A virtual event Sept. 15 will celebrate the opening of the Incubator Art Lab’s storefront studio facility.

The studio is a hybrid space combining a fine arts workshop with a biology laboratory. It will be used for research and creation as well as a place to hold special events, artist talks, and workshops for community or school groups. It will also serve as an exhibition space for student and faculty artworks.

This unique facility will benefit the local community while winning national and international recognition in the art and science worlds.

Wednesday’s opening will run 3 to 3:30 p.m. on the UWindsor YouTube page.

Applications from all teaching and administrative populations on campus are invited for fellowships aimed at encouraging local UWindsor capacity-building in humanizing online learning.

The $500 fall 2021 Open Learning Digital Fluency fellowships (#OLDFF) are part of a provincial eCampus Ontario Digital Fluency grant on Humanizing Learning. Representatives of the UWindsor Faculty of Education and Office of Open Learning representatives are partners in their launch.

Fellows will participate in weekly Thursday noon online co-design conversations held in October and November between Windsor, Nipissing, Mohawk, Toronto, OCAD, Brock, and Trent partners. Conversations will be organized around the themes of the Humanizing Learning grant listed below, and will be facilitated using a “what? so what? now what?” liberating structure.

• Module 1: Unlearning and Unsettling (Oct. 7 and 14). Themes for discussion: Questioning and Reflection
• Module 2: Students as agents of diverse destiny (Oct. 21 and 28). Themes for discussion: Vulnerability and Failure
• Module 3: Co-creating inclusive communities (Nov. 4 and 11). Themes for discussion: Trust and Context
• Module 4: Sustaining Change (Nov. 18 and 25). Themes for discussion: Critique and Care

Fellows are encouraged from all teaching and administrative populations on campus. Successful participants will receive the $500 fellowship upon completion of the fall 2021 project and confirmation of:

• participation in and contribution to at least four of eight Thursday online conversations with partners from around the province; and
• one digital reflection (blog post, video, sketchnote, infographic) to the Open Learning #OLDFF blog. Contributions will be Creative Commons-licensed and may be used in the project’s final resources.

#OLDFF applications are due by Thursday, Sept. 23, using this form. Results will be announced September 30.

COVID couldn’t stop some engineering students from getting hands-on experience Tuesday.

Professor Rajeev Ruparathna, who teaches the second-year course “Civil Engineering Information Systems,” held a workshop for the cohort who took the surveying portion of the class as a video demonstration while instruction was online in Winter 2021.

Participants tried their hands at the equipment taking measurements at campus sites. They wore masks throughout, completed the self-assessment on the Safe Lancer app, and used disinfecting wipes to clean the shared apparatus between users.

“I want to acknowledge and thank Dr. Ruparathna for organizing and executing this activity,” said Paul Henshaw, head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “For those students, I think the experience was well worth the effort.”

Grace Santin, who just began third-year studies in civil engineering, agreed.

“I had an excellent time returning to campus and being able to have a hands-on learning experience,” she said. “Being able to talk in person and use the course materials in real life made all the difference for my understanding.”

The Leddy Library will conduct its English Conversation Group — a weekly workshop providing students the opportunity to practise their English — online this semester.

The group will discuss topics relevant to life in Canada and at the University of Windsor and will be joined by guest speakers over the course of the semester. Students who are interested in practising English in a casual and welcoming environment are encouraged to join.

The sessions will take place online using Blackboard Collaborate from Thursday, Sept. 16, to Dec. 9.

No registration is required; just stop by and say hello:

• When: Thursdays at 12 noon, Sept. 16 to Dec. 9
• Where: Online via Blackboard https://bit.ly/LeddyECG

Students who attend six or more English Conversation Group sessions during the fall semester will be entered in a draw to win a $25 Amazon gift card. The more sessions you attend, the greater your chances of winning.

Students are encouraged to self-enrol in the group’s site on Blackboard to receive updated information about activities and to access all English Conversation Group resources and weekly topics.

To enrol, log in to Blackboard first and then access the following link: https://blackboard.uwindsor.ca/webapps/uwin-utils-BBLEARN/join?p=9f4eb2e8-b741-4141-97c3-2a507d317761

For more information, visit the library website.

Event planners must submit a completed Event and Activity Form to the Health & Safety Office for approval before Catering Services can book a room or event request.

It’s a new protocol to ensure the safety of patrons, says Ligia Arias, manager of catering and conference services.

“We’re committed to providing the campus community and beyond with the highest standard of service and cuisine to ensure a perfect guest experience,” she says. “In the new environment, that includes putting safety first.”

Other changes implemented by catering staff this year include a COVID Menu featuring individually packaged items, such as breakfast boxes and a new variety of hot lunches.

Visit the Catering Services website for details on COVID operating protocols.