Poetry goes beyond the written word, says UWindsor student Chidera Ikewibe, appointed to serve a two-year term as youth poet laureate for the City of Windsor.

“I believe that poetry goes beyond the written word and can be accessed through drawing, painting, and singing to engage fellow youths and allow them to see themselves in sectors they are often under-represented,” says Ikewibe, who is studying psychology and creative writing.

Her areas of interest as an artist include race and ethnicity, anti-Black racism, institutional decolonization, poetry as performance, spoken-word radio, Black diaspora, playwriting, mask making, and mixed media. Her works often incorporate nsibidi — a pictographic writing system from southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon, reflecting her Igbo heritage.

Ikewibe has served as a collage poetry instructor with Art Windsor-Essex, host on campus community radio CJAM, and a poetry instructor for Youth Wellness Hub Windsor.

As youth poet laureate, Ikewibe looks forward to serving as an ambassador for the literary arts by incorporating poetry and writing into spaces where they may not be expected — including radio. She plans to use her platform to help showcase artists and their work to the broader community, and sees her role as an opportunity to engage newcomers to Canada.

“I want to connect with our multicultural youth and encourage them to explore themselves and their cultural identity through poetry, through workshops and programs, and new opportunities,” Ikewibe says.

Mayor Drew Dilkens welcomed Ikewibe to her new position.

“I trust that she will help this program continue to positively impact our community, in Windsor and beyond our borders,” he said. “The city’s poet laureate and storytellers program continues to help us record and share the stories that shape our city while teaching us the value of unique voices and new perspectives.”

Besides Ikewibe, the program currently features poet laureate emeritus and UWindsor resident writing professional Marty Gervais, poet laureate and alumnus Peter Hrastovec (BA 1979, LLB 1982), Indigenous storyteller Theresa Sims, and multicultural community storyteller Teajai Travis.

Find more information about Ikewibe, including an example of her poetry, on Windsor’s poet laureate and storytellers program website.

Students from all disciplines may enrol in the BioArt class “Contemporary Art and the Life Sciences.” The class is a crossover lab intended to foster interdisciplinary exploration of the intersections between art and life through hands-on laboratory protocols, critical readings, and the production of contemporary artwork.

No art or science experience is needed, says instructor Jennifer Willet.

“We encourage students from outside the School of Creative Arts to join us,” she says. They must contact Dr. Willet at jwillet@uwindsor.ca for permission to enrol.

Find more information, including course objectives and outcomes, on the Incubator Art Lab website.

The lab has issued a call for several student jobs. Find details here:

• Undergraduate BSc research assistant and lab monitor - one position
• Undergraduate SoCA visual arts research and studio assistants - two positions
• Bioprinting research assistant and technician - one position

The deadline to apply is Sept. 8.

The University of Windsor is an institutional member of the Canadian Marketing Association, enabling faculty, staff, and students to access its tools and resources, skills development opportunities, and network of professionals across the country.

The association serves more than 400 corporate, not-for-profit, public, and post-secondary members, as well as creative, media, public relations agencies, research firms, management consulting firms, technology companies, and other suppliers to the marketing community.

Memberships allows individuals to:

• Participate in free webinars on current marketing topics and discounted rates for seminars, courses, and the Chartered Marketer Designation.
• Attend virtual events for free, and live events at a discounted rate.
• Receive reports, news, and guides to better understand marketing legislation, compliance guidelines, and laws in Canada.
• Access CMAjobbank.ca, a career resource for those seeking to enter the marketing industry.

To explore all its benefits, create a free account using your uwindsor.ca email address at thecma.ca/login/sign-up.

Lancer women’s basketball 2023 recruiting class features three players hailing from the tri-county area: Holy Names Catholic High School grad Leah Tate; Kira Atherley, transferring home from St. Francis Xavier University; and Corunna native Teighan Stoukas.

The Windsor and Essex County Secondary School Athletic Association named Tate, a five-foot-10 guard, its top female athlete from a large school after she led the Knights to their first provincial silver medal in basketball and provincial gold in soccer — earning all-star honours in both sports.

A five-foot-nine forward, Atherley comes to Windsor with two years of university experience in Nova Scotia and is an alumna of the Windsor St. Clair Juel prep team.

Stoukas, a five-foot-six point guard, earned most valuable player honours all four of her high school years.

Read the full story at goLancers.ca.

A workshop Sunday, Aug. 20, at Art Windsor-Essex will teach participants how to capture summer by using the sun to create cyanotype images.

Cyanotype is a monochrome printing technique that involves placing objects on a surface — paper, in this instance — prepared with a light-sensitive emulsion.

“We will arrange foliage and other material on cyanotype paper before going outside and exposing them to the sun,” says instructor Sarah Smitherman, a graphic designer in the UWindsor Department of Public Affairs and Communications. “After developing the cyanotypes, we will push our creativity by making additional marks on the paper.”

Her series of Sundays in the Studio! workshops introduces ways to incorporate natural materials in making art. “Creating Images with the Sun” is the third in the series; each is conducted on a drop-in basis, free with admission to the gallery, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the second-floor Education Studio at 401 Riverside Dr. West.

The series will conclude on Aug. 27 with “Creating Prints with Nature,” as participants make monoprints with varying types of leaves.

University of Windsor researchers were high-flyers at the joint meeting of the American Ornithological Society and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists last week in London, Ont.

More than 800 ornithologists from 45 countries gathered for the conference and heard seven representatives of the University of Windsor present findings on bird ecology and conservation.

“Our research team presented five research posters and five spoken papers at this conference,” said Dan Mennill, professor in the Department of Integrative Biology. “It was a thrill to see UWindsor undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs present their findings to this large audience.”

The two ornithological societies meet annually to share findings on the latest bird research.

“It was an incredible experience,” according to Nelsy Niño, a PhD student in Dr. Mennill’s laboratory. “It was very rewarding to spend a week learning about outstanding science and to discuss research ideas with ornithologists worldwide.”

Niño presented a research talk and a poster and interacted with other ornithologists from around the globe.

“Getting to know people that are also interested in creating a supporting community was a highlight of the conference,” said Niño.

For Sarika Sharma, an undergraduate researcher, it was the first conference in her career.

“It was both overwhelming and invigorating to be surrounded by the many branches of ornithological research all at once,” said Sharma. “I was proud to have this as my first conference experience!”

In addition to the science shared by Mennill’s research team, there were accolades for University of Windsor ornithologists past and present.

Five ornithologists with ties to Windsor were named elective members of the American Ornithological Society: alumni Alana Demko (PhD 2019), Zach Gayk (PhD 2021), and Brendan Graham (PhD 2017), and postdocs Jenn Foote and Natalie Sanchez. Elective Members are chosen for making significant contributions to ornithology.

The society voted alumnus Luis Sandoval (PhD 2014) a Fellow for his exceptional and sustained contributions to ornithology.

Mennill has been a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society since 2013.

Team Canada named Lancer alumna Sarah Mitton (BSc 2018) captain of its women’s squad for the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Aug. 19 to 27 in Budapest.

Mitton is the nation’s record holder in women’s shot put.

More than 2,000 athletes from 200+ countries will compete in Hungary in front of hundreds of thousands of fans and captivating a global audience of more than a billion viewers. The showcase is the world’s third-largest sporting event.