Masters
      for
      the
      new
      millenium.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      adds
      new
     
     
      Masters
      of
     
     
      Science
      programs
     
     
      in
      biology
      and
     
     
      chemistry.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Sarah
      Murphy
     
     
      News
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      January,
      students
     
     
      will
      be
      able
      to
      earn
      an
     
     
      M.Sc
      at
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      On
      September
      20,
     
     
      1999
      the
      Maritime
      Prov-
     
     
      inces
      Higher
      Education
     
     
      Commission
      (MPHEC)
     
     
      approved
      UPEI’s
      proposal
     
     
      to
      offer
      master’s
      programs
     
     
      in
      biology
      and
      chemistry.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      guess
      people
      may
     
     
      be
      surprised
      that
      it
      has
     
     
      come
      about
      so
      soon
      after
     
     
      the
      university
      act
      was
     
     
      changed.
      But
      the
      faculty
     
     
      of
      science
      had
      for
      some-
     
     
      time
      now
      wanted
      to
     
     
      present
      graduate
      pro-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “the
      faculty
      of
     
     
      science
      had,
      for
     
     
      sometime
      now,
     
    

    
     
      |
      wanted
      to
      present
     
     
      graduate
      programs”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      grams,
      and
      so
      we
      were
     
     
      well
      prepared
      for
      the
     
     
      change
      in
      the
      act,”
      say
      Dr
     
     
      Roger
      Gordon,
      Dean
      of
     
     
      Science
      at
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      The
      faculty
      of
      sci-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ence
      had
      already
      under-
     
     
      gone
      some
      planning,
      and
     
     
      had
      a
      good
      idea
      of
      the
     
     
      type
      of
      program
      it
      wanted
     
     
      to
      offer.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “We
      asked
      all
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      departments
      whether
     
    
   
   
    
     
      already
      established
      at
      the
     
     
      Atlantic
      Veterinary
      Col-
     
     
      lege
      (AVC).
      Master
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Science
      programs
      were
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
      previously
      limited
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AVC;
      students
      will
      now
     
     
      have
      many
      new
      options.
     
     
      Graduate
      studies
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      they
      thought
      they
      were
     
     
      ready
      to
      present
      gradu-
     
     
      ate
      programs,
      and
     
     
      whether
      that
      was
      the
     
     
      next
      mission
      in
      mind
     
     
      for
      them.
      Biology
      and
     
     
      chemistry
      felt
      that
      they
     
     
      had
      a
      sufficient
      number
     
     
      of
      faculty
      members
      and
     
     
      that
      they
      were
      ready
      to
     
     
      present
      [graduate]
     
     
      programs
      in
      their
      de-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      faculty
      of
      science
     
     
      wants
      to
      maintain
      a
     
     
      small
      program,
      with
     
     
      an
      enrollement
      of
     
     
      approximately
      14
     
    
   
   
    
     
      students,
      and
      already,
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
      students
      are
      ready
      to
     
     
      enroll.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      partments,”
      says
     
     
      Gordon.
     
    

    
     
      Gordon
      insists
      that
     
     
      other
      departments
      in
     
     
      science
      will
      be
      able
      to
      take
     
     
      advantage
      of
      the
      biology
     
     
      and
      chemistry
      graduate
     
     
      programs.
      The
      Family
     
     
      and
      Nutritional
      Science
     
     
      department
      has
      already
     
     
      shown
      interest.
     
    

    
     
      The
      programs
      will
      be
     
     
      research-based,
      with
      an
     
     
      emphasis
      on
      developing
     
     
      students’
      research
      and
     
     
      communication
      skills.
     
     
      The
      graduate
      courses
      will
     
     
      be
      presented
      by
      faculty
     
     
      members
      within
      the
     
     
      biology
      and
      chemistry
     
     
      departments,
      incorporat-
     
     
      ing
      external
      expertise
     
     
      when
      appropriate.
     
    

    
     
      Students
      will
      take
     
     
      graduate-level
      courses
     
    
   
   
    
     
      is
      not
      new
      at
      UPEI.
      In
     
     
      recent
      years,
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      graduate
      students
      have
     
     
      been
      supervised
      by
      UPEI
     
     
      faculty
      members.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “I
      think
      perhaps
      what
      a
     
     
      lot
      of
      people
      don’t
      realise
     
     
      is
      that
      we
      have
      been
     
     
      supervising
      graduate
     
     
      students
      for
      a
      long
      period
     
     
      of
      time
      at
      UPEI,”
      says
     
     
      Gordon.
      “These
      students
     
     
      have
      been
      supervised
      by
     
     
      faculty
      members
      who
     
     
      have
      had
      adjunct
      appoint-
     
     
      ments
      at
      other
      institutions
     
     
      and
      at
      the
      AVC.
      Institu-
     
     
      tions
      such
      as
      Memorial
     
     
      University,
      Mount
     
     
      Allison,
      Dalhousie
      and
     
     
      P
      Université
      de
     
     
      Sherbrook.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      faculty
      of
      science
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wants
      to
      maintain
      a
      small
     
     
      program,
      with
      an
      enrol-
     
     
      ment
      of
      approximately
      14
     
     
      students,
      and
      already,
     
     
      students
      are
      ready
      to
     
     
      enrol.
     
    

    
     
      “Two
      students
      are
     
     
      ready
      to
      join
      immediately
     
     
      and
      another
      two
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      are
      likely
      to
      be
      entering
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      program
      early
      in
      the
     
     
      new
      year,
      says
      Gordon,
     
     
      who
      explains
      that
      the
     
     
      number
      of
      graduate
     
     
      students
      enrolled
      in
      the
     
     
      program
      is
      likely
      to
     
     
      fluctuate.
      “It
      is
      a
      bit
      like
     
     
      a
      sin
      curve.
      About
      a
      year
     
     
      or
      so
      ago
      we
      had
      twelve
     
     
      graduate
      students
      in
     
     
      science
      in
      various
      depart-
     
     
      ments
      and
      we
      only
      have
     
     
      a
      couple
      or
      so
      now.”
     
     
      “This
      is
      very
      good
     
     
      news
      for
      PEI
      and
      the
     
     
      University,”
      says
      UPEI
     
     
      President,
      H.
      Wade
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “It
      [the
      success
      of
      the
     
     
      graduate
      program]
     
     
      will
      heightening
      of
     
     
      people’s
      awareness
     
     
      that
      this
      is
      a
      first
      rate
     
     
      university,”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MacLauchlan.
      “These
     
     
      new
      programs
      will
     
     
      broaden
      UPEI’s
      research
     
     
      capacity
      and
      raise
      our
     
     
      profile
      in
      important
      new
     
     
      areas
      of
      innovation.”
     
    

    
     
      _
      Gordon
      agrees.
      “I
     
     
      think
      the
      more
      likely
     
     
      advantage
      from
      UPEI’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      perspective
      is
      that
      I
      think
     
     
      it
      will
      enhance
      the
      quality
     
     
      of
      our
      program.
      Our
     
     
      undergraduate
      students
     
     
      will
      have
      the
      opportunity
     
     
      to
      mingle
      and
      be
      ;
     
     
      mentored
      by
      graduate
     
     
      students
      and
      this
      is
      a
      very
     
     
      valuable
      role
      at
      an
      institu-
     
     
      tion.”
     
    

    
     
      Graduate
      students
     
     
      will
      be
      present
      in
      the
     
     
      laboratory,
      and
      facilitating
     
     
      tutorials.
      The
      faculty
     
     
      believes
      that
      even
      the
     
     
      social
      interaction
      between
     
     
      graduate
      students
      and
     
     
      undergraduates
      will
      be
     
     
      excellent
      for
      all
      students
      in
     
     
      the
      faculty.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      [the
      success
      of
      the
     
     
      graduate
      program]
      will
     
     
      heightening
      of
      people’s
     
     
      awareness
      that
      this
      is
      a
     
     
      first
      rate
      university,”
      says
     
     
      Gordon.
     
    

    
     
      Gordon
      believes
      the
     
     
      graduate
      program
      is
      a
      win-
     
    

    
     
      win
      situation.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      students
      ben-
     
     
      efit
      because
      we
      are
      going
     
     
      to
      be
      able
      to
      offer
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      the
      opportunity
      to
     
     
      do
      graduate
      work
      here.”
     
    

    
     
      Of
      course,
      Gordon
      is
     
     
      aware
      that
      there
      is
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      value
      in
      students
      getting
     
     
      their
      undergraduate
     
     
      degree
      at
      UPEI
      and
      then
     
    

    
     
      continuing
      on
      to
      another
     
     
      institution
      for
      their
      own
     
    
   
   
    
     
      careers
      and
      professional
     
    
   
   
    
     
      development
      but
      as
      he
     
     
      points
      out,
      some
      students
     
     
      are
      unable
      to
      do
      that.
     
    

    
     
      Also,
      incoming
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      will
      enhance
      the
     
     
      graduate
      program,
      making