69´«Ã½

The Robertson Library at 69´«Ã½will be the site of a unique musical 'informance' on Tuesday, March 16. Cellist Julia MacLaine, violinist Jennifer Curtis, and violist Margaret Dyer will perform a lunchtime concert and chat with the audience in the library foyer from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This event is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

MacLaine, daughter of Dr. Brent MacLaine, chair of the 69´«Ã½English department, is one of today's prominent cellists. Critics have consistently singled her out for her rich tone, sweet, throbbing vibrato, and superb playing. She has performed at Carnegie Hall as a member of Ensemble ACJW and as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, North and South America, and Iceland. She is a member of The Knights Chamber Orchestra, The Beauséjour Trio, Troika, Tres Americas Project, and Pangea. With her duo partner, Ilya Kazantsev, she won a first prize in the Chamber Music Foundation of New England's 2008 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition. She studied with Antonio Lysy at McGill University, and with Timothy Eddy at The Juilliard School and the Mannes College of Music.

A winner of Astral's 2006 National Auditions, Curtis is also the recipient of the inaugural Milka/Astral violin prize, designated for a violinist invited to join the Astral Artists roster. Noted for her dynamic performances, she appears regularly as a featured soloist and collaborative chamber musician across the U.S. and abroad. She is also an accomplished composer; her works have been performed in New York City, Italy's Spoleto Festival, and the Verbier Festival de Musique in Switzerland, among others. She is the founder and director of the Tres Americas Project, a non-profit, community-focused exploration of the musical traditions of the Americas. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Mills College in California and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School.

Dyer has charmed audiences worldwide as a chamber musician and soloist in New York City's Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall in Boston, numerous venues in Europe, Mexico, and along the Amazon River in Peru. She is a founding member of the self-conducted string orchestra, A Far Cry, acclaimed by the Boston Globe as 'one of Boston's most promising classical music groups.' She has performed with musical personalities such as Roger Tapping, Markus Schirmer and Gil Kalish, and recorded with several non-classical artists, including Humanwine, Grizzly Bear, the Monolith and David Saw. An award-winning musician, she holds a bachelor's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a master's degree with academic distinction and graduate diploma from the New England Conservatory.

For information, contact Suzanne Jones, Robertson Library, at (902) 566-0393 or sjones@upei.ca

Dr. Heather Morrison, Chief Health Officer for PEI and a 69´«Ã½alumna (BSc 1991), will give a public presentation on Tuesday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m., in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium (Room 242), Don and Marion McDougall Hall.

A reception will follow in Schurman Market Square. This is the third and final presentation in the 69´«Ã½Student Union's 2010 Inspiring Speakers series.

Dr. Morrison graduated from 69´«Ã½with a BSc in 1991. She was the first graduate of UPEI-and the first woman from Prince Edward Island-to attend Oxford University in England as a Rhodes Scholar. There she completed her master's and doctorate degrees, with an emphasis on Comparative Social Research and Social Policy, with a particular focus on health care.

She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Dalhousie, and did her medical training in Community Medicine and an Emergency Medicine Fellowship at the University of Toronto. She became Chief Health Officer of PEI in July 2007, and continues to work part-time in the Emergency Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Dr. Morrison lives in Charlottetown with her husband and two young daughters, aged 18 months and three years.

For information about her presentation, contact the 69´«Ã½Student Union at (902) 566-0530.

Professor Mark Lapping of the University of Southern Maine will give a public talk about food security on Thursday, March 18, at UPEI.

The Institute of Island Studies is hosting this event from noon to 1 p.m. in the Main Building Faculty Lounge. People are invited to bring their own "brown bag" lunch; drinks and sweets will be provided.

A newly appointed research associate with the Institute, Lapping will speak about food security as it relates to rural areas, land use policy and community planning. He is currently working on a project in Cumberland County, Maine, to identify vulnerable populations, assess their levels of food insecurity and develop a plan to tie them together with food banks, farmers, farmers' markets and other agencies to address food insecurity problems.

As a result of this project, he is working with Maine's Good Shepherd Food Bank to determine how the food bank will provide an estimated 36,000,000 meals this year to hungry people, using more local food production and sources. He is part of a group that is working to establish a system of community foundations to handle what will be one of the largest transfers of wealth in American history over the next 20 years.

Lapping is the Distinguished Professor of Planning and Public Policy at the University of Southern Maine. He is author of eight books and several hundred chapters, articles and papers, and sits on the board of directors of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. He has been working on food security issues for close to 20 years.

For more information, contact the Institute of Island Studies at (902) 566-0386.

Dr. Alison Neilson of the University of the Azores, Portugal, will give a presentation called 'Environmental Justice--Creative Collaborations for Challenging Stories' at 69´«Ã½on Thursday, March 18.

Neilson's talk will take place in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, from 7-8:30 p.m. She is one of three candidates for the position of director of environmental studies at UPEI.

She will explore the relevance of environmental justice to research, teaching and community development in PEI. She will also examine how seeking environmental justice can support innovative collaboration for dealing with complex environmental issues on islands, drawing from her research with environmental educators from Brazil, Iran, Colombia, Tanzania, Paraguay, and Canada; and fishers in the Azores, Portugal and outport Newfoundland. She will highlight concrete examples of practices that seek environmental justice and engage the audience in short activities for overcoming barriers of language and drawing out multiple perspectives.

For more information, please contact Dr. Pamela Courtenay-Hall, 69´«Ã½Philosophy Department and Environmental Studies Program, at (902) 894-2838 or pcourtenay@upei.ca.

Students who take part in a national survey for the 2011 Globe and Mail Canadian University Report will have a chance to win a $100 cash prize; a $50 or $25 69´«Ã½Bookstore certificate; and a PC Notebook valued at approximately $500!

The Globe and Mail Canadian University Report online survey is active now and will be available until April 30, 2010. It should take you approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Edyta Kaznowska at ekaznowska@higheredstrategy.com

to complete the survey:

Lee Danisch, president and founder of Measurand Inc. of Fredericton, NB will give a public presentation from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 18 in MacDougall Hall, Room 242. His topic will be "Snake Sales: The customer is always right"--Talking about Technology, Business and Entrepreneurship. Everyone is welcome.

Danisch was the recipient of the 2007 . His business illustrates a successful experience in taking unique ideas developed in New Brunswick to the world stage. He has shown that innovation in a small city in Atlantic Canada can take on the big players around the world and win. This talk outlines some experiences he has had taking Measurand from a basement business to an award-winning, growing company.

Supporting entrepreneurship and encouraging business development are the key objectives of a new LaunchPad business incubator at the 69´«Ã½.
LaunchPad at 69´«Ã½provides a professional setting for students to start a business. In addition to the use of a furnished office space and access to communications technologies, the students benefit from the services of professional mentors at the university's School of Business.
'The introduction of the LaunchPad program to 69´«Ã½means that full-time student entrepreneurs will now have access to the infrastructure and support needed to start a business while completing their business degree,' said Hon. Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning. 'My department is committed to partnering with the business community and post-secondary institutions in an effort to strengthen our business community and labour force.'
'The 69´«Ã½ is pleased to partner with the Province and Innovation PEI to promote entrepreneurship,' said Dr Roberta MacDonald, dean of the School of Business. 'The LaunchPad program complements the philosophy of the University and the School of Business. We believe in inspiring excellence in our students by working together so students can pursue their dreams and realize their ambitions in life and in business.'
Two students have already been accepted as the LaunchPad participants for the 2010 year. They are Nicholas MacLeod and Erica Wagner. MacLeod's Future Web Design provides clients with a complete package of internet options such as web development, e-commerce and IT technical support.
'Business is continually evolving with the advancement in technology and the capabilities of the internet,' said MacLeod. 'My clients' needs range from a basic website to effectively promote their business, up to a site with e-commerce capability.'
Erica Wagner focuses on Social Media Marketing as a business tool and Personal Branding. Services range from logo creation to an affordable, seamless and integrated marketing campaign for small businesses on PEI.
LaunchPad business incubator facilities are also available at Holland College, the Atlantic Technology Centre in Charlottetown, and the Holman Building in Summerside.
For more information, visit or contact Joan Fleming at the 69´«Ã½School of Business at jofleming@upei.ca about LaunchPad at UPEI.

The 69´«Ã½Co-operative Education Office is inviting PEI employers in private-sector businesses to hire talented Co-op students who are available for 12-16 week work terms. These work terms run during the May-August, September-December, and January-April periods.

'Our students are highly motivated, bright, hard working and possess many of the valuable skills needed in today's work place. These students are serious about their education and are keen to contribute to the success of any business and/or organization,' says Ernie Doiron, Coordinator of UPEI's Business Co-op Program. The program began in 1996 and has grown in popularity with PEI employers ever since.

Wage incentives are available for 50 per cent of a student's hourly wage, up to a maximum contribution of $7.50 per hour. Employers are eligible to this receive this assistance for up to 16 weeks.

For more information on this employment opportunity, contact Ernie Doiron at edoiron@upei.ca

The 69´«Ã½ will confer honorary degrees on four outstanding people during Convocation on Saturday, May 8, in recognition of their leadership and service in public and community life.

The honorary graduands are the Honourable Patrick G. Binns, Canada's ambassador to Ireland; Donald N. MacKenzie, a leader in the PEI potato industry; Judy Bragg, a philanthropist and active participant in rural community affairs; and Harry Snow, a well-known figure in the construction industry who has served as a mentor for young entrepreneurs.

The convocation ceremonies will take place in the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Binns will address graduates attending the morning convocation, and Bragg will speak at the afternoon ceremony.

The Honourable Patrick G. Binns was appointed Canada's Ambassador to Ireland in 2007. He served for 11 years as premier of PEI, four years as an MP for the riding of Cardigan, and six years as a provincial minister in various portfolios including industry, fisheries, and community affairs. Before entering politics, he worked with the PEI Rural Development Council.

Donald N. MacKenzie's far-sightedness in the potato industry led to the development of major seed varieties in PEI and improvements in potato handling and transportation. He was named to the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2008, and as an Honorary Lifetime Director of the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts in 2000.

Summerside native Judy Bragg now lives in Collingwood, NS. She has played a strong leadership role in her family and community throughout the development of her family's business, the Bragg Group of Companies. Founded by her husband John, the companies are major players in the processing of wild blueberries and other agricultural products. Through their family foundation, Judy and John Bragg have supported several universities, including UPEI.

The Mawi'omi Aboriginal Resource Centre at 69´«Ã½will host its third annual aboriginal festival on March 24 and 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the campus.

Connecting Aboriginal Cultures: Embracing the Past, Celebrating Our Future will take place in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre and the Main Building Faculty Lounge at UPEI. The festival is free and open to all ages.

Members of the local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities will share their cultures in a mini powwow through dancing, drumming, singing, talking circles, traditional teachings, crafts, artist demonstrations, games, food, and activities for all ages and more. Artists, community leaders and elders will share their wisdom during the festival. Well-known dancer, drummer and singer Garland Joe Augustine from Elsipogtog, New Brunswick, will emcee the two-day festival.

National aboriginal role model Jessica Yee, from the Mohawk Nation, will give the keynote address on Wednesday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. Yee is founder and executive director of the Native Sexual Health Network, a North America-wide organization working on issues of healthy sexuality, reproductive justice, cultural competency and youth empowerment. She is the 2009 recipient of the YWCA Young Woman of Distinction award, and was named one of 20 International Women's Health Heroes by Our Bodies, Our Blog.

Author and newspaper editor Julie Pellissier-Lush will give a writing workshop on Thursday, March 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre. Pellissier-Lush wrote a book called My Mi'kmaq Mother to pay tribute to her mother but also to preserve in writing her history and culture for future generations. She is editor of the provincial aboriginal newspaper Kwimu Messenger, published by the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island.

Partnering with the Mawi'omi Aboriginal Resource Centre are UPEI, the Native Council of Prince Edward Island, the Aboriginal Women's Association of Prince Edward Island and the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island. The Centre has received funding for the festival from Canadian Heritage's Building Community through Arts and Heritage program.

Established in 2009, the Mawi'omi Aboriginal Resource Centre provides students with the opportunity to celebrate and share with others the cultural diversity of Aboriginal peoples on campus and throughout the community.

For more information, contact project manager Julie Bull at (902) 620-5125 or jbull@upei.ca, or visit the festival .