UPEI faculty members were recently recognized for teaching and research achievements at a reception and awards banquet sponsored by the UPEI Faculty Association and the Office of the President.

Dr. Pedro Quijon, Department of Biology, and Dr. Catherine Innes-Parker, Department of English, won the Hessian Awards for Excellence in Teaching. UPEI Merit Awards for Scholarly Achievement went to Dr. Henry Srebrnik, Political Studies; Dr. Debbie MacLellan, Family and Nutritional Sciences; and Dr. Larry Hammell, Atlantic Veterinary College.

The Hessian Award is given to a faculty member who has shown outstanding competence in teaching, and the Merit Awards for Scholarly Achievement to faculty members who have made significant and continuing contributions to scholarly research.

In the almost four years that Quijon has been at UPEI, he has established a reputation among biology students as a rigorous, demanding professor who sets high standards. He has also developed a strong reputation for motivating his students to learn and to succeed, giving them the tools and the confidence to accomplish their goals. He teaches a variety of courses in marine biology at both the undergraduate and graduate level; he frequently integrates the results of his own research into the student learning experience in the classroom and the field.

Innes-Parker infuses her teaching with her research and uses creative ways to engage her students in her medieval English literature and thought courses--from Chaucerian pilgrimages to the construction of medieval manuscript books, from mock trials to the creation of learning communities. She presents frequently at conferences on issues of teaching and learning and is a leader in advancing the teaching of medievalism. This fall, she will guide students through the intersections of literature, art, and religious thought in a team-taught integrated program of study at Memorial University's Harlow campus in Essex.

Srebrnik is widely known as an expert on nationalism and small islands. He has published numerous articles in refereed scholarly journals and chapters in edited volumes. His scholarship has been cited in at least 101 book chapters, journal articles and book reviews; 57 books; 12 theses; and numerous working and unpublished papers. He is a frequent contributor to 30 newspapers including the Guardian, Globe and Mail, National Post and Washington Post. His most recent publication is a book named 'Jerusalem on the Amur: Birobidzhan and the Canadian Jewish Communist Movement, 1924-1951.'

MacLellan currently holds just under $1 million in research funding, and has published widely, including 14 refereed manuscripts and 14 abstracts or conference presentations in the last five years. She has supervised or co-supervised five MSc graduate and three BSc honours undergraduate students. Since 2004 she has been co-principal investigator for the Masters of Applied Health Services Research (MAHSR) program, a joint degree program involving UPEI, Dalhousie, University of New Brunswick and Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is also director of the Integrated Dietetic Internship Program in the Faculty of Science.

An internationally recognized aquatic epidemiologist, Hammell teaches in AVC's Department of Health Management. Since 2003, he has served as director of the AVC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences. His accumulated research funding of over $10 million, impact on the aquaculture industry and international recognition have grown tremendously in the past six years, winning him the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, AVC, in 2006. He has published more than 28 refereed manuscripts, nine peer-reviewed special publications or proceedings, and 37 non-reviewed conference proceedings and abstracts. He has co-supervised two MSc and seven PhD students.

Members of the public are invited to attend a free concert on Sunday, June 28, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Steel Recital Hall at UPEI.

The concert is part of an international workshop being held at UPEI from June 27 to 30 for a multi-faceted research project called Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS). Led by UPEI's Dr. Annabel Cohen, a pioneer in the growing field of music psychology, AIRS will focus on exploring the development of singing ability, the connections between singing and learning and the enhancement of health and well-being through singing.

The line-up at the concert will include AIRS researchers who are professional vocalists like tenor Darryl Edwards, University of Toronto; soprano Sung-Ha Shin-Bouey, UPEI; and soprano Simone Falk, of Germany.

Neuroscience researchers Laurel Trainor and David Gerry, both from McMaster University, will perform two of Faure's vocal duets on flute, with pianist Rena Sharon from the University of British Columbia. Accompanied by Island pianist Jacqueline Sorensen, Cohen will sing Mozart and Gershwin.

As well, some AIRS researchers will share folk songs and children's songs from their own oral tradition. These include Helga Rut Guðmundsdóttir, of Iceland, and well-known P.E.I. singer Teresa Doyle.

During the seven-year AIRS project, more than 70 researchers from across Canada and many countries around the world will contribute to, and share knowledge and expertise about, numerous fields of study, including social psychology, musicology, education and medicine. They will present and develop their work audiovisually, using a digital library and virtual research environment (VRE) already established at UPEI.

The AIRS project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and Veterans Affairs Canada are building a team of experts to study a growing problem: the reintegration into the workplace of Veterans with mental health conditions. With the help of an $80,000 catalyst grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Dr. David Pedlar, UPEI Adjunct Professor and Director of Research, Veterans Affairs Canada, will lead the team toward the development of longer term studies.

"The successful CIHR application is an exciting opportunity to build new knowledge to support successful military to civilian transition and workplace reintegration for Veterans with mental health conditions,' says Dr. Pedlar. 'The research will benefit all Canadians as there is insufficient knowledge on how to successfully reintegrate persons with mental health conditions to the workplace."

UPEI's catalyst grant from CIHR will allow Dr. Pedlar to build a pan-Canadian team of experts which includes epidemiologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, academics, physicians and nurses.

According to Dr. Pedlar, this is not just a Canadian problem. Mental health conditions are often associated with early discharge from the military and reintegration into the civilian workplace is difficult for many Veterans in Canada, Britain and the United States.

'This research project has the potential to influence policy, and to enhance successful reintegration of Veterans into civilian life,' says Katherine Schultz, UPEI's Vice President of Research and Development. 'This is an exciting team working toward a significant and socially important goal. I'm proud UPEI is able to build on its relationship with Veterans Affairs Canada to do this.'

'Veterans with mental health conditions face unique needs and challenges when transitioning from the military to civilian life,' says Suzanne Tining, Deputy Minister, Veterans Affairs Canada. 'The findings from this research will help in the ongoing evaluation of our programs and services.'

The CIHR grant is for one year, and will be administered by UPEI.

On July 1, during a special Convocation in Iqaluit, 21 Inuit educational leaders from across Nunavut will graduate with a Master of Education degree from the University of Prince Edward Island.

The Master of Education in Leadership in Learning is the first graduate degree program to be offered in Nunavut. Most of the graduates are mature students who are already working as educators in their communities. They studied part-time over three years through face-to-face courses in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet combined with on-line learning.

The specially tailored curriculum balanced western and Inuit knowledge of education and educational leadership. It was developed and delivered through a unique partnership between the University of Prince Edward Island, Nunavut Department of Education, Nunavut Arctic College, and St. Francis Xavier University.

"This is a great achievement for UPEI and our Faculty of Education, in combination with the community in Nunavut, to offer this remarkable program," says UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "The greatest credit goes to the 21 graduates and to the faculty who have pioneered in the program and made a success of it." MacLauchlan and the UPEI Chancellor will take part in the Canada Day Convocation, along with representatives of the UPEI Faculty of Education.

During the ceremony, Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak and Minister of Education Louis Tapardjuk will join Chancellor Bill Andrew in presenting honorary degrees to two respected Elders, Mariano Aupilardjuk and Meeka Arnaquq.

Mariano Aupilardjuk is a philosopher, artist, drum dancer, song writer, cultural worker and activist who lives in Rankin Inlet. Widely recognized for his wisdom, his teachings, and healing abilities, he speaks of values and traditional knowledge in a way that links the past, the present and the future of Inuit in Nunavut. He teaches youth traditional Inuit land skills, advises the RCMP, speaks to government, and facilitates community and pan-territorial healing services. He has received numerous awards including the Northwest Territories Facilitator for Youth and Elders Award, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Award.

Meeka Arnaquq is well known for her innovative development of healing circles. She often works with her husband, Abraham, to provide healing to Inuit who are incarcerated. Using traditional pedagogy in the areas of language, cultural identity, healing, and spiritual well-being, she draws on traditional practices to build inmates' strength and develop direction for the future. She worked as an adult educator with Nunavut Arctic College for 18 years in Pangnirtung where she taught Inuktitut and traditional life skills, and provided counseling to adults. The NWT Status of Women has honoured her with the Wise Woman Award, and Arctic College recognized her contribution to mental health and healing with an Honorary Diploma in Social work.

The UPEI Master of Education in Leadership in Learning will be re-offered in Nunavut in 2010.

Eleven UPEI graduate students and post-doctoral researchers have been awarded funding through the Graduate and Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program. The provincial program promotes partnerships between the private sector and research institutions by sponsoring students and researchers whose studies are aligned with the Island Prosperity Strategy.

The PEI Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning created the program to support research projects that have commercial potential with funding of up to $20,000 for graduate students and $40,000 for post-doctoral fellows.

'We are pleased to support the research work of these students and their projects which complement the work government is doing to diversify the PEI economy,' said Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. 'Investing in people who are working to strengthen our innovative sectors is essential if we are to develop new products and services from our resource industries and other sectors of the economy.'

The award-winners, identified below, were honoured by the provincial government on June 29 for their contributions to Island research and innovation.

Donald Cameron: Erythritol-based Cores for Biodegradable Materials

For further work in developing new polymeric materials based upon the polymer star architecture based on non-toxic dipentaerythritol cores. The enhanced polymer stars will have important applications in materials science and as drug delivery systems.

Dr. Marguerite Cameron: Evaluation of Selective Dry Cow Treatment Following On-Farm Culture Using Petrifilm on Low Somatic Cell Count Cows at Dry-Off

The study will compare new infection rates at freshening between control group cows.

Jennifer Cuillier: Development of a Bacterial Terpene Production Method

The research will create a bacteria-based isoprenoid production platform capable of high-level production of targeted isoprenoids, employing a reliable fermentation process.

Dr. Okechukwu Igboeli: Developments of Models to Study Drug resistance in Sea Lice

This study investigates the development of efficient models for monitoring/ studying drug resistance by sea lice using bioassays and molecular techniques.

Dr. Kimberly MacDonald: Evaluation of an On-Farm Culture System and Treatment Decision Algorithm for Clinical Mastitis in Canada

Currently, most dairy farmers treat all cases of mastitis without knowing the causative organism. Antibiotic treatment results in financial losses to the farm due to lost revenue from discarded milk and the cost of antibiotic treatment. On-farm culture determines cases requiring treatment within 24 hours.

Jessica Livingston-Thomas: Novel Strategies for Enhancing Functional Recovery Following Focal Ischemic Stroke

Using micro-injections of the vasoconstrictor endothelia-1, researchers are able to produce specific deficits in forelimb motor function simulating a stroke. This project will investigate the benefits of a unique form of rehabilitation on recovery of motor function in this model.

Rebecca Pike: Fungal and Bacterial Diversity and Natural Products Drug Discovery from Marine Gorgonian Corals and Sponges

The first component of the project will taxonomically enumerate fungal and bacterial communities of selected gorgonian corals and sponges using culture-independent methods. This will develop an understanding of the ecological niches of gorgonians and sponges in selected tropical habitats.

Dr. Malcolm McCulloch: Isolation and Characterization of Novel PTP1B

This project will focus on the top 10 hits with selective activity against the protein tyrosine phosphate PTP1B, a major negative regulator of both insulin and leptin signalling.

Dr. Jennifer Slemmer: Validation of potential human health benefits of functional foods produced on Prince Edward Island

Testing of individual compounds, groups of compounds, or whole foods in functional foods will take place to identify their potential human health benefit, including their effects on inflammation, atherosclerosis, oxidative stress and various metabolic disorders, such as diabetes.

Sarah Stewart-Clark: Development of Molecular Markers to Evaluate the Impact of Tunicate Mitigation Treatments on Mussel Gene Expression and Health

This project will use an innovative mussel microarray to evaluate the impact of tunicate treatment methods on mussel health by measuring changes in gene expression in treated vs. non-treated mussels.

Dr. Hua Wang: Development of Noval Fatty Acid-based Nutaceuticals for Brain Health

This project aims to develop novel FA-based nutraceutical formulations that target preventable aging-, stress- and inflammation-related cognitive decline.

Photo: Back, l-r: Rebecca Pike, Dr. Malcolm McCulloch, Premier Robert Ghiz, Donald Cameron, Dr. Okechukwu Igboeli. Front: Marguerite Cameron, Jennifer Cuillerier, Sarah Stewart-Clark, Dr. Kimberly MacDonald, Dr. Jessica Livingston-Thomas, Jennifer Slemmer. Missing: Dr. Hua Wang.

PEI Premier Robert Ghiz has given special recognition to individuals working in the field of research and development for their commitment to strengthen the innovative sectors of the PEI economy. A highlight of the recognition ceremony on June 29 included the presentation of the Premier's Medal for Innovation and the appointment of two Provincial Industry Research Chairs.

UPEI's Dr. Russ Kerr, CEO of Nautilus Biosciences Canada Inc., was awarded the Medal for Innovation. Dr. Kerr received the award for his research to further develop production methods and conduct pre-clinical trials for a marine-derived natural product known as desmethyleleutherobin. This compound is a highly promising cancer therapeutic whose development has been hampered by the lack of commercial supply.

Dr. Kerr is a professor and Tier I Canada Research Chair in Marine Natural Products in the UPEI Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. In 2007, he co-founded Nautilus Biosciences Canada to develop sustainable production methods of high-value, bioactive marine natural products and to discover new marine natural products with applications in human and animal health and wellness.

Premier Ghiz encouraged the development of Dr. Kerr's research agenda on Prince Edward Island. 'We are pleased to have scientists of such high calibre operating here in Prince Edward Island and we are excited about the possibilities of commercializing this important research work,' he said.

The Premier also announced the appointments of two Industry Research Chairs. UPEI researchers and industry leaders, Dr. Larry Hammell and Dr. Greg Keefe, were named to the five-year appointments. The purpose of the Industry Research Chairs Program is to encourage stronger partnerships between research institutions and the private sector to support the development of new products and services that show potential for commercialization.

'Dr. Hammell and Dr. Keefe are internationally recognized scientists who have made significant contributions to their area of expertise,' said Premier Ghiz. 'This program will allow them to further the research they are currently engaged in and explore opportunities to commercialize their work.'

Dr. Greg Keefe is a professor of dairy production medicine at UPEI's Atlantic Veterinary College. He is an internationally recognized leader in milk quality research and the application of new information and diagnostic technologies to advance disease surveillance and food quality. He is also Director of AVC's Maritime Quality Milk, a centre that has an integrated research and service capacity that is unparalleled within the Canadian dairy industry. The Research Chair position will focus on commercial opportunities developed from the current and future Maritime Quality Milk Platform.

Dr. Keefe was named to the Dairy Farmers of Canada Production Expert Scientific Advisory Committee in 2008. He is a former recipient of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Schering Plough Award for the advancement of large animal medicine and surgery. He is Vice-President of the USDA-affiliated Mastitis Research Workers.

Dr. Hammell is Director of the AVC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences and a professor of epidemiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College. He is an aquatic species health expert who leads the Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, one of the world's premier institutions for applied research on health management in aquatic food animals.

Dr. Hammell is a member of the OIE Group (World Organization for Animal Health aquatic disease surveillance), a leader of the Disease Technical Working Group for Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue with the World Wildlife Fund, and a member of the National Aquatic Animal Health Program Management Committee.

As Industry Research Chair, Dr. Hammell will further establish the OIE Collaborating Centre for Aquatic Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Health Management. In addition to improving health management in aquaculture, this work will guide policy decisions at all levels of the industry and help determine international standards for the industry.

The Centre for Enterprise & Entrepreneurship at the UPEI School of Business has been named in recognition of American businessman Ralph Hostetter's long-standing commitment to the university and the province.

The Hostetter Centre for Enterprise & Entrepreneurship aims to advance education and research in enterprise and entrepreneurial activity, especially in industries of relevance to PEI In keeping with Hostetter's strong belief in mentorship, it will also focus on the development of students' entrepreneurial skills by connecting them with experienced business executives and faculty.

"As a long-time Island resident, Ralph Hostetter has been a great friend to many and a generous community supporter," said UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "By linking his name and support to enterprise and entrepreneurship at UPEI, he will make an enduring contribution to the development of his beloved PEI."

Hostetter has committed over $1 million to UPEI in support of students and their learning environment. Last year he established the first scholarship for UPEI's MBA program in honour of his PEI friend and neighbour George Howatt.

"On behalf of the UPEI School of Business' faculty and staff, I am pleased to say how thrilled we are for the leadership that Ralph Hostetter is providing,' said dean of business Roberta MacDonald. 'His generous support and the role model he provides will be excellent bases on which to expand our enterprise and entrepreneurship programs and research. These will add great benefits for our students and for the Island in general."

From Elkton, Maryland, Hostetter is a seasonal resident in French River and has land holdings that include Camelot East Farms. He describes himself as a "conservative newspaper publisher" and is, at present, a columnist for several U.S. internet sites. He writes extensively in the areas of education and agriculture. Many of his columns were published in 1999 in a collection called Publisher's Notebook.

He is chair and publisher of American Farm Publications Inc. in Easton, Maryland, and former president and owner of TriState Publishing Company in Elkton, a chain of 13 community newspapers. He was elected to the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Newspaper Hall of Fame in 1990. The New Jersey Agricultural Society awarded Hostetter its highest award, the Gold Medallion, in 2003.

The Hostetter CEE will include existing activities and programs such as business co-operative education, international trade training, and the executive education and executive-in-residence program, and will develop new business education programs.

Assassin bugs that eat away the flesh of prisoners, plague-infested fleas, disease-carrying lice, bee bombs-the stuff of science fiction, you say? Not true!

Award-winning science writer Jeffrey A. Lockwood will give a public lecture about the use of insects as weapons of war on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Wanda Wyatt Lecture Theatre (Room 104), K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre at UPEI.

Lockwood has recently published a book called Six-legged Soldiers, exploring the many ways in which insects have been used as weapons of war, terror and torture, from ancient times to the present day.

In his book, Lockwood takes a comprehensive look at the role of insect-borne disease in changing the course of major battles--from the development of 'bee bombs' in the ancient world to the trenches of World War I. He explores insect warfare programs used during World War II: airplanes dropping plague-infested fleas, facilities rearing tens of millions of hungry beetles to destroy crops, and prison camps staffed by doctors testing disease-carrying lice on inmates. During the Cold War, secret government operations involved the mass release of specially developed strains of mosquitoes on an unsuspecting American public.

He reveals how easy it would be to use of insects in warfare and terrorism today; they are locally available, easy to produce and disseminate, and capable of staggering rates of reproduction and of wreaking economic, environmental and social havoc. In 1989, for instance, domestic ecoterrorists extorted government officials and wreaked economic and political havoc by threatening to unleash the notorious medfly on California's crops.

Lockwood taught entomology at the University of Wyoming for 20 years during which he wrote 100 scientific and scholarly papers on the ecology and management of grasshoppers and locusts. He is currently a professor of natural sciences and humanities at that university, teaching and researching in the areas of nature and spiritual and religious writing, environmental justice, natural resource ethics and the philosophy of ecology.

His writing has been included in the popular anthology Best American Science and Nature Writing, and he has won both a Pushcart Prize and the John Burroughs Award. He is also author of Grasshopper Dreaming: Reflections on Killing and Loving, A Guest of the World and Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier.

The lecture is sponsored by UPEI, the Brigadier Milton F. Gregg, VC, Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton), and the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies.

Nine graduates from Bluefield and Kensington high schools recently took advantage of a pilot program introduced at UPEI this summer to help students make informed decisions about their future education and career paths. Each student received an award from the University to cover the cost of taking part in a three-day orientation program called ExperienceU.

Through ExperienceU sessions and activities, the students learned about academic expectations and supports, scholarships and bursaries, learning styles and research skills. They met with academic advisors and explored career choices.

'Attending ExperienceU benefitted me by letting me see beforehand what university life will be like at UPEI,' says Dillon Wight.

'Before this, I had absolutely no desire to attend university… ExperienceU has changed my mind,' adds Emily Gass. 'Now my next short term goal is to be accepted into UPEI.'

UPEI is planning to repeat the ExperienceU program. More information is available at upei.ca/experience or by contacting Kylah Hennessey at khennessey@upei.ca.

The Tourism Research Centre at UPEI's School of Business is pleased to announce a report profiling seniors-only travel parties to PEI. This report is based on the results of the 2007-2008 PEI Visitor Exit Survey and classifies seniors as those 55 years of age or older.

Of all seniors travelling to PEI, about 30 per cent travelled with no other age group, and the highest proportion of seniors-only travellers came from the USA (51 per cent of all parties from the USA).

'Senior travel parties tend to spend less per visit than all travel parties who come to PEI, but they spend more than the average amount on a per-person-per-night basis,' stated Dr. Paul Lewis, Research Director at the TRC.

Going sightseeing and on driving tours were the two most prevalent activities for seniors (60 per cent overall for all senior travel parties). Visiting friends and relatives was the most common activity for senior travel parties from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (63 per cent and 68 per cent respectively). Shopping for local crafts and souvenirs was an important activity for those from outside the Maritimes. Visiting historical and cultural attractions appealed most to parties from international origins outside of the USA (74 per cent) and to Canadians coming from provinces other than Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes (67 per cent). Going to the beach was less important for senior travel parties from all jurisdictions compared to family or adult-only travel parties.

As found in other exit survey studies of all travel parties, senior travel parties stayed longer in the province's rural tourism regions than its two urban regions, despite fewer travel parties visiting these areas. Compared to adult-only, family or mixed travel parties, seniors-only travel parties tended to take longer trips. Generally, this led to a bit of extra time in PEI, but the overall percentage of the holiday spent in PEI decreased compared to other travel parties.

'We want those who are now visiting with older children to continue to visit PEI as they move toward retirement and their children leave home,' said Dr. Lewis. 'As baby boomers age and retire, this segment of visitors is going to become increasingly more important to PEI's tourism industry.'

This report is based on exit survey data collected from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. It is available on the exit survey section of the TRC's website: www.trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. More 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.