The Windsor-Walkerville Fringe Festival, scheduled from July 19 to July 29 at the Olde Walkerville Theatre, 1564 Wyandotte Street East, will once again feature the talents of UWindsor students, grads, and friends.

RED: The Untold Story of the Queen of Hearts, produced by School of Music graduate Erin Armstrong and her company, Abridged Opera, will be featured at this year’s festival and stars drama in education student Kaitlyn Karns as Alice, and BFA graduate Kristen Siapas as the Queen of Hearts.

The Fringe promotes cutting-edge, new work — locally, nationally or internationally derived — and gives artists free rein to develop their skills. This year’s festival features 46 performances of eight productions over a 10-day period, including stand-up comedy, a magic show, dance and theatre. All ticket sales benefit participating artists.

Volunteers for this year’s event are still needed and recruits are asked to contact Deborah Cottreau at cottreau@uwindsor.ca.

For a full list of Fringe activities, visit https://www.windsorwalkervillefringefest.com/.

An expansive mural depicting the Tree of Life hanging on the second floor of the Biology Building, outside the BioLearning Centre was created by an atypical group of artists — a collection of undergraduate science majors.

Before graduating with a bachelor of science in biology earlier this year, Phil Habashy collaborated with a team of science students as part of Science Meets Art (SMArt), a project encouraging science students to use their artistic skills to educate about science. He also received academic credit through the new Faculty of Science Service Learning course.

Habashy says his inspiration was to create a version of the Tree of Life that is creative yet still integrates many aspects of the biological field into one piece: molecular biology, neuroscience, anatomy and physiology, genetics, embryology, diversity, and evolution.

“We started with the smallest microscopic complex, expanded towards the diversity of organisms, and ended with the analogy of the tree as the ‘Tree of Life,’ just like a chain,” says Habashy.

His service learning supervisor Dora Cavallo-Medved is also the SMArt faculty leader.

“In addition to creating a unique art piece, Phil designed an interactive 3D model kit that students will use to build phylogenetic trees and depict the evolutionary relationships between species,” says Dr. Cavallo-Medved. “Both the art piece and the 3D model activity will now be incorporated into our Biological Diversity course next winter as part of a new learning module, which Phil designed, for our Evolution, Taxonomy and Phylogeny teaching lab.”

He led the team, but Habashy credits the dedication and enthusiasm of his fellow SMArt volunteers for ensuring the accuracy of the painting’s scientific detail.

“Seeing it hanging up made me feel accomplished, especially knowing that the long hours of effort and planning to finalize it required a lot of commitment and hard work from every individual that contributed towards this project” he says.

“It felt like running a race and passing the end line, then looking back at what was accomplished and finally seeing the people who stood beside me through the journey; my family, my professors, my team, my colleagues, and my friends. I cannot be thankful enough for all of their support, motivation, and guidance.”

Biological sciences department head Dennis Higgs says that having a student create the mural shows other students the importance of embracing their creative sides, in addition to striving for academic success.

“Philip’s mural is a wonderful representation of how integrative biological sciences truly is and will be a great visual aid to show students, and others, that to truly understand biology you have to think across all levels, from the molecule up to the community,” he says. “It also reinforces our efforts to help students see the value of different types of scientific communication.”

The mural was unveiled last week to local high school students attending the annual UWindsor Science Academy. Find images of the artworks’ timeline, from the original sketch to final product, on the SMArt website.

Sara Elliott

You can do anything in Windsor, says Hamad Al-Ghzawi.

He came to Canada from his home city of Irbid in northern Jordan to study civil engineering and is currently polishing his communication skills through the English Language Improvement Program.

“I learned (English) in my country, but it lacked foundation,” says Al-Ghzawi. “Here I am learning new words as I must speak with other people in English.”

He chose the University of Windsor on the recommendation of a friend who said he would find a friendly reception. Al-Ghzawi says the advice was sound.

“When I first arrived I went to the International Student Centre and they welcomed me with a big smile,” he says.

As he readies himself for professional study, he plans to devote his career to building things — private homes or public edifices.

“I am so happy with the opportunities I am finding in Windsor,” says Al-Ghzawi.

The Centre for English Language Development will celebrate international language students and their contributions to campus and community on World Student Day, Friday July 20. UWindsor faculty, staff, and students are invited to join in free activities, entertainment, and a lunch on Turtle Island Walk from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Design work on the $73 million Lancer Sport and Recreation Centre (LSRC) is continuing through the summer, with early interior work on the current St. Denis Centre expected to start by late summer, according Jeremiah Bowers, president of the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance.

He says sewer work on the project is currently out for tender with a tentative start date of later this summer, and the main portion of the project is scheduled to go to tender in early 2019 with ground-breaking expected by summer 2019.

The LSRC will offer a modern space to foster athletic excellence and support high-quality recreational services for thousands of students and members of the community. For more information on the project, visit https://www.uwindsor.ca/campustransformation/345/lsrc-overview.

Applications are open for the 2018 Dr. Alan Wright Award for Exemplary Online and Technology-Enhanced Teaching.

Sponsored by the Office of Open Learning, the award recognizes exceptional educators who have demonstrated a commitment to innovation, enhancement, and scholarly approaches to teaching in online, hybrid, and open learning.

It is open to all instructors teaching online, hybrid, open, and technology-enabled courses at the University of Windsor. You can nominate yourself or a colleague. Winners will receive a $500 cash prize, plus $500 to help them disseminate the good practice for which they are recognized.

“Adopting new technologies and ways of teaching takes commitment, courage, and innovative thinking,” says Nick Baker, director of the Office of Open Learning. “This award recognizes the extraordinary teachers we have who make this commitment in their teaching.”

Baker says the award also aims to help people who are innovating in their teaching to share that practice with others.

Winners will be announced and celebrated at the annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence in November. Deadline for submission is Friday, August 31.

For more information, contact Baker at nbaker@uwindsor.ca, 519-253-3000, ext. 4925, or visit the award website for criteria, details of the nomination process, and submission instructions.

Complete packages should be submitted in MS-Word or searchable PDF format by email to openlearning@uwindsor.ca with the subject “Alan Wright Award for Exemplary Online and Technology-Enhanced Teaching.”

Being physically active, eating a healthy and balanced diet, and getting adequate amounts of sleep are essential to long-term well-being, advises the Department of Human Resources.

These three keys to health are the theme for its Lunch and Learn summer series of free sessions for UWindsor employees. Each entry is the series is 40 minutes long. Bring a lunch, and organizers will provide bottled water and fresh fruit.

3 Keys to a Healthier “U,” July 19, 1:10 p.m.
Adequate rest, active living and quality nutrition are staples of a healthy life. This session will highlight the importance of sleep, physical activity and a balanced diet to our overall well-being. It will also introduce the 3 Keys to a Healthier “U” campaign.

Sleep and Mental Health, July 26, 12:10 p.m.
Sleep is crucial for our health and well-being. Poor quality and quantity of sleep can impact our physical and mental health. This session will provide an overview of how sleep impacts our mental health and what we can do to improve our sleep and mental well-being.

Eat Well, Feel Well, August 9, 1:10 p.m.
A healthy and well-balanced diet can provide your body with the energy needed to be active throughout the day and the nutrients required for growth and repair. This session will offer examples of what a balanced diet looks like and provide tips for portion control.

Stay Active for a Healthier “U,” August 21, 12:10 p.m.
Inactivity is linked to 9 per cent of premature deaths around the world. On average, we sit 10 hours a day and at times it feels impossible to fit exercise into our busy schedules. This session will explore the myths and misconceptions about exercising and provide tips on how you can stay active throughout the day.

Go to the registration website for location, facilitator information, and to register.

Interested in hiring a student? The Office of Career Development & Experiential Learning is still accepting job postings for Ignite, the University of Windsor’s work study program.

New this year, the program has transitioned to a wage subsidy model and is open to all UWindsor students (some restrictions apply; view the Ignite website for details). 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.

The deadline to submit a job proposal is Friday, July 27. Job proposals will be vetted and scored by an evaluation committee to determine which positions will be awarded funding. Those submitting positions that receive funding will be notified the week of August 20.

If you have any questions relating to the Ignite program, contact co-ordinator Sydney Murray at ignite@uwindsor.ca or 519-253-3000, ext. 2577.

The Lancer women’s hockey program has its first full-time head coach with the appointment of Deanna Iwanicka.

Athletics director Mike Havey hailed her experience: 10 years coaching the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology women’s varsity squad, which included three Alberta college titles.

“She has done an outstanding job in building NAIT women’s hockey into a perennial championship powerhouse,” Havey said. “We look forward to her leading our Lancer women’s hockey program in the years ahead.”

Iwanicka won a U Sports championship as a student-athlete at the University of Alberta and says she sees great potential in the Lancers: “I see this as a chance to really practice what I preach, to be comfortable being uncomfortable and to be my best by being better every single time.”

Read the full article, “Iwanicka named head coach of Lancer women’s hockey,” at goLancers.ca.