A partnership between OCAD University in Toronto and the University of Windsor Faculty of Law will create a new online course in intellectual property (IP) literacy for creative entrepreneurs.

“I am very excited to be working with OCAD University on this program that will foster greater IP literary within the creative arts sector,” says Myra Tawfik, who holds the rank of distinguished university professor and is an expert in intellectual property law.

The project is part of a $70 million provincial investment to implement its Virtual Learning Strategy, providing students with more flexibility and access to high-quality postsecondary education and retraining opportunities.

“These investments build on our government’s plan to make Ontario’s postsecondary education system not only sustainable but competitive,” says Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “The projects build on other investments made by our government to support the competitiveness of our postsecondary sector, such as the creation of virtual micro-credentials programs that will give students access to these programs when and where they want.”

The OCAD-UWindsor Law program is the first of its kind in Canada to focus specifically on creative entrepreneurs and will cover material relating to copyright, trademarks, industrial designs, and IP commercialization strategy. It will also include a dedicated module on Indigenous entrepreneurship and IP.

“Providing IP education and training to creative entrepreneurs is key to enabling the knowledge and awareness of the steps that can be taken to protect their artistic creations,” says Heather Pratt, UWindsor executive director of research and innovation. “This is an important tool that has the potential of providing a sustainable career pathway.”

It is also designed to foster collaboration between law students and creative arts students. The students will work together on content development, offering law students a hands-on opportunity to work side-by-side with individuals from other disciplines on various aspects of entrepreneurship.

“One of the important features of this collaboration is the multidisciplinary peer-learning opportunity for our law students, which will make them more attuned to the needs of innovative entrepreneurs in Canada,” Prof. Tawfik says.

OCAD University's director of continuing studies Evan Tapper adds: “This new program empowers creative professionals, giving them the knowledge and confidence to protect their work and scale their business.”

—Rachelle Prince

The extreme heat of summer places stress on our hearts and blood vessels that can be fatal to the elderly and other vulnerable people, warns kinesiology professor Anthony Bain.

In an article published July 21 in The Conversation, Dr. Bain (pictured at left) writes that heat stroke is dangerous, but cardiovascular stress is responsible for more deaths during heat waves. And, thanks to global warming, heat waves are becoming longer, more intense, and more frequent.

This is bad news for populations like the elderly and those with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes who are more vulnerable to extreme heat.

Bain’s article explains how the cardiovascular system responds when core and skin temperature rise. Seeking relief in air-conditioned environments, wearing light clothing, keeping hydrated, and avoiding strenuous activity are effective ways to place less stress on the cardiovascular system during heat waves.

Dr. Bain also explains how supervised heat therapy is emerging as a tool to improve heart and blood vessel function.

In the end, exercise, a healthy diet, and perhaps also heat therapy (if done safely) will not only reduce the incidence for the leading cause of death worldwide (heart disease), they will also reduce the excess deaths during a heat wave,” he says.

The Conversation is an online publication that shares news and views from the academic and research community.

—Sarah Sacheli

UWindsor’s Lancer Engineering Summer Camps have limited spaces remaining for some August sessions.

Children ages 8 to 12 can immerse themselves in various aspects of engineering, free of charge.

The summer camp sessions are composed of activities designed to pique interest in the fields of software development and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, and fluid mechanics. Students will be exposed to coding essentials as they are taken through a variety of tasks, including creating a virtual reality space and developing an algorithm for Amazon’s Alexa.

"Engineering’s summer camps have always been a popular part of our outreach program and they continue to be, even as they have shifted to a virtual format during the pandemic,” says Mike Konstantino, engineering’s outreach co-ordinator.

“This year we have introduced new activities related to coding and software and computer engineering and adapted some of our other activities to give a more varied experience to participants.”

Sessions will be hosted on the University of Windsor’s Engineering Outreach Virtual Classroom Blackboard site. Upon registering, participants will receive a link through email.

—Muhammad Sarmad Ahmedani

A new online customs portal is intended to help campus clients comply with federal regulations when making purchases outside of Canada, says UWindsor procurement manager Charlie Simpkins.

The change is necessitated by modifications to documents required by the Canadian Border Services Agency for importing goods.

“We have no doubt that this streamlined process will add both efficiency and speed to your international purchasing, and will best prepare us for a smooth Fall 2021 return to campus,” Simpkins says.

Following the steps in the Customs Portal will also mean paying the lowest possible duties. Learn more in the finance department memo.

Purchasing plans sessions in the coming months to train users in the new process, and invites requests for assistance at customs@uwindsor.ca.

In addition, the department advises that the University will no longer maintain a United States delivery warehouse. References to the former address, 14300 Henn St. in Dearborn, should be removed from correspondence or websites.

Purchasers should instead direct delivery of international shipments to the campus, with the label bearing the recipient’s name, department, and building before University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave. For purchases that cannot be shipped to a Canadian address, contact customs@uwindsor.ca to arrange alternate delivery accommodations.