The University of Prince Edward Island officially welcomed Island native and UPEI graduate Dr. William Whelan as Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Biomedical Optics at a reception in the Duffy Science Centre recently.

'We are delighted that Dr. Bill Whelan has joined UPEI as a Canada Research Chair, and that this honour is going to a UPEI graduate,' said UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. 'In addition to being recognized as a potential international leader in research, Dr. Whelan will be an inspirational colleague and teacher.'

As Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Optics, Whelan is developing more reliable ways to treat prostate cancer, a disease that will affect one of nine Canadian men. Prostate cancer is undetectable in its early stages, making it the number three killer among all cancers for men.

He is working on a minimally invasive technique that uses light and sound, instead of surgery or radiation, to deliver, monitor and assess treatment. During treatment, small flexible optical fibres are inserted into the cancerous tissue. Heat from a laser that is connected to the fibres destroys the cancerous cells. To ensure healthy cells are not damaged, sensors are implanted in the surrounding tissue, providing real-time feedback to make sure the laser is hitting its mark.

Whelan is also working on innovative ways of monitoring treatments; his remedy is to create ultrasound waves in the body by delivering nanosecond pulses of light at affected areas of tissue. This new technique, called optoacoustic imaging, offers higher-quality images than conventional ultrasound imaging. To complement these new medical techniques, he will also map the relationship between light and tissue, which will give researchers better models of how tissues work.

A native of Summerside, Whelan received a BSc (Physics) from UPEI in 1988, followed by an MSc (Health and Radiation Physics) and PhD (Medical Physics) from McMaster University. He spent 11 years with the Department of Physics at Ryerson University (Toronto). In January 2008, he joined UPEI full-time as an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Optics.

'We are very proud to welcome Dr. Whelan to the Faculty of Science,' says Dr. Christian LaCroix, Dean of the Faculty of Science, 'and we look forward to his leadership and contribution to the development of our research capacity in the Health Sciences.'

Whelan's designation marks the sixth Canada Research Chair awarded to UPEI - the third in the Faculty of Science - since the program was established the nationwide program in 2000. The Canada Research Chairs program was created to assist universities in attracting top researchers in Canada and abroad to solve the country's most important medical, scientific and social problems.

-30-

Photo: Dr. William Whelan (centre), CRC in Biomedical Optics at UPEI, is congratulated on his appointment by Dr. Christian LaCroix, Dean of Science (left), Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice-president of Research and Development (second left), Dr. Carmen Gervais, Acting Director of the Canada Research Council Secretariat (second from right), and H. Wade
MacLauchlan, President of UPEI (right).

When the University of Prince Edward Island's new 48,000 square foot School of Business Administration opens later this year, one of the facility's main features will bear the name of one of the Island's most prominent business families.

The business school's dramatic, two-level entrance will be called the Schurman Market Square in recognition of the contribution made by the Island's well-known Schurman family to UPEI. With its architectural interplay of wood, stone and glass, this multi-functional space is designed to reflect the optimism, excitement and forward-thinking of a 21st-century business environment. A permanent display will highlight the Prince Edward Island Business Hall of Fame and its laureats.

Island businessman Michael Schurman, who is chair of UPEI's $50-million Building a Legacy capital campaign, which is in its final year, is proud of the Island's only university and to have his family's name on the business school's Market Square.

'UPEI is such an important element of the cultural, economic, social and educational life on Prince Edward Island,' he said recently. 'To support the university is the same as supporting the development and growth of the province. It is so easy to support UPEI because it benefits all Islanders.'

UPEI's reputation for excellence in education and research has grown immensely, says Schurman, and it continues to grow, attracting the best in faculty and students.

Contributions to the campaign have allowed the university to improve and expand its infrastructure, create scholarships, and to fund research, particularly in the science and social science fields.

The new business school will provide students with a state-of-the-art learning environment and offer new undergraduate programs such as specializations in entrepreneurship and biotech management, and proposed graduate degrees in innovative management and biotech management. It will also include the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, the Centre for Lifelong Learning, the Tourism Research Centre and the PEI BioAlliance.

The Atlantic Veterinary College has also benefited from the capital campaign. A recently completed 57,000 square foot research complex includes space for animal and human health sciences, workspace for graduate students, and centres of expertise such as the Lobster Science Centre.

'These state of the art facilities, together with the outstanding achievements of UPEI faculty, staff, students and graduates, are putting UPEI on the map,' says Wade MacLauchlan, President of UPEI. 'This could not be done without community support and the generous leadership of donors like Mike Schurman and his family, and we really, really appreciate that.'

Launched in 2003, the Building a Legacy campaign is the most comprehensive and ambitious in the history of UPEI with the goal of raising over $50 million by the end of 2008. The campaign supports capital expansion, graduate research, athletics, new research chairs and other campus-wide improvements.

Photo: Pat and Michael Schurman, their daughters Kim Horrelt (far left) and Margo Thompson (second left), and UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan (right) look over the Schurman Market Square from the second level during a recent tour of the university's new School of Business.

The newly renovated study area in the Robertson Library was the location for a special UPEI book celebration recently. Three professors from the Faculty of Arts presented excerpts from their latest books and led a public discussion about ideas that ranged from the evolutionary dynamics of interpersonal relations, to female migration, to the link between mental health and architecture.

Malcolm Murray, Lisa Chilton and James Moran were the guest presenters for the launch of the library’s first Celebrating the Book event, which was organized by Suzanne Jones, Robertson Library’s Outreach and Communications Librarian.

“With this inaugural event, the library acknowledged the continuing importance and relevance of books in this increasingly high-tech world,” says Jones. “It also showcased the fresh new design of our current periodicals and study area.” The renovated periodicals area, designed by Luis Roman from Fortune 50 Design, provides students with bright, comfortable work spaces featuring new study carrels and a modern decor.

In addition to hosting public presentations by professors or staff who have recently published their work, the Robertson Library is celebrating books in several other ways. The library is recognizing the contributions of Islanders through a bookplate project; re-arranging the book collection to create new book spaces and free up space for new acquisitions; and increasing purchasing dollars for books in all areas of study.

For the second time in three years, first- and fourth-year students at UPEI are being given the opportunity to have a direct impact on their university education through the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), a national study that asks about the student experience inside and outside the classroom.

UPEI is one of three dozen Canadian universities that take part in the survey. In 2006, 42% of UPEI first- and fourth-year students participated in the first NSSE survey on the campus. The survey is used by UPEI administrators as an indication of what the university is doing well, and what it might do better, in areas of curriculum, student services and campus life.

This year more than 1.4 million undergraduate students at 774 schools in the United States and Canada will receive invitations to participate in NSSE. Since the survey began in 2000, the sample size and number of colleges and universities participating in this effort have increased. This is the ninth full survey since its inception.

The aggregated results (i.e., no individual student’s response would be identified) from the first NSSE at UPEI were presented to the Senate, ARPC, APFC,  Student Council, and each faculty, as well as at a public meeting, provoking campus-wide discussions surrounding student engagement.

According to two of UPEI’s deans, survey results from two years ago have had a considerable impact on the way things are being done at UPEI. “For example, retention issues, particularly of first-year students, are the focus of our attention,” says Dr. Richard Kurial, Dean of Arts. “We are endeavouring to discover why folks leave and what can be done to make them consider otherwise. Essentially, we're having a whole new look at what it is we do, and what it is students want from a university education.”

Dr. Christian Lacroix, Dean of Science, agrees. “As a result of the NSSE survey results, we implemented the Science Help Centre last fall. This ‘students helping students’ model in various disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Family and Nutritional Sciences) is working well and addressing some of our retention/engagement issues.”

“Another aspect that my office has concentrated on this year is making time for regular meetings with Science student societies to keep the lines of communication open and making sure our students are heard,” says Lacroix. “To address engagement issues further, we also plan to develop a cohort model for our lab sections for the next academic year. This means that groups of Science students will be in the same labs (in Chemistry, Physics, Biology) throughout their first year. We're very excited about all of those initiatives because they enhance our level of connection with our students.”

Other outcomes have included the creation of an Equity Outreach Office in Student Services, the inaugural Student Leadership Symposium held last October, and the implementation of a campus-wide overhead monitor system to communicate with students.

The confidential survey is administered online for first- and fourth-year students. It is not mandatory, but students who complete the survey will receive a $10 gift certificate for the UPEI Bookstore.

For further information about the NSSE Survey, please contact the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning at (902)566-0743, or the NSSE office at (812) 856-5824, or online at http://nsse.iub.edu/index.cfm.

The University of Prince Edward Island will hold its annual Graduate Studies and Research Days from March 11 to 14. Open to the public, this event showcases the work of graduate students from the faculties of Arts, Science and Veterinary Medicine.

The Faculty of Arts research day takes place on Tuesday, March 11, in the Main Building Faculty Lounge, with presentations by students in the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. with remarks by Wimal Rankaduwa, MAIS coordinator; Margaret Doyle, Island Studies Students’ Association; Dr. Richard Kurial, dean of the Faculty of Arts; and Wade MacLauchlan, president of UPEI.

Nine MAIS students will present their research on a diverse range of topics, including non-resident land ownership, new settler patterns and processes, out-migration, eco-system integrity, economic development, and issues facing small island developing states. Islands being explored include Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Ireland, Mustique and Jamaica. Awards take place at 3:30 p.m.

Graduate students in the Faculty of Science will present their research on Wednesday, March 12, in the Atlantic Veterinary College’s Lecture Theatre A. The day begins at 9:10 a.m. with remarks by Dr. Christian LaCroix, dean of the Faculty of Science; Dr. Katherine Schultz, vice-president of Research and Development at UPEI; and Colleen MacDougall, president of the UPEI Graduate Student Association.

Dr. John Bradley, of the National Research Council-Institute for Nutrisciences and Health, will give a keynote lecture entitled “The Control of Brain Cell Calcium in Health and Disease” at 9:30 a.m. Following the keynote address, 11 graduate students will showcase their research in a number of fields, including ecology and population biology, behavioural neuroscience, molecular biology, plant morphology and fluorescence chemistry. Awards for this student-organized, student-run event will be presented at 4:30 p.m.

The Atlantic Veterinary College will hold its graduate research days on March 13 and 14 in AVC Lecture Theatre A. The opening ceremony begins at 9 a.m. on March 13, with greetings from the Honourable Robert Ghiz, premier of P.E.I.; Dr. Katherine Schultz, vice-president of Research and Development; Dr. Tim Ogilvie, dean of AVC; and Dr. James Bellamy, associate dean of Graduate Studies and Research, AVC at UPEI.

Dr. Lisa Freeman, professor of pharmacology and associate dean for Research and Graduate Programs at Kansas State University, will deliver the annual R. G. Thomson lecture named in honour of the late Dr. Reg Thomson, the founding dean of AVC. She will give a talk called “New Ideas about how NSAIDs Cause Ulcers.”

Over the two days, there will be 26 presentations divided into four themes: animal health research, fundamental aquatic research, applied aquaculture research and human health research. The awards reception will begin in the AVC Cafeteria on Friday at 2:45 p.m. during which the G. Murray and Hazel Hagerman Scholarships, the Graduate Student Pfizer Award, the Faculty Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, the Best Paper Presentation and other awards will be presented.

For information about the scheduled presentations for the faculties of science and veterinary medicine, visit the UPEI Graduate Students' Association website at www.upei.ca/gsa. For more information about the MAIS presentations, please contact Laura Lee Howard at (902) 566-0377.

Later in the spring, the Faculty of Education will hold its fifth annual education research forum. The forum will include 11 presentations on the theme of teacher education in the 21st century on May 14 from 3 to 8 p.m., in the KC Irving Building.

The University of Prince Edward Island has 226 full-time and part-time graduate students enrolled in its various graduate studies programs.

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at the School of Business of the University of PEI today announced the release of a report profiling visitors from the Maritime Provinces from the summer of 2007.

The report is the second in a series of short reports based on data presented in 'Overall Results of the 2007 Exit Survey' for the main tourism season of June 27 to September 30. The PEI Visitor Exit Survey is being distributed at the Confederation Bridge, Charlottetown Airport, and Wood Islands Ferry (seasonally) for a full year and is being managed by the TRC on behalf of Tourism PEI. The survey gathers information on visitor spending, accommodation use, holiday activities, customer satisfaction, repeat visitation, and more.

This report specifically compares the similarities and differences between Maritime visitors and visitors from further regions. The data analyzed was collected from June 27 to September 30, 2007, from 3,173 completed surveys.

Results show the huge importance of this regional market which encompasses over half of PEI's visitors during the stated time period. Overall, these visitors tend to stay on PEI for shorter periods of time, thus spending less per trip than visitors from further markets, but they are also loyal visitors with a clear majority being repeat visitors.

'The Exit Survey was designed so results could be cross-analyzed to provide a depth of data for further analysis. This report does an extremely good job of profiling our Maritime visitors and creates an excellent standard by which we can profile more visitors based on their origin. The Maritime market is extremely important to PEI, and it is critical that we fully understand these visitors,' stated Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC. 'Some of these results may surprise some of the stakeholders in the industry. In addition, it is important to understand the consequences of the findings and how we can use them to improve our strategy to target these visitors.'

This is the third report to be released from data collected by the Exit Survey. Over the next 15 weeks, a series of reports profiling different segments of PEI visitors based on origin, travel party type, repeat visitation and more, will be released. The full report is available on the TRC's Website at http://trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. Some highlights of the report include:

• Maritime visitors who visited PEI on overnight pleasure trips accounted for just over one half (50.5 percent) of total visitors to PEI during the study period from June 27 - September 30, 2007. Nova Scotia accounted for 29.5 percent, New Brunswick 21.0 percent.


• Maritime visitors are travelling on relatively short trips. On average, they are away from home just under 4 nights but because PEI is their only destination they spend almost all of their time on the Island (average of 3.7 nights).


• When Maritime visitors stay in cabins or at campgrounds they stay almost twice as long as they would in a hotel, motel, resort, B&B or inn (roughly 4.5 nights versus 2.2 nights).


• The most popular destinations for Maritime visitors are Anne's Land and Charlottetown.


• These visitors take part in almost all activities at lower rates than visitors from outside the Maritimes - especially the activities that could be termed 'touristy.' This includes visiting historic and cultural attractions, attending lobster dinners, visiting Canada's birthplace attractions, and especially visiting anything that has to do with Anne of Green Gables.


• However, these visitors are more likely to visit theme or amusement parks and attend local fairs, festivals and events than visitors from other, more distant markets. These types of activities may be viewed as specific reasons to visit a destination. That is, the Maritime market may specifically visit PEI for these reasons.


• Maritime visitors spend about the same amount of money per day as other visitors ($65.52 per person per day). As their stays are shorter, they spend less per trip than visitors from more distant markets (just under $800 per party per trip versus more that $1,200 for visitors from further away).


• On average, Maritime visitors are younger than visitors from more distant markets. This is because 35 percent are travelling as families with children. By comparison, only 18 percent of US visitors are family travellers.


• The one feature that clearly differentiates Maritime visitors from visitors from outside the region is return visitation. Maritime visitors are return visitors; in fact, more than 90 percent have been to PEI before. Two thirds have been to the Island within the past two years. Over the last five years, these Maritime travellers have visited PEI an average of 8.03 times (Nova Scotia) and 8.94 times (New Brunswick). These Maritime visitors are more than return visitors; two thirds are regular customers.


• One cause of concern which may warrant further research is the lack of new Maritime visitors and why this is the case. If there is a problem it may be a combination of a product, marketing, or competition issue. This situation needs to be understood, and is beyond the scope of the results that are available in the Exit Survey.

'Maritime visitors are very interesting, some of them have almost become unofficial seasonal residents of the Island,' said Dr. Hennessey. 'Maritime visitors are very knowledgeable about the Island and have the potential to be wonderful spokespersons. They have friends and family here, and they are obviously well accepted by Islanders. They promote the Island and its activities to their friends and family, and have really helped PEI keep in touch with the family market.'

Further information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, University of PEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.

The UPEI women’s soccer program, in conjunction with SOS Children’s Villages, will host the longest-ever continual soccer match held on Island soil in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on Saturday, March 15, starting at 10 a.m.

“We play the world’s truly global game and see this as a truly natural fit,” says Redmond. “We hope that you will join us in a fun day of soccer for a very worthwhile cause.”

The University of Prince Edward Island is maintaining its student enrolment levels in a highly competitive environment for Maritime universities. Statistics from the 2006–07 academic year just released by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission show declining enrolments at most major universities across the region but an overall increase at UPEI. Its enrolment numbers grew for full- and part-time undergraduates, international students, and graduate students.

“We’re up in all four categories and we’re very pleased about that,” says Dr. Vianne Timmons, Vice-President of Academic Development and Acting Registrar. “But we know we can’t afford to be complacent. It is a very competitive environment right now.”

Dr. Timmons noted that the University of Prince Edward Island has placed a strong emphasis on scholarship growth in recent years to help attract and retain students. The University now offers $2.5 million in scholarships and prizes annually. UPEI staff work with PEI high schools to assist students to apply for internal and external scholarships. Last year’s 10 per cent decrease in tuition rates also made UPEI very competitive. It now has one of the lowest tuition rates in the region.

“We are working extremely hard in every way we can to ensure that we remain the university of choice at a time when demographics are changing and there are fewer high school students available,” said Dr. Timmons.

UPEI has been introducing more graduate programs in recent years and has implemented a successful strategy to attract more international students. By 2010, the university expects that international students will make up 10 per cent of the student population.

MPHEC enrolment tables are available online. 

Starting in the fall of 2008, the University of Prince Edward Island will offer an executive-style Master of Business Administration program designed for people in the workforce who are interested in pursuing graduate studies.

Offered through the university’s School of Business Administration, this exciting new program is directed at people who currently work, or who want to work, in a management or leadership position. It caters to the demands of full-time working people, with a focus on peer-to-peer learning, small class sizes, a flexible course schedule, and a variety of course delivery methods—from the traditional classroom setting and case studies to webcasting and consulting projects.

“I am thrilled that the UPEI School of Business is able to offer this executive-style MBA program to Islanders,” says Roberta MacDonald, Dean of the School of Business Administration. “The faculty and staff are looking forward to providing this unique graduate program for business education on P.E.I. With the future graduates of this program and its various initiatives, there is no doubt the MBA program will add value to the local environment.”

With specialized streams of study in Innovative Management and Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship, the program provides graduate students with the skills, research and experiential learning opportunities to enhance their knowledge of and employability in these fields.

Students who enter the Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship stream will gain the knowledge and skills to effectively manage the business of science. This program will focus on the complexities of commercialization as well as the ethical and regulatory issues that face the biotechnology industry. Graduates will be well-equipped to develop and manage new ventures and small businesses or to work in the public and private sectors in the rapidly growing biotechnology/science fields.

Students who specialize in Innovative Management will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively manage within an innovative environment. Courses will combine the concepts of creativity and new ventures, real-world learning and management skills such as leadership, teamwork and dynamic thinking. Graduates will finish the program with a well-developed perspective on world issues and the skills to manage effectively within a globally competitive environment. This program is well-suited to those who are interested in studying business from new perspectives.

Students can complete the program in a minimum of 23 months and a maximum of six years. Applications may be submitted and reviewed at any time, but the deadline for submission to start the program in September 2008 is June 16. A. maximum of 25 to 30 students will be admitted to the program this year.

Information sessions are being held throughout the month of March. For more information about these sessions and the program, contact the UPEI School of Business at (902) 566-0564 or visit http://business.upei.ca/.

The latest book published by Island Studies Press, an imprint of the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, will be launched on Thursday, March 20, in the Province House Lecture Theatre, Charlottetown, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Entitled “Pulling Strings: Policy Insights for Prince Edward Island from other Sub-National Island Jurisdictions,” the book is based on research emerging from a project on sub-national island jurisdictions that has been underway at UPEI since 2004. It contains chapters by Godfrey Baldacchino, Hans Connor, Crystal Fall, Barbara Groome Wynne, Kathleen Stuart and Lawrence Liao. The introduction is by John Eldon Green, and the conclusion by Jean Mitchell.

The book proposes this question: “What policy lessons can Prince Edward Island consider from a global review of over 100 similar islands?” Looking at islands from Bermuda to Tasmania, from the Cook Islands to the Faroes, “Pulling Strings” discusses how P.E.I. can make the best of its autonomy for political and economic advantage. More specifically, the book discusses “the power of jurisdiction” in such areas as political sovereignty, the environment, human resources and immigration, sea and air transportation, and social capital and the social economy.

The book is co-edited by Godfrey Baldacchino and Kathleen Stuart. Baldacchino, who hails from Malta, is the Canada Research Chair in Island Studies at UPEI, and Stuart, from Meadowbank, P.E.I., is a sessional professor in Island Studies at the university.

The book, which sells for $24.95 plus GST, can be purchased at the launch or from the Institute of Island Studies. All proceeds go to support the Institute of Island Studies’ publishing program.

Because there are limited seats in the venue, people who wish to attend are asked to RSVP by calling (902) 566-1717 or by e-mailing kstuart@islandtelecom.com.