Ashleigh McBain of North Bay, Ontario has just said farewell to her colleagues at the University of Prince Edward Island after spending the summer carrying out research in family literacy. She is one of eleven Undergraduate Summer Research Assistants who received national awards this year from the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network (CLLRNet). The network supports these awards to assist language and literacy students to acquire research skills in preparation for potential graduate work. They are presented to students in their second last year of a three-, four-, or five-year program.

Ashleigh has been working with Dr. Vianne Timmons, UPEI Vice President of Academic Development, on projects spanning a wide range of research topics, including knowledge translation, inclusion, and family literacy. In particular, she has been involved in a project called Families Learning Together. From 2003 to 2006, researchers from UPEI have worked with 31 families to develop and implement a literacy program for aboriginal families in Atlantic Canada. The project, also funded by CLLRNet, has sought to create a literacy program that embraces the significance of aboriginal culture in order to effectively promote family literacy within aboriginal communities. Ashleigh has contributed to the final phase of this project.

"The UPEI community has made me feel very comfortable. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by many wonderful, intelligent people who have made my time at UPEI both interesting and enjoyable. This summer has been the experience of a lifetime," she says.

Ashleigh adds that she has found her experience at UPEI to be a valuable asset for her future career as an educator and a graduate student. She will be continuing her education in Nipissing University's Bachelor of Education program this fall.

The UPEI Distinguished Visitor Speaker Series continues Wednesday, August 23 with former foreign correspondent, Doreen Kays. She will be speaking at 3:00 p.m. in the K C Irving Chemistry Centre Lecture Theatre. Her presentation is entitled "Lebanon: Why Now? What Now?"

Kays has achieved worldwide acclaim in broadcast journalism. After receiving her diploma in journalism at the University of King's College in 1963, she began her journalism career as a reporter and later editor with the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. In 1966 she became the first female television reporter at CBC television news in Montreal covering such events as the Quebec separatist movement crisis, the Montreal World Fair, and the Montreal Olympics.

As a former ABC News Cairo bureau chief and correspondent, Kays covered the Middle East extensively. In addition to witnessing first hand, the killing of Anwar Sadat, she reported on other major historical events, including the Camp David peace accords and the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty; the Iran hostage crisis in Tehran and release of the American diplomat hostages in Algiers; the exile of the Shah of Iran and the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. Kays also covered Europe for ABC News as a Paris-based correspondent for "World News Tonight", "Nightline", and "Good Morning America."

She later moved on to anchor and report for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor's nightly TV program "World Monitor" for which she covered the Gulf War of 1991 and spent time reporting from Israel, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza.

Based on her account of the late Anwar Sadat, Egypt, and the media, Kays wrote the internationally acclaimed Frogs and Scorpions in 1984. This caught the attention of literary critics who like Milton Viorst of the New Yorker wrote " Doreen Kays has done the impossible and#150; written a book about the Middle East that is intelligent, fair, thoughtfuland#133;and funny."

Kays is also the winner of many awards including the Lowell Thomas Award from the Overseas Press Club of America for the best radio interpretation of foreign affairs for her perspective on "Sadat: The aftermath." She also received and#145;Woman of the Year' from the Charlottetown branch of the Zonta Club International in 1986. She holds an honorary degree from UPEI (1987) and King's College(1990).

The Distinguished Speaker Visitor Speaker Series takes place Wednesdays at 3 pm, with historic campus tours at 4 pm, throughout the summer and early fall. Admission is free. In addition to Wednesday lectures, presentations are being scheduled at other times based on the availability of speakers. For more information contact Julie Mutch at 894-2834 or visit www.upei.ca/summer.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Prince Edward Island has bestowed its highest honour on a professor in the UPEI School of Business Administration. Debbie Good has been elected as a Fellow in the Institute. The prestigious FCA designation is reserved for chartered accountants who have shown exemplary service to their profession, the Institute, and the community. Professor Good is the first female chartered accountant to receive this designation from the PEI Institute.

Debbie Good currently sits on the Board of the Directors of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. She is a past president of the PEI Institute, and from 1984 to 1991 she served on the Board of the Atlantic School of Chartered Accountancy (ASCA).

"Professor Good has provided, and continues to provide, exceptional service to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Prince Edward Island. Her leadership and commitment exemplify the attributes embodied by the award," says Gordon MacFadyen, President of the Institute.

Since 2003, Professor Good has been teaching Management Science, Accounting, Managerial and Personal Finance, and Applied Investment Management at UPEI. She was a full-time faculty member from 1979 to 1995 and served as the Acting Dean of Business during the 1993-94 academic year. She has been a lecturer for the ASCA Summer School Program in Halifax and for the Society of Management Accountants of PEI.

"We, in the UPEI School of Business, are delighted about this prestigious recognition for Debbie. It is well deserved given her broad range of valuable contributions to the CA profession and its impact in the community," says UPEI Dean of Business Roberta MacDonald.

In addition to her successful career in teaching, Debbie Good has worked in the private sector in the food processing industry, in public accounting, and with the Holland College Small Business Centre. In 1998 she joined the Bank of Montreal's investment division, BMO Nesbitt Burns, as an Investment Advisor. In the voluntary sector she has served as chair of the PEI Health Policy Council, as a member of the National Forum on Health, the Advisory Council on Health Info-Structure, and the Smart Communities National Selection Committee.

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.