The search committee for the University Librarian announces upcoming public presentations by finalist candidates. Since the search process began, the committee has undertaken a comprehensive search and has selected three finalists for a series of stakeholder meetings on campus.

The presentations are scheduled on the following date/time:

Candidate 1:  - Svetlana Kochkina - Public presentation, Friday, September 5, 2025, 1:00 - 2:00 pm, AVC 201N

Candidate 2:  - Melissa Fraser-Arnott - Public presentation, Thursday, September 11, 2025, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, AVC 201N

Candidate 3:  - Ignacio Albarracin - Public presentation, Friday, September 12, 2025, 1:00 - 2:00 pm, AVC 207N

Video links will be available after all the presentations for those unable to attend. Written feedback to be sent to vpar@upei.ca by Friday, September 19 for consideration by the committee.

Every day, our colleagues go above and beyond to make our university a vibrant, supportive, and inspiring place to work and learn. “Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues” is your space to give a shout-out to those who embody our mission and values—whether they’re championing a new initiative, supporting student success, lending a hand to a teammate, or bringing positivity to the workplace. You can also use this program to congratulate a colleague on a new role or wish them well in retirement.

Let’s celebrate the big and small wins that make our campus shine! Submit your note of recognition, and let’s cheer on our amazing colleagues together.

How to submit:

Complete this short form: https://forms.office.com/r/766cg9JsT6 

You’ll be asked to share:

• Who are you recognizing? (Name and department/faculty)
• Why are you recognizing them? (Briefly describe what they did or the impact they made)
• Your name 

Submit your form(s) by the last Friday of each month. Human Resources will collect the submissions and work with Communications to feature them in the Campus Connector. Please note, we now have a dedicated page for this program on the Human Resources SharePoint: Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues.

Not a current subscriber to Campus Connector? Click here for information on how to subscribe.

The deadline for our next issue is Friday, September 26, 2025

Please contact Human Resources at hrengage@upei.ca should you have any questions. 

The UPEI Alumni Association invites students, staff, faculty, and alumni to join us as we celebrate and recognize the following 2025 Alumni Award recipients:

Distinguished Alumni

• Dr. Janice Keefe, BA 1984
• Dr. Lesley Steele, DVM 1997

Inspiring Young Alumni

• Dr. Derek Schipper, BSc 2006
• Katie Arsenault, BBA 2007
• Alexia Riche, BA 2020

Please RSVP using this form before September 17, 2025.

Visit the Alumni Awards and Recognition page to learn more or to submit a nomination for 2026. 

All faculty, students, and staff are invited to a cross-disciplinary workshop on ‘Decentralized Energy and Active Learning’ on September 24, 2:00-4:00 pm in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, Grant Thornton Lecture Theatre, Room 329.

What do renewable energy transitions and student-centered teaching strategies possibly have in common? 

An overarching goal of decentralizing authority, a deep commitment to transparency, building trust amongst participants, and an active role for supporting institutions – to name just a few possible parallels. 

In this workshop, leading experts from the fields of ‘decentralized energy systems’ and ‘active learning pedagogies’ will participate in a facilitated discussion about potential synergies between their fields. Audience participation will be encouraged throughout – and a Q&A session will be held with the thought leaders. 

Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be provided. 

Contact any member of the research team with questions: Dr. Nick Mercer (Environmental Studies/Island Studies) at nmmercer@upei.ca, or Jehaan Cooper (Student Research Assistant) at jcooper13697@upei.ca.

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, October 3 for the October 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.

Members of the campus community are invited to the launch of a new book, “The Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink,” by investigative reporter Greg Mercer on Tuesday, September 16, at 7:00 pm, Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall.

The launch, which is hosted by the Bookmark, will be moderated by Teresa Wright. The event is free, and all are welcome.

In the book, Mercer examines how a multi-billion-dollar industry creates enormous wealth and endless heartache at a time when climate change, swings in the market, and greed are impacting fishermen’s livelihoods in new and dramatic ways. He explores the remarkable history of the lobster, the gold-rush mentality that surrounds it, and examines the looming crisis for the industry.

Mercer writes in-depth stories for “The Globe and Mail” about issues of international interest. He was previously the Globe’s Atlantic Canada reporter and has also reported for the BBC, “The Guardian,” and “The Toronto Star.” He has received multiple national newspaper awards and the Michener-Deacon Fellowship for Investigative Reporting.

The UPEI Multicultural Choir is gearing up for another great year of sharing songs from all different languages! 

Our first session for the year will be on Tuesday, September 9, from 4:30-5:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge in SDU Main Building. 

Our sessions are open to everyone, regardless of experience, so bring your friends and come see what it's all about!

We will get to know each other, try a couple of simple songs and share some joy and music! 

Open to all members of the campus community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends! 

We can't wait to see you! 

Title of the Thesis “Shunting of Tryptophan Catabolites in Breast Cancer Metabolism to Prevent Cytotoxicity”

Abstract: A series of metabolic reactions in cells, called the kynurenine pathway, contain several potentially toxic molecules. Efforts to target the kynurenine pathway therapeutically have focused on the first enzyme, Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1), while the regulation of potentially toxic downstream metabolites has been overlooked. In this thesis, patient survival analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) public data reveals paradoxically better patient survival in IDO1-high breast cancers, suggesting metabolites in the lower portions of the pathway may reduce tumor burden. In vitro analysis suggests that kynurenine metabolite 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3HAA) is toxic to breast cancer cells. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based metabolomics showed breast cancer cells may shunt tryptophan catabolites such as kynurenine into either (noncytotoxic) kynurenic or anthranilic acid to prevent 3HAA accumulation. Together, this suggests a potential new therapeutic strategy where tryptophan catabolite shunting may be prevented to elicit 3HAA-mediated toxicity in cancers. 

September 11, 2025, 9:00 am in AVC 278N

Everyone is welcome!

Join UPEI President Wendy Rodgers for casual "coffee chats" at Tim Horton's in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on Friday, September 12 from 8:00-9:00 am.

These coffee chats offer a relaxed setting where any member of the UPEI community can drop by, grab a drink, and chat with Wendy about anything on your mind. Whether you want to share ideas, ask questions or simply say hello, these chats are a great way to connect with the president in a comfortable and informal environment.

You're Invited to the Teaching and Learning Centre Lunch and Learn: Building Rubrics for Fairness, Transparency, and Consistency

Join us for an engaging bring-your-own-lunch session where we’ll explore how to design rubrics that support equitable assessment, clear expectations, and consistent feedback. Whether you're refining existing Moodle Rubrics or starting from scratch, this is a great opportunity to share ideas and strengthen your evaluation practice.

Let’s build better rubrics together!

Tuesday September 16 at 12:00 pm, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230.

Whether or not you attended events during UPEI's 2025 Welcome Week, your feedback helps us improve future programming for students, staff, and faculty across the UPEI campus. This year, various Welcome Week events were open to all Panthers, not only incoming new students.

This form will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Enter for a chance to win UPEI merch by providing your email address at the end of the survey! There will be two prize draws for staff, two for faculty, and 10 for students!

CLICK HERE for the survey.

If you have any questions, please contact studentculture@upei.ca. Thank you for your time! Go Panthers!

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT: Monday, September 15, 2025

The UPEI Writing Centre (Robertson Library 274) will open for one-on-one writing support in mid-September. This service is free and available to everyone in the campus community. Register now and get ready to make that first appointment! 

Please go to https://upei.mywconline.com/ for more information.

We look forward to working with you!

"Training Your Second Brain: What AI Can and Cannot Do for You" will be an in-person event on Tuesday, September 9 from 11:30 to 12:30 in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building.

Curious about AI ? Explore the promises and limits of A.I. with UPEI faculty as they share their perspectives on how it is reshaping research, teaching, and beyond. 

A Special Thank you to Faculty Members Scott Cassidy, Jason Pearson, Sheldon White, Brenton Dickieson, and Ryan Drew for volunteering to lead a conversation on the use of AI in their respective faculties, and reflect on how AI can and cannot assist them in their research, scholarship and teaching. 

This will be a great opportunity for students to join the conversation on how AI is impacting university life, the economy and our collective future. The event is open to the entire campus community, and we hope that this session will be the first of many AI topical sessions hosted by other UPEI faculty or graduate-level students and researchers.

This is a must-attend session for all students!

Do you feel confident about your understanding of Academic Integrity and AI usage? All students should be familiar with the new UPEI Academic Integrity portal, and how to properly cite their use of AI, and avoid any claims of plagiarism. Librarian Katelyn Browne will be your host. She previously hosted this session in August, and it was very well attended and informative- See you there.

Topic: AI Portal and Academic Integrity Session

Time: September 10, 2025 11:30 am

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87003662688?pwd=0UVO26a59AqZHSLzMpC1dhqiQyZ5hD.1

Meeting ID: 870 0366 2688

Passcode: 200562

Please "save the date" for our next town hall featuring a conversation with Board of Governors Chair Shannon MacDonald and President Wendy Rodgers on Friday, September 26, at 9:30 am in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

Board Chair MacDonald will lead a 'fireside chat' with President Rodgers, touching on goals and priorities and opportunities and challenges as we pursue the coming year and our strategic plan for the next five years.

This event will be similar to past ones where there will be an opportunity to ask questions. You will be able to attend in person (always preferable) or online. If you are unable to participate in person, you are welcome to join us virtually at this Teams Town Hall link.

We look forward to seeing you!

October 18, 2025 | Fredericton, New Brunswick | Hosted by the University of New Brunswick

https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/cetl/showcase.html

The theme is Reimagining Higher Education. As postsecondary institutions grapple with rapid social, environmental, and technological change, this year’s theme of Reimagining Higher Education calls on educators, scholars, and learners to rethink the purposes, practices, and possibilities of teaching and learning. The keynote speaker will be Toni Roberts from Mount Allison University. Toni Roberts is an award-winning, first-generation educator and recipient of both the D2L National Teaching Innovation Award and the prestigious 3M National Teaching Fellowship. The title of his keynote is Reimagining Higher Education in the Context of Generative AI: What Remains Human?  Read the keynote abstract and their full biography on the conference website.

Accommodation
Hotel information is now available on the conference website. Special conference rates have been secured at two hotels, available until September 24 and October 1 respectively. Participants are encouraged to book early to take advantage of these rates.

Schedule
The full conference schedule will be posted on the website in the next two weeks.

Join our AAU colleagues in Fredericton for a day of engaging conversations, sharing, and learning together.

This session will offer an intro to our micro course – Teaching with Technology – giving an overview of the course, explaining how it helps instructors to choose technology which supports and aligns 
with their pedagogy, and providing an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and get some help. 

Join us in the TLC, Robertson Library Annex Room 230 on Tuesday September 23 at 12:00 pm. 

The UPEI Foods and Nutrition program will host an Open House on Tuesday, September 9, from 4:30–5:30 pm in the third-floor dining room of the Health Sciences Building, UPEI.

UPEI students are welcome and encouraged to attend to learn about the Foods and Nutrition program streams within the Faculty of Science and to connect with faculty and staff. Attendees will also hear about academic pathways, dietetic internship opportunities, and honours research experiences. Tours of the department and foods lab will be provided.

The open house event is also an opportunity to explore how a degree in Foods and Nutrition can lead to diverse and rewarding career opportunities. It is designed to give students a clear picture of what the program has to offer and how it can support their academic and professional goals.

The Island Lecture Series presents an illustrated talk by Dr. Doug Sobey on the historical forest composition of PEI in the mid-1800s based on the survey-books of Alexander Anderson (1795-1884), government surveyor for Prince County from the 1830s to the 1870s. The Island Lecture Series will be held on September 16, 2025, at 7: 00 pm, in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building Room 201, University of Prince Edward Island.
 
Because many of Anderson’s survey lines, especially his road lines and township boundary lines, ran over land that had not yet been cleared of forest, collectively, his more than 2,700 forest descriptions constitute a valuable body of information on the composition of the pre-settlement forests, especially in the area west of Summerside. Sobey’s analysis of the survey-books resulted in the identification of eighteen distinct pre-settlement forest-types, most of which no longer occur in the region: nine are in “upland” habitats and nine in “lowland,” upland referring to the region’s drier well-drained soils, and lowland to the region’s imperfectly-drained, and especially to its poorly-drained soils. Sobey will reveal how the forest that Anderson encountered bears no comparison to the remnant degraded woodland of today.

Doug Sobey has taught at various institutions in Northern Ireland for thirty years, including the University of Ulster. Eleven of his monographs on the present and historical forests of the Island have been published by the Island government, along with historical papers in the Island Magazine. He co-authored a book on Samuel Holland’s 1765 survey of Prince Edward Island, and he contributed a chapter on the Island’s forest history to Time and a Place – An Environmental History of Prince Edward Island.  
 
The lecture is free, and all are welcome. For more information, contact Bren Simmers at Island Studies Press, 902-566-0386 or ispstaff@upei.ca.

Need help registering for courses or making a course plan? The Department of Counselling Services and Academic Support Services (Student Affairs) is offering drop-in academic advising for returning undergraduate students! 

Walk-ins will be held from 9:00-11:30 am and 1:00-3:30 pm in Student Affairs, Dalton Hall, 5th floor, on the following dates: 

• Monday, September 8 
• Tuesday, September 9 
• Wednesday, September 10 
• Thursday, September 11 
• Friday, September 12 

Advising will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

**These are short, drop-in sessions so please do as much planning as possible before you attend.

For questions, please contact us at: studentserv@upei.ca or 902-566-0488.