The UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week for the week of February 17-23 are Marie Soleil Deschenes, Women's Hockey; and Donathan Moss, Men's Basketball. UPEI Athletics and Recreation showcases these talented athletes in order to recognize their hard work and dedication to their respective sports throughout the season. UPEI Athletes of the Week are also nominated to Atlantic University Sport and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for possible recognition in the region and/or country.

Who: Marie Soleil Deschenes, Women's Hockey; and Donathan Moss, Men's Basketball

What: UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week

When: Week of February 17-23

Why: Marie Soleil Deschenes, a second-year science student of Île-Perrot, Quebec had a great year backstopping the Women's Hockey Panthers. Deschenes, also known as ‘Sunshine,' played two of the best games of her university career during the Panthers AUS quarterfinal series against UdeM last weekend. During the two games, Deschenes faced 83 shots, only allowing four goals. Both games went into overtime, the first into double overtime, and the second game into triple overtime, which was the longest AUS women's hockey game ever! Between the two games, Deschenes played a total of 3:19:02 with a save percentage of 95.1.
Donathan Moss, a fourth-year business student from Nassau, Bahamas had the best game of his AUS basketball season Friday night, a dominating post performance. Moss recorded 15 points, nine rebounds, one block, one steal, and an assist.

Deschenes and Moss will be recognized at this week's UPEI Athletes of the Week Celebration on Thursday, February 27 at 12:45 pm in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre's McMillan Hall. All are welcome.

Panther Action this week:
Friday, February 28
8:00 pm (M) Basketball vs. Cape Breton (AUS quarterfinal match at the Halifax Metro Centre)

Webcast live on AUStv.ca. Go Panthers Go!

Donathan Moss, Men's Basketball

For information:
Ron Annear
UPEI Athletics and Recreation
(902) 566-0991, annear@upei.ca

UPEI vocal majors Olivia Barnes and Jillian Clow will take to the stage for a joint junior recital on Sunday, March 9 at 7:30 pm at UPEI's Dr. Steel Recital Hall. Barnes and Clow will be accompanied by pianist Frances McBurnie.

Both in their third year of study, and both from the Island, Barnes and Clow study under UPEI professor Sung Ha Shin-Bouey. Previously, they have performed at Kiwanis Music Festivals, and as members and soloists in the UPEI concert choir, chamber singers, the vocal ensemble, and women's ensemble. Clow, originally hailing from Kensington, has been studying voice for several years and has appeared in many UPEI recitals, as well as the 2012 Confederation Centre of the Arts Young Company. Barnes, a Charlottetown resident, is involved in the PEI theatre community having been featured in several A.C.T. productions, Confederation Center of the Arts musical shows, and the Feast Dinner Theatre.

Admission is free and an eclectic mix of pieces await, including Mozart, Barber, Copland, Handel, Offenbach, Schumann, Schubert and Monteverdi. All are welcome to attend!

Jillian Clow, UPEI vocal major

At the next Research on Tap, join us for a discussion about science versus fear. Many companies bank on the popularity of 'all things natural' by advertising their products as being chemical free. Dr. Brian Wagner, professor of chemistry at UPEI, will lead a discussion entitled 'The myth of the chemical-free beer.'

The event begins at 7 pm, Tuesday, March 4 at The Pourhouse, above The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse in Charlottetown.

Research on Tap is a series of public discussions with UPEI researchers. For more information, contact Dave Atkinson at 620-5117, or datkinson@upei.ca.

For information:
Dave Atkinson, Research Communications Officer, UPEI
(902) 620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca

UPEI is once again inviting first- and fourth-year students to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). NSSE helps universities understand what students experience in and out of the classroom through a confidential, voluntary survey. UPEI uses the survey information to guide future decisions that will benefit students.

Approximately 1700 students have been invited by personal email to participate in the survey that takes about 15 minutes to complete. As a ‘thank you' for completing it, UPEI is offering students chances to win one of nine early bird prizes (valued at $100 each) and a grand prize (valued at $500) of either Amazon.ca gift cards or UPEI Campus Card credits. The first draw date of three early bird prizes is March 10, the second draw date is March 17, and the third is March 24. The $500 grand prize draw will be in mid-April. The earlier students complete the survey, the greater their chances of winning one of the prizes.

For more information on the project or how UPEI plans to use the results, contact Dr. Yuqin Gong, Institutional Research Officer at (902) 566-0361 or ygong@upei.ca.

Last December, Douglas Gibson, Alice Munro's editor and publisher, was in Norway observing the presentation of the Nobel Prize for Literature to Alice Munro, the first Canadian to receive the award.

On Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 pm in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Gibson will tell stories about the experience of editing Alice Munro and numerous other famous Canadian authors, including Alistair MacLeod, Pierre Trudeau, Mavis Gallant, Hugh MacLennan, Barry Broadfoot, W.O. Mitchell, and Robertson Davies. He will also showcase and sign copies of his book about these experiences, Stories About Storytellers.

Gibson calls his talk a 'road show,' complete with slides and music. One reviewer wrote, 'it's an event worthy of Stephen Leacock. Charles Dickens, even.' Another wrote, 'Gibson is a living link to the foundation of our country's literature, and also an impish and charming performer. His lifelong passion for these great writers is contagious.'

He was born in the village of Dunlop in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, and worked on farms during the summer. After university at St. Andrews, where, he writes, he 'did everything but study,' he earned a Rhodes-like graduate scholarship to Yale. Immigrating to Canada in 1967, he became Managing Editor at Doubleday Canada in 1969, and MacMillan's publisher in 1979, where he also introduced authors like Ken Dryden and Christina MacCall.

In 1986, Gibson was lured to the great Canadian publishing company McClelland and Stewart (M&S) to start the first editorial imprint in Canada, Douglas Gibson Books. He became president and publisher of M&S in 2000, from which he retired in 2008. He still shepherds authors through the publishing system with his imprint.

'No one has done more for Canadian Literature than this man,' writes Alistair MacLeod. Alice Munro says of Stories about Storytellers, 'Here is my prize read for those interested in writers, books, Canada, life, and all that kind of thing.'

Gibson's show is co-hosted by the UPEI English Department and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery, with funding from The Canada Council for the Arts. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

For information:
Dr. Richard Lemm
Professor, Department of English
University of Prince Edward Island
(902) 566-0389, rlemm@upei.ca

A short conference entitled 'My Island, My Heart' will take place March 14, 1:00-3:00 pm, at UPEI's Chaplaincy Centre. The conference, led by UPEI arts student Faith Robinson, focuses on three themes-island fragility, island sustainability, and island community.

Special guest speakers include: Deirdre Kessler, writer and UPEI professor; Laurie Brinklow, accomplished poet and UPEI professor; and Millefiore Clarkes, filmmaker to name a few. A short docu-film Island Green, about organic farming on PEI, will also be featured as part of the conference.

Today, it is more important than ever to realize the limitations and magnificence of our environment, so keenly felt by Islanders worldwide. It is crucial that we not forget the roots from which we ourselves grow, to envision a better future.

For more information on the conference, contact Faith Robinson at frobinson@upei.ca. Admission is free, and snacks and beverages will be provided. All are welcome to attend.

UPEI business student Alex Davidson has been named PEI's 2014 Student Entrepreneur Provincial Champion and will represent the Island at Enactus Canada's Regional Exposition, March 6-7 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The exposition brings together student, academic, and industry leaders to celebrate the achievements of Canada's future leaders and entrepreneurs.

Davidson's determination and passion for his business Odd Jobbers PEI, a student-based business that encourages entrepreneurship among university students, paired with his academic excellence, warranted him the provincial title for the second year in a row.

'Being named provincial champion is an honour, and I am excited to represent Prince Edward Island once again in Halifax,' said Davidson who will compete against three other entrepreneurs from Atlantic Canada.

The entrepreneurs will compete based on feasibility, growth, entrepreneurial spirit, and market base knowledge. The regional champion will go on to compete at the Enactus Canada's National Exposition in Calgary on April 28.

Good luck, Alex!

The 2013-14 AUS men's and women's major awards and all-stars were announced yesterday following regular season play. On the men's side, fourth-year defence Reggie Traccitto was honoured as a first team all-star, while UPEI goaltender Wayne Savage and forward Chris Desousa were named as second team all-stars. Traccitto, Savage, and Desousa are studying arts at UPEI.

On the women's side, UPEI arts student and fourth-year forward Ferran Brown earned the Marion Hillard award for student-athlete community service, a first for UPEI since the award's inception in 2002-03. Brown's community involvement has been tremendous, leading and taking part in many volunteer initiatives including food drives, and the 'Pink the Rink' event to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Brown will represent the AUS as its nominee for the CIS Marion Hillard award at the 2014 Scotiabank CIS women's hockey championship, hosted by St. Thomas University, March 13-16.

UPEI defensive fourth-year player Keirstin Visser was named to the second team all-star list, while first-year player and kinesiology student Emma Martin was selected for the AUS All-rookie team. Visser and Martin are both science students at UPEI.

To read the full AUS men's major awards and all-stars list, click here

To read the full AUS women's major awards and all-stars list, click here

Congratulations to our UPEI hockey athletes and award winners!

Go Panthers Go!

The University of Prince Edward Island is inviting high school students to attend UPEI classes on Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19 during their March Break.

UPEI Vice-President Academic Christian Lacroix sent invitations to students earlier this month via high school principals, and said, 'This is a great opportunity to experience UPEI in the company of friends and classmates. We look forward to welcoming PEI high school students to campus.'

The University is providing lunch, offering information sessions, and giving campus tours. There are still a limited number of spaces available in each class so interested students should pre-register by emailing VPA@upei.ca.

Learn about the new Celebrating Student Achievement guaranteed undergraduate scholarship program at upei.ca/csa

UPEI women's basketball player Jenna Jones was named the 2013-14 Atlantic University Sport recipient of the Tracy MacLeod Award at tonight's Subway AUS Women's Basketball Championship awards banquet at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel. Championship play gets underway on Friday, March 6 at UPEI's Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Championship Website

A fourth-year kinesiology student, Jones received the award for demonstrating determination, perseverance and unwavering spirit to continue playing the game of basketball. The five-foot-eight guard from Riverview, NB, played in an impressive 16 regular season games this year, despite facing multiple injuries, averaging 15.1 minutes per game.

Jones has battled patella tendon tears in both knees throughout her four-year career with the Panthers. This past summer, she underwent experimental platelet rich plasma injections in both knees. She then repeated the procedure during the season break in December. Initially expected to miss the first half of the season, Jones put the second procedure off until the season break and was cleared to play in the fall.

She contributed an average of 4.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, shooting 32.3 per cent from the floor and 22.2 from three-point range.

'I am so pleased that Jenna has been honoured as this year's recipient of the Tracy MacLeod Award,' said Panthers head coach Greg Gould. 'I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award. Despite the excruciating pain, Jenna has done everything humanly possible to be able to practice and play this season. Although restricted in her activities because of pain, she never complains. Her love of the game and her desire to help her team in whatever role possible makes her one of the toughest, most dedicated and unselfish players I have ever coached.'

Jones is now the AUS conference nominee for the CIS Tracy MacLeod award. The only two AUS players to take home the national honour have been Memorial's Brittany Dalton (2010-11) and Dalhousie's Janet Wells (1999-00).

Other major awards such as the AUS most valuable player, rookie of the year, coach of the year, and those named to first and second All-Star teams were also announced at the awards banquet. AUS News Release

Six teams are vying for the AUS title with the winner moving on to the CIS women's basketball championship at the University of Windsor, March 14-16. Live webcasts of all five games of the AUS championship are available at www.AUStv.ca.