Samer Toukan, Easa Ahmadzai jump in the air holding arrows notched in bowsSamer Toukan and Easa Ahmadzai are putting skills they learned in the MEM program into practice by founding a combat archery business.

On target: Engineering management program helps students introduce sport to Windsor

Two University of Windsor Master of Engineering Management students have turned their class business plan into a reality.

Easa Ahmadzai and Samer Toukan say their Master of Engineering Management (MEM) courses in finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, and marketing helped them found Archery Mayhem — a combat archery game similar to dodgeball that replaces the ball with bows and soft foam-tipped arrows.

“We do everything from finance and IT to designing bows and arrows, and marketing,” Toukan says. “And all of those skills are skills we picked up in the MEM program.”

The two launched Archery Mayhem in April 2018 and say the response has been excellent.

“Our customer retention is more than 50 per cent week over week. As soon as people know about us, they keep coming back,” says Toukan. “We think our experience is second to none in Windsor.”

The MEM program, offered by the Faculty of Engineering in partnership with the Odette School of Business, is the only weekend engineering management degree offered in the province. The two-year program allows working professionals like Ahmadzai and Toukan to earn their master’s degree without interrupting their careers.

As a product development engineer with Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan, Ahmadzai is responsible for assessing million dollar purchasing quotes from an engineering standpoint.

“A part of my role includes assessing the validity of quotes and I believe the MEM finance and accounting courses have significantly improved my financial literacy,” says Ahmadzai. “The MEM program can open many doors and becoming an entrepreneur is just one of them.”

Toukan and Ahmadzai are on track to complete the program this summer with the inaugural class.

Archery Mayhem is located in Central Park Athletics at 3400 Grand Marais Road East. Each 75-minute session costs $20 a person and includes 15 minutes of briefing, basic archery training, practice time, and 50 minutes of game play.

Learn more about the MEM program at uwindsor.ca/mem.


Kristie Pearce

group celebrating World Student DayThe campus community is invited to celebrate World Student Day along Turtle Island Walk on July 20.

Celebration to welcome students from around the world

A free lunch, activities, and performances will celebrate international language students and their contributions to their host community on Friday, July 20 — designated by Languages Canada as World Student Day.

Languages Canada is a national organization representing the language education sector; the UWindsor’s Centre for English Language Development is an accredited member.

The centre’s acting director, Katia Benoit, says this year’s event will take place in the David A. Wilson Commons and along Turtle Island Walk, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We’re bringing the celebration to the main campus to increase awareness and participation,” she says. “We’re going to create an exciting and social atmosphere in recognition of all the international students who have chosen the University of Windsor.”

Activities are still in the planning stages, but will include a zumba lesson, an obstacle course, a tower building competition, a basketball free throw contest, the creation of a chalk mural sharing thoughts on Canada, and addresses by dignitaries, as well as a luncheon starting at noon, while supplies last.

Watch for more information as World Student Day approaches.

Law professor awarded membership in Order of Canada

Bev JacobsUWindsor law professor Bev Jacobs was one of 105 appointments to the Order of Canada announced June 29 by Gov. Gen. Julie Payette. Jacobs will be invested as a member of the order — one of the country’s highest civilian honours — at a ceremony to be held later.

In making the announcement, Payette cited Jacobs’ work to promote the rights of Indigenous women and girls, notably as the lead researcher of the Stolen Sisters report. The report, released by Amnesty International in 2004, examined factors which contributed to a heightened risk of violence against Indigenous women in Canadian cities.

Jacobs, a member of the Mohawk Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, served as president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada from 2004 to 2009. She lives and practises law in her home community of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

An alumna of Windsor Law (LLB 1994), she also holds a Master of Law degree from the University of Saskatchewan and is completing doctoral studies at the University of Calgary.

Jacobs said that she respects the award, but it won’t keep her from fighting government in defense of her people.

“I accept this to bring attention to Indigenous laws and responsibilities of Indigenous peoples to protect our lands, waters, and resources for future generations,” she wrote on Twitter.

Created in 1967, the Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The contributions of members are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and have taken to heart the motto of the order: Desiderantes meliorem patriam (“They desire a better country”).

Aaron Fisk prestning before roomful of peopleAaron Fisk says the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research leverages collaborations to protect the Great Lakes.

UWindsor prof’s research profiled in national newspaper

“We need to work together across academic institutions, government agencies, NGOs and the general public to protect the Great Lakes,” Aaron Fisk, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Changing Great Lakes Ecosystems and a researcher at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), told a national audience in a special feature published by the Globe and Mail on June 30.

Dr. Fisk believes research is key to advancing the understanding of potential implications of climate change on ecosystem processes, and for maintaining and developing ecosystem services that address these complex challenges. His own work to understand food web relationships and animal movements within the Great Lakes ecosystems was the subject of a profile in print and online editions of “Top Canadian Universities 2018.”

His partnerships with other institutions culminated in the state-of-the-art Real-time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network, hailed as “a shining example of research collaboration at its finest” by Canada Foundation for Innovation president Roseann O’Reilly Runte.

“This advanced hub will not only enable researchers to better understand our freshwater ecosystems, it will also foster and encourage an atmosphere of collaboration and knowledge sharing among Canada’s most talented,” she said.

Read the entire article, entitled “Treasure trove of real-time data enabling research and ecosystem management.”

keyboard with keys labelled Learn EarnJob postings for the Ignite work-study program are now live.

Job postings now open for Ignite work-study program

Job postings for the Ignite work-study program are now live, advises the Office of Career Development and Experiential Learning.

The program has transitioned to a wage subsidy model and is now open to all UWindsor students (some restrictions apply; view the Ignite website for details). New this year, supervisors will pay their students from their own departmental student casual wage accounts and will be reimbursed a subsidy of up to $1,250 or $2,500, depending on the length of the position.

Ignite funds part-time jobs on campus for students. Positions offer opportunity for financial benefits and aim to provide participants with expanded opportunities to build skills relevant to their career development.

Job proposals will be vetted and scored by an evaluation committee to determine which positions will be awarded funding. Successful positions that receive funding will be notified the week of August 20.

The deadline to submit a job proposal is July 27. All job proposals must be submitted through mySuccess — log in as UWindsor faculty/staff with your UWin ID at https://success.uwindsor.ca. Posted opportunities will be visible to approved students on September 4.

Program co-ordinator Sydney Murray encourages any faculty or staff member interested in posting an Ignite position to attend an information session on July 5 or 13 to learn about the program; register online. If you have any questions or concerns related to the new changes, please contact Murray at Sydney.Murray@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000, ext. 2577.

Dylan Verburg, Rajesh SethUWindsor engineering student Dylan Verburg and professor Rajesh Seth take samples from the water supply to New Delhi, the capital of India.

Engineering magazine profiles Windsor grad student

A magazine for the province’s engineers has profiled a UWindsor student’s work to improve water quality in the Indian capital city of New Delhi.

The Voice — the official publication of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers — introduces its readers to Dylan Verburg, a master’s student of environmental engineering working with professor Rajesh Seth, who specializes in water and waste-water treatment.

Of his nearly nearly five months in India contributing to an international research project, Verburg says: “this has been an absolutely amazing, eye-opening experience that has helped me grow, mature, and develop skills professionally as well as personally.”

Read the entire article, entitled “Shifting the paradigm for 60 million: how one engineering graduate student is turning convention on its head to deliver a vital human resource — clean drinking water.”

avocado friesExecutive chef Paolo Vasapolli takes avocados beyond guacamole with his recipe for avocado fries.

Holy guacamole! These avocados are more than just dip

Avocados are on a culinary roll these days — it seems like everyone is snatching up this homely but heart-healthy little guy to use in everything from pizza to pancakes, not to mention the ubiquitous avocado toast.

Once relegated to guacamole, today’s avocados are really getting around and are virtually the only fruit that contains monounsaturated “good fat.” A natural nutrient booster, the lowly avocado helps increase the absorption of fat-soluble ingredients like vitamins A, D, K, and E, and its creamy consistency makes it one of the first fresh foods a baby can enjoy.

While avocados appear to be enjoying their day in today’s culinary sun, archaeologists in Peru have found domesticated avocado seeds buried with Incan mummies dating back to 750 BC, and there is evidence that avocados were cultivated in Mexico as early as 500 BC.

While avocados have been traditionally eaten chilled or at room temperature, UWindsor’s own executive chef Paolo Vasapolli has a new take.

Avocado Fries

Ingredients:

  • Canola oil for frying
  • ¼ cup flour
  • About ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cups of Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 2 firm ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into ½ in. wedges

Preparation:

  • In a medium saucepan, heat 1 ½ inches of oil until it registers 375°F using a deep-fry thermometer, or use the old-fashioned method — throw in some crumbs to test readiness.
  • Meanwhile mix flour with ¼ of salt in a shallow plate.
  • Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates. Dip avocado slices into flour, shaking off excess, dip in egg and then panko to coat.
  • Fry avocado slices until golden brown — about 30-60 seconds. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  • Sprinkle with salt to taste, or drizzle with a little truffle oil and enjoy.
hand pulling plug from outletAnnual preventative maintenance will require an outage of electrical and steam services to campus on the weekend of July 6.

Maintenance to shut down campus electrical and steam services

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

The electrical outage will disable card access, elevators, lighting, air conditioning, and all power supply and is scheduled for 12 hours, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 7. The following buildings will be inaccessible for this period: Laurier Hall, Energy Conversion Centre, Cartier Hall, Vanier Hall and Alumni Hall. Find details in this document: Power Outage-Laurier Hall/Energy Conversion Centre/Cartier Hall/Vanier Hall/Alumni Hall, July 7, 2018, 6:00am-6:00pm.

The steam outage will also disable hot water and heating 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 downtown properties, Centre for English Language Development Centre for Automotive Research and Education and Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research,. Find details in this document: Campus Wide Steam Outage, July 6 - 8, 2018, 12:00pm - 6:00pm.