UPEI Athletics and Recreation announced this week the extension of women's basketball head coach Greg Gould to an additional three-year contract, through to the end of the 2015-16 season. Gould joins men's basketball head coach Tim Kendrick as the second coach this year to sign a three-year extension at UPEI.

'Having Greg sign for a longer term to lead the women's basketball program is a major step for Panther sport-not only for great results in the AUS, but to provide a positive student-athlete experience-which is a priority for us at UPEI,' said Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Schurman. 'Greg is a proven winner and tactician who cares for his players a great deal. He understands the importance of community engagement, alumni, pride, and giving back. We're very pleased to have Greg and his family commit to UPEI for three more seasons.'

Gould took over the program last year and led the Panthers to their best season in the last four years-finishing sixth in the league with 20 points. Gould helped to establish the team as a hardworking team and plans to continue to strive for excellence for his athletes both on and off the court. Last year's women's basketball team had five members receive CIS Academic All-Canadian mentions. Gould enjoys living on PEI, and with this extension, he and his family are now able to look forward to establishing long-term roots in their community.

'I'm excited to be in charge of the UPEI women's basketball program for the next three years. I would like to thank our athletics department, the University, the Green & White Club, alumni, and friends for showing their confidence in my leadership,' said Gould. 'I look forward to working together as we move the program forward to the top of the AUS conference.'

UPEI's Panther Academy will deliver a week-long soccer camp at Three Oaks High School in Summerside, July 29-August 2.

The full-day camp will be led by UPEI soccer head coach Lewis Page and will feature drills, a skills challenge, mini world cup, and a player assessment. The Panther Academy soccer camp offers everything a young player needs in order to improve and advance.

The cost of the camp is $175, and with the Panther Academy PEI Soccer Club rebate program, $20 will be donated to the Summerside United Club for Summerside United registered campers.

'We're really excited to be able to take our camp on the road,' said Page. 'UPEI is PEI's university, and it will be great to work with young players in the Summerside area who may be future students and future varsity athletes.'

To register, visit pantheracademy.ca or call Panther Central at (902) 566-0368.

Suzanne Nicholson, a fifth-year UPEI student will swim across the Northumberland Strait this summer to raise funds for the UPEI swim team. This year marks Nicholson's last on the team and she hopes her fundraiser will motivate her teammates and the UPEI community to challenge themselves when setting goals.

Nicholson, a UPEI swim record-holder, is described by many as 'a true leader who has improved and matured significantly since joining the swim team in 2009.' She's known as a dedicated and motivated swimmer who is the first to cheer on teammates and other UPEI varsity sport athletes. Nicholson plans to conquer the Strait during the week of August 19-24 depending on the best day for tides, wind, and weather.

'My fundraising goal for the UPEI swim team is to raise $10,000, which the program needs in order to excel,' said Nicholson. 'I really hope others will feel motivated by my upcoming swim challenge and realize that they too can push boundaries.'

Nicholson has dedicated several months of training-50 km pool and open water swims each week, as well as biking and running-in preparation to swim the Strait. The swim itself is over 13 km and will take more than four hours.

'This is a huge goal for Suzanne,' said UPEI swim head coach Bill Calhoun. 'I'm very proud of her for taking this on. Training is going well and we're looking to bump up to 10km practices soon.'

'Suzanne is a perfect example of the commitment and pride Panther athletes are best known for,' said UPEI Athletics and Recreation director Bill Schurman. 'Taking on the challenge of swimming the Northumberland Strait to help her teammates and help grow Panther Swimming speaks volumes about her character.'

For more information on how you can support Nicholson, visit the event's Facebook page-'Suzanne Conquers The Strait,' or contact the UPEI Panther Central desk at (902) 566-0368 to make a donation.

(L to R): ARCPEI board member Alyssa MacAusland; UPEI Rainbow Alliance president Ashley Arsenault; Treena Smith, member of the UPEI Action Committee on Sexuality and Gender Diversity; and Vickie Johnston, director of Student Affairs at UPEI raise the pride flag in recognition and support for the LGBTQQ2T community. The flag was raised on Monday, July 8 on the UPEI campus to kick off PEI's Pride Week which takes place July 8-14.

The Climate Research Lab at the University of Prince Edward Island is offering a new and valuable tool for researchers who require climate projections for anywhere on the planet. The lab has downloaded raw data from 40 global climate models and translated, analyzed, verified, and converted it into a usable dataset for researchers.

'This is the world's most advanced science, and will be part of next year's Fifth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),' said Dr. Adam Fenech, director of the Climate Research Lab. 'If researchers require projections that are monthly, seasonal, or annual over the next century, we can provide them.'

Watch Dr. Fenech explain.

The UPEI Alumni Association will present its annual Distinguished Alumni and Inspiring Young Alumni awards on Friday, July 26 at 3:30 pm in UPEI's Faculty Lounge, Main Building, as part of this year's summer reunion weekend.

This year's recipients are the Honourable J. Armand DesRoches, SDU'63 and J. Paul S. Young, BSc'02, BScR'07, MBA'12. DesRoches will be presented with this year's Distinguished Alumni Award, which commemorates a graduate for their outstanding contributions to knowledge, the arts, the community, and the university or humanity. Young will be presented with the Inspiring Young Alumni Award, which honours a graduate, under the age of 40, who has shown outstanding determination in achieving success at a young age.

Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. RSVP to Anthony at alumni@upei.ca or 566-0761. Immediately following this event is the All-Years Reunion Mixer; all are welcome to attend.

Two UPEI music students-Morgan Wagner and Emily Emberton- were nationally recognized after placing second and third, respectively, in the Canadian Music Educators' Association's Kenneth Bray Undergraduate Essay Competition. This year's annual competition attracted 30 submissions from across Canada. Students select their own topic, but it must be relevant to current or evolving music education practices or issues. The competition was judged in a blind review process by a panel of 10 nationally recognized scholars in the field of music education.

Wagner, of Stanchel, PEI, is entering her fourth year of the bachelor of music program, majoring in vocal performance. She is a frequent performer in the UPEI Recital Series and has been involved in many local productions. Emberton, of Canmore, Alberta, is entering her fourth year in the bachelor of music education program, with an emphasis in instrumental music education and flute performance.

Wagner's essay 'Creating Creativity' and Emily's paper 'The Power of Music: Opening Our Minds to Imagine a Better Life,' were completed under the guidance of UPEI Music Education Professor Dr. June Countryman. These essays may be published by the CMEA in its journal, The Canadian Music Educator.

UPEI congratulates both Morgan and Emily!

The Federation of Canadian Music Festivals will host the 2013 National Competition August 8-10, at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario. It is exciting for Prince Edward Island to be sending three solo competitors to this prestigious national festival. All three are students of the Department of Music at UPEI. Echo Lau, piano, a student of Dr. Frances Gray, graduated this spring with her Bachelor of Music. Branden Kelly is entering his fourth year as a percussion major and studies with David Shephard. Lucas MacPhail, a student of Kevin MacLean, is entering his third year as a saxophone performer. They will be competing with other talented musicians chosen from provincial competitions in each province.

All three of these wonderful young musicians can be heard in recital on Sunday, July 28, 7:30 pm, at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall, UPEI campus. Echo will be accompanied both here and in Waterloo, by Frances Gray. Branden and Lucas will be accompanied by Frances McBurnie.

Admission will be by donation to assist Echo, Branden, and Lucas with expenses as they travel to Waterloo for this competition.

For more information, please contact Dr. Frances Gray at (902) 566-0680 or fgray@upei.ca

UPEI Athletics and Recreation would like to determine the level of interest from students and community members in forming a power-lifting club to be based out of UPEI's Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Those interested are invited to an information meeting in the Sports Centre boardroom on Wednesday, July 31 at 7:00 pm. More information is available by emailing panthercentral@upei.ca or by calling (902) 566-0368.

The UPEI Alumni Association presented its annual Distinguished Alumni and Inspiring Young Alumni Awards on Friday, July 26 as part of this year's summer reunion weekend.

The Honourable J. Armand DesRoches, SDU'63 and J. Paul S. Young, BSc'02, BScR'07, MBA'12 are this year's recipients. DesRoches will be presented with this year's Distinguished Alumni Award, which commemorates a graduate for their outstanding contributions to knowledge, the arts, the community, and the university or humanity. Young will be presented with the Inspiring Young Alumni Award, which honours a graduate, under the age of 40, who has shown outstanding determination in achieving success at a young age.

Upon graduation from St. Dunstan's University, DesRoches went on to receive his LLB degree from Dalhousie University. He was admitted to the bars of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and practiced law in Summerside before joining the Canadian Armed Forces. During his 22-year career as a Canadian Forces legal officer, DesRoches was at various times: the legal advisor to the Commander of 1 Combat Group in Calgary, stationed in Germany where he provided legal advice to a number of units in Europe, and chief legal advisor to the Commander of Maritime Command in Halifax. DesRoches also held the position of military trial judge for 10 years, three of which he was the chief military judge for the Canadian Forces.

In 1991, DesRoches retired from the Canadian Forces as deputy judge advocate general with the rank of navy captain and was appointed to the trial division of the Supreme Court of the province. During his time there, he rendered numerous decisions that had a lasting impact on PEI, including moving electoral boundaries to provide fairer distribution of voters among electoral districts and establishing a French school in the Summerside area.

DesRoches retired from the Bench in 2004, and in 2005, joined Stewart McKelvey as counsel. In 2007, he was named a member of the Pensions Appeal Board, the third level of appeal under the Canada Pension Plan. DesRoches has been married to Judie for 45 years, has four daughters, and nine grandchildren.

Paul Young couldn't get enough of UPEI. In 2002, he obtained his bachelor of science degree, majoring in chemistry and physics. Then, with aspirations to enter a career in healthcare, Young entered the radiography program offered by UPEI and the QEH and graduated in 2004. He completed a second undergraduate degree from UPEI in applied sciences, and most recently, in 2012, Young graduated with his master of business administration from UPEI.

In 2005, Young received his advanced diploma in MRI and spectroscopy from Winnipeg's Red River College and The National Institute for Biodiagnostics. He then moved to Ottawa to begin his healthcare career.

Through relentless hard work, dedication, and determination, Young quickly became known and respected within his field. After having worked with several hospitals and private clinics, he landed a highly sought after job as clinical lead instructor at The Ottawa Hospital, the second-largest teaching hospital in Canada. He was the youngest technologist ever hired for the position. By 2007, Young had expanded his experience to encompass four provinces and 10 hospitals and private clinics, and had become one of the most sought-after technologists in his field.

In 2008, Young and his family moved back to PEI where he became the youngest manager at the Diagnostic Imaging Services department for the Prince County Hospital. He was recently appointed to a new role with Health PEI, and is now the manager of the primary care network for West Prince. Young lives in Summerside with his wife Erika and daughter Brielle.

'The UPEI Alumni Association is proud to award Armand and Paul with this year's Distinguished Alumni and Inspiring Young Alumni Awards,' said Alumni Association President Bruce Davison. 'It's individuals like them that make us proud to call ourselves UPEI alumni. On behalf of the Association, we send our congratulations to Armand and Paul.'

For a full summer reunion weekend schedule, visit http://remember.upei.ca/events/summer-reunion-weekend-2013