Seventy-five of this spring’s science graduates sported gold, silver, or bronze medallions at Monday’s convocation as the first recipients of the LEAD Medallion Scholars Program. The Faculty of Science launched the program earlier this year to help motivate undergraduates to explore learning experiences outside of the classroom.

To earn a medallion, recipients must demonstrate Leadership, Engagement, Application, and Discovery (LEAD) during their time as a UWindsor undergraduate. This includes volunteering or working in on-campus and off-campus organizations, participating in undergraduate research, pursuing study abroad, or completing an internship, co-op position, or service learning course.

Dean of science Chris Houser says students are even more employable when they get out of the classroom and start working in the community and doing hands-on research in the university research laboratories.

“We understand that a degree is important, but to succeed in today’s world you need to be a well-rounded individual with a background in community participation and lab research and even travel,” says Dr. Houser.

“This is an incentive to encourage students to take advantage of opportunities outside of the typical classroom experience and you could see the pride in their faces when the first class got to wear their medallions at convocation.”

Biology major Yucca Albano spent three years as an undergraduate researcher in professor Barbara Zielinksi’s lab and wrote her thesis on that work, which led to getting awarded first place at the Undergraduate Thesis Colloquium this year in the Neuroscience and Physiology category. She was also a volunteer with Let’s Talk Science and the Windsor Cancer Research Group.

“I was thrilled and proud to wear my gold medal at graduation,” Albano says. “The experience I gained through my volunteering and research these past four years has given me the skills and the confidence I need to enter the workforce, as well as giving me lifelong friendships; I am also grateful to have met amazing mentors who helped me become the person that I am today.”

Successful completion of all four areas of LEAD earns student a gold medallion, three areas earns a silver, and two areas earns a bronze. Scholars officially received their medallions at the inaugural LEAD Medallion Scholars recognition ceremony in the student centre’s Alumni Auditorium on Monday, May 28.

For more photos of the inaugural LEAD recipients, visit the Faculty of Science Facebook photo album.

Sara Elliott

Completing certification to teach in International Baccalaureate programs advanced her skills as a teacher, says Emilia Iacobelli, a 2017 graduate of the concurrent chemistry-bachelor of education program.

Now pursuing her M.Ed while working as an occasional teacher for the Greater Essex County District School Board, she described her experience for the IB World Schools Yearbook.

“I wanted to learn more about developing students as global citizens, how to foster critical thinking skills and reflective practice in my students. UWindsor’s online course format was the right fit for me,” Iacobelli says. “I have found many of the methodologies taught in the IB program can be transferred in to a traditional classroom setting.”

Read the full interview on the publication’s website.

On May 3, the University of Windsor recognized 15 employees who in 2017 reached the 25 years of service milestone.

More than 90 faculty, staff, and guests attended the luncheon held at the Alumni Auditorium to mark this special milestone and celebrate the dedication and outstanding contributions of the honorees.

Rita LaCivita, vice-president, human resources, congratulated employees: “Our mission can only be achieved through the many contributions of our faculty and staff. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your commitment to making the University the best place to work, learn and grow and for helping our students realize that they have a future Full of Promise.”

Lina Nardone and Janee Stallard were among the employees honoured.

Currently secretary to the associate dean of the Faculty of Education, Nardone was lauded for the significant role she played in the success of the additional qualifications program. In looking back at the last 25 years, she states: “The University of Windsor has not only helped secure my success, but for my family as well, and I am truly grateful.”

Stallard, assistant to the dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences ,was lauded for her leadership and for enabling deans to be successful in their roles.

“The last 25 years at the U have been ever changing both in terms of our campus and work,” she says. “No two days are ever the same, especially here in the dean’s office.”

Faculty and staff members honoured included:

• Cindy Anstett, Housekeeping and Grounds
• Nancy Barkley, Biological Sciences
• Deborah Bastien, Housekeeping and Grounds
• Sharon Horne, Kinesiology
• Michael Houston, Student Accessibility Services
• Allan Laporte, Leddy Library
• Catherine Maskell, Leddy Library
• Lina Nardone, Faculty of Education
• Michelle Nohra, Campus Community Police
• Sandra Ondracka, Athletics and Recreational Services
• Tracy Ringrose, Maintenance Services
• Charlene Senn, Psychology
• Janee Stallard, Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• Darrell Strand, Housekeeping and Grounds
• Xay Tang, Information Technology Services

Employees received a gift and a certificate as a small token of appreciation for their commitment and contributions to the success of the University.

With a theme of “Taking U Forward,” Campus Technology Day will include interactive presentations discussing the impact of technology in enhancing learning, teaching, research, and building community on Thursday, June 7, in the CAW Student Centre.

In addition to a keynote address by Michael Akpata on “Cyber-attacks and Ransomware,” the conference will feature sessions on research, Office 365, Blackboard, and the new enterprise resource planning solution: UWinsite.

Register by noon on Wednesday, June 6, to attend the action-packed event. Find a full conference agenda and online registration form at uwindsor.ca/ctd.

Nursing professor Judy Bornais has accepted a one-year appointment as acting executive director, experiential learning, effective July 1, provost Douglas Kneale announced Wednesday.

A 3M Teaching Fellow and University of Windsor Teaching Leadership Chair, Bornais has been a key figure in the Faculty of Nursing’s collaborative integration of experiential, simulation-based learning across the curriculum, Dr. Kneale noted.

In this new role, she and her team will support and expand work-integrated and experiential learning opportunities for students, including paid co-op placements, co-curricular volunteering, and program-integrated opportunities.

Read the report of the Provost’s Task Force on Experiential Education, Experiential Education: A Path Towards Improving the Student Experience.