The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the Campus community to Aisha Alkhnajari's MSc-ESC Defense entitled "Microbial diversity of buckwheat rhizosphere in wireworm-infested and non-infested soils using metagenomics". Everyone is welcome.

Leaders of the Green, Liberal, New Democratic and Progressive Conservative Parties of PEI will come together on Monday, April 8th for a discussion of environmental issues, moderated by Dr Carolyn Peach-Brown, Chair of Environmental Studies at UPEI. Twenty Island environmental groups have collaborated to organize this event and to develop a number of questions for the leaders. There will also be time for questions from the floor. The forum starts at 7 pm in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Room 242 of McDougall Hall on the UPEI campus. For more informaton, see the event's Facebook listing.

The monthly meeting of the UPEI & Friends Neuroscience Journal Club will be held Friday, April 12th from 3-4 pm in the "Fishbowl" of the Duffy Research Centre (NRC). All faculty, staff and students with an interest in neuroscience research are welcome. For a copy of the paper to be discussed please contact Paul Bernard (pbernard@upei.ca) or Andy Tasker (tasker@upei.ca)

Please join us for a celebration of UPEI’s new Canada Research Chair in Geospatial Humanities, held by Dr. Josh MacFadyen. The Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) was established in 2000 by the Government of Canada. It stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. It invests approximately $265 million per year to attract and retain a diverse cadre of world-class researchers, to reinforce academic research and training excellence in Canadian postsecondary institutions. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. They improve our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen Canada's international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of highly skilled people through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers' work. A reception will immediately follow.

The faculty of Science Graduate Studies Committee invites the Campus community to Michael Coffin's PhD-Environmental Sciences defense entitled "Monitoring the impact of nutrient-induced hypoxia and its effect on the invertebrate community in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada". Everyone is welcome.  

The Department of Companion Animals at the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI, will be interviewing candidates to fill a tenure-track faculty position in Anesthesiology. As part of the interview process, each candidate has been asked to present two (2) thirty-minute seminars; one that should be geared towards 3rd year DVM students and one a presentation of their research interests. First Candidate – Dr. Adrianna Sage, April 15th & 16th, 2019 Dr. Sage OVC (2018) has a Master of Science in Veterinary Clinical Medicine – Anesthesiology from the University of Illinois (2018). She completed a Small Animal Rotating Internship at VCA Southpaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center and is currently completing an Anesthesia and Analgesia Residency at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois. Peri-Operative Pain Management in Large Animal Species Equine Total Intravenous Effects and Recovery Characteristics of Propofol in Combination with Ketamine and Xylazine Monday April 15th @ 12:30pm, Lecture Theatre ‘B’, AVC Any interested faculty / staff are invited to attend. A copy of each candidate’s CV and letter of application are available by contact Sonia Stewart- O’Neill (sostewart@upei.ca) in the Department of Companion Animals. 

The Faculty of Business presents Crystal Burrows CPA, Accounting Faculty Candidate, on Thursday, April 18 at 10:00 am, in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, room 243, Public Presentation. Topic - A 100% Renewable PEI: Why, How and What Cost? All are welcome to attend.

As part of UPEI’s 50th anniversary, the Robertson Library is presenting a lecture series to celebrate the historical roots of higher education on Prince Edward Island and its future. The series is named after educator Frank Pigot, honoured as a UPEI Founder for his work building the Library’s PEI Collection and University Archives. Historian Georges Arsenault will deliver the third lecture of the series on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. Arsenault’s talk is titled “Société Saint-Thomas d’Aquin and French Education on the Island.” The Société Saint-Thomas d’Aquin (SSTA), the principal voice of the Acadian and Francophone community of PEI, is 100 years old this year. It was founded in 1919 at the annual convention of the PEI Acadian Teachers’ Association. Its immediate objective was to collect money for the education of young Acadians, but the overall goal of the SSTA was to see French and Acadian life flourish on the Island. Among the founders of the SSTA and who spearheaded the society for many years were Dr. J. Henri Blanchard, who taught at Prince of Wales College from 1910 to 1948, and Rev. Nazaire Poirier, who was on the teaching staff of Saint Dunstan’s University from 1912 to 1937. The lecture will focus on the important contribution of the SSTA to French education on the Island over the last century.  A native of Abram-Village, Georges Arsenault lives in Charlottetown. He is the author of many publications on Acadian history and folklore and a well-known lecturer. He is the president of the Sister Antoinette DesRoches Historical Society and was recently made a member of the Order of Canada. Refreshments will be provided. Everyone is welcome.

Dr. Travis Esau will be presenting a special research seminar on Wednesday, April 17, at 12 noon to 1:00 PM in SDE 205. Dr. Esau has applied for an adjunct faculty appointment in the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering. All are welcomed to attend! Title: Mechanized Systems to Increase Farm Profitability, Create Food Security and Improve Environmental Sustainability Speaker: Dr. Travis Esau, Assistant Professor, Mechanized Systems, Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University Abstract: Traditional agricultural farming is not sustainable and requires new engineering advancements to remain competitive in both local and global markets. Advanced mechanized systems are required to increase farm efficiency and use environmental resources more effectively. Mechanical harvesting remains the most cost-effective means for picking wild blueberries yet is heavily reliant on operator skill and full automation relies on precise and accurate mechanized systems to remain competitive moving forward. Research is underway to develop an advanced harvest management strategy, improve blueberry fruit quality, increase berry picking efficiency and automate the mechanized harvester using advanced sensors and control systems.

This award-winning documentary tells the story of Canadian scientist Dr. Anne Innis Daag as she traces her 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild. Limited seating, $5 tickets can be purchased at https://giraffemovie.eventbrite.ca.  This screening opens the Atlantic Connections Conference on Sustaining Women in SETT (ACT attendees can reserve one free ticket). More information and registration to ACT can be found at: http://atlanticconnections.ca/event-registration/  Thursday, May 30, at 6:30 PM in Theatre A, AVC.