Alumni News

Alumna and adjunct professor Bernadette Berthelotte (BMus 1981, B.Ed 1985, M.Ed 1990) has dedicated her professional life to music education. Last Friday, her outsized impact on arts education in Windsor-Essex was recognized with the Windsor Endowment for the Arts 2024 Community Arts Leadership Award.

“It is a privilege for me to advocate for the arts in public education and in the lives of children,” says Dr. Berthelotte. “Not because we are making artists, musicians, dancers or actors, but because we are aiding in the development of human beings and offering them ways to enhance the quality of their lives, throughout their lives.”

Known as “Dr. B,” Berthelotte spent 23 years developing and leading a thriving instrumental music program at W.F. Herman Secondary School. She created the “Reach Ahead” program that allows students in Grades 7 and 8 to participate in their local high school band, which enhances their skills and eases the transition to high school. Her commitment to music education and its impact on the development of young people has not only shaped the futures of her students but also set a high standard for educational excellence within the Greater Essex County District School Board.

In collaboration with local music educators and vendors, Berthelotte founded MusicFest Windsor, a regional festival affiliated with MusicFest Canada. The festival strives to provide an opportunity for students and educators across Southwestern Ontario to share their musical achievements through a performance venue.

She is the creator of “The String Project.” Inspired by Venezuela’s “El Sistema,” it is an after-school program at two schools in Windsor where children learn to play the violin from Grade 3 onward. Berthelotte firmly believes that music education fosters community, confidence, and success in young learners, and is already seeing incredible developments in program participants.

“Thousands upon thousands of studies that utilize the arts as part of a holistic education for all children continue to find that self-efficacy and self-esteem are heightened with these experiences,” she says. “Common sense, in addition to science, tells us that when children feel better about what they do, they will do better in everything.”

Following her retirement from the school board, Berthelotte has continued to share her passion and expertise through teaching music education courses in the UWindsor Faculty of Education. She also contributes to the Continuing Teacher Education Program, crafting and instructing additional qualification courses.

She regularly performs with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and freelances in Windsor and Detroit. Her extensive orchestral experience includes performing with the Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Metropolitan Orchestra, the Canadian Chamber Orchestra, the Regina Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles.

Berthelotte received her recognition from the Windsor Endowment for the Arts during a community celebration May 31 at the Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre.

Other leadership awards recipients with a UWindsor connection included alumni Christopher Lawrence Menard (BA 2012) in the literary arts category, Hugh Leal (BA 1973, BComm 1978) in the performing arts music category, and Arts Collective Theatre, directed by Chris Rabideau (BA 2008, B.Ed 2009).

The University of Windsor Alumni Association will bestow its Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching on two professors during Spring Convocation ceremonies this week: Pooya Moradian Zadeh of the School of Computer Science and Kevin Milne of the Department of Kinesiology.

The award honours faculty members — nominated by colleagues, alumni, and students — as incentive and encouragement for achieving excellence in teaching and learning at the University of Windsor.

Dr. Moradian Zadeh holds a certificate in experiential learning from the National Society for Experiential Education which has supported his ability to apply these concepts in the redesign and development of several graduate and undergraduate courses. He is known within computer science for his unique and engaging teaching methods, genuine concern for his students, and desire to motivate them.

He describes his teaching philosophy as to help students understand the various aspects of technical concepts and to support them in generalizing their ideas, enhancing their problem-solving abilities, and fostering critical thinking skills necessary for tackling real-world issues.

Moradian Zadeh will receive his award at the 2 p.m. June 5 session of Convocation.

Dr. Milne’s pedagogical approach is summed up in the acronym “ENGAGE”:

• Explain rather than simply show information,
• Nourish all ideas, even those that might begin with an incorrect foundation,
• Generate interest in the wonder of our world,
• encourage Active participation in classes,
• be Genuine in my enthusiasm for the learning process,
• foster an environment where students Enjoy learning.

He has previously received the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance Teaching Award and the Ontario University Student Alliance Teaching Award in 2012; the Faculty of Human Kinetics Student Society Teaching Award in 2013, 2014, 2017; and the Faculty of Human Kinetics Wayne Marino Teaching Excellence Award in 2021.

Milne will receive his award at the 9:30 a.m. June 7 session of Convocation.

Convocation celebrations continue through Friday at the Toldo Lancer Centre; tune in to the livestream on the UWindsor YouTube channel.

Rahul Banerjee (MSc 2022) became so entrenched in UWindsor’s campus community during his time as a Master of Applied Computing student that he could not wait to return.

In late 2023, Banerjee took on the role of research security co-ordinator on the research partnerships team embedded in the Office of the Vice President, Research and Innovation.

“Research security is a new domain that falls under national security, which is guided by federal and provincial policies,” says Banerjee.

“We work hand-in-hand with government agencies to create best practices for university researchers and then we support them to ensure their research is safe and secure.”

The first to hold that title, Banerjee hosts workshops and training sessions to teach faculty protocols and guidelines as well as arm them with the required tools and resources.

“Research security is about safeguarding our University research community from bad actors who hope to gain economically or militarily from work being done in Canadian labs, and the first step is awareness,” he says.

He says the field is so new that they are constantly assessing, prioritizing, and adapting to new practices and models. He loves his new role and says it was Because of Science at UWindsor that he was prepared for such a challenging position.

“MAC helped me gain a lot of these connections through networking opportunities, and these connections have helped me get where I am right now,” says Banerjee. “I’ve met people who are leading the community and many of them referred me to this role.”

As a message to current students, Banerjee says to nurture those contacts you make and focus on creating long-standing relationships.

“MAC gives you that opportunity to prosper and it is up to you to make the best out of it,” he says.

Those networking skills and opportunities helped him to become a key member on the local scene.

He was invited to be on the Google Developers panel for Windsor and Detroit region and is a member of the Windsor-Tecumseh Youth Advisory Council.

As a graduate student, he was on the student council and held two part-time campus jobs. After graduation, he turned a co-op position with BDO Canada as a data and innovation consultant into full-time employment.

His pride as an alumnus shines through and he has returned to three orientation sessions for the MAC program to talk to current students.

“I’ve become an online cheerleader for UWindsor and the region,” Banerjee says. “I want to promote Windsor as an up-and-coming hub of technology. We are already seeing it happen.”