Mr. Andrew Weatherill will present his Master of Arts – Island Studies thesis defence on Tuesday, March 22nd at 2:30pm in Rm. 409 Dalton Hall. The thesis title is: Examining Climate Change and Irrigation Requirements on James Island, British Columbia. As space is limited, you are asked to contact Jim Randall at jarandall@upei.ca if you wish to attend.

Students, staff, faculty, and friends are invited! The University of Prince Edward Island in partnership with Telefilm and the Atlantic Film Festival present North of 49 Films – Campus Movie Night. As part of the Atlantic Film Festival, the film that will be shown on March 17th is All The Wrong Reasons. "An ensemble film about four everyday people: a store manager, a security guard, a fire fighter and a clerk who struggle in the aftermath of trauma."   This movie is a comedic drama, staring Cory Monteith (now deceased) of Glee fame. The movie has a New Brunswick writer and director, and is shot in Nova Scotia. Tickets are free, but are required, there is a limited number available. You can download and print off your ticket, or show it on your phone to gain access. There will be free pizza and pop. We will also be drawing from the eventbrite tickets for 2 $25 Starbucks Gift Cards. You must be present in order to win. Doors open at 7:00, with pizza being served at that time. The movie starts at 7:30. Please arrive early so as to not disrupt people.  Get your ticket:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/north-of-49-films-campus-movie-night-all-the…

Join Foods and Nutrition students as they celebrate Nutrition Month. The Nutrition Fair will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm in McMillan Hall. There will be educational booths, interactive games, free snacks, and prizes. All students and staff are invited to attend.

UPEI is participating in a mental health initiative with universities across Atlantic Canada called the MoodCheck Challenge. From March 14-25, students are encouraged to use the MoodCheck phone application to track their moods. Twice a day, at random times, their phone will prompt them to check in and enter their mood, the activity they are taking part in, where they are, and who they are with. The goal is to motivate students to be mindful about how the things they do affect the way they feel. This increased awareness is known to be a strong predictor of improved mental health and well-being. Students gain points each time they check-in, and gain bonus points the more often they check-in. At the end of the challenge, the university with the highest points will receive a cash donation to be used toward a campus mental wellness initiative. Prizes will also include MoodCheck “swag.” The MoodCheck app is part of a larger program called WellTrack, which was developed by Darren Piercey, a psychology professor at the University of New Brunswick. The program provides students with a number of online tools and resources aimed at helping them manage stress, anxiety, depression and specific phobias, such as fear of public speaking. The challenge results will be announced on Tuesday, March 29. UPEI will host a “Checkup” event to launch the MoodCheck Challenge on Tuesday, March 15 at noon. Similar to a “tweetup,” whereby people gather in one place to tweet about a particular topic, students will meet at the Wave to collectively check-in on their MoodCheck app and tweet about the experience with the hashtag #moodcheckchallenge. UPEI students, what are you waiting for? Download the app at the App Store (for Apple users) or Google Play (for Android). Sign in as a new user with your UPEI email address and the access code MCC. Check in daily! It only takes five seconds. Take the MoodCheck Challenge, and see how keeping track of your moods and activities can improve your mental health!  

The UPEI Jazz Ensemble, directed by Professor Dave Shephard, will present their Spring Jazz Concert at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall on Tuesday, April 5 at 7:30 pm. The program will include a wide variety of jazz styles with special guests from the voice studio of Sung-Ha and Stephen Bouey. Vocalists Alexandra Smith, Lindsay Gillis, Will Millington and Emily Roberts will perform standard jazz, latin and Motown tunes. Instrumental soloists in the band include Justin Amador (trumpet), Charlotte Large ( tenor and soprano sax), Emily Proude (lead alto saxophone), and trombonists Dan MacDonald and Zack Bernard. The ensemble will also proudly feature percussionist Ryan Drew on vibraphone on a tune aptly named “Good Vibes”. The rhythm section soloists will include Parker Clements on piano and Isaac Williams on guitar. Other charts for the evening will include “Mambo” from Westside Story, “It Had Better be Tonight” from the The Pink Panther, and “A Short History of Jazz," an arrangement that takes you through jazz by the decade from Ragtime, Dixieland, Basie Style to the Modern Big Band of the 1970’s.  Tickets are $10 Adults/Seniors and $5 Students and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/573446 or by contacting the UPEI Music Department at 902-566-0507 or music@upei.ca. 

The UPEI Department of Music presents its annual Spring Choral Concert on Friday, April 1st at 7:30 pm at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall, UPEI. The concert, under the direction of Sung-Ha Shin Bouey, will feature the UPEI Concert Choir and Chamber Singers performing selections from St. Matthew's Passion by J.S. Bach as well as musical gems from well-known operas and musicals. Guests that evening will be Le Ragazze Vocal Ensemble and I Ragazzi Jrs Children's Choir.  Musicians Leo Marchildon, Natalie Williams Calhoun, Marc DesRoches, Sean Kemp, and Morgan Saulnier will accompany the choirs. Tickets are $10 Adults/Seniors and $5 Students and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/573446 or by contacting the UPEI Music Department at 902-566- 0507/music@upei.ca. 

The departments of Biomedical and Sciences and Pathology and Microbiology invite you to a seminar presented by Jordan Poley, Pathology and Microbiology called "The transcriptional signature of salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) exposed to stress". Everyone is welcome.

UPEI 203 students, Caitlin Rop and Erica Campbell, are staging the Extreme Clean Campaign. Please read Caitlin's note for more information: Hello everyone, my name is Caitlin Rop and I am currently enrolled in UPEI 203 and as a project we are doing for our class. My classmate Erica Campbell and I are going to be putting on an Extreme Clean Campaign to collect cleaning products for the Anderson House Shelter. Just to let you know a little bit about the Anderson House Shelter they are an organization that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they provide emergency shelter for women and children who are in need of safety because of violence in their lives. The shelter is located in Charlottetown and it includes emergency shelter, safety planning, advocacy, childcare services, drop-in support, follow-up support, referrals to outreach services and second stage housing, and information pertaining to resources such as lawyers, housing, stay away orders, transportation, childcare and pet care to name a few. As of right now, they are in desperate need of cleaning supplies (any cleaning supplies) and pajamas (any size). This campaign will take place Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18 in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre from 11:30 until 3:30 each day. We are collecting any cleaning products as they are in desperate need! Every little bit helps! Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to hopefully seeing you stop by!

The UPEI Iranian Society invites the UPEI campus community to a Persian New Year Celebration (Nowruz)! An evening of live music, dancing, entertainment, and Persian/Afghani dinner and dessert. Tickets for the event are available at www.PersianPEI.ca/tickets General Admission $25 / VIP $40 / Free admission for children 6 and under After March 18 at 11:30 pm, upon availability, tickets online and at the door: General Admission $50 / VIP $75 Due to the limited number of tickets,  purchase by March 19 to avoid disappointment!  

Dr. Christian Lacroix, Vice-President Academic, invites you to join in a presentation and information session for the MacLauchlan Scholarships in Entrepreneurial Leadership on Thursday, March 17 at 12 noon in Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall. During the presentation 2015 recipients will be recognized and past recipients will speak briefly about the impact the award has had for them. Three renewable scholarships, valued at $5000 each are available to full-time students entering their third year at UPEI. This prestigious scholarship recognizes students who show a commitment to entrepreneurial initiative, work ethic, business judgement and people skills, and have a deep commitment to family, community and province. The next application deadline is October 1, 2016. More information about the award can be found on the Scholarships and Awards webpage. All students are welcome and encouraged to attend.