News and Events

Besides providing drinking water for more than 30 million people in North America, the Great Lakes play a vital role in the economy’s transportation, power and agriculture sectors.

Plastic pollution in these water bodies has been widely acknowledged for a great deal of time, says Tirupati Bolisetti, an environmental engineering professor at UWindsor. 

However, microplastics — particles that are 5 mm or smaller in size — hidden in the water are posing a much bigger problem for aquatic and human life.

“These ubiquitous microplastics are finding their way into the natural waters due to improper disposal of plastics, which degrade into small pieces,” Dr. Bolisetti says. “They come from plastic packaging, cosmetics, textiles, automotive components and plastic litter thrown on the beaches, to name a few.”

Some of these microplastics in the form of synthetic microfibers are also released from our wastewater systems, he adds.

A team of interdisciplinary researchers from the University of Windsor, including Bolisetti and Dr. Ram Balachandar, are collaborating with Dr. Shooka Karimpour and other researchers from York University to understand how microplastics originate and get transported to the western basin of Lake Ontario, called the Niagara basin. 

Waguih EIMaraghy has been inducted into Professional Engineers Ontario’s Order of Honour for his dedicated contributions to the engineering profession as a volunteer and educator.

The University of Windsor professor was honoured among select engineersacross the province during a virtual awards ceremony June 19.

The licensing and regulating body for the province’s professional engineers cited Dr. EIMaraghy’s intense passion for the profession and community.

With more than three decades as a volunteer on its Academic Requirements Committee, EIMaraghy has pioneered and been instrumental in improving the Professional Engineer designation application process. He serves as the committee’s vice chair and chairs the distance education subcommittee, helping to develop guidelines and criteria for evaluating the credentials applicants acquire through distance education.

​A study led by UWindsor researchers aims to equip Canada with a diverse and inclusive pool of leaders for the clean energy sector of the future.

The Environmental Energy Institute’s Lindsay Miller and Rupp Carriveau say a new research program they’re spearheading will help bridge the gaps between the technical, economic, and political aspects of the nation’s energy sector.

“While our energy systems are presently undergoing an unprecedented spectrum of change, the same cannot be said for the conventional educational pathways that were designed to produce the highly qualified people (HQP) to drive the energy sector,” Dr. Miller says.

Using a multi-stakeholder approach, the initiative will inform clean energy curriculum development and encourage underrepresented minorities to pursue clean energy careers.

As leaders of the Climate Led Energy Evolution Network 2040, Miller and Carriveau have developed an international network of stakeholders across universities, businesses and government agencies with a vested interest in the future of energy systems.

This broad and diverse cross section of clean energy sector stakeholders will help identify gaps between skill sets and current Canadian post-secondary clean energy curriculum.

The University of Windsor’s SHIELD Automotive Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) to collaborate on innovative technology and knowledge mobilization designed to help public transit operators keep riders safe.

According to SHIELD co-founders Mitra Mirhassani, a UWindsor electrical and computer engineering professor, and Ikjot Saini from the School of Computer Science, the partnership will work to develop cybersecurity research, training, and awareness.

“If there’s one thing we have learned over the past year, it’s the importance of collaboration,” says CUTRIC president Josipa Petrunic. “CUTRIC is proud to be partnering with the University of Windsor as we set out on this new journey of strengthening and advancing our scientific, educational, and technological capabilities.”