Atlantic Green Expo is the first expo in Atlantic Canada dedicated to clean technology, green living, and healthy lifestyles. It will provide Atlantic Canadians with an opportunity to educate themselves about the importance of green living and our collective need to address global climate change. We aim to stimulate this growing industry by introducing consumers and businesses to innovative products and services, and to the vendors who supply them. Atlantic Green Expo hopes this will encourage businesses and consumers to make eco-conscious choices and to purchase more eco-friendly products. Atlantic Green Expo is an initiative of PEI-based company E365, in partnership with Transform Events & Consulting, UPEI Climate Lab, UPEI School of Sustainable Design Engineering, and Sierra Club Canada. Keynote Presentations: Dr. Peter Childs Friday, April 21, 5:30 pm Dr. Childs is head of the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London. His professional interests include creativity tools and innovation, design, heat transfer and rotating flow, the circular economy, and sustainable energy. Former roles include director of the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre for Aero-Thermal Systems, director of InQbate, and professor at Sussex University. He has contributed to over 150 papers and several books on engineering design, rotating flow, rural urban migration, and sports technology. He has been principal or co-investigator on contracts totalling £30 million. He is director and chief scientific officer at Q-Bot Ltd. Hon. David MacDonald Saturday, April 22, 4:00 pm Hon. David MacDonald was born and raised in PEI. Beginning in 1965, he was a Member of Parliament for 20 years including a stint as Secretary of State and Minister of Communications. He was the first chair of the House of Commons Committee on the Environment from 1989–1993. In that role, he actively participated in preparations for the first Earth Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He taught “Impediments to a Sustainable Society” at Concordia University in Montreal from 1995–2005. Serving as a special advisor on indigenous justice and residential schools from 1998–2015, he worked closely with Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He was a keynote speaker on the Fate of the Oceans at the Coastal Zone Canada Conference in 2010 and a member of an expert panel in Geneva, Switzerland, on a new international financial and economic architecture in 2013–2014. For more information, on Atlantic Green Expo, including a complete schedule, visit atlanticgreenexpo.com

The UPEI Student Union invites you to its annual Year End Reception on Friday, April 28 at 3:00 pm in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre Day Lounge. Come enjoy some refreshments and welcome the incoming executive team. All are welcome! 

Rural tourism will be the subject of a public symposium at UPEI on Wednesday, May 24, 7-9 p.m., in the Alex H. MacKinnon Lecture Theatre, Room 242, Don and Marion McDougall Hall. “Tourism, Place and Identity: Rural Tourism in Iceland and Prince Edward Island” will feature Ms. Gudrun Gunnarsdottir of the Tourism Research Centre in Akureyri, Iceland. She will be joined by a Panel of authorities/practitioners in PEI Tourism, including Dr. Ed MacDonald from the History Department and Ann Worth, Executive Director of Meetings and Conventions PEI. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of tourists visiting Iceland, so that tourism density there now rivals that of Prince Edward Island. The nature of the tourism industry is broadly similar in both islands – generally seasonal, with a heavy stress on cultural and environmental resources. Also, in both islands there has been a concerted effort by policy-makers to utilize tourism as a community-development tool for the more rural areas. This has met with mixed success – and has raised a whole new set of issues. There is benefit for both islands in sharing experiences, insights, and possible solutions. Gudrun Gunnarsdottir, presently Director of the Icelandic Research Centre at the University of Akureyri in northern Iceland, is a graduate of the MBA in Tourism Management program at the University of Guelph. She is a specialist in rural tourism. From 2011 to 2014, she worked on a study, “The Entangled Web: Tourism, Place and Identity,” exploring how three small Icelandic communities have embraced the ever increasing role of tourism. The symposium is sponsored by the Institute of Island Studies, UPEI’s Vice-President Research and Academic, and the Rural Policy Learning Commons. For further information, please contact (902) 894-2881 or iis@upei.ca.

The final Island Studies Lecture of the year features Mauritius native and now Prince Edward Islander, Ms Ouma Cuniah, speaking about the economic success of her home island, Mauritius. Nobel prize-winning economist James Meade famously predicted a dismal future for Mauritius when he wrote in 1961, “It is going to be a great achievement if (the country) can find productive employment for its population without a serious reduction in the existing standard of living… (The) outlook for peaceful development is weak.” And yet, nearly 50 years post-independence, on the Global Peace Index Mauritius ranked No. 1 as the most peaceful country in Sub-Saharan Africa and 23rd globally. The country also ranked first in Africa on the Word Economic Freedom Index 2016 and is in the fifth position internationally – tying with Canada, Georgia, Ireland, and UAE. Mauritius, an island of 1,852 km², is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. The island was successively colonized by the Dutch, the French, and the British. It became independent in 1968. With a population of nearly 1.3 million, the country derives its identity from a strong fabric of multiculturalism, multilingualism, and African, Asian, and European ethnicities.  Ouma Cuniah will talk about the drivers behind the economic development of the country and draw comparisons and parallels with other islands sharing similar history, and with Prince Edward Island. Ouma has been working at UPEI since July 2015. She holds a master’s degree in Commerce, and as a Chartered Certified Accountant has worked closely with the corporate sector in Mauritius and other neighbouring islands for nearly two decades. Admission to the lecture is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Watch for another lecture about islands – near and far – starting in the fall. For more information, or if you'd like to suggest a topic for a lecture, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences is hosting its 15th annual Math Camp, from Friday May 5 to Sunday May 7. This year, we have invited 20 students from grades 10 and 11, from PEI high schools, to spend the weekend on campus participating in sessions with faculty, problem-solving sessions, recreational activities and much more. Math Camp is sponsored by UPEI, the Canadian Mathematical Society and the Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences.

The United Way Prince Edward Island and the Cooper Institute are excited to bring the much buzzed about film, Us and Them, to Charlottetown. The documentary will screen at the University of Prince Edward Island on Tuesday, May 9, and filmmaker Krista Loughton will be in attendance. Us and Them chronicles Loughton's personal experience befriending four chronically homeless people. Using the First Nations Medicine Wheel, she sets out to help them but they end up helping her. The story digs deep into the root causes of homelessness and addiction. Following the screening of the film, Krista Loughton will respond to questions from the audience about her experiences in making this film. The event wraps up with short presentations from local community experts who will share their thoughts on how Islanders can take action to end poverty and homelessness on Prince Edward Island. Tickets and more information Us and Them trailer

What if you could gain student work experience that will benefit you for the rest of your career? At  the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), you can. CSE is currently hiring and will be holding an information session for students on Monday, May 8th at 12pm in the Cass Science Hall, room 101. This is open to all students, as they have openings for a wide range of fields. For more information on their available work terms placements, please visit the following web site:  https://www.cse-cst.gc.ca/en/careers-carrieres/students-etudiants/oppor…  

Come out for a delicious soup lunch, and to support Fallon in her LAST fundraising event for her trip to the International Seminar in Bolivia. For more information about the International Seminar to Bolivia, https://uniterra.ca/en/volunteering/international-seminar. MENU: Creamy roasted garlic and potato soup, vegan chili, rolls.

All UPEI faculty and staff are invited to attend the "Celebration of Colleagues" on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm, in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre. Come early to socialize as we celebrate the achievements of our friends and co-workers at UPEI. Refreshments will be served! At 2:30 pm, the 25-Year Service Awards and The Presidential Awards of Merit for Faculty and Staff will be presented.  For further details on the awards, please visit: http://www.upei.ca/president/presidential-recognition-awards-merit. Hope to see you there!

UPEI Community is invited to join our 2017 Graduates with their families and friends at  a Mass of Thanksgiving to celebrate their accomplishments and to wish them well.   Bishop Richard Grecco will be here with Fathers John Lacey and Charlie Chevere.