Science

Biology researcher wins UWindsor thesis pitch competition with study on breastfeeding and cancer risk

Top three winners at 2026 3MT competitionThe top three winners in the 2026 University of Windsor Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition are (from left) Alex Stoinescu, Dora Strelkova and Isabelle Hinch. (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor)

Biology PhD candidate Isabelle Hinch earned first place at the 2026 University of Windsor Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition with a three-minute pitch on breastfeeding and breast cancer risk. 

Judged on comprehension, communication and engagement, Hinch took the top prize at the April 1 final. In addition to a $1,000 cash prize, she will represent UWindsor at the provincial competition hosted by Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., on May 6, 2026. 

Co-existing on campus with Canada geese

Two goslings and adult Canada geese in backgroundSpringtime brings breeding season for Canada geese on campus (CHERRY THERESANATHAN/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves

While warmer spring weather seems to be slow to arrive this year, one of the surest signs of spring on campus is the often-noisy activity of Canada geese. 

Whether honking from the rooftops of tall buildings or nesting in the grass — or occasionally hissing at a passer-by who comes too close — Canada geese are ubiquitous at the University of Windsor. 

High school robotics teams to face off in action-packed competition

Students work on a robot in front of a crowd at the St. Denis Centre at UWindsorTeams from high schools across the province will compete in the FIRST Robotics competition at the Toldo Lancer Centre April 9 to 11 (SARA ELLIOTT/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves

Thirty-five high school teams from across the province will converge at the University of Windsor’s Toldo Lancer Centre April 9 to 11 to put their teamwork, leadership and innovation to the test at the Windsor Essex Great Lakes District’s FIRST Robotics Competition. 

Robots will compete head-to-head, showcasing student engineering prowess, creative problem-solving and strategy in front of stands full of cheering fans. 

Outstanding scholar strings together opportunities

Avery Ng instructing with a violinAvery Ng has been a violin teaching assistant for the past four years in Windsor's The String Project. (REBECCA NG/University of Windsor)

By Sara Elliott

Offering free violin lessons to children is a “bright spot” in Avery Ng’s life.  

The fourth-year integrative biology student has been involved with Windsor’s The String Project since its inception four years ago. Volunteers teach violin to pupils in grades 3 to 8 at Frank W. Begley and Marlborough.   

Neutron facility could bring new cancer therapies and high-skilled jobs to Windsor 

Stuart Castillo and Maks Dziura Doctoral candidates Stuart Castillo and Maks Dziura stand beside the sample mount of the Neutron Spin Echo instrument at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source. (GENEVIEVE MARTIN/University of Windsor)

By Sara Elliott  

A University of Windsor researcher is one step closer to building a facility that could deliver cutting-edge cancer treatment, produce medical isotopes and anchor a new industry in Windsor — after securing nearly $2 million to design it.  

Dr. Drew Marquardt, head of chemistry and biochemistry, has spent years advocating for a compact accelerator-based neutron source (CANS) in Windsor. The funding, announced March 13 as part of a $552-million federal infrastructure investment through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), will support a full scientific and technical design for a prototype facility.  

Microbes strut the catwalk in Bioart fashion show

Student dressed in a yellow raincoat covered in fake leaves with spiralled pink pool noodles on their headVisual art student Delia Poirier walks the runway as Lyme disease (JUSTIN ELLIOTT @jel_media/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves 

Black mold, salmonella, E. coli and even brain-eating amoeba took over the CAW Student Centre March 16. 

What sounds like a health and safety nightmare was not, in fact, a biohazard but rather a Bioart fashion show coordinated by School of Creative Arts professor and Canada Research Chair Dr. Jennifer Willet. 

University of Windsor brings Bank of Canada economist into undergraduate classrooms

Three students sittingStudents will get a chance to hear from economist Dr. Chris D’Souza as part of the bank’s Central Bank in Your Classroom program. (TRAVIS FAUTEUX/University of Windsor)

By Sara Elliott

As questions about Canada’s economic direction mount, University of Windsor students will soon hear directly from someone working at the centre of it.

Economist Dr. Chris D’Souza from the Bank of Canada will visit campus Monday, March 23, speaking in three undergraduate classes as part of the bank’s Central Bank in Your Classroom program.

Your DNA has a schedule. Daylight Saving Time doesn't care.

Woman sleeping on text booksOur body’s natural clock — the circadian rhythm — gets disrupted when Daylight Saving Time hits. (Photo by Adobe Stock/University of Windsor)

By Sara Elliott

Nearly half your genome operates on a clock. Daylight Saving Time throws it off.

When the clocks move forward an hour for Daylight Saving Time on March 8, our body’s natural clock — the circadian rhythm — gets disrupted. 

Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker supports UWindsor research during rare Lake Erie deep freeze

Dr. Mike McKay to the right talking to two Coast Guard cadets on the leftDr. Mike McKay (right) explains how to use collection kits to Canada Coast Guard officer cadets Raphaël Cere (left) and Jack Hogan (middle). (MIKE WILKINS/University of Windsor)

By Sara Elliott 

With Lake Erie locked in its heaviest ice cover in more than two decades, a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker has become an unlikely research platform for University of Windsor scientists. 

As the CCGS Vincent Massey breaks through thick ice, its crew is collecting water samples to help researchers understand how winter conditions shape the lake’s ecosystem.