About 30 fast-talking new faculty members had the opportunity to share their research projects and interests on Wednesday.

The event, part of the 2018 New Faculty Orientation, was hosted at the Freed Orman Commons and allowed the new faculty members to discuss their research in one-minute “elevator pitches.”

It's the second year new faculty have had the opportunity to share their research in this forum.

Many commented after the event that it provided a great opportunity to learn about other areas of research and paved the way for future collaborations.

The orientation program to welcome instructors continues with a campus community fair offering them information on services.

Canada’s Minister of Health was on campus Wednesday to lead a roundtable discussion on the impact substance use and addiction has on the region.

The Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor spent the afternoon at the University of Windsor’s Windsor Hall for the roundtable that included 18 participants comprising local first responders, health care providers and community partners.

President Douglas Kneale said the discussion was productive and provided constructive insight into the opioid epidemic and its wide-ranging consequences.

“This was a timely discussion, given the release of our first Student Mental Health Strategy for the University of Windsor,” Dr. Kneale said, who moderated the conservation.

“Our deepest social issues all intersect at some point, and hearing such diverse campus and community perspectives today confirms how substance abuse, mental health, and social wellness all converge.”

Among the participants were Windsor Essex County Health Unit’s acting Medical Officer of Health Wajid Ahmed, Windsor police Chief Al Frederick, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, UWindsor psychologist and clinical director Mohsan Beg and Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital Chief of Staff Andrea Steen.

The roundtable was conducted in a closed-door setting because of the sensitive nature of the topic and the first-hand experiences being shared.

While on campus, Petitpas Taylor attended a presentation on Charlene Senn’s Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act program which has been celebrated for its success as a sexual assault resistance program on university campuses across North America.

By Dylan Kristy

UWindsor students got a first-hand look last week at the challenges engineers face when working on heritage projects.

Visual Arts and the Built Environment professor Jason Grossi and sessional instructor William Tape led 48 fourth-year civil and environmental engineering students through the site of the future Windsor Public Library branch in historic Sandwich last Friday.

Grossi said the new library holds many lessons for students.

“The new library is really the unification of two historic structures connected by a contemporary addition,” he said. “The completed complex will rise from the historic fire hall at the front of the property and connect to the middle 19th-century stables at the back that pre-date the 1921-built fire hall.”

Grossi said connecting the two structures took a lot of careful design and “a little bit of whimsy.”

UWindsor civil engineering sessional instructor William Tape leads fourth-year students through the construction site of the Windsor Public Library Sandwich branch on Aug. 3, 2018.

The project is headed up by Grossi, Dr. Tape, UWindsor alumnus and City of Windsor project administrator Joe Dattilo, and Adam Craig from Windsor Public Library.

“Hopefully the most important takeaway from this experience will be the need for professionals to work collaboratively together for the creation of a challenging building,” Grossi said.

“Engineers need to understand that their expertise is one piece of the holistic process and that it’s vital they take everyone’s needs into account.”

Construction on the project started earlier this year and is expected to be completed in early 2019.

By Dylan Kristy

The raffle of a Detroit Lions jersey autographed by newly-acquired local hero Luke Willson will help to fund a scholarship dedicated to the memory of a UWindsor engineering and MBA grad and National Football League fan.

The Shawn Yates Memorial Scholarship will benefit undergraduate students in the Faculty of Engineering, like so many Yates mentored during more than 30 years working for Chrysler. Yates died in July 2017 at the age of 57.

Willson, a tight end who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, is a native of LaSalle. He signed on with the Lions in March.

The raffle offers Luke Willson’s first produced on-field Detroit Lions game jersey which bears his name, number 82, and autograph. Tickets are $20; all proceeds will go to the scholarship endowment.

A winning entry will be drawn September 1. For tickets, contact Cathy Crowley at Cathy.Crowley@uwindsor.ca.

University of Windsor faculty, students, and staff will gather Tuesday, September 4, for GATAcademy, a full day of teaching and learning workshops designed especially for graduate assistants (GAs) and teaching assistants (TAs).

GATA Network co-ordinator Elizabeth Ismail says the conference is all about making sure GAs/TAs are fully prepared for the exciting opportunities before them.

“Whether you’re a GA/TA for the first time this fall, or even if you’ve been a GA/TA a dozen times before, GATAcademy is a chance to refresh, review, and reconnect,” she says. “Come with questions; leave with answers and resources on where to find them. GATAcademy is the first step towards building your new support network.”

The event runs 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Dillon Hall. Registration is free for UWindsor graduate and teaching assistants and includes a complimentary lunch.

Sessions include:

• Design Lessons and Creating Lesson Plans with Sam Burton and Sara Santarossa;
• Learning is not a Spectator Sport: Engaging Students using Active Learning Techniques with Lisa Salifi;
• Leading Effective Discussions with Michelle Krieger and Ashlyne O’Neil;
• Connecting Best Practices for Teaching Linguistically-Diverse International Students with International Student Satisfaction with Clayton Smith;
• Ethical Issues Encountered by GAs and TAs with Kristin Schramer, Arief Kartolo, and Carolyn Rauti;
• Grading and Providing Effective Feedback with Curtis Hyra and Harmony Peach;
• Leading Effective Labs and Tutorials with Maria Cioppa;
• Copyright and Open Access with Dave Johnston and Scott Cowan;
• Universal Design for Instruction and Equity with Stephanie Cragg and Debra Jozefowicz;
• Do you need Blackboard for what you do? with Lorie Stolarchuk; and
• Creating and Using Rubrics for Grading Assignments with Michelle Bondy.

Find detailed descriptions of the workshops and brief introductions of the individuals leading them, along with an online registration form, at http://cleo.uwindsor.ca/workshops/114/#wkshp-2380.

Her investiture into the Order of St. John is an honour for Tara Chan, a student in the dual JD-MBA program.

A volunteer with the first-aid service St. John Ambulance since 2010, she received her recognition during a ceremony June 23 in the Senate chamber in Ottawa. The order honours the contributions made by members, who collectively account for more than a million hours of service to their communities across Canada each year.

In addition to her work of ensuring the safety of attendees at events, Chan also developed a database to help event organizers and volunteers incorporate notes taken from previous years to improve the planning of their events.

Read the full story on the website of the Odette School of Business.

Acting as head coach of the Lancer women’s basket all team is a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on student-athletes, says Emma Duinker. An assistant coach with the program, she will step in for the 2018-19 season, while head coach Chantal Vallée takes a sabbatical leave starting September 1.

“I have learned a lot from Chantal over the past two years and I am confident in the process,” Duinker said. “I am excited to further develop my leadership abilities through this head coaching position and I believe that with the talent we have, I can guide them further along in their development.”

An all-Canadian guard during her student days at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Duinker subsequently pursued a professional career, winning a 2014 second-division championship in the German Bundesliga with the Bad Aibling Fireballs.

She is currently in the process of completing master’s studies in the UWindsor sport management program. Read the full story, “Vallée takes sabbatical; Duinker to serve as interim head coach.”