The Faculty of Science’s new research and innovation facility, the Essex Centre of Research (Essex CORe), opens today, Dec. 3.

The building is dedicated to research, innovation, and industry collaboration. It provides faculty and students with upgraded facilities for research in materials chemistry, health, and medical physics.

The Essex CORe contains research labs housing state-of-the-art instrumentation as well as meeting rooms for discussing and advancing the research undertaken within and between academic and industrial parties.

Staff, graduate students, and researchers have already relocated labs formerly in Essex Hall and the Biology Building into the Essex CORe and some have already resumed research activity.

This building will operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week. However, access through the north entrance as well as through the hallway links to Essex will be limited to Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

While the building will be accessible, the grand opening and official ribbon cutting for the CORe will be done in the winter semester. See images documenting the progress of construction on the project website.

—Darko Milenkovic

The University of Windsor Students’ Alliance is rallying all faculties and societies to give back this holiday season. #OurLancers Winter Wear Drive is a week-long competition to collect as much cold-weather clothing as possible.

The faculty that successfully accumulates the most donations by 5 p.m. Dec. 5 will win bragging rights.

“We acknowledge that not all Lancers are prepared for our harsh winters — whether they’re local or international,” said UWSA president Jeremiah Bowers. “We’re leading the charge and making a bold statement to our community that here at UWindsor every Lancer counts.”

Organizers are hoping to recruit participation, and has set up initial donation boxes in the following locations:

• Odette Building
• Jackman Dramatic Art Centre
• Centre for Engineering Innovation
• Chrysler Hall
• Essex Hall
• CAW Student Centre

For more information about the cause or to sign on, contact Bowers at puwsa@uwindsor.ca, or UWSA vice-president for student advocacy Admira Konjic at vpsa@uwindsor.ca.

With donations and pledges of $98,978, the campus campaign for United Way is well on its way to breaking the $100,000 mark for the 10th straight year, co-chair Datta Pillay told supporters Friday at a reception to wrap up the charity’s canvass period.

“We still have a couple of months to exceed last year’s totals,” said Dr. Pillay, a retired biology professor and dean of science.

In addition to a status report on fundraising, the event featured a prize draw for donors.

Anita Bondy, team leader for advanced academic programs in the Office of the Registrar, won an extra day’s vacation and plans to use it as early as next week — she is moving house.

“The timing is great,” she said after her win was announced. “I’m going to ask for Monday off as soon as I get back to the office.”

Other prize winners included:

• Kathleen Behan, an iPad Mini tablet computer;
• Mark Learn, an extra vacation day;
• Romina Oulevey, a six-month campus parking pass;
• Sarah Cats, a one-year membership to the St. Denis Centre;
• Iva Gentcheva and Shae Harasym, three-play subscriptions to the University Players;
• Theresa Whelan, two tickets to the SoCA concert of her choice.

Learn more about the work of the United Way, and how to support it, on the campus campaign website.

The Celebration of Nations event is back and ready to celebrate the rich cultural diversity that exists within our campus on March 14, 2019.

The celebration gives you the opportunity to learn about other cultures and to celebrate your own heritage through a variety of performances, demonstrations and displays of food, dance, dress, and music.

Performers are key to engaging people during the event. To sign up to be a performer, click here to register through the online survey. Groups of students hoping to perform during the Celebration of Nations have until Feb. 8 to register.

A colloquium Tuesday, Dec. 4, promises exploration of the poetry, prose, and intellectual and cultural worlds of 17th-century writer John Donne.

“Anatomy, Alchemy, Faith: the Work of John Donne” begins at 4 p.m. in the McPherson Lounge, Alumni Hall.

Papers from 10 students in professor Stephen Pender’s seminar class will consider Donne and Islam, Donne and anatomy, Donne and books, and “the art of dying well.”

The event is sponsored by Dr. Pender, the English department, and the Humanities Research Group. It is open to all, but Pender asks that those planning to attend let him know at spender@uwindsor.ca.

Students will be getting a little bit of love from the Department of Biological Sciences today — Monday, Dec. 3 — during its second annual Student Appreciation Day.

Biology students are invited to relax before exams from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in room 223, Biology Building, for free food, games, colouring, and more.

Kinesiology professor Scott Martyn has just returned to campus after delivering the keynote address at the World Sports Leisure Science and Industry Summit in Xiamen, China. Despite his brief visit, he also found the time to meet with senior representatives from the Chinese government and a number of academic institutions.

In his talk, entitled “A Global Dialogue about the Future: Responding to Changing Demographics and their Impact on Sport and Leisure Studies,” Dr. Martyn called for an increase of scholarship on sport and leisure within the cultural contexts of various nations around the world. He stated that his goal was to “enhance interdisciplinary and international dialogue between sport and leisure researchers, educators, practitioners, policy makers, and those in industry.”

The first step during his keynote address was to “establish a working definition of sport, leisure, and recreation” before “focusing their attention on the six drivers of change in society today,” he said, giving special consideration to changing demographics on national and international levels.

Finally, Martyn argued that “demographic complexity, expressed as age complexity, income complexity, gender complexity, and life stage complexity, must be embraced if sport and leisure professionals are to serve the public in the future.”

Following his visit, Martyn has received a number of invitations to continue the dialogue he initiated while in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Xiamen. He will also be working with officials from government and the World Leisure Sports Association to help identify collaborative opportunities in higher education.

Students suffering from stress can find respite Monday, Dec. 3, as volunteers from Therapeutic Paws of Canada bring in trained dogs and cats for some gentle petting.

The event is set for 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Alumni Auditorium on the second floor of the CAW Student Centre — dogs in Salon A and cats in Salon B.

Paws from Stress is organized by the Peer Support Centre, the University of Windsor’s Senate Student Caucus and the Windsor chapter of Therapeutic Paws of Canada. It is sponsored by the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance and Campus Parking Services.

An open house reception will bring UWindsor students, staff, faculty, and community members to the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre’s Innovation Space, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6.

Attendees will check out the innovative workspace, learn about centre’s programs and services, and enjoy opportunities to network — along with light refreshments and door prizes. It’s free, but organizers ask everyone to bring a non-perishable food item for donation to Hiatus House.

The EPICentre is located on the second floor of the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre. RSVP on the EPICentre website.

The Windsor University Faculty Association’s winter solstice celebration will run 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13, at Kerr House, 366 Sunset Ave.

RSVP by Dec. 7 to the faculty association office, 519-253-3000, ext. 3365, or email wufa@uwindsor.ca.

The association’s Status of Women, Diversity and Equity Action Committee is collecting donations for the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women. Drop of contributions at the Faculty Association office, weekdays through Dec. 14.

Items currently in high demand include pyjamas, socks, deodorant, slippers, make-up, body sprays, hairbrushes, pregnancy tests, nail polishes, nail clippers, ear muffs, and backpacks.