UPEI, SDU, and PWC alumni will join their classmates and come “home” to PEI July 27–30, 2017 to celebrate on the beautiful and vibrant UPEI campus. We look forward to welcoming you! A variety of receptions, ceremonies and class milestone reunion gatherings are sure to be special and memorable events. A significant highlight will include the Lucy Maud Montgomery Institute featuring a virtual reality display of the wreck of the Marco Polo and the 50th milestone reunion celebration for the SDU Class of 1967. Check back often for further additions to the schedule of events!

Everyone is welcome to attend SDU's annual celebration of the Roman Catholic Mass as part of Reunion Weekend.  For the full schedule, visit the Reunion Weekend webpage.  

This summer school is intended for graduate students and promising undergraduates. Each participant is expected to register for at least two of the three courses. Each course consists of three hour-lecture sessions per day for two weeks. AARMS and UPEI will provide a certificate indicating course completion and facilitate transfer of credit to students' home university. To apply: https://aarms.math.ca/affiliated/summer2017/ For further information contact: Dr. Alexander Alvarez (alalvarez@upei.ca); Dr. Gordon MacDonald (gmacdonald@upei.ca); or Dr. Nasser Saad (nsaad@upei.ca) Registration and Accommodation are free. Deadline to apply is May 15, 2017.

Jay Naidoo, political and social activist, has been a leader in the anti-apartheid movement and served as the founding General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions.  Mr. Naidoo is author of the book Change: organising tomorrow, today which warns, “Unless there is significant change, the world is heading to an explosion. The growing gap between rich and poor is dangerous and unsustainable.” Naidoo's discussion explores why people are poor when we walk on gold, diamonds, and resources that fuel the global economy; the extent to which the technological revolution has changed the way we live, organize ourselves, and work; and what the future may hold for education, training and jobs. All are welcome to attend.  For more information, contact Dr. Ron MacDonald at rjmacdonald@upei.ca or Dr. Neb Kujundzic at nkujundzic@upei.ca

The School of Sustainable Design Engineering at UPEI is launching its first ProGRES Summer Program to promote engineering research interest and involvement among young women in high school. Through the ProGRES Program, high-school students will have the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research projects with world-class researchers in state-of-the-art facilities. The selected students will work directly with a female faculty researcher and mentor on an independent research project, and they will have opportunities to meet and work with female engineers and engineering students. Young women of PEI going into grades 11 and 12 are encouraged to apply for the ProGRES Summer Program. Please click here  for complete program information and application. Application deadline is 5:00 pm on June 7, 2017.

Tuesday, June 13, from 7:00 – 8:30 pm Room 286A/287 Atlantic Veterinary College University of Prince Edward Island Did you know that bats are the only mammals that fly, and eat about 500 mosquitoes in an evening meal? Learn more about these important animals with Jordi Segers, of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, at the Atlantic Veterinary College. Mr. Segers will provide an engaging presentation about the bats of PEI and the world. He will share information on why bats are critically important to us and the world's ecosystems, explain why bats are our true super heroes, and what you can do in your own backyard to help PEI bats. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. For information, contact (902) 566-0589 or visit upei.ca/avc

Join us Tuesday, June 6 at 2 pm in Schurman Market Square of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall to celebrate the recipients of the 2017 Katherine Schultz Research Recognition Awards.  The Katherine Schultz Research Recognition Awards were created out of a gift received from Dr. Schultz, UPEI’s first Vice-President Research. Under her tenure from 2001 to 2012, UPEI enjoyed a seven-fold increase in research funding and intensity. The awards go to a UPEIFA member, staff member, or volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to the research enterprise at UPEI. This year, two recipients have been selected. Leslie Cudmore, research grants coordinator, and Dr. Pedro Quijon, associate professor in the Department of Biology, will be recognized for their work to help promote the community of research and discovery at UPEI.  A small reception will follow.

Join for a presentation and dialogue with Pablo Aránguiz Mesías, a visiting research fellow of UPEI’s Young Lives Research Laboratory (YLRL). The presentation is us Thursday, June 8 at 10 am in room 246 of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. Aránguiz will be presenting about the the Wekimün Chilkatuwe School in Chiloé, Chile—a collaborative project of the YLRL and the General Council of Williche Chiefs of Chiloé. A traditional meal will be served after the presentation. “We are pleased and honoured to have Pablo with us as a Visiting Fellow,” said Dr. Kate Tilleczek, director of the YLRL. “He has been a central part of the team in our international and collaborative work to build and develop this unique intercultural school and curriculum with, for, and by the Williche youth and communities of southern Chile. Pablo’s visit will heighten our collaborations even further as we forge additional links with Indigenous communities on PEI and share together our respective lessons and questions about education and sustainable development in First Nations communities. The Wekimün School project has been a tremendous honour and learning experience. It is our hope that the YLRL and the Willche Council of Chiefs will witness many new roots taking hold from the foundations we have created together.” Wekimün School, funded by Global Affairs Canada, aims to improve the quality of life of the Indigenous Williche youth, their families, and territories through intercultural educational initiatives. Its educational model seeks to integrate traditional-Indigenous and western-scientific knowledge into curricula and project-based learning programs. Aránguiz, a professor at Wekimün School, holds a master’s degree in analysis and management of ecosystems from the University of Alicante in Spain. Aránguiz contributes to the development of a unique intercultural curriculum at Wekimün, teaches, and manages the school’s community-based education and sustainable development projects. “It has been a privilege to be a direct witness and participate in the dialogue between the systems of traditional Williche and modern scientific knowledge. Wekimün, the new knowledge, has been possible thanks to the humility of those who have made available their life experiences to face the global problems that affect to all of us today,” said Aránguiz. Professor Aránguiz will be visiting Prince Edward Island June 5-10. During his time, he will meet with and learn from scholars and members of the Indigenous communities on the Island. His presentation Thursday will give an overview of Wekimün School, including a multi-media display of photographs and video. There will be time for open questions and answers, and a dialogue about next steps in the collaboration. The Young Lives Research Laboratory conducts qualitative research in the area of reimagining schools for and with marginalized youth, youth and technology, and youth and mental health. For more information on the lab, visit katetilleczek.ca. 

The UPEI Faculty of Nursing invites nursing students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters to campus for a reception and gala dinner on Thursday, June 29, 2017 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of nursing education at UPEI. A reception will be held for students and alumni from 3:00–4:30 pm at the Health Sciences Building, home to the UPEI Faculty of Nursing. All are welcome! The gala dinner will take place from 6:00–9:00 pm at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. The semi-formal evening will include an enjoyable culinary experience, acknowledgment of the successes of the UPEI Faculty of Nursing, and a silent auction for which proceeds will go towards funding a scholarship for nursing students. 

Island Studies welcomes Dr. Stan Brunn, Professor Emeritus from the University of Kentucky, to speak on “The Changing World Language Map: A Megaproject in Progress” in UPEI’s Main Building Faculty Lounge Tuesday, June 27, at 10:30 a.m. Dr. Brunn will be speaking about his latest book project on the world’s languages called The Changing World Language Map. One of the most well-respected cultural geographers in North America, Dr. Brunn is widely published, including serving as editor of the five-volume, 3200+ page The Changing World Religion Map (Springer, 2015). Dr. Brunn is Professor Emeritus in the Geography Department at University of Kentucky, where his teaching and research interests include political, social and urban geography, the geographies of information and communication, the geographies of religion and languages, time-space geographies and innovative cartographies. He has been a visiting professor at universities around the globe. As part of his presentation, he invites interested parties to contribute to the project and is willing to take questions on the current state of US politics. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Laurie at brinklow@upei.ca or 902-894-2881.