Dr. Doug Sobey, a retired professor of ecology at the University of Ulster, will present the findings of his newly-published research into the historical records of PEI forests that have survived from the British period at a public lecture on September 8. He will discuss the nature and state of the original forest, including the forest as a natural habitat; the changes that occurred as a result of its exploitation during the British period; and the various attitudes of the British colonizers and the new Island residents to different aspects of the forest.

Sobey, a native of Summerside, has been a Research Associate of the Institute of Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island since 1992. In 2002 he presented the first part of his history of PEI forests, which dealt with the period of French occupation. Since his retirement from the University of Ulster, he has continued to pursue his research interests in the forests of PEI in collaboration with the provincial forestry department.

"It's a great pleasure to welcome Dr. Sobey back to UPEI for the public presentation of his important research into the history of forests," says Dr. Irene Novaczek, Director of the Institute of Island Studies. "This is a timely addition to the ongoing efforts to improve forest policy. In planning for the future, it always pays to consider what was done in the past, and the consequences of those development choices."

"Early Descriptions of the Forests of Prince Edward Island: The British and Post-Confederation Periods (1758 and#150; c. 1900)" will be presented by Dr. Sobey at 3:30 pm on Friday, September 8 in the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre Lecture Theatre, UPEI. The public is welcome to attend. There will be an opportunity to order a copy of the full study.

For more information contact: Dr. Irene Novaczek at 902 566 0386 or inovaczek@upei.ca

Business leaders and academics from a broad range of innovative corporations and institutions in Canada, the US, Mexico, and Switzerland are contributing their expertise to a new organization at the University of Prince Edward Island. As members of the recently-formed Global Associates, they are helping to guide the UPEI School of Business to the forefront of business education and research, and to strengthen its effectiveness in preparing students for success in the dynamic and demanding environment of the global economy.

"These leaders represent a diverse range of business backgrounds and industry sectors," says Dean of Business Roberta MacDonald. "Their considerable knowledge and experience will be invaluable to us in forging new links with the global community. Their insights will help us to provide our students with the education they need to succeed in the business world of the future."

Global Associates selected their first chair at a recent meeting at UPEI. He is Tim O'Neill, Founder and Principal of O'Neill Strategic Economics in Toronto and a leading economist advising the Ontario Ministry of Finance. O'Neill served as Executive Vice President and Chief Economist of the Bank of Montreal Financial Group from 1994 to 2005. He was the first Canadian economist to be elected to the board of the Washington-based National Association for Business Economics and served as its president from 2002 to 2003.

All 12 members of Global Associates come with equally impressive credentials. They are Reginald Van Lee, Senior V.P. and Managing Partner of Booz Allen Hamilton, New York; Gregory Woodson, President of Global Home Care for Colgate Palmolive, New York; Miriam Vializ-Briggs, V.P. of Marketing for IBM's Systems and Technology Group, New York; Alex MacBeath, Executive Partner and CEO of Grant Thornton LLP, Toronto; Glenn Hynes, Executive V.P. and Chief Financial Officer of Sobey's Inc., Stellarton, Nova Scotia; Peter Wells, V.P. of Global Research and Development for Novartis Animal Health, Switzerland; Kevin Farr, Chief Financial Officer for Mattel Inc., Los Angeles; Louis MacEachern, President and owner of Fortune Industries, Calgary; Michael Tasooji, Executive V.P. of Gap Inc., San Francisco; Edmundo Vallejo, President and CEO of General Electric Latin America, Mexico City; and Randolph Westerfield, Professor of Finance and Business Economics at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

"The arrangement that we have reached with an advisory board of such magnitude is quite rare for a university the size of UPEI," says Roberta MacDonald. "These senior executives will help to position UPEI as a serious player in the global environment."

Global Associates will play a leadership role in the development of the expanded School of Business and the new Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship scheduled to begin construction on the UPEI campus this fall. They will help UPEI to develop partnerships and collaborations with the global community; provide expert advice on changing demographics, corporate needs, and social trends that affect business education and research; and share insights on ways to assist students to build productive business careers, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Third-year psychology student Sarah Simpson and political studies student Jason Arsenault are two of a growing number of UPEI undergraduates who are enjoying opportunities to study and work in countries around the world. The students left UPEI this week to begin three-month internships in South Africa that they will never forget. Working in conjunction with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, they will take part in two community development projects organized by local non-government organizations (NGOs.)

Both internships are part of the Students for Development program provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) with the financial support of the Government of Canada. The aim of Students for Development is to prepare and mobilize young Canadians committed to sharing Canada's values and expertise to help build good governance in developing countries.

Under the guidance of Dr. Volker Wedekind, Sarah Simpson will work with community organizations to assist the Parental Involvement in Schooling Project which is funded by the National Research Foundation. The project will explore the forms and extent of parental involvement in schooling. In particular, it will examine their involvement in governance and identify any barriers to participation across different types of schools.

"I have no doubt that my time in South Africa will be a very rewarding and eye-opening experience, and will benefit both my further studies at UPEI and my counterparts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal," said Sarah.

Jason Arsenault will work with local NGOs, under the direction of Dr. Laurence Piper, on an ongoing project to examine the forms of participatory democracy that are built into the legislation governing local government. The project will compile information about the roles and responsibilities of ward committees and local councillors, and identify any barriers to participation.

"The chance to apply what I have learned at UPEI in the work field, through this internship, will greatly enhance my educational experience and increase future opportunities in my field of studies," said Jason.

Sara and Jason will share their experiences with the university and local communities after they return to Canada in December. The UPEI academic advisors for the two internships are Dr. Kim Critchley, Dean of Nursing and Dr. Graham Pike, Dean of Education.

"Increasingly, educational institutions have seen the need to prepare students to be culturally sensitive and culturally competent individuals," said Dr. Critchley. "International internships like this provide students with a unique understanding of the values of racially and culturally diverse populations."

"We are confident that Sarah and Jason will take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity and be excellent ambassadors for UPEI," said Dr. Pike. "Their project work will further enhance the strong partnership that we have developed with our colleagues at the University of KwaZuluNatal."

As a way of enriching and diversifying the educational experience, UPEI has been working to increase enrolments from other countries. In recent years the university has also created a wide range of opportunities for local students to study and work abroad while pursuing their degrees on Prince Edward Island.

Neuroscience researchers may be one step closer to solving the mysteries of the devastating disease of epilepsy, thanks to a new development at the University of Prince Edward Island. Epilepsy is a debilitating neurological disorder that affects over 50 million people worldwide It is characterized by abnormal electrical signalling in the brain that is thought to be due to inappropriate physical or chemical "wiring" of neural circuits. UPEI researchers have created a unique animal model to help scientists understand the progressive changes in brain development and function that lead to seizures and other forms of brain dysfunction.

The significance and originality of their invention has been recognized by the awarding of a US patent. Today, UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan presented official patent documents to Dr. Tracy Doucette, from the Department of Biology; Dr. Catherine Ryan from the Department of Psychology, and Dr. Andrew Tasker from the Department of Biomedical Sciences. President MacLauchlan also recognized the two members of their research team who were not present. They are former UPEI graduate student Melissa Perry and Dr. Henriette Husum Bak-Jensen of Copenhagen.

"The issuing of the patent is validation that our researchers are cutting-edge and that their work has the potential to make a tangible difference in the world," said President MacLauchlan. "It confirms that they have done something that no one else has ever done, and that the discovery can contribute to a greater understanding of epilepsy and hopefully to the development of new therapies."

The patent-awarding ceremony was chaired by Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice President of Research Development. She said that this latest accomplishment by the UPEI research team highlights the fact that important innovation can and does happen in Prince Edward Island, and not only in Toronto or New York. She also noted that the invention was an excellent example of collaboration across the university.

"The discovery required the combined efforts of people in Pharmacology, Psychology and Biology. Such collaborations can happen at any university, but often they are much easier at small, supportive universities like UPEI," she said. "This work involved a number of students who participated at levels all the way from undergraduate to PhD study. For UPEI, it provides one more indication that the university research profile is growing rapidly and that there is value in that research. It reminds us that UPEI is not only a teaching place and#150; it is a teaching, learning, and discovering place."

Dr. Andrew Tasker spoke on behalf of his co-inventors. He explained that a large number of epilepsy patients, often children or adolescents, develop seizures in the absence of any obvious precipitating event. The seizures develop slowly so that the progression of the disease goes undetected or misdiagnosed until later in life.

"Many of these cases are difficult to manage with existing drugs, but if we had a better understanding of what is going on in the brains of these patients, it should be possible to develop better drugs or even achieve the ultimate goal of preventing the development of the disease," he said. "It is our belief and our hope that the animal model we have developed, and continue to characterize, may help researchers to understand these slow, progressive changes in brain development and function that ultimately lead to seizures and other forms of brain dysfunction."

What the researchers have done is to chemically alter the development of the brain in newborn rats. These carefully tended animals show no evidence of any problems at first. But gradually they develop to a point where certain types of cognitive challenge cause them to display a low grade seizure-like behaviour. Investigation of the brains of these rats reveals a number of structural and chemical changes that are characteristic of those seen in adult onset models of epilepsy and in the brains of epilepsy patients.

"We believe, and obviously the US Patent Office agrees with us, that this model affords researchers a new tool with which to figure out the sequence of events that underly progressive, abnormal brain development leading to epilepsy and quite possibly to other forms of neurological disease," said Dr. Tasker.

The work that led to this invention was funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, NSERC, and the PEI Health Research Program. "The ongoing development and commercialization of this model would not be possible without the support of the Atlantic Innovation Fund and other IP development funds for which we are very grateful," said Dr. Tasker.

The much anticipated book, Chinese Islanders: Making a Home in the New World, by Hung-Min Chiang will be launched on Saturday, September 30 at Memorial Hall in the Confederation Centre of the Arts, from 7 to 9 pm.

Dr. Hung-Min Chiang, originally from Taiwan, came to Prince Edward Island with his family in 1967. A student of world renowned 20th century psychologist Abraham Maslow, Dr. Chiang taught psychology at Prince of Wales College and the University of Prince Edward Island until his retirement in 1991. He is fondly remembered as a favourite professor by many.

Chinese Islanders: Making a Home in the New World tells the story of some of Prince Edward Island's first Chinese settlers who came to the Island as early as 1850. They were subjected to the infamous "head tax," as well as the more severe Chinese Immigration Act (also known as the Chinese Expulsion Act). But through it all, they and their descendants have largely adapted to and succeeded in mainstream Island society, and are proud today to be recognized as true Islanders.

John Cousins, Prince Edward Island's one of pre-eminent folklorists, writes this in his introduction: Hung-Min Chiang set out to write this history of the Chinese Canadian community in Prince Edward Island because, as he was told, "no one else would do it." What a daunting task it must have been. No group of Islanders would be harder to document than these few Chinese settlers, who, for obvious reasons, preferred to remain anonymous, and to live below the social horizon, leading "quiet inconspicuous lives." There were few records, fewer accurate ones, no personal biographies for guidance, negligible letters, and no survivors from the early days.

Added to that was a "discontinuing of generations," a period of decline between the 1940s and 1960s when the community came close to disappearing. Nevertheless, Chiang has accomplished a series of minor miracles. These were the realities of the Chinese community and the author does not avoid them. Rather, he recounts them with a serenity that carries with it the sublime sadness of the human plight. And this, in my opinion, is the work's great strength."

During the book launch, there will be a live musical performance on the Guzheng (zither) by Chor-wai Hui, a Calligraphy Demonstration by Yong-lin (Ginger) Ren, and an Exhibit curated By Dr. Ann Howatt. The Institute of Island Studies invites all to attend.

A new Bachelor of Education Degree in Human Resource Development offered jointly by Holland College and the University of Prince Edward Island will prepare students to teach in the field of Adult Education. The degree is unique, in that the skills and resources of both institutions have been blended to develop the curriculum and to deliver the program.

The BEd (HRD) program, which starts this fall, is designed for adult educators who teach in post-secondary institutions such as community colleges, businesses or industry organizations; public school vocational and technology programs; and those teaching outside of Canada. Qualified graduates of this program may apply to the PEI Department of Education for a Technology Education Teaching Licence to teach technology education in PEI high schools.

The program recognizes applicants' prior learning and work experience through a Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition process (PLAR). In all, students in the program must acquire 120 hours of credit (normally 40 courses). Upon successful completion of 12 courses, applicants may apply for the joint Holland College/UPEI Certificate in Adult Education (CAE).

"The university is pleased to launch this new program. Partnerships, especially with our sister institution Holland College, are a priority for UPEI," said Vianne Timmons, Vice President of Academic Development at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Interest in the new program has been high, according to Jeniene Peake, Executive Director of Employee Relations and Services for Holland College.

"This new degree provides the opportunity to earn a valuable credential for those already teaching, and for people interested in entering the field of adult education."

The first course in the program, ED 473 Communication Practices in Adult Education, will be held on six Saturdays from the end of September to mid December. For more information about the BEd (HRD), please contact Gerry Seaward, Manager, Instructional Development, Holland College at 902-566-9595 or toll free at 1-800-446-5265, or visit the Holland College website at www.hollandcollege.com.

A new study led by Dr. Eric Richards of the UPEI Department of Psychology is challenging some of our stereotypes about the capacity of older people to change. His research team has found that although our ability to carry out several activities at the same may diminish with age, multi-tasking can actually be re-learned through practice. The findings were published this week in the online edition of the international journal, Vision Research.

"Our research shows that practice can help older brains learn new tricks," says Professor Richards who worked on the study when he was a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University in Hamilton. His colleagues were Dr. Allison Sekuler, Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, and Dr. Patrick Bennett, Canada Research Chairs in Vision Science.

The researchers tested their subjects on a variant of the Useful Field of View task. They were asked to identify a letter flashed quickly in the middle of a computer screen, to localize the position of a spot flashed quickly in the periphery, or to do both tasks at the same time. Previous research had shown that older subjects suffered more from having to do both tasks at the same time than did younger subjects. The current study shows that the age-related disadvantage can be removed by giving older subjects more time to do the task.

The study also indicated that, over the course of about two weeks of training, both younger and older subjects learned to multi-task as well as they could perform a single task, although older subjects seemed to require more practice. The benefits of learning were long-lasting and#9472; older subjects performed just as well when they were re-tested up to three months later as they had right after training.

"Before training, our participants had a much harder time multi-tasking than performing one of our tasks on its own. After training, both younger and older participants were able to perform both tasks simultaneously, with no cost in performance," says Dr. Allison Sekuler.

Jocelyn Faubert, a professor on vision and aging at the Universite de Montreal, and NSERC-Essilor chair on presbyopia and visual perception, says the study is an important one in demonstrating that the elderly can regain youthful capacities.

"They show that training on a task where more than a single element must be processed and#150; divided attention and#150; can improve the performance of the elderly to levels comparable to young adults," says Faubert. "This is particularly important for naturalistic tasks where the need to simultaneously attend to multiple elements is commonplace, such as when someone is moving through crowds in a shopping mall or driving. This generates much hope for systematic interventions in the elderly population in an attempt to increase their quality of life."

The research was funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Canada Research Chair program.

The Government of Canada today announced $2 million in funding as a capital contribution toward the development of the National Research Council Institute for Nutrisciences and Health (NRC-INH) on the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) campus.

Within the facility, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) scientists and technicians will collaborate with UPEI and NRC scientists to identify and refine naturally occurring compounds from plant, animal and marine life that can benefit human and animal health.

"For UPEI, this new collaboration builds on our already strong ties with AAFC - a key partner in many research and development initiatives of UPEI and our faculty of veterinary medicine, the Atlantic Veterinary College," said Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice President Research Development at UPEI. "As well, this collaboration will augment the benefits of the established and ongoing research initiatives of UPEI's Atlantic Canada Network on Bioactive Compounds and the Centre for Bioresource Innovation."

"Canada's new government is committed to supporting research that benefits health and wellness and generate new opportunities for our agriculture and agri-food sector," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board. "This is an exciting collaboration in a market of enormous potential."

Under the agreement, up to14 AAFC employees will be located in the new facility by 2009. The research will increase Canada's ability to produce food and other products that benefit the nutrition and health of humans and animals. The AAFC team will contribute to the identification of bioactive molecules and will help develop sustainable production systems for these new products that will be of higher value.

"With Agriculture and Agriand#8209;Food Canada on board, research will span the full continuum, from discovery to commercialization," said National Research Council President Dr. Pierre Coulombe "It will start with the discovery and extraction of important bioactive compounds found in renewable resources, continue with research into the role they play in human and animal health, and on to the sustainable production of new crops and commercialization of functional foods and nutraceuticals."

The market for nutraceuticals and functional foods is being driven by a growing consumer understanding of the links between nutrition and health and advances in natural health treatments.

The Government of Canada and the University of Prince Edward Island are part of a growing biotechnology community in Prince Edward Island that includes, among others, the PEI Food Technology Centre, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Centre for Animal and Plant Health and 20 private biotechnology companies with estimated annual revenues of $60 million.

PEI will now be home to a one-stop resource for tourism information and market intelligence thanks to the creation of a new Tourism Research Centre. The Tourism Research Centre will increase Prince Edward Island's tourism research capacity and help industry stakeholders take full advantage of tourism research findings. The centre will operate as an independent agency located within the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) School of Business.

"The creation of the centre is very timely," said Roberta MacDonald, Dean of Business. "One of our objectives is to work with the industry to focus on the most pressing questions tourism operators are facing today. After analyzing new and existing data, a new data processing method will be created and will become a vital resource for tourism decision-makers as they develop long term strategies."

An initiative of the School of Business at the University and the Tourism Advisory Council, the Centre has received financial support from the Government of Canada and the Province of Prince Edward Island.

"Canada's New Government is pleased to work with the provincial government and the industry to create the Tourism Research Centre," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). "In an ever-evolving tourism industry, the market intelligence available at the centre will provide industry professionals with important knowledge and expertise."

Researchers at the centre will study and develop tourism practices and strategies, and will provide recommendations to the local tourism industry. The research will help industry members develop forward-thinking strategies to further promote PEI as a premiere tourism destination In addition to providing industry-specific information, the centre will also provide various learning opportunities for tourism operators.

Honourable Philip Brown, Minister of Tourism, commented, "We're pleased to see the Tourism Research Centre come to fruition after all of our consultation and work with the industry for a stand-alone research facility dedicated to tourism research." He added, "Our five-year plan is centred on detailed research intended to guide the development of our tourism product and marketing plans. The work of the Tourism Research Centre will be key to the industry's continued evolution."

Two positions have already been filled at the Tourism Research Centre. Sebastian Manago, an expert in new product development and relationship marketing, will work as the Research Manager. Dongkoo Yun, a tourism management specialist, has been named the centre's Data Manager. The centre's website is currently being developed and is expected to be launched in October.

"The Tourism Research Centre will become a leader in industry research on PEI," said Kevin Murphy, Chair of the Research Committee of the PEI Tourism Advisory Council. "The centre will build partnerships on and off the Island and I am confident that we will benefit from the wealth of experience available through existing tourism research institutions in various areas of the world."

Through its Business Development Program, ACOA will contribute $201,400 for the creation of the Tourism Research Centre. The Department of Tourism will contribute $60,000. UPEI will provide an in-kind contribution of $85,000.

This year UPEI is celebrating 50 years of international students. In 1956, four students from Hong Kong came to PEI to study. International students have been an integral part of UPEI's campus life and the PEI community. With a large group of new international students entering UPEI this year, there is an opportunity for the PEI community to actively welcome and support these students from around the world.

The Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island is leading an initiative to match families with international students at UPEI. There are currently 54 students from 20 countries who are new to the university this Fall. The majority are visiting Canada for the first time. They are often overwhelmed and homesick. For a successful first year they need to feel connected. The Lieutenant Governor, in partnership with UPEI, is putting a call out to PEI families to serve as ambassador families to these students.

"My husband and I are very much looking forward to acting as an ambassador family for six international students and we encourage other Island families to embrace this idea," says Honourable Barbara A. Hagerman.

Each ambassador family will be asked to meet the student and invite him/her home at least three times a year. It will also be helpful to connect with the student every few weeks during their first year at UPEI. There will be a gathering arranged for all families during the school year, as a thank you for serving as a ambassador families.

Heather and Brian Howat of Charlottetown assumed an unofficial role as an ambassador family to a Kenyan student three years ago, assisting him to overcome many of the challenges that result from being far from home and experiencing a new country and culture for the first time. This student is now completing his fourth year as an Economics major and hopes to settle in PEI.

"The experience has been a very rewarding one for our family and we have easily gained as much or more from this shared experience as he has," says Heather.

Being an ambassador family provides an opportunity for PEI residents to welcome a student to the province, learn about another country, and support a student's success. The experience of international students recruited to study at UPEI will be enhanced significantly by this opportunity to connect with the larger PEI community, resulting in a positive contribution to their academic success and overall satisfaction.

If you are interested in being an ambassador family please contact Joy Ikede, UPEI International Student Advisor, at jikede@upei.ca or 894-2823.