Join UPEI's writer-in-residence, Don Gayton, ecologist and award­-winning nature and science writer, for a workshop entitled Nature Writing: Where do we go from here? The workshop will take place on Saturday, February 8 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in the Main Faculty Lounge. Nature writing traces back to Thoreau, the classical Greek writers and even beyond, but now it stands at a historic crossroads. Contemplation and oneness with nature are hallmarks of the genre, a mindset now at odds with our deepening environmental crises. Does nature writing now become a literature of protest, or of despair? In this interactive workshop, we will explore future directions for nature writers. Workshop fees are $25 for one workshop or $35 for both, and $15 or $25 for students and PEI Writers’ Guild members. For further information about his workshops and reading, and to register for workshops, contact the English Department: 566-­0389 or tjohnston@upei.ca.

Join UPEI's writer-in-residence, Don Gayton, ecologist and award­-winning nature and science writer, for a workshop entitled Ecology as Literature. The workshop will take place on Saturday, February 8 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Main Faculty Lounge Writers have often turned to science for ideas and metaphors. The young science of ecology has increasing relevance to literature. Ecology embraces ambiguity, multiple states of being, and reciprocity between humans and nature. The practice of ecological restoration incorporates spirituality with science. Ecologist and writer Don Gayton will open up some of the concepts and paradoxes of ecology as new material for writers of fiction, non­fiction and poetry. Workshop fees are $25 for one workshop or $35 for both, and $15 or $25 for students and PEI Writers’ Guild members. For further information about his workshops and reading, and to register for workshops, contact the English Department: 566-­0389 or tjohnston@upei.ca.

Dr. Juergen Krause will make a public presentation as a candidate for the Dean of the School of Business on Monday, February 10, at 2:00 pm. The presentation is entitled: "Describe your vision and fit for the position of the Dean of the School of Business at the University of Prince Edward Island." Dr. Krause is currently a faculty member and Interim Dean in the School of Business. The presentation will be held in Don and Marion McDougall Hall, room 328. All are welcome to attend. The search committee welcomes feedback and requests that it be forwarded by email to vpa@upei.ca by Friday, February 14, 2014.

On Friday, January 17, Dr. Tess Miller will address the complexity of the state of mathematics in PEI. Her presentation includes interviews with a number of university faculty, teachers, and students which highlight key difficulties in learning and teaching mathematics. Dr. Miller contrasts this with what large-scale assessment tells us about the state of mathematics in PEI and its impact on PEI's economic development. The session will conclude with an open discussion on initiatives to improve the state of mathematics in our province. The presentation takes place from 1:30-3:00 pm in UPEI's McDougall Hall, Room 242. All are welcome.

UPEI students are invited to join the Department of Student Affairs for the grand opening of the "Campus Life Lounge" on Tuesday, January 21 in Student Affairs, located on the second floor of the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. To celebrate the opening of the lounge, there will be a pizza party. All are welcome to attend.

Join us Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00 pm for the first presentation in the UPEI Climate Research Lab Lecture Series. Dr. Adam Fenech, director of the Climate Research Lab, will present results from recent coastal erosion research projects conducted on Prince Edward Island. The change in PEI’s coastline has been measured mapped and analyzed from 1968 to 2010. Buildings, roads and bridges have been assessed as to their vulnerability to future coastal erosion and sea level rise. Come see how our communities will be affected. Dr. Fenech will present the results of this research including the unveiling of a new interactive 3-D geo-visualization tool known as CLIVE. CLIVE allows stakeholders to interactively explore PEI's coastline, and scenarios of future climate change, sea-level rise and storm surges. The presentation will take place in the Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre, room 285 on the UPEI campus. For more information, contact the Climate Research Lab at (902)620-5221 or climate@upei.ca.

At the next Research on Tap, join us for a discussion about support for publishing in a province where the the tourism industry is built largely on the success of a single book. Dr. Richard Lemm, professor of English at UPEI, will lead a talk entitled: Who needs books in the land of Anne? The discussion begins at 7:00 pm, Tuesday, February 4, in the Pourhouse, above The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse in Charlottetown. “I'll focus on the provincial support for Island authors and Island publishers, sung to the tune of 'You can't have one without the other,'” said Dr. Lemm. “Indeed, support for publishers is support for the development of Island writing and literary culture.” Sound interesting? Join us. Research on Tap is a series of public discussions with UPEI researchers. For more information, contact Dave Atkinson at 620-5117, or datkinson@upei.ca.

SPEAKER: Mahmoud Sharaf, Biomedical Sciences TITLE: Modulation of the effects of zinc and calcium on energy homeostasis by temperature in rainbow trout

Join us Friday, January 24 at 2:30 pm in the second floor lounge of the Kelley Building to celebrate the first recipients of the Katherine Schultz Research Recognition Awards. Dr. Schultz, who served as UPEI's first Vice-President Research, established these awards to honour UPEI faculty, staff, and volunteers who play a critical role in supporting research endeavours. The research success of an institution rests fundamentally on the excellence, dedication, and insights of its researchers and their teams of collaborators, trainees, students, and technicians. However, their success also rests on the work of those who might be labelled the “unsung heroes” of the research enterprise – that is, those whose work behind the scenes make it all possible. Without the dedication, professionalism, and commitment of these individuals, our researchers and their research endeavours would be seriously constrained. Please join us for the awards; a small reception will follow. For more information, contact Dave Atkinson at 620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca.

Join the UPEI Music Department for their annual Performance Competition Finals. The preliminary round will feature Rebecca Apps, third year voice major, performing music by Weinzweig, Floyd and Somers; Jillian Clow, third year voice major, performing music by Samuel Barber; Nadine Haddad, fourth year voice major, performing cabaret songs by William Bolcom; Evan Hammell, third year trombone major, performing a Sonatina by Halsey Stevens; Melissa MacKenzie, a second year voice major, performing works by Adam Guettel and Leonard Bernstein and Lucas MacPhail, a third year saxophone major, performing Wings by Joan Tower. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors and are available at the door or in advance by calling 566-0507 or by email at music@upei.ca.