In the late 1990s, Prince Edward Island was invaded by more than just tourists. Like other marine invasives, such as the tunicates now infesting many island mussel farms, the green crab is suspected to have travelled in ship ballast water. Originally from Europe, the green crab has crept westward from Eastern PEI, inlet by inlet, feeding on mussels and clams, and rivalling native crab species, the mud and rock crab, for habitat.

What does such an invasion mean for PEI, ecologically and economically? At the University of Prince Edward Island three students, led by Dr. Pedro Quijon, are conducting fundamental research supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) to find out.

"It is important we understand the green crab because it could impact the Island fisheries and aquaculture industry," says Andrey Malyshev, who is researching the feeding habits of green crabs under the guidance of Dr. Quijon. He is one of 15 UPEI undergrads supported by the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award. These awards allow UPEI students like Andrey to experience hands-on research that may ultimately inspire or guide their careers. "My NSERC award gives me the opportunity for the first time to put forth my own ideas and be part of a research program that's relatively unexplored. It is helping me to develop skills essential to continue on with graduate studies," he says.

A poster session at UPEI's W. A. Murphy Student Centre on August 7 showcased this and other NSERC-supported student research.

"These students are doing research that has direct implications on PEI, such as the impact of invasive green crab on our coastal communities. NSERC undergraduate research awards also give students the benefit of working with NSERC discovery grant holders like Dr. Quijon," says Dr. Donna Giberson, NSERC Liaison at UPEI.

Other NSERC-supported research projects include whether bioactives in blueberries and cranberries can reduce stroke and act as antioxidants in the body, the mapping of wetland habitats at Deroche Pond Natural Protected Area, using sea lettuce as a renewable bio-fuel, new ways to monitor the effect of heavy metals on trout nutrition, increasing the amount of information we can store on computers, the genetics of clam immune systems, understanding leaf complexity, and statistics that allow the use of infra-red spectra for medical diagnosis.

The Seniors College of Prince Edward Island, a board-governed organization affiliated with UPEI, is hosting an Atlantic Canada conference on seniors' learning from August 26 to 28 at the University, with a view to duplicating the success of the College in other parts of the country.

The Conference will first explore the Seniors College model, determining the reason for its explosive growth. It will continue by examining models for seniors' learning in the other Atlantic provinces and in the rest of Canada. It is open to members of the public and to representatives of organizations and institutions interested in seniors' learning. Although it is aimed at a regional audience, national and international organizations concerned with seniors' learning will also be present.

Presentations and discussions will be held in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building at UPEI. Some of the topics on the agenda include the history and development of the PEI Seniors College model; seniors' learning models in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland; and the work of the McGill Institute for Learning in Retirement. There will be a panel discussion by representatives of Community School, the Centre for Life-long Learning, Holland College, and the PEI Seniors' Federation. The final conference session will be an open discussion on strategies for the future, followed by concluding remarks by UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan.

The conference has been made possible by a grant from the Adult Learning Knowledge Centre, which is the Atlantic Canada arm of the Canadian Council on Learning. For further information, see http://www.upei.ca/seniorscollege/conference2007.html or contact Bruce Garrity, Seniors College Co-ordinator, (902) 894-2867, bgarrity@upei.ca.

In the late 1990s, Prince Edward Island was invaded by more than just tourists. Like other marine invasives, such as the tunicates now infesting many island mussel farms, the green crab is suspected to have travelled in ship ballast water. Originally from Europe, the green crab has crept westward from Eastern PEI, inlet by inlet, feeding on mussels and clams, and rivalling native crab species, the mud and rock crab, for habitat.

What does such an invasion mean for PEI, ecologically and economically? At the University of Prince Edward Island three students, led by Dr. Pedro Quijon, are conducting fundamental research supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) to find out.

“It is important we understand the green crab because it could impact the Island fisheries and aquaculture industry,” says Andrey Malyshev, who is researching the feeding habits of green crabs under the guidance of Dr. Quijon. He is one of 15 UPEI undergrads supported by the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award. These awards allow UPEI students like Andrey to experience hands-on research that may ultimately inspire or guide their careers. “My NSERC award gives me the opportunity for the first time to put forth my own ideas and be part of a research program that’s relatively unexplored. It is helping me to develop skills essential to continue on with graduate studies,” he says.

A poster session at UPEI’s W. A. Murphy Student Centre on August 7 showcased this and other NSERC-supported student research.

“These students are doing research that has direct implications on PEI, such as the impact of invasive green crab on our coastal communities. NSERC undergraduate research awards also give students the benefit of working with NSERC discovery grant holders like Dr. Quijon,” says Dr. Donna Giberson, NSERC Liaison at UPEI.

Other NSERC-supported research projects include whether bioactives in blueberries and cranberries can reduce stroke and act as antioxidants in the body, the mapping of wetland habitats at Deroche Pond Natural Protected Area, using sea lettuce as a renewable bio-fuel, new ways to monitor the effect of heavy metals on trout nutrition, increasing the amount of information we can store on computers, the genetics of clam immune systems, understanding leaf complexity, and statistics that allow the use of infra-red spectra for medical diagnosis.

At a time when many young people are leaving PEI to pursue their education elsewhere, or to take jobs out west, it is refreshing to hear about the ones who come back. And according to Vianne Timmons, Acting Registrar at UPEI, they’re coming back at a greater rate than ever before. “It is due to the fact that UPEI now has the lowest tuition rate in the Maritimes, with the recent 10 per cent cut in tuition. And it is also because of our growing reputation as a quality school. It’s fabulous to see our students coming back, reversing the trend of out-migration, with transfers up over 30 per cent from last year.”

Emily Campbell and Sara MacPhail are two such students. Both grew up in Prince Edward Island, and both felt the need to get away from home. But now they’re back. And glad to be here, too.

Emily Campbell graduated from Colonel Gray in 2005. She attended UPEI in first year and studied English. “But so many students get in the mindset of leaving. They think—for whatever reason—that they have to get off the Island,” she says. “I was no different. I left for
Ontario after first year, thinking I’d be away for a number of years. But I soon realized how much I missed PEI. I missed it for the very
reasons that I left: home, family, friends. In March I made the decision to come back.”

Daughter of Gordon and Barb Campbell of Charlottetown, Emily grew up quite aware of politics and has a passion for it. She says
she’s interested in pursuing a law degree when she graduates. “I liked English,” she says, “but I love political studies, and I love learning about it. I’d taken some political studies summer courses here, so I know a few of the professors and look forward to being in their classes this fall.”

Often when students switch universities they tend to lose a credit or two. Emily says, “I had no problem at all transferring the credit back. UPEI was very accommodating. And because I took some summer courses, I’m ahead on the number of courses I’ll need to
graduate.”

“After being at university with close to 18,000 students, I’m looking forward to small class sizes,” she says. “It was quite shocking
to go into a lecture theatre with hundreds of students. Here I know I’ll have more of a relationship with my professors.”

Sara MacPhail graduated from Bluefield in 2003. She, too, attended UPEI for a year, then headed to Nova Scotia to pursue agricultural studies. “I’m from a farming family and I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture,” she says, “but I wasn’t ready to spend the extra money to leave and then find I didn’t like it.” She took science at UPEI, before making the decision to follow her brother and cousin to Nova Scotia, where she studied animal science.

She says she really enjoyed her course work and profs, but decided that she really wanted to come back home. “The expense was one of the reasons. This year it’s $100 less per course than what I was paying. Plus it was hard to find a part-time job and I didn’t really
like the location. Here I can live at home and save a lot of money, plus there’s more to do here.”

Sara adds that some of her friends wonder why she’s coming back. “Many of them want to leave. But sometimes you just have to go away to realize what you’re missing.” She’s now registered in the biology program, and hopes to pursue veterinary medicine when she graduates, with the ultimate goal of working in agriculture, like her parents Linda and Allan MacPhail, and her brother Brandon.

“I’m so excited to start school in the fall,” she says. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people, and seeing old friends. And I think—I hope!—that my folks are glad to have me back home, too!”

The University of Prince Edward Island is very pleased to announce that Jeanette MacAulay will take on the role of Director of Life-Long Learning following the retirement of the present Director, Dr Clive Keen. The appointment will reinforce the University's commitment to community learning, continuing and further extending its range of services beyond traditional degree programs.

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jeanette MacAulay to UPEI," says Vianne Timmons, Vice-President of Academic Development. "Her vast knowledge of community and educational issues, and her extensive leadership experience provide an excellent background for this important senior position."

The Centre for Life-Long Learning is involved with a wide range of continuing education activities, including professional development certificate programs; the Profitlearn series of courses for small businesses; summer institutes and language programs; the Canadian Aquaculture Centre; the "well-lived life" series of short courses; online continuing education courses; and customized training for businesses.

Jeanette MacAulay is the former Deputy Minister of Social Services and Seniors for PEI. She has served as the CEO for the Health and Community Services Agency and the Public Service Commission, and as Deputy Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs. She was Vice-President of Development and External Relations at Holland College from 2002 to 2005.

The University of Prince Edward Island is very pleased to announce that Jeanette MacAulay will take on the role of Director of Life-Long Learning following the retirement of the present Director, Dr Clive Keen. The appointment will reinforce the University's commitment to community learning, continuing and further extending its range of services beyond traditional degree programs.

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jeanette MacAulay to UPEI," says Vianne Timmons, Vice-President of Academic Development. "Her vast knowledge of community and educational issues, and her extensive leadership experience provide an excellent background for this important senior position."

The Centre for Life-Long Learning is involved with a wide range of continuing education activities, including professional development certificate programs; the Profitlearn series of courses for small businesses; summer institutes and language programs; the Canadian Aquaculture Centre; the "well-lived life" series of short courses; online continuing education courses; and customized training for businesses.

Jeanette MacAulay is the former Deputy Minister of Social Services and Seniors for PEI. She has served as the CEO for the Health and Community Services Agency and the Public Service Commission, and as Deputy Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs. She was Vice-President of Development and External Relations at Holland College from 2002 to 2005.

At a time when many young people are leaving PEI to pursue their education elsewhere, or to take jobs out west, it is refreshing to hear about the ones who come back. And according to Vianne Timmons, Acting Registrar at UPEI, they're coming back at a greater rate than ever before. "It is due to the fact that UPEI now has the lowest tuition rate in the Maritimes, with the recent 10 per cent cut in tuition. And it is also because of our growing reputation as a quality school. It's fabulous to see our students coming back, reversing the trend of out-migration, with transfers up over 30 per cent from last year."

Emily Campbell and Sara MacPhail are two such students. Both grew up in Prince Edward Island, and both felt the need to get away from home. But now they're back. And glad to be here, too.

Emily Campbell graduated from Colonel Gray in 2005. She attended UPEI in first year and studied English. "But so many students get in the mindset of leaving. They thinkand#151;for whatever reasonand#151;that they have to get off the Island," she says. "I was no different. I left for Ontario after first year, thinking I'd be away for a number of years. But I soon realized how much I missed PEI. I missed it for the very reasons that I left: home, family, friends. In March I made the decision to come back."

Daughter of Gordon and Barb Campbell of Charlottetown, Emily grew up quite aware of politics and has a passion for it. She says she's interested in pursuing a law degree when she graduates. "I liked English," she says, "but I love political studies, and I love learning about it. I'd taken some political studies summer courses here, so I know a few of the professors and look forward to being in their classes this fall."

Often when students switch universities they tend to lose a credit or two. Emily says, "I had no problem at all transferring the credit back. UPEI was very accommodating. And because I took some summer courses, I'm ahead on the number of courses I'll need to graduate."

"After being at university with close to 18,000 students, I'm looking forward to small class sizes," she says. "It was quite shocking to go into a lecture theatre with hundreds of students. Here I know I'll have more of a relationship with my professors."

Sara MacPhail graduated from Bluefield in 2003. She, too, attended UPEI for a year, then headed to Nova Scotia to pursue agricultural studies. "I'm from a farming family and I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture," she says, "but I wasn't ready to spend the extra money to leave and then find I didn't like it." She took science at UPEI, before making the decision to follow her brother and cousin to Nova Scotia, where she studied animal science.

She says she really enjoyed her course work and profs, but decided that she really wanted to come back home. "The expense was one of the reasons. This year it's $100 less per course than what I was paying. Plus it was hard to find a part-time job and I didn't really like the location. Here I can live at home and save a lot of money, plus there's more to do here."

Sara adds that some of her friends wonder why she's coming back. "Many of them want to leave. But sometimes you just have to go away to realize what you're missing." She's now registered in the biology program, and hopes to pursue veterinary medicine when she graduates, with the ultimate goal of working in agriculture, like her parents Linda and Allan MacPhail, and her brother Brandon.

"I'm so excited to start school in the fall," she says. "I'm looking forward to meeting new people, and seeing old friends. And I thinkand#151;I hope!and#151;that my folks are glad to have me back home, too!"

Approximately 40 graduate students, researchers, and epidemiologists from around the world will participate in the Atlantic Veterinary College's Epi on the Island Workshop from August 15 to 24.

Hosted by AVC's Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER), the workshop features two high-level courses on methods and advanced procedures for analyzing health data, delivered by world-leading experts in the field. Participants from as far away as New Zealand, South Africa, and Norway are attending the event.

"The ongoing, strong international participation in Epi on the Island is very gratifying," says Dr. Ian Dohoo of AVC's Department of Health Management. "Having participants from all over the globe inevitably provides opportunities for future research collaborations and enables our graduate students to mix with veterinary epidemiologists from around the world."

The two-week session will be led by Drs. Henrik Stryhn, Javier Sanchez, and Ian Dohoo of AVC. Dr. William Browne of the University of Bristol, a developer of a software tool to analyze animal health data, will round out the workshop instructors.

"Once again, Epi on the Island is full to capacity, reflecting the strong international interest in the expertise that exists within the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER)," says Dr. Dohoo.

The Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research conducts strategic research for food-producing industries and organizations and is one of the leading centres for animal health epidemiological research in the world. It also serves as a focus for human health researchers carrying out population based research in PEI.

Funded by the four Atlantic provinces, the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI is Atlantic Canada's centre of excellence for veterinary education, research and service.

How does music affect learning or the absorption of information? How is the ability to recognize new words influenced by age, bilingualism, musical ability and gender? These questions, and many others related to music and language, will be explored during the Department of Psychology's Second Summer Workshop in Auditory Perception and Music Cognition, on Wednesday, August 22, beginning at 1 pm, in the lower level of the Robertson Library.

Presentations will be made by student researchers Andy Gallant, Yee May Siau, Sarah Simpson, Mary Anne Welton, Robert Drew, and Kelti MacMillan, lab director Dr. Annabel Cohen, and guest Tony Reddin. They will focus on the role of music in film and video, a new system for surround sound, sensitive periods in language acquisition, the role of multilingualism in memory for new words, a new mapping approach to biography, and the contribution of music to well-being.

The workshop takes a lighter side between 4:15 and 5:45 pm when the presenters, several of whom are musicians, perform on guitar and voice. Stephen Newman of OCEAN and K-ROCK will emcee the event and present film and music trivia between the acts. Prizes include an original etching by Debra James Percival and a CD by Robert Drew, among many others. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome. More details are available at upei.ca/~musicog/2007workshop/workshop.html

The University of Prince Edward Island's Building a Legacy Campaign is $100,000 closer to its final goal of $50 million, thanks to a gift from Atlantic Turbines of Summerside. Atlantic Turbines is a division of Vector Aerospace, an internationally respected aviation repair and overhaul company with operations in Canada, the US, and the UK.

The $100,000 donation will be allocated to the new School of Business Administration building, which is under construction on the UPEI campus and scheduled to open by early 2008. John MacDougall and Brian Thompson, both School of Business alumni (BBA'83) who now hold senior management positions with Vector Aerospace, presented the gift. John MacDougall is President of ACROHELIPRO Global Services Inc. and Brian Thompson is President of Atlantic Turbines International Inc.

“As our company competes daily against strong competitors around the world, we increasingly need a strong link to an excellent institution like UPEI,” says Brian Thompson. “The School of Business's emphasis on creating strong partnerships with private sector companies is an excellent approach. Our contribution to the Building a Legacy Campaign makes sense for the community and for our company.”

“It's with great pleasure we give back to an institution that has provided so much to me personally, and so much toward making PEI such a great province,” says John MacDougall. “If this contribution to better learning facilities at UPEI helps to influence the decision of just one person to remain on PEI for their education and career pursuits, it's a success.”

In thanking Atlantic Turbines for their generous gift, Dean of Business Roberta MacDonald noted that support from Island-based businesses is critical to the success of the new School of Business and the University of Prince Edward Island.

"I am extremely grateful for this gift to our University and to our new School of Business in particular," she said. "The Building a Legacy Campaign has an ambitious $50 million target, but thanks to supportive companies such as Atlantic Turbines, whose managers recognize that UPEI plays a critical role in the economic development of PEI, we have reached almost 80 per cent of that goal."

The UPEI Building a Legacy Campaign has just entered its final phase and signs have been erected at both entrances of the University to track its progress. The current total stands at just over $38 million. The University has an ambitious strategy in place to raise the remaining $12 million by the end of 2008. More information is available at upei.ca/legacy.