Robert Gordon was officially installed as president of the University of Windsor during the institution’s Convocation ceremonies on Saturday, Oct. 19.

“I’m delighted that my life journey has led me here to Windsor,” Dr. Gordon said before graduands, their families, and friends. “I never imagined, growing up in Nova Scotia, with my sights set on being a future wide-receiver for the New England Patriots — well before the Tom Brady era — that I would be standing before you here today.

“I suppose you could say I am living proof of the importance of keeping yourself open to new ideas, to changing directions, and to taking chances.”

Read his entire address on the Convocation website.

Gordon joined chancellor Mary Jo Haddad to confer more than 1,000 degrees in two sessions at the St. Denis Centre.

Among those honoured were Emma De Roy (BSc 2016, MSc 2019) and Manar Shoshani (BSc 2013, PhD 2018), recipients of the Governor General’s Gold Medal for academic achievement in graduate study.

A student of environmental science, De Roy braved Hurricane Irma during fieldwork exploring the impact of invasive lionfish on coral reefs off the Florida coast. She co-authored two peer-reviewed journal articles, with four others currently in review, and has presented at two academic conferences.

Her thesis supervisor Hugh MacIsaac praised her “strong record of disseminating scientific research in public forums,” and noted her engagement in community outreach.

De Roy is currently working as a research associate examining the role of invasive species on nutrient and contaminant cycling in Lake Erie. She will begin doctoral studies in autumn 2020.

In the course of earning his doctorate in chemistry and biochemistry under the supervision of professor Samuel Johnson, Dr. Shoshani wrote or co-wrote 10 peer-reviewed journal articles, including one published in Nature Chemistry.

The departmental letter nominating him noted: “A paper in a Nature journal is often the pinnacle of an academic’s life and frequently not achieved during an entire career. Manar has marked himself out as an exceptional researcher at an early stage in his research career.”

Shoshani is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology.

Watch a video of the presidential installation:

The City of Windsor is getting greener thanks to a local entrepreneur and volunteers.

More than 30 volunteers — from the Odette School of Business, Price Waterhouse Cooper, the Windsor Police Service, and the community — gathered to plant 50 large trees in central Windsor’s Gignac Park.

Entrepreneur Sam Sinjari bought the trees and worked with the Essex Region Conservation (ERCA) to host the planting.

“I believe that every person in this community can create a positive impact,” says Sinjari. “There’s a proverb that says the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago — the second best time is now. Fundamentally, if we as a community want to see sustainability, success, and growth in the future of our city, the best time to act is now, together.”

Sinjari’s generosity allowed ERCA to showcase a great example of socially responsibility and giving back to our environment, says general manager Richard Wyma.

“Trees are identified as the most significant weapon in the fight against climate change, and hopefully others will be inspired by Mr. Sinjari’s leadership and generosity to undertake similar climate mitigation actions,” he says.

—Dana Roe

Hot apple cider, doughnut bites, and orchard-fresh apples are on offer for UWindsor students during lunchtime Wednesday, Oct. 23, outside the east entrance to the CAW Student Centre.

The giveaway is sponsored by Local 1393 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents campus trades, technical, and professional staff, in appreciation for the contributions of the student body. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. and continue while supplies last.

To cut down waste, organizers ask students to bring a reusable mug to hold their cider.

In celebration of International Open Access Week (Oct. 21-27), the Leddy Library is inviting students and faculty to take part in an effort to improve the impact of their research.

The five-day Scholarly Impact Challenge will send participants a daily email linking to a detailed guide on the task of the day, each meant to take up to 10 minutes.

“The challenge is a gentle way for you to improve the impact of your research, find potentially useful metrics, and to find people to collaborate with in your research and scholarship,” says scholarly communications librarian Mita Williams.

Open Access literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. Projects such as the University of Windsor’s Scholarship@UWindsor and Leddy Library’s Journal Publishing allow scholars and researchers to broadly distribute their work to the readers who would most benefit.

The Scholarly Impact Challenge starts Monday, Oct. 21. To participate, register by the end of the day at http://eepurl.com/grK4Z5. For more information, email scholarship@uwindsor.ca.

Communication skills are essential to helping others understand what research is and how it impacts on day-to-day lives. A presentation Tuesday, Oct. 22, is intended to help UWindsor researchers develop those skills.

Allison Johnson, communications manager for Windsor Regional Hospital, will deliver “Ethical, Legal, and Moral Considerations in Message and Talking to the Press,” at 10 a.m. in the main lobby of the Essex Centre of Research (CORe).

The event, presented by Spark – Igniting Research Connections, is free and open to the campus community.

As a student in the UWindsor Faculty of Education, Stephanie Palazzolo (BSc 2013, B.Ed 2014, M.Ed 2016) helped to organize the annual Science Olympiad. Now a teacher at Essex District High School, she was excited to bring a team of its students to participate in the competition Thursday.

“I’m very passionate about Science Olympiad,” Palazzolo said. “The activities are even better than when I was running it.”

About 40 teams of secondary students from 22 local schools tested their knowledge, teamwork, and critical thinking skills in hands-on, “minds-on” events organized by faculty, staff, and student volunteers from the Faculty of Science.

“This was our biggest one yet,” said organizer Michelle Bondy, experiential learning specialist in the Faculty of Science. “It goes to show the value that educators place on their students getting opportunities to apply and develop their knowledge.”

Abby DiLaudo, a Grade 12 student at Leamington’s Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School, said a “love for science” drew her to the event.

“Our teachers know who is keen and are sure to let us know about these kinds of opportunities,” she said as the day wound down.

By contrast, Lyra Sheldon, a senior at École secondaire catholique E.J. Lajeunesse, says she’s “not a science person,” but enjoyed Science Olympiad nonetheless.

“It was fun bonding with my friends and seeing the facilities,” Sheldon said. “I learned some things as well.”

Winners get a boost toward their post-secondary education, with members of the top-finishing team receiving scholarships worth $1,000 each to study science at the University of Windsor.

How would you like to give a book or video a new home? The Leddy Library is having a book sale from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1 with hundreds of books, both popular and academic, including a wide variety of film, nursing, and sociology books.

The sale will also feature DVDs, language learning cassettes and atlases — all items are $2 or less. Proceeds will support the library’s Student Appreciation Day activities.

Items will be showcased across from the information desk in Leddy main and will be available for purchase during operating hours.

The University has declared a Dell PowerEdge computer server for sale by bid as Disposal File 1019. Click here for details.