In the past several years, travel by Islanders to Iceland has grown from a rarity to a phenomenon. “So you want to go to Iceland…” is a guide for both the never-been-there-yet set, and for experienced travellers looking for new ways to scratch their Iceland itch. The program includes Icelandic basics, a sample itinerary, a chance to question veteran Icelandic trippers, and a showcase of Iceland photos, submitted by the public. Send up to eight of your best shots to davidkcairns@gmail.com, and let him know if you want to do an oral commentary about your own adventure in Iceland. And if you don’t want to talk in the formal part of the evening, come anyway! There’ll be an opportunity for informal discussion and travel-tip-sharing during the intermission and afterward. The event takes place in the Faculty Lounge in UPEI's SDU Main Building, at 7 pm on January 19. Sponsors are the Vinland Society of PEI and the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI. Admission is free and donations are welcome. This is the first in a series of an Island Studies Winter/Spring Lecture Series. Watch for details for another lecture about islands – near and far – February 23! For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The UPEI Department of Music Recital Series is thrilled to present soprano Tracy Cantin on Friday, January 8 at 7:30 pm at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall. The Summerside native is returning to UPEI where, as she says “my serious training all began ten years ago.”  Tracy will be accompanied by pianist Frances McBurnie and jazz guitarist Dave Miller.  Her program of art songs will include Bach’s Ave Mariaand works by Debussy, Richard Strauss, Puccini and Britain. This recital has become a passion project for Tracy as it includes her favourite pieces composed by her favourite composers. Two of the Strauss pieces are songs she first learned and performed while a student at UPEI. Praised for her “full, gleaming sound” (Chicago Tribune), soprano Tracy Cantin “has it all - agility, power and dazzling coloratura”(Chicago Sun-Times), not to mention “vocal and physical allure, with interpretive intelligence and stage presence to boot” (Chicago Tribune). A recent graduate of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ms Cantin won magnificent critical acclaim last season at Lyric as Berta/Il barbiere di Siviglia, has appeared with the company in Elektra, Rigoletto, Parsifal, and most recently in the title role of Donizetti’s demanding Anna Bolena, in which she replaced ailing super-star soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. An avid concert performer, Tracy has performed around the world and has recently made debuts with the Melbourne Symphony (under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis), the Ravinia Festival, Grant Park Festival, Oregon Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Ms Cantin holds degrees from McGill University, the University of Western Ontario and the University of Alberta. Among  Tracy’s numerous awards are a 2014 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, a 2013 Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation career development grant, and first place in Canada’s prestigious Lois Marshall Memorial Competition (2010). Tickets are $15 Adults & $10 Seniors/Students and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/573446 or by calling or e-mailing the music office at 902-566- 0507/music@upei.ca.  

Population change has always been at the core of the development of small islands – and it is no different on Prince Edward Island. Every day the public media deliver news about some aspect of population: youth outmigration, rural depopulation, an aging workforce, temporary foreign workers, refugees, wealthy immigrant investors…. This Public Symposium will provide an opportunity for the public to hear about and contribute to the debate on several of the salient population issues that are crucial to the future of Prince Edward Island. There will be three featured speakers, beginning with Dr. Jim Randall, a geographer by training and a professor in the Island Studies program at UPEI. He is also Chair of the Institute of Island Studies and Co-ordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies. He will provide an overview of the major population changes taking place on PEI from a “small islands” perspective. Katie Mazer is a PhD Candidate in Geography at the University of Toronto researching the movement of workers between the Maritimes and natural resource industries 'out west'. Katie's presentation will focus on Islanders going west and migrant workers coming into the province. Her presentation asks: Why do so many workers have to go so far to make a living? The third speaker is Tony Wallbank, a retired business owner and draft-horse enthusiast who has spearheaded the upcoming migration of two communities of Amish farmers from southern Ontario to eastern Prince Edward Island. The first Amish settlers will arrive next spring. He will tell us about the Amish, explain why they find rural PEI attractive, and review some of the challenges in this process of community resettlement. Members of the public are cordially invited to attend. Admission is free. Following the presentations, there will be ample time for discussion and questions from the floor. This event is sponsored by UPEI’s Institute of Island Studies, in conjunction with UPEI Research Services.

Faculty of Science Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series The Campus community is kindly invited to a seminar offered by Dr Etienne Côté (Department of Companion Animals,  AVC): "One Health: what congenital heart defects in dogs can teach us about ourselves" Everyone is welcome.

Faculty of Science Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series The Campus community is kindly invited to a presentation by Shannon Mader (PEI Island Trust): “Island Nature Trust: 2015 and moving forward” Everyone is welcome.

Faculty of Science Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series The Campus community is kindly invited to a presentation by Travis Saunders (AHS, UPEI): “Is sitting killing you?” Everyone is welcome.

Faculty of Science Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series The Campus community is kindly invited to presentations by Laura Carvalho (MSc-HUB; Reed-Jones’ Lab, AHS): “Determining the relationship between eye movement patterns and neurological mechanisms that affect postural control post concussion” And Travis McIsaac (MSc-HUB, MacDonald’s Lab, AHS): “Exploring negative sport experiences as predictors of positive youth development” Everyone is welcome.

Faculty of Science Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series The Campus community is kindly invited to a presentation by Diana Hamilton (Biology, Mount Allison University): “Movement, diet and duration of stay by Semipalmated Sandpipers migrating through the Bay of Fundy: new insights challenge previous assumptions” Everyone is welcome.

Faculty of Science Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series The Campus community is kindly invited to a presentation by Adam Fenech (UPEI Climate laboratory): “Prince Edward Island changing coastline” Everyone is welcome.

Faculty of Science Environmental Sciences/Human Biology Seminar Series The Campus community is kindly invited to a presentation by David Speare (Pathology and Microbiology, AVC): "Getting Published! A journal editor's perspective on improving the odds of getting your work accepted and published” Everyone is welcome.