Hometown fans were out in droves to support the sixth-seeded UPEI Panthers as they took on third-seeded Cape Breton Capers on Friday, March 7 in Subway AUS Women's Basketball Championship action.

Early in the contest, the Panthers took over the lead and never looked back. Leading 15-11 after one quarter, thanks in part to Danielle MacDonald's ability to attack the basket, UPEI continued to roll into the second frame. Fourth-year guards Amy Gough and Danielle MacDonald converted on back-to-back and ones, extending the lead to double digits early in the second quarter. The Capers' tough-nosed defence allowed them to chip away and cut the lead to seven, going into halftime with UPEI ahead 34-27.

UPEI continued to feed off the energy of their hometown fans, controlling the majority of the third quarter, stretching the margin to 16 points with under three minutes left to go. The Capers refused to back down, continuing to use their physical style of play to chip away at the Pathers lead, reducing the deficit to 10 going into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Capers were unable to stop UPEI from getting to the rim and saw themselves trailing by 15 early. The Panthers were able to keep AUS rookie of the year, Alison Keough, contained on the offensive end, despite her pulling down 15 rebounds in the game.

The Capers came within nine points but couldn't get any closer as UPEI pulled off the upset, winning 67-56.

Subway Player of the Game for the Panthers was Amy Gough. Gough finished with a double-double, scoring a game-high 26 points while shooting 15-17 from the charity stripe and hauling down 10 rebounds. Colleen Keane was named player of the game for Cape Breton, scoring 14 points and collecting seven rebounds in the loss.

UPEI's shot percentage was 48, scoring 65 per cent of their points inside the key, while Cape Breton struggled from the field shooting at 27 per cent.

Top performers for UPEI were Amy Gough, with 10 points and seven boards, and Danielle MacDonald who lead the team with 12 points. Keisha Lespoir and Alison Keough led the Capers with seven and four points respectively.

UPEI will now face the St. Francis Xavier X-Women in Saturday's second semifinal matchup at 8 pm at UPEI's Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Visit the championship website for ticket details or watch the game live on AUStv.ca or Eastlink television.

Source: UPEI Sports Information

The Guardians of Confederation-Leaders of Tomorrow project, a UPEI-led initiative, offers a unique opportunity to link PEI high school students with their peers from across Canada in the context of Confederation.

The project's organizing committee is launching a contest in March to select student participants from across the country. 'We're holding the contest to select the students, and asking them, ‘How would Canada look if you were creating it today?'' said Guardians project coordinator Lee Ellen Pottie. 'These students are the people who will become the politicians, business people, activists, and strategists of tomorrow.'

The contest will twin contest-winning students from each of the twelve provinces and territories across Canada with students from the Island's thirteen high schools. UPEI students will mentor the project participants and guide them through the task of addressing a series of questions relating to the state of Confederation today, its relationship to the past, and prospects for the future of the Canadian nation. Over the course of the project, the students will communicate and collaborate online with each other in preparation of attending a conference in Charlottetown in November. The three-day event will run concurrently with the Association of Canadian Studies-Teaching Canadian History conference, also taking place in Charlottetown.

Sharon Myers, UPEI coordinator of Canadian Studies and chair of the organizing committee agrees with Pottie. 'We want to engage young people, and help them understand that 1864 is relevant, as is Confederation.'

Open to grade 10 and 11 Canadian and Island students who have an interest in the past, present, and/or future of Canada, the contest consists of a (maximum) five-minute video submission that can be entered online. The committee will be looking for creativity and imagination in the student videos.

'Perhaps the Mothers and Fathers of Confederation are visiting Canada in 2014; what would they think? Or, someone submits a video-rant, à la Rick Mercer. We want students to think outside the box and have fun,' added Pottie.

Interested students should visit guardiansofconfederation.ca, or the Facebook page 'Guardians of Confederation' for full contest details. The contest closes May 30, 2014. The winning entrants will be announced on Canada Day through national media and on the project's social media sites.

The University of Prince Edward Island received a PEI 2014 grant to lead the Guardians of Confederation-Leaders of Tomorrow project.

The UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week for the week of March 3-9 are Danielle MacDonald, Women's Basketball; and Aaron Robbins, 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: Danielle MacDonald, Women's Basketball; and Aaron Robbins, Men's Basketball

What: UPEI Panther Athletes of the Week

When: Week of March 3-9

Why: Danielle MacDonald, a fourth-year science student from Sydney Mines, NS had a strong performance during the AUS Women's Basketball Championship. MacDonald had an outstanding game in her team's 67-56 win over Cape Breton in the AUS quarterfinal game on Friday, March 7. MacDonald scored 16 points, and had four rebounds while playing outstanding defence against CBU's outstanding point guard. In Saturday's semifinal overtime loss to St. Francis Xavier, MacDonald scored 21 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one blocked shot. MacDonald was selected to the AUS Championship All-Star team for her outstanding weekend play.

Aaron Robbins, a fourth-year arts student from Charlottetown finished off a strong season with a solid performance during the AUS Men's Basketball Championship. During the Panthers AUS quarterfinal 74-60 win over Cape Breton, Robbins played strong defensively and recorded five assists and three rebounds. In Saturday's 94-78 semifinal loss to Saint Mary's, Robbins continued his strong game along while hauling down 10 rebounds, and contributing two assists, and six points.

Go Panthers Go!

Aaron Robbins, Men's Basketball

UPEI voice major Nadine Haddad will present her Senior Recital on Thursday, March 13 at 7:30 pm at UPEI's Dr. Steel Recital Hall. Frances McBurnie will be accompanying Nadine on works by Mozart, Handel, Brahms, Ravel, Granados, Agustín lara, Bolcom, and Gershwin.

Nadine is in her final year as a voice major at UPEI. She has studied with UPEI Voice professors Sung Ha Shin-Bouey and Stephen Bouey. Nadine recently competed as a finalist in the 2014 UPEI Music Competition and also performed with the UPEI Concert Choir as a featured soloist in Vivaldi's 'Gloria' and Bach's 'Christmas Oratorio.'

Nadine is excited to be presenting many of her favorite songs from classical to cabaret. In the future, Nadine hopes to pursue a career in arts administration.

Admission is free. For more information regarding UPEI recitals contact 566-0507 or music@upei.ca

The UPEI Music Department Recital series continues on Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 pm with Montreal classical guitarist Patrick Kearney.
Kearney represents a rare balance between sheer technical virtuosity and intense musicality. A true artist, he consistently spellbinds audiences through his deep musical insight and natural dramatic flair, interspersing his performances with narration and anecdotes discovered through deliberate research into the guitar repertoire.

Born in Montreal, Kearney discovered the classical guitar early on in life. Having won his first national competition in Ottawa at the age of ten, he pursued his studies first under Daniel Boyer and then with Jacques Joubert at Vanier College. Convinced that music was his true calling, Patrick went on to complete his Superior Diploma in Performance at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where he received the highest honours under the direction of Rafaël Andia and Alberto Ponce.

Upon his return from France in 1993, Patrick began his professional career as an international competitor and touring artist, winning top prizes in several international competitions. Patrick has performed in concert and conducted master classes on numerous tours throughout Europe, the United States, Mexico, and Canada. He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Orchestre Philharmonique de l'Îsle, the Shenandoah University Orchestra, Montreal's I Musici, and the Ensemble Appassionata. In 1997 he completes his Master's degree under the guidance of Peter McCutcheon.

Never content to remain confined within the standard guitar repertoire, Patrick has taken steps to contribute significantly to the world of art music. He has commissioned and premiered several works by contemporary composers such as Andrew Zohn, Atanas Ourkouzounov, Jay Kauffman, Ginette Bellevance, and Robert F. Jones, and has inspired composers such as Daniel Boyer and Claude Engel to create and dedicate new works to him.

Kearney has released four guitar albums: Bouquet (1997); Stringendo (2002), which is a tribute to contemporary Montreal-related composers and was nominated for the prestigious OPUS Prize; the powerful Diabolico (2004), in which the listener follows a musical timeline between ambitious youth and understated maturity; and recently the acclaimed Impressions (2009), featuring the works of M.M.Ponce, on the ATMA classique label.

Kearney teaches guitar at Concordia University in Montreal as well as at Vanier College. He is the founder and director of the Montreal International Classical Guitar Festival and Competition (www.guitaremontreal.com), which is hosted by Concordia Music.

The repertoire for his concert at UPEI will include Spanish and Mexican guitar repertoire as well as one of Kearney's own compositions. UPEI vocal professor Sung Ha Shin-Bouey will also be joining Patrick in performance.

Admission for this recital at the Dr. Steel Recital is $15 Adults / $10 for Seniors and Students, and are available at the door, or in advance by calling 566-0507 or music@upei.ca.

Despite weather conditions, the PostSecret Live event, starring founder Frank Warren, is still taking place tonight at UPEI as a part of its second annual Mental Health Week. The event will take place in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre at 7:00 pm.

There is no charge for admission but tickets are required. Tickets are still available and can be picked up at the door.

'PostSecret Live' is a multi-media presentation by Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret, an ongoing online community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

For information:
Matt Rice
VP Activities, UPEI Student Union
vpactivites@upeisu.ca, 566-0670

They've researched. They've studied. Now graduate students at the University of Prince Edward Island are putting their hard work to the test: they're cramming years of study into 180 seconds in UPEI's first ever Three Minute Thesis competition.

The Three Minute Thesis is a skills development activity developed by the University of Queensland, Australia, which challenges thesis-based graduate students to explain their research project to a general audience in just three minutes.

Students will compete against each other for three prizes: third place wins $50; second place wins $100; and first place wins $200 and a trip to Halifax to participate in the regional Three Minute Thesis competition.

The competition will be broken into two evenings-Tuesday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 25. Both events begin at 7:00 pm in The Wave, in UPEI's W.A. Murphy Student Centre.

The Three Minute Thesis is organized by the UPEI Graduate Student Association, the UPEI Student Union, and the Vice-President Research and Graduate Studies.

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

On Tuesday, March 18 at 7:00 pm, a ‘Smart TV' display unit will be officially unveiled at the UPEI Chaplaincy Centre.

The new TV will be used to view pre-recorded services, inspirational videos, and telepresent services at other religious gatherings, and provide a service to those who cannot be physically present. The ‘Smart TV' is capable of connecting directly to the Web to enhance collaboration and accessibility. The TV's main use will be continued outreach and accessibility to all faith groups.

The ‘Smart TV' was made possible through the Unitarian Fellowship of Prince Edward Island, UPEI's Chaplaincy Centre, and Connection Point Christian Church.

For more information on the event, please contact Sister Sue Kidd at (902) 894-2876 or Chris Vessey at (902) 566-0520.

UPEI and the Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning recently signed a proclamation to honour this week, March 17-21, as National Co-operative Education Week. The national week is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Canadian co-op students.

UPEI's Co-operative Education Program will celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of its students during its annual awards ceremony on Thursday, March 20 from 11:30 am-1:00 pm in UPEI's Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall. The ceremony will recognize UPEI co-op students for their accomplishments during co-op work terms. Specific awards include 'Co-op Student of the Year' in business, physics, and computer science, as well as 'Employer Recognition' awards. Winners of the 'Co-op Student of the Year' awards will have demonstrated high academic achievement, a valued contribution to their employer and community, and displayed personal and professional development.

UPEI's Co-op Coordinators expressed their pride in the program. 'The UPEI co-op program motivates students, and encourages them to take a positive step beyond their comfort level,' said Ernie Doiron, business co-op coordinator.

'The program also supports students to take initiative to develop a relevant career path. It progresses learning, maturity, and ambition, while easing the transition from University to the true-life workplace,' added Heather MacMillan, science co-op coordinator.

UPEI is among 130 colleges and universities across Canada that is actively involved in developing their students into workplace professionals through co-operative education. UPEI's Co-operative Education Program fosters next generation's leaders, and gives students the opportunity to push themselves, while at the same time, giving back to the local community. Through real-life experience and guidance from employers and co-op coordinators, students gain valuable knowledge and skills that will be used throughout their career upon graduation.

For more information on UPEI's Co-op Program, visit upei.ca/co-op or email co-op@upei.ca.
For more information on the CAFCE's National Co-op Week, visit http://www.cafce.ca/en/co-op-week

The UPEI women's curling team is off to Regina this week to compete in the 2014 CIS/CCA University Curling Championships, March 19-23. The event, hosted by the University of Regina, will take place at Regina's Callie Curling Club.

The UPEI team consisting of skip Veronica Smith, lead Aleya Quilty, third Jane DiCarlo, and second Emily Gray. and coach Paul Smith will take on the University of Alberta and University of Toronto on Wednesday, March 19, the first day of national curling action.

The week's winning team will represent Canada at the 2015 FISU (International University Sports Federation) Winter Universiade in Granada, Spain.

Best of luck to our UPEI curlers! Go Panthers Go!