Swollen by rain and melting snow, the Thames River burst its banks in February, inundating southwestern Ontario with its worst floods in 40 years.

The effects of such a catastrophe can be mitigated, says Monika Saha, a master’s candidate in civil engineering, and one of more than 20 students who presented projects in the Centre for Engineering Innovation on Thursday, March 22, in celebration of World Water Day.

Saha is working to create models of the lower Thames River that can predict floods in Chatham-Kent.

“We’ll basically capture the flow. With our hydrologic and hydraulic models getting the input level, it will give you the output to predict which areas will be inundated,” she said. “You will be able to take precautions.”

The results of her project will need to be mapped to elevation data to develop actionable results for authorities.

“The object is to give people time to take adequate measures to protect themselves and their property,” said Saha.

Relating the academic work to real-world problems is a key consideration for students in his course “Climate change adaptation for water engineers,” said professor Tirupati Bolisetti.

“The projects on display today cover a very broad range of topics, both in scientific content and geographical reach,” he said. “Some deal with watersheds in the Great Lakes basin, and others in India. We want them to apply the technical skills to contemporary issues.”

Mark Burrows, acting director of the International Joint Commission, addressed the students on the subject of the need for research into water quality of the Great Lakes. He praised the coursework for engaging them in current questions involving local rivers.

“It’s refreshing to see the youthful enthusiasm here,” Burrows said as he toured poster presentations in the CEI lobby. “I hope they all consider careers in government service.”

Windsor and Essex County have accepted the Smart Cities Challenge.

Stakeholders in the initiative gathered for a formal announcement at the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre to launch the SMART Windsor Essex — Smart Cities Challenge, which tasks municipalities to think creatively in achieving meaningful outcomes for residents using innovation, data and connected technology.

The winner of the challenge can receive up to $50-million from Infrastructure Canada to implement their ideas.

“When we talk about a smart city we're really talking about a city where people of all ages, interests and backgrounds can have access to data, technology and resources that can let their creative capabilities be expressed and grow,” said University of Windsor President Alan Wildeman.

The initiative is headed up by the City of Windsor, County of Essex, University of Windsor, St. Clair College, Connecting Windsor Essex and other local stakeholders.

Bob Campbell, CEO of Connecting Windsor Essex, speaks to the media following the SMART Windsor Essex launch on March 23, 2018.

Through analysis of local data, the consortium has identified “Poverty,” “Health,” and “Employment” as three potential themes for the SMART Windsor Essex proposal. The initiative is now seeking input from the community through its website www.smartwindsoressex.ca.

“Visit the website, because this will be your opportunity to have your say and to help shape our community for generations to come,” said Essex County Warden Tom Bain.

Finalists in the challenge will receive $250,000 to develop their proposal and winning communities will receive a $10-million grant to implement their plans.

Chris Wainscott remembers having to choose between paying for books and paying for food.

“When I was a student, I was working on the HelpDesk, and one of the full-time staff bought me a bagful of groceries because she could see I was losing weight,” recalls Wainscott, now a systems programmer in Information Technology Services. “It made a big impression on me.”

So when he saw media coverage that the Campus Food Bank was running low on supplies, he challenged his co-workers to help out. He delivered the resulting hundreds of donated items — from boxes of pasta to canned beans, fruit, and soup, along with $475 in monetary contributions — Friday to the food bank in Canterbury College.

“They blew away my expectations,” Wainscott says. “It really goes to show that everybody loves this place. When students need help, IT steps up.”

The donations were well-received by food bank volunteer Hunter Smith, a first-year social work student.

“We had bare shelves, but now they’re filling up,” she said as she placed the donations in cupboards. “It makes me feel appreciated that the school cares for the students who need it. It’s really great to see everyone helping out.”

Located in the basement of the Canterbury College administrative building at 2500 University Avenue West and administered by Iona College, the food bank distributes non-perishable goods to UWindsor students.

Graham Reid applies knowledge he gained in his history studies every day in his job with the Chimczuk Museum. But, the recent history grad adds, he also uses skills he learned working in the UWindsor athletics facilities.

Reid received the Rick Mallat Student Employee of the Year award Friday at the Blue and Gold luncheon, which recognizes the contributions of student staff to the operations of Athletics and Recreational Services.

The award is named in honour of an employee who retired in 2016 after 43 years as lead equipment technician. Reid said that made the recognition even more meaningful.

“I worked with Rick and in my eyes, he is the facility,” he said. “I am very pleased to receive this award and have Rick here to see it.”

The annual event had a new theme this year, rebranded as “the Winnys” with a red-carpet welcome from Lancer mascot Winston. Other awards honoured students for their work in the St. Denis Centre, aquatics, intramurals and fitness, as team managers and therapists, and organizers of summer camp and varsity events.

Athletic director Mike Havey told the luncheon that all their work makes a difference: “What we do here could not be accomplished without your collective and individual commitments to Team Lancer.”

Find more information, including a full list of the award winners, at goLancers.ca.

Students in professor Karl Jirgens’ graduate creative writing workshop will hold a free public reading Tuesday, March 27, to launch a special broadsheet edition of The Windsor Salt magazine.

The limited-edition publication will feature poetry and short fiction. Copies available for purchase will be numbered and signed by contributors, including the workshop authors: Nicolas Charlton, Tori Cryan, Michael Mallen, and Ryan Paterson.

The event, sponsored by the English department, begins at 7 p.m. in Mare Nostrum restaurant, adjacent to the Neal Education Building.

Canadian Blood Services hopes to collect 86 units of blood during a donor clinic on campus Tuesday, March 27.

The clinic is aimed at UWindsor students, faculty, and staff, but open to the general public. The final one on campus this academic year, it will run from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the CAW Student Centre’s Alumni Auditorium.

Walk-in donors are welcome, but appointments will better accommodate donors’ working schedules. To book an appointment, call 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283).

As with previous clinics, the Department of Human Resources encourages all eligible employees to participate in this worthwhile process and asks any employees who wish to donate to make the necessary arrangements with their supervisors regarding the possibility of extended lunch or break periods.

Applications close this week for the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance scholarships.

Every year, the UWSA offers up to $10,000 in scholarships and bursaries, awarded based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, or community involvement. Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students at the University of Windsor, currently taking four or more classes.

A full list of scholarships is available on the alliance website.

To apply, forward your name, student number, and a one-page, double-spaced description about yourself and why you believe you deserve the scholarship, to uwsa@uwindsor.ca no later than Friday, March 30.

In accordance with the Ontario Public Salary Disclosure Act, 1996, the University of Windsor is releasing the attached 2017 Public Salary Disclosure document listing all employees who earned in excess of $100,000 in salary and taxable benefits for the 2016 calendar year.