A UWindsor engineering professor has partnered with local industry to develop structures using corrosion-resistant building rebar made from volcanic rock.

“Most buildings in Canada are constructed using concrete beams and other concrete elements with embedded steel reinforcement bars,” says Sreekanta Das, a civil engineering professor.

“The problem with steel rebar is that the material is susceptible to corrosion and can lead to the development of cracks in reinforced concrete buildings, resulting in reduced service life of the building and safety concerns.”

Dr. Das has been working with MEDA Engineering & Technical Services on varying methods of concrete rehabilitation and reinforcement for more than a decade using rebar, mesh, fabric, and fibre. The results of this exhaustive research have led to a partnership with Bear Construction and Engineering Inc. and MEDA Engineering & Technical Services TXON GRP — the company’s materials division — to develop a new technology for designing and constructing narrow pre-cast concrete beams using rebars of basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP).

“MEDA has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Faculty of Engineering and this project further solidifies our commitment to the department and its many great professors and students,” says MEDA president David Lawn.

The $140,000 project is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with cash and in-kind investments from industry partners.

BFRP rebars are corrosion resistant and do not need any protecting concrete cover. Made from a volcanic rock called basalt, the rebars are stronger, lighter, and environmentally friendly. They can also easily be incorporated into the modular construction process — a fast and economical approach to constructing buildings — thanks mainly to an off-site assembly system under controlled conditions, requiring less time to construct the panels with less material waste.

In UWindsor’s structures lab, one of the largest in Canada, Das’s team will develop a loadbearing, narrow, concrete beam that fits with prefabricated insulated light-gauge steel wall panels. The prefabricated wall panels are six inches wide and unable to accommodate the size of concrete beams made with traditional steel reinforcements.

“Steel rebars cannot be used for making such narrow beams since about 50 per cent of the beam's width, approximately three inches, is required as a corrosion cover for the steel rebars,” Das says. “The implementation of the modular construction method will also help the environment by reducing the carbon footprint by using less concrete than traditional methods.”

The non-conductive, non-corrosive materials have the similar rate of expansion as concrete and 250 per cent greater tensile strength than steel. Bear Construction and MEDA plan to adopt the new technology in future buildings and other infrastructure project designs.

Lawn says the MEDA team is looking forward to developing further advances in the construction and rehabilitation of concrete structures with the University of Windsor and Bear Construction.

“Both companies are committed to supporting this research as it provides many students with an opportunity to contribute to challenging and cutting-edge technology,” he says.

The project is funded through an NSERC Alliance Grant, which encourages university researchers to collaborate with private, public, or not–for–profit sector organizations to generate new knowledge and accelerate the application of research results.

—Kristie Pearce

People with disabilities represent about 22 per cent of Canada’s population. Since 2014, the Law, Disability & Social Change (LDSC) Project at Windsor Law has conducted research into current legal and policy issues to help empower people with disabilities to fully achieve their rights and, more generally, to foster and develop inclusive communities.

The project focuses on listening to, incorporating, and respecting the voices of people with disabilities and aims to further the motto “nothing about us without us.”

Dec. 3 is the International Day of People with Disabilities; the LDSC Project is recognizing the day by releasing its newest resource: The Annotated Accessible Canada Act, an online resource providing free information to the public relating to the Canadian statute that aims to remove disability barriers in Canada’s federally regulated sectors — including banks, airlines, communications, and parliamentary bodies — by 2040.

The LDSC Project is releasing the first part of The Annotated Accessible Canada Act today, with the rest to follow early in the new year. The Annotated Accessible Canada Act is currently available through the LDSC Project’s website and the University of Windsor’s Scholarship Repository. The authors plans for it to be circulated further through CANLII: Canadian Legal Information Institute, a non-profit organization managed by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

“Annotated statutes have traditionally been very legalistic documents designed only for practising lawyers,” says LDSC Project director Laverne Jacobs, professor and associate dean at Windsor Law. “Our annotated statute provides information for many different types of knowledge-users, including members of the disability community, disability rights advocates, people interested in the history of the statute and in comparisons with other accessibility legislation (such as researchers and scholars), and the general public.”

Enacted in 2019, The Accessible Canada Act provides innovative options for promoting and enforcing compliance with accessibility standards, including an Accessibility Commissioner, which does not exist in any other Canadian jurisdictions, with powers of investigation.

The resource was spearheaded by Dr. Jacobs and co-authored by student researchers Tom Perry and Rachel Rohr (JD 2020) as well as lawyer Martin Anderson (LLB 1997). Second-year law student Nadia Shivratan provided valuable support.

The full LDSC Project team consists of the director, eight law student researchers, and two University of Windsor professors: Tess Sheldon (law) and Jijian Voronka (social work), who act as affiliates. The team undertakes a variety of projects that feed grounded research and theory into policy development and legal decision-making.

Other projects include research on accessibility legislation, consent and capacity, transportation inequality, legal aid, and BIPOC and intersectional disability discrimination. The students also publish a monthly summary of human rights tribunal decisions in Canada relating to disability every summer.

For more information about the Law, Disability & Social Change Project, visit its website.

—Rachelle Prince

UWindsor executive chef Paolo Vasapolli is the subject of a profile in the Toronto Star newspaper, one in a series of 16 featuring Canada’s top college and university chefs sharing their recipes.

“Vasapolli has become a campus celebrity with meals like his Chianti-stained pappardelle,” writes Owen Roberts.

His article goes on to trace Vasapolli’s career from a childhood in the Sicilian city of Palermo to Caesars Windsor to the campus kitchen. Roberts notes that the team from Food and Catering Services visits local farms to source fresh ingredients, leading him to interview beef producer Jack Chaffe.

Read the full article, including Vasapolli’s recipe for Chianti-stained pappardelle with beef ragù.

The Office of Public Affairs and Communications can help you cross one item off your to-do list: sending holiday greetings to friends and colleagues.

Designer Marnie Robillard has created a selection of seasonal imagery and text greetings for use as e-cards. They feature a choice of winter scenes along with suggested verses — or the option for clients to supply their own messages.

Order before Dec. 18 to ensure completion for delivery before the holiday break, via the online Holiday Cards Order Request form.

The UWinProud campaign is offering a caffeinated incentive to all UWindsor staff and students who pledge a gift in support of the campus Adopt-a-Family effort.

The charity drive collects donations for local families and youth in the care of the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society. Anyone who gives before Dec. 8 may enter a draw for one of 10 Starbucks gift cards worth $5 each.

“Once again, the #UWinProud campaign is looking to combine school spirit and holiday spirit with a prize to encourage participation in the campus campaign for Adopt-a-Family,” says Sarah Hebert, communications assistant in the Office of Student Experience.

To enter the draw, complete the form here.

Andria Ballo, graduate and financial secretary in Electrical and Computer Engineering, has spearheaded the drive in her department, resulting in a total to date of $800 in individual online contributions.

“I normally buy something like a warm winter coat, snow pants, and toys that a child has asked for,” she says, “but this year, I’ve donated the monetary value that I would have spent on those items directly online.”

While the cut-off for the draw is next week, the community campaign will continue to accept contributions through Christmas, says Mike Clark, the society’s manager of public relations and fund development.

“Our team is busy putting to good use the generous donations of the University of Windsor community to purchase items on over 700 wish lists for the children, families, and youth living independently to whom we provide services,” he says. “These children wouldn’t have the holiday they wished for without you. Thank you for capturing the true spirit of the season!”

All donations can be made online through the secure form here.

Direct questions to meagan.haugh@uwindsor.ca.

Campus Police and Information Technology Services will conduct a test of the UWindsor Alert mass notification system Friday, Dec. 4.

In the event of an incident, UWindsor Alert sends information to registrants — by phone call, text, and email — providing an additional layer of security and protection in incident response.

Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to register or update their contact information ahead of the upcoming test signal.

The UWindsor Alert system is accessible with a UWin ID and password at uwindsor.ca/alert.

A program run by the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre to help small businesses weather the storms of the pandemic opened a network of supports she didn’t know existed, says Sue Brunet.

Owner of Ergonow Ergonomic Solutions, she was one of seven entrepreneurs to benefit from participating in the EPIC Nimble program.

“The program increased my awareness of the services we have available for small business owners locally,” Brunet says. “I have had the opportunity to benefit from receiving services performed by a University of Windsor student and the talent and performance to date has been excellent.”

The program wrapped up at the end of November after seven months imparting the skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to create new revenue streams or to pivot to a new business model to stay competitive in the fast-changing marketplace. It was funded by FedDev Ontario, sponsored by the Lucas Imagine Fund, and operated in partnership with WEtech Alliance and WindsorEssex Small Business Centre.

“We strongly believe that small businesses are the backbone of our community,” says EPICentre director Wen Teoh. “So with the help of our community partners, EPICentre was able to offer guidance for local entrepreneurs to flourish amid the pandemic.”

Program lead Paul Bereton says participants found more than a way out — they have a way forward.

“We are surrounded by small businesses that are struggling to make the old way of doing things work in these dynamic times,” he says. “We are uniquely positioned to join those concepts and bring fresh approaches to these companies, helping them find ways to keep growing long past the end of this crisis.”

Read the full story, “Helping Small Businesses Flourish Amid the Pandemic,” on the EPICentre website.

The University of Windsor Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the Alumni Award for Distinguished Contributions to University Teaching.

The award is given to honour and recognize distinguished teaching on campus and to provide incentive and encouragement for achieving excellence in this field.

Full-time members of the teaching faculty, with a minimum of five consecutive years teaching at the University of Windsor, are eligible to be nominated.

Click here for the award criteria, intent to nominate form, and submission deadlines.

For more information or assistance, contact Katherine Simon in Alumni Relations at kasimon@uwindsor.ca or phone 519-971-3618, ext. 4052.

The 2021 Celebration of Nations will be presented online March 15 to 19, celebrating the rich cultural diversity of the campus community.

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to share their heritage by preparing a performance, cooking demonstration, or cultural showcase. The deadline to register is Dec. 11; submit the volunteer form here.