Sixteen distinguished individuals, including UPEI’s very own chancellor, Dr. Don McDougall, received honorary degrees when Western University hosted its Convocation this spring.

Chancellor McDougall received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.) at the June 14, 2016 ceremony.  (Western University has 16 convocation ceremonies.)

UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, “On behalf of the entire University community, I congratulate Chancellor McDougall on this honour from Western University. The Chancellor is a wonderful champion for big and bold ideas, and we are very thankful for his continued insight and leadership at UPEI.”

McDougall is a well-known UPEI alumnus, donor, and honorary degree recipient (1978) who spent his formative years in Bloomfield, PEI before attending both St. Dunstan's High School and University. In addition to his long history with UPEI and its founding institutions, Chancellor McDougall is an alumnus of The Ivey Business School and has served as Chair of the Board at King’s College and Chair of the Board of Governors at Western University.

Currently Chair and CEO of Rambri Management Inc. and eJust Systems Inc., Chancellor McDougall has enjoyed a long and illustrious business career. As President of Labatt Brewing Company in the 1970s, he is credited with providing the leadership that landed the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto and the Grand Prix du Canada in Montreal, and elevating Labatt to the status of number-one brewer in Canada. He is an inductee of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for his tireless efforts in bringing a major league baseball franchise to Toronto.

Other honorary degree recipients included: Dr. Harold Merskey, Yue-man Yeung, Jon Love, Janice Gross Stein, Kevin Lynch, Mary Thompson, Stephanie A. Atkinson, Stephen Burley, R. Kerry Rowe, Louise Bessette, Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, Carol Stephenson, David Howman, Cindy Blackstock, and Gerald Fridman.

Congratulations, Chancellor McDougall!

The Climate Research Lab at UPEI has begun its summer field season by flying its fleet of drones over Prince Edward Island. The drones are taking high-resolution images of the land to study how climate change is impacting PEI’s coasts.

The Climate Lab has three drones presently, with plans to purchase a fourth. A fixed wing drone that the Lab calls MAGGIE (Model Airplane Gathering Geographical Information on the Environment) has a one-and-a-half meter wide wingspan and carries sophisticated instruments such as LiDAR: a safe laser that sees through vegetation to measure the bare earth. The two others are quad-copter drones that can provide stable images during PEI’s high wind events.

“We’ll be surveying the coasts from the air across Prince Edward Island in order to study the effects of coastal erosion on our shores,” said Dr. Adam Fenech, director of the Climate Research Lab. “Our Climate Lab’s graduate students will be flying their model airplanes and helicopters all summer long. They will be capturing valuable information that will be used to make decisions on how to best adapt to climate change.”

Support for the work of the Climate Research Lab comes from several groups. The province of Prince Edward Island supports several graduate students working in the lab. It also provides funding and expertise for the aerial surveys with MAGGIE.

“Our inventory of coastal erosion is an excellent example of how the provincial government and the university are coming together to address climate change,” said Robert Mitchell, PEI Minister of Communities, Land and Environment. “Expertise in climate change science at the university is assisting the province in assessing areas of high vulnerability and the best ways to respond to these risks.”

In addition to the aerial survey work, the UPEI Climate Lab is being assisted by the province to conduct:

• Erosion assessments of more than 100 sensitive coastal sites across the province;
• Assessment of blade erosion on wind turbines exposed to the PEI elements at North Cape;
• A comparison of various shoreline armouring techniques to guard against coastal erosion on properties; and
• An erosion study of the iconic sand dunes in Prince Edward Island National Park.

Funding for the drone aerial surveys also comes from the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response (MEOPAR) network which supports new technology for monitoring and visualizing the impacts of sea-level rise, erosion, and storm surges in costal environments. It supports five graduate students at UPEI.

The Climate Research Lab could be gathering data at a site near you! For more information, contact the lab at climate@upei.ca or 902-620-5221.

The L.M. Montgomery Institute (LMMI) at UPEI has launched an exciting tool for scholars researching the life and legacy of Lucy Maud Montgomery. The collection of Montgomery-related materials at UPEI has grown steadily over the past 10-15 years, thanks to the generosity of many donors, including Dr. Donna Jane Campbell, the Heirs of LM Montgomery, and the Friends of the LMMI. Major components of that collection will become accessible to all at KindredSpaces.

KindredSpaces was launched at the LMMI Biennial International Conference at UPEI. The first research material to be featured is the Ryrie-Campbell Collection, donated to the LMMI and UPEI’s Robertson Library by Dr. Donna Jane Campbell.

“The launch of KindredSpaces marks a significant resource for Montgomery students, scholars and enthusiasts across the world, building an online repository of Montgomery materials and artefacts,” said Dr. Philip Smith, chair of the L.M. Montgomery Institute committee. “Digitization of the Ryrie-Campbell collection of periodicals, featuring Montgomery poems and short stories, and an online catalogue—complemented by cover art—of Ryrie-Campbell's large selection of rare and interesting books by and about Montgomery, is an exceptional beginning for KindredSpaces. We very much appreciate Dr. Donna Campbell's generosity in sharing her collection and enabling this project.”

The Ryrie-Campbell Collection has three main components:

1. Periodicals—more than 400 short stories, poems, and articles published by L.M. Montgomery in a wide range of North American, British, and Australian periodicals in the late 1800s and early 1900s
2. Books—rare early and international editions of Montgomery’s books and reference works in which she is discussed
3. Special Items—artefacts and printed memorabilia documenting various aspects of Montgomery’s life and career (Coming to KindredSpaces Fall-Winter 2016)

“All the Ryrie-Campbel Collection items were inventoried with reference numbers, but it was difficult for prospective researchers to access and search without a finding guide,” said Dr. Donna Jane Campbell, LMMI research associate and benefactor. “So in 2013, I discussed with Simon Lloyd [special collections librarian at UPEI’s Robertson Library] the possibility of creating a catalogue of items with an on-line discovery tool. Simon dubbed this project KindredSpaces and set to work with the establishment of a professional librarian position, filled by Lindsey MacCallum, who catalogued the entire collection of books with bibliographic records and then turned her attention to the periodicals and to the development of a website to host the collection with the digitization of selected materials. The overall goal of KindredSpaces is to improve the visibility and usability of the Ryrie-Campbell Collection and thus offer increased opportunity for the study of L.M. Montgomery. Also, it is important to note that KindredSpaces is an ongoing project with plans for future additions of significant Montgomery materials.”

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The University of Prince Edward Island named two of its distinguished faculty members as the recipients of the Jeanne and J.-Louis Lévesque Research Professorships in Nutrisciences and Health. Dr. Andrew Tasker, professor of neuropharmacology at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College, and Dr. Travis Saunders, assistant professor of Applied Human Sciences, will each be supported over the next three years with an annual grant of $10,000 and up to $25,000 annually to permit replacement for teaching or other duties.

“UPEI is grateful for the generous and long-standing support of the Fondation J.-Louis Lévesque, which makes possible the recognition of some of the university's most creative and productive scientists,” said Dr. Robert Gilmour, Vice-President Academic and Research at UPEI. “We are particularly pleased that we are able to support the research programs of both an established investigator, in Dr. Tasker, and an emerging investigator, in Dr. Saunders, both of whom promise to make immediate and lasting contributions to nutrisciences and health.”

As a Jeanne and J.-Louis Lévesque research professor, Dr. Andrew Tasker will continue his explorations of normal and abnormal brain function. In this role, he will examine major depression and investigate why anti-depressant medications often take weeks to become effective, and in up to 50% of cases, never become effective. Tasker will determine if ginsenosides, the active ingredients in ginseng, have the potential to improve the effectiveness of current anti-depressants.

“I am extremely grateful for the generosity of the Lévesque family,” said Dr. Tasker. “The funding they are providing will allow me to better investigate both the neurobiological basis of depression and to evaluate a new and potentially important approach to improving the effectiveness of antidepressant therapy”.

Dr. Travis Saunders’ research as a Jeanne and J.-Louis Lévesque research professor will examine the relationship between sedentary behaviour and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Recent research shows screen-based sedentary behaviour especially is associated with these negative effects. Surprisingly, these effects are not due to lack of energy expended, but due to increased food intake that results from screen-based behaviours.

“We know that screen time is linked to excess food intake, but we don't understand what is responsible for that relationship. I am thrilled and honoured to receive the Lévesque Professorship, which will allow my students and me to investigate the links between sedentary behaviours and chronic disease,” said Dr. Saunders.

The professorships are supported by the Fondation J.-Louis Lévesque: a generous supporter of health research at universities and institutes across the country. J.-Louis Lévesque graduated from Saint Dunstan’s University in 1934 and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws in 1964. Suzanne Lévesque, daughter of J.-Louis and president and CEO of his namesake foundation, was awarded an honorary doctor of laws from UPEI in 2006.

“We’re very lucky at UPEI to have such a long and prosperous relationship with the Lévesque family, stretching back further than even the name UPEI,” said Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President and Vice-Chancellor of UPEI. “So I feel it’s safe to say ours is a special relationship with the Fondation J.-Louis Léveque, and that their support has helped immensely in growing UPEI’s capacity in the area of health research.”

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Denise Happ, a master’s student at UPEI’s Atlantic Veterinary College, has been awarded a prestigious and highly competitive fellowship from Denmark’s Aarhus University (AU). The Mobility Fellowship from AU Graduate School of Health provides three years of support to complete a PhD jointly between AU and UPEI. Happ will work under the co-supervision of AU’s Dr. Gregers Wegener and Dr. Andrew Tasker, a professor of neuropharmacology at UPEI.

Happ’s graduate research project is entitled, “Interactions between Nicotinergic and Serotonergic Systems in Major Depression and Anxiety: implications for antidepressant non-responders.” She will use powerful technology to better understand why certain anti-depressant drugs take several weeks to become effective, and in many cases, aren’t effective at all.

“I am very honoured to have been awarded this fellowship from Aarhus University,” said Denise Happ. “This is an exciting opportunity to further my studies and the collaborative nature of the project allows me to draw on the expertise from researchers at both UPEI and AU. I hope my research will be able to elucidate some of the mechanisms underlying depression.”

Depression is a common mental health problem affecting the lives of many individuals with severe consequences for society. Although numerous antidepressants are on the market, they typically require weeks of therapy to become effective, and about 30-50 per cent of patients fail to show a substantial clinical response to conventional antidepressant therapy. 

While the exact mechanisms causing depression are still poorly understood, the body’s inability to regulate a chemical called serotonin plays a major role. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) increase extracellular serotonin concentrations, but although SSRIs have an immediate effect on serotonin levels, the therapeutic response can take several weeks and some patients never do respond to these drugs.  This suggests that other systems are also involved in the action of SSRIs.

Happ’s project will use specialized animal models of depression, combined with powerful technologies for live imaging of brain function and molecular analysis of chemical interactions in the brain, to try to better understand the biological basis of depression and the actions of SSRIs.

“Denise is an exceptional student, and I am delighted that AU has given her this opportunity to advance her career in both Denmark and PEI,” said Dr. Andrew Tasker. “I have every confidence that her work will contribute significantly to our understanding and treatment of this devastating disorder.”

“Congratulations to Ms. Happ and Dr. Tasker for securing this major award, which recognizes Ms. Happ's outstanding work as a Master's student and her promise as a researcher, as well as Dr. Tasker's long and productive history in identifying the underlying biochemical mechanisms for neurological diseases and their treatment. The collaboration between UPEI and Aarhus University promises to provide important insights into depression and anxiety that might not emerge from either institution alone,” said Dr. Robert Gilmour, vice-president academic and research at UPEI.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

University of Prince Edward Island Women’s Basketball Head Coach Greg Gould is pleased to announce Lauren Shallow has committed to the Panthers for the upcoming 2016-17 season.

Shallow, a 5’10’’ honours student, attended Waterford Valley High School in St. Johns’ NFLD where she helped the Warriors to a 30-1 record, including the AAAA provincial championship. Shallow led her team in scoring with 31 points in the championship game and was named tournament MVP.

 “I am excited to be joining the UPEI Panthers, to my continued growth as a player and to making whatever contribution possible to our team,” said Shallow. “I look forward to playing CIS basketball while receiving a quality education from a university with a great academic reputation.”

“Lauren is a multi-skilled player who should fit seamlessly into our system,” said Gould. “She has the ability to score and defend multiple positions. Lauren has been a part of a basketball program with a winning tradition, and I look forward to working with her.”

Shallow has been accepted into the UPEI Faculty of Arts program.

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

UPEI’s Island Studies Press will mark two firsts with its book launch on Wednesday, July 13, 7 pm, at Upstreet Craft Brewery on Allen Street in Charlottetown. Time and a Place: An Environmental History of PEI is the first environmental history of Prince Edward Island and the first such history of any Canadian province. Everyone is welcome to attend the gala event.

Time and a Place tracks Prince Edward Island’s changes from the Ice Age to the Information Age. Its 12 essays explore the people’s interactions with the Island’s marine and terrestrial environment from its prehistory to its recent past. Beginning with PEI’s history as a blank slate–a land scraped by ice and then surrounded by rising seas–this mosaic of essays documents the arrival of flora, fauna, and humans, and the different ways these inhabitants have lived in this place over time.

“The chapters complement and build on each other,” says Matthew Hatvany of Université Laval. “Time and a Place will undoubtedly put PEI on the map of Canadian environmental history and will be used as a model for other regions that as yet have nothing of the kind to compare with it.”

With its long and well-documented history, Prince Edward Island is a compelling case study for thousands of years of human interaction with a specific ecosystem. The pastoral landscapes, red sandstone cliffs, and small fishing villages of Canada’s “garden province” are appealing because they appear timeless, but they are constructed as much by culture as by the ebb and flow of the tides.

Time and a Place is edited by three Island scholars, historians Edward MacDonald of UPEI and Joshua MacFadyen of Arizona State University, and marine biologist Irene Novaczek. One of the book’s strengths is the diversity among its 15 contributors, whose disciplines range from environmental history and archaeology to geography, biology, and island studies. The book is co-published by Island Studies Press and McGill-Queens University Press. At 416 pages with 60 black and white images, it is available in both soft- and hard-cover editions at bookstores across the Island.

For more detail on the book, see “Recent Titles” at upei.ca/isp, or contact Joan Sinclair at Island Studies Press, ispstaff@upei.ca

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Dr. Ryan O’Connor, a historical consultant, writer, and graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island, was recently honoured with the J.J. Talman Award from the Ontario Historical Society (OHS) for his book The First Green Wave: Pollution Probe and the Origins of Environmental Activism in Ontario, published by UBC Press.

The First Green Wave traces the emergence of the environmental movement in Ontario from its beginning in the late 1960s to the 1980s. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including the memories of many of those people directly involved in the creation of Pollution Probe and other organizations, Dr. O’Connor’s book illustrates how concerned citizens laid the groundwork for environmental action by pioneering ways to publicize environmental issues, raise funds for the movement, and work effectively with diverse interest groups.

The award was presented at the annual general meeting of the Ontario Historical Society at the Ontario Legislative Assembly in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. O’Connor was also honoured at the event as co-recipient of the OHS Riddell Award, which recognizes the best article on Ontario history published in the previous year. He received the award with co-author Dr. Owen Temby for “Property, Technology and Environmental Policy: The Politics of Acid Rain in Ontario, 1978-1985,” published in The Journal of Policy History.

Dr. Edward MacDonald, chair of the UPEI Department of History, applauded Dr. O’Connor’s achievement. “Ryan is a first-rate historian. We are proud to call him one of our own, and to have had some small part in launching his scholarly career.”

Congratulations, Dr. O’Connor!

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Green thumbs from across the UPEI campus recently came together to plant St. Dunstan’s Gardens. Vegetables grown in the gardens will be used by the Soup for the Soul project, which provides free healthy soup once a month as an outreach of the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre.

St. Dunstan’s Gardens are planted at two locations: the south side of the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre and at The Mount Continuing Care Community adjacent to UPEI. The gardens are made possible by a wellness grant from the Prince Edward Island Department of Health and Wellness, as an initiative of the PEI Wellness Strategy. They are also supported by Vesey’s Seeds, the Cooper Institute, Van Kampen’s Greenhouse and The Mount Continuing Care Community.

“It's a wonderful way to be a part of campus life, it’s a wonderful way to be a part of student life, and also network with the community outside,” said Sister Sue Kidd in an interview with the CBC.

“We have access to food, but sometimes it’s not high quality food. It’s not highly nutritious food,” said Rosana Queiroz, a student involved in the project. “It’s important to have the students involved in vegetables, which are high in vitamins and minerals. So they can have access to nutritious food.”

Food grown in St. Dunstan’s Gardens will be harvested this fall and used by students and volunteers at UPEI to prepare the soups. “It is so exciting to see the dream of having students plant, harvest, and prepare vegetables for the Soup program come to life. Equally exciting is the discussions among faculty from Foods and Nutrition, Education, and Environmental Studies of how they plan to use these gardens and vegetables in their teaching,” said Dr. Colleen Walton, an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and St. Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.