Campus Notices
As part of Safety and Health Week, we’re highlighting biosafety and the important role it plays in protecting our campus community, the environment, and the integrity of our research and teaching activities.
Biosafety applies to anyone working with biological materials—including microorganisms, cell cultures, human or animal blood and bodily fluids, tissues, specimens, or live animals—and also extends to shared responsibilities such as proper waste disposal, training, emergency preparedness, and safe work practices.
Why Biosafety Matters
Strong biosafety practices help to
- Protect the health and safety of students, staff, and faculty
- Prevent accidental exposure or release of biological materials
- Ensure compliance with institutional, provincial, and federal requirements
- Support a culture of safety, accountability, and shared responsibility
Key Biosafety Reminders
Training: Anyone working with biological materials must complete required biosafety training before beginning work.
Containment: Use appropriate containment practices (e.g., biosafety cabinets, PPE, and secondary containment).
Housekeeping: Keep work areas clean, organized, and free of food and personal items.
Waste Management: Dispose of biological and sharps waste in designated, labeled containers.
Incident Reporting: Spills, exposures, and near-misses should be reported promptly—early reporting helps prevent future incidents!
Support
If you have questions about biosafety requirements, training, inspections, or are unsure whether your activities fall under biosafety oversight, please reach out—we’re here to help. 📧 biosafety@upei.ca.
Other training courses that may be required for biosafety include respirator training and fit testing, first aid training, and training in the Transportation of Dangerous Goods. These courses are arranged through the HSE Department. 📧 hse@upei.ca.
Join virtual activities to celebrate Safety and Health Week. Sign up for free, live, online sessions.
Beginning May 5, enter a safety tip for your work area for a chance to win! Email HSE@upei.ca with subject line: SAFETY TIP, and include your name, department, type of work area (lab, office, etc.), and your safety tip! Safety tips will be accepted and entered into the draw until May 15, 2026.
Moodle will be down for maintenance and an upgrade beginning on the morning of Saturday, May 9. Moodle will be unavailable during this maintenance period.
Convocation exercises are being held from May 12 to 15, at 10:00 am each day at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.
May 12—Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Nursing
May 13—Faculty of Business and Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering
May 14—Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Graduate Studies
May 15—Faculty of Science
Each ceremony is preceded by a procession of graduates across campus. Faculty and staff are encouraged to line up along the Academic Procession route each day to cheer on and congratulate the Class of 2026. The Procession departs the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering between 9:35 and 9:45 am and travels in front of SDU Main Building on its way to the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.
Each ceremony will also be available to watch via livestream at upei.ca/live.
Check out the UPEI Bookstore's selection of gifts for the soon-to-be grads in your life.
Purchase clothing and gift items: https://upei.bookware3000.ca/Catalogue/new/alumni--grads
Choose a beautiful frame for their degree: https://8734upei.com/order-frames-online
Pre-order flowers for their big day: https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/upei/
Dexterra is pleased to offer the following food and beverage offerings this spring and summer.
Atlantic Veterinary College Café
Staff and Faculty, show your campus ID and enjoy 15% off your order. Open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm (closed on holidays)
The café offers a fresh lineup of made-to-order breakfast and lunch options, a full-drip coffee program, grab-and-go meals, and freshly baked goods.
Breakfast features include the Daily Rise (two eggs any style, bacon or sausage, toast, and jam, plus coffee or tea), bagel bar, and the Chef’s Morning Plate—a rotating daily special. For lunch, choose from hot pizza, soup, daily specials, and sandwiches.
What’s Brewing? Made-to-order breakfast and lunch; fresh drip coffee program; grab-and-go snacks and meals; and delicious baked goods.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Centre Bodega
Open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm (closed on holidays) PLEASE NOTE EXPANDED TIMES SINCE ORIGINAL CAMPUS NOTICE
Offerings include:
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Fresh baked goods
- Hot fresh pizza
- Daily soups made from scratch
- House made sandwiches, salads, and sushi
- Full coffee program that includes cappuccinos and lattes
Tim Hortons, Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall, Samuel’s Café, and the Micro-Market will be closed for the season, reopening in September 2026.
The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, June 5 for the June meeting.
Please note that as of June 1, 2020 all animal user protocols must be submitted through UPEI Researcher Portal at https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/
For new protocols select ‘applications’ and for renewal or amendment protocols select ‘events’.
To view any UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice, they can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx.
Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month. The Committee requires at least one month for processing applications.
Students, faculty, staff, and friends are invited to the Breakfast and Best Wishes Send-off, marking the final event in the Convocation Countdown series. This event starts with a hearty pancake breakfast from 8:30 to 10:30 am at the Chaplaincy Centre, and ends with an opportunity to write well-wishes to graduates from 10:30 to 11:30 am ahead of the convocation rehearsal.
Anyone interested in volunteering to flip pancakes can contact Krissi Ewing at kewing@upei.ca. This event will be hosted by the Office of Student Culture and Community Standards. Our team looks forward to connecting with the campus community ahead of the convocation ceremonies.
Our EFAP provider, Green Shield, is hosting orientation webinars for all employees, faculty members, and their dependents who would like to learn more about how their UPEI EFAP benefits work.
2026 dates offered: February 5, March 5, April 2, May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6, September 3, October 1, November 5 and December 3.
To register:
- Click this ZOOM link to register
- Please select the best date (note that the time zone is listed in EST).
- Complete the Webinar Registration.
- You will receive an email confirmation that has the log-in and call-in details.
This comprehensive, confidential, and accessible program offers a wide range of services to support your mental health and overall well-being, including:
5 hours of individual counselling (Green Shield will closely monitor usage and will provide additional hours to those who need further support, to ensure that no one is denied access to the program because of insufficient sponsored hours in any policy year) and 5 hours of couples therapy
Additional program highlights include:
- Flexible therapy options via phone, video, or in-person, with 30, 60, or 90-minute sessions
- Personalized therapist matching that considers DEI preferences
- Unlimited 15-minute consultations to help members find their ideal therapist
- Innovative, value-added services in areas such as children’s mental health, nutrition, and overall well-being
- Unlimited financial and legal consultations
- Self-guided digital CBT, well-being coaching, and personalized care navigation
- Digital pharmacy and nutrition services
Create your account to explore services, including Mental Health Support: Get convenient, personalized mental health support from a qualified therapist best suited to you, or explore our self-guided online therapy program at your own pace.
We hope you’ll enjoy this integrated and convenient health experience.
ACCOUNT AS AN EMPLOYEE
Create your account to access GreenShield+ services today.
Your Organization code is: UPEI
Sign Up
To access your EAP on GreenShield+:
- Make a note of your Organization Code "UPEI"
- Go to app.greenshieldplus.ca/en/sign-up
- Select Through an Employer or Organization
- Select I have an Organization Code
- Follow the steps to register
ACCOUNT AS A DEPENDENT
Before You Begin: You should only choose through a family member if you are a dependent (e.g. partner, spouse, child) of a person with a plan member ID or organization code.
For questions, contact Human Resources at employeeservices@upei.ca
The following online training sessions may be of interest to faculty and students, and are free of charge.
Registration for everything except the Digital Research Summer School is through our training portal — https://www.acenet.training/courses
The summer school has its own link, with registration active as of 11 May at 2:00 pm Atlantic / 2:30 pm NL — https://training.computeontario.ca/coss2026.php
Introduction to High Performance Computing (HPC)
12 May, 1200-1330hrs Atlantic / 1230-1400hrs NL (online)
What is High Performance Computing (HPC) and what can it do for me? How can ACENET help? Used by researchers across many disciplines to tackle analyses too large or complex for a desktop, or to achieve improved efficiency over a desktop, this session takes participants through the preliminary stages of learning about high performance computing (HPC) and computing clusters, and how to get started with this type of computing. It then reviews software packages available for applications, data analysis, software development and compiling code. Finally, participants will be introduced to the concept of parallel computing to achieve much faster results in analysis. This session is designed for those with no prior experience in HPC, and are looking for an introduction and overview.
Introduction to the Linux Command Line
13 May, 1200-1330hrs Atlantic / 1230-1400hrs NL (online)
Linux is the terminal interface used to enable you to use the ACENET and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (DRAC) HPC clusters from your desktop. It's the tool you need to get your data on the clusters, run your programs, and get your data back. In this session, learn how to get started with Linux, how to create and navigate directories for your data, load files, manage your storage, run programs on the computing clusters, and set file permissions. This core session is designed to help new users at ACENET and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada with no prior experience in working with a terminal interface get up and running. No prior programming experience is necessary.
Introduction to Shell Scripting
14 May, 1200-1330hrs Atlantic / 1230-1400hrs NL (online)
Shell scripting helps you save time, automate file management tasks, and better use the power of Linux. You’ll learn how to use the command line to carry out repetitive tasks, extract information from files quickly, combine commands in powerful ways, learn about job scripts, shell variables and looping commands, and capture a workflow so you can re-use it easily. Save time, reduce errors, and use Linux more effectively. This workshop is designed for either new High Performance Computing (HPC) users familiar with working in a Linux environment, or for experienced users seeking to get more out of shell scripting.
Job Scheduling with Slurm
15 May, 1200-1330hrs Atlantic | 1230-1400hrs NL (online)
The national systems use a job scheduler called “Slurm”. In this session you will learn how Slurm works and how it allocates jobs, helping you to: minimize wait time by framing reasonable requests; ask for only the resources you need to improve efficiency; increase throughput; run more jobs simultaneously; and troubleshoot and address crashes. This workshop is designed for new HPC users familiar with Linux and Shell Scripting, or for experienced users transitioning to Slurm or seeking to improve efficiency with the scheduler. Participants should have a Digital Research Alliance of Canada account.
Using R on High Performance Computing Clusters
19 May, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic | 1330-1630 NL (online)
This hands-on beginner series covers the fundamentals needed for using R and RStudio on the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s high-performance computing (HPC) clusters. R allows you to analyze data in a reproducible, script-based way, so you and others can efficiently rerun and check your work. It’s powerful for importing, cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing data of any size, and is free, open-source, and widely used in research workflows. The first session introduces the Unix shell, a powerful tool for automating tasks and building HPC-based workflows. In the second session, participants will learn the basics of coding in R, and become familiar with using RStudio. This includes creating objects, importing and working with data, using the basic libraries, and performing simple operations. In the final session, we will log into a cluster, load R and download some packages, and then use RStudio to do some model testing and visualization. Afterwards, we will submit our full script as a batch job to the cluster. While the examples and data used will be aimed at the Humanities and Social Sciences community, the session is open to anyone and everyone interested in learning about R. No previous experience with digital tools or programming is required for this workshop.
Molecular Dynamics
2, 4, 9, 11 June, 1300-1600hrs Atlantic / 1330-1630hrs NL (online)
This beginner-to-intermediate, hands-on workshop is designed for participants with no prior experience in Molecular Dynamics tools. Participants will learn to use AMBER and NAMD for preparing and running biomolecular simulations, VMD for trajectory visualization and PDB manipulation, and Python (PYTRAJ) for analyzing and plotting simulation data within Jupyter notebooks.The four sessions consist of: Practical considerations for Molecular Dynamics; Visualizing Structures with VMD; Molecular Dynamics with AMBER and NAMD; and, Analyzing Molecular Dynamics Data with PYTRAJ. We will be using the online programming environment Jupyter for our teaching. This workshop is intended for researchers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students in fields such as chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, materials science, and related disciplines who are interested in using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in their work.
2026 Digital Research Summer School
1-19 June (online)
Choose from over 40 free courses covering a wide range of topics, including AI, machine learning, bioinformatics, GPU programming, advanced research computing basics, high performance computing tools, programming languages, neuroanalytics, visualization, research data management, and more…. The website will be available soon with the list of courses and schedule. Registration opens May 11th at 2:00pm Atlantic, 2:30pm NL time here: https://training.computeontario.ca/coss2026.php Once open, register quickly, as some courses we expect to be in high demand have limited seats!
The deadline to submit a title and abstract for consideration for poster and oral presentations for the upcoming 2026 Zoonoses, AMR, and BioInformatics (ZAMBI) meeting has been extended to May 15.
The ZAMBI conference will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from July 6–9. The meeting brings together cross-disciplinary researchers and trainees working at the intersection of antimicrobial resistance, emerging zoonotic diseases, and computational biology to share their research and develop new cross-cutting One Health skills. There will be a mix of talks and workshops.
May 31 is the deadline to register to attend the meeting. Registration for all four days is $50 (plus $20 for an optional conference dinner and Agricultural Campus tour). More information about the program and the meeting in general can be found at https://zambi.ca/
May 4-9, 2026 is Safety and Health Week!
As part of Canada Safety & Health Week, HSE is highlighting the importance of keeping our Chemical Hazardous Materials Inventory (CHMI) accurate and up to date.
A well-maintained inventory helps protect our campus community by ensuring hazardous materials are stored, managed, and responded to safely. It also gives emergency responders the information they need, when they need it most.
How you can support this initiative:
- Take a few minutes to review and refresh your inventory: add new materials, remove outdated ones, and confirm details are accurate.
- If you work with or store hazardous chemicals and aren’t yet in the CHMI, now is a great time to get connected!
- Supervisors/Principal Investigators: Encourage your teams to participate and ensure inventories reflect current activities.
Keeping the CHMI current is a simple step that helps support compliance and makes a meaningful impact on campus safety.
For access requests, support, or questions, please contact HSE@upei.ca.
For more information, visit the CHMI page on the HSE SharePoint:
Chemical-Hazardous-Materials-Inventory.aspx
Join virtual activities to celebrate Safety and Health Week. Sign up for free, live, online sessions.
Beginning May 5th, enter a safety tip for your work area for a chance to win! Email HSE@upei.ca with subject line: SAFETY TIP, and include your name, department, type of work area (lab, office, etc.), and your safety tip! Safety Tips will be accepted and entered into the draw until May 15, 2026.
Are you looking for a meaningful way to give back and create a lasting impact? Establishing a scholarship or award in your name—or in honour of someone you wish to recognize—is a powerful way to support UPEI students.
Your scholarship or award helps reduce financial barriers, allowing students to focus on their studies and reach their full potential. Recipients of scholarships and awards are deeply grateful for donor support, which plays an important role in shaping their academic success.
There are two established options for creating a scholarship or award:
- Annual scholarship or award: A commitment of $875 per year for five years provides meaningful annual support to a deserving student through a scholarship or award.
- Endowed scholarship or award: A $25,000 gift is invested in perpetuity. Based on the current approved 4% expenditure rate, it generates a $1,000 annual scholarship or award for a student every year, forever.
We would be honoured to work with you to create a scholarship or award that reflects your values and leaves a lasting legacy at UPEI. To learn more or get started, please contact Kathy Weatherbie, Senior Development and Donor Relations Officer, at krweatherbie@upei.ca or (902)-626-6791.
Moodle will be down for maintenance and an upgrade beginning on the morning of Saturday, May 9. Moodle will be unavailable during this maintenance period.
Convocation exercises are being held from May 12 to 15, at 10:00 am each day at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.
May 12—Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Nursing
May 13—Faculty of Business and Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering
May 14—Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, and Faculty of Graduate Studies
May 15—Faculty of Science
Each ceremony is preceded by a procession of graduates across campus. Faculty and staff are encouraged to line up along the Academic Procession route each day to cheer on and congratulate the Class of 2026. The Procession departs the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering between 9:35 and 9:45 am and travels in front of SDU Main Building on its way to the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.
Each ceremony will also be available to watch via livestream at upei.ca/live.
Grab a cup of fresh coffee at the UPEI Bookstore for $2.50 plus tax. The Bookstore, which is located in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, is open from 9:00 am-4:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see all the new items arriving this month.
Notice from IT Systems and Services: IT Systems and Services (ITSS) would like to consult with the campus community regarding the renewal of our SAS software campus license, which comes up in June 2026. Our records indicate very low utilization of this software. We also have several alternative statistical and analytical software options available to the UPEI community, including Minitab, SPSS, and Maple. These tools continue to be supported and meet many common instructional and research needs.
We are reaching out to the campus to verify usage of SAS before this year’s renewal. If you require this software, please fill out our Computer Lab Software Request Form by May 15. Note that further information regarding currently available software is available on the ITSS website.
Troy Life & Fire Safety will perform fire alarm inspections in selected campus buildings on the dates listed below. As part of the inspections, there will be the testing of alarms. There will be an audible notification stating “This is a test” at the beginning and the end of each test. Occupants are not required to evacuate during the testing period. The ringing of alarms is required to test their function and to ensure the speakers work throughout the building. This will be a small portion (up to two hours) of the total time they are in the building.
Inspections will take place at the following locations:
- Campus Kids Child Care Centre, May 1
- Chaplaincy Centre, May 1
- Performing Arts Centre and New Residence, May 4–7
- Bernardine Hall, May 11
- Kelley Memorial Building, May 11
- Don and Marion McDougall Hall, May 11
- Duffy Science Centre, May 11
- W.A. Murphy Student Centre, May 11
- Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall, May 11
Fire alarm inspections for other buildings on campus will be announced at a later date.
The Faculty of Education invites members of the campus community--students, faculty, and staff––to attend a public presentation by Michelle Sylliboy, candidate for a three-year position in Indigenous Education. The presentation takes place from 9:00 to 10:00 am on May 6 in Memorial Hall 417. A Teams link is available for those wishing to attend online (Meeting ID: 269 402 077 226 164 / Passcode: 4E52Cf2e)
For further information, contact Karen-Anne O’Halloran.
The deadline for the Employee and Spouse/Dependent Tuition Waiver forms for the Summer 2026 semester is July 10, 2026. We encourage you to have your tuition waivers submitted as soon as possible to assist in the timely processing. Tuition Waiver forms must be submitted electronically.
The online Tuition Waiver fillable forms can be found on the HR Portal of the myUPEI site, under Training and Development.
Please note, the Employee or Spouse/Dependent must be registered in the course prior to applying for the tuition waiver.
If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at: (902) 566-0514 or hrgeneral@upei.ca.
The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, June 5 for the June meeting.
Please note that as of June 1, 2020 all animal user protocols must be submitted through UPEI Researcher Portal at https://upei.researchservicesoffice.com/Romeo.Researcher/
For new protocols select ‘applications’ and for renewal or amendment protocols select ‘events’.
To view any UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice, they can be accessed through myUPEI at https://portal.upei.ca/facultystaff/administrativeservices/AVCAnimalCare/Pages/default.aspx.
Those protocols received after the deadline will be reviewed the following month. The Committee requires at least one month for processing applications.
