A UWindsor team in Electrical and Computer Engineering made a great showing against leading technology universities from around the world at the Microsoft Indoor Localization Competition held recently in Seattle.

Zheng Wu and Bingxin Liu, Masters Candidates in Electrical and Computer Engineering, made up the team Wu et al with their project Particle Filter and Extreme Learning Machine Based Indoor Localization System.

Rashid Rashidzadeh, UWindsor’s Research Centre for Integrated Microsystems Lab Manager, worked with the UWindsor team and says indoor localization is basically GPS for the indoors.

“It has many applications for essentially locating people inside of a building,” he says.

“Our project is looking at security applications, but ultimately it could be used to locate a store in a shopping mall.”

Wu and Liu, under the supervision of engineering professor Majid Ahmadi, helped create an indoor localization system that requires no infrastructure. The UWindsor team can locate people inside of buildings by accessing wifi strength and sensors that are already available in mobile phones.

The UWindsor team, which placed fifth amongst "infrastructure-free" teams,  was the only Canadian team at the event and competed in real-time, to near real-time, against teams from such institutions as MIT, University of Michigan and Oxford. This is the first time UWindsor has participated.

 “We competed against teams whose projects consisted of $20,000 worth of equipment, including a laser and high-tech backpack,” says Wu.

“Considering the competition we were up against, this is a very impressive result.”

Rashidzadeh says funding for the project came from UWindsor’s Cross-Border Institute.

“I think this is an important step toward our goal of establishing UWindsor as the place to go in Canada for security technology,” says Bill Anderson, Ontario Research Chair in Cross-Border Transportation Policy and Director of Cross-Border Institute.

UWindsor’s new Provost, Douglas Kneale, made his first visit to the Centre for English Language Development earlier this week.

Accompanied by CELD director Jennie Atkins, Dr. Kneale took in the modern facilities, classroom and computer labs that were specially designed to accommodate exams and English as a Second language student needs.

“The centre’s location is perfect, as it provides a sense of harmonious community, the students feel comfortable here,” says Atkins.

Provost Kneale had the opportunity to talk with the center’s students and staff during an ice cream break.

 “I am delighted to meet the students, they are proud of their English language acquired here, and they all have such praise for their teachers, the university and the community.”

University of Windsor research in such diverse areas as electric vehicle design; cancer research; renewable energy; social healing and change by youth in Kosovo, South Africa and Canada; and 3-D printing for manufacturing will be on public display this Saturday at Devonshire Mall.

The sixth annual Research Showcase, hosted by University of Windsor’s Office of Research and Innovation Services, will feature faculty members, students and staff ready to talk about the impact University of Windsor research is having in our community and the world.

The public display will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 25, Devonshire Mall.

The Ontario finals of the Three Minute Thesis competition are taking place today at Western University beginning at 3 p.m. and are available for live viewing here.

Anna Crater-Potter, a PhD student in Chemistry and Biochemistry will be representing the University of Windsor with her presentation entitled, Please Leave a Message.

Further information is available here.

The Campus Community Garden Project (CCGP) got an Earth Day boost Wednesday when a team of 38 volunteer gardeners from Lajeunesse High School came out to ready the plot for spring planting. The students were in the garden thanks to the United Way’s Change the World program to encourage community youth volunteering.

“This the first time I’ve prepared compost or even worked in a garden,” said Lajeunesse student Rifaat Said. ”It’s fun - I have learned a lot, and I know people appreciate our work.”

Project manager Chris Reid says the garden nurtures the community not only with food but with positive thinking.

“It also impacts the relationship between campus community and the surrounding neighbourhoods,” he said.

Reid says the garden’s abundance of life increases biodiversity with vegetables and native plants that provide habitat and food for such beneficial organisms as butterflies, birds and predator insects.

Not only a beautiful garden, the CCG provides a venue for student research, a quiet place for lunch, reflection, or between-class yoga practice.

Holy Name High School students will also be doing their part in the garden April 30 from 8.30 a.m. to noon.

For more information on CCGP click here.