Jackie MacPhail and Wensley Power, two Facilities Management staff members, display the Communities in Bloom Stone awarded to UPEI by the City of Charlottetown at its recent Make Charlottetown Bloom Awards ceremony.

UPEI received a special recognition award for its commitment to the beautification of University Avenue, improving the safety of the area and enhancing the campus, including the construction of a wrought iron fence along the property fronting University Avenue, the re-establishment of flower beds, and aesthetic improvements to the Main Quadrangle.

Julie Bull, a graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island, was named the Canadian recipient of the Hart Hansen Award at a ceremony at the International Union for Circumpolar Health's 14th international congress held recently in Yellowknife, NT.

Bull received the award from the Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health, one of five charter members of the International Union for Circumpolar Health. The Union and its members are dedicated to promoting research, exchanging knowledge, and fostering greater awareness and responsiveness to health issues affecting circumpolar people.

The goal of the Hart Hansen Award is to increase cooperation in circumpolar health research and education by mentoring and encouraging emerging researchers and health-care workers.

Bull received her bachelor of arts (honours) and master of applied health services research degrees from UPEI. She is now working on an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Dalhousie University with a focus on aboriginal research ethics.

"It was an honour to have such recognition from the Canadian Society of Circumpolar Health. There are so many aspiring young health researchers in Canada deserving of this and I feel privileged to receive this award,' says Bull. 'It is through the support of established researchers, health workers and organizations who have the passion to mentor young people that we will see generations of Aboriginal youth not only working in the health field, but taking control of the research, policy and practice."

Bull is now project manager of aboriginal education at UPEI. Her work involves providing support to current aboriginal students at the university and working on recruitment and retention of new aboriginal students. She also educates university faculty and staff about issues affecting aboriginal students and manages the Mawiomi Aboriginal Student Centre, which opened in January of this year.

Originally from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, Bull was a National Aboriginal Role Model in 2007. The National Aboriginal Role Model Program celebrates the accomplishments of First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth aged 13 to 30. She is involved in the Native Council of PEI and the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island.

UPEI's Tourism Research Centre has released a new report profiling differences and similarities between first-time and repeat visitors to PEI. This report is one of many based on Exit Survey results collected between July 2007 and June 2008.

'This report is important as most travel parties to PEI are comprised of visitors who have visited PEI previously,' states Dr. Paul Lewis, Research Director at the TRC. 'In fact, only 21 per cent of our guests are on their first visit.'

Where visitors come from has a strong bearing on the likelihood that they will be repeat visitors. Visitors from New Brunswick or Nova Scotia are extremely unlikely to be visiting for the first time, whereas those from international countries outside the US are almost certainly on their first visit to PEI.

Reasons for visiting the Island vary. Most first-time travel parties came primarily for a holiday, vacation or a short getaway, whereas repeat travel parties indicated a variety of other reasons as being the primary purpose of their trip. For example, only 3 per cent of first-time travel parties came to visit friends/relatives, but 26 per cent of repeat travel parties came for this reason. Not only was visiting friends/relatives a much more prevalent reason for visiting PEI, it was also a much more common activity for repeat travel parties (54 per cent) than first-time travel parties (14 per cent).

First-time travel parties were more likely to participate in typical tourist activities than repeat visitors. They went sightseeing, went to the beach, visited National and Provincial parks and visited tourist attractions at rates well above those of repeat visitors. This was especially the case for visiting Anne of Green Gables attractions (51 per cent of first-time visitors took in Anne attractions compared to only 10 per cent of returning visitors). The types of activities that are more popular among repeat travel parties are generally activities with overall low participation rates. For example, only 15 per cent of repeat visitors participated in outdoor sports and activities but even fewer first-time visitors did so (11 per cent).

Repeat travel parties stay slightly longer in PEI (an average of 4.3 nights versus 3.8 nights for first-time travel parties) but they spend less per night ($95 per-person-per-night for repeat travel parties versus $109 for first-time visitors). Accommodations are the largest per-person-per-night expense for both groups, but the figure is notably higher for first-time visitors. In addition, first-time travel parties also spend more at restaurants and less on groceries than repeat visitors do. Both these findings would suggest that many repeat visitors have discovered, through previous travel to PEI, either cheaper accommodations with cooking facilities or else they stay with families or friends at no cost and contribute toward the grocery bill.

'Overall, first-time visitors are high-yield visitors. They spend more, stay in the most expensive types of accommodations and they see and do a lot while visiting,' elaborates Dr. Lewis. 'The challenge with this group of visitors is that almost 40 per cent do not consider Prince Edward Island to be their main destination. They have other places to go. In many respects, repeat visitors are the opposite. They stay longer but they stay in less expensive accommodations, and see and do less.' Nevertheless, repeat travel parties don't just settle in and relax; they are more active in terms of recreational and even community-based activities than first-time travel parties.

The full report is available on the exit survey section of the TRC's website: www.trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. More 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 Tourism Research Centre (TRC) was created out of a vital need for independent, high-quality research on the PEI tourism industry. Housed in the UPEI School of Business, the TRC is dedicated to significantly expanding the tourism research capacity on the Island. An independent body established in 2006, it studies, develops, analyzes and recommends tourism research processes, frameworks, models, strategies, insights and other research offerings to the tourism industry. Generating PEI-specific reports for industry and government, as well academic papers, the TRC distributes value-added information to enhance the Province's tourism competitiveness.

A new focus within the Master of Education (MEd) program at the University of Prince Edward Island is making it easier for experienced adult educators and leaders to pursue advanced study that relates specifically to the modern community college environment.

UPEI is delivering an executive-style Master of Education through a combination of online courses and face-to-face summer institutes, making it practical for students from across the Atlantic region, and elsewhere, to combine work and study. Most of the participants in the inaugural class come from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and PEI. The class also includes students from communities in Ontario and Manitoba.

The first of three intensive summer institutes for the new MEd cohort was launched at UPEI in early August. It is addressing theories of research and learning in community colleges, and educational leadership. UPEI's tenured and adjunct faculty will present online courses throughout the winter and spring semesters for the next two years using a highly interactive distance delivery program.

Dr. Miles Turnbull, Co-ordinator of Graduate Studies for the UPEI Faculty of Education says that the new focus on the interests of community college leaders reflects the University's commitment to provide educators with access to a full range of educational options, and to foster the development of a vibrant educational research community.

'The community college post-secondary environment is undergoing significant change,' says Dr. Turnbull. 'This innovative and responsive approach will support the development of expertise that is urgently needed to meet new demands and ensure leadership succession for the future.'

An advisory committee that includes representatives from UPEI, Holland College and Nova Scotia Community College is guiding the development and delivery of the program. The students are expected to graduate with their Master of Education degrees in May 2012. More information is available at upei.ca/education.

It's hot, it's exciting, it's a jungle out there - that's the New Student Orientation theme this year at UPEI - and the sense of anticipation is getting stronger every day. NSO registration is already open, and 70 student volunteers are working feverishly to make sure this year's program is an unforgettable experience for everyone attending UPEI for the first time.

'Through NSO, new students get to know the campus, our facilities, some of our faculty, and the city of Charlottetown. It is the perfect way to experience campus life and to get to know one another before the semester even starts,' says Patrick Greco, one of this year's NSO co-ordinators. 'Last year everyone had a blast. The only major complaints came from people who were disappointed that they didn't sign up.'

NSO 2009 activities include everything from Tarzan and Jane's Jungle Gala, to a Baboon Brunch, to a Picnic Face Comedy Hour, to a mesmerizing performance by Damian the Hypnotist. And during their annual Shinerama campaign, new students will spread their high spirits around the bustling streets of Charlottetown to raise funds to help conquer Cystic Fibrosis.

This year New Student Orientation will continue well beyond the traditional welcome-week activities. The University has expanded the program to include one NSO event every month, from October through to the end of March.

Students can now sign up for NSO 2009 online at upei.ca, via Campus Login. More information about the schedule is available at upei.ca/nso

Visitors from the U.S. usually travel to PEI to enjoy the Island's golden beaches and pastoral landscapes. Lisa McClellan was drawn to Prince Edward Island by a different type of beauty. She elected to spend her summer here as a participant in a unique research project at UPEI that focuses on two areas that she loves-music and psychology.

Lisa is a senior psychology student at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she is working on a thesis about children's singing ability and interest. Bates College awarded her a Hoffman research support grant to allow her to travel to PEI to benefit from the University of Prince Edward Island's growing expertise in the field of music psychology. Since June she has been participating in the Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing (AIRS) project, led by UPEI's Dr. Annabel Cohen.

AIRS explores the development of singing ability, the connections between singing and learning, and the enhancement of health and well-being through singing. Researchers are integrating new multidisciplinary knowledge about singing from the perspectives of psychology, music, linguistics, sociology, anthropology and education, assisted by computer science and audio engineering.

Lisa helped organize an international AIRS conference that included many of the researchers who are contributing to the project. She also designed her own study, building on the honours theses of recent UPEI psychology graduates Marsha Lannan, Jenna Coady and Emily Gallant. Focusing on a test "battery" developed by Professor Cohen and her students to assess people's ability to listen, process and produce sung pitches, Lisa recorded her own voice to use as a baseline for testing pitch accuracy and melodic understanding.

'Being at UPEI with people devoted to this field has been perfect for me. We don't have music cognition or music psychology specialists at my school,' she says. 'I learned a lot about conducting research, and I made contacts with researchers from around the world through the conference. I am really glad I did it.'

AIRS is a seven-year initiative that co-ordinates the work of more than 70 researchers from across Canada and many countries around the world. They will present and develop their work audiovisually, using a digital library and virtual research environment established at UPEI. The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

UPEI's 2009 Fulbright Visiting Chair in Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Steven Casper, delivered his lecture today, The P.E.I. Bioscience Cluster: on the Road to Sustainability?, to key players in bioscience development from both the public and private sectors. Dr. Casper is an internationally renowned expert in comparison of emerging technology clusters, and Director of the Master of Bioscience Program at the Keck Graduate Institute in Claremont, California.

'It's a refreshingly diverse group of companies,' says Dr. Casper. 'You have a group deriving anti-inflammatory agents from sea coral, and another developing a simple test kit to help dairy farmers rely less on antibiotics. What you don't have are diverse sources of revenue.'

Dr. Casper points out most companies and research are funded by government agencies such as ACOA.

'And that's not a bad thing. These are early days for bioscience on the Island. And there are positive indications that's changing. Multi-national companies are buying Island companies, bringing with them expertise and private money. Ten years will make a big difference to this cluster.'

Dr. Casper also notes Island bioscience companies would benefit from boards of directors, and scientific advisory boards -- something they don't have now.

'These changes in governance would allow them to make important links outside of Atlantic Canada, and bring in fresh ideas,' says Dr. Casper.

"The Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program is very pleased to support Dr. Steven Casper, the inaugural Fulbright Visiting Chair in Biomedical Sciences, 'says Michael Hawes, Executive Director of the Canada - U.S. Fulbright Program. 'Over the past few months, Dr. Casper has been undertaking cutting edge research on new technology clusters in collaboration with his new colleagues here at UPEI. We look forward to what this unique partnership will produce in the years to come."

'Dr. Casper has challenged the Island's bioscience cluster in a way that will help it grow and sustain itself,' says Dr. Katherine Schultz, UPEI's Vice President of Research and Development. 'As a centre of bioscience research and expertise, UPEI takes Dr. Casper's message to heart as we move forward on research commercialization. We are honoured to have partnered with Fulbright in facilitating this research.'

The Fulbright Visiting Chair in Biomedical Sciences is hosted by UPEI's School of Business, and is made possible in part by the generous contribution of the John and Judy Bragg Family Foundation.

The second annual International Symposium on Poetic Inquiry will be held in Charlottetown from October 15 to 18.

The registration deadline is September 1. The three-day symposium includes academic sessions, presentations, poetry readings, informal discussions and social gatherings. It is open to anyone interested in poetry and poetic inquiry.

Regional and international poets and scholars will be showcased, creating a culturally rich, international event. The symposium is being co-hosted by the UPEI Centre for Education Research and the Centre for Arts-informed Research, OISE at the University of Toronto, in cooperation with the UPEI Faculties of Arts and Education, the Confederation Centre of the Arts, the League of Canadian Poets, the UPEI Department of English and the PEI Writers' Guild.

Full conference rates, as well as specific day rates, are available. For more information, please contact Christine Gordon Manley (cgmanley@upei.ca; 902-566-6784) or visit the conference website at http://ocs.vre.upei.ca/index.php/ispi/