Press Release: Island Lecture Series | The Biogeography of North Atlantic Islands, with David Cairns

Charlottetown, PEI (February 13, 2024)—

Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Lecture Series on March 26 will island-hop across the northern North Atlantic to see who lives there and how they got there. Biogeography is the three-way crossroads of history, biology, and geography. For most of these islands; the Shetlands, the Faeroes, Iceland, and many others; this history started when bare land emerged from under melting ice about 10,000 years ago, with creatures soon arriving by wing or wind. Humans came too, some by primitive boats that we know almost nothing about. But history can also have recent beginnings, such as the explosive birth of Surtsey Island, off Iceland, in 1963. This talk recounts the rich biological traditions of island biogeography, and shows that their insights apply equally well to people.

David Cairns was born, surrounded by winter ice, on Prince Edward Island. Deliberately seeking out cold, barren, and dangerous places, especially if they are islands, he found them during his early research career in northern seabirds. He is now a Scientist Emeritus with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, an Adjunct Professor with the UPEI Biology Department, and an Arctic expedition naturalist with Lindblad Expeditions and Aurora Expeditions.

Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca


Press Release | Island Lecture Series and Book Launch

Charlottetown, PEI (January 9, 2024)—

Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Lecture Series on February 27 will celebrate the launch of The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism co-edited by Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings. This event will feature a discussion of the effect of bridges—be they physical or digital—on island life and culture. The lecture and launch will be held from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, UPEI campus.

Brinklow will present a humorous look at ferry crossings and how the various stages of the journey from the race to the dock to chatting with neighbours in the lineup can define island life. Jennings, beaming in from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge, will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. PEI contributor Janice Pettit will share her interviews with island residents on how the Confederation bridge has affected “the Island way of life” 26½ years later. The event is free and all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase.



Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca


Charlottetown, PEI (January 9, 2024)—

Presented by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, the Lecture Series on February 27 will celebrate the launch of The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism co-edited by Laurie Brinklow and Andrew Jennings. This event will feature a discussion of the effect of bridges—be they physical or digital—on island life and culture. The lecture and launch will be held from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, UPEI campus.

Brinklow will present a humorous look at ferry crossings and how the various stages of the journey from the race to the dock to chatting with neighbours in the lineup can define island life. Jennings, beaming in from Shetland, Scotland, via a technological bridge, will discuss the long-lasting impacts of two small bridges on island populations in the Scottish archipelago. PEI contributor Janice Pettit will share her interviews with island residents on how the Confederation bridge has affected “the Island way of life” 26½ years later. The event is free and all are welcome to attend. Books will be available for purchase.

Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca


JANUARY 23RD, Island Lecture Series | Time Flies: An Aerial History of Coastal and Ribbon Development on Prince Edward Island with Dr. Josh MacFadyen

Photo of Josh MacFadyen with white texton a navy background reading: Island Lecture Series | Time Flies: An Aerial History of Coastal and Ribbon Development on Prince Edward Island with Dr. Josh MacFadyen. 7pm, January 23rd, 2024. SDU Faculty Lounge, UPEI. Hosted by the Institute of Island Studies

Based on his new book, Time Flies, Dr. MacFadyen will show that development in the coastal zone and along rural roads is accelerating on Prince Edward Island, just as the province is experiencing sustainability challenges in both areas. The talk will offer a unique combination of aerial photographs, historical maps, and more traditional sources, as it describes the province’s journey into modernity.

Island Lecture Series | “Authentic Prince Edward Island Tourism Experiences: What Locals Have to Say” with Dr. Susan Graham

Island Lecture Series | “Authentic Prince Edward Island Tourism Experiences: What Locals Have to Say” with Dr. Susan Graham

7 pm, November 21st, 2023, SDU Faculty Lounge, UPEI

Authenticity in tourism is a hot topic. Can tourism experiences ever really be authentic and truly reflect the character, history, and people of a place? One underrepresented voice in the authentic tourism is that of locals. Using a research panel of 600 islanders, we asked Prince Edward Islanders if it was possible for visitors to experience the ‘real’ PEI, and if so, what kinds of experiences best reflected the place that locals call home. Over 400 respondents enthusiastically proclaimed that indeed it was possible for visitors to glimpse the ‘real’ Prince Edward Island and they identified myriad ways that could happen in areas such as culinary-, cultural-, historical-, and Anne of Green Gables-based experiences. Come on out to the Island Speakers Series on November 21st at 7pm to hear more about this research project.

Dr. Susan Graham
Dr. Graham is an Islander, born and raised (in Summerside). She is an Associate Professor of Marketing with UPEI’s Faculty of Business, where she teaches intro to marketing, integrated cases in marketing, brand management, and the future of marketing. Her research program spans two distinct themes: marketing islands as tourism destinations and 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion in business/management education. Dr. Graham lives in Charlottetown with her husband and son. She is a passionate traveler, reader, hiker, chef, and Starbucks fan.

Island Lecture Series Double Feature: “Sami Educational Viewpoints From the Past and Present” and “The Use of Yoik, Traditional Sami Singing, in Education”

Kicking off this season’s Island Lecture Series Tuesday, September 19th, are two guests who are NOT talking about islands, but rather something that resonates with islands and islanders from the North: Sami culture from Lapland.  

Pigga Keskitalo will present “Sami Educational Viewpoints From the Past and Present.”  In this presentation, Pigga Keskitalo will review Sámi education history and current practices. Currently, there is need for innovative solutions so that everyone can reach education in their Indigenous languages. Endangered Sami languages have developed distance education since the 1990’s, so that children and language learners – despite their location – can learn Sami languages. In Finland, there is a Sami language distance education project. The Academy of Finland-funded research project, ADVOST concentrated on developing this distance education in a small children’s context. The research project also implemented land-based education, storytelling, and playful learning into distance education. Keskitalo will present this project and core results in addition to the new research project LINCOSY (funded by the Finnish Research Council, former Academy of Finland), which concentrates on Sami language teaching in Nordic level.

Laila Nutti will present her PhD project about pedagogical use of yoik with the title: “The Use of Yoik, Traditional Sami Singing, in Education”

Pigga Keskitalo and Laila Nutti are on Prince Edward Island as part of the ConnectED Scholar Exchange, which aims to create connections between early career scholars and researchers across the Arctic. Hosted by Dr. Kathy Snow (Education), David Varis (Education/IKERAS), and Dr. Laurie Brinklow (Island Studies), our guests will be meeting with graduate students and educators across the Island from September 18-21, 2023.

RSVP to the Facebook Event to add it to your calendar and receive reminders!

Meet the Speakers


Pigga Keskitalo
Pigga Keskitalo holds a PhD in Education and is a Professor of education, specifically in Arctic perspectives in education, at the University of Lapland, Faculty of Education, Rovaniemi, Finland. She is also an Adjunct Professor (Title of Docent) at the University of Helsinki. Keskitalo has participated in various national and international research and development projects regarding topics of socially sustainable development, education, and equity in global and Arctic communities, as well as, more specifically, in Sami education and language teaching. She has previously worked for 20 years in Norway as a teacher educator. Learn more…



Laila Nutti
Laila Nutti is a PhD Candidate at the Sami University of Applied Sciences

Learn more…

PEI-Tasmania collaboration world premiere: Atlantic String Machine, with guest Hannah O’Donnell, performs song cycle by Tasmania’s Don Kay and PEI’s Laurie Brinklow

Charlottetown, PEI (May 4, 2023) —

Four poems from Laurie Brinklow’s PEI Book Award-winning poetry My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press/Walleah Press) have been set to music by one of Tasmania’s best-loved composers Don Kay.

Now, Prince Edward Island’s award-winning string quintet, Atlantic String Machine, with guest soloist Hannah O’Donnell, will perform the song cycle’s world premiere on Saturday, May 13, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in Charlottetown as part of the final concert of their 2022-23 season entitled “Coming Together.”

Kay and Brinklow connected when the writer’s Island Studies PhD research brought her to Tasmania. As part of her program, she interviewed the composer and wrote a poem for him based on the interview. Kay then took “So it begins at Hastings Bay,” plus three more of the Tasmanian poems, and created a song cycle for mezzo soprano and string quintet. Kay has composed works for opera and theatre, symphony orchestra, and choirs that have been performed around the world. In 1991, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the arts. He is now retired from a post at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music.

Says Brinklow, “I’m absolutely thrilled that this island-to-island collaboration is coming to the world stage. It demonstrates the cyclical nature of art, and how inspiration works, with Don describing to me how he writes music from nature, then me putting it into words, then Don writing music based on what I wrote, then my ASM friend and Hannah interpreting his score. It’s pure magic. And having Atlantic String Machine do the world premiere here is a dream come true.”

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite, or at the door.

Media contact:
Bren Simmers Island Studies Press
902-566-0386
ispstaff@upei.ca


Island Lecture Series: Dr. Irené Novaczek 

March 21st, 7pm
Faculty Lounge SDU Main Building, UPEI

Join us March 21st for an Island Lecture from marine ecologist Dr. Irené Novaczek on the Ecosystem Restoration Project at Basin Head. Basin Head was designated as a “Marine Protected Area” under the Oceans Act in 2005, to conserve and protect a unique strain of Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) which is thought to exist only within the confines of Basin Head.

The talk will focus on adaptive management of the Marine Protected Area to ensure that the unique giant form of Irish moss at Basin Head is able to survive in the coastal lagoon environment which is challenged by impacts of local agriculture, invasive European green crabs and ongoing climate changes.

ISLAND LECTURE SERIES | JANUARY 2023


Island Lecture Series: Towards Energy Sovereignty on Labrador’s Remote Island of Ponds
Dr. Nick Mercer
Tuesday, January 24th, 2023 · 7:00pm AST (UTC-4)
Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI

(Hosted by the Institute of Island Studies · January 24th, 2023)
Newfoundland and Labrador is a global leader in the development of renewable energy. However, the electricity-generation mix differs dramatically in remote and Indigenous communities throughout the province, which remain almost exclusively reliant on diesel fuel, resulting in numerous energy inequities. While sustainable energies are often promoted for these isolated villages, emerging research demonstrates detrimental socio-economic and livelihood implications which emerge when development is led by outsiders or corporate interests. The presentation will focus on an 8+ year community-based research partnership between Dr. Nick Mercer, the NunatuKavut Community Council’s Department of Research, Education, and Culture, and the NunatuKavut Inuit community of Black Tickle, located on the subarctic tundra Island of Ponds, in southern Labrador. The research focuses on identifying and addressing community needs, integrating local knowledge and sustainability values, and mobilizing community-led initiatives to enhance island energy resilience.

More info

Island Lecture Series| Anticosti: Finisterre Metropolitan with Matthew Hatvany

ISLAND LECTURE SERIES | OCTOBER 2022
Island Lecture Series: Anticosti: Finisterre Metropolitan with Matthew Hatvany
Dr. Matthew Hatvany
Tuesday, October 25, 2022 · 7:00pm AST (UTC-3)
Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI

(Hosted by the Institute of Island Studies · October 25th, 2022)
In the latest installment of the 2022 Island Lecture series, Matthew Hatvany, professor of Geography at Université Laval in Quebec City, will share his research on his current project entitled “Anticosti: Metropolitan Finisterre.”

Two large islands lie at the heart of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Despite their relative proximity and comparable sobriquets, one “Garden of the Gulf” the other “Paradise Found,” the similarities end there. It is the smaller of the two, Prince Edward Island, that realised provincial autonomy through the development and control of its human, agricultural, forest, and fish resources. The larger, Anticosti, experienced little internal development despite abundant resources, being purposely constructed by external decision makers as a Finisterre Insulaire or Land’s End controlled and dependent upon metropolitan decision makers and investors to assure the well-being of its small population. While Anticosti is little known in Quebec or by its nearest neighbours in Atlantic Canada, the island is celebrated by the upper classes of distant North American and European metropoles as a natural paradise as well as an aspiring UNESCO heritage site for its unique fossil and sedimentary strata.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Matthew Hatvany, professor of Geography at Université Laval in Quebec City, will be spending the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023 on sabbatical leave as an associate professor at the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI. He will be employing the theories of metropolitanism and territoriality to study the unique development of Quebec’s Anticosti Island. During his sabbatical, Dr. Hatvany will be collaborating with UPEI professors Laurie Brinklow, director of the Institute of Island Studies, Josh MacFadyen, director of the GeoREACH lab, and Island scholar Edward MacDonald. 

Island Lecture Series: What’s Law Got To Do With It! Islands And Their Status In International Law with Dr. Donald Rothwell

ISLAND LECTURE SERIES | SEPTEMBER 2022
Island Lecture Series: What’s Law Got To Do With It! Islands And Their Status In International Law
Dr. Donald Rothwell
Tuesday, Sept 13, 2022 · 7:00pm AST (UTC-3)
Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI

(Hosted by the Institute of Island Studies · Sept 13, 2022)
In the latest installment of the 2022 Island Lecture series, Dr. Donald Rothman explores the international conversation on the legal status of islands. The legal status of islands has increasingly become contested in various parts of the world as a result of the distinction between islands and rocks, and the increasing development of artificial islands. Can international law resolve these issues or just make them more contentious?


ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Dr. Donald Rothwell is a Professor of International Law at the ANU College of Law, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Born on the island continent of Australia, he is a graduate of the University of Alberta, and the University of Calgary, and has lived on Vancouver Island and studied islands and the law of the sea for 30 years.