From February 8 to 12, the University of Prince Edward Island will celebrate International Development Week, a national event held annually to increase Canadians' awareness of their country's role in international development and to educate them about life in developing countries.

UPEI has chosen the development of closer relationships between cultures as the theme for its celebration.

'We chose this theme because it corresponds to one of the United Nations' observances for 2010, and it speaks to the fact that Canada embraces different cultures,' says Dr. Christian Lacroix, chair of UPEI's International Development Week Committee. 'It encourages people to celebrate their differences and share them.'

Keynote speaker Chris Eaton, executive director of the World University Service Canada (WUSC), will address the coming or bringing together of different cultures through his work with WUSC, and prior to that, from his experiences with the Aga Khan Foundation in Afghanistan. He will speak about this theme at an on-campus symposium for high school and UPEI students on Thursday, February 11, and again at the annual International Development Week luncheon on Friday, February 12, at the Rodd Royalty Inn.

Eaton earned a bachelor's degree in international development studies (1989) and a master's degree in political science (1991) from the University of Toronto. He began his professional career 22 years ago as a WUSC intern and was placed in Lesotho, Africa, where he worked on small business issues with Ralph Hazelton. Since then, he has worked in Canada and overseas with a variety of non-governmental, international development organizations where he supported a broad range of education, rural development and local governance issues. In the 1990s, he spent six years in post-conflict northern Uganda where he worked on several community development and local government capacity-building initiatives. He spent four years in Afghanistan where he headed the operations and programs of the Aga Khan Foundation before taking on his current position.

Also on February 12, Jean McCardle, senior analyst with CIDA's Afghanistan and Pakistan taskforce, will give a public talk in the AVC Learning Commons, Room 286, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. She will speak about the Canadian government's role in Afghanistan and will give some direction about careers in international development.

Other events during International Development Week include workshops and panel discussions on topics such as cross-cultural communication, access to quality food, global education and international research; a film showing; an ethical booth display; and a global music jam.

Click here for a complete schedule of events, or contact Suna Houghton, International Education and Project Coordinator at UPEI, at (902) 894-2842 or shoughton@upei.ca.

UPEI alumnus Dr. Greg Fleming will talk about his work as a veterinarian with Disney's Animal Kingdom on Tuesday, February 9, at 7:30 p.m., at UPEI.

The second in the UPEI Student Union's new inspiring speakers series, Fleming's presentation will take place in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium (Room 242), McDougall Hall. A reception will follow in Schurman Market Square, also in McDougall Hall. Everyone is welcome.

A 1998 graduate of the Atlantic Veterinary College, Fleming is a veterinarian for Animal Programs for Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Living Seas at EPCOT. Disney's Animal Kingdom houses more than 1,700 animals from 250 countries, making it the largest animal-themed park in the world.

Prior to veterinary school, Fleming's interest in conservation led him to complete a diploma in endangered species management from the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust in the United Kingdom. Following graduation, he worked in private practice, and completed a zoological medicine internship at Kansas State University and a residency in zoological medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Fleming is a specialist in the American College of Zoological Medicine, of which there are less than 100 members world-wide. Besides clinical work, he has completed numerous research projects both in the United States and Africa. His main area of research interest is reptile medicine and veterinary anesthesia about which he has published numerous papers and book chapters. Currently he is one of the Komodo dragon SSP (species survival plan) veterinary advisors and an executive member of the American College of Zoological Medicine.

Dr. Heather G. Morrison, Chief Health Officer for PEI, will give the final presentation in the inspiring speakers series on March 16.

For more information, contact the UPEI Student Union at (902) 566-0530.

Forgiveness and revenge. Each of us has, in the past, had to choose between one or the other. Choose forgiveness, and we face the possibility of appearing weak. Seek revenge, and we come across as mean and spiteful.

UPEI psychology professor Stacey MacKinnon will talk about forgiveness and revenge on Tuesday, February 9, at this month's Research on Tap. The discussion begins at 7 p.m. in Mavor's Bar at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

MacKinnon is an assistant professor of social psychology whose research areas include trust, risk, forgiveness and revenge. At Research on Tap, she'll discuss "Revenge and Forgiveness: Deciding whether or not to, how to, and how it's going to feel afterward." She will illustrate why a blanket policy of forgiveness might not be a good idea, and she will delve into the dark satisfaction we seek when we carry out revenge.

Research on Tap is a series of public discussions with UPEI's researchers in a comfortable environment. Every month of the winter, we bring a UPEI researcher to a local pub-in this case, Mavor's-to discuss his or her area of expertise.

Click here to read the ORD blog about MacKinnon's research. For more information about Research on Tap, call (902) 620-5117, or e-mail datkinson@upei.ca

Research on Tap is presented by UPEI's Office of Research Development.

Vagabond Productions is back in action, and it is offering a Valentine's Day gift to its audience: a free show. Yes, you read it correctly: admission will not be charged for Vagabond's production of 'The Path of True Love,' February 10 to 13.

Many of you will now be wondering about the catch. According to Greg Doran, coordinator of Theatre Studies and director of the show, there isn't one, really.

'I decided to forego charging admission this year because the show is going to be more experimental in its presentation than past shows.'

Doran went on to explain that to buffer the experimentation, he chose a traditional comedy.

'Granted, the tradition is from the 17th century, but it involves a lot of funny physical comedy. Consider the show a romantic comedy for smart people. The show is in the form of the commedia dell' arte, which is comedy based around stereotypical characters and situations. The script has been updated by Barry Grantham, so there won't be a language barrier. Everyone will be able to understand and follow the show's plot.'

Doran concluded by saying that anyone familiar with the current spate of romantic comedies will immediately recognize the characters and situations in the play.

While regular attendees of Vagabond shows might ask how much more experimental the company can be, Doran says, 'Much more.'

'In the past, Vagabond shows have altered the spectator-actor relationship by reducing the barrier separating the two groups. Well, this year, I have eliminated the barrier completely. There will be no defined performance space at all. The members of the audience can sit where they will, and the actors will perform around them. However, audience members should be prepared to move about in their seats to see everything.'

Doran concluded with a warning for the audience: 'Attending live performance can be habit forming, especially performances that actively engage audiences.'

The show will run from February 10 until 13 in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, on the UPEI campus. The doors will open at 7 p.m., for a 7:30 p.m. 'curtain.' While admission will not be charged, Vagabond Productions will gladly accept donations to the Theatre Studies Program at the end of each evening's performance.

For more information, you can contact Dr. Greg Doran at 566-6013 or theatre@upei.ca.

In recognition of February as Psychology Month, faculty members from UPEI's psychology department will participate in a free public lecture series organized by the department and the Psychological Association of Prince Edward Island.

On February 9, Dr. Stacey MacKinnon will talk about the pros and cons of revenge and forgiveness, and the hard-to-pin-down definition of forgiveness. Her presentation, called "Revenge and Forgiveness: Deciding whether or not to, how to, and how it's going to feel afterward," is the next installment in UPEI's popular Research on Tap series and takes place at Mavor's, Confederation Centre of the Arts, at 7 p.m.

Mitchell Colp and Dr. Jason Doiron will give a presentation called "The Illusion of Inclusion: Experiences of Learning Disabled Students on PEI and Beyond" on February 11, at 7 p.m., at the Confederation Centre Library. They will give a historical overview about the inclusion of students with learning disabilities in the Canadian public education system. They will also review their research findings comparing students' and parents' experiences within P.E.I.'s inclusion-based school system and within a specialized school.

On February 12 at 3 p.m., Dr. Catherine Ryan will give a talk called "Alfred Hitchcock and the PEI Connection: A Secret Agent?" in Room 215 of UPEI's Memorial Hall building. Recent collaborative work in Ryan's and biology professor Tracy Doucette's laboratories highlights a link between early neurotoxin exposure and long-term alterations in the brain's ability to respond to novelty and deal with informational irrelevancies. Ryan will give a brief overview of brain and behavioural changes that arise from such developmental exposure and address how these findings further understanding of contributing factors that may be linked to schizophrenia. A reception will follow in the psychology department's Lounge.

At 12:30 p.m. on February 15, Dr. Fiona Ann Papps, chair of the psychology department, will give an interactive presentation called "The ‘Fun Fearless Female': Print Media and the Sexualization of (Some) Young Women" at the Murchison Centre on St. Pius X Avenue. Papps will outline the main findings of a report released in 2007 by the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualization of Young Girls. She will offer a critical analysis of the report and argue for the need for feminist scholarship and activism to address girls' and women's sexual agency and resistance in addition to their sexual rights and health.

All of the lectures are free, and everyone is welcome.

Students and graduates from the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program at the University of Prince Edward Island are making their mark in islands research around the world. Dolores LeVangie, Laurie Brinklow, and Kathleen Stuart have each received prestigious scholarships to study in the southern Chilean island of Chiloé, Tasmania, and Australia, respectively.

Master's student Dolores LeVangie has been awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada graduate scholarship for her research on 'Medicine of the land: exploring the use and transition of medicinal practices in island communities of the Mi'kmaq in Eastern Canada and the Williche of Southern Chile.' She has also earned the Erwin and Joyce Andrew Memorial Scholarship and a Robin Rigby Trust Scholarship. In March, she will begin four months of field work in Chiloé to explore the many inter-related causes and effects of the decline in traditional/local medicine use. Her thesis supervisors at UPEI are Drs. Udo Krautwurst and Jean Mitchell.

Laurie Brinklow, who graduated from the MAIS program in 2007, has received a full-tuition Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship to pursue a PhD in the School of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Tasmania. Her research focus will be 'Islandness, sense of place, and the importance of 'story' in the islands of Newfoundland and Tasmania.' She will explore the possible connections between islandness and the creation of a strong sense of localized identity, which is then expressed through the arts. Her thesis supervisor is writer and political activist Dr. Pete Hay. Laurie will begin her PhD program in July with a year of study in Tasmania, followed by a year in Newfoundland.

Kathleen Stuart, a MAIS graduate who taught in the Island Studies minor program for three years, has been awarded a PhD scholarship and a Higher Degree Research Merit Scholarship from the Australian National University (ANU). She will research environmental history and related perspectives on biodiversity conservation on islands. Kathy will work with Dr. Libby Robin, Senior Fellow with the Fenner School of Environment and Society and Senior Research Fellow in the National Museum of Australia. She will travel to Canberra to begin her PhD studies later this month.

The Master of Arts in Island Studies at UPEI is an interdisciplinary, policy-driven program that is open to students from around the world. Its basis in comparative study provides students with the practical research skills and knowledge to succeed in a world increasingly defined by interconnections and interactions among peoples and regions.

Fourth-year nursing students from the University of Prince Edward Island are spending two months developing and applying their clinical skills in communities across PEI, in Nova Scotia and Alberta, and even as far afield as Florida, the Cayman Islands, and Kenya.

Forty-three students are enhancing their learning at the Queen Elizabeth, Prince County, Western, Hillsborough, Eastern Kings and Stewart Memorial hospitals, and at the Palliative Care Centre in Charlottetown. Others are honing their skills at the IWK Hospital in Halifax, the Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth, and the Peter Lougheed and the Rockyview hospitals in Calgary. Six have chosen international experiences, including four who are working at the St. Teresa Mission hospital, at an HIV outreach clinic, and in a children's home in the village of Kiirua in Kenya.

These local, national, and international placements provide students with practical opportunities to integrate the nursing theory and clinical learning they have acquired over the four years of their Bachelor of Nursing program, and to develop personally as nursing professionals. The students will complete their placements at the beginning of April.

Award-winning poet Anne Compton returns to her native P.E.I. to read from her new book, Asking Questions Indoors and Out, on Tuesday, February 16, at 7:30 in the UPEI Faculty Lounge, Main Building.

Her reading is part of the Winter's Tales Authors Series sponsored by the UPEI English Department, with funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Born and raised in the farming community of Bangor, P.E.I., she won the Atlantic Poetry Prize for her first two books of poetry, Opening the Island and Processional, and the Governor General's Award for Processional. In 2008 she received the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in English Language Literary Arts. In The Globe and Mail, a reviewer called Processional "[A] rigorously intelligent work about the pains and glories of life and nature."

Dr. Compton teaches at the University of New Brunswick at Saint John and is director of the prestigious Lorenzo Reading Series. Her reading will be followed by a reception and book signing.

The Institute of Island Studies at UPEI will hold a workshop called "Time and a Place: Environmental Histories, Environmental Futures & Prince Edward Island" from June 13 to 18, 2010.

The deadline for registration is Monday, February 15. Registration is $150 for the whole week, including meals ($250 for meals and accommodation in a UPEI residence).

The workshop will bring together local, national and international participants to develop an understanding of P.E.I.'s environmental history; assist future environmental planning on the Island; and explore the value of islands for crafting comprehensive plans for sustainability. There will be workshops, field trips and public lectures.

Interested people are asked to fill out an application by February 15. Applicants will be informed by March 15 if their applications are successful. The deadline to pay the registration fee is May 1. Day passes will be an option, but those who wish to attend by the day need to pre-register.

Wrapped around this conference will be a unique, three-week UPEI course in environmental history for senior undergraduate and graduate students. Students will attend conference sessions during their second week. The Network in Canadian Environmental History is offering travel subsidies for students who wish to attend the conference and/or course.

For more information, contact Irene Novaczek, director of the Institute of Island Studies, at (902) 566-0386 or inovaczek@upei.ca, or visit the conference website.

The Town of Souris is partnering with ProfitLearn PEI to provide a computer skills workshop for local business people.

The workshop, 'Basic Computer Skills for Everyday Use in Your Business,' will take place on Tuesday, February 16, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Holland College Centre on Main Street, Souris. Participants will gain fundamental computer skills needed to succeed in today's workplace.

Under the direction of trainer Patrick Ledwell, participants will explore topics such as researching business information on the internet, using desktop publishing for cards, correspondence and posters, and investigating software programs that are accessible at little or no cost. They will work directly on computers to build knowledge and understanding of basic computer programs.

The cost is $50 (plus GST) per participant. To register, contact Chrissy Conohan, Special Events Coordinator, Town of Souris, P.E.I., at cconohan@sourispei.com or (902) 687-2157.

ProfitLearn PEI provides business training for owner managers across PEI through a partnership between the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Innovation PEI and the University of Prince Edward Island. For more information, contact ProfitLearn PEI at 1-800-270-4795 or visit http://profitlearn.upei.ca.