UPEI’s Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program offers the first interdisciplinary graduate program in international, comparative island studies in Canada, and one of the first of its kind in the world. This thesis-based program is designed for working professionals and those who want to develop expertise in island issues, whether it pertains to PEI or to other world islands. Many of the classes are offered in the evenings, which provides flexibility and convenience to fit a variety of schedules. To learn more about this exciting graduate studies opportunity, UPEI’s MAIS program invites you to meet with its coordinator and attend an information session on Thursday, March 20 from 4:00-6:30 pm in room 222, Kelley Memorial Building at UPEI. For more information on UPEI’s MAIS program or the info session, please contact Jim Randall, UPEI’s MAIS Coordinator, (902) 620-5013, mais@upei.ca or visit http://www.upei.ca/programsandcourses/island-studies

Join UPEI's Creative Writing Master Class on Monday, March 24, at 7:00 pm in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery for their annual showcase. Some of the Island’s most talented new writers will read excerpts from their fiction, poetry, creative non­-fiction, and playscripts. The featured writers are Damon Ansems, Chris Bailey, Keith Burgoyne, Michael Conway, Angela Deighan, Sarah Glassford, Ben Hartley, Ruby Madigan, Lori Mayne, Olivia Robinson, Justin Shaw, Toni Timmins, and Ken Williams. The audience will encounter a circus with a purple giraffe named Vivian who speaks with a New York accent; a young female schoolteacher during the First World War whose brother is fighting in Europe’s trenches; mating rituals in the age of sexting and social media; an Islander’s journey from a Charlottetown boyhood to Army postings in the world’s trouble­spots; and other samples from the literary world of wonders. The event is open to the public and admission is free.

Join Mohamed Hassan, PhD Physics visiting student will present a seminar on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 12:30 pm. The presentation is entitled Theoretical Study on Nanotubes Heterojunctions Energies and their Potential Application as Nanodevices. The seminar will be held in the Regis and Joan Duffy Research Centre, Lecture Theatre Room 212.

Join the Faculty of Science for a seminar entitled "Why I came to PEI for the beaches and eneded up in a ditch. The story of sea rocket and lupines", presented by Dr. Karen Samis (Department of Biology), in Duffy Science Centre, room 204 on Friday, March 21 at 12:30 pm. This seminar series is hosted by the Biology Department. Everyone is welcome.

A DVD recording of Dr. Grandin's presentation entitled: "Understanding Animal Behaviour - How animals think, preventing fear memories, reducing stress" will be shown on Tuesday, March 25 in AVC "C" at 12:30 pm, hosted by the AVC Animal Welfare Club and SJDAWC. This talk was originally given by Dr. Grandin at Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture, on December 3, 2013. All are welcome to attend.

Students, staff, faculty, and members of the community are invited to join the University 100 Program on Friday, March 28 from 1:00-3:00 pm to celebrate student success and students’ voices from University 100, 203, and UPEI 103. Presentations will be given on: Campus Life, Service Learning, UPEI Research that Matters, and UPEI History.

SPEAKER: Ravinder Sappal, Pathology and Microbiology TITLE: Modulation of energy homeostasis by environmental stress in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

Join the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation, in partnership with the International Relations Office at UPEI for a symposium entitled "Making Connections: Cooperating for a Sustainable Future," from June 12-14th, 2014 in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, room 242. The conference will kick off on Thursday evening with keynote speaker Joanna Kerr, Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada, with her talk “How to be courageous in a planet in crisis,” followed by a networking event. The event is open to the public. For more information contact Stephanie McAnany at membership@acic-caci.org, or go visit www.acic-caci.org. Joanna joined Greenpeace Canada in October 2013 after serving as the first female Chief Executive of ActionAid International, a global development organization based in South Africa and operating in 45 countries. Much of her career has been dedicated to women’s rights, international policy and climate change; as Policy Director at Oxfam Canada, as Executive Director of the Association of Women’s Rights in Development and as a Senior Researcher at The North-South Institute. A Canadian, she has worked across Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

UPEI faculty are invited to attend an information session presented by UPEI’s Accessibility Services and the Faculty Development Office on Friday, March 28 from 1:00-3:30 in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, room 142. The session will be on providing supports for the growing number of students affected with Asperger Syndrome. Students affected by Asperger Syndrome often face new challenges as they continue their education in post-secondary environments. Recognizing and understanding the key areas of difficulty is vital to providing a positive learning environment. This session will focus on the characteristics of this disorder which impact academic as well as social success and suggest practical and effective educational strategies. Our special guest speaker will be Marlene Breitenbach, a Special Educator and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with over 30 years experience teaching individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In her current role as Special Education Autism Coordinator at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, she supports the implementation of the provincial autism strategy, provides staff and consultant training and support for complex cases. If you are planning to attend, kindly RSVP to Gerald at the Faculty Development Office by March 25 at fdo@upei.ca We hope to see you there. Refreshments will be provided!

Rants, poems, raps, songs, skits... all related to diversity and social justice issues. Organized by the Student Diversity Office and DSJS