Windsor-Essex public school board trustees to discuss bringing mask mandate back for students Trustees with the Greater Essex County District School Board will discuss re-implementing a mask mandate for its students, following a decision from Ottawa school board trustees to do the same, according to GECDSB officials. Though it's not clear exactly when it will go into effect, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board voted Tuesday night to reinstate mandatory masking in its schools. According to board chairperson Alicia Higgison, trustees with the GECDSB have been expressing concern over recent pandemic metrics. Among those metrics are updated data from WE SPARK HEALTH Institute which shows the level of COVID-19 in Windsor-Essex's wastewater has reached a record high since the pandemic started. The previous record was set on Jan. 14. On that date, the research institute recorded the viral level in wastewater at 178,055 SARS-CoV-2 gene copies per litre. But that record was broken this week when that number rose to 193,200 on Apr. 11. Despite that metric, however, Higgison…
Researchers seeking to close the carbon cycle by creating fuels from waste Chemistry professor Marcus Drover is leading a research team exploring ways to turn waste carbon dioxide into fuels. Chemistry professor Marcus Drover and his team are flipping the script on carbon dioxide production in their latest research project. They will look at taking an environmentally damaging industry by-product and turning it into an efficient fuel source. Dr. Drover is the recipient of an Imperial Oil University Research Award for $25,000 for a one-year project called “Oxygenated Fuel Products from Gaseous Carbon Waste Streams.” Typically when a fuel is burned, it produces the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as a by-product. Drover intends to use this waste product as a fuel source. “We are looking to close the carbon cycle by transforming carbon dioxide into fuels or fuel additives, which in turn are combusted to produce more carbon dioxide,” says Drover. “The strategy isn’t to mitigate carbon dioxide production, it is to close the carbon cycle as we take the…
Fundraising event to support healthcare innovation in Windsor-Essex WE-SPARK Health Institute is hosting a fundraising event to support health care innovation in Windsor/Essex. It is the first event since the launch of the health institute. “WE-SPARK officially launched in March 2020, just as a world-wide pandemic was at our doorstep” said Dr. Lisa Porter executive director. “Now we have an opportunity to gather in person to showcase the incredible research happening across our region, recognize the people behind all the great work, and focus our efforts on ensuring we can continue to support health research in the future.” The “Cheers to Hope” event will raise funds for health research grants that bring together experts from its four partner institutions – Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, the University of Windsor and Windsor Regional Hospital – as well as collaborators across the Windsor/Essex region, Canada, and internationally. “Our local research community went into overdrive to activate and operationalize a large…
April think tank session to spark health research collaboration Do you like to discuss new ideas? Solve problems? Make new connections? Then WE-SPARK Think Tanks may be for you. The April 22nd event will begin with an update on local health research activities and new funding opportunities, followed by an overview of three projects that are looking for creative input, and breakout sessions: How do Entrepreneurial Teams Manage Adversity? Kyle Brykman, PhD, University of Windsor This conversation will be of particular interest to entrepreneurs and people / organizations who work with them, and for people with a background in business or psychology, or in human behavior / interactions. Building a Network of Experts on Aging Paula van Wyk, PhD, University of Windsor Looking to bring together a diverse group of experts so that we can be ready to collaborate and address issues that are important in our community. Expanding Regional Flow Cytometry for Clinical Use Caroline Hamm, MD, Windsor Regional Hospital This topic is looking at how specialized equipment…
Professor recognized for hands-on approach to engineering education Professor Arezoo Emadi is the recipient of an award for excellence in the development and teaching of laboratory-based courses in undergraduate engineering. In a world where multidisciplinary education is of growing importance, Arezoo Emadi creates an opportunity for her students to apply academic and practical skills to real‐world problems. This approach has earned national recognition for the professor of electrical and computer engineering, recipient of the 2021 Wighton Fellowship for excellence in the development and teaching of laboratory-based courses in undergraduate engineering programs. In nominating her for the award, former dean of engineering Mehrdad Saif praised Dr. Emadi for promoting an educational environment that offers a dynamic and effective interaction between students and professor. “She integrates physical laboratory activities to engage students and stimulate creative thinking that inspire the quest of knowledge and support effective learning in the largest…
Survey to probe effect of pandemic on adolescents and young adults A new research project out of the University of Windsor and Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is looking into the toll the pandemic has taken on adolescents transitioning to adulthood. “Adolescence and young adulthood are already known to be high-risk periods for the emergence of mental health issues,” said Lindsey Jaber, a professor in the Faculty of Education who is leading the study. “The overarching goal of this project is to gain a deeper understanding of how transitional-aged youth are coping and navigating through an already turbulent developmental period during and following a time of global crisis.” Dr. Jaber, who specializes in educational psychology, has received a $25,000 grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to conduct the study. She is working with UWindsor alumna Jennifer Voth (MA 2007, PhD 2013), a research associate at Hôtel-Dieu Grace and adjunct professor in kinesiology. Jesse Scott, an undergraduate student in psychology, is managing…
WE-SPARK Health Institute Issues Call for Proposals WE-Spark Health Institute is now accepting applications for grants to advance health research in Windsor-Essex. WE-Spark Health Institute is now accepting applications to advance health research in Windsor-Essex. The deadline to submit letters of intent is April 1 at 5 p.m. Two grant streams are being awarded: Igniting Discovery Grants provide seed funding to stimulate the development of early-stage, novel, and innovative health research and education projects in Windsor-Essex. Incentive Grants support projects that have been unsuccessful in securing other funding because of steep competition or insufficient funds. These grants help researchers improve their prospects for future external funding. “WE-Spark is focused on increasing competitiveness in major granting competitions and on building an academic healthcare culture in our region,” said executive director Lisa Porter. “Our grants programs ensure there are dedicated grant opportunities to support local researchers at all…
Students win recognition for leadership on equity, diversity, and inclusion in research Staecey Ngabire, Larissa Dushime, Arief Kartolo, Janet MacIsaac, and Natalie Hazineh are among the recipients of Student Leadership Awards for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Not pictured: Renee Taylor. The Office of Research and Innovation Services has recognized six students from various disciplines who are making the campus community more welcoming by working to develop more equitable and inclusive research. The Student Leadership Awards for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion carry with them a $500 prize. Renee Taylor, a graduate student in psychology, was nominated by professor Ben H.C. Kuo for her work on Black experiences in education and mental health services in Canada, as well as for her on- and off-campus contributions to supporting a more equitable community, such as participating as a panellist in a roundtable co-hosted by the federal Anti-Racism Secretariat and serving as a student representation on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Faculty of Arts,…
Warning system to prevent beach drownings An innovative dynamic warning system will protect Great Lakes beachgoers from drowning. UWindsor researchers along with community partners in Bruce County are creating a real-time dynamic warning system to protect Great Lakes beach users from drowning. This system will be the first of its kind in North America. The Mitacs Accelerate proposal, called “Socially and physically based surf warning system to improve beach safety,” is led by researcher Chris Houser in collaboration with Bruce County, the Municipality of Kincardine, and the Municipal Innovation Council. The three-year project will start in summer 2022 at Station Beach in Kincardine, Ontario. Using automated beach activity cameras, sensors, meteorological stations, and artificial intelligence, the team will create the unique system. Members will deploy an integrated sensor network that includes water level and wave sensors as well as traffic and pedestrian sensors. The cameras will follow protocols to anonymize faces.…
