Dr. Etienne Côté named 2009 AAU Distinguished Teaching Award Winner

The Association of Atlantic Universities announced their annual regional awards for excellence in teaching and instructional leadership today. Among the three award winners is the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI's Dr. Etienne Côté.
Dr. Côté, who teaches Veterinary Cardiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College, was named a 2009 AAU Distinguished Teaching Award winner. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding teaching over a number of years and is presented to individuals considered by the association to be the region's top university educators.
'Dr. Côté is an outstanding teacher who demonstrates a tireless commitment to continuously improving learning for his students,' says Dr. Donald L. Reynolds, Dean of the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI. 'We are proud to have him recognized in such a deserving manner.'
Dr. Shannon Murray, a national 3M award-winning professor from UPEI, nominated Dr. Côté for the Association of Atlantic Universities Award for Teaching Excellence.
Congratulations, Dr. Cote.
Award for Excellence in Teaching
2009
Distinguished Teaching Award
Dr. Etienne Côté
Dr. Etienne Côté teaches Veterinary Cardiology at the University of Prince Edward Island's Atlantic Veterinary College, but more than that: as he says, he is always conscious of the essential 'unspoken curriculum of compassion and communication with colleagues, staff, and an animal's human family' that is needed to form truly good health care providers. For Dr. Côté, teaching veterinary medicine has as much to do with training good communicators and compassionate practitioners as it does with the science of animal physiology. One of Canada's foremost experts in Veterinary Cardiac Medicine, Etienne is deeply concerned to connect his classroom to the world. He operates by analogy, modeling in his attentive and respectful attitude to his students the kind of behavior he hopes these future veterinarians will learn. Three hundred and fifty-eight new veterinarians - and their patients - are the better for it.
Most impressive is the stable of innovative strategies he has adapted or invented to engage his students and help them understand the material. From the post-it note version of the Stop/Start/Continue midterm check-in to 'Cardiology Jeopardy,' 'Cardiology Karaoke,' and a board game for Board Exam preparations, he is always searching for ways to help his students -no matter what their learning styles - master the very difficult and important material he is responsible for teaching. So when he was bothered by the disconnect for third-year students between their classroom learning and real veterinary practice, he adapted a format from one of his own professors to offer biweekly 'Cardiac Grand Rounds.' Now attended by crowds of faculty as well as enthusiastic students, the sessions bring these future veterinarians into the smell of hay and horses for a real experience of disease recognition and diagnosis. His award-winning textbook, Clinical Veterinary Advisor: Dogs and Cats, a record-setting best seller at a recent North American Veterinary Conference, ensures that his influence extends beyond the UPEI campus.
Dr. Côté is the recipient of the Pfizer-Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teaching Award, the Merial Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, and the Janet Pottie Murray Award for Educational Leadership. UPEI is very proud that his dedication and scholarly approach to the classroom have been recognized with the AAU Distinguished Teaching Award.

UPEI Mobile up and running!

Interacting with the University of Prince Edward Island just got quicker and easier with the development of UPEI Mobile, a version of the university's website designed for mobile phones.
UPEI Mobile was created by the university's web development team as part of the content management system for its website, which is built on the open-source Drupal platform. Drupal.org recently gave UPEI front-page billing as a showcase for what can be done with the platform in an academic setting.
'This powerful new communications tool will enhance the experience of new students in particular as they get to know the university,' says Dave Cormier, web projects lead in UPEI's Integrated Communications department. 'It will make navigating around the campus-physically and virtually-- and making connections with people much easier.'
By accessing UPEI Mobile, users can search for people on campus, look up the location of specific departments, watch videos, get emergency information, read the latest media releases and access the full UPEI website. They can also use an internal 'twitter-style' community space developed by the UPEI web team.
The easy-to-use interface closely resembles the one traditionally found on an iphone, but the content is automatically drawn from individual departments' websites.
UPEI Mobile can be accessed on Apple iPhones, iPod Touches, Google Android-based phones HTC Hero, HTC Magic and HTC G1, Palm Pre phones, and desktop and laptop computers.

Future plans include developing a similar mobile theme for Moodle, the university's virtual learning environment.

UPEI enrollment up three per cent

Early enrollment figures at the University of Prince Edward Island are reflecting an upward trend once again this year. Although official registration statistics won't be finalized until early October, UPEI is optimistic that more students than ever will choose to attend the Island's university this fall.
Information compiled on September 3 shows that, in comparison to the same date last year, the total number of students registered for the fall semester is up by three per cent. The number of full-time first-year students registered is 938, representing an increase of six per cent. Graduate student enrollment is up 16 per cent, and the number of new mature undergraduate students has almost doubled. UPEI has seen a significant increase in international students as well. They now make up nine per cent of the total student body.
'We are working extremely hard in every way we can to highlight the excellent quality of our programs, our faculty, and our learning environment at UPEI. These efforts are very important at a time when demographics are changing and there are fewer high school students available,' says Dr. Rosemary Herbert, Acting V.P. of Academic Development at UPEI. 'We are optimistic that our preliminary enrollment numbers will hold steady over the next few weeks.'
In 2008, a total of 4,245 students attended UPEI, its highest enrollment ever. It will be a month or more before the University will be able to confirm whether or not it has reached or exceeded that record for the coming year. Applications to UPEI are still being accepted. The 2009 fall semester begins on September 14.

Institute of Island Studies launches new book

The Institute of Island Studies will launch its latest book, A Magnificent Gift Declined: The Dalton Sanatorium of Prince Edward Island, 1913-1923, on September 16th at 7 p.m. at the Emyvale Recreation Centre in Emyvale, P.E.I.

Written by educator Leonard Cusack, the book is no ordinary community history. Cusack skillfully portrays provincial and federal political manoeuvring and the social context surrounding P.E.I.'s first hospital for treating tuberculosis, which was established in 1913.

Considered a state-of-the-art facility at the time, the Dalton Sanatorium was donated by Charles Dalton to the Province of P.E.I. and built on an isolated hilltop in the fresh country air between Charlottetown and Summerside. The facility was later expanded by the federal government to include 75 beds for returned World War One soldiers, but by 1923, the hospital was totally demolished. It would be another ten years before a new TB sanatorium was built in Charlottetown.

Described by historian Francis Bolger as "a wonderful read", and including a foreword by folklorist John Cousins, the well-crafted 168-page paperback contains many archival photos and a bibliography. It will be available in bookstores throughout P.E.I.

The public is also invited to book signings by the author on September 17 at two locations: from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Lefurgey Cultural Centre in Summerside, and at the Carriage House at Beaconsfield Historic House in Charlottetown from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Cusack is a retired high school teacher and provincial civil servant. He currently serves on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and teaches as a sessional lecturer at UPEI. He and his wife Catherine still reside in Emyvale where they raised five children.

The book is published by Island Studies Press, the publishing arm of the Institute of island Studies at UPEI. The Institute is a research, education and public policy institute based at UPEI. IIS focuses on the culture, environment and economy of small islands. For more information, visit upei.ca/iis/

Researchers find potentially deadly strain of fungus for amphibians on PEI

A team of researchers from UPEI and the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) have found a potentially deadly strain of fungus for amphibians on Prince Edward Island. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, more commonly known as chytrid fungus, is blamed for the extreme decline or extinction of more than 200 species of frogs and toads around the world.

'We started this summer asking one question: do we have this fungus on Prince Edward Island?' says Natacha Hogan, assistant professor of Biology and associate fellow of the Canadian Rivers Institute. 'The first frog we collected this summer had it. That answered our first question, but it created dozens of new ones.'

Maria Forzan, Wildlife Pathologist at AVC for CCWHC, Atlantic Region, says chytrid fungus was first discovered in the late 1990s by researchers in Central America. The fungus has since spread to Australia, South America, and North America.

'Chytrid causes a disease in the skin of frogs and toads called chytridiomycosis,' explains Forzan. 'No one knows yet how the disease kills, but we do know it thickens amphibians' skin, interfering with their ability to balance their electrolytes, and possibly even breathe. Amphibian skin is normally much more permeable than our own.'

Forzan and Hogan says it's too soon to say what chytrid fungus means to the frogs and toads of Prince Edward Island.

'Just having the fungus here doesn't mean it's causing a problem,' says Hogan. 'It may be the fungus has been here for decades and our frogs have adapted to it. But, it may also be selectively targeting one or two of our species of frogs. If that's the case, it could lead to an extreme decline, or even extirpation of one or more of our frogs or toads.'

'One problem we face is there's never been a comprehensive survey of frogs and toads on Prince Edward Island,' adds Forzan. 'So we can't say whether there's been a decline in the population, or any change at all. But we can build on the survey data we gathered this summer. This is the start of long-term research of the Island's amphibians.'

Hogan and Forzan's team, which includes UPEI biologist Kevin Teather, and CCWHC's Darlene Weeks, has created the Amphibian Health Research Network (AHRN). With funding from CCWHC, the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund, and UPEI, they'll help better understand how chytrid fungus behaves in a northern climate and what this means for the health of amphibians on PEI.

Shinerama fund-raiser exceeds goal!

The UPEI Student Union Shinerama campaign once again exceeded expectations as students raised approximately $21,550 for Cystic Fibrosis research in a matter of hours last weekend.
'We are extremely proud of the students who chose to participate in this year's campaign,' said UPEISU President Timothy Cullen. 'We had one of the largest groups of students to ever participate in Shinerama this year, and it is great to see their hard work pay off.'
Rob Livingstone and Patrick Callbeck, co-coordinators of this year's Shinerama campaign say that this is not the end of Shinerama fundraising for the year.
'We will continue to hold BBQs and other events throughout the year for Shinerama,' said Livingstone.

UPEI students are known for their successful Shinerama campaigns. In 2007, they were awarded for having the best overall campaign in Canada.

UPEI professors to read at Pen & Inkling Festival this weekend

UPEI faculty members Brent MacLaine, Deirdre Kessler and Sean Weibe will join other Island writers this coming weekend, September 18-20, in readings and workshops at the Pen & Inkling Festival, a celebration of the Prince Edward Island Writers' Guild's 20th anniversary.

This three-day, three-county event will celebrate Island writers through the Island Literary Awards ceremony, a conversation about poetry between John Smith and David Helwig, a book launch of Brent MacLaine's new book, workshops, special guest readings, open mic events (including readings by newcomers in their first language), a songwriter's circle by young musicians, zen writing and sketching, writing games, book sales, a big, birthday party with live music (courtesy of The Count and the Cuban Cocktail and The Blueprints), and, of course, libations!
During the festival, the Writers' Guild will launch "The Figure in the Landscape" calendar, featuring poems and prose by Island writers and images of Island writers photographed by well-known photographer John Sylvester.
The festival is dedicated to poet and educator Frank Ledwell, and is supported by sponsors, individuals and the Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour.
Go to the festival's website for a detailed schedule or contact Pen & Inkling Festival Coordinator Laurel Smyth at islandliteraryawards@gmail.com.

UPEI students to spend fall semester studying in England

Seventeen students from the University of Prince Edward Island and seven from the Memorial University of Newfoundland will spend the fall semester exploring intersections between literature, art and religious thought at MUN's campus in Harlow, England.
Entitled Faith, Love and Lore: Literature, Art and Religion in England, this interdisciplinary program is a co-operative effort between MUN and UPEI. The program will be taught by Dr. Catherine Innes-Parker, professor of English at UPEI, and Dr. Kim Ian Parker, professor of religious studies at MUN.
'This program grew out of our experience of creating an inter-campus learning community through teaching a linked course together,' says Innes-Parker. 'In England, the students will take four tightly integrated courses organized around weekly themes and augmented by field trips. It is more than just a set of courses: it is a learning community and a learning experience.'
The four courses will focus on the themes of literature, art and religion, and the links between them. One course focuses on English literature from the medieval period, and a second explores women's devotional writing in England. A third course examines the relationship between religion and the arts, while the fourth focuses more specifically on the influence of the Bible on western culture and particularly English literature. The students will receive credits for all four courses.
To complement their course work, students will take two field trips each week to historical sites, including Sutton Hoo, the site of an Anglo-Saxon ship burial; Canterbury Cathedral, the site of Thomas Becket's shrine and the destination of Chaucer's pilgrims; Norwich Cathedral and the shrine of mystic Julian of Norwich; Ely Cathedral, famous for its octagonal tower; and Cambridge, home of King's College Chapel and Choir. They will also travel to London to visit the British Museum, the British Library, the National Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Throughout the semester, the students will keep weekly reading logs and journals, recording their reactions to the sites visited and integrating field trips with materials covered in their courses.
Gavin Warren, a fourth-year English student, actually grew up in Bournemouth, England. He travelled around the south of England with his family on holidays. But after having explored many areas of the world, including Canada, he realized that he did not know much about his home country.
'This program will help me to connect what I have learned about English literature at UPEI to my own life.'
Fourth-year English student Alyssa Gauthier, of New Glasgow, P.E.I., and fifth-year student Jennifer Tasker, of Brackley Beach, are looking forward to putting the great works of literature and art they have studied at UPEI in the context of the landscape and history that influenced their creators.
The group leaves for Harlow on September 17 and returns to P.E.I. on December 3. Beginning on September 21, the students will post blogs about their experience at harlow09.upeiblogs.ca

Inspirational teaching focus of UPEI faculty seminar

Inspirational teaching was the topic of a day-long seminar organized recently by the UPEI Faculty Development Office to launch the new academic year. The guest speaker was TA Loeffler, Professor of Outdoor Recreation at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She spoke on the topic 'Everything I Ever Needed to Know about Teaching I Learned from Climbing Mountains.'
Professor Loeffler is the author of 'More than a Mountain: One Woman's Everest,' a deeply moving account of how one woman overcame adversity to reach out to youth and become a testament to the power of having big dreams and big goals.
'Mountains are my teachers. They exact deep lessons. I teach my students like the mountains teach me. With vision. With struggle,' says Loeffler. 'Asking them to reach up and out for an unknown sky. To learn while filled with uncertainty and sometimes with joy and mirth. For me, mountains, like education, are both journey and destination.'
Four UPEI faculty members were recognized and celebrated at the seminar for their recent local and regional awards for excellence in teaching. They were: Catherine Innes-Parker, Pedro Quijon, Etienne Cote, and Susan Dawson. The work of 12 new faculty and mentors was also acknowledged through the Teaching Partners Recognition Program.
The Faculty Development Office operates in partnership with academic departments and faculty members to provide a supportive environment to assist faculty in creating new and exciting methods of teaching and connecting with students. It is part of the UPEI Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning. More information is available at upei.ca/webstercentre.

UPEI honours distinguished alumni on September 24

As part of UPEI's Homecoming Weekend, the UPEI Alumni Association will honour four distinguished alumni at its annual awards luncheon on Thursday, September 24, at noon in the Main Building Faculty Lounge.
Receiving awards this year are Dr. Doris M. Anderson (PWC '42), George A. MacDonald (SDU '64 and UPEI '69), Major-General Matthew G. Macdonald (UPEI '76) and Dr. Lynne O'Sullivan (UPEI '88-Atlantic Veterinary College).
A native of St. Peter's Bay, Doris Anderson studied science at Prince of Wales College from 1940 to 1942 and graduated in 1944 from Acadia University with a Bachelor of Science in home economics. She earned a Master of Science (Nutrition) degree, with a minor in Education, from Cornell University in 1951. She taught home economics at Prince of Wales College and the University of Prince Edward Island from 1966 to 1988.
Her many awards include a 1967 Centennial Medal and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Acadia University in 1997. She was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1985 and professor emeritus at UPEI in 1994. She served in the Senate of Canada from 1995 to 1997.
George MacDonald received his Bachelor of Arts from St. Dunstan's University in 1964, Bachelor of Education from UPEI in 1969, and Master's degree from St. Francis Xavier University in 1978. He was a dedicated and influential educator and administrator in education on P.E.I. for 33 years, retiring in 1994.
MacDonald served for 18 years as a councillor and six years as mayor of the City of Charlottetown. He chaired the Atlantic caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and served on its national executive committee. He received the 2004 Bruce H. Yeo Memorial Award from the Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities for outstanding contribution to municipal government in P.E.I. and in 2005, the Canadian Municipalities Roll of Honour.
A 1998 graduate of the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI, Dr. Lynne O'Sullivan has consistently demonstrated success and commitment to furthering veterinary medicine through education, research and service. Following graduation, she pursued an internship with a residency and DSVc program in cardiology at the University of Guelph.
She is one of only several board-certified veterinary cardiologists in Canada and is a highly regarded associate professor at the Ontario Veterinary College. A proud alumnus of the AVC at UPEI, she will return to her alma mater in the near future to provide blocks of training for third-year veterinary students while AVC's cardiologist Dr. Etienne Cote is on sabbatical.
Major-General Matthew G. Macdonald, OMM, CD, MBE, joined the Canadian Armed Forces after completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in 1976. He has commanded at the troop, squadron and regimental levels with the Royal Canadian Dragoons. From July 2000 to June 2002, he was the Canadian Officer appointed Deputy Commanding General of III (US) Corps and Fort Hood-only the second time Canada had filled the position. He has been Chief of Defence Intelligence since January of 2007.
Macdonald was appointed a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1991 and an Officer of the Order of Military Merit in 1997. He received the United States Legion of Merit in 2002 and the NATO Meritorious Service Medal in 2006.
Everyone is welcome. Tickets for the luncheon are $15 and can be purchased from Sarah MacInnis, Alumni Outreach Co-ordinator, at (902) 566-0687 or alumni@upei.ca by September 22.
Homecoming Weekend takes place from Thursday, September 24, to Sunday, September 27. For information about Homecoming Weekend, visit www.upei.ca/alumni/homecoming