The PEI Food Security Network (with campus members Leo Cheverie and Jennifer Taylor) is hosting a "Kitchen Table Talk" on Tuesday, October 26 beginning at 4 pm in the Dalton Hall Dining Room in association with World Food Day. World Food Day is observed across Canada and is an initiative of the Peoples Food Policy Project. The PEI Food Security Network is a group committed to achieving food security for all Islanders, and enhancing the sustainability of our food system.

Everyone is welcome to attend and join in a lively discussion about food issues in PEI. Some "appetizing" questions for discussion could include...

1. Do you know where your food comes from and how it is grown?
2. What is your personal food policy? (What things do you try to do when you feed yourself and your family? What prevents you from living this?)
3. What has changed in the last 20 years that makes so many kids overweight? How is this related to the way our food system is organized?
4. Why is so little locally grown food in local grocery stores?
5. Why does my grocery bill keep going up while farmers keep going out of business?'
6. How can we make sure that the food our children get in school is healthy?
7. Why don't we have a national school food policy like most/all other G8 countries?
8. Why do we need a people's food policy?
   

Refreshments including fair trade items will be served.

Research on Tap returns Tuesday, November 2 at 7:00 pm in Mavor's Bar at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Dr. Malcolm Murray, professor of Philosophy at UPEI, will lead the discussion, 'Atheism: It's not so bad, really."

Murray is the author of The Atheist's Primer, a book that strives to put a bit of civility back into the debate between theists and atheists.

'In the book, I lay out many of the arguments theists use to defend their belief, and then I break them apart,' says Murray. 'I try very hard not to be offensive; I really think theists would enjoy reading it. In fact, most of the people I asked to review early drafts of the book were theists.'

Research on Tap is a series of public discussions led by UPEI researchers. For more information, visit upei.ca/research.

The Institute of Island Studies (IIS) will be sending two interns, Ivan Skafar and Marianne Rehder, to the small island of Chiloé in southern Chile next week.

Although literally on the other end of the earth, Chiloé has a lot in common with PEI. For one, it is in the same time zone and is as far south of the equator as PEI is north. It has about twice the land area, but a similar population size, and the economy is dominated by aquaculture, fisheries, agriculture, and forestry. Tourism is seasonal but growing in importance. Like PEI, Chiloé has an active NGO sector and is richly endowed with artists, musicians and artisans and is famous for the beauty of its land and seascapes, and for its potatoes.

This is the fourth time in five years that IIS interns have gone south to work with the indigenous Williche people of Chiloé. Interns typically spend time learning about Mi'kmaq culture on PEI before they leave, and then tell their stories about Chiloé to a variety of community and academic audiences when they return. The internships represent a bridge between Mi'kmaq and Williche peoples, between NGOs on both islands, and between UPEI and the much smaller university of ARCIS Patagonia. The interns' efforts help to document, celebrate and exchange knowledge about these islands, their common concerns and their indigenous cultures.

In the past, interns have done research on the medicinal uses of sea plants, the role of social and cultural enterprise in Chiloé's economy, and the interactions of young people with marine resources. This year, the interns will work with the Williche Health Centre to develop educational tools and activities on health and environmental issues. Their target audience will be indigenous youth and their parents.

Marianne, the daughter of Island musician John Rehder, smiles widely when she explains, 'We are looking forward to the opportunity of working with the Mi'kmaq as well as the Williche aboriginal people in order to learn from them and to assist this unique exchange that has been created.' She and Ivan, who hails from Quebec, will be leaving on November 2 and returning in late March. They will then take up positions with the IIS for two months to complete the Canadian portion of their internship.

The second annual fundraising event for 'Light Up Papua New Guinea: The Captain Nichola Goddard Project' takes place Saturday, November 6 at the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall on the UPEI campus.

The evening gets underway with a reception at 6 pm and dinner at 7 pm and features guest speaker, Valerie Fortney, author of Sunray: The Death and Life of Nichola Goddard as well as musical entertainment. At the dinner, there will also be an opportunity to contribute to the new Captain Nichola K. S. Goddard Scholarship in International Education, awarded to a student studying in the Faculty of Education at UPEI.

The 'Light Up Papua New Guinea' project is in honour of Nichola Goddard. A Canadian born in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Nichola was a Captain in the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery when she was killed in combat while serving with the Canadian military in Afghanistan. Although her family left PNG when Nichola was three years old, she was always proud of the fact that she was born there.

As part of her legacy, the Goddard family is working with Light up the World, school children, people across Canada and around the world to raise money to light up first aid posts and rural health centres in Papua New Guinea. Since July 2008, solar light systems have been installed in more than 230 rural health centres and birthing centres.

Ticket cost is $125 each and may be purchased by calling (902) 569-5665. More information about the project can be found at www.nicholagoddard.com.

‘Dad is Sleeping'

The UPEI theatre program, in partnership with Tanball Productions, is presenting a one-act play 'Dad is Sleeping' from November 3 to 6 in the Duffy Ampitheatre, nightly at 7:30 pm. Admission is $5.

‘One-Act Play Extravaganza'

On November 7, from playwright Stephen Bouey, comes nine one-act plays and three monologues for the stage. The plays, running from between one to fifteen minutes, are a romp through the foibles and psyche of the human condition. ‘One-Act Play Extravaganza' will take place in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall at 3 pm.

Ensemble players are: Brittany Banks, Anna Wansbrough, Aaron Giddings, Aaron Ellis, Tanya MacCallum, Andrea Corder, Rob Diamond, Nick VanOuwerkerk, Mike van der Gaag, Kelly Leighton, Morgan Wagner, Jennifer Carson and Dan Byrne.

Note: Some profanity and adult situations. Suggested donation is $5-10. General seating.

The Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program at UPEI recently awarded several scholarships at its first annual awards reception.

The first McDonald Family MAIS Scholarship was awarded to Colin Allen MacIntyre from Summerside. Colin is studying the environmental history of Prince Edward Island under the academic advisement of Dr. Edward MacDonald.

Another award that was presented for the first time was the Carnegie Scholarship Award. This went to Ross Beatty, who is researching alternative energy sources.

'Just as island societies have unique characteristics, so does our Master of Arts in Island Studies program here at UPEI,' said Dr. Brian Wagner, Assistant Vice-President, Graduate Studies. 'It's wonderful to celebrate the achievements of MAIS students and recognize our award donors at a dedicated, intimate reception.'

Several other awards were given during the reception: The Erwin and Joyce Andrew Scholarship, International Award to Abigail Franco-Vazquez; the Canadian Award to Maud Francis; the Dr. Peter and Mrs. Donna Meincke Scholarship to Krishna Raghavan; and the Bill and Denise Andrew Scholarship, Gold Award to Murat Mehmet Meral and Silver Award to Andrew Weatherill.

Five Master of Arts in Island Studies Entrance Scholarships were also presented to Andrew Halliday, Justin Hayes, Jiwon Yu, JoDee Samuelson, and Andrew Weatherill.

About MAIS

The Master of Arts in Island Studies is a unique, interdisciplinary, and policy-driven graduate course that critiques islands on their own terms.

The program is open to students from around the world. They come out of undergraduate programs from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and diverse degrees, and/or with professional workplace experience in the public, private, or resource sectors.

For more information, click here.

UPEI congratulates Bobby Thomas Cameron, BA'09, on receiving the 2010 Canadian Red Cross Young Humanitarian Award for Prince Edward Island for his dedication to literacy promotion, international development, volunteerism, and advocacy.

The award will be presented to the Hampton native on November 3 at the Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Awards dinner at the Delta Prince Edward hotel, though he won't be able to attend in person as he is in Saudi Arabia teaching ESL.

In addition to his work in Saudi Arabia, Cameron volunteered at a shelter for asylum seekers and refugees in Malta in 2008 as an English language instructor and, up until last month, was an ESL tutor in his home province. Also in 2008, he volunteered with 'Students for Development' as an Intern with a business cooperative in Kenya and was a delegate at the 2009 Global Youth Assembly in Edmonton, an international gathering of youth who are involved in current global issues.

Cameron became involved in several programs and activities to assist newcomers to Canada as well as Aboriginal students while at UPEI. He re-established a program called 'Students for Literacy' to help students improve their English language skills and coordinated a project with Aboriginal students where these students self-identified the challenges they encountered at post-secondary institutions. Cameron also assisted in the development of curriculum for parents and children who speak English as an additional language.

Cameron credits his desire 'to give back' to having been raised in a small Island community where volunteerism is valued highly and was part of the fabric growing up. While he was at UPEI, he impacted the lives of students on campus in many ways, through his friendship, openness, and respect for different cultures. Certainly Cameron continues to apply his leadership skills and exemplary qualities to a number of local, national and international endeavours to this day.

Congratulations, Bobby!

A major contribution from the John and Judy Bragg Family Foundation, made in memory of their lifelong friend and respected P.E.I. business leader David W. Rodd, will support human health research facilities at the University of Prince Edward Island's Atlantic Veterinary College. On this floor, researchers work diligently in world-class laboratories to find solutions to human health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, metabolic disorders, epilepsy and kidney disease.

'We thank the John and Judy Bragg Family Foundation for this generous gift to UPEI in support of the capital expansion of the Atlantic Veterinary College,' says UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. 'This donation is an excellent illustration of John and Judy Bragg's philanthropic leadership and their support for education, health research and science in Atlantic Canada. We are proud to have the name of David Rodd, a great Atlantic Canadian business and community leader, associated with AVC at UPEI.'

A pioneer in the tourism industry on P.E.I. and in Atlantic Canada, Rodd passed away in 2006 from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was John Bragg's roommate in their senior years at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick and Judy Bragg's first cousin. It was through Rodd that John Bragg met Judy (MacLean) Bragg, originally from Summerside, P.E.I., and the three continued a lifelong friendship.

'This generous forward-thinking support from the John and Judy Bragg Family Foundation is significant,' says Dr. Don Reynolds, Dean of AVC. 'It will enable us to advance the science needed to make groundbreaking health discoveries that will have an impact on the Atlantic region and around the world.'

UPEI was recently named by RE$EARCH Infosource the top Canadian undergraduate university in research income growth and research intensity growth from 1999 to 2009. RE$EARCH Infosource is Canada's leading provider of research intelligence for business and higher education.

The David W. Rodd Health Research Floor is located in the AVC Research Complex, which opened in June 2008. The $20-million complex was built as part of AVC's soon-to-be-completed $45-million expansion and renovation infrastructure project to meet growing demand for its globally recognized research and service programs.

Established in 1986 as the veterinary college serving Atlantic Canada, the Atlantic Veterinary College is committed to improving the health and well-being of animals and humans through excellence in education, discovery, professional practice, and dedicated service to the four Atlantic provinces. AVC is an active industry partner, providing the world-class research and services needed to grow the Atlantic region. AVC aims to raise $8.5 million by June 2011 in partnership with Atlantic Canadian leaders to fully fund its capital expansion program.

Background
John and Judy Bragg:

John and Judy Bragg are the founders of The Bragg Group of Companies in Oxford, Nova Scotia. One of the most successful family enterprises in Canada, the Bragg Group of Companies has grown from a modest blueberry farm into the world's largest producer of wild blueberries and the biggest supplier of frozen carrots in Canada and the U.S. The Bragg Group also includes a building-supply chain, a company that recycles aircraft de-icing fluid from airports around North America, and the largest privately owned cable-TV company in Canada.

Their four children-Lee, Matthew, Carolyn and Patricia-are all closely involved in the family business. In recognition of their business success and succession planning, the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise named the Bragg Group of Companies the 2009 Canadian Family Enterprise of the Year.

The Braggs are also leading philanthropists through the John and Judy Bragg Family Foundation, supporting education, health research, science and nature conservation. They have contributed to a number of universities, including Mount Allison where they met as students, UPEI, St. Francis Xavier, Dalhousie and others. At UPEI, they have supported the David Rodd Scholarship, the Fulbright Chair in Nutrisciences and Health, and now the Atlantic Veterinary College through the establishment of the David W. Rodd Health Research Floor in AVC's Research Complex.

Other major beneficiaries of their philanthropy include the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Nova Scotia Science Discovery Centre, the Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation, various hospital foundations, autism research, rare bird appreciation and numerous other causes. In both their business and philanthropic work, they are deeply committed to the success and sustainability of rural communities in Atlantic Canada.

John Bragg has been awarded four honorary degrees from universities in the Maritime provinces, most recently St. Francis Xavier (2009) and Dalhousie (2008). Judy Bragg received an honorary degree from UPEI in 2010.

David W. Rodd:

David Rodd (1940-2006) was a pioneer in the development of the tourism industry in Prince Edward Island and Atlantic Canada. He was a member of the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame, received the first-ever (P.E.I.) Premier's Award for Tourism, and was named the 2002 Atlantic Canada Tourism/Hospitality Entrepreneur. He served on the boards of numerous tourism-related organizations, including as director of the Tourist Industry Association of Canada.
Rodd graduated from Mount Allison University in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts and returned to the family business in 1966. Under his leadership, the family tourist business grew from one motel in Charlottetown into the Rodd Hotels and Resorts, the largest privately owned hotel chain in Atlantic Canada.
Rodd was well regarded as a community leader, volunteering with numerous organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Heart Foundation. In May 2006 he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Prince Edward Island.
He is survived by his wife Linda, and children Mark, Christina, Kris and Summer.

David W. Rodd Health Research Floor
AVC Research Complex

18,300 square feet of research labs and offices located on the second floor of the AVC Research Complex

Floor dedicated to advancing human health through world-class research into conditions such as kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, metabolic disorders, epilepsy

Home to outstanding researchers passionate about helping people affected by these diseases, including

Dr. Sunny Hartwig
Dr. Tarek Saleh
Dr. Andy Tasker

Proud to have health research floor named after the late David W. Rodd, respected business and community leader here on PEI and across Atlantic Canada

Research Complex opened in June 2008 as part of AVC's $45-million expansion and renovation project driven by increasing demand for AVC's globally recognized research and service expertise.

Michael Redmond, head coach of the UPEI Women's Soccer team, has been named the AUS Coach of the Year and was awarded the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada (PEIANC) Outstanding Individual Award for his and his team's work with the community at the organization's annual general meeting.

The PEIANC Outstanding Individual Award recognizes an individual in the community who has shown leadership and dedication to welcoming and integrating newcomers to PEI.

The father of three runs soccer programs all year long during the winter, spring and summer for children whose families have just moved to PEI. The team also gets involved and has hosted a sports game day and barbecue for the newcomer families. Redmond gets all the equipment donated or purchases it himself, takes care of transportation for many of them, and treats a busload of the players to a Panthers hockey game every year.

'We believe as a university soccer team that we have a bigger global responsibility to not only make our community a better place to live but also to make the world a better place,' says Redmond. 'We accomplish this goal one child at a time.'

The UPEI Women's Soccer Team has a long history of giving back to their community as well as beyond Island shores. In 2009, the program received a $5,000 award from the national True Sport Community Fund for leadership in community sports development work in large part due to Redmond's encouragement and his 'lead by example' style of coaching.

Team activities in the past included hosting the annual 12-hour SOS Children's Villages soccer game; organizing a Valentine's Day teddy bear drive for the pediatric ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and indoor and March Break soccer programs; visiting seniors' homes; participating in the Alzheimer's Society of PEI's Christmas house tours, the Tim Horton's Food Drive and several other food bank initiatives, and the IWK Hospital Radiothon. Redmond and his UPEI team have also organized and conducted fitness sessions twice a week to engage Tremploy clients in physical activity.

'Community engagement, and appreciation in return, provides a wonderful experience for student-athletes, and helps enhance team spirit and success,' added Ron Annear, director of Athletics at UPEI. 'We are inspired by Mike's leadership and dedication to community, and his ability to instill these great qualities in the members of the Women's Soccer team-- they truly exemplify what means to be a student-athlete at UPEI.'

Redmond has high hopes that his winning streak continues as the team heads into the AUS championship this weekend at Acadia. UPEI finished in first place during league play and is a legitimate contender for the CIS title when they host the CIS Women's Soccer Championship, November 11-14.

The Faculty of Education invites you to an Open House, 3rd floor, Memorial Hall, Wednesday, November 17, 4:30-7:30 pm. There will be a program presentation at 6:30 pm and displays on the BEd Specializations in Indigenous Education, International Education, French Education, BEd HRD, CAE, MEd and PhD programs. The Open House will include conversation time with students, faculty, and the Admissions Committee.