a preliminary round in October against dozens of teams from around the world. Students were presented a case of real-world problems faced by a business and were tasked with providing a written analysis and solution. UPEI’s strong showing in the fall earned it an invitation to participate in the final round in the marketing and ethics categories.

“We are proud to have had teams qualify in two categories in the final round of such a prestigious competition,“ said Dr. Juergen Krause, dean of UPEI’s School of Business. “It is amazing that both teams were so successful. This is an exceptional achievement.”

Teams had five and a half hours to prepare, with no access to the Internet. They had 15 minutes to present their solution to a panel of judges, including academic and industry professionals, followed by a Q&A period and defense of their recommendations.

UPEI’s marketing team, made up of Hannah Dawson (fourth-year BBA, marketing specialization) and Cullen Mullally (fourth-year BBA, finance specialization) competed against teams from the University of Toronto, University of Alberta, University of Regina, and Wilfred Laurier University.

“ICBC was a great social and educational experience,” said Mullally. “It was very well organized and allowed us to develop new friends and acquaintances that I'm sure will last a long time.”

“I am grateful to our program coordinator, Mary Whitrow, and our professors for the time they spent helping us train— Dr. Andrew Carrothers, Dr. Gary Evans, Dr. Susan Graham, Dr. Blake Jelley, Amy MacFarlane, Dr. Tarek Mady, and Dr. Tina Saksida,” said Dawson. “Having the full support of our faculty and dean behind us made all the difference.”

The ethics team, made up of Kate Kinsman (fourth-year BBA, accounting specialization) and Harrison Wood (fourth-year BBA, accounting specialization), competed against teams from Calgary University, Concordia University, University of Alberta, University of Vermont, and Saint Mary’s University.

“Not only did we have the chance to grow within our particular disciplines, we were given the opportunity to learn from industry professionals in all areas of business,” said Kinsman.

“Two podium finishes for UPEI is a testament to the quality of our business program and the preparation we put into competing at case competitions,” said Wood. “I am very proud of both teams and am grateful that UPEI gives us the opportunity to compete in such challenging and rewarding events.”

“These Canadian and American Institutions have some of the strongest case teams in the world,” said case competition program coordinator and coach Mary Whitrow. “It is gratifying to see our teams compete and rank so well against them.”

UPEI’s School of Business has a great track record at the ICBC.:

• 2016: third place, marketing division
• 2015: third place, business policy division
• 2013: first place, ethics division
• 2012: second place, ethics division

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Difficult Dialogues is a biannual student academic conference, that highlights issues that may be considered difficult to have conversations around. The conference runs February 10 and 11 and is sponsored by Diversity and Social Justice Studies at UPEI.

Difficult Dialogues includes presentations from students from around the Atlantic region. Presentations run Friday, February 10, from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm and Saturday, February 11 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Dr. Alexandre Baril, a post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie University, will deliver a keynote presentation.

Registration begins Friday at 1:00 pm in the Dawson Lounge of SDU Main Building. The lounge will be used as a social and gathering space throughout the conference.

All events are free, accessible, and open to the public.

A team of AVC researchers, led by Dr. Javier Sanchez, associate professor of epidemiology, is investigating antibiotic resistance in cows at the genetic level.

Dr. Sanchez was recently awarded $27,000 from Zoetis’s 2016 Investment in Innovation fund for the project, which will focus on understanding the genetic process that can cause pathogens affecting the health of cows’ udders to be resistant to antibiotics.

This project is part of a program researchers at AVC are building around molecular epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in populations. The research team is composed of AVC faculty members Drs. Sanchez, J Trenton McClure, Luke Heider, and Juan Rodriguez-Lecompte, and post-doctoral fellow Dr. Julian Reyes.

The project complements an NSERC development grant Dr. Sanchez received last year to estimate antimicrobial resistance, using whole genome sequencing and bioinformatic tools, in microorganisms isolated from cows from farms with high and low use of antimicrobials.

In addition, the research team will collaborate with Colorado State University (CSU) to test a novel tool developed by CSU to quantify the amount of antimicrobial-resistant genes in milk samples.

“This is a novel approach that has not been tested before in milk samples,” said Dr. Sanchez, “so our research team is very excited about this opportunity and extremely thankful to Zoetis for providing the funds.”

“Antimicrobial resistance has been recognized by the World Health Organization and the United Nations as one of the main challenges in population health in the coming years,” he said. “Data generated from these projects will be used to prepare a national proposal of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in dairy cattle.”

The Zoetis Investment in Innovation fund provides $100,000 annually to the five Canadian veterinary colleges for research projects that are chosen for funding on a competitive basis.
 

The Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre will hold its 2017 AVC Winter Webinar series, entitled "New Approaches to Old Diseases," in late February and early March. During the series, Dr. Caroline Hewson, past Chair of Animal Welfare at AVC now residing in the UK, and Dr. Christine Savidge, Assistant Professor of Small Animal Medicine at AVC, will review some core communication tools for discussing terminal diagnoses with clients and then focus on practical strategies from human medicine that offer busy veterinary teams a new framework for handling severe and chronic disease in patients of all ages.

Webinar 1: The Toolbox
Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 1:00-2:00 pm AST    CE credits: 1 hour
Dr. Hewson will briefly review three core communication tools for delivering terminal diagnoses and creating workable clinical care plans with clients. She will then introduce three further tools with which to support owners and benefit their animals that have severe diseases. These tools will provide a framework to help attendees and their clients to anticipate and respond with greater peace of mind, as the animal’s condition deteriorates, and to identify the right time to start talking about euthanasia and the animal’s end-of-life.

Webinar 2: Applying disease trajectory in renal disease
Tuesday, February 28, 2017, 1:00-2:00 pm AST    CE credits: 1 hour
Dr. Savidge will use feline and canine cases of renal disease to illustrate different disease trajectories and how these influence discussions with clients, including the potential role of pain from renal disease. She will show examples of how disease trajectory graphs can help veterinarians and clients anticipate and respond to an animal’s changing condition, as renal insufficiency progresses, and decide when/if intensive rescue treatment is desirable in uremic crises.

Webinar 3: Pulling it all together with more case discussions
Tuesday, March 7, 2017, 1:00-2:00 pm AST   CE credits: 1 hour
Drs. Savidge and Hewson will tie together the concepts illustrated in the previous two webinars, using diverse cases of renal insufficiency from their practices and submitted by webinar participants.

To register, please visit awc.upei.ca
 

UPEI is rallying behind members of the Muslim community both on campus and across the country.

The University lowered the flags yesterday in front of Kelley Memorial Building to half-mast in honour of the victims of the shooting at a Quebec City mosque on Sunday, January 29.

In a statement issued to UPEI students, faculty, and staff, President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, “Respect and collegiality is the foundation of our value compass, making the horrific events in Quebec City unfathomable. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those killed in the terrorist attack.”

A group of UPEI students decided to show their support for the Muslim community Tuesday night by hanging what they call a solidarity wall at the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre. (CBC PEI story). The banner that hangs outside the door of where UPEI’s Muslim students pray reads, "We stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers & sisters."  Everyone is invited to sign the banner in a show of support.