Marisa Market helps first-year biology students Emily Laughland, Tanja Spasojevic and Brenda LaoTeaching assistant Marisa Market helps first-year biology students Emily Laughland, Tanja Spasojevic and Brenda Lao assemble models of genetic material in a lab on cell division.

Online component gives biology students a head start on learning

If first-year students in biology get more out of their labs this semester, they will have Hussein Hammoud and Marisa Market to thank.

Now in their fourth year majoring in biology, they developed online materials for first-year students to review prior to their hands-on activities during teaching labs. The project received support from grants awarded to professor Dora Cavallo-Medved by the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the Office of Research and Innovation Services.

“They worked together to introduce a virtual component to complement the hands-on labs,” says Dr. Cavallo-Medved. “Tests they ran with volunteer reviewers were so successful we have implemented their materials into the first-year biology courses.”

Hammoud and Market identified online resources—quizzes, questionnaires, videos—to reinforce lessons about cell division and forces of evolution. Students were directed to these materials in preparation for the lab work.

“Our survey showed that respondents said they understood the lab work better when we gave them this context,” says Market. “The interactive videos allowed students to explore the concepts at their own pace.”

Cavallo-Medved says the changes mean a definite improvement: “It is making for a better learning experience for our students.”

She hopes to see the results applied to more labs and more courses. It has been a good experience for the senior students as well, she points out. They presented their work at the Windsor-Oakland Teaching and Learning Conference in May.

“Most people don’t get this type of experience until grad school,” she says.

Hammoud says he has enjoyed seeing their research making an impact for newer students.

“It has been a great opportunity to enhance something we have already been through.”

William CrosbyBiology professor William Crosby received a seed grant from the Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation for his research into the regulation of cell division and DNA repair.

Grants provide seed funding for cancer researchers

Controlling the abundance of specific proteins at different times in the life of a cell is important to its function, and can contribute to the development of cancers when that regulation is lost or altered, says biology professor William Crosby.

His research project into regulating enzymes is one of three to share grants totaling $218,325 from the Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation.

“Understanding how these protein degradation processes can be turned on and off will provide valuable insight into the regulatory mechanisms involved,” Dr. Crosby says. “It could potentially lead to the development of new approaches that target key protein turnover functions imporant in human cancers.”

He joined fellow UWindsor professors Maher El-Masri (nursing) and Alioune Ngom (computer science) Wednesday in accepting their grants from the Seeds4Hope program, which has awarded almost $1.5 million to local researchers in the six years since its inception.

Michael Dufresne, the program’s administrator, says that even in this relatively short span, Seeds4Hope funded research is playing a significant role in advancing cancer care in the community.

“It is important to understand that each of the 21 excellent, innovative, peer-reviewed research projects supported by Seeds4Hope over six competitions is a work in progress,” he said. “Its success potential will only be fully realized in its future application to benefit our children and grandchildren.”

Seeds4Hope was established in 2009 to provide seed funding for innovative research or new, innovative approaches to existing cancer research being conducted by local scientists. The program utilizes a rigorous expert peer-review process adopted by all nationally and internationally recognized granting agencies.

Read more about the program, and summaries of the projects that have won funding, on the foundation’s website.

Football playerThe Lancer football team hopes for a good fan turnout Saturday, as Windsor hosts a playoff game for just the second time since 1976.

Football players looking for fan support when they hit the gridiron Saturday

A win against the Ottawa Gee Gees secured the Lancer football team its first home playoff game since 2006, and Windsor will need to beat the Gee Gees again Saturday to advance to the second round.

While it’s the fourth consecutive year the Lancers have earned a playoff berth, head coach Joe D’Amore said getting to play at home is significant.

“I think it is an important accomplishment for our senior players and shows the progression that this program has made over the last few years,” he said.

Since the 39-29 win over Ottawa on October 10, the blue and gold suffered defeats by the Carleton Ravens and the Western Mustangs, putting the squad at 5-3 for the regular season.

D’Amore expects his players to be ready for Saturday’s challenge.

“Since the Ottawa game we have not put together a strong 60 minutes,” he said. “However, we do have a lot of veteran guys and they know come playoffs if you don’t play well, your season—and for some careers—are over.”

He hopes students will turn out to support the team in the friendly confines of Alumni Field.

“We need a loud crowd and need to get our first home playoff win in over 40 years,” said D’Amore. “We have been a playoff team for the last four years now and we are getting a lot of national attention.”

He said in his playing days, Lancer games were a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Kick-off Saturday is at 1 p.m. Tickets are on sale at www.goLancers.ca and the St. Denis Centre front desk. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for youths and seniors, and $2 for UWindsor students.

—by Ahmed Khalifa

Shawn Reaume and Alexander Vukovic of the Lancer men’s volleyball squad jump to block a shot.Shawn Reaume and Alexander Vukovic of the Lancer men’s volleyball squad jump to block a shot.

Lancer Nation organizing cheering section for volleyball home openers

A series of activities will reward fans who delay their trick-or-treating Friday to cheer on the Lancer men’s and women’s volleyball teams in their home openers at the St. Denis Centre.

The Lancer Nation student fan club has organized pre-game face painting, poster-making, prize contests and is offering prizes for best costumes. The fun gets underway at 5 p.m.

The games themselves will start at 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men as Windsor hosts the Guelph Gryphons. The Lancers will return to the court Saturday to take on the Waterloo Warriors. Admission is free for UWindsor students with valid ID.

In other varsity action, the men’s hockey team will host the Paladins of Royal Military College for games Friday and Saturday. Face-off is at 7:30 p.m. both days at South Windsor Arena.

The women’s hockey team will travel to Waterloo to play the Warriors on Saturday and the Laurier Golden Hawks on Sunday.

Lancer football will host Ottawa for a first-round playoff game Saturday on Alumni Field. Read related story here.

All-star honours for men’s soccer player

Ontario University Athletics has named Windsor midfielder Jack Sargent a second team all-star, the sole Lancer men’s soccer representative.

A third-year kinesiology major, Sargent scored a pair of goals including the game winner, in a 4-0 victory over Waterloo on September 21. Read the full story, “Sargent named OUA men’s soccer all-star,” at goLancers.ca.

MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie HynemanStudents, employees and alumni may claim a discount on tickets to see MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman at the WFCU Centre on November 27.

Campus community eligible for discounted admission to MythBusters show

Students, employees and alumni are eligible for a special discount of $10 per ticket to see “Mythbusters: Behind the Myths” at the WFCU Centre on Thursday, November 27.

One of the most highly regarded and watched series on the Discovery Channel, the show mixes scientific method with gleeful curiosity and plain old-fashioned ingenuity to create its own signature style of experimentation.

Hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman will invite fans on stage to assist in their mind-blowing and mind-twisting approach to science. To qualify for the discount, order tickets at wfcu-centre.com/password and use the promocode: MYTHUWIN.

people in costume as Scooby-Doo and a frankfurterFrom mystery-solving dogs to hot dogs, you never know what you’re going to see at the faculty and staff Hallowe’en social.

Reminder: Faculty and Staff Hallowe’en Social set for tomorrow

UWindsor staff and faculty are invited to eat, drink and be scary Friday at the annual Faculty and Staff Hallowe’en Social.

Sponsored by the president’s office, the event runs noon to 1:15 p.m. in Vanier Hall’s Winclare A and is free for all University of Windsor employees. It features a pizza lunch, caramel and candy apples, door prizes and prizes for best individual and group costumes.