The University of Windsor will continue to offer most courses online through the Winter 2021 semester, president Robert Gordon announced Thursday.

“Given current health and safety considerations, physical classroom space is a critical factor,” he wrote in a message to faculty, students, and staff.

Deans are consulting with instructors to determine which courses must be offered in person; a detailed list will be available once it is finalized.

“These decisions are being made with collective care and a constant focus on the student experience, student learning, and campus safety,” Dr. Gordon wrote. “Whether courses are face-to-face or online, faculty and staff across the University of Windsor are investing an enormous amount of time, effort, and creativity into making them engaging, effective, and as safe as possible.”

He invited members of the campus community to reach out for assistance, encouragement, and conversation.

Read the entire message here.

The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a worldwide need for readily accessible, high-grade face masks. A University of Windsor professor of materials engineering aims to mitigate this problem.

“The limited supply of essential protective equipment such as N95 face masks, which have been determined to aid in minimizing the spread of this disease, has proven detrimental to both health professionals and the public,” says Reza Riahi.

He is working with local manufacturers to develop activated nano-fibre layers produced by an electrospinning method, where a high voltage is applied to a polymer solution to produce nano-fibres with a high surface area and surface charges. These layers can be used to fabricate filters that are more effective than N95 masks, Dr. Riahl says.

“By using porous functional nano-fibre layers, we can produce high-efficiency mask filters to block fine particles, including bio-airborne, while minimizing breathing effort,” he says of the material, which can also be used as a filter in home-made masks or as a standalone fabric to make masks.

Riahi has partnered with NanoPhyll Inc. and River Drive Manufacturing on the $50,000 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded project. The companies are providing $29,000 of in-kind support.

While many civilians have turned to homemade masks, Riahi says they provide only limited protection for those around and little for the user. Surgical masks, he adds, offer limited protection due to the high particle size penetration provided by its mechanical filters as opposed to the low penetration size offered by N95 masks.

“However, the majority of N95 masks are manufactured outside of Canada,” Riahi says. “The results from this project will be readily transferable to Canadian industries to produce high-efficiency mask filters for protection against COVID-19 for both the users and those around.”

—Kristie Pearce

As the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted students to an online learning environment, mentorship and connection has become more important than ever. Now in its 11th year, Windsor Law’s peer mentorship program helps to ease the transition for first-year law students who share similar interests and experiences.

This year, the program has paired up 196 first-year mentees — three-quarters of the first-year class — and 189 upper-year mentors. This record result is a credit to the work of the program’s student co-ordinator Aulona Arbana, a third-year student in the Canadian and American Dual JD program who helped to market the program, recruit mentors and mentees, complete matches, train participants, and co-ordinate necessary paperwork.

“It is an honour serving as the student co-ordinator this year especially,” says Arbana. “Law school is challenging enough without the added stress of navigating first year online. Having been there done that, this year’s mentors truly exemplify the faculty’s ‘pay it forward’ principle with their enthusiasm to support our new friends in first year.”

Assistant dean, student services, Francine Herhely adds: “I am so proud of our upper-year students who answered the call and stand ready to support their 1L colleagues. Never has it been more clear that Windsor Law is inclusive, dynamic, and people-centred.”

Matches were completed prior to academic orientation so that most mentees had their mentors in place before the start of classes. The team has left the application window open and will continue to match any additional first-year students who apply during the term.

As virtual meetings prevail, the team has increased touch points between the matches so that everyone can stay up to date on the matters of concern being raised by mentees.

—Rachelle Prince

As the campus community settles into a primarily online semester, Information Technology Services reminds members of the byte-sized how-to’s and tips offered through Tech Talk video tutorials.

Below are some of the Tech Talk videos that cover timely topics:

Authentication and Security

• Student UWin Accounts
• MFA: How each authentication method works
• MFA: How to add new authentication methods
• Installing the GlobalProtect VPN

Microsoft 365 Apps

• Installing Microsoft 365 (Office 365) at home
• Using portal.office.com
• Teams: Meeting options
• Microsoft Stream: Uploading videos; permissions & privacy

Tech Talk is a presentation of IT Services. More Tech Talks are available at www.uwindsor.ca/its/tech-talk.

Campus partners are working to maintain a robust set of Knowledge Base Articles (KBAs).

The team will continue to compile a weekly digest of the most-referenced KBAs to streamline student-focused questions to ask.UWindsor in support of consistent communication with current and future students.

These are this week’s top-five referenced KBAs:

• What happens if I cannot get a student visa prior to my planned departure to Canada? (COVID-19)
• I am a new, incoming Fall 2020 student. How do I get my UwinCARD?
• Can I defer my graduate offer?
• Can I defer my undergraduate offer?
• What is the typical workload for an online course?

Find Fall 2020 KBAs by clicking here.
Find UWin Online KBA's by clicking here.

You can submit common questions to askkba@uwindsor.ca.

Mare Nostrum, the restaurant located adjacent to the Education Building, is now welcoming patrons to its dining room as well as its patio, takeout, and delivery services.

Specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, the eatery opens at 11 a.m. weekdays and closes at 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Place an order through its mobile app or website ordering system.

Owner Adam El-Dika also operates a subscription service that delivers select products. Find details on the website of Leila’s Lebanese Kitchen.