69´«Ã½

The 69´«Ã½ is in search of future leaders, and it's prepared to give generously to find them. The university has announced the "Leaders of Tomorrow" scholarships, $2,000 entrance scholarships for students who have proven through their work in school and community that they have leadership skills and potential.

It's a new approach to scholarships for the university, and one that seeks to award students for more than their academic achievement. "We realize that there are all kinds of factors that go into making a leader," says 69´«Ã½Registrar Alan Buchanan, "and they can't always be measured by school marks alone."

There are 13 Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarships available, and they will go to first-year entering students who have shown their leadership skills through their work in school organizations like student council, SADD and peer education, through community work in organizations like 4H, Allied Youth and JCs, or through other volunteer work.

"At UPEI, we see our role as educating and cultivating the next generation of leaders," says 69´«Ã½President Wade MacLauchlan. "We have a strong history of 69´«Ã½graduates going on to distinguish themselves in public life, in business or in community service. These awards will help us identify students whose past actions have shown that they are likely to be leaders in the future."

In addition to the monetary value of the award, one of the benefits will be membership on the 69´«Ã½Student Advisory Committee. The committee will provide university officials with advice and direction on student life and student engagement on campus.

69´«Ã½now offers more than $2 million in student scholarships and awards. The new Leaders of Tomorrow scholarships were created through the University's general scholarship fund. Anyone interested in supporting the fund through a charitable donation may do so by contacting Rose at 566-0615 or donating online at .

Applications for the Leaders of Tomorrow scholarships are available at the Registrar's Office, on the 69´«Ã½website at , and at high school Guidance offices. Deadline for applications is April 15, 2007.

69´«Ã½will celebrate Co-operative Education Week March 19and#150;23 as part of a national celebration for all post-secondary institutions in Canada. The goal is to let high school and university students know that they can travel the province, the country, and the world through co-op programs. Since 1996, 69´«Ã½students have completed more than 1,000 work placements locally, nationally, and internationally and earned more than $5 million in salaries. Currently, Business Administration, Computer Science, and Physics students are working as far away as the United States, Scotland, Ireland, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.

Fourth-year Business Co-op student Megan Killorn is someone who knows the program first-hand. The 21-year-old native of Cornwall has just spent seven months in Dublin, Ireland, doing back-to-back co-op placements at the Allied Irish Bank and the Bank of New York Funds Management (Ireland) Limited, working in rates management and investment fund administration.

"I hadn't had much training in capital markets or investment, but my courses from the business school really helped," she says. "I was able to apply what I learned in the classroom to a real life job situation. Working at one of the biggest banks in Ireland was great because I got to experience a different culture while working for a big corporate company. Plus I love the Irish culture. The longer I was there, the more I realized how different my home culture was, and yet how similar."

Tom O'Donoghue of the Allied Irish Bank Global Treasury agrees that the experience is good for both parties. "The work placement is a great idea as it gives students a chance to experience an office environment and helps them form some opinions on the direction they want to take in their later careers. Our team looks after market data so it gives some broad insights into various financial products and how to use various tools to dig deeper and help improve their understanding."

O'Donoghue and his team were so impressed with the results of Megan's work term that they hired another 69´«Ã½student for the winter semester. Graeme McKillop, a third-year Business Co-op student from Summerside arrived in Dublin on January 10 to start his work term with the AIB group.

After graduating from Bluefield Megan had planned to go into international business at Carleton, but decided to complete her first year at UPEI. She soon discovered that the program far exceeded her expectations. "It is a lot more comprehensive than other programs. And the co-op program is great. Financial assistance is always available through 69´«Ã½and PEI Business Development. In my case, they paid for half my travel, visa, and travel insurance. It helps to be outgoing," she adds. "But I've never talked to a student who has gone abroad to work or study who hasn't said that it was the experience of a lifetime."

She learned recently that she had received an Export Development Canada International Business Scholarship, which is a nationwide scholarship for academic excellence and potential contribution to building Canada's international trade competency. "This is great news," says Megan, who hopes to go on to graduate school to study international business. "We're lucky to live in an age where there are so many opportunities!"

More information about Co-operative Education is available at

The Faculty of Science Graduate Studies and Research Day takes place on Thursday, March 22. Graduate students in Biology and Chemistry will present their research on a range of topics including the effects of cranberry extracts on inflammatory enzymes, corn borer larval infestation in potatoes, a possible animal model of schizophrenia, and the ecology of the sharp-tailed grouse in Prince Edward Island.

"Our graduate students conduct high-calibre research that enhances our research programs in Biology and Chemistry," says Dr. Christian Lacroix, Dean of the Faculty of Science. "This is an opportunity to celebrate and recognize our graduate students and the important role they have in our research programs."

The day will begin with opening remarks from Dr. Lacroix and President Wade MacLauchlan. This will be followed by a presentation by Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, 69´«Ã½Biology Department, who will speak about and#145;Interdisciplinary Approaches to Evaluating Food for Health."

The Graduate Studies and Research Day will run from 9 am to 4 pm in room 204 of the Duffy Science Centre. Here is the schedule of events:

9:10 Opening Remarks: Wade MacLauchlan, President of UPEI, Dr. Christian Lacroix, Dean of Science

Invited Research Seminar Presentation- Interdisciplinary Approaches to Evaluating Food for Health, Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, Associate Professor, Dept. of Biology.

10:00 Refreshment Break

10:15 Colleen MacDougall, Biology, Cranberry (Vaccinium Macrocarpon ) Extract Reduces Cytokine-induced Expression of Inflammatory Enzymes in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

10:30 Xiaofeng Yin, Biology, The Myths of Phyllotaxis

11:00 Kathryn Dau-Schmidt, Biology, European Corn Borer Eggs as an Indicator of ECB Larval Infestation in Potatoes

11:15 Adam Scanlan, Biology, Proposed Research on the Effects of Vaccinium Spp. on Reducing Oxidative Stress and Hypertension

11:30 Kim Miller, Chemistry, Synthesis and Characterization of Surface Modified Chitosan with Tetraazamacrocycles

11:45 Graduate Student Research Awards

12:00 Lunch

1:15 Malcolm MacLean, Biology, Whole Cranberry (Vaccinium Macrocarpon) Induces Apoptosis in DU145 Human Prostate Cancer Cells through the Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

1:30 Hao (Oliver) Xu, Chemistry, Novel Nanaocomposites of MoSe2 Intercalated by Polymers

1:45 Edward Francis, Biology, Oncostatin-M (OSM) Mediated regulation of RECK, EMMPRIN, and Associated Mediators of Metastasis in H-ras Transformed Murine Fibroblasts

2:00 Laura Burque, Biology, Observing KN1 Gene Expression in the Leaf Primordia of M. Aquaticum

2:15 Stephen Scully, Chemistry, Intercalation and subsequent polymerization of Aniline in HTiO2

2:30 Amber Adams, Biology, Overactivation of the Glutamate system During Early Development: A Possible animal Model for Schizophrenia

3:00 Brad Potter, Biology, The Ecology of Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus Phasianellus) in Prince Edward Island

3:15 Colin Burgoyne, Biology, Carotenoids Modulate Connexin-43 and Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression and Activity in a number of In Vitro Cancer Cell Models

3:30 Saskia Hart, Chemistry, Investigating Sterically Crowded Transition Metal Macrocycles and Supramolecular Host Guest Systems

3:45 Closing Remarks, Awards for the Best Research Day Presentations

69´«Ã½Students Big Winners in Provincial Budget: Tuition to Fall by 10 per cent.

Tuition will fall by 10 per cent at the 69´«Ã½ as a result of the April 10, 2007 provincial budget.

"Yesterday's budget means that 69´«Ã½undergraduate students and their families will benefit from tuition costs that are $1,200 below the average for Maritime universities," says 69´«Ã½President Wade MacLauchlan. "These commitments mean that 69´«Ã½will be an even more attractive value proposition for students, and that higher education is a clear winner in this budget."

In addition to providing funding to enable a reduction in undergraduate tuition, the budget:

---provides increased funding for UPEI's main campus operating budget of $1.4 million,

---indicates a commitment to provide future funding to limit tuition increases to two per cent annually,

---increases the value of Island Student Awards to $2000, over four years, with increases to $800 in each of third- and fourth-years, and

---enhances funding for student loans and increases income tax deductions for higher education.

"This budget will allow 69´«Ã½to continue offering a top-quality education in an affordable, accessible manner," says MacLauchlan.

69´«Ã½has experienced a dramatic rise in overall reputation and research rankings among Canadian universities, provides more than $2 million annually to students through scholarships and awards, and continues to successfully recruit and retain award-winning faculty. Eight 3M Teaching Fellowships (the top teaching award in Canada) have been awarded to Maritime universities since 2000. Half of these have gone to faculty at UPEI.

69´«Ã½is committed to excelling in the delivery of outstanding educational opportunities, leading in innovation, and producing the success stories and leaders of tomorrow. With a student body of more than 4,000 full- and part-time students, more than 700 full-time faculty and staff, and over 16,000 alumni, 69´«Ã½is a dynamic institution known for its momentum, synergy and results.

Fifty-five of the country's most outstanding young musicians will congregate at the 69´«Ã½ this weekend to begin four days of intensive rehearsals for their Maritime tour as members of the 2007 National Youth Band of Canada. Their first concert takes place at the Confederation Centre of the Arts on Tuesday, May 1, beginning at 7:30pm.

The National Youth Band of Canada provides an opportunity for young musicians between 16 and 21 to engage in intensive and#145;musicing' with a professional conductor and soloist, and to share and demonstrate their musical achievement and creativity. Each year this auditioned ensemble meets in a different location to rehearse before a performance tour of the region.

The band will feature guest soloist D'Arcy Philip Gray on percussion and UPEI's Dr. Karem J. Simon as Music Director. Dr. Simon is well known throughout this region for his work with the 69´«Ã½Wind Symphony which has recorded eight CDs under his direction. He has also directed a variety of provincial honour bands in PEI and Nova Scotia.

"It is my privilege to conduct this year's National Youth Band of Canada and I eagerly await our rehearsals and the opportunity to create wonderful music with these fine musicians," says Simon. "It is an unparalleled opportunity for the community to hear such a distinguished ensemble perform."

Prince Edward Island is well represented with five 69´«Ã½music students performing and#150; Third-year Meghan Harris on percussion; and fourth-year music education majors Karri Shea, clarinet; Steve Giddings, trombone; John Giberson, euphonium; and Genevieve Mullaly, tuba.

"This is the second time I have had the opportunity to participate in this esteemed ensemble, and I am very honored this year to have been given the responsibilities of principal clarinetist," says Karri Shea. "I look forward very much to seeing what Dr. Simon, one of the finest band directors in Canada, can lead us to accomplish."

"This year's programming reflects the rich diversity of our wind band genre's heritage," explains Karem Simon. "It will include original and transcribed classics by Jacob, Grainger, Bach, and Turina, complemented with contemporary works by Nelson, Menard, and Gillingham. In addition, vibraphone soloist D'Arcy Gray, one of Canada's pre-eminent percussionists, will be featured in a performance of Windhorse by Canadian composer Peter Hatch."

Tickets for Tuesday night's performance in Charlottetown are available at the Confederation Centre's Box Office. Performances are also scheduled for Amherst and Halifax.

The 69´«Ã½Senate Committee on the Enhancement of Teaching, through the Faculty Development Office, is pleased to announce that Dr. Etienne Coo of the Department of Companion Animals, Atlantic Veterinary College, has been chosen as the 2007 recipient of the Janet Pottie Murray Award for Educational Leadership.

The purpose of this award, created by English professor Dr. Shannon Murray to honour her mother, Janet Pottie Murray, is to encourage excellence in teaching and to recognize outstanding leadership in education on the campus of the 69´«Ã½. Says Dr. Coo, "Receiving the Janet Pottie Murray Award is a tremendous honour, especially considering who it is named after and what it represents."

In awarding the honour, the selection committee noted that Dr. Cotand#233; has "modeled good teaching and inspired his colleagues to think about their teaching in a deeper way." He has contributed in numerous ways to an open and enabling environment within the Department of Companion Animals at the Atlantic Veterinary College. New methods of teaching introduced to AVC by Dr. Cotand#233;, such as including students in veterinarian consultations, are now being adopted by fellow faculty, to the benefit of teachers and students alike.

Dr. Cotand#233;, along with more than 20 other teaching award recipients, will participate in the 2007 Hessian Retreat at Stanhope Beach Resort on May 31 and June 1. This retreat is a celebration of teaching excellence at 69´«Ã½over the last three years. The Hessian Retreat is sponsored under an endowment by the Quinn family in honour of Evelyn (Hessian) Quinn, the first female valedictorian at St. Dunstan's University in 1949, and her siblings Louise, Phyllis, and Fred.

As the Janet Pottie Murray Award recipient for 2007, Dr. Cotand#233; will be formally recognized in a presentation ceremony at the 69´«Ã½"Let's Talk Teaching" workshop on September 4.

Marcus Trenton, 69´«Ã½double-major in Mathematics and Computer Science, will travel to Namibia for the month of May and into June to research how different cultures approach and learn from websites.

"I'm astounded that I'm going to Africa. I always pictured Computer Science would let me explore the world from my living room. Now, I'm going to Namibia to connect with students there. I'll be experiencing their culture first-hand. When I first started university I would've never imagined this opportunity," says Trenton.

Trenton designed and built two versions of an AIDS awareness websiteand#151;one geared to Canadians and one to Namibiansand#8213;based on research on their cultural preferences. He has already presented the website to Canadian students at 69´«Ã½and will now do the same with students at the University of Namibia.

"Usually when a website is revamped for another culture the language and a few symbols would be changed," says Trenton. "I'm researching whether it would be worthwhile to do more in-depth changes to websites to localize them to specific cultures."

For example, he is looking at fundamental changes in the contentand structure of the website such as different photos, stories, and the overall tone and how all of this combines to affect learning in different cultures.

Accompanying Trenton is Professor David LeBlanc, Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at UPEI. Trenton's work is part of Professor LeBlanc's ongoing research program into cross-cultural interface design. The ultimate goal of this program is to develop a system to automatically translate interfaces such as websites, office software, or computer games from one culturally based design to another.

Trenton and Professor LeBlanc chose to build AIDS awareness websites because of the practical use it would have in Namibia. The websites contain information on the causes of AIDS and ways to prevent contracting the disease. They plan to give a copy of the website to the University when they leave.

The 69´«Ã½ will confer four honorary degrees at two convocations on Saturday, May 12. The honorary graduates will be Paul Giannelia, Donna Jane Campbell, Richard Homburg, and Kay MacPhee. Richard Homburg will deliver convocation address in the morning and Kay MacPhee will deliver the afternoon address.

"69´«Ã½Convocations offer a wonderful opportunity to recognize special individuals who have made outstanding contributions," says 69´«Ã½President Wade MacLauchlan. "We are delighted that, in 2007, we have four honorary degree recipients who ably meet our ultimate criterion, which is that, by honouring these individuals, we are honouring our University and our community."

Paul Giannelia, who is now based in Calgary, is a familiar face in PEI. He was a resident of the province while he led the development and construction of the Confederation Bridge, in the position of President and CEO of SC Infrastructure and Strait Crossing Inc. Significantly, this year marks the10th anniversary of the Confederation Bridge opening. The project was selected as one of the top five Canadian engineering achievements of the 20th Century. Paul Giannelia is the President and CEO of Resin Systems Inc. His company's principal activity is to develop and manufacture advanced composite products for large-scale industrial markets. He is a former director of the Canadian Construction Association. In 2000, he received the Lester B. Pearson CIAU National Award for a Canadian of distinction and accomplishment.

Donna Jane Campbell of Manilla, Ontario is an educator, environmentalist, and book collector. She has amassed the finest collection of L.M. Montgomery's work in the world and has pledged her entire collection to the L.M. Montgomery Institute at UPEI. It includes a complete set of rare first-editions, over 500 of Montgomery's short stories and poems in their original periodicals, numerous editions in translation, as well as reference works about L.M. Montgomery. Her gifts have turned UPEI's modest Montgomery collection into a world-class research archive. In addition to her active and generous support of the university, her community commitments include acting as secretary treasurer of her local historic church and carrying out extensive tree planting to enhance natural wildlife habitats.

Richard Homburg came to Canada from the Netherlands in the early 1970s and has since built a large business enterprise, mainly in real estate, with holdings across Canada, the United States and in Europe. In 2004 he was selected as Entrepreneur of the Year for the Atlantic provinces. His firm has undertaken significant developments in Charlottetown, including the Confederation Court Mall, the Dundee Arms, and The Northumberland, a new condominium complex. These developments, and future plans, are founded in his vision to enhance to the urban character of the city. His community involvements have included serving as President and Director of the Investment Property Owners of Nova Scotia, Evangeline Trust, and the World Trade Centre in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Kay MacPhee is the creator and co-founder of Spell-Read Canada, a PEI business success story. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and went on to spend 25 years learning and developing techniques to enable hearing-impaired people to develop language and reading skills. She began this quest initially to help her son who was born profoundly deaf and she later became Principal of the PEI School for the Hearing Impaired. Spell-Read is an innovative education system that helps children and adults with learning disabilities and/or reading difficulties to achieve literacy. She founded the business in 1994 and began to expand it throughout the Eastern Seaboard in 1998. She sold Spell-Read in 2006 to Kaplan Inc. of New York who plan to use the program in public schools throughout the US.

More information about 69´«Ã½Convocation 2007 is available at

Three faculty members at the 69´«Ã½ have been recognized for their outstanding performance in teaching. Dr. Rabin Bissessur, Dr. Nola Etkin, and Dr. Leigh Lamont have each received a Hessian Merit Award for Excellence in Teaching. The awards are supported through an endowment to the University by the Hessian family of Georgetown. Louise Hessian presented plaques and cheques to the recipients during a Faculty Recognition Reception held recently. The reception was jointly sponsored by the 69´«Ã½Faculty Association and the Office of the President.

Since joining 69´«Ã½in 1999, Dr. Rabin Bissessur has distinguished himself as a dynamic teacher who has developed a reputation among his students as a "chemistry maniac". Students typically remark that they really look forward to his classes. He encourages them to participate in class discussions and to ask questions. He engages students through his use of humour, and they acknowledge that the jovial classroom atmosphere helps to motivate them to learn.

Dr. Bissessur clearly possesses a passionate concern for his students. In class, he explores multiple ways of communicating essential ideas at a level that the students can understand. Outside of class, he welcomes discussions, and students frequently seek him out for help with a course-related problem or just for some practical advice. The generosity with which he gives of himself contributes directly to his students' success. As one student has remarked, "I have seen him spend upwards of four hours helping in a tutorial, not leaving if students still have questions."

Dr. Bissessur is an extremely busy (and sought-after) research supervisor. The fact that many of these students appear regularly as co-authors of scholarly papers is a testament to his mentoring abilities.

Dr. Nola Etkin has been teaching at 69´«Ã½for the last nine years, sharing her expertise in organic chemistry. She reaches and inspires students with her down-to-earth personality, and her expert handling of pedagogical strategies and tools that emphasize the process of learning itself, not simply the content. She involves students in active learning with activities and experiences that help to connect the lesson with the students' lived realities.

Dr. Etkin has been active in the scholarship of teaching, having delivered many presentations on aspects of teaching chemistry at national symposia. She has developed teaching initiatives, including new lab experiments designed to increase student understanding of concepts and procedures while also presenting a problem that is highly relevant to the students' lived experience. For example, in one lab, students ferment sugar to produce ethanol and then purify it, learning in the process the production methods used by industry to prepare alcohol.

Students appreciate the fact that Dr. Etkin makes them her priority. She inspires them to want to know more, to achieve more, and to view their discipline as connected with their culture.

Since 2002, Dr. Leigh Lamont has contributed to the teaching of second-to fourth-year DVM students at the Atlantic Veterinary College, focusing on instruction in anesthesiology. With her patient and professional demeanor, she assuages the anxieties of students who are learning in the presence of animals in pain. She supports and encourages her students to hone their problem-solving skills while challenging them to achieve high standards. She encourages them to try new procedures and to respond creatively to unusual situations, while ensuring that they develop informed opinion based on clear scientific evidence. In the process, she helps her students to make the crucial transition from classroom learners to clinical practitioners.

Dr. Lamont has been responsible for a number of pedagogical innovations, including the creation of short, narrated video demonstrations of fundamental procedures in clinical anesthesia with canine patients. Students can access these on DVD and online, allowing them to become thoroughly familiar with the details of a particular procedure before experiencing it with a live patient. Dr. Lamont's students frequently note her contagious enthusiasm that invariably infects her classes.