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.

The Faculty of Business will present a public presentation by Accounting Faculty Candidate, Clemence Stanley, CPA/CMA, on Tuesday, April 23, in Don & Marion McDougall Hall, Room 328, at 10 am. The presentation topic: From Sustainability to Literacy. All are welcome to attend.

The University of Prince Edward Island is proud to host the Canada 2018 Gairdner International Award winner for the 2019 Gairdner Lectures. Dr. Davor Solter will deliver a public lecture on Monday, May 6 at 9:30 am in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. A second lecture for high school students will take place immediately after at 10:45 am. Dr. Davor Solter is an emeritus member and director of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics. He is a visiting international professor of the Siriraj Center for Excellence in Stem Cell Research, Mahidol University, and a visiting professor at the University of Zagreb Medical School. Together, the work of Dr. Solter and Dr. Azim Surani has contributed to the understanding of the developmental consequences and molecular mechanisms of genomic imprinting, starting the field of epigenetics, the study of heritable changes in gene function without changes in the DNA sequence. In 1984, they released parallel studies that demonstrated the concept of genomic imprinting. All cells in the animal contain two copies of every autosomal gene, one from the mother and one from the father, and in most cases both copies are expressed. However, “imprinted” genes are expressed only from either the maternally or the paternally inherited copy. Genomic imprinting has widespread roles in mammals, affecting embryonic and placental development and transmission of nutrients to the fetus, and regulating critical aspects of mammalian physiology, such as metabolism, neuronal development and adult behaviour. Extensive research based on this discovery led to the identification of numerous imprinted genes whose alleles are differentially expressed depending on the parent of origin. Faulty imprints can lead to developmental, physiological and behavioural anomalies in mice, and result in diseases in humans. There is growing evidence for the importance of imprinting in disease susceptibility from developmental syndromes like Beckwith-Wiedemann, Angelman and Prader-Willi, to a variety of cancers and neurological disorders and obesity. It also has effects on diverse aspects of mammalian development and physiology, such as stem cells, core body temperature, nutrition and behaviour. All are welcome to the public lecture. High school classes who would like to attend the student lecture may contact Jane Vessey at javessey@upei.ca. The Gairdner Foundation was established in 1957 with the goal of recognizing and rewarding international excellence in fundamental research that impacts human health. Seven awards are given annually: five Canada Gairdner International Awards for biomedical research, one John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for impact on global health issues, and one Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, reserved for a Canadian. The Foundation has bestowed 380 awards on laureates from 35 countries; 89 of those recipients have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes.

Not too late to register! Girls in grades 7 to 9 are invited to a science and engineering retreat on Friday, May 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This 5th Girls Get WISE Science and Engineering Retreat will give girls a hands-on experience in chemistry, physics, biology, computer science, and engineering through fun workshops. Girls will also meet female role models who are working or studying in the science, engineering, and technology fields. These experiences will help girls make informed decisions about subject choices in their later school years. Register at http://www.engineerspei.com/node/455 by Friday, April 26. Space is limited. Cost is $10 which includes lunch. Subsidies may be available upon request. This event is hosted by UPEI with assistance from WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) Atlantic and Engineers PEI.

Come celebrate the work of local playwrights with a joint cabaret and book launch on Saturday, April 27th, 7 pm in the Faculty Lounge of the Main Building at the University of Prince Edward Island. The PEI wing of PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre) and Island Studies Press invite you to readings by Island playwrights and the launch of The Philosopher, a collection of one-act plays by Malcolm Murray. Malcolm teaches Philosophy at UPEI. The Cabaret is hosted by PEI PARC members Orysia Dawydiak and Yvette Doucette, with readings by Rob MacDonald, Catherine O'Brien, Nadine Salami, among others. Malcolm Murray and friends will read selections from The Philosopher, which will be available for sale. Doors open at 6:30 pm, with a cash bar and nibblies. Admission is by donation. Comedic, satirical, and at times solemn, The Philosopher showcases the range of human complexity from nonsense to wisdom. Murray’s characters range from a philosopher in chains brought up from the basement to entertain guests to a psychologist who assists a traumatized patient to become more self-aware, only to result in greater angst. Provocative, perceptive, and rife with questions about the motives and morality of our everyday conduct, The Philosopher ultimately deals with the search for meaning and our need to believe.  Apart from being a playwright, Malcolm Murray is also a fiction writer and philosopher. His produced plays include “Art of Posing” (2014), “The Abettor” (2013), “The Philosopher” (2012), and “Chop Wood, Carry Water” (2008). He is the author of five philosophy books including Morals and Consent (2017). Malcolm lives with his wife, a cat, a dog, and recently, though less agreeably, a raccoon.