The Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) network and Irving Shipbuilding announced yesterday more than $1.8 million of support for research projects to strengthen Canada’s ability to anticipate and respond to marine risk. Among the projects is one lead by Dr. Adam Fenech, director of UPEI’s Climate Research Lab.

The funding will support new technology for monitoring and visualizing the impacts of sea-level rise, erosion, and storm surges in costal environments. It will also support five graduate students at UPEI.

Dr. Fenech and his team will use detailed coastal sensors mounted on flying drones to capture high-resolution imagery of First Nations communities on Prince Edward Island—Lennox Island and Rocky Point—to create a digital simulation for each community. These simulations will show detailed topography and potential areas at risk to sea-level rise and erosion-related impacts. These tools will help communities identify immediate risks to infrastructure and will aid in long-term planning to prepare for, and adapt to future coastal changes.

Don MacKenzie, Executive Director of partner organization, MCPEI, stated “The First Nations of PEI depend strongly on the coast, and on marine resources, especially the fisheries. One of our communities is a small Island, and it is crucial for us to develop approaches to deal with a wide range of marine hazards, from storm surges to sea level rise. We look forward enthusiastically to the benefits this project brings to all our communities.”

“The MEOPAR project is an important extension of the CLIVE virtual reality technology developed by Professor Fenech and his colleagues at the UPEI Climate Research Lab,” said Dr. Robert Gimour, Vice-President Research and Graduate Studies at UPEI. “The addition of high resolution data from instrumented drones will enhance the lab's ability to predict climate-related threats to coastal infrastructure, residences and businesses, which will, in turn, aid in the development of adaptation strategies to minimize the economic impact of such threats. The substantial financial contribution of Irving Shipbuilding to the project underscores the expected economic benefits from this approach to risk mitigation.”

Irving Shipbuilding contributed $1 million to the $1.8 million initiative.  Irving Shipbuilding’s funding is pursuant to its value proposition obligation under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, whereby Irving Shipbuilding is committed to spending 0.5.% of contract revenues with the aim of creating a sustainable marine industry across Canada.

MEOPAR was created through the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence Program in 2012. The MEOPAR network is building Canada’s capacity to anticipate and respond to marine risk by funding interdisciplinary academic research, developing highly qualified personnel with expertise in marine risk and response, and by connecting academic research and technology to national and international partners in government, industry, and the public sector. To learn more, please visit www.meopar.ca.

Samuel Holland: His Work and Legacy on Prince Edward Island, was chosen Publication of the Year for 2015 at the PEI Museum’s Heritage Awards held recently in Summerside. Written by Earle Lockerby and Doug Sobey, the book was co-published by Island Studies Press at UPEI, and Holland College, to mark the 250^th anniversary of Samuel Holland’s mapping of Prince Edward Island. The book is available in softcover at Island bookstores and online.

A total of 17 heritage awards were presented by the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, and five Island sites received historical designation. 

The UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for the week of February 15-21 are Katie Donahoe, Women’s Basketball, and Marcus Power, Men’s Hockey. On a weekly basis, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes these talented student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. UPEI Athletes of the Week are then nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Who:  Katie Donahoe, Women’s Basketball, and Marcus Power, Men’s Hockey

What: UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week

When: Week of February 15-21, 2016

Where: University of Prince Edward Island

Why: Donahoe, a fifth-year guard and Kinesiology student from Riverview, N.B., scored 21 points on 54% shooting including 4 three-pointers in the Panthers’ 68-67 win over the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday. Katie was also 3 for 3 from the foul line, grabbed 8 rebounds, made 4 steals, and handed out 8 assists. Katie is currently first in the AUS in minutes played per game, first in assists, second in assist-to-turnover ratio, third in steals, and third in three-point field goal percentage.

Power, a second-year Bachelor of Business Administration student from St. John’s, N.L., was a huge impact player for the Panthers last week during the AUS quarterfinal series against Acadia. In UPEI’s 6-3 and 4-3 wins over the Axemen, Power tallied 5 points including the OT winner to end the series.

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

AVC’s Diagnostic Services Unit has received funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food to develop new diagnostic tests that are more effective, more sensitive, and less expensive for detecting bovine and swine viruses.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced recently at AVC that Diagnostic Services has received $709,138 for the project from the federal Growing Forward 2 program.

Researchers in Diagnostic Services’ Regional Diagnostic Virology Service laboratory will work on developing three multiplex molecular tests that will test for multiple viruses from a single sample. The researchers will target diseases that affect food-producing animals and therefore pose economic risk in the domestic and export markets. These diseases include swine enteric viruses such as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and bovine enteric and respiratory viruses, such as bovine parainfluenza virus and bovine virus diarrhea virus.

"Canada’s reputation for safe, high-quality meat and dairy products is one that is backed by science and helps to keep our sector competitive and profitable,” says MacAulay. “This partnership with one of Canada’s leading veterinary colleges will ensure our industry continues to be recognized domestically and internationally for producing high-quality products.”

Dr. Greg Keefe, dean of AVC, says the project will strengthen AVC’s ability to monitor for, and prevent the spread of, diseases that may affect the beef, dairy, and pork export industries in Atlantic Canada.
“The beef, dairy, and pork industries in Atlantic Canada are important economic drivers, and it is essential that food-production animals are healthy for productivity and welfare, and our export trade.”

Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President and Vice-Chancellor of UPEI, thanked the Government of Canada for its support, saying “this investment in the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI supports the critical role our regional institution plays in health management of food-producing animals, effective disease surveillance, and prosperity of our key industries.”

The research team will work on developing one multiplex test per year, with the goal of completing all three in three years. Once the new tests have been validated, they can be used by veterinary diagnostic laboratories across Canada.

UPEI’s Executive MBA program offers a high-quality learning experience for working business professionals. The program is designed for those working in, or aspiring to work in, a management or leadership position. Classes are offered bi-weekly on Fridays and Saturdays with the option to complete the program in 20 months.

The program offers a specialization in Innovative Management. This fall, students can opt for a special one-time focus on Public Sector Management. This is a fantastic opportunity for public sector managers looking for a public sector focus while simultaneously getting a full MBA experience.

To learn more about this exciting program, UPEI’s School of Business invites you to attend the following information session. Learn more about the program and application process, have your questions answered, and meet with staff from the School of Business.

Wednesday, March 9, 5 pm
Provinces Room, Rodd Charlottetown Hotel, Charlottetown

For more information, or to reserve a seat, call 902-566-6474 or email mba@upei.ca to reserve a seat.  

Dr. Aimie Doyle (Class of 2000), a large animal surgical specialist at AVC, is featured on the National Geographic Wild docu-reality show, Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet, when it opens for its third season on March 19.

Because there is no surgical expertise for large animals in the North, Dr. Doyle provides her expertise to Dr. Michelle Oakley, star of the show and Dr. Doyle’s classmate at AVC. In the March 19 show, Drs Doyle and Oakley work together to determine the cause of serious lameness in a horse.

In May 2015, Dr. Doyle took students Bethany Holliday, Nancy Brochu, and Shauna MacLeod, AVC Class of 2016, to work with Dr. Oakley on a captive wildlife rotation where they gained experience with a variety of captive wild animals—from reindeer to porcupines. The students will appear in an upcoming episode of the show.

Dr. Doyle will return to the Yukon in May 2016 to work with Dr. Oakley on the fourth season of the show.

Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet premiered on April 14, 2014, on National Geographic’s subsidiary channel Nat Geo WILD. One of only a few veterinarians in the Yukon, Dr. Oakley is followed by a film crew as she travels hundreds of kilometres across harsh terrain to make house calls to help many species of animals, ranging from an angry musk ox and a caribou with a tumor to a defensive lynx and a grey owl with an amputated wing. In her case, “house” may range from a remote homestead to a frozen prairie in the dead of winter.

Dr. Oakley lives in the village of Haines Junction, Yukon, with her husband and three daughters. She runs a clinic out of her home and offers weekly clinics in satellite facilities in Whitehorse, Yukon, 154 km from her home and in Haines, Alaska, 238 km from where she lives. She is the on-call veterinarian for the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, a huge enclosure that contains many animals native to the Yukon as well as a large wildlife rehabilitation facility.

She has been involved in numerous research programs for First Nations organizations and for the Canadian government. In addition to her veterinary role, she is recognized as a regional biologist in the Yukon. She is an associate professor at the University of Calgary’s College of Veterinary Medicine and regularly works at the Calgary zoo in this capacity.

Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet can be viewed at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/dr-oakley-yukon-vet/.
 

The Winter’s Tales Authors Reading Series presents a public reading by Newfoundland author Michelle Butler Hallett. The reading takes place 7:30 pm, Tuesday, March 15 at in the Dawson Lounge, room 520 of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. Originating from St. John’s, where she currently resides with her family, Michelle is known as a literary risk-taker.

Butler Hallett is a master of many writing forms. She has published a short story collection entitled The shadow side of grace and has since been a prominent contributor to various short story anthologies. She is also a poet, playwright, and novelist. Her published novels are Double-blind (shortlisted for the 2008 Sunburst Award), Sky Waves, and deluded your sailors.

She is the kind of writer who does not brush aside her own struggles or the human suffering surrounding her; rather, she uses strife and stress to fuel her writing and the journeys of her characters. As a writer, Butler Hallett is enticed by crossroads, believes in asking “What if?” to spark a great story, and has said that the “mystery of suffering” compels her to create rich and powerful fiction. Her stories have high stakes and conflict, making her work striking and memorable.

Butler Hallett’s last novel was issued five years ago, but readers’ anticipation for a new book will soon be met, as her latest novel, This Marlowe, will be released this March. This Marlowe is set in England in 1593, the year that Christopher Marlowe mysteriously died. Marlowe was the greatest English playwright of his era and a major influence on the next great playwright, Shakespeare. The novel will explore faith, duty, love, and politics, and the difficult choices which Marlowe and, indeed, all of us face. It can be described as historical fiction with a contemporary edge, and you can hear more about it from the author herself on March 15. 

The reading is sponsored by the UPEI Faculty of Arts and The Canada Council for the Arts. Refreshments will be provided. A reception and book-signing by the author will follow. 

The Department of Physics at the University of Prince Edward Island will be relocating to the new facility being constructed to house the UPEI School of Sustainable Design Engineering, President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz announced Friday at a meeting of the University Senate.

“I am so delighted to see my colleagues in the School of Sustainable Design Engineering and Department of Physics coming together and forging more interdisciplinary links to ensure our students have broader knowledge and hands-on experience,” said Dr. Abd-El-Aziz. “The future of universities will be built on a foundation of strong programs, collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and experiential learning. I am very proud that UPEI is actively building this foundation in support of enabling our students to reach their full potential in both the classroom and the community.”

The relocation of the Department of Physics will take place this summer. Both engineering and physics faculty will have their offices, labs, and classes in the new building.

Acting Chair of Physics James Polson added, “The physics and engineering departments have a history of working together. By now being in the same building and sharing resources such as labs and project studios, our students will further benefit.” Dr. Polson explained, “The prospect of growing collaboration is exciting, as UPEI’s research agenda will also be strengthened. For example, one of my physics colleagues has been essential in the development of the four multi-disciplinary centres of excellence in the School of Sustainable Design Engineering.”

Associate Dean of Engineering Nicholas Krouglicof said, “Since arriving at UPEI, I have had the pleasure of working with outstanding colleagues that have a great vision for the new UPEI School of Sustainable Design Engineering. This includes faculty from other departments such as physics, who have partnered with engineering for many years.” Dr. Krouglicof added, “We welcome our physics colleagues to the new facility as we know it will create many more opportunities for collaborative research and strengthen existing partnerships.”

“Faculty of Science departments at UPEI are recognized for their strong desire to work together across disciplines,” remarked Dr. Debbie MacLellan, Dean of Science. “We have recently witnessed this collaborative effort when Mathematics and Statistics and Computer Science merged to form the new School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences. With this latest announcement that Physics will be located in the new engineering facility, I expect more innovative programming and research synergies as an outcome.”

The new building and home of the UPEI School of Sustainable Design Engineering and Department of Physics will open in August 2016.

The UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week for the week of February 22-28 are Katie Donahoe, Women’s Basketball, and Bradley States, Men’s Basketball. On a weekly basis, UPEI Athletics and Recreation recognizes these talented student-athletes for their hard work and dedication to their respective sports. UPEI Athletes of the Week are then nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Who:  Katie Donahoe, Women’s Basketball, and Bradley States, Men’s Basketball

What: UPEI Panther Subway Athletes of the Week

When: Week of February 22-28, 2016

Where: University of Prince Edward Island

Why: Donahoe, a fifth-year guard and Kinesiology student from Riverview, N.B., scored 14 points including 3 three pointers in the Panthers 70-59 loss to the University of New Brunswick on the weekend. Donahoe also had 4 steals, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and played great defence.

States, a fourth-year Bachelor of Business Administration student, from Bathurst, N.B., was an impact player for the Panthers during their 102-87 loss to UNB this past weekend.  States contributed 28 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, and was 16/20 from the foul line.

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