Femi Soluade, a first-year student of international relations, is interested in exploring the world but short of travel funds. That dilemma inspired a business that won a competition for ideas to overcome accessibility-related barriers.

Immersing herself in videos from other cultures — Korean anime, Bollywood action films, Chinese martial arts, and documentaries from all over — Soluade found that the subtitles were often either unavailable or so poor that they interfered with her enjoyment of the content.

“I came up with the idea for this business by recognizing the limitations of AI-generated captions and subtitles, which are only 60 to 70 percent accurate,” she says. “I then embarked on a journey of learning to subtitle professionally, so that I could produce accurate, clear and well-synced captions and subtitles to enhance accessibility, bridge language gaps, and enrich the viewer experience.”

Soluade is the sole proprietor of FEPSS, a language solutions business that specializes in subtitling for audio-visual productions including closed captioning and SDH: Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Additionally, FEPSS provides video translations from English to French to Spanish and the reverse, transcription, proofreading, video editing and graphic design services.

“The idea is to break down language barriers and facilitate effective communication, so that information in digital content is accessible to all — regardless of hearing abilities or language proficiency,” she says.

That commitment to accessibility earned her top honours in the Innovative Designs for Enhancing Accessibility (IDeA) student competition, which calls for inclusive, innovative, cost-effective, and practical solutions to accessibility-related barriers.

Soluade included in her pitch presentation a video from the IDeA Competition organizers, professionally recaptioning it to demonstrate the value of human subtitlers and captionists over auto-generated captions. Watch her demo video here.

The first-place finish earned her a $500 UwinCARD credit, which she says will largely go textbooks for next semester, campus store gift cards for friends, and bubble tea purchases.

Soluade sums up her philosophy as “Bridging Worlds with Words,” creating a global community where language is no longer a barrier but a bridge to understanding, diversity, and inclusivity.

Her vision for FEPSS is that it becomes a global leader in the localization industry and a trusted partner for individuals and organizations navigating the complexities of the linguistic landscape, providing them with the tools needed for effective communication in any language. Learn more at FEPSS.org.

A competition challenging first-year engineering students to design and program an autonomous model locomotive gave them the chance to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world applications, says professor Rashid Rashidzadeh.

His course in Cornerstone Design is mandatory for first-year students and culminated in more than 70 teams competing for cash prizes April 1 and 2.

The class is highly praised by students for its hands-on approach, says Dr. Rashidzadeh.

“Students thoroughly enjoy the practical aspect of the course, allowing them to put their academic understanding into action.”

Tensions ran high as teams tested their design and programming skills by putting their railcars through a course with such obstacles as a functional drawbridge and customs communication booth.

Learning specialist Darryl Danelon says it was exciting to see the students rise to the challenge.

“For many, this course was an introduction to navigating team dynamics and solving open-ended problems,” he says. “It is very exciting for me as an instructor to see the diverse solutions they explored and how inspired they were to see their ideas through to achieve success.”

Winning congratulations from dean Bill Van Heyst as well as cash prizes were:

• the $1,500 first-place Dream Team of Martin Eze, Jacob Powell, Boston Woods, and Charbel Yammine;
• the $1,000 second-place Cornerstone Cadets Justin Byers, Madelon Kidd, Dustin Rees, and Faris Suleiman; and
• the $500 third-place HCLQ of Harjot Kullar, Luca Mastroianni, Christine Michael, and Qabas Wassef.

UWindsor alumna Maheen Arshad (BSc 2020) discovered joy by taking the lesser-known career path of genetic counselling.

“Genetic counselling is a really rewarding profession and I wish everyone could learn about it because I absolutely love what I do.”

After receiving her honours BSc in Behaviour, Cognition and Neuroscience (BCN) through the Department of Integrative Biology, Arshad went on to complete a two-year master’s degree in genetic counselling at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Genetic counsellors are health-care professionals with specialized training in medical genetics and counselling. They work directly with patients and families at risk of genetic conditions. Arshad currently works in the fields of cancer, prenatal, and preconception genetics at Henry Ford Health in Detroit.

“It has the complexity I wanted in a career with a good balance of providing scientific information along with psychosocial counselling to support patients and families — it is the best of both worlds,” she says.

“There’s a lot that is not known so when we do have the answers, we can help patients be proactive and navigate challenges. Whether it is finding out they have an increased lifetime risk of cancer or whether is it a high-risk pregnancy, as a genetic counsellor I can serve as a central resource for my patients at difficult stages in their life.”

Arshad reports feeling prepared for graduate school thanks to the classes and knowledge she gained from undergraduate experience.

“Because of Science at UWindsor and the BCN program I transitioned well into grad school and adapted to the greater courseload along with the clinical rotations," she says.

“BCN was also the perfect program to prepare me for genetic counselling as it was a mix of biological sciences and social sciences, which transitioned well into learning complex medical genetics and psychosocial counselling.”

It was at the University of Windsor that Arshad learned about genetic counselling. She says Windsor is geographically well-positioned to give students the option to go across the border for shadowing, work, and volunteer opportunities.

A self-described shy high schooler, Arshad stepped out of her comfort zone as an undergraduate and quickly landed a student research position in biomedical sciences professor Lisa Porter’s lab investigating the role of a cell cycle protein in the formation of brain tumours.

“It was really cool to get started in research in my first year,” she says.

“What I was learning in the classroom about the cell cycle, I was able to apply that in the lab doing research simultaneously, which helped consolidate the knowledge and provide greater context from what I was learning.”

Arshad also engaged with the BCN student organization by serving as vice-president of finance and co-ordinating its annual fundraising gala. She also attributes her success to being involved in Student Success and Leadership Centre’s LEAD program where she learned leadership skills, professionalism, and communication skills, and developed a sense of university community.

“I really optimized my time in undergrad and I’m so glad I did, because looking back it was so much fun to have all those experiences.”

With final examinations for the winter semester commencing today, the University Print Shop invites instructors to use its expert printing services for exam materials.

The Print Shop’s hassle-free and jam-free printing service is ready to assist, ensuring a smooth process. With secure storage facilities that are both locked and monitored by alarm systems, the service can assure instructors that their exam materials are in safe hands.

The Print Shop staff is committed to providing quick and efficient service; simply drop off or email the exam content and they will take care of the rest.

For further details or questions, email printshop@uwindsor.ca.