The University of Windsor has selected the team of Amico Design Build and Hariri Pontarini Architects/Architecttura Inc. Architects to build the new Welcome Centre to function as a gateway to the campus. This 18,000 square foot building will be located on the north-east corner of Patricia Avenue and Wyandotte Street, and will invite visitors, future students, donors and returning alumni to explore the ever-changing campus community.

“The Welcome Centre will be the address that captures the lifelong University of Windsor experience, from prospective students through to alumni,” said UWindsor president Alan Wildeman. “It will become the address for the University and a point of pride for our campus and our community. It will be a place from which we tell the stories about the education and scholarly pursuits found at our University, those things for which we are all proud.”

Dominic Amicone, president of Amico Affiliates and a UWindsor grad, said his company is thrilled to have been selected as the successful proponent to bring the Welcome Centre to fruition.

“Our vision is to create a dynamic and memorable pavilion that ties together visitors, alumni, staff and students,” he said. “Our hope is to inspire campus life and alumni success.”

The Welcome Centre will be an iconic two-storey structure housing the offices of Student Admissions and Recruitment; Alumni Affairs and Donor Communications; the University Campaign; Public Affairs and Communications; and Alumni and Donor Records. In addition to administrative offices, it will offer a spacious lobby for campus events, several meeting rooms including a multi-purpose room for larger functions, a bookstore kiosk and a display area for depicting the University’s rich history.

The prominent second storey has been designed as a gently arcing ribbon of white glass that weaves its way around the site to visually connect the original section of main campus with the new Innovation Centre, the parking garage and the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation. Accessible from multiple campus routes, the curvature of the semi-transparent building invites a feeling of openness, giving visitors 360 degree views of the surrounding campus.

Construction of the property will begin within the next month with a completion date expected in the summer of 2015. A total project cost of $8.4 million has been approved for the Welcome Centre, funded through an existing capital budget. Architectural renderings of the new building are available on the project website, www.uwindsor.ca/welcome-centre.

UWindsor president Alan Wildeman described current realities and the University’s approach to dealing with its challenges in an address Tuesday to the Board of Governors.

His presentation, in support of the commitment to communicating the University’s financial position, ranged from student enrolment to budget pressures and capital planning.

“While the operating budget challenges might be provincial or national in their pattern, the solutions have to be local,” Dr. Wildeman told the board.

He also discussed progress on the development of the Strategic Mandate Agreement, charting a course under the provincial government’s differentiation framework.

Wildeman promised a fundraising effort that will “engage people with messages about what is important to us and how they can make a difference” and introduced a new group to provide guidance on the University Campaign.

The President’s Advisory Council includes UWindsor alumni:

• Frank Ewasyshyn (BASc 1974, MASc 1976, MBA 1989, LLD 2001), retired Chrysler executive;
• Peter Farmer (LLB 1974), retired chief executive officer of Denison Mines;
• Wilf Gobert (BSc 1971), chair of Calgary Economic Development;
• Ida Goodreau (BComm 1981, MBA 1986), director of University of British Columbia’s Centre for Healthcare Management;
• Michael Kaye (MBA 2008), vice-president of Alexa Translations;
• Richard Peddie (BComm 1970, LLD 2001), retired president of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment;

as well as Mary Hatch, director of the Joan and Clifford Hatch Foundation, and Marc Odette, director of the P&L Odette Charitable Foundation.

The slides used in the presentation are available on the presidential communications website.

The University’s aerospace engineering program has reached a greater altitude thanks to the addition of a new faculty member with some impressive credentials in the field of turbo machinery and jet engine propulsion.

Jeff Defoe is the newest assistant professor in mechanical, automotive and materials engineering, which introduced a new aerospace option in 2012. He joins the university fresh off a research fellowship at the University of Cambridge, where he was working on gas turbines with industrial partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Prior to that, he worked as a post-doctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Gas Turbine Laboratory where he also earned his PhD in 2011.

Born and raised in Belle River, Dr. Defoe said the new appointment provides an opportunity to come home closer to his family as well as the chance to get in on the ground floor of a relatively new program with plenty of potential for growth and development.

“A brand new building didn’t hurt either,” he said of the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation, the $112 million facility that officially opened last year and houses his new office. “But I really feel like the city and the university are on an upswing, so it’s great to be here.”

Defoe started off his post-graduate academic career working with aircraft engines, looking specifically at turbofan engine noise, but eventually moved into industrial turbo machinery, and spent his post-doc studying flow instabilities in a high-pressure water pump for cooling in a nuclear reactor. Most of his research now is focused on maximizing the efficiency of aircraft propulsion by studying the effects of flow distortions in turbofan engines.

“Ultimately you want to minimize the power required to propel the aircraft,” he said. “Utilizing the air that has been slowed down by friction over the fuselage in the engines has the potential to reduce fuel consumption. Yet this air flow is very non-uniform and if you don’t have clean, uniform flows through the engines that can lead to deleterious effects like greater fatigue on certain parts, as well as decreased operating range and performance. Airlines need solutions to these problems to help them meet reduced emissions targets.”

Defoe is trying to find those solutions by developing computer models to analyze and better understand the fundamentals of how turbo-machines like jet engines respond to distorted airflow and how those deleterious effects can be mitigated. Once he’s identified some potential solutions, he hopes to acquire the proper lab equipment he needs to conduct experiments and validate his findings.

When he’s not working on his research, Defoe will be teaching brand new third and fourth year courses on aerospace engineering fundamentals and aerodynamics and performance.

Engineering dean Mehrdad Saif said he’s thrilled to have Defoe join the faculty.

“Canada’s aerospace industry is one of the largest in the world and it’s critical for our university to make new inroads there in order to provide better opportunities for our students,” he said. “Dr. Defoe’s research has real-world applications and great potential for important new research collaborations in the industry. Combined with the curriculum he’s developing, he’s going to be a great addition to engineering here.”

This March, the University of Windsor is hosting the 2014 CIS Women’s Basketball Championships from March 14 to 16 at the St. Denis Centre. Over the course of the next three weeks, the Windsor Lancers will offer a sneak peak at members of the three-time defending champions and give you an inside look at these student-athletes.

Name: Cheyanne Roger

Jersey: #13

Position: Forward

Height: 6’3

Year: 1

Hometown: Etobicoke, ON

Major: Human Kinetics

Who or what is your favourite?

Athlete: Kevin Durant

Basketball team: Miami Heat

Television show: Grey’s Anatomy

Song: Too many to choose just one!

Disney movie: Mulan

Food: I love Indian food!

Candy: Skittles!

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger, I wanted to be many things, from the classic doctor or dentist to an interior designer and WNBA player. I’ve been all over the place and I still am!

What was the last book you read?

I don’t read much because it’s difficult for me to find books I’m interested in. The last book I read would have been “The Hunger Games.”

What is your favourite Lancer moment?

My favourite Lancer moment happens after most games. I love receiving support and encouragement from the fans and supporters of the team. Being a first-year athlete has been more enjoyable because I’m able to feel at home due to the support.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment would have been making the Cadette and Junior national teams in 2011 and 2012. In my Cadette year I was the third best rebounder in the U16 world qualifiers and we won the bronze medal.

Who is your hero and why?

My mom and grandpa are my heroes. My sister and I were both brought up by them. It was tough for my mom to have to be both the mom and the dad, but she did an amazing job. My grandpa had to step in and has always been there for me and supported me. He is always able to bring me happiness no matter the situation. In brief, that is why they are my heroes.

What does being a Lancer mean to you?

Being a Lancer is an opportunity for growth and learning. It’s a mental and physical challenge. Being a Lancer means I have the privilege of representing the university and city. I also get to make all those who supported me on my journey proud.

To purchase tickets to the 2014 CIS Women’s Basketball Championships, please visit the Windsor Lancers website at www.goLancers.ca.

Maya Chmaissany, a first-year communications student, won this week’s DailyNews quiz contest and its fabulous prize of a beautiful UWindsor T-shirt.

Chmaissany’s entry was drawn from all those which correctly identified UWindsor student Tessa Virtue as a silver medalist in team figure skating as well as ice dance; her birthplace as London, Ontario; and Virtue and her partner Scott Moir as world record holders in the free dance until bested by the American team of Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

To help celebrate the University of Windsor’s 50th anniversary, DailyNews will run a contest at the beginning of each week, offering a prize donated by the University Bookstore. This week’s prize, a beautiful 100 percent cotton T-shirt imprinted with the UWindsor logo, is also available for purchase from the Bookstore kiosk at a cost of $9.95.

Campus Community Police is offering a free self-defence course to female students, faculty and staff at the University of Windsor on Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2.

The Rape Aggression Defence System is a program of realistic self-defence tactics and techniques for women. The RAD System is a comprehensive, women-only course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and risk avoidance, while progressing on to the basics of hands-on defence training.

The 12-hour course runs noon to 6 p.m. both days. Register using the online form on the Campus Police website.