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Students, staff and alumni gear up for home-track return of Windsor Roller Derby

A wall of blockers in a roller derby game tries to stop their opponentUWindsor alumnae Veronica Van Winckle aka Big V, Adele Dollar aka Delirious and Sandra Caradonna aka Diana Boss block an opposing skater in a 2025 roller derby game in Guelph, On. (SKYLAR SAWYER/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves

For the first time since 2019, residents of Windsor-Essex will have a chance to see Windsor Roller Derby (WRD) play locally. 

Founded in 2010 as Border City Brawlers, the league has been playing exclusively on the road for the last few years.  

June 6 marks their return to home track with UWindsor staff, students and alumni among those gearing up for a game at Tecumseh Arena. 

Is generative AI making us more productive, or less connected to our work?

A head and shoulders photo of Dr. Esraa AbdelhalimOdette School of Business professor Dr. Esraa Abdelhalim has received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant to study how generative artificial intelligence can be used to enhance workplace performance without undermining motivation or personal agency. (DAVE GAUTHIER/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao 

For most workers, the appeal of generative AI is obvious: faster drafts, quicker analysis, less time on the routine parts of the job.  

From Windsor Law classrooms to the bench — three alumni appointed to Ontario and B.C. superior courts

Justice Scott Pratt pictured in his judicial robesWindsor Law alumnus, The Honourable Scott G. Pratt pictured in his judicial robes following his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Windsor. (SUBMITTED BY SCOTT PRATT/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

Three alumni of Windsor Law have been appointed to senior courts in Ontario and British Columbia, underscoring the school’s continued impact on the Canadian judiciary.

The Honourable Scott G. Pratt, currently a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor, has been appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Windsor.

A daughter's grief, a nurse's reckoning: UWindsor researcher calls for system-level reform in cancer care

Natalie Giannotti pictured with her fatherDr. Natalie Giannotti, pictured with her father, says her work has taken on new meaning through her personal experience supporting him through his cancer journey. Her research examines gaps in the Canadian healthcare system and the need for reliable, patient-centred care. (SUBMITTED BY NATALIE GIANNOTTI/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

Dr. Natalie Giannotti’s research has always focused on improving patient safety and healthcare systems.

But it wasn’t until she found herself navigating the system as a daughter, supporting her father through his cancer diagnosis and treatment, that the gaps she had long studied became personal.

New publication highlights Windsor Law role in global AI and robotics policy work

Kisten Thomasen is pictured outside on campusKristen Thomasen, professor at Windsor Law, led the University of Windsor’s hosting of the international We Robot conference on robotics and AI law and policy in 2025, contributing to a new publication on AI governance. (SARAH SMITHERMAN/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

From autonomous systems to algorithmic decision-making, artificial intelligence (AI) is raising questions that extend beyond the scope of law alone.

Interdisciplinary collaboration at the University of Windsor is helping address these questions by bringing multiple fields into the same conversation.

UWindsor student volunteers provide 24/7 emergency medical response on campus

Student volunteers stand outside on campus wearing their SMRS uniformsMembers of the UWSMRS executive team on campus, supporting 24/7 emergency care for the campus community. (SUBMITTED BY ASHVEEN DHILLON/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

At any hour of the day or night, while most of campus studies, works or sleeps, a dedicated group of student volunteers is ready to respond.

The University of Windsor Student Medical Response Service (UWSMRS) operates 24/7, providing immediate, often critical care to the campus community. Behind the radios and emergency kits is a student experience defined by responsibility, resilience and purpose.

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From pediatric patient to professor: Rebecca Balasa on nursing, research and why Windsor felt like home

Rebecca Balasa stands outside in a green spaceThe Faculty of Nursing welcomes Professor Rebecca Balasa to the University of Windsor. Her experience in nursing and public health, along with her research on child health equity, brings valuable insight to our community. (SUBMITTED BY REBECCA BALASA/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

For Dr. Rebecca Balasa, the path to nursing didn't start in a classroom.

Her own experiences as a pediatric patient introduced her to the role nurses play, not only in delivering treatment, but in providing comfort and connection.

“I was really inspired by my own healthcare team,” she said. “It was through my relationships with nurses and seeing everything they do that I decided to go into the profession.”

That sense of purpose continues to guide her as she joins the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing.

UWindsor nursing professor leads cross-border study highlighting lung transplant care

Jane and her team of colleagues and students stand with their poster at the WESPARK conferenceJane Simanovski (left) and her team of colleagues and students stand with their research poster at the WE-SPARK conference in March, highlighting a cross-border study on caregivers supporting lung transplant patients. (SUBMITTED BY EDWARD CRUZ/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

It takes more than medical expertise to support a patient after a lung transplant.

As April marks Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month, a new cross-border study examines an often-overlooked part of the transplant journey — the family members and friends who provide care after surgery.

The unwritten rules about what to wear at work — an Odette researcher is studying who they actually serve

photo of Dr. Yanhong Li seated in her officeOdette School of Business professor Dr. Yanhong Li is leading a SSHRC funded study examining how workplace dress norms and office design shape self expression and feelings of belonging. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao

What do you wear to work?

Is what you wear truly your choice?

Or is it a reflection of how your workplace signals you are expected to look?

What employees wear is often assumed to be a personal decision, but in reality, those choices are often shaped by workplace norms, informal cues and broader power structures.

Clothing can affect how professionalism is judged, how credibility and organizational fit are assigned and how comfortable someone feels simply existing at work.

Argue, negotiate, represent: how mooting competitions shape Windsor Law students

students and judges pose in the courtroom after a moot competitionMark Jones and his co-counsel stand with moot judges and opposing counsel after completing the preliminary round of the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot. (SUBMITTED BY MARK JONES/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

For students at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, mooting and negotiation competitions are more than academic exercises — they are integral to how students grow into confident, capable legal professionals.

Mooting, a simulated court hearing usually focused on appeals, challenges students to think critically, advocate persuasively and navigate complex legal and ethical issues under pressure.