Twelve University of Prince Edward Island students, along with UPEI associate professor and chair of Modern Languages, Dr. Doreley Coll, arrived in Salamanca, Spain, June 30, as part of ‘Spanish 203,' a four week immersion language and culture course.

Offered at the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe, the course seeks to broaden language skills acquired in first year Spanish (Spanish 101 and 102). During the four week program, students study at the university that was founded in 1227, but will also experience Spain's civilization and culture through field trips to Madrid, Toledo, Avila and El Escorial. Students are billeted with Spanish families.

The course is designed to consolidate grammar, common idiomatic expressions, and to increase active vocabulary, and features classroom study, daily oral-cultural session in authentic settings, and local excursions and sightseeing tours on weekends.

For more information on Spanish 203, click here.

This weekend, July 22 to 24, UPEI will play host to 45 senior women's, boys', and girls' soccer teams from around the Maritimes, that will compete in 12 different divisions for the First Annual Godfrey Soccer Cup.

The Godfrey Cup is named after the late Alan Godfrey who was a builder of the Sherwood Soccer Club back in the early 1980's-holding positions of president, director of fields and equipment, coach, technical director, and various others at the club level.

As the sport grew, so did Godfrey's involvement. He became a member of the Charlottetown and District Youth Soccer Association and worked continually with this group until the Island Club System was put into play in 1988-89. Godfrey continued in many roles, always bringing his enthusiasm and professionalism, until his untimely passing in December 2002.

Mike Redmond, tournament director and head coach for the UPEI Women's Soccer Panthers, said, 'His passing has left a great void in the soccer community, Island-wide, but he has also left behind great accomplishments, opened doors for the future of soccer, and memories of what an outstanding person, friend and volunteer Alan was.'

Redmond added, 'We are very proud to name this tournament after Alan Godfrey and hope that the teams enjoy the competition and the friendships that players will make along the way.'

Games for the tournament will be played at UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place, UPEI turf field, and East Royalty, Simmons and Co-op fields.
Admission to the games is free. The full schedule of games can be found at gopanthersgo.ca. For more information on the tournament, please contact Mike Redmond at wsoccer@upei.ca.

The first group of students in a special cohort for college educators in the Master of Education in Leadership and Learning program offered by UPEI, in collaboration with Holland College, wrapped up their final assignments recently during a research forum held in Holland College's Centre for Applied Science and Technology on the Prince of Wales Campus.

The program is designed to provide experienced adult educators with the knowledge and skills required to become effective educational leaders. The overall aim of the program is to promote and support educational scholarship, research, and practice.

The 15 students in the group are staff members or former staff members of the College of the North Atlantic, Holland College, and Nova Scotia Community College. Their final projects encompassed many topics that are of concern to community colleges, including an investigation of the transition of international students into Holland College, creating seamless student mobility through articulation agreements, evaluating and changing instructional leadership to meet students' needs, and changing perceptions while fostering gender neutrality in nursing.

Dr. Miles Turnbull, UPEI's Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education, said the quality and scope of the students' projects were very high.

"It was rewarding to witness these students' action research project presentations - a capstone to their 27-month masters journey together. The quality, diversity and relevance of the projects completed were impressive indeed," he said.

Dr. Audrey Penner, Director of Adult Education Learner Support and Applied Research at Holland College, said participation with UPEI in the program is part of the college's ongoing commitment to providing staff with meaningful and relevant opportunities to further their education.

"It has been a pleasure to work on such a collaborative and ground-breaking project with Dr. Turnbull and the faculty of education at UPEI. This fills a capacity need at the college level for leadership in education, and this program is tailored to the leadership needs of college faculty and administration," she said.

For more information about the Master of Education in Leadership and Learning at UPEI, click here.

The University of Prince Edward Island will have a new face behind the bench to coach the men's basketball Panthers, the Island university announced today. Tim Kendrick, from New Minas, Nova Scotia and long-time coach of the Horton High School division 1 men's basketball team, will begin his new post immediately.

Ron Annear, director of athletics and recreation at UPEI, said, 'We are definitely excited to have Tim join us at UPEI. His coaching record speaks for itself, but after seeing him in action at the 2009 Canada Games, meeting with him during the selection process, and now getting to know him better in the last few weeks, I know he will be the right leader and motivator to take the Panthers to new heights in both the AUS and CIS, and in our community.'

Kendrick coached the Nova Scotia men's team to a dramatic silver medal finish at the Canada Games in Summerside in August 2009. The fully certified NCCP level III coach was the 2010 recipient of Basketball Nova Scotia's Coach of the Year Award, and in 2009, the Frank Baldwin Award, and has a number of great coaching achievements including having over 40 high school players go on to play CIS basketball, and being nationally recognized for a 73-game unbeaten streak in 2006-2008 (unofficial Canadian record). His overall record at Horton High School is 707 wins, 189 losses.

In addition to his high school coaching duties, Kendrick has been a regional account specialist for Prodigy Sports, and owner and director of basketball operations for Coach Kendrick's Basketball World, a company he formed that offers camps and clinics and coordinates speaking engagements, tournaments, and leagues.

Kendrick said, 'It will be an absolute thrill and honour to coach the Panthers. I relish the thought of living year-round in PEI, becoming involved in the high school and minor programs on the Island, and working with Basketball PEI. I am confident I can help build the Panther program and add to a very loyal UPEI fan base through running camps and clinics, and by reaching out to alumni and the community.'

His playing career in the eighties included a stint with the University College of Cape Breton where he was named 'All-Conference,' but his highest accolades came when playing for the Nova Scotia Teachers College. In both 1984 and 1985 seasons, Kendrick won Nova Scotia College Conference championships, was conference MVP, was named "All-Canadian," and was the leading scorer in the country in the Canadian College Athletic Association.

One of Kendrick's first tasks will be meeting and communicating with current student-athletes as well as new recruits in anticipation of the official AUS winter sport start date of September 9 when tryouts begin. The UPEI Men's Basketball team will see game action at the Mickey Place Tournament on October 14, hosting its first regular season home game on November 12, 2011 against Saint Mary's University. For the season's schedule, visit gopanthersgo.ca.

The St. Dunstan's University (SDU) class of 1961 will celebrate its 50th anniversary at this year's UPEI Summer Reunion Weekend, July 28 to 31. Alumni who have reached this special milestone will be joined by SDU class of 1951, UPEI classes of 1971 and 1981, and Prince of Wales College (PWC) alumni, for a fun-filled weekend.

'Reunion Weekend is a great opportunity for alumni from UPEI and its founding institutions, SDU and PWC, to reconnect with each other, take a trip down memory lane and see the wonderful changes that have taken place on campus,' says Perlene Morrison, president of the UPEI Alumni Association.

The always-popular UPEI Alumni HRA Panther Classic golf tournament takes place on Friday, July 29, at the Green Gables Golf Course in Cavendish. Tee-off time for the participating golfers is 8:30 am.
Transportation on a Trius Tours bus is available to registered golfers on a first-come, first-served basis; it will leave from the W.A. Murphy Student Centre at 7:00 am.

Also on Friday, there will be an open house at SDU Place at 45 Great George Street from 2:00-4:30 pm, followed by the SDU Class of 1961 50th reunion gathering at the Faculty Lounge, Main Building on the UPEI campus at 5:00 pm.

The 27th annual SDU Alumni Mass will be celebrated later on Friday at 7:30 pm, in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall, followed by the SDU All Years reception in McMillan Hall at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

The annual PWC All Years Luncheon, will take place on Sunday, July 31, from 1-3 pm, in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre's McMillan Hall.

For more information, contact Sarah MacInnis, alumni outreach coordinator, at (902) 566-0687 or alumni@upei.ca.

For the complete Reunion Weekend schedule, visit upei.ca/alumni.

Royal Dutch Shell advisor to speak at Palmer Conference

Public- and private-sector leaders and influential commentators from across Canada will gather for the Palmer Conference on Public Leadership at the University of Prince Edward Island, August 18 to 19, to follow up on the latest calls for a national energy strategy.

The Palmer Conference, named in honour of noted lawyer and public-policy proponent, James S. Palmer, addresses issues of high priority to the public sector and to Canada. The theme this year, 'Developing a Canadian Energy Strategy,' is currently at the top of the Canadian political and policy agenda. Conference discussions will add value to the meetings of Canadian energy ministers that took place in Kananaskis in mid-July, resulting in a communiqué calling for government and stakeholders to work together to open up new markets for Canadian energy, to streamline regulatory processes, and to enhance energy efficiency.

Limited to 75 delegates in order to promote a high level of participation and interaction, the conference is attracting a stellar cast of presenters including conference chair, Janice MacKinnon, professor at the University of Saskatchewan and former minister of finance in that province, and the Honourable Ron Liepert, Alberta's minister of energy. Wim Thomas, chief energy advisor for Royal Dutch Shell, will give the keynote address; the 'Shell Global Energy Scenarios to 2050' will provide an informed international perspective for Canada's strategic energy choices.

MacKinnon said, 'The Palmer Conference is designed to address tough and timely questions, and to encourage the development of ongoing networks and professional relationships. Given the current national debates about our theme, UPEI will be the perfect setting to address critical issues regarding a Canadian energy strategy and the accompanying challenges for public-policy and public sector leaders.'

Prince Edward Island's minister of environment, energy and forestry, Richard Brown, is the incoming chair of the Canada energy ministers' summit. 'The Palmer Conference is an excellent forum to continue the discussion of the need for a national energy strategy among leaders in the energy sector,' said Minister Brown. 'I look forward to presenting the work from Canada's energy ministers at our recent meeting to develop a shared vision for Canada as a recognized global leader in secure and sustainable energy supply.'

The Palmer Conference agenda is designed to encourage engaged dialogue, and to reflect the diversity of opinion around key issues that have been selected to value to the national energy strategy debate. There will be panels of highly qualified commentators on three questions: leadership skill sets and capacity; R&D and innovation; and public engagement, education, and consensus building. These topics have been selected to enrich the national discourse, to encourage critical thinking, and to focus on the overriding mission of the Palmer Conference to enhance and promote public sector leadership.

For more information, visit palmerconference.com.

About the Palmer Conference
The Palmer Conference is named in honour of James S. Palmer, CM, AOE, QC and is held annually at the University of Prince Edward Island. The inaugural conference in 2010 explored the theme, 'Public Servants and their Relationships with Politicians and the Media.'

Mr. Palmer is a founding partner of the Calgary law firm Burnett Duckworth Palmer. His ancestors include two Prince Edward Island premiers, a representative to the 1864 Charlottetown Conference and several jurists. Mr. Palmer's commitment to public policy is demonstrated through the James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Adam Fenech, who was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, comes to UPEI next week to train professionals in the latest techniques to plan for and adapt to climate change.

Dr. Fenech is one of three teachers of a unique course, designed to give professionals and students access to the latest tools to adjust to climate change. The Applied Climate Change Program runs August 8-12 at the University of Prince Edward Island. Dr. Fenech and his colleague, Dr. Neil Comer, have presented this program many times over the past three years, in places such as China and Panama.

'We need to empower planners and people who need this information,' said Dr. Fenech. 'They need to understand our climate past, and have a clear indication of what challenges lie ahead because of climate change, whether they be in protected habitat and land, human health, agriculture, or any number of other areas.'

Students of the course will take home practical skills: (1) steps to follow that have been assigned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to conduct a climate change impact assessment; (2) access to quality assurance and control of, database management of, and statistical analysis techniques for, climate data; (3) scenario preparation of future climate change through ensemble and validation techniques; and (4) watershed management (drought, storm-water management, flooding, source-water protection, planning, integrated watershed management).

'We'll be able to share some of our expertise as climate researchers, and to introduce participants to certain tools,' said Dr. Fenech. 'There are free websites available to get free observations of climate data, and Environment Canada has built sites that allow users to examine scenarios for future climate change, so planners can adapt.'

For more information on the Applied Climate Change Program, or to register to participate, visit lifelonglearning.upei.ca

The University of Prince Edward Island became the only University in Atlantic Canada to receive BOMA Building Environmental Standards (BESt) Certification from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada for its main campus buildings.

UPEI sought this third party certification as the application process itself helps assess how well buildings are performing and includes suggestions for tangible ways to improve, leading to healthier workplaces and sustainable building development and management practices.

Dave Taylor, PEng, manager of environmental services at UPEI said, 'We knew that by going through the process, we would learn where further advancements could be made, and set benchmarks for ourselves, in keeping with our existing plan of improving UPEI's environmental footprint.'

He added that the certification recognizes UPEI's environmental stewardship efforts, and is reflective of the values of UPEI students, staff, and faculty. 'This allows us to show our commitment to sustainability and environmental change on campus, it's the right thing to do.'

BOMA BESt is a national environmental certification program, overseen by BOMA Canada, for existing commercial buildings, evaluating environmental performance and management practices. Representatives from BOMA New Brunswick's Association recently presented the University with 22 BOMA BESt certificates for each building that earned the designation.

The BOMA BESt Program offers four levels of certification - levels 1 through 4. UPEI's certified buildings attained either level 1 or 2 certification. Each building had to meet a series of 14 ‘BESt Practices,' including conducting energy and water audits along with providing each building's written policies on energy management, water reduction, waste reduction, emissions and effluents, indoor environment and environmental management.

To achieve higher levels of certification (2-4), the building must also be assessed against a comprehensive set of questions that critically evaluate building performance across six key areas: energy, water, waste and site enhancements, indoor environment, emissions and effluents, and environmental management systems. Based on this analysis, a score for each section is assigned and an overall weighted score applied. Additionally, all certified buildings - regardless of level - must go through a third party verification process. The majority of UPEI's buildings achieved Level 2.

BOMA New Brunswick's president, Debbie McGrath said, 'Just the fact that UPEI cares enough to put the time and effort into sustainability, sends a clear message. To have all 22 buildings reach BOMA BESt Practices minimum standard is an incredible accomplishment.'

Melissa Peneycad, manager, environment and energy sustainability practices at BOMA Canada added, 'Achieving this certification clearly demonstrates UPEI's commitment to sustainability and positions the University as a campus others around the country should aspire to emulate. Congratulations on behalf of BOMA Canada.'

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced more than $1.2 million in research funding for 10 scientists at the University of Prince Edward Island. The funding covers the purchase of a scanning electron microscope, plus research costs for ten researchers over the next five years.

'UPEI is extremely proud of each of its recipients of NSERC's Discovery Grant,' said Dr. Katherine Schultz, UPEI's vice-president of research and development. 'These awards allow us to build new knowledge and to train the next generation of innovators.'

UPEI's recipients of 2011 NSERC Discovery Grants and their respective research programs are as follows:

Dr. Collins Kamunde, Biomedical Sciences
Developing mechanisms of interactions of hypoxia and temperature with metal stress in fish

Dr. Frederick Kibenge, Pathology and Microbiology
Studying the evolution of ISA virus in fish and developing vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat it in an aquaculture setting

Dr. Christian Lacroix, Biology
Understanding the evolution and diversity through comparative studies of the vegetative and floral structures in seed plants

Dr. Gordon MacDonald, Mathematics and Statistics
Using pure mathematics to study collections of operators and matrices to model phenomena in quantum mechanics, control theory, signal processing, and other areas

Dr. Jason Pearson, Chemistry
Using computers to understand and design new molecules and materials with applications to human health and disease and developing algorithms that allow computers to intelligently "discover" new, highly active compounds

Dr. James Polson, Physics
Computer simulations to better understand the underlying physics and of a potential nano-scale technique for faster sequencing of DNA, with an aim to guide future development of this technique

Dr. Nasser Saad, Mathematics and Statistics
Bridging three areas of mathematical physics to gain a better and more concise understanding of the theory of supersymmetric quantum mechanics

Dr. Michael Shaver, Chemistry
Developing new materials from renewable and inexpensive resources for use in biomedical and thermoplastic applications

Dr. William Whelan, Physics
Developing medical tools for identifying, targeting, and treating cancer using light and sound

Dr. Qiang Ye, Computer Science and Information Technology
Solutions to internet bottlenecks for simultaneous multiple users on a WiFi network

NSERC's Discovery Grants Program supports ongoing programs of research rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances, whether made individually or in teams.

Innovation PEI News Release (re-published with permission)

Charlottetown, PEI-- Eight Graduate Students and four Post-Doctorates have been offered support through the Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Fellowship program implemented by Innovation PEI under the Island Prosperity Strategy, says Innovation and Advanced Learning Minister Allan Campbell.

'I have always been amazed at the high calibre research being conducted at UPEI and the Atlantic Veterinary College, I am proud to support our students at such a critical time in their career development and help grow our knowledge-based sectors,' said Minister Campbell.

The Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Fellowship program offers up to $20,000 in student stipends for Masters and PhD students for two and three years respectively. Post-Doctoral awards are for $40,000 for a two-year period. The total contribution from Innovation PEI to the 12 recipients is $619,000.

A total of 28 applications were submitted to Innovation PEI and were subsequently peer reviewed. The peer review committees evaluated and ranked the applications, of which Innovation PEI was able to support the top four in each category. These students are working on the UPEI campus or with private sector companies on Prince Edward Island.

'I want to congratulate all the recipients for displaying such strong academic vigor and ambition to drive innovation in this province,' said Minister Campbell. 'We are investing in the researchers and leaders of tomorrow and I hope they continue to thrive in our vibrant community.'

This is the third round of funding to be offered under the Graduate Student program since the Island Prosperity Strategy was released in 2008. The next call for applications for the Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Fellowship is expected to be released in the winter of 2012.

For more information visit the Innovation PEI website.

BACKGROUND
Students who have been offered funding are listed below along with their department of study and corresponding projects:

Annie Laderoute (Physics) - Annie will further advance a new imaging technique using light and sound, called optoacoustics, to better assess how prostate cancer responds to laser thermal therapy.

Erin McCauley (Biomedical Sciences)- Erin will develop an accelerated method to isolate microorganisms from corals that could produce a variety of pharmaceutical agents.

Evan Owen (Chemistry) - Evan will further develop a new optical sensor technology combined with molecular beacons, to improve mastitis detection in dairy cows.

Laura Phalen (Biology) - Laura will develop techniques to evaluate the immune competency of rainbow trout.

Robert Deziel (Biomedical Sciences) - Robert will develop a model and potential therapies for treating cognitive deficits in victims of stroke.

Katherine Duncan (Biomedical Sciences) - Katherine will characterize bacteria cultures from Atlantic Canadian waters to discovery potential cancer therapies.

Emilie Laurin (Health Management) - Emilie will create a procedure to detect infection with Johne's disease in colostrum (first milk).

Rebecca Pike (Biomedical Sciences) - Rebecca will search for new resources of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents from gorgonian corals.

Jennifer Covello (Pathology and Microbiology) - Jennifer will evaluate a feed additive for farmed salmon to enhance immunity and prevent attachment of sea lice.

Rachid Ganga (private sector - AquaBounty) - Rachid will develop improved diets to enhance performance and growth of triploid Atlantic salmon.

Daphne Gill (Biomedical Sciences) - Daphne will create a new model of autism and related neurological disorders to test novel therapeutants.

Andi Hanif (Biomedical Sciences)- Andi will search for novel natural products with antimicrobial properties from marine fungi.