Its latest tranche of research grants brings the total disbursed by WE-Spark Health Institute and its funding partners to a total of $1,086,725 since the launch of the program in April 2020.

Executive director Lisa Porter, a professor of biomedical sciences, said the milestone is exciting.

“With each grant cycle, the number of new collaborators coming on board grows,” she said. “These grants create jobs, address pressing problems, and make Windsor-Essex competitive for national funding competitions.”

The most recent awards comprise $310,000 to support 15 projects involving collaborators across WE-Spark’s four supporting institutions — the University of Windsor, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Windsor Regional Hospital, and St. Clair College — along with community members, students, and volunteers across Windsor-Essex.

They include:

• Developing an early intervention strategy for patients in an emergency room
• Gaining a better understanding of head impacts in youth hockey
• The effects of light therapy in Parkinson’s patients
• Developing a safe, non-evasive, and cost-effective ultrasound technique for skin cancer detection
• Exploring the potential impact of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Skills in conflict in adolescent mothers’ intimate relationships
• Examining better ways to target and treat liver cancer
• Implementing a data trust to address affordable housing
• Exploring family engagement interventions in mental health services improve outcomes for children, youth, and families
• Developing an innovative approach to diagnosing and delivering treatment on aggressive brain tumours using a robotic platform
• Gaining insight into the relationship between women’s hyper-productivity, mental health, and trauma in higher education
• Finding the safest boron compounds and their concentration dose to be used for radiation treatment of cancers
• Using virus-like particles to deliver protein therapeutics for cancer of the brain and spinal cord
• Understanding the challenges and experiences of migrant workers when accessing healthcare
• Understanding the landscape for a Shelter Health Initiative in Windsor
• Understanding the role of specific proteins and pathways that could be targeted to improve treatment of the genetic disorder Fragile X syndrome

Biomedical sciences professor Jeffrey Dason expressed appreciation for the support he has received from the funding program.

“A WE-Spark Health Institute grant allowed my research group to collect the necessary data to obtain a larger five-year CIHR grant,” he said. “These grants are critical in expanding biomedical research at the University of Windsor and in the Windsor-Essex region.”

Projects will begin in September and will be found here: www.weSparkhealth.com/projects.

Open Streets Windsor, the “paved park” festival, offers a unique opportunity to any campus group wanting to interact with the community on Sunday, Sept. 18.

Citizens will walk, jog, bicycle, or roll an eight-kilometre route closed to vehicular traffic from Sandwich Towne to Ford City, enjoying healthy and fun civic activities along the way.

A University Hub located on Riverside Drive by Assumption Park makes a convenient connection to campus, says Mary-Ann Rennie, special events manager in the Office of the President.

“This is a wonderful chance for UWindsor organizations to present entertainment or an activity or to set up an information table,” she says. “You’re not going to get a better outreach opportunity. This event reaches every demographic, from pre-schoolers to retirees.”

The University will provide participating groups with tables and chairs and a catered lunch sponsored by president Robert Gordon. The commitment is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., plus set-up and teardown times.

To inquire about reserving a space, email Rennie at mrennie@uwindsor.ca.

Registration is now open for GATAcademy 2022, a week-long online professional development event open to both new and experienced UWindsor graduate and teaching assistants.

Each day from Monday, Aug. 29, to Friday, Sept. 2, will feature three workshops; there will also be an in-person networking event on Wednesday, Sept. 7.

Offering a series of interactive workshops led by experienced professionals from across the campus, topics will include using Blackboard, using Microsoft Teams, best practices in grading and feedback, running effective labs and tutorials, and a whole lot more.

The sessions will be presented online through the Blackboard Virtual Classroom. Registration is free; get all the details on the GATAcademy website. Registrants will receive an email with the link to the virtual classroom the week before the event.

UWindsor alum Jordan Collison (BHK 2016) has accepted an appointment as head coach of the Lancer cross country program.

Collison served as an assistant coach last season and competed for the blue and gold from 2013 to 2016.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be taking on this position with the Lancers,” he said. “There is a long history of championship-winning teams here in Windsor and I look forward to getting back to that level and carrying on that tradition.”

Athletics director Stephanie White welcomed the movement science grad to the role.

“Jordan has demonstrated tremendous leadership and has earned the respect of our Lancer student-athletes during his short time with the program,” she said. “His own experience as a collegiate student-athlete, combined with his ability to teach and lead, will help with the development of our athletes and the future success of the program.”

Read the full story at goLancers.ca.

The University has declared several lateral filing cabinets for sale by bid as Disposal File 1065.

The first has four drawers and it measures 53" high by 36" wide. Three more each have three drawers and are 41" high by 36" wide. Click here for details.