Scott Rice-Snow, visiting professor to Island Studies from Ball State University in Indiana, has been on PEI this fall researching the geometry of PEI drainage basins, and will summarize his results to date at a lunch-and-learn session Thursday, December 13, in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, 12-1 pm.

Dr. Rice-Snow is chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at Ball State University, and is a research associate of the UPEI Institute of Island Studies.

His specialties are in geomorphology and hydrology, with research focusing on natural landscapes sculpted by rivers, groundwater, and glaciers. In addition to Prince Edward Island, his field investigations take him to the central and western U.S. and the Caribbean. He has published more than 20 research articles on landscape form and process, and has also made contributions in geoscience education, geoarchaeology, and paleoclimatology.

Dr. Rice-Snow will also present a public seminar at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building.

For more info, contact Island Studies at 566-0386, or inovaczek@upei.ca

Are you looking for ways to 'green' your lifestyle? UPEI environmental studies students are organizing Charlottetown's first ever Eco-Economy Expo on Saturday, January 12, 2013, at Murphy's Community Centre from 10:00 am-4:00 pm.

All are welcome to the Expo to visit with an inspiring collaboration of environmentally conscious businesses, organizations, and individuals who dedicate themselves to living sustainably. The Expo is intended to be a family-friendly event featuring live music, local food, and an exciting array of sustainably-minded exhibitors eager to share their ideas with you.

For more information on this event, please contact Jess Brown at ecoeconomyexpo@gmail.com.

Dear Members of our UPEI Community,

As the end of the calendar year quickly approaches, I would like to provide you with two documents related to UPEI's Future Directions initiative.

The first document is a Future Directions status update and a summary of what has taken place throughout 2012. The second document is forward-looking and builds upon the Future Directions update. This document outlines the next phase of Future Directions and the framework for UPEI's strategic action plan.

At my request, UPEI's Vice-Presidents are working together to further develop the UPEI Vision Document and UPEI Strategic Action Plan framework to create the detailed road map that will lead our growth and priorities over the next five years.

I would like to once again thank the members of our campus community for their valuable input and contributions. With a shared sense of purpose and direction, we will achieve UPEI's vision of fulfilling our potential and succeeding through transformation.

Yours truly,

Alaa Abd-El-Aziz
President and Vice-Chancellor

On Wednesday, December 19, at 8:00 pm, the UPEI music and theatre students will come together at The Guild to present a special holiday variety show in support of the UPEI Music Society. This concert will be a unique combination of comedy, dance, and musical performances-from jazz to folk to monologues-and will feature many holiday classics.

This show will not only present the diverse talents of the UPEI music and theatre students, but also special guests from the PEI community. Spectators are sure to enjoy the talents of the UPEI Jazz Ensemble, Theatre Society, Saxophone and Brass ensembles, Charlottetown Jazz and much more. Hosts Andrew Murray and Thayne Campbell of English Words are also sure to have the audience in stitches with their lighthearted tomfoolery.

Funds raised will go towards UPEI scholarships and annual bursaries for music students and ensembles such as the Wind Symphony and jazz band. Tickets are $10 and be purchased online or in person through The Guild Box Office.

For more information, please contact Susan Karel Stensch at (902) 566-0507.

UPEI has filed an appeal with the Judicial Committee of Atlantic University Sport on the recent suspension that the AUS handed down to UPEI men's hockey player Mason Wilgosh. The suspension was issued after Wilgosh collided with an Acadia player during a November 30th game in Wolfville, NS.

UPEI Athletics Director Ron Annear said, 'Once University officials received notification of the 12-game suspension and reviewed the situation, it was felt there was unfairness in the process, and in the severity of the suspension. Therefore, we filed an appeal today in accordance with AUS by-laws.'

Annear added that UPEI would have no further comment while the appeal is in process.

Atlantic University Sport is a sport organization responsible for governing university sport at 11 member Atlantic Canadian universities.

WAX!T, Prince Edward Island's only walk-in aesthetic service provider and waxing studio was UPEI's sponsor for Business 391: Strategic Management's annual case presentation. Each year, UPEI's School of Business recruits a sponsor who will allow students to develop a strategic plan for the future of their business.

'There's no better learning opportunity for students than to be able to work with, and analyze a real company and develop a strategic plan for that company,' said Juergen Krause, associate professor and director of UPEI's Centre for Health and Biotech Management Research. 'This is a win-win scenario as the sponsor gets various proposals and approaches on strategic issues from creative minds, and the students have the privilege of working with a local company to apply the knowledge acquired in class to a real-life setting.'

Based on scores from a previous class case, three student teams-'The Strategizers,' 'French Connection Consulting,' and 'Les Braqueuses'-were selected for this competition and to present their projects to Nicole Mead, owner and operator of WAX!T on November 28.

Mead was impressed with the teams' recommendations and hopes they feel empowered seeing their hard work and strategic advice put into action. 'Each team exceeded my expectations. They thought outside the box and recommended some very interesting strategies that I hope to implement in the future,' said Mead. 'This opportunity was truly priceless to me. I now have the options, knowledge, and tools to choose how to successfully grow my business in the most efficient way possible.'

WAX!T presented the winning prize of $1,000 to 'Les Braqueuses' for their innovative and thorough approach to the business case. The team consisting of Megan Hood, Marie Racouet, Julie Verrier, Mathilde Vivar, and Arenda Westerkamp provided an excellent analysis of the current business, as well as the future potential, including options for operations management, and a financial, human resource, and growth strategy accompanied by a respective implementation plan. The second prize of $500 was awarded to 'French Connection Consulting.'

'What we loved about working with a real company is that you can't base your recommendations on ideal situations-you have to make your strategy practical and realistic for the company based on its current position, resources, and capabilities,' said team member Megan Hood. 'It's really gratifying to create a practical strategic plan that a business can use immediately. An experience like this really bridges the gap between the textbook and real-world application.'

The UPEI men's hockey team will take on the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus in an exhibition game on Saturday, December 29, at 7:30 pm at the Credit Union Arena in Tignish.

Currently, the UPEI Panthers sit in sixth place in the AUS, while the Aigles Bleus lead slightly in league standings in fifth place. The Panthers are looking forward to drawing a large crowd to western PEI and are thrilled to reach out to Island communities to showcase the team, its competitors, and the league.

'It always adds more significance when we have players representing the surrounding communities,' said Panthers Head Coach Forbes MacPherson. 'There is that added element of playing in front of family and friends. We're looking forward to the game and to providing some of our players with the opportunity to play on their ‘home ice.''

'I'm personally looking forward to playing back in Tignish; it's my first time playing there competitively since I was about 10 years old,' said Jordan Knox, fifth-year forward from Skinners Pond. 'It should be a high-energy game for the players and fans so we hope to see a full-house.'

Tickets can be purchased at the arena in advance or on game night for $10 adults, $5 students/seniors.

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI Alumni Association President Bruce Davison, and Board of Governors Chair Tom Cullen will host a New Year's levee at UPEI's Don and Marion McDougall Hall on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, 11:00 am-1:00 pm.

All are welcome to attend and celebrate the New Year with the UPEI community!

For more information, contact (902) 566-0687 or alumni@upei.ca.

The good news: a recent study says your kids like school. The bad news: they don't like learning.

At the next Research on Tap, Dr. Sandy McAuley, Associate Professor of Education at UPEI, will lead a discussion about how school needs to change to engage students. The title of his discussion is 'Education for Innovation: problem solving for Twenty-first century schools.'

'K-12 students are capable of becoming relatively sophisticated creators of knowledge,' said McAuley. 'Right now, schools are not intellectually engaging for the majority of students. Intellectual engagement is critical for graduates who can take active roles in a culture of innovation which is becoming increasingly important for our future on PEI and Canada.'

The discussion begins at 7 pm, January 8, at The Pourhouse (above The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse in Charlottetown).

Research on Tap is a series of public discussions led by UPEI researchers. For more information, contact Dave Atkinson at (902) 620-5117 or datkinson@upei.ca.

Engineers PEI held their annual banquet recently with guest speaker UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz who addressed a crowd of nearly 125. Two members of UPEI's staff and faculty, David Taylor and Stephen Champion, received recognition awards for environmental and industry excellence at the dinner.

Abd El-Aziz delivered a lively speech emphasizing that engineering is not new to UPEI. The diploma program has been in place since the 1950s and has supported over 1,400 alumni-28% of which make up the membership of Engineers PEI.

'UPEI produces engineers that will help build the industry by bringing entrepreneurial mindsets and solutions for PEI firms as well as global clients,' said Abd-El-Aziz. 'We will also strive to develop UPEI's engineering program as an industry magnet to bring firms and business to us, here on PEI.'

UPEI's manager of environmental services, David Taylor, was recognized with the Engineers PEI Award for Environmental Excellence. Taylor has led a number of sustainability projects and initiatives on campus since he began working at UPEI in 2007, including a campus-wide policy establishing UPEI as a community leader in sustainability. For example, the University recently received an 'Environmental Calculator' from Cascades Fine Papers Group and Wood Wyant for UPEI's environmental savings in the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The Engineers PEI Ralph L. Woodside Memorial Award for Service to the Profession was awarded to UPEI engineering Assistant Professor Stephen Champion who has worked as an engineer on PEI in a range of professional capacities and is also a key player in the future development of the engineering program at UPEI. He has used his experience to teach first-and second-year university students in the engineering program, bringing them to understand the nature of engineering projects, the role of engineers in management, and many other aspects of the profession. Champion is the third UPEI engineering professor to receive this prestigious award and is in good company with Don MacEwen and Don Gillis; however, what makes this particular award even more special is the fact that he joins his father as a recipient.

UPEI congratulates David and Stephen on these well-deserved honours.

Stephen Champion receiving the Engineers PEI Ralph L. Woodside Memorial Award for Service to the Profession at a recent Engineers PEI banquet.