Mechanical engineering students took a break from their books Friday to compete against their peers in a gravity car competition. More than 50 students took part in the friendly competition hosted for the first time by the university’s Master of Engineering Auto Student Advisory Council.

“This competition is an opportunity for students to showcase their design skills and their knowledge of fundamental engineering concepts such as aerodynamics,” said Tracy Beemer, program administrator for the MEng Automotive program.

Each team of three had a few months to build a car that weighed less than 140 grams and would outrace competitors down a sloped track.

Team Bandit finished with the fastest time, sending members Aditya Vyas, Yizhi Win, and Yagneshkumar Parikh away with the top prize: a trip to Toronto in February to attend the 2018 Canadian International Autoshow.

Team Shark — Yu Tian, Bingtao Kang, and Ailin Yang — came in second and won best design.

Malav Rathod, member of the MEng advisory council, said the council hopes to make this an annual event.

“We’re hoping to eventually host competitions where students design motor-powered vehicles,” Rathod said.

The competition was open to all UWindsor students and received support from faculty members who served as judges and Scouts Canada, which provided the racetrack.

There are many stressors in the lives of students, some academic and some personal, says professor Tiffany Martindale. Undergraduate co-ordinator in the Department of Kinesiology, she is one of the organizers of HK Wellness Day, Wednesday, November 22.

“We hope that this day strengthens the relationships we have with our students, provides them with effective tools and resources, and ensures that they know that they are supported by all of us,” she says.

The event will feature information booths staffed by representatives of campus and community agencies, including the Distress Centre of Windsor-Essex County, Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association, Teen Health Centre, Student Counselling Centre, Peer Support Centre, and UMove It UWin.

Participants will be able to visit with a therapy dog, sample some herbal tea, learn about aromatherapy, and post messages of encouragement to each other on a positivity wall. Faculty, staff, and students will also receive stickers to wear Wednesday with the message “Anytime. Anything. I’m here.”

HK Wellness Day will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the atrium of the Human Kinetics Building.

The Cross-Border Institute will host a town hall meeting on the North American Free Trade Agreement on Wednesday, November 22, in the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre.

Andrew Leslie, parliamentary secretary to Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, will be on hand for the meeting as part of the government’s consultation process and hopes to hear from the public about:

• areas of the agreement that could be clarified;
• areas that should be updates; and
• any new sections that should form part of an emended agreement.

Leslie will provide an update on the status of negotiations and the impact they could have on Canada.

The session is expected to last one hour and will begin at 2 p.m. in the workshop room on the building’s second floor. Learn more about the government’s consultations on this issue.

A tour welcomed more than 40 international students to campus Friday, but this group was special — they all attend local high schools.

“Students come from around the world to attend secondary school in Canada, looking to get a head start on post-secondary studies here,” says Alisa Giroux-Souilliere, marketing co-ordinator in the international development office. “Our objective Friday was to get them interested in choosing the University of Windsor.”

The group encompassed students from both the public and Catholic systems, who heard presentations about academic programs, campus facilities, student support services, and the application process.

“The nice thing is we were able to answer questions for every individual regarding their specific situations,” Giroux-Souilliere says.

The visitors, all in Grade 11 or 12, represented a variety of homelands: China, Italy, Mexico, Palestine, South Korea, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.

A class Tuesday, December 5, will help staff and faculty responsible for maintaining UWindsor websites learn the basics of the Drupal content management system.

Drupal 7 - Basic Training will focus on teaching site editors how to create pages and events, upload graphics and use menus and blocks, says instructor Rob Aitkens, web development team lead in Public Affairs and Communications.

The class is aimed at employees with little previous experience with the system, for those upgrading their sites from version 6 to 7, or as a refresher. It will run 1:30 to 4 p.m. and is limited to 16 participants. Registration is required through this online form.

Students and employees who use the UwinCARD to pay for food have a new option on campus — Mare Nostrum, the Mediterranean restaurant adjacent to the Education Building, is now equipped to accept the card as payment.

Managing partner Adam El-Dika (BSc 2014) says he is happy to be able to offer this service after more than two years in operation.

“We are very excited to be a more inclusive and accessible restaurant to all our University of Windsor patrons,” he says. “We are very grateful to customers for the continued growth we have experienced.”

The restaurant operates weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Learn about other campus food outlets on the Food Services website.

Marcello Guarini began a term as dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences effective November 1, provost Douglas Kneale announced Mnoday.

Dr. Guarini, a former head of philosophy department, had been acting in that capacity since July 2016.

“Though a known quantity to all of us, please join me in giving Marcello a fresh welcome as he officially enters his role with awaken’d eyes,” Dr. Kneale said. “I look forward to working with him on the road ahead.”

Kneale called Guarini a “highly regarded teacher and scholar,” noting his nominations for teaching awards by his students, as well as his record of publication and service.