On Friday, November 9, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. the University of Windsor is opening its doors to the community as part of a national university open house—Open Doors, Open Knowledge—organized by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

In keeping with this year’s theme, “Putting ideas to work for Canadians,” the University of Windsor is hosting a laboratory open house in its newly-completed Centre for Engineering Innovation.

“This is the first opportunity for the public to see some of the great research and development taking place in both Phase I and Phase II of the CEI,” says Holly Ward, the UWindsor’s chief communications officer. “Visitors will have an opportunity to see a wide variety of futuristic technologies from electric vehicle transportation systems and sustainable energy solutions, to wind tunnel and turbulence labs, to the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Centre. This centre in particular is the only one of its kind in North America and has been used to develop a prototype of an automated produce packaging system for a local grower.”

Partnerships between universities and the private sector, as well as the not-for-profit sector, provide students and new graduates with invaluable hands-on research experience.  Through research projects, internships and co-ops, students can enhance their knowledge and skills while making connections with future employers.

 “We need to further develop these kinds of partnerships, both in number and scale, to achieve Canada’s potential in innovation and productivity,” says Christine Tausig Ford, vice president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. “We need to invest in ways that link university researchers and students—the creative people who develop new knowledge—with businesses that turn that knowledge into new products, processes, services and technologies.” 

More than 30 Open Doors, Open Knowledge events are taking place at institutions across Canada, with most scheduled from November 9 to18.