University officials pose with award winners at the Celebration of Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity, Wednesday in the CAW Student Centre. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Alan Wildeman still fondly recalls his first foray into research.

A young master’s student, he was studying the unusual phenomenon of the prairie crocus, a flower which, unlike most, only shows the top of its stem above ground. The rest remains rooted below ground, perhaps as an ecological evolutionary adaptation to protect itself from being eaten by deer and other animals.

“How can a plant pull itself into the ground?” UWindsor’s President asked at Wednesday evening’s Celebration of Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. “It was something that really fascinated me. It was difficult to find a commercial partner who might be interested in that kind of work, but it was curiosity-based research – the same kind that many of you are doing – and it really stuck with me.”

Ambassador Auditorium was full for the event, which paid tribute to University of Windsor faculty, student and staff researchers who have made significant achievements or have received awards or honours for their research or creative activity.

In presenting the awards, Provost and VP Academic Leo Groarke said he was impressed by the breadth and diversity of the type research being conducted by the honourees.

“For a relatively small university, we’re remarkably comprehensive,” he said.

Dr. Wildeman said those are the things that “really make a university what it is.”

“It’s the pursuit of knowledge, truth and meaning,” he said. “All of that is what really makes a university exciting. It makes this very rich environment to be in.”

The event was also an opportunity for Wildeman to officially welcome Michael Siu, the university’s new VP, Research.

Dr. Siu, who began his new appointment in December, emphasized the importance of celebrating the university’s research accomplishments during his introductory remarks.