Starting now until April 22, 2022, the UPEI Bookstore is having an end-of-the-year sale of office and school supplies. Save up to 75% off regular priced pens, notebooks, and all other supplies! 

The Robertson Library’s OER Development Program is accepting grant applications for the creation or adaptation of open educational resources (OERs). The grant types include:

• Open Textbook Grant: up to $6000

  • the development of a new open textbook on a topic that is currently not covered by an existing open textbook 

• Open Textbook Adaptation Grant: up to $4,000

  • the adaptation of one or more open textbooks to create a new version or edition of an open textbook (i.e., a Canadian edition of an existing open textbook)

• Supplementary Resources Grant: up to $2,000

  • the creation of ancillary materials for existing open textbooks, including but not limited to test banks, slide decks, or interactive media, etc.

Applications that support first-year courses will be given priority as they reach the most amount of students, but all applications will be reviewed and considered. The deadline for applications has been extended to Friday, April 29, 2022, with work expected to begin during the spring or summer. More information is available at https://library.upei.ca/OERProgram/grants.

Questions about your grant idea? Contact Kim Mears.

The UPEI E-Learning Office and the Teaching and Learning Centre are hosting UPEI's fifth Teaching Community Conference online on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. This year's theme is "Moving Forward."

The call for proposals on presentations about your teaching or how you support teaching at UPEI is now open with a deadline of Thursday, April 14. Please review our submission form for more information. 

UPEI fiscal year ends on April 30, 2022.

Purchasing cut-off: April 14, 2022

The last day to create a requisition/purchase order for 2021-22 will be on Thursday, April 14, 2022, at noon with guaranteed delivery date on or before April 30, 2022.

Requisitions/purchase orders created after April 19, 2022, must have a requisition date changed to May 1, 2022, and the good and services must be delivered on or after May 1, 2022.

Receiving goods/services cut-off: April 30, 2022

Goods and services must be received on campus by Friday, April 30, 2022. Only the goods that have been physically received or completed services should be accepted at this time. This will ensure that these goods and services are paid in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Any items received in myUPEI after April 30, 2022, will be considered new fiscal year goods and services and will then be deducted from your new fiscal year budget (2022-23).

All departments are required to look at their outstanding purchase order list to see if there are any purchase orders that need to be cancelled. This functionality can be accessed through the myUPEI Self-Service Menu under "Financial Information" and the “Receive Goods and Services” selection.

If the items have been back ordered for some time, you will need to check with the supplier to see if they are still on their records as back ordered. If they are not back-ordered, then please email procurement@upei.ca to cancel your purchase order.

If you are in receipt of vendor invoices, forward these to invoices@upei.ca ASAP. Please contact apadmin@upei.ca with questions or concerns regarding billing and invoicing.

Need assistance? 

Please take a look at the “Financial Tools Reference Guide” under the "Self-Service Help" tab on myUPEI. 

Register now for a live orientation webinar.

Our EFAP provider, LifeWorks, is holding orientation webinars for all employees, faculty members, and their dependents who want to know more about how their UPEI EFAP benefits work.

2022 dates offered: January 27, February 17, March 24, April 14, May 26, June 23, July 14, August 25, September 22, October 13, and November 17.

To register:

1. Click this link to view the brochure.
2. Choose the best date (please note the time zone is listed in EST).
3. Click the date to open the registration window.
4. You will receive an email confirmation that has the log-in and call-in details.

EFAP offers a short-term, solution-focused approach to professional counselling to assist you in resolving your concerns and issues. EFAP provides counselling that best suits your needs and busy schedules, whether it is in person, by telephone, or online [e-counselling], as well as immediate help with crises. 

In addition to professional counselling, employees and their eligible family members can access a wide range of programs that provide telephonic consultation with qualified advisors who can help answer questions and clarify concerns that affect us all. Services include legal, financial, family, and nutritional.

For EFAP counselling, work-life programs, and information services 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year, call (English) 1-844-880-9142. Or visit: www.workhealthlife.com

More information on the UPEI EFAP benefit can be found on MyUPEI STAFF or FACULTY.

Happy National Medical Laboratory Week!

Health, Safety, and Environment would like to celebrate not just our medical labs but all the different labs on campus: chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, biomedical path/microbiology, health management, diagnostic services, and applied human sciences.

Do you work in one of these labs?

Submit a safety tip or a safety measure that you've implemented in your lab for a chance to win a $100 UPEI Bookstore Gift card, a $25 Tim's Gift card, or a health and safety mug! Send your submissions to hse@upei.ca by end-of-day Tuesday, April 19. The draw will take place on Wednesday, April 20.

The Spring 2022 Exam Chili and Dahl Free Food Event at the Chaplaincy Centre will have a new look this month. Students will be invited to "Grab and Go" with their hot meal and treat bag. Volunteers are needed to package and distribute food on Tuesday, April 19.  

As in December, we will serve twice on one day, from 12:00 noon--1:30 pm and again at 5:00--6:30 pm.  The spreadsheet allows for five names per 30-minute block.

Spring 2022 Exam Chili and Dahl Free Food Event

Thank you,

Sister Sue

Keyboard tricks and tips...

• Instead of moving the cursor to the X in the corner, press CTRL+W to close the current window.
• Close all your windows quickly if you’re in a hurry by pushing the Windows button+D, and they will all shut immediately.
• Rename your highlighted files quickly by pressing F2.
• Close the program running with ALT+F4.
• Re-open your last closed tab with Shift+CTRL+T on most browsers.

Please be advised that the PEI Research Ethics Board (Health PEI) office has now moved to a new electronic submission platform for use by all researchers. 

Effective April 1, 2022, all new study submissions for review by the PEI REB (those applications involving Health PEI in any capacity) will be required to be completed in their new software system, Synto, rather than be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal.

Current active studies will not require changes; however, you’re encouraged to contact the office as soon as possible to request a user account for future submissions. Please contact the PEI REB Coordinator (Health PEI) if you have any questions at (902) 569-0576 or at reb@ihis.org.

Celebrate Holy Week at the Chaplaincy Centre:

• Palm Sunday, April 10, 6:00 pm
• Stations of the Cross, April 12, 6:00 pm
• Holy Thursday, April 14, 6:00 pm
• Good Friday, April 15, 3:00 pm (please sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BR5BBIuvNPQFqTh2kTRywl3uCL-ZN0JQDNJCZoZSmdY/edit?usp=sharing)
• Easter Sunday, April 17, 11:00 am

Follow the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre on social media for the latest news.

Please be advised that the PEI Research Ethics Board (Health PEI) office has now moved to a new electronic submission platform for use by all researchers. 

Effective April 1, 2022, all new study submissions for review by the PEI REB (those applications involving Health PEI in any capacity) will be required to be completed in their new software system, Synto, rather than be submitted through the UPEI Researcher Portal.

Current active studies will not require changes; however, you’re encouraged to contact the office as soon as possible to request a user account for future submissions. Please contact the PEI REB Coordinator (Health PEI) if you have any questions at (902) 569-0576 or at reb@ihis.org.

The Scholarships and Awards Office has extended the deadline to apply for select Convocation awards! The new deadline is Thursday April 14, 2022. Graduating students can access the three remaining award application forms by clicking the following links:  

• Arlie Parks Scholarship - In Memory of Dr. Kenneth MacIntyre (Medicine)
• Hon. Justice Mark R. MacGuigan Memorial Scholarship (Arts/Law)
• UPEI Class of 1989 Award (Campus Community)

Be sure to submit your application(s) and any supporting documents in time for the April 14th deadline electronically to scholarships@upei.ca or in person to the Scholarships and Awards Office at 202 Dalton Hall.

Celebrate Holy Week at the Chaplaincy Centre:

• Palm Sunday, April 10, 6:00 pm
• Stations of the Cross, April 12, 6:00 pm
• Holy Thursday, April 14, 6:00 pm
• Good Friday, April 15, 3:00 pm (please sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BR5BBIuvNPQFqTh2kTRywl3uCL-ZN0JQDNJCZoZSmdY/edit?usp=sharing)
• Easter Sunday, April 17, 11:00 am

Follow the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre on social media for the latest news.

Yoga instructor Pam Harris will guide you through a 45-minute class of meditation and gentle yoga stretches. The meditation segment of the class creates calmness, inner peace, and balance, which benefits your emotional well-being and overall health. The class is free. Participants can sign up on a weekly basis by logging into recreation.upei.ca, click on the wellness (UPEI Faculty/Staff) icon. The class will take place on Thursdays, 12:10--12:55 pm, from May 9 to June 23.  

The yoga class is for UPEI faculty and staff only and is offered by the Healthy Campus Committee, with support from the UPEI Employee Wellness Strategy. If you have questions, contact Angela Marchbank, Fitness and Wellness Coordinator, at amarchbank@upei.ca.

The Faculty of Business invites members of the campus community – students, faculty and staff – to attend a virtual research presentation by Sampath Bemgal for a tenure-track position as assistant professor of Business Analytics and Management Science.

Biography:

Sampath Bemgal is a recent graduate from Ivey Business School, Western University, with a PhD in Information Systems. His research focuses on how organizations innovate and transform using digital technologies. In particular, he focuses on internal dynamics of organizations and examines the interplays that occur between humans, organizational structures, and technologies in order to bring about organizational improvements with technologies. His work has been presented at various management conferences such as the Academy of Management (AoM), International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), and Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC).

Presentation Title:  "Generative Mechanisms of IT-Enabled Transformation: A Case Study of Hospital Laboratory Transformation"

Abstract:

Organizations embarking on information technology (IT)-enabled transformation still face struggles with their execution, which offers an opportunity to develop better evidence. Substantial opportunity exists to explore how exactly a transformation as a process evolves over time and how organizational structures (mainly social and technological) and culture interact with human agency to cause successful transformation. Focusing on generative mechanisms—the underlying causal powers driving such transformation process—this research performs an in-depth case study of a hospital laboratory unit involved in IT-driven transformation efforts. Using critical realism philosophy and Archer’s (1995) morphogenesis as a complementary perspective, this study conceptualizes the process of IT-enabled organizational transformation and later uncovers some of the key generative mechanisms that contributed towards successful transformation of this laboratory. Data analysis revealed six plausible key generative mechanisms: (1) framing the need, (2) forming the need, (3) cognition frame aligning, (4) materializing critical thinking, (5) validating, and (6) actualization of affordances. Through these insights, this research further advances a generative mechanism perspective of IT-enabled organizational change besides contributing to the knowledge on IT-enabled organizational transformation and usage of critical realism in studying complex IT phenomena.

The presentation will take place on April 8 from 10:15–11:15 am (Atlantic Time) via the following Zoom link:  

https://upei.zoom.us/j/68248664421?pwd=U04zQjFSb1RPRHQ3eDRKcUo5MDNTQT09

Meeting ID: 682 4866 4421

Passcode: 390952

For further information, please contact Shelly Kavanagh at businessfac@upei.ca.

The Faculty of Business invites members of the campus community – students, faculty and staff – to attend a virtual lecture (teaching demonstration) by Sempath Bemgal for a tenure-track position as assistant professor of Business Analytics and Management Science.

Title for Teaching Demonstration: "Advanced Data Mining and AI/ML Techniques: Fundamentals"

Biography:

Sampath Bemgal is a recent graduate from Ivey Business School, Western University, with a PhD in Information Systems. His research focuses on how organizations innovate and transform using digital technologies. In particular, he focuses on internal dynamics of organizations and examines the interplays that occur between humans, organizational structures, and technologies in order to bring about organizational improvements with technologies. His work has been presented at various management conferences such as the Academy of Management (AoM), International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), and Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC).

The lecture will take place on Friday, April 8, from 9:00--9:45 am (Atlantic Time) via the following Zoom link:  

https://upei.zoom.us/j/69460983313?pwd=VmkxcklPVUMranlEYVpFSTB0OS9Ddz09

Meeting ID: 694 6098 3313

Passcode: 668056

For further information, please contact Shelly Kavanagh at businessfac@upei.ca.

Celebrate Holy Week at the Chaplaincy Centre:

• Palm Sunday, April 10, 6:00 pm
• Stations of the Cross, April 12, 6:00 pm
• Holy Thursday, April 14, 6:00 pm
• Good Friday, April 15, 3:00 pm (please sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BR5BBIuvNPQFqTh2kTRywl3uCL-ZN0JQDNJCZoZSmdY/edit?usp=sharing)
• Easter Sunday, April 17, 11:00 am

Follow the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre on social media for the latest news.

Starting now until April 22, 2022, the UPEI Bookstore is having an end-of-the-year sale of office and school supplies. Save up to 75% off regular priced pens, notebooks, and all other supplies! 

The deadline for Animal Care Protocol Submissions (new, renewal, or amendment) is Friday, May 6, for the May 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."

UPEI ACC SOPs and Codes of Practice 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.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/acenet-introduction-to-neural-network-architecture-tickets-264356506427

Join ACENET for an introduction to Neural Network Architecture.

About this event

Prerequisite: Familiarity with feed-forward neural networks

Have you wondered how machine learning models can suddenly do so many different types of work? How is it that machines can learn things like language, vision, and translation in such a short amount of time, and what has helped drive these kinds of improvements? The obvious answers--big data and big processors--are only part of the story. To understand the full picture, we need to take a closer look at the models driving the AI revolution. This talk is aimed at people who are familiar with the basics of feed-forward neural networks, and will involve an in-depth explanation of how information is represented for machines to learn on, how machines can make sense of information, and the challenges presented.

This session will take place on Thursday, April 20, 12:00 pm--3:00 pm (Atlantic time)

You will need to have a laptop with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) on which you have administrative privileges, as you will need to pre-load specific software packages. 

Participants must register using their institutional/organizational email address (not a personal email, i.e., gmail)

Instructions about how to join will be sent out one day prior to the start of the event.