Banners hanging in the atrium of the Essex Centre of Research (CORe) help to define the space for all faculty, staff, and students in science, says dean Chris Houser.

“If you think of our separate departments and programs, you have silos,” he says. “We want to highlight the research strengths we have across disciplines, some areas that we are known for internationally.”

The banners bear images identifying advanced materials, the environment, biomedical sciences, and data analytics — along with one spelling the word “Science” with graphic elements of the other four.

“Together, they create a better sense of what the Faculty of Science is,” says Dr. Houser. “These four areas illustrate some of our key strengths in science.”

Graphic designer Marnie Robillard of the Office of Public Affairs and Communications created the banners, which were mounted Thursday on the west interior wall of the building’s third floor.

Houser praises the contribution of third-year biology student Elaina Pardalis, a member of the Science Meets Art club whose painting of a cell adorns the biomed banner.

“It was wonderful to be able to incorporate the undergrad design,” Houser says. “It shows the breadth of the experiences our students get here.”

The Essex CORe opened in December 2018. It comprises state-of-the-art laboratory space and is home to research groups in Materials Chemistry, Medical Physics, and Translational Health.

When the Rolling Stones sang about satisfaction, they should have consulted UWindsor social work professor Nazim Habibov.

Dr. Habibov, along with two students and an associate professor at Lakehead University, has published research that shows maintaining a healthy body mass index has a positive effect on life satisfaction.

Put simply, it’s hard to be fat and happy, or too skinny and happy, especially if you live in a country where you don’t trust your government or its institutions.

For the study, published in the International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Habibov, UWindsor undergrad Alena Auchynnikava, PhD candidate Rong Luo, and Lakehead professor Lida Fan used data from the 2016 Life-in-Transition Survey conducted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Approximately 1,500 people in 27 post-communist countries were surveyed.

Respondents’ weight and height was recorded as were their answers to the question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? All things considered, I am satisfied with my life now.

“Healthy weight improves life satisfaction,” Habibov said the research shows. He said that’s a universal truth, regardless of where you live, but the correlation is “less strong” in economically and politically stable countries.

“The past decade has been characterized by a burgeoning interest in the concept of life satisfaction,” he said. With his interest in social policy, Habibov wanted to look beyond the “traditional measures of well-being” such as age, gender, wealth, health, employment, and marital status or the Gross Domestic Product and expenditures of the respondents’ home countries.

The study looked at countries as advanced as Poland and Hungary — members of the European Union — and as less developed as Mongolia.

Habibov said there is a rising prevalence of obesity in both developed and developing countries. Three main factors are behind this trend: falling prices for junk food compared to higher prices for fruits and vegetables, the rise of vacuum packaging allowing consumers to quickly prepare high-calorie and fat-dense foods, and technological changes that have replaced manual labour with sedentary work.

It has been well-established that unhealthy weight can create a wide range of physical issues as well as negative effects on self-esteem and social relationships, Habibov said. It also presents a barrier to employment as prospective employers — especially those in countries without universal health care — will discriminate against job seekers who are noticeably over- or under-weight.

Employers might think these workers would be off sick more, affecting health care costs and productivity, or turn off customers, Habibov explained.

He said there is one caveat, and that applies to countries with a history of famine, like Indonesia, or a trend of feasting like China. He said studies have shown that in these countries, a fat belly proclaims a fat wallet, so obesity becomes a signal of affluence and higher socio-economic standing.

—Sarah Sacheli

The staff in residence helps students succeed, says Connor Adlam.

A second-year political science major living in Alumni Hall, he was one of about 100 residence students honoured at a reception Friday for earning at least an A- academic average.

“I have found that in residence, everyone is there for you,” Adlam said. “People are very helpful.”

The event, now in its ninth year, saw academic officials hand out certificates of accomplishment and small gifts to students with a cumulative average of at least A-.

It’s important to celebrate the achievements of these students, many of whom are away from home for the first time, said Diane Rawlings, head of the Residence Services department.

“We know University life can be challenging,” she said. “We work hard to make their transition as smooth as possible.”

Samantha Johnson, a first-year sociology student, said she appreciated the effort.

“It’s cool that they would do this for us,” she said. “Residence has been a great experience for me so far.”

Adlam took home a bonus prize as one of two winners in a draw for a $25 Campus Bookstore gift card: “I’ll probably use it to buy a sweatshirt.”

Installation artists Ken Rinaldo and Amy Youngs will present on their practices in a free public presentation at noon Thursday, Feb. 14, in the Performance Hall, SoCA Armouries, 37 University Ave. E.

The two are professors at Ohio State University.

• Love is baked into DNA, as spiders, fungi and bacteria care for their young
  Rinaldo is internationally recognized for interactive bio art and robotic installations blurring the boundaries between the organic and inorganic. His works are focused on trans-species communication, animal agency, insect, bacterial and emergent machine intelligences.
• Telepresent Animals: embodied approaches
  Youngs creates biological art, interactive sculptures, and digital media works that explore interdependencies between technology, plants, and animals. Her practice-based research involves entanglements with the non-human, constructing ecosystems, and seeing through the eyes of machines.

The event is part of the SoCA Presents series and is co-sponsored by the Incubator Lab.

Novelist and essayist Gail Scott, UWindsor writer-in-residence, will read from her works in a free public presentation Thursday, Feb. 14, at Common Ground Art Gallery.

Scott is known for her work in such experimental forms as prose poetry and New Narrative. She was a major contributor to 1980s Québécoise feminist language theory, known as écriture au féminin, which explores the relationship between language, bodies, and feminist politics.

Her reading, which starts at 8 p.m., is sponsored by the dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and co-ordinated by the English department.

Common Ground is located in the Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre, 3277 Sandwich St.

The University of Windsor Alumni Association is inviting nominations for the Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching. The award is conferred annually at the Spring Convocation ceremonies to honour and recognize distinguished teaching on campus and to provide incentive and encouragement for achieving excellence in this field.

All full-time members of the teaching faculty with a minimum of five consecutive years teaching at the University of Windsor are eligible to be nominated for the award.

Click here for the award criteria, intent to nominate form, and submission deadlines.

For more information or assistance contact Katherine Simon in the Office of Alumni Affairs at alumni@uwindsor.ca or phone 519-971-3618.

A move to Chrysler Hall Tower will close the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office starting Friday, Feb. 15, through Reading Week.

Director Marian Doll says the new location is more centrally located, easier to find, and close to related services in the offices of the registrar and student accounts.

“We’re excited to start seeing students in our new home,” says Doll. “We invite our colleagues to help spread the word.”

The office will re-open for service on the first floor of Chrysler Hall Tower, on Monday, Feb. 25, and will maintain the following hours of operation:

• 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday;
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

Staff encourages clients to contact the office at award1@uwindsor.ca during the closure, as it will continue to monitor email.

An exhibition in the SoCA Gallery this week presents the work of second-year student Ada Waldman.

She describes her show, “Timelines – Another Trait of Art,” as so complex that some are unclear to identify.

“To create a unique pass to the field of art needs great courage to attempt and develop,” she says. “It is not simply pandering to the trend of time, unwillingly take one’s fancy.”

A reception Wednesday, Feb. 13, offers the chance to meet the artist, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. in the gallery, located in the SoCA Armouries, 37 University Ave. E.

Savvy shoppers can save a bundle when they buy a bundle this week and next at the Campus Bookstore.

The store is offering a special price on its bundle of a T-shirt and baseball cap bearing the words “University of Windsor.” Through Feb. 21, the two — normally priced at $25.85 — are available for just $19.95.

Plus, portraits of purchasers wearing the items posted to social media with the hashtag #ReadingWeek2019 have a chance to be featured by the bookstore.