University of Prince Edward Island Men's Basketball Head Coach Tim Kendrick is excited to announce that Samy Mohamed from Toronto, Ontario has committed to join the Panthers.

Mohamed is transferring from Algoma University after three seasons in the OUA, therefore, as per CIS rules, will redshirt the 2015-16 season to be eligible for 2016-17.

The 6'0' guard holds the single game scoring record at Algoma with 48 points. Mohamed also currently holds the Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) single game, three-point shooting record at 14. In 2012-13, Mohamed was selected to the OCAA All-Rookie Team. Mohamed played his high school basketball with the Blessed Mother of Teresa Titans where he was twice selected to the Senior Catholic School All-Star Team.

Mohamed says, 'I am thrilled to join the UPEI Panther program to help build on their success. Coach Kendrick has done a great job building a winning culture, and I am very excited to have a chance to win a Championship. I believe my game will translate well within the Panthers system!'

'We are very pleased to have Samy joining us here at UPEI,' adds Coach Kendrick. 'Aside from his obvious basketball talent, he can really shoot, and plays hard and smart. Samy is a very pleasant young man with wonderful character; he brings great effort to both academics, where he maintains a good average, and to the basketball floor!"

Mohamed is enrolling in the School of Business at UPEI.

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation
• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place
• Home of Panther Sports Medicine
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre, squash and racquetball courts, competition and leisure pool with hot tub, and two ice arenas

The UPEI Men's Hockey Panthers are pleased to announce that winger Carter Rigby will join the team for the upcoming season.

At 6'0, 225 lbs, Rigby combines size, speed, and determination with a nose for the net. In four WHL seasons, Rigby scored 70 goals and added 62 assists while playing with the Kelowna Rockets and Swift Current Broncos. After finishing his junior career in March, Rigby played four games in the East Coast Hockey League with the Stockton Thunder, adding three assists. His strong season landed Rigby with an invitation to attend 2015 NHL summer camp with the Minnesota Wild.

'When I come to the rink, I bring a lot of energy to the game,' said Rigby, a native of Penticton, BC. 'I feel UPEI fans will see a solid, tough player who loves to play the body and put the puck in the net.'

UPEI Head Coach Forbes MacPherson says he has been working for a number of months recruiting Rigby. Having him commit to the Panthers is welcome news for the future of the Men's Hockey program.

'Carter is the kind of impact player we have been keying in on for the past couple of years. He competes at a very high level every night, he loves to play in the tough areas in both ends of the rink and he has the ability to finish scoring plays because of his great shot,' said MacPherson. 'I expect Carter will be a great compliment to our program and I can't wait to see him wearing the green and white.'

Early in the recruiting process, Rigby said it became obvious that UPEI was going to be his destination.

'I found my conversations with Forbie honest and down to earth,' explained Rigby, who will enroll in the Business Administration program. 'Everything I've learned about PEI, the University, and the hockey program made me realize this was the best fit for the next stage in my career.'

Director of Athletics and Recreation Chris Huggan praised the addition of Rigby to the UPEI family.

'I would like to welcome Carter to the University of Prince Edward Island. I know he will be a great addition to our men's hockey program and to our campus community,' said Huggan.

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation
• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre, squash and racquetball courts, competition and leisure pool with hot tub, and two ice arenas

When UPEI Men's hockey coach Forbie MacPherson offered Ryan MacKinnon the chance to don the famed green and white Panthers jersey , the Summerside native felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

'Obviously, growing up in PEI and watching the Panthers makes you wish to someday put on that jersey,' said MacKinnon, who starred in his final major junior season last year with the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL. 'It is an amazing opportunity and I feel very privileged for the chance to play at UPEI.'

MacKinnon had the best offensive season of his career in 2014-15, scoring 10 goals and adding 40 assists in 64 games. He also added five assists in the playoffs. MacKinnon knows he will be counted on to fill some of the void left with the graduation of Panther standout defencemen Reggie Traccitto to the American Hockey League.

'I am really looking forward to that challenge. Reggie had a great career and deserves a spot at the pro level. I learned a few things simply by watching him,' said MacKinnon. 'The past season with the Islanders gave me the confidence to add that offensive side to my game and I'm looking forward to doing what I can to help the Panthers win it all.'

Coach MacPherson said while he is excited about MacKinnon's offensive capabilities, there are many other important intangible factors to his game.

'Ryan is a born leader. He has captained two teams in the Quebec League. He was captain of his bantam and midget teams. He brings a lot of the table,' said MacPherson. 'He competes hard during every shift, in both ends of the rink, and I think his game is perfectly suited for the tough AUS conference.'

Joining the Panthers will give MacKinnon the opportunity to reunite with a number of his close friends including fellow defenceman Casey Babineau, who he played with in Rimouski. He also played minor hockey with and against Darcy Ashley, Brent Andrews, and Craig MacLauchlan.

'Playing with these guys just makes it special,' said MacKinnon, who will enroll in Business Administration program this fall. 'They are obviously great players and even greater people off the ice.'

During the recruitment process MacPherson said MacKinnon demonstrated strong character and a burning desire to win. He also has a great respect for the UPEI Panthers tradition.

'Ryan is the kind of player we covet. He is prepared to put the work in to win and he knows how special it will be for an Island kid to bring a championship home to UPEI,' added MacPherson. 'A university hockey career only lasts four or five years, but when you play here, you are a Panther forever. Ryan really gets that.'

Athletics and Recreation Director Chris Huggan was pleased to hear that MacKinnon has chosen UPEI.

'I watched Ryan MacKinnon be the leader of the Charlottetown Islanders on the ice and I was even more impressed with how he conducted himself off the ice,' said Huggan. 'I am pleased to know he will be joining our proud UPEI family.'

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation
• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre, squash and racquetball courts, competition and leisure pool with hot tub, and two ice arenas

The University of Prince Edward Island announced today that Greg Gould is returning as head coach of the Women's Basketball team.

Gould, originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, coached the Panthers from 2012-14 and prior to that led the coaching staff for the girls' basketball team at Riverview High School in New Brunswick. He will begin his post at UPEI immediately to fill the vacancy left by Mark English last month.

Chris Huggan, Director of Athletics and Recreation said, 'While we were impressed with all of the candidates we interviewed, Greg Gould is an experienced, committed and highly successful coach. We are very excited to welcome Greg back, to take our program to the next level and build upon last year's success.' The 2014-15 team played in the final of the AUS championship, placing second behind Saint Mary's.

Gould is eager to return to the Island and continue working with UPEI student athletes, alumni, and the PEI basketball community.

'My goals are to help make the team a consistent AUS contender, win the championship, and ultimately, compete solidly at the national level,' said Gould. 'I would like to thank UPEI for sharing my vision for the Women's Basketball program and look forward to connecting with our student athletes to help them develop into the most capable, compassionate, ethical, and successful persons they can be. I can't wait to discuss how we can work together to move the program forward.'

Gould has coached basketball for 44 years, leading girls basketball teams at Moncton, Fredericton, and Riverview high schools, six times to the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association (NBIAA) AAA provincial championships. He also coached at the post-secondary level, including the St. Thomas University and the New Brunswick Teachers' College women's teams, and for a variety of provincial basketball teams. Gould is a recipient of the Atlantic Colleges Athletic Association (ACAA) Coach of the Year, Basketball New Brunswick Coaches Award, and the NBIAA Women's Coach of the Year award.

The Steering Committee for the 10th North Atlantic Forum conference, 'Building Community Resilience: Innovation, Culture, and Governance in Place,' to be held from 16 to 19 September 2015 in Summerside, is extending the early bird registration deadline until June 30. The early bird rate is $275, which includes conference materials, meals during the conference, conference banquet on September 18, shuttle from Charlottetown Airport, return transportation to Charlottetown, one field trip excursion, and local transportation events in Summerside.
The North Atlantic Forum is a network of researchers, policy-makers, and development practitioners focused on best practices in social and economic development and governance. The members believe in and celebrate the power of small, and the innovations that come out of unlikely places.

'Our Government is pleased to support UPEI through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency's (ACOA) Business Development Program, with a contribution of $30,000,' said the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (ACOA). 'This conference will strengthen the local economy and explore how to sustain long-term prosperity in rural areas.'

Conference organizers have created a program of more than 70 presentations, workshops, panel discussions, and keynote addresses from community organizations, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, government, students, researchers, and businesses from across Canada and internationally, on the topic of building resilient communities or regions. The conference invites explorations of how various 'dark horses' in Canada and the broad North Atlantic-including minorities, small towns, peripheries, aboriginal communities, those with little money, status, voice, or political leverage-can rise to the occasion and chart livable futures. The conference will examine opportunities for sustainable living that are more likely to emerge from small and peripheral communities-rural, coastal, or island.

We invite participants from academia, government, NGOs, and communities to join us as we not only learn from other jurisdictions, but as we explore rural and small-town Prince Edward Island through a lively and community-engaged program. For more information, visit www.pei2015.crrf.ca or contact us at naf2015@upei.ca. The conference is hosted by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, in partnership with the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF), and with funding from ACOA.

UPEI's Physical Activity Research Centre is seeking children aged 8-12 to participate in the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) study. The CAPL is a national study coordinated by the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute designed to assess physical literacy (the skills and abilities necessary for engagement in lifelong physical activity).

The study tests children in a number of different areas, such as fitness level, sedentary behaviour, motor skills, body composition, and knowledge and understanding of physical activity. The data collected will be used by researchers across the country, and will be included the ParticipACTION Report Card.

Testing can take anywhere from two to four hours, depending on the number of participants in the group. Children will complete activities in a number of stations.

Data collected in this study is confidential, however, parents will receive their child's results.
The CAPL study is made possible, in part, by the RBC Learn to Play Project. The RBC Learn to Play Project is funded by RBC and the Public Health Agency of Canada and delivered by ParticipACTION to help children develop the confidence and skills they need to enable them to become active for life.

For more information, or to participate in the study, contact capl@upei.ca.

Chris Rauckman loves to score goals. The 6'0, 190-lb left winger put up 80 goals over the past two seasons in junior hockey and he is hoping for continued success as he joins the UPEI Panthers Men's Hockey program in September.

'Right now I am just training hard to be in the best shape of my life because I know the college hockey on the east coast is as good as it gets,' said Rauckman, a native of Red Deer, Alberta. 'I've always prided myself on scoring goals and I am hoping to put my ability to good use to help our team succeed.'

Rauckman played three seasons of Tier 2 junior hockey in western Canada. He had 39 goals and 64 points in 56 games last season with the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He had planned on continuing his hockey career in the US college ranks and had seriously explored those options. He said he never put much emphasis on playing in the CIS until he became friends at the gym with another Red Deer native-Panthers third-year defenceman Derek Ryckman.

'Rycks was always talking about how good the hockey was, about how awesome PEI is and this top quality college hockey program at UPEI,' Rauckman said. 'When my final junior season ended, I started to give it a more serious look, made a visit to PEI and everyone was so nice…it made me confident that I was making the right choice.'

Panthers' coach Forbes MacPherson said initial scouting reports on the left winger were intriguing and the further he explored, more positives were revealed.

'His coaches, opponents' coaches, and scouts all kept saying the same thing-this is a guy who has a laser of a shot and who always seems to excel and score from the dirty areas,' said MacPherson. 'He is a character player. He doesn't mind paying the price for a scoring chance and he just competes hard every night. I am excited to see what he can bring to our lineup.'

Rauckman will enroll in the Arts program in September.

Athletics and Recreation director Chris Huggan welcomes Rauckman to the University.

'The recruiting process is such an exciting time for our athletic programs and our University,' said Huggan. 'The renewed sense of optimism brings excitement and energy to the campus. I look forward to seeing Chris succeed in the classroom and, on the ice, as a member of the Panther family.'

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation
• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre, squash and racquetball courts, competition and leisure pool with hot tub, and two ice arenas

The inaugural University of Prince Edward Island Multidisciplinary Graduate Research Conference (UMGRC) is a pan-Canadian, refereed, academic conference designed to showcase the work of graduate students at UPEI and beyond.

The theme of the conference is Emerging Scholars: Illuminating Graduate Research. The conference will offer graduate students across Canada the opportunity to present their graduate research with either a poster or a paper presentation, acquire skills and knowledge through workshops, and participate in dialogue and discussion between and within disciplines.

The conference and workshops are open to anyone. More information and registrations details are available at the conference website. The conference runs from August 6-8.

Dr. Theresa Bernardo will deliver the conference keynote address. Dr. Bernardo was UPEI's first graduate student, earning her MSc in 1986 from the Atlantic Veterinary College. In 2012, she received the UPEI Distinguished Alumnus award. She is an associate professor at Michigan State's College of Veterinary Medicine. She has worked with the World Health Organization, where she dealt with the H1N1 pandemic, and the Haitian earthquake.

UPEI's Climate Research Lab is hosting a series of public talks by globally respected oceanographer and expert on sea-level rise, John Englander. Englander will present information he believes businesses on Prince Edward Island need to know about the rising sea level.

Businesses should have the latest information about how sea level rise is going to impact their assets and supply chains in coastal zones and low-lying inland areas. Englander will share the surprising facts and will expose the myths about rising seas to provide a clear warning for businesses across PEI.

Englander will be making three presentations while on the Island:
• Thursday, July 30, 12-2 pm at The Haviland Club in Charlottetown (lunch will be provided)
• Thursday, July 30, 5-7 pm in room 242, Don and Marion McDougall Hall, UPEI
• Saturday, August 1, 11 am-12 pm in the Hebrides Clubhouse in Campbellton, PEI

Englander's broad marine science background, coupled with his degrees in geology and economics, allows him to see the big picture on climate and look ahead to the large-scale financial and societal impacts, particularly as they relate to sea-level rise. He brings the diverse points of view of an industry scientist, entrepreneur, and CEO.

His bestselling book, High Tide On Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis, clearly explains the science behind sea-level rise, the impending devastating economic impacts, and the 'intelligent adaptation' that all businesses and coastal communities must consider today. Copies will be available.

Space is limited at each talk. To register, or for more information, contact UPEI's Climate Research Lab at climate@upei.ca.

The UPEI Women's Basketball team announced today that Jennifer Newman, a 5'10' forward from Riverview, New Brunswick, will be joining the Panthers for the 2015-16 season. She joins the team following a four-year career at Riverview High School where she was the team's MVP this past season, as well as being selected to the NBIAA All-star Team. Jennifer was also a key member of Basketball New Brunswick's Under 15 and Under 17 teams.

Coach Greg Gould feels Jennifer is the consummate student athlete.

'Jennifer will be a solid addition to our team school and community. On the court she is tough, hardworking, has good skills, and can play a variety of positions. She is unselfish and a great competitor who wants to win.'

Jennifer is an honours student who will be studying Kinesiology. 'I am excited to play for the Panthers and Coach Gould next season. I am looking forward to working hard, learning, and developing into the best player possible.'

'I believe UPEI will also be a great fit for me academically. The small classes with easy access to my instructors will help me to excel.'

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation

• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre, squash and racquetball courts, competition and leisure pool with hot tub, and two ice arenas