Speaker: Jessica Hawkins, Biomedical Sciences Title: Modulation of alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures

Dr. Daniel Elad from Kimron Veterinary Institute in Israel is giving a seminar Thursday, April 17, 2014 in AVC Lecture Theatre A, at 10:30 am, titled "Challenges Facing the Israeli Veterinary Services and Highlights of Some Animal Infectious Diseases in Israel." Dr. Elad is Head of the Division of Bacteriology and Mycological Laboratory at Kimron Veterinary Institute. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Staff, faculty, and students are invited to an information session on the 2014-15 budget led by President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz on Tuesday, April 15 in The McCain Foundation Learning Commons at AVC, from 2–3:30 pm.

The provincial government's manager of recruitment and retention, Gaylene MacKenzie, will give a presentation to international students and graduates, on the PNP program on Friday, April 11 at 1:00 pm in the Main Building Faculty Lounge. More information on the program can be found on the Government of PEI webpage. The presentation will last 15-20 minutes. There will be time reserved for questions after the presentation.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in town hall meetings on academic planning hosted by the Curriculum Planning Committee (CPC) on April 17 from 1:00-2:30 in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium (room 242), Don and Marion McDougall Hall. The meetings will focus on the draft program evaluation instrument, guiding principles and proposed planning process developed by the CPC. We need to hear your ideas on the best path for UPEI to achieve a well structured academic plan.

The Faculty Development Office in conjunction with the Vice-President Academic is pleased to host one of Canada’s most sought-after campus presenters, Ken Steele, on Thursday, May 1, 2014. A public presentation will be held from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon in the Don and Marion McDougall Hall's Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, room 242. Workshops will be held in the afternoon of May 1 for UPEI staff and faculty only. If you are interested in the workshop portion of the event, you will need to RSVP as soon as possible to the Faculty Development Office (fdo@upei.ca or 620-5217). "Ken Steele has become Canada’s most sought-after campus presenter because he continually synthesizes breaking news, research, data and trends, and delivers ever-changing, fast-paced, dynamic presentations incorporating rich media, great humour, and insights specific to the audience and institution. Ken engages a broad range of campus stakeholders with his unique and comprehensive perspective on higher education – as former academic, entrepreneur, co-founder of Academica Group, editor of Canada’s leading PSE news daily, and consultant to a hundred institutions across the country." VISIT: http://eduvation.ca

Krishna Raghavan will present his Master of Arts - Island Studies thesis defence on Tuesday, April 22 at 12:30 pm in Dalton Hall, room 409. The thesis title is: "Evaluating Renewable Energy Options for Small Islands using Emergy Methodology: Case Study of Coconut Biodiesel in the Fiji Islands". Since space is limited in this room, if you wish to attend please contact Dr. Jim Randall, Coordinator of the MA Island Studies program, at 620-5013 or jarandall@upei.ca.

A Good Friday Service will be held at the Chaplaincy Centre at 2:00 pm on Friday, April 18.

Emily Thomas will present her Master of Arts - Island Studies thesis defence on Monday, April 28th at 8:45am in Dalton Hall, room 409. The thesis title is: "Sustaining Island Fishing Communities: Policy and Management in Practice in Maine and Newfoundland". Since space is limited in this room, if you wish to attend please contact Dr. Jim Randall, Coordinator of the MA Island Studies program, at 620-5013 or jarandall@upei.ca.

The departments of Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering are pleased to host a one-day science, engineering, math, and technology camp for girls in grades 7-9 at UPEI on May 2 from 9:30am-4:30pm. Participants will be exposed to hands-on science activities and careers so that they can make informed decisions about subject choices in later school years. Girls will participate in an international community development engineering project, practice programming skills, build a solar panel, and perform chemical experiments. They will also meet female role models who are working in the science, engineering, and technology fields. The event is coordinated by WISE Atlantic, IslandWISE (Women in Science and Engineering), Engineers PEI, and ITAP (Innovation Technology Association of PEI).