A fall tradition that dates back to 1988 will continue this September as students at the Atlantic Veterinary College open the doors for AVC Open House. The free family-friendly event will be held on Saturday, September 26, from 10 am to 2 pm. Visitors will enjoy animal-related fun including demonstrations and exhibits, the ever-popular Teddy Bear Clinic, face-painting, dressing like a surgeon, the parade of dog breeds, and much more. We welcome you to tour our College and learn more about our facilities, our equipment, and what we do every day.

Come and join the fun! Call 902-566-0589 for more information. Personal pets are not allowed at AVC Open House.

The UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for the week of September 7–13 are Danielle Younker, Women’s Soccer, and Brett Strba, Men’s Soccer. UPEI Athletics and Recreation showcases these talented athletes to recognize their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. UPEI Athletes of the Week are also nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Who: Danielle Younker, Women’s Soccer; and Brett Strba, Men’s Soccer

What: UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week

When: Week of September 7–13

Where: University of Prince Edward Island

Why:  Younker, a first-year Bachelor of Science student from Charlottetown, PEI, had a great debut weekend for the Panthers. During the Panthers 3-0 loss and 2-2 tie, Younker immediately stepped up against the defending AUS champions Seahawks with an excellent display of determination and composure on the ball while also scoring a goal against one of the best defences in the league. Danielle epitomized the Panther spirit throughout both games in her individual and team play.

Strba, a first-year Bachelor of Business Administration student from Windsor Junction, Nova Scotia, recorded a shutout in his first game as a Panther. Strba started both games for the Panthers during the weekend split against the MUN Seahawks. The Panthers took the Saturday game 1-0 while the Seahawks won 2-0 on Sunday.

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 and UPEI Turf
• 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 University of Prince Edward Island marked a milestone on September 10 when the School of Sustainable Design Engineering welcomed 12 students into the third year of study for its new Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design Engineering degree program. The first-ever, third-year cohort was part of an orientation day for all engineering students at Greenwich, Prince Edward Island National Park.

While engineering has a long history at UPEI, the four-year Sustainable Design Engineering degree was announced last year. The unique program has a project-based curriculum that puts a specialized focus on the design process across the various traditional engineering disciplines.

“The beginning of the academic year is always a special time at UPEI, but this week is especially meaningful as, for the first time in history, the University is offering a third-year engineering curriculum as part of our new four-year degree program,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. “These students, in 2017, will represent the first graduating class with a UPEI engineering degree.”

“Students attending UPEI this fall will be among the future leaders of Prince Edward Island. It is important that we are involved in helping them develop their potential,” Minister of Workforce and Advanced Learning Richard Brown said. “We are so pleased to see PEI’s investment in the School of Sustainable Design Engineering take shape so quickly, and that the program is welcoming third-year students for the first time.”

Not only is having a third-year cohort new, but also offering it in 2015 was earlier than planned. Because a number of students expressed interest in continuing on to earn their degree at UPEI, the School responded by launching the third-year curriculum this year as opposed to next. Eight third-year students are from UPEI while four are from Saint Mary’s, Cape Breton, Dalhousie, and Brazil universities, respectively.

“I would like to thank the School’s faculty and staff for their strong commitment and determination in initiating this early launch of the third-year cohort,” said President Abd-El-Aziz.

It was also it was the first time the School held its orientation day off-campus. This development was due to the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Parks Canada and the University to explore common areas of interest. The first exploration as a result of the MOU has been with the School of Sustainable Design Engineering around a number of first-year student projects.

“UPEI is so excited to have forged a relationship with Parks Canada as we share similar values as public institutions,” added President Abd-El-Aziz. “This is the first time our Engineering program has worked directly with Parks Canada, becoming the School’s flagship ‘first-year student client’.”

At Greenwich, Engineering faculty hosted students to a number of activities as part of the School’s annual orientation. The students were introduced to the School’s faculty, many of them new to UPEI to accommodate the program expansion, as well to the curriculum and focus areas. The day fittingly included design-related challenges geared to team building and fun design innovation.

Associate Dean of Engineering Nicholas Krouglicof said, “This is a momentous year for UPEI’s new School of Sustainable Design Engineering. We are so pleased to be welcoming our new students and celebrating the introduction of our new four-year program at the Prince Edward Island National Park’s Greenwich site. We will undoubtedly have many more projects, partnerships, and success stories to celebrate in the future.”

Anthony Parker, a third-year UPEI engineering student from Enfield, Nova Scotia, who earned his diploma from Saint Mary’s University, summed it up, “I chose UPEI to complete my engineering degree as the design focus really suited me. The multidisciplinary aspects of program are really different as compared to what other schools offer. I am really enjoying UPEI campus life already and the orientation at Greenwich was a great way to kick the year off!”

The UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for the week of September 21-27 are Amy Andrews, Women’s Rugby and Harminder Singh, Men’s Soccer. UPEI Athletics and Recreation showcases these talented athletes to recognize their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. UPEI Athletes of the Week are also nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Andrews, a third-year Bachelor of Science student from Charlottetown, PEI, was an important contributor during the Rugby Panthers 27-5 win over the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Saturday. Andrews scored 12 of the points and was strong in the front row. Andrews stood out with her agility in loose play, support offensively, and in the rucks defensively.

Singh, a fourth-year Bachelor of Science student from Cremona, Italy, continued to perform offensively for the Men’s Soccer Panthers this weekend and earned his second consecutive Athlete of the Week honours. On Friday versus the University of New Brunswick, Singh scored in extra time to help the Panthers tie 1-1, and then at Université de Moncton on Sunday, he scored the game winner during the Panthers 2-1 win over the Blue Eagles.

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 and UPEI Turf
• 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 University of Prince Edward Island Field Hockey team is ready to host the second tournament of the Atlantic University Field Hockey League season this weekend at the UPEI Turf Facility.

Participating universities include:  UPEI, Saint Mary’s, Dalhousie, Acadia, University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison, and Saint Francis Xavier. 

The UPEI Panthers have been training hard and are prepared for a great weekend. The top tier results from the first league tournament had the Panthers, SMU, and DAL all finishing with a win and a loss. UPEI finished with 3 goals for and 3 goals against, SMU had 1 goal for and 1 goal against, and DAL had 3 goals for and 3 goals against.

“We are looking forward to playing at home and improving upon a solid start to the season,” says Coach Sheila Bell. “On Saturday it will be important to bring together all aspects of our game and improve our transition play against SMU and DAL.”

Kathryn Koughan has led the way on defence while Alyssa Ferguson has dominated in the offensive circle for the Panthers. Koughan, a fourth-year Business student who has been a league all star for the past three years, league MVP, and First Team All Canadian in 2013, and Emily Ross, a fourth-year Nursing student, will both play their final tournament at home.

The AUFH tournament will feature two-tier play on Saturday and exhibition play on Sunday.

Tier 1 consists of UPEI, SMU, and Dalhousie. They will play a round robin with full games consisting of two 35-minute halves. This will be the first time in ten years of the AUFH league’s existence that the top tier has played full regulation games.

Tier 2 consists of UNB, St FX, Acadia and Mt A—they will also play a round robin with 25-minute halves.

On Sunday, Tier 1 and Tier 2 will play eight exhibition crossover games (25/25 minutes) beginning at 9:00 am.

Schedule

Saturday, October 3

1:00 pm UPEI vs DAL
2:15 pm MtA vs UNB
3:15 pm StFX vs ACA
4:15 pm SMU vs UPEI
5:30 pm StFX vs MtA
6:30 pm UNB vs ACA
7:30 pm DAL vs SMU
8:45 pm MtA vs ACA

Sunday, October 4

9:00 am UNB vs StFX
10:00 am ACA vs UPEI
11:00 am SMU vs StFX
12:00 pm DAL vs ACA
1:00 pm UPEI vs UNB
2:00 pm DAL vs MtA
3:00 pm UNB vs SMU
4:00 pm UPEI vs MtA

This weekend’s results will determine the final standings for the AUFH Championships, October 17–18, in Halifax.

The University of Prince Edward Island announced its new slate for the volunteer Board of Governors today, fittingly on Founders Day, a day when UPEI honours those who contribute to the institution.

The Board of Governors, which is instituted under the terms of the University Act, consists of volunteers appointed from several organizations (Senate, Board, Alumni Association, Government of PEI, and Faculty). These volunteers are responsible for the governance of the University.

President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, “We are thankful to have representatives that volunteer and give generously of their time to serve on our Board of Governors. We value and appreciate that they share their great wisdom and experience from a variety of backgrounds to advance the priorities of the University.”

“I would like to thank outgoing Chair Tom Cullen who has served UPEI for many years on the Board and in a number of capacities. His support and the amount of time he has donated to this volunteer role was exemplary,” added Abd-El-Aziz. “I also thank Liz Maynard and Marva Sweeney-Nixon, outgoing board members who have also been tremendous assets to our Board. We thank them for their volunteer service.”

New board appointees include Ms. Mary Best, Ms. Bertha Campbell, and Professor Rabin Bissessur.

Taking on the Chair role is Mr. Pat Sinnott, who previously chaired the Finance and Audit Committee and was also Vice-Chair of the Board.

“We welcome the new appointees to the Board of Governors,” said Chair Pat Sinnott. “UPEI appreciates and thanks them for their commitment and for volunteering their time to UPEI and the community.”

2015-16 UPEI Board of Governors

Mr. Pat Sinnott, Chair of the Board
Dr. Don McDougall, Chancellor of UPEI
Dr. Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz, President and Vice-Chancellor of UPEI
Mr. Duncan Shaw, Chair - Development, Fundraising and External Relations Committee
Mr. Shawn Murphy, Chair - Governance and Appeals Committee
Mr. Scott D. Harper, Chair - Human Resources Committee
Mr. Ron Keefe, Chair - Finance and Audit Committee
Ms. Margo Thompson, Chair - Property and Asset Committee
Mr. Andrew Bartlett
Ms. Mary Best
Mr. Ryan Bradley
Professor Rabin Bissessur
Mr. John A. Buchanan
Ms. Bertha Campbell
Professor Gary Conboy
Ms. Tracey Cutcliffe
Professor Don Desserud
Dr. Linnell Edwards
Mr. Dana Kenny, Student Union President, UPEI
Mr. Ed Lawlor
Dr. Brian McMillan, President - Holland College
Professor Jim Sentance
Mr. Pierce Smith, Student Union Representative
Ms. Shauna Sullivan Curley, QC
Professor Lowell Sweet
Mr. Xuan ‘Frank’ Zhou

The Atlantic Veterinary College's (AVC) Regional Diagnostic Virology Services (RDVS) Laboratory and the Toxicology and Analytical Services (TAS) Laboratory have achieved ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation with the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).

'ISO-17025 accreditation demonstrates to the world that we are operating under globally recognized standards,' says Elizabeth Dobbin, director of AVC Diagnostic Services. Both of the newly accredited labs fall under AVC Diagnostic Services, which offers tests and services across eight laboratory sections, encompassing domestic, aquatic, exotic, and wildlife species.

SCC accreditation is not easy to attain. In the case of the RDVS and TAS labs, the process took over three years, culminating in a three-day visit by SCC representatives who inspected every inch of the labs-from documentation and instruments to testing methodology. And this is not the end of the process. To maintain the accreditation status, SCC representatives will return in September 2015 for another inspection and then every two years after that.

Accreditation of the RDVS and TAS labs strengthens the already excellent reputation of AVC Diagnostic Services overall and opens up new opportunities, says Dobbin. Clients look for ISO-17025 certified labs first, so the accreditation expands the potential client base for the service. It also means, for example, that results from the accredited labs are recognized by government and other regulatory bodies, and also that they will stand up in a court of law.

While the ISO-17025 accreditation standard is applicable to the RDVS and TAS labs overall, says Dobbin, they are currently accredited for five testing methods. In order to have a testing method added to the scope of accredited methods, the SCC conducts an intensive inspection of the labs involved. Two more methods will be added during the SCC site inspection next fall and more in future visits.

AVC's attainment of SCC ISO-17025 accreditation was completed in part through a 2010 project under the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency's Atlantic Innovation Fund, involving the development of new innovative delivery mechanisms and improvements in the efficiency of the College's diagnostic services.

For more information about AVC Diagnostic Services, please contact Elizabeth Dobbin, director, at (902) 566-0831 or edobbin@upei.ca

Background:

ISO/IEC 17025:2005 is an internationally accepted standard to demonstrate technical competence in laboratories performing specific tests, calibrations and/or measurements. ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization headquartered in Switzerland. The IEC term stands for the International Electrotechnical Commission.

The SCC provides accreditation services to laboratories in Canada. It assesses factors relevant to a lab's ability to produce precise accurate test and calibration data, including the technical competence of staff verified through regular proficiency testing or inter-laboratory comparisons; validity and use of appropriate test methods; traceability of measurements and calibrations to national standards such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology; suitability, calibration and maintenance of test equipment; quality assurance of test and calibration results; testing environment, sampling, handling and transportation of test samples; and communication with customers and the need to gain feedback and continual improvement.

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Dr. Ian Dohoo, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) at UPEI, was honoured recently with an honorary doctorate in veterinary medicine by the University of Helsinki in Finland.

Dohoo was one of ten people honoured by the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine during a three-day celebration that included, among other events, a sword-whetting ceremony, the degree conferment ceremony, a formal ball, and a salute to the rising sun at 4:01 a.m. Helsinki time. Five people from Finland, including Sauli Niinistö, president of the country, and five from other countries were awarded honorary degrees during the event. During the conferment ceremony, Dohoo was presented with the University of Helinski's insignia of academic rank-a doctoral top hat and a sword.

Dohoo received his honorary degree in recognition of his internationally renowned work in veterinary epidemiology-the study of diseases in populations of animals-and his long record of post-graduate teaching in Scandinavia. The presentation was even more meaningful for Dohoo because Dr. Antti Sukura, the current dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Helsinki, was a participant in his first Scandinavian graduate course.

'Dr. Dohoo is renowned internationally for his expertise in veterinary epidemiology,' says Dr. Greg Keefe, dean of AVC. 'I am honoured to count myself among his early graduate students at the Atlantic Veterinary College. This honour is a testament to his excellent record as a teacher, researcher, and collaborator.'

From 1990 to the present, Dohoo has been teaching graduate-level epidemiology courses in the Scandinavian region. Many of the courses were organized by a collaboration of universities in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway.

'Being involved in epidemiology in Scandinavia has been a highlight of my career,' says Dohoo. 'To be able to contribute to the region's competency in epidemiology and to have it recognized in this way is a thrill for me.'

Dohoo credits his mentor and friend Dr. Wayne Martin, of the University of Guelph, with getting him involved in teaching in Scandinavia, adding that Martin recently received an honorary degree from the University College Dublin in Ireland. 'It's very exciting that we are both being honoured at the same time by different universities.'

This honour is the most recent among many for Dohoo. In 2005, he was elected a Fellow of the prestigious Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He received honorary degrees from the University of Sweden in 2008 and the University of Guelph in 2012. He has won numerous awards for teaching and research, including the 2012 Calvin W. Schwabe Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine. He was named professor emeritus at UPEI's 2012 convocation ceremony. With Dr. Henrik Stryhn of AVC and Martin, he authored the standard text used for epidemiology curricula in veterinary schools around the world.

Dohoo graduated with a degree in veterinary medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, in 1976, and in 1982 with his PhD. He joined AVC in 1985, the year before the College accepted its first class of students, and retired in 2012.

The AVC community welcomed the Class of 2019 on Friday, August 28, at the College’s annual AVC-CVMA Blue Coat Ceremony. At the ceremony, the students are presented with blue lab coats, signifying the beginning of their four-year journey toward their doctor of veterinary medicine degrees. The students in the Class of 2019 settled into their studies quickly and are getting to know each other and their school. We are looking forward to a great year with all of our students! We thank the CVMA (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association) for supporting our incoming students at their Blue Coat Ceremony.