UPEI researchers garner more than $1-million in grants and scholarships from NSERC
Marine invertebrates, such as corals, jellyfish and worms that have no backbones, are a proven source of new chemicals that often show intriguing and useful biological activities, he says. Scientists have described more than 200,000 species of marine animals with even more still to be discovered; yet, to date, only a limited number of these species have been explored as possible sources of therapeutic agents or “bioactives” as they are known.
For example, studies on gorgonians, a group of corals which live in tropical and subtropical oceans, have yielded a large variety of new bioactive natural products. These include compounds in a group called terpenes, which are valuable for their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. But the development of these compounds has been hampered by the lack of an available supply, making it difficult to turn a new marine natural product into a commercial product that people can use.
Kerr is one of seven faculty members at UPEI whose research was recognized by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) when the 2008 Discovery awards were announced recently. UPEI received a total of $1,065,600 in grants and scholarships, divided into $841,400 in Discovery grants to faculty members and $224,200 in student scholarships.
With the help of his Discovery grant, Kerr will investigate the development of two complementary production methods of fuscol and fuscosides, a family of potent anti-inflammatory terpenes from gorgonian corals. This project is part of a larger research program that aims to develop a sustainable production method of fuscol and fuscosides that will not damage the environment.
Successful completion of this project will help facilitate the development of a wide range of terpenoid marine natural products that will benefit the health of the Canadian public.
Other 2008 Discovery grant recipients are Dr. Robert Hurta, biology; Dr. Michael Shaver, chemistry; Dr. Maxim Burke, mathematics and statistics; Dr. Cezar Campeanu, computer science; Dr. Balaji Ramanathan, biomedical sciences; and Dr. Don Stevens, biomedical sciences. More than 20 other faculty members currently hold NSERC research grants, which usually run from two to five years.
With annual research expenditures of more than $13.2 million and a growing reputation for research achievement, the University of Prince Edward Island ranks as one of the top ten research-intensive undergraduate universities in Canada.
Anne of Green Gables focus of L.M. Montgomery Institute’s international conference this month
That iconic red-head, Anne of Green Gables, turns 100 this year, and scholars and fans from around the world will gather in Charlottetown from June 25 to 29 to celebrate her--and her creator--during the L.M. Montgomery Institute's eighth biennial international conference.
Island author L.M. Montgomery's first and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables, was published in 1908 by the L.C. Page Company in Boston; on June 20 of that year, Montgomery received her first copy of her book through the mail at her home in Cavendish. One hundred years and over 50 million copies later, the novel is the focus of a year-long celebration on P.E.I. that ranges from family-oriented festivals and theatre events to art exhibitions and the Institute's conference.
Entitled 'Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables and the Idea of Classic,' the conference, which is being co-chaired by pre-eminent Montgomery scholars Elizabeth Waterston, Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Epperly, includes over 40 speakers from 10 countries, including Finland, Italy, South Africa, Iran, Turkey, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the United States.
Presentations cover a wide array of topics, including The Power of the Imagination; Smart Girl Heroines and Smart Girl Sidekicks: the Shifting of Role of Intelligent Women in Classic Literature; Rethinking the Continuous Popularity of Anne in Japan; Male Redemption in the Writings of LMM; Reading a Classic, Writing like a Canadian: L.M. Montgomery, Jean Little and Literary Influences; and Teaching Anne of Green Gables in Iran.
Conference co-ordinator Elizabeth DeBlois encourages everyone who has ever been curious about the phenomenon of Anne to come out and sample what this dynamic conference offers.
'If you have loved this story, been intrigued by Montgomery or just been fascinated by the phenomenon that is Anne around the world then you should come and take in a session. There is truly something for everyone and you'll likely be surprised by what you find.'
In addition to the presentations, the conference will feature workshops, special events and entertainment. Of interest to Anne and Harry Potter fans will be a workshop called 'Anne at Hogwarts: Creative and Personal Responses to Classic Literature in the Classroom' by Trinna Frever, of the University of Michigan.
In keeping with Anne's literary bent, the conference will include a free book fair and official P.E.I. launch party on June 25 that is open to the public. The book fair will open with an address by Gretchen Moran Laskas, author of the recently released novel, The Miner's Daughter. The official launch of Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson, Imagining Anne by Epperly, and the anniversary edition of Anne of Green Gables, all published by Penguin Group, will follow. As well, on Sunday, June 29, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Wilson will give a public reading from Before Green Gables, which will include a question-and-answer session.
Movie and history buffs will enjoy Silent Movie Night on June 26 when Jack and Linda Hutton from Bala, Ontario, give a presentation featuring magic lantern images and music based around the lost 1919 silent film version of Anne of Green Gables starring Mary Miles Minter. Guests are encouraged to dress in the style of their favourite silent film star for this entertaining event. Tickets are $20 per person.
The conference is being held at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel in Charlottetown. Registrations are being accepted until June 10. See here for a complete list of presentations as well as activities, registration options and costs. For information, e-mail us or call (902) 628-4335.
Photo: Montgomery scholars Elizabeth Waterston, Elizabeth Epperly and Mary Rubio, co-chairs of the L.M. Montgomery Institute's upcoming eighth international conference
Montague High student wins scholarship to attend Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific
Sarah Haberl, a Grade 11 student at Montague Regional High School, is the winner of the 2008 Pearson College Scholarship for Prince Edward Island.
This prestigious award covers full tuition and residence for two years of study at the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in British Columbia. The selection committee for the P.E.I. scholarship was comprised of UPEI's Tamara Leary, acting director of Student Services; student counsellor Rose Ellen Ghiz; and assistant registrar Darcy McCardle.
A memorial to the late Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lester B. Pearson, the college is located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean at Pender Bay on Vancouver Island. One of 11 United World colleges around the world, it promotes the cause of international understanding by creating an environment in which students from many countries and cultures come together to study and to serve the community. Each year, 200 students from over 80 countries, including representatives from each Canadian province and territory, attend Pearson College.
Haberl, the 16-year-old daughter of Iris Solomon from High Bank, P.E.I., and Franz Haberl of Montreal, Quebec, has wanted to attend Pearson College since she first heard about it in grade seven.
'I am so excited to go and start this new chapter in my life! I hope to make some great new friends and experience different cultures. All my life I have wanted to travel and work with impoverished people, trying to improve their lives and situations. This scholarship gives me just that opportunity. I want to do something in international relations or law in the future, so having Pearson College as part of my background will be an amazing head start.'
The demanding curriculum challenges the students to excel and leads to the completion of the international baccalaureate. Over the two years, students complete their last year of high school, and may earn credits toward their first year of university. In addition to the rigorous academic program, they are extensively involved in physical activities, the fine arts, social services and community projects.
This year, six exceptional candidates were interviewed for the one scholarship available.
'Nominating one candidate for the scholarship was a challenge because all six were motivated, academically strong and well-rounded individuals,' says Leary, chair of the selection committee. 'Sarah is very involved in her community, an athlete and a stellar student at MRHS. We are delighted that Pearson accepted our committee's recommendation and are confident that Sarah will be an excellent ambassador for P.E.I.'
Dean of Law from University of Western Ontario to discuss future of legal profession on June 26
The event, which is open to the public, will take place in the new School of Business lecture theatre 242.
Holloway’s presentation is entitled “The Canadian Lawyer in the Twenty-first Century.” He will discuss the challenges that post-Cold War social and market forces and the information technology revolution have presented to members of the Canadian legal profession, and the need for them to modernize.
“It is clear that there will always be a need for lawyers in Canada,” says Holloway. “But if the legal profession is to retain its stature among the learned professions, Canada's lawyers will have to be willing to undergo a concerted project of modernization – and to have a fundamental shift in outlook. In a word, the Canadian lawyer in the twenty-first century will have to be a very different person from his or her counterpart in the twentieth. And if it is to succeed, this project will have to involve a genuine partnership between Canada’s law schools and the practicing arm of the profession.”
A native of the Maritime provinces, Holloway has served as Dean of Law at the University of Western Ontario since 2000. Prior to that, he was Associate Dean at the Australian National University. Over the years, he has also been a Visitor at Cambridge, the National University of Singapore, the University of Hong Kong, NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, and the universities of Delhi and Calcutta.
He is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School, the University of California at Berkeley and the Australian National University. He is a member of the bars of Nova Scotia and Ontario, and, before joining academia, he spent several years in private practice with a large firm in Halifax. In 2004, he was elected to membership in the American Law Institute.
The Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell Lectureship in Law is co-sponsored by UPEI and the Law Foundation of Prince Edward Island. In 1991 the Law Foundation of Prince Edward Island created an endowment at UPEI to provide a stimulating series of lectures in honor of Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell, former premier of PEI and first chancellor of UPEI.
Following the speech, there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion. There is no charge, and refreshments will be served.
UPEI holds memorial celebration in honour of Dr. C.W.J. Eliot on June 22
Dr. Eliot served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island from 1985 to 1995, and was named President Emeritus in 1996. He was the third person to serve as president since UPEI was created in 1969. He passed away on May 20, 2008.
Bert Tersteeg, a close friend of Dr. Eliot and retired professor of music at UPEI, is arranging the music for the celebration. The music will be performed by Bert Tersteeg and Rick Tersteeg (cello), Qeturah Tersteeg and Frances Gray (piano), and Basil Phillips and Faith Dockendorf (violins). Speakers will be friends and former colleagues of Dr. Eliot: Dr. E. Lawson Drake, Joseph Revell, Myron Turner and Dr. Jack Whytock. President Wade MacLauchlan will be the master of ceremonies for the celebration.
All are welcome to attend the memorial celebration. A reception will be held in the Main Building Faculty Lounge after the celebration.
UPEI's Tourism Research Centre releases profile of visitors based on entry and exit points
"The results of this report were quite surprising," says Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC. "We expected differences in terms of the regions visited on PEI for those using the ferry versus the bridge-or both-but were more surprised by the differences in spending and length of stay."
Some of the results were expected, such as visitors from Nova Scotia being the most frequent users of the ferry, and almost the only visitors who use the ferry to both enter and exit PEI. In addition, 96 per cent of the visitors from New Brunswick travelling to PEI by vehicle use the Confederation Bridge to both enter and exit PEI.
"However, it is surprising that about 21 per cent of the total travel parties use one method to enter PEI and the other to exit," explained Dr. Hennessey. "This is a sign of a large number of touring parties, and they are primarily from Ontario, the western provinces, international countries, and from states outside the New England area. In addition, a surprisingly high 21 per cent of visitors from Nova Scotia use one method to enter PEI, the other to exit. It is also somewhat surprising that visitors using only the bridge to enter and exit PEI stay an average of 5.5 nights on PEI, while those using the ferry only or a mixture only stay an average of about 3.4 nights. This is a very large difference."
Average party size was very similar across the three groups at about three people per travel party; however, average expenditure per person per night differed sharply. Those using the bridge only spent about $62 per person per night, whereas those using the ferry at least one way spent about $82 per person per night. This is not because of the fare differences between the ferry and bridge, as this figure was excluded when visitors reported their spending.
The report is the seventh in a series based on comprehensive data previously released in the report, "Overall Results of the 2007 Exit Survey." The data is for the main tourism season of June 27 to September 30, 2007, and was collected as visitors departed PEI at the Confederation Bridge, Charlottetown Airport, and Wood Islands Ferry (seasonally). For a list of all reports released by the TRC on Exit Survey results, please visit trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. Three more reports based on main season results will be released over the next six weeks.
Further information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, University of PEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.
Atlantic Veterinary College Opens $20 Million Research Complex
"This Government knows investments in science and innovation are critical to the long-term prosperity of all Canadians,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "The Atlantic Veterinary College Research Complex will bring new opportunities for traditional industries such as agriculture and fisheries, as well as for the emerging sectors of food technology and bioscience. This will create jobs right here on the island and the work accomplished at the Complex will establish Prince Edward Island as a clear leader in the field of research and development.”
The development of the Atlantic Veterinary College’s new research facility is part of an overall $45 million infrastructure project driven by a dramatic increase in demand for the College’s research and service expertise. Approximately $18 million in infrastructure funding was provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Additional funding for the Atlantic Veterinary College’s infrastructure project was provided by the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and private partners.
Research carried out by the Atlantic Veterinary College provides critical contributions to many sectors including agriculture, food safety, public health, aquaculture and aquatic health, companion animals, animal welfare, and population health.
"I am confident that the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI, and the entire province will reap significant rewards from this important investment," said the Honourable Robert Ghiz, Premier of Prince Edward Island. "This Research Complex will not only provide new opportunities for research and innovation in a variety of fields important to our local economy, it will serve to enhance the well-established reputation of the AVC and attract more students to the province. Our government is pleased to be a partner in this exciting expansion.”
The new research facility will house a number of the Atlantic Veterinary College’s specialized research centres including the Atlantic Centre for Bioactive Valuation, the Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research, and the Atlantic Veterinary College’s Lobster Science Centre. The research complex will provide an additional 12,000 square feet (1,100 square meters) of research labs and space for an additional 30 graduate students. It will also include a Specific Pathogen Free holding facility–a $3 million research space built to the specifications of a Level 3 containment facility.
“Today’s opening propels the Atlantic Veterinary College and the entire Atlantic region forward in our ability to contribute to advances in animal health, human health, and comparative biomedical research,” said Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of the Atlantic Veterinary College. “We have the talent and the expertise to make significant contributions to society. We applaud our partners in recognizing our enormous potential and investing in the infrastructure needed to support our commitment to discovery and innovation.”
The Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI is committed to excellence and innovation in education, research, and professional services. The college is known around the world for its outstanding educational programs, aggressive research agenda, and being home to more than a dozen specialized research centres that range from veterinary epidemiological research to aquatic health. The Atlantic Veterinary College's Veterinary Teaching Hospital is the only full service referral hospital in Atlantic Canada.
UPEI field hockey player named to national team
Sarah MacAulay, of the UPEI women's field hockey and hockey teams, has been named to the senior women's national field hockey team.MacAulay has been awarded a development card and will report for team training on July 3 with the rest of the national squad in British Columbia, the home base for the national team. The players will train until September 5, with a two-week break at the end of July.
She joins fellow Islander Katie Baker who has been a member of Team Canada for the past three seasons.
MacAulay just completed her third year with the Panthers. She is a former field hockey league rookie of the year and two-time field hockey league all-star. She was named to the CIS All Canadian team this past season.
She helped lead her team to three straight Atlantic titles and won the Mickey Place Award for women's hockey for the 2007-2008 season. She will be greatly missed by both Panther programs next season. Both teams are very proud of her great achievement and wish her all the best in this exciting endeavour!
Research partnership has potential to benefit human and animal health
Through this collaboration, UPEI and Ryerson University will develop new biomedical applications for Seno Medical’s technology called opto-acoustic imaging, with applications in animal and human health, including cancer detection and treatment monitoring.
"This is an outstanding three-way partnership, building on the cooperative relationship between UPEI and Ryerson University and on the opto-acoustic imaging strengths of Seno Medical Instruments," says UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "This could lead to real advances in medical technology, and training opportunities for students."
“This project is a great example of how our researchers propel ideas and innovations into the community, industry and marketplace,” says Dr. Alan Shepard, Provost and Vice-president, Academic, at Ryerson University. “We look forward to continued interactions between researchers at Ryerson and UPEI, and opportunities to expand our research and academic connections in other disciplines.”
Leading the project are Dr. William Whelan, Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Optics and a member of the physics department at UPEI, and Dr. Michael Kolios, Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Applications of Ultrasound with the physics department at Ryerson University.
Dr. Whelan and Dr. Kolios are long time collaborators and have jointly received funding from federal and provincial granting agencies for their work, including NSERC, CIHR, NCIC, CFI and ACOA. Their joint research programs focus on developing minimally invasive technologies that use light and sound, instead of surgery or radiation, to deliver, monitor and assess cancer treatments.
For this work, they are using the first-ever commercially available opto-acoustic small animal imaging device, created by Seno Medical, a cancer-focused company located in San Antonio, Texas. Funding in excess of $2 million was recently secured by Whelan and Kolios to carry out the research.
With opto-acoustic imaging, laser pulses are directed into tissues, and if tumors are present, they will absorb the light energy and convert this energy absorption into an acoustic wave, which is picked up by the transducers embedded in a probe, similar to those used by ultrasound. Seno’s team likes to say “ we make the tumors speak to us.” Seno’s technology will be used to provide clinicians with new cancer tools that are capable of detecting the hallmarks of cancer, angiogensis and oxygen saturation.
“We are so pleased that UPEI and Ryerson have purchased the first-ever commercially available opto-acoustic small animal imaging device,” says Janet Campbell, Chair and CEO of Seno Medical Instruments. “Individuals such as Dr. Whelan and Dr. Kolios are truly performing groundbreaking applications with our technology. This project is tremendously valuable to cancer researchers and cancer patients, and we are proud to be part of it.”
President Wade MacLauchlan named to Order of Canada
President Wade MacLauchlan was named a Member of the Order of Canada by Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on Canada Day, July 1.
"It's an extra special way to celebrate Canada Day, and an honour that I consider to be shared with everyone at UPEI," says President MacLauchlan.
President MacLauchlan is recognized for 'his contributions to the study of law in Atlantic Canada and to the economic development of the province of Prince Edward Island, through his leadership and involvement with numerous academic, cultural and research organizations, including the University of Prince Edward Island.'
He was among 75 people named to the Order of Canada on July 1. The presentation of his insignia will take place at Rideau Hall in Ottawa at a later date.
Other people with UPEI connections who have been inducted into the Order of Canada include Regis Duffy, Ron Baker, C.W.J. Eliot, Francis W.P. Bolger, Ron Irving and Henry Purdy, and Chancellors Doris Anderson, Norman Webster, Gustave Gingras, David Macdonald Stewart and Gordon Bennett.
