2025 News Archive

Eighteen UWindsor engineering students travelled to McMaster University in Hamilton from Jan. 24 to 26 to participate in the Ontario Engineering Competition, a showcase of their skills in such disciplines as debate, design, and programming.

The event attracted about 450 of the brightest engineering students from across Ontario, helping the UWindsor team learn about their strengths and challenges.

“We didn’t place in the top three, but the team spirit was amazing, and we walked away with a sense of accomplishment,” says Engineering Student Society president Marlena Mustac.

Nick Schembri and Josh Martin, students in the Department of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering, were eager to get research experience early in their university careers. The two began working with professors Rupp Carriveau and Jacqueline Stagner in their first year of study and now, in just their second year, had the opportunity to present their findings before a room filled with industry leaders and academic experts.

The students were tasked with investigating North American grid outages and how the electrical grid is impacted at the neighborhood transformer level by new and disruptive loads. They were responsible for measuring grid vulnerability and providing a comprehensive analysis of their findings and writing journal papers.

“The students were given a significant responsibility early on, and they rose to the challenge,” says Dr. Carriveau. “They worked hard to collect data, analyze it, and present their findings to the research team.”

While boys his age were honing their skating skills, Bruce Durfy pursued another avocation.

“Motorcycles have always been a part of my life. I got my first one in seventh or eighth grade, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” says Durfy, a technologist in the Department of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering.

“While my friends were learning to skate, I was out there riding motorcycles on the ice. It’s always been a part of what I love to do with my winters.”

That dedication to the sport saw him triumph in the American Motorcyclist Association Grand National Championship for Oval Track Ice Racing, Feb. 1 on Leisure Lake in Sumner. Mich.

The event draws motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the mid-west. The track, a flat, oval-shaped course carved into the ice, is a unique challenge for competitors who race motorcycles outfitted with studded tires for traction.

The Faculty of Engineering is excited to announce the launch of EMPOWR, a brand-new initiative designed to support Master of Engineering (MEng) students in building valuable technical and non-technical skills that enhance employability in the Canadian workforce. Under the leadership of Dr. Victoria Abboud and Acting Associate Dean, Darryl Danelon, this program provides students with access to a wealth of resources, including professional development sessions, industry-informed learning opportunities, and tools to plan their career pathways—all completely free!

What is EMPOWR?

EMPOWR is more than just a program; it's a community designed to help MEng students thrive both academically and professionally. Whether you're looking to expand your skill set, connect with industry professionals, or explore innovative software, EMPOWR provides a comprehensive platform to do just that. Through various workshops and sessions, students can gain critical insights into the job market, refine their career paths, and grow essential skills that go beyond technical expertise.

Why Should You Get Involved?

In today's job market, technical skills are important, but employers also value strong communication, leadership, and problem-solving abilities. EMPOWR targets technical and non-technical skills that are crucial to your future success. By participating in EMPOWR sessions, students will not only expand their knowledge but also enhance their employability in a competitive global market.

Three University of Windsor professors have been awarded a total of $830,000 in federal funding to support their research into quantum science.

Engineering professor Mitra Mirhassani, who specializes in automobile hardware cybersecurity, has been awarded $755,000 toward a project worth more than $5 million to develop secure cryptographic algorithms that can protect data from quantum cyberattacks.

Fellow engineering professor Jalal Ahamed received $50,000 for a pair of one-year projects, one involving improved temperature monitoring of electric vehicle batteries and the other improving the high-precision sensing needed to make electronic devices work.

Climate change presents a new set of challenges, particularly for utilities, on the front lines of maintaining service in the face of increasingly severe weather events, such as high winds, flash floods, and wildlife disruptions.

A workshop Feb. 6 in Toronto will bring together industry leaders and academics to address energy sector resilience in the face of climate and technological change.

The workshop will delve into system vulnerabilities, examine emerging technologies, and assess whether these innovations provide real benefits for energy operators. Participants will also gain insight into the financial implications of these challenges and explore funding models that can support the resilience of energy systems.

In her course “the Manufacturing Process Design,” professor Jill Urbanic tasked third-year industrial engineering students with designing a product with incorporating recycled materials wherever possible. The goal was to develop a lighting fixture — and the project scope was open-ended.

The results were amazing, Dr. Urbanic says.

A UWindsor professor is delving into the past to explore her family’s heritage through a series of interviews that capture the migration stories of individuals in the local Lebanese community.

Victoria Abboud, an instructor, author, and alumna (BSc 2000, BA 2001), received a $5,000 grant from the City of Windsor toward her project Transplanting Cedars: Migration Stories from Lebanese Elders.

“This project has been years in the making. I’ve always had an interest in family history and genealogy — we’re Lebanese on my dad’s side — so it’s been a lifelong journey of exploring both the history of our family and the broader community,” Dr. Abboud said.

“It began with me writing about family, community and life in Lebanon. We still have family, friends, and a community in our village that we visit whenever possible. I started sharing these stories with my dad, and he became really interested, reflecting on his own experiences. And I realized there are some significant migration stories here.”

A UWindsor researcher is leading a $1 million project that could position Canada as a global source for the timing chips that make all electronic devices tick.

Engineering professor Jalal Ahamed is partnering with Stathera Inc., a Montreal-based company that specializes in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Together they aim to develop an ultra-precise resonating oscillator to provide the stable reference frequency which is key for all communications and computation. The chip they are developing can be imbedded in microchips and mass produced for installation in cars, cell phones, computers, and every other smart electronic device imaginable.

“We aim to increase Canada’s competitiveness,” Dr. Ahamed said. “This would be manufactured in Canada and create new economic opportunities.”

Ahamed has been awarded $750,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Mitacs, a national non-profit organization that partners with academia, private industry, and government to provide training opportunities for the next generation of researchers. Stathera will also add $250,000 in in-kind contributions to the project.

Ahamed explains the research simply in this way: At the heart of all smart devices is a small time-keeping chip that wiggles at a fixed rate or frequency. Also needed is a method to ensure that wiggling is stable and consistent.