UWindsor students, faculty, staff and members of the surrounding community turned out Tuesday to review concepts for a pedestrian corridor and green space on Freedom Way between the Armouries and the Alan Wildeman Centre for Creative Arts.

“It’s a massive opportunity for downtown Windsor to reflect its new identity,” said architect Craig Goodman, whose firm produced a series of drawings re-imagining the Freedom Way Link as a park and civic space. “We are anticipating this integration will create a new dynamic between the campus and other residents of the city.”

Plans are constrained by the presence under the street of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which precludes excavation of any depth.

Instead, Goodman said, raised planters would bring greenery into the space and a variety of surface treatments would demarcate design elements and uses — seating, staging, and even film screenings.

Fourth-year visual arts student Brodie MacPhail was impressed and looked forward to speaking with the architects about his own suggestion for shade on the site.

“Maybe some kind of cool creative screen,” he said. “I think a lot of students would enjoy this space if it is done right.”

The development must be considered by the city planning committee and win approval from city council — as well as the University’s Board of Governors — before any work can begin.

The multidisciplinary field of mechatronics integrates mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering to design and implement complex engineering and manufacturing systems.

A new collaboration with global tech giant Siemens has enabled the University of Windsor to launch a world-class industry certification in mechatronic systems.

The weekend Siemens Mechatronic Systems Certification Program focuses on key industrial skill areas such as electrical components, sensors, motor controls, programmable controllers, hydraulics, and pneumatics. In addition to teaching the technical knowledge, the program also stresses trouble-shooting and system-based technical thinking via hands-on training.

“The technicians and engineers of today work in fast-paced, high-tech environments and need a comprehensive knowledge of mechatronic systems technology,” says program co-ordinator Shahpour Alirezaee, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. “There is a growing demand for people skilled in mechatronics.”

The eight-week program will be offered again in the fall semester. For more information, visit uwindsor.ca/smscp.

Kristie Pearce

An information session for UWindsor staff and faculty will bring them up to speed on changes to the University’s work-study program.

Renamed “Ignite” and restructured as an experiential learning opportunity in 2017-18, the program will see more changes in the coming school year.

Ignite has transitioned to a wage-subsidy model and is now open to all UWindsor students in good academic standing, registered in a minimum course load, and not on a co-op work term in the semester they hold an Ignite position.

New this year, supervisors can set their own wages and will pay their students from their own departmental student casual wage account. Departments will be reimbursed a subsidy of up to $1,250 or $2,500, depending on the length of the position.

Program co-ordinator Sydney Murray of Career Development and Experiential Learning anticipates that supervisors will be happy to learn that students can start working as early as September 4 and the amount of paperwork has been reduced significantly.

“These changes will provide increased flexibility for employers, giving them the opportunity to hire a student who they believe will be the best fit for their role from a broader pool of eligible students,” she says.

Attendees will also learn of additional changes to the timeline, job proposal procedure, and student application and hiring process in one of three sessions: Thursday, June 28; Thursday, July 5; and Friday, July 13. Murray encourages all on-campus Ignite employers to send a delegate; register online.

He will never leave Windsor, Vincent Georgie, director of the School of Creative Arts, told the Toronto Sun. The newspaper published his remarks in a feature Saturday, June 16, on the city’s dramatic renaissance, which highlighted contributions by the University to downtown revitalization.

Accustomed to larger cities after living in Toronto and Montreal, Dr. Georgie told author Linda White he’s never had a more flourishing social or professional life: “I think people underestimate Windsor.”

The article also touts the city’s “booming” economy and record-breaking levels of new home construction. Read the entire article online.

Information Technology Services will update and test campus firewalls from 6 to 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 26.

The update contains enhancements that will allow the University to leverage additional capabilities of the firewalls, but it will disable Blackboard for two hours — from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m.

Services using the UwinCARD will also be affected, including Food Services, GoPrint, vending machines and laundry in Residence. VPN connections may be unstable during the testing as well.

Direct any concerns about this process to the ServiceDesk at 519-253-3000, ext. 4440.

An open house reception from 2 to 3:30 p.m. today — Thursday, June 21 — in Assumption Hall’s Freed-Orman Commons will honour Sandra Aversa (BComm 1982) as she concludes her role as the University’s vice-president of planning and administration.

The campus community is invited to wish Aversa well as she transitions to a new role as special advisor, major capital projects, on July 1.

Annual preventative maintenance will require an outage of electrical and steam services to campus on the weekend of July 6, reports Facility Services.

The electrical power outage will also disable card access and is scheduled for 12 hours, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 6. The following buildings will be inaccessible for this period: Laurier Hall, MacDonald Hall, Cartier Hall, Vanier Hall, Alumni Hall and the Energy Conversion Centre. Find details in this document: Campus Wide Power Outage, July 6, 2018, 6:00am - 6:00pm.

The steam outage will also disable hot water and heating and cooling systems. It is scheduled to begin at noon Friday, July 6, and run through 6 p.m. Sunday, July 8. The shutdown will disrupt most campus buildings, with the exceptions of the Centre for Automotive Research and Education, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, Centre for English Language Development, maintenance and grounds buildings, and those located downtown. Find details in this document: Campus Wide Steam Outage, July 6 - 8, 2018, 12:00pm - 6:00pm.