精童欲女

The 精童欲女 named two of its distinguished faculty members as the recipients of the Jeanne and J.-Louis L茅vesque Research Professorships in Nutrisciences and Health. Dr. Andrew Tasker, professor of neuropharmacology at 精童欲女鈥檚 Atlantic Veterinary College, and Dr. Travis Saunders, assistant professor of Applied Human Sciences, will each be supported over the next three years with an annual grant of $10,000 and up to $25,000 annually to permit replacement for teaching or other duties.

鈥溇�童欲女 is grateful for the generous and long-standing support of the Fondation J.-Louis L茅vesque, which makes possible the recognition of some of the university's most creative and productive scientists,鈥� said Dr. Robert Gilmour, Vice-President Academic and Research at 精童欲女. 鈥淲e are particularly pleased that we are able to support the research programs of both an established investigator, in Dr. Tasker, and an emerging investigator, in Dr. Saunders, both of whom promise to make immediate and lasting contributions to nutrisciences and health.鈥�

As a Jeanne and J.-Louis L茅vesque research professor, Dr. Andrew Tasker will continue his explorations of normal and abnormal brain function. In this role, he will examine major depression and investigate why anti-depressant medications often take weeks to become effective, and in up to 50% of cases, never become effective. Tasker will determine if ginsenosides, the active ingredients in ginseng, have the potential to improve the effectiveness of current anti-depressants.

鈥淚 am extremely grateful for the generosity of the L茅vesque family,鈥� said Dr. Tasker. 鈥淭he funding they are providing will allow me to better investigate both the neurobiological basis of depression and to evaluate a new and potentially important approach to improving the effectiveness of antidepressant therapy鈥�.

Dr. Travis Saunders鈥� research as a Jeanne and J.-Louis L茅vesque research professor will examine the relationship between sedentary behaviour and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Recent research shows screen-based sedentary behaviour especially is associated with these negative effects. Surprisingly, these effects are not due to lack of energy expended, but due to increased food intake that results from screen-based behaviours.

鈥淲e know that screen time is linked to excess food intake, but we don't understand what is responsible for that relationship. I am thrilled and honoured to receive the L茅vesque Professorship, which will allow my students and me to investigate the links between sedentary behaviours and chronic disease,鈥� said Dr. Saunders.

The professorships are supported by the Fondation J.-Louis L茅vesque: a generous supporter of health research at universities and institutes across the country. J.-Louis L茅vesque graduated from Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University in 1934 and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws in 1964. Suzanne L茅vesque, daughter of J.-Louis and president and CEO of his namesake foundation, was awarded an honorary doctor of laws from 精童欲女 in 2006.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very lucky at 精童欲女 to have such a long and prosperous relationship with the L茅vesque family, stretching back further than even the name 精童欲女,鈥� said Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President and Vice-Chancellor of 精童欲女. 鈥淪o I feel it鈥檚 safe to say ours is a special relationship with the Fondation J.-Louis L茅veque, and that their support has helped immensely in growing 精童欲女鈥檚 capacity in the area of health research.鈥�

The 精童欲女 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥斁�童欲女 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 精童欲女 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Denise Happ, a master鈥檚 student at 精童欲女鈥檚 Atlantic Veterinary College, has been awarded a prestigious and highly competitive fellowship from Denmark鈥檚 Aarhus University (AU). The Mobility Fellowship from AU Graduate School of Health provides three years of support to complete a PhD jointly between AU and 精童欲女. Happ will work under the co-supervision of AU鈥檚 Dr. Gregers Wegener and Dr. Andrew Tasker, a professor of neuropharmacology at 精童欲女.

Happ鈥檚 graduate research project is entitled, 鈥淚nteractions between Nicotinergic and Serotonergic Systems in Major Depression and Anxiety: implications for antidepressant non-responders.鈥� She will use powerful technology to better understand why certain anti-depressant drugs take several weeks to become effective, and in many cases, aren鈥檛 effective at all.

鈥淚 am very honoured to have been awarded this fellowship from Aarhus University,鈥� said Denise Happ. 鈥淭his is an exciting opportunity to further my studies and the collaborative nature of the project allows me to draw on the expertise from researchers at both 精童欲女 and AU. I hope my research will be able to elucidate some of the mechanisms underlying depression.鈥�

Depression is a common mental health problem affecting the lives of many individuals with severe consequences for society. Although numerous antidepressants are on the market, they typically require weeks of therapy to become effective, and about 30-50 per cent of patients fail to show a substantial clinical response to conventional antidepressant therapy. 

While the exact mechanisms causing depression are still poorly understood, the body鈥檚 inability to regulate a chemical called serotonin plays a major role. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) increase extracellular serotonin concentrations, but although SSRIs have an immediate effect on serotonin levels, the therapeutic response can take several weeks and some patients never do respond to these drugs.  This suggests that other systems are also involved in the action of SSRIs.

Happ鈥檚 project will use specialized animal models of depression, combined with powerful technologies for live imaging of brain function and molecular analysis of chemical interactions in the brain, to try to better understand the biological basis of depression and the actions of SSRIs.

鈥淒enise is an exceptional student, and I am delighted that AU has given her this opportunity to advance her career in both Denmark and PEI,鈥� said Dr. Andrew Tasker. 鈥淚 have every confidence that her work will contribute significantly to our understanding and treatment of this devastating disorder.鈥�

鈥淐ongratulations to Ms. Happ and Dr. Tasker for securing this major award, which recognizes Ms. Happ's outstanding work as a Master's student and her promise as a researcher, as well as Dr. Tasker's long and productive history in identifying the underlying biochemical mechanisms for neurological diseases and their treatment. The collaboration between 精童欲女 and Aarhus University promises to provide important insights into depression and anxiety that might not emerge from either institution alone,鈥� said Dr. Robert Gilmour, vice-president academic and research at 精童欲女.

The 精童欲女 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥斁�童欲女 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 精童欲女 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

精童欲女 Women鈥檚 Basketball Head Coach Greg Gould is pleased to announce Lauren Shallow has committed to the Panthers for the upcoming 2016-17 season.

Shallow, a 5鈥�10鈥欌�� honours student, attended Waterford Valley High School in St. Johns鈥� NFLD where she helped the Warriors to a 30-1 record, including the AAAA provincial championship. Shallow led her team in scoring with 31 points in the championship game and was named tournament MVP.

 鈥淚 am excited to be joining the 精童欲女 Panthers, to my continued growth as a player and to making whatever contribution possible to our team,鈥� said Shallow. 鈥淚 look forward to playing CIS basketball while receiving a quality education from a university with a great academic reputation.鈥�

鈥淟auren is a multi-skilled player who should fit seamlessly into our system,鈥� said Gould. 鈥淪he has the ability to score and defend multiple positions. Lauren has been a part of a basketball program with a winning tradition, and I look forward to working with her.鈥�

Shallow has been accepted into the 精童欲女 Faculty of Arts program.

About 精童欲女 Athletics and Recreation

• Nine varsity sports and six club team programs
• Proud member of the AUS and CIS
• Athletic facilities include: Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, 精童欲女 Alumni Canada Games Place
• Home of Panther Sports Medicine
• Other facilities available to students and the community at large include: fitness centre, squash and racquetball courts, competition and leisure pool with hot tub, and two ice arenas

精童欲女鈥檚 Island Studies Press will mark two firsts with its book launch on Wednesday, July 13, 7 pm, at Upstreet Craft Brewery on Allen Street in Charlottetown. Time and a Place: An Environmental History of PEI is the first environmental history of Prince Edward Island and the first such history of any Canadian province. Everyone is welcome to attend the gala event.

Time and a Place tracks Prince Edward Island鈥檚 changes from the Ice Age to the Information Age. Its 12 essays explore the people鈥檚 interactions with the Island鈥檚 marine and terrestrial environment from its prehistory to its recent past. Beginning with PEI鈥檚 history as a blank slate鈥揳 land scraped by ice and then surrounded by rising seas鈥搕his mosaic of essays documents the arrival of flora, fauna, and humans, and the different ways these inhabitants have lived in this place over time.

鈥淭he chapters complement and build on each other,鈥� says Matthew Hatvany of Universit茅 Laval. 鈥�Time and a Place will undoubtedly put PEI on the map of Canadian environmental history and will be used as a model for other regions that as yet have nothing of the kind to compare with it.鈥�

With its long and well-documented history, Prince Edward Island is a compelling case study for thousands of years of human interaction with a specific ecosystem. The pastoral landscapes, red sandstone cliffs, and small fishing villages of Canada鈥檚 鈥済arden province鈥� are appealing because they appear timeless, but they are constructed as much by culture as by the ebb and flow of the tides.

Time and a Place is edited by three Island scholars, historians Edward MacDonald of 精童欲女 and Joshua MacFadyen of Arizona State University, and marine biologist Irene Novaczek. One of the book鈥檚 strengths is the diversity among its 15 contributors, whose disciplines range from environmental history and archaeology to geography, biology, and island studies. The book is co-published by Island Studies Press and McGill-Queens University Press. At 416 pages with 60 black and white images, it is available in both soft- and hard-cover editions at bookstores across the Island.

For more detail on the book, see 鈥淩ecent Titles鈥� at upei.ca/isp, or contact Joan Sinclair at Island Studies Press, ispstaff@upei.ca

The 精童欲女 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥斁�童欲女 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 精童欲女 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Dr. Ryan O鈥機onnor, a historical consultant, writer, and graduate of the 精童欲女, was recently honoured with the J.J. Talman Award from the Ontario Historical Society (OHS) for his book The First Green Wave: Pollution Probe and the Origins of Environmental Activism in Ontario, published by UBC Press.

The First Green Wave traces the emergence of the environmental movement in Ontario from its beginning in the late 1960s to the 1980s. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including the memories of many of those people directly involved in the creation of Pollution Probe and other organizations, Dr. O鈥機onnor鈥檚 book illustrates how concerned citizens laid the groundwork for environmental action by pioneering ways to publicize environmental issues, raise funds for the movement, and work effectively with diverse interest groups.

The award was presented at the annual general meeting of the Ontario Historical Society at the Ontario Legislative Assembly in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. O鈥機onnor was also honoured at the event as co-recipient of the OHS Riddell Award, which recognizes the best article on Ontario history published in the previous year. He received the award with co-author Dr. Owen Temby for 鈥淧roperty, Technology and Environmental Policy: The Politics of Acid Rain in Ontario, 1978-1985,鈥� published in The Journal of Policy History.

Dr. Edward MacDonald, chair of the 精童欲女 Department of History, applauded Dr. O鈥機onnor鈥檚 achievement. 鈥淩yan is a first-rate historian. We are proud to call him one of our own, and to have had some small part in launching his scholarly career.鈥�

Congratulations, Dr. O鈥機onnor!

The 精童欲女 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥斁�童欲女 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 精童欲女 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Green thumbs from across the 精童欲女 campus recently came together to plant St. Dunstan鈥檚 Gardens. Vegetables grown in the gardens will be used by the Soup for the Soul project, which provides free healthy soup once a month as an outreach of the 精童欲女 Chaplaincy Centre.

St. Dunstan鈥檚 Gardens are planted at two locations: the south side of the 精童欲女 Chaplaincy Centre and at The Mount Continuing Care Community adjacent to 精童欲女. The gardens are made possible by a wellness grant from the Prince Edward Island Department of Health and Wellness, as an initiative of the PEI Wellness Strategy. They are also supported by Vesey鈥檚 Seeds, the Cooper Institute, Van Kampen鈥檚 Greenhouse and The Mount Continuing Care Community.

鈥淚t's a wonderful way to be a part of campus life, it鈥檚 a wonderful way to be a part of student life, and also network with the community outside,鈥� said Sister Sue Kidd in an .

鈥淲e have access to food, but sometimes it鈥檚 not high quality food. It鈥檚 not highly nutritious food,鈥� said Rosana Queiroz, a student involved in the project. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to have the students involved in vegetables, which are high in vitamins and minerals. So they can have access to nutritious food.鈥�

Food grown in St. Dunstan鈥檚 Gardens will be harvested this fall and used by students and volunteers at 精童欲女 to prepare the soups. 鈥淚t is so exciting to see the dream of having students plant, harvest, and prepare vegetables for the Soup program come to life. Equally exciting is the discussions among faculty from Foods and Nutrition, Education, and Environmental Studies of how they plan to use these gardens and vegetables in their teaching,鈥� said Dr. Colleen Walton, an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences.

The 精童欲女 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and St. Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥斁�童欲女 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 精童欲女 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, recently announced that 45 social sciences and humanities research projects have been awarded federal funds to assess and mobilize knowledge in the areas of emerging technologies, energy, and natural resources in Canada. Among the successful projects is one by Dr. Sean Wiebe, associate professor of education at the 精童欲女. Dr. Wiebe鈥檚 proposal, 鈥淩e-Envisioning Education for Individual, Community and Societal Well-being in a Digital Era,鈥� will be supported by a $25,000 Knowledge Synthesis Grant (KSG) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Dr. Wiebe will work in collaboration with the Learning Partners Advisory Council and other education stakeholders to explore how education can best prepare students for the realities of the perpetually evolving and potentially enigmatic knowledge-based economy.

鈥溇�童欲女鈥檚 Faculty of Education has been at the forefront of digital economy research for some time,鈥� said Dr. Wiebe. 鈥淭his work builds on important efforts initiated by Dr. Martha Gabriel, Dr. Ron MacDonald, Dr. Sandy McAuley, and Dr. Barb Campbell.鈥�

This project is in response to a changing economy that is increasingly difficult to create strategies to educate and train workers for. Gone are the days where higher skills earn better jobs creating a better economy. As domestic labour trends move towards part-time, contract, and precarious work, and decreased unionization, education needs to focus on a new set of skills, unlike those required for 20^th century success.

鈥淒r. Wiebe is an internationally recognized leader in innovative approaches to education in the digital age and, as such, it is encouraging and appropriate to have his work supported by SSHRC,鈥� said Dr. Robert Gilmour, Vice-President Academic and Research at 精童欲女.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports postsecondary-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Through its programs, SSHRC contributes to innovations that will improve the lives of Canadians, and works to develop talented leaders for all sectors of society. SSHRC disburses more than $345 million in funding annually to support more than 8,300 research projects.

Dr. George McRobie died in Charlottetown on Friday, July 2. The trajectory of his remarkable life took him from his birthplace of Moscow (1925), through his childhood in northern Scotland, his highly successful career in London and throughout the world, and finally here to Prince Edward Island, his half-time home since 2009. He was a man of great personal warmth and charm, much beloved by his many friends on the Island.

McRobie achieved fame through his close association with the British economist E.F. Schumacher and what could be called the 鈥淪mall Is Beautiful鈥� movement. They first met while Schumacher was Economic Advisor to the National Coal Board. For Schumacher, international attention came with the publication of Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered, in 1973. This seminal work has been named by the Times Literary Supplement as one of the 100 most influential books published since World War II.

As well as being a fine theorist, Schumacher was also a remarkable man of action, and in McRobie he found a willing and capable colleague. Together they were founders of the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) in 1966, a UK-based NGO specializing in creating small-scale technology for developing countries. In 2005, the ITDG changed its name to Practical Action, and today it claims that 鈥渆very year we help over one million people out of poverty.鈥�

Schumacher and McRobie both served stints as President of the Soil Association, the main British organization promoting the use of organic agriculture.   

For rather obvious reasons, the book Small Is Beautiful found a ready audience in Prince Edward Island. In 1975, McRobie first visited the Island, where he spoke to the Legislative Assembly at the invitation of Premier Alex Campbell.

With Schumacher鈥檚 death in 1977, the mantle of leadership fell on the shoulders of McRobie. In 1981 he published his book Small Is Possible 鈥� a 鈥渇actual account about who is doing what, where, to put into practice the ideas expressed in E. F. Schumacher鈥檚 SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL.鈥� McRobie鈥檚 purview encompassed the whole world; and in the chapter on Canada, he lauded the Island鈥檚 Institute of Man and Resources as one of 鈥渢he two most striking and imaginative programmes鈥� he had encountered in our country.

In later years, McRobie鈥檚 ties to the Island were strengthened when he was invited back on several occasions, at the invitation of the Institute of Island Studies, as an advisor on worker co-operatives and sustainable agriculture. In 1989, he was awarded an Honorary Degree by 精童欲女.

Dr. McRobie also has a close association with the Sir Andrew Macphail Foundation. This began in 1990 when he was tasked by the Institute of Island Studies to write a report outlining a vision for the Homestead in the demonstration and promotion of sustainable farming and forestry. Since 2011, the Homestead has hosted an annual George McRobie Lecture on the subject of sustainable agriculture 鈥� and George attended all five of these. The guest speaker at the inaugural McRobie Lecture was Patrick Holden, founder and head of The Sustainable Food Trust, and a friend of McRobie鈥檚 during the years they worked together at the Soil Association.

On a more personal note, George鈥檚 residency on the Island in recent years is entirely due to the sustainable devotion of his wife Susanne Manovill, friends since he visited here in the 1980s. In 2009 George was a widower, and Susanne invited him to return for a visit. Since then, Susanne and George have been inseparable.   

Harry Baglole of Bonshaw is a former Director of 精童欲女鈥檚 Institute of Island Studies.

精童欲女 hosted the first international workshop on a new proposed technology called 鈥渄ew computing.鈥� Dew computing is a computing model which appeared after the wide acceptance of cloud computing. Cloud-dew architecture is a proposed technology which makes web surfing possible, even when not connected to the Internet. This architecture can also be used in Internet of Things (IoT) and other areas. brought together researchers in this exciting new field July 7 and 8 on the 精童欲女 campus.

While cloud computing uses centralized servers to provide various services, dew computing uses on-premises computers to provide decentralized, cloud-friendly, and collaborative micro services to end-users. Dew computing is an on-premises computer software-hardware organization paradigm in the cloud-computing environment, which is complementary to cloud computing.

Dew computing has just gone through its emerging stage. A few research groups contributed to dew computing from different angles. With dew computing being an emerging and fast-growing research area, it is necessary to bring researchers in this area together to exchange progress and to envision the path ahead.

The 精童欲女 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥斁�童欲女 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 精童欲女 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.