A filmmaker and a musician have both received federal research funding that will allow them to follow their individual creative inspirations and each others' at the same time.

Kim Nelson is a professor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and a documentary filmmaker. Brent Lee is a musician and FASS professor, a composer and member of Noiseborder, a group of experimental musicians and artists who perform, teach and conduct research while emphasizing diverse styles of music, emerging technology and new performance practices.

Both recently learned they received sizable grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Nelson got $205,592 for a project called The Docum’istory Project , a unique reworking of the historical documentary that will be experimental in content and method, and include a web-based instructional model to expose students and others to how history is structured and meaning is created.

Dr. Lee received $190,198 for a three-year project called Integrating Sound and Image in Multimedia Performance, which will result in “artistic work, scholarly presentations and publications, and new conceptual and technological tools for multimedia performing artists.” Both are listed as collaborators on each others' grants and both hope their work will contribute to the cultural landscape of their community and their country.

While Lee will contribute to Nelson’s documentary, Nelson will pitch in on Lee’s project by filming and documenting one of Noiseborder’s multimedia performances

“It’s very hard to get documentation that really captures what we’re doing live,” said Nick Papador, one of Lee’s two co-applicants (the other is Visual Art professor Sigi Torinus).  “We’ve sort of called in to question all the barriers we’ve faced as musicians.”

“We work really well together and complement one another,” Lee said of his working relationship with Nelson. He’ll travel to Germany next summer to begin work on her new project, a documentary on how Canada and Germany colonized their borderland spaces. Historical expertise for the project will be provided by Rob Nelson, Kim’s co-applicant and spouse and a professor in the History department. Professor Min Bae will be the cinematographer while the web-based concept and platform will be designed and implemented by collaborator Justin Langlois.

“I’m trying to find a new way of making a historical documentary that’s more reflective of how academic history is done and how we create meaning in the present from the past,” said Nelson. She collaborated with Lee on her last two documentaries, but both times he began his work after all the original footage had been shot. This time, he’ll be involved from the inception.

“I was talking a lot to Brent while I was formulating my ideas,” said Nelson, who spent most of the summer in Germany doing pre-production work on the film. “I thought it would be great to start much earlier in the process. Now we’ll be able to think about music and how to use technology to get the sounds we want before we shoot.”

Read a news release about SSHRC’s $116 million funding announcement

It will take more than a little rain to dampen the spirits of art students participating in the Fahrenheit Festival of Fire Sculpture this weekend. The event, presented by the Artcite gallery, involves the creation of wood and straw structures that are set alight.

Members of professor Rod Strickland’s third-year sculpture class plan to build and burn three pieces.

“I am definitely excited. This is my first time putting an artwork out there for the public,” says BFA student Patrick Bodnar.

He says the medium of fire is unpredictable.

“We can do all the preparation work in the studio, but we can’t do a dry run,” Bodnar says. “We can only burn it once.”

The students are designing three sculptures:

• a jack-in-the box that will spring into action as the burning progresses;
• a series of blazing flowers that will float on the surface of a pond; and
• a 130-foot bridge that will span the water.

Strickland says the festival makes a good first assignment for his class.

“Because it’s so early in the semester, they have to work on it right away – it puts them on an emergency footing,” he says. “It’s important for the students to learn what it is to be an artist.”

The festival also promises face painting and live music. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, September 24, with the lighting to begin at dusk. General admission is $5, $1 for children 10 and under.

The site, behind LaSalle’s Vollmer Culture and Recreation Centre, has been soaked by rain this week, says organizer Steve Daigle. If the pond overflows its banks, the festival will move to another location on the centre’s grounds. A downpour during the event’s scheduled time will postpone it to Sunday, September 25.

Find more information, including a complete list of participating artists, at www.artcite.ca.

The 2012/2013 UWindsor Viewbook has arrived and is available to you. Whether you are interested in finding out more about our programs or if you have family or friends that may be interested, please let the office of Liaison & Student Recruitment know to get a copy to you.

The viewbook, designed by Paul Green of Public Affairs and Communications, gives a complete description of each of the University’s more than 100 degree programs and includes career tracks for each. It features a chart including all of the prerequisites required for admission, information on scholarships, awards and financial aid, student life, co-op programs, athletics, residence life and more.

Contact the liaison office at 519-973-7014 to receive your copy of the Undergraduate Prospectus or request one at liaison@uwindsor.ca.

Students, staff and faculty across campus are signing on to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s Run for the Cure, Sunday, October 2, on Windsor’s riverfront. The foundation has launched a challenge to Canada’s colleges and universities, inviting them to compete with other institutions in an effort to maximize fundraising to support its vision of creating a future without breast cancer.

Josh Paglione, director of student life for the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance, hopes to draw representation from every club to his team.

“Whether they run or walk, our intention is to involve students in this important cause,” he said. “Every family has been touched by cancer – let’s work to eliminate it.”

It’s a point touched on by Alan Wright, vice-provost, teaching and learning, who is also organizing a team.

“We can all identify with efforts to raise funds for cancer research and treatment,” he said. “I think this is a great challenge for the University of Windsor as a community.”

A regular runner himself, he said the sport is generally solitary, and this is an opportunity to generate a team feeling: “We don’t need to win medals to be happy with our performance. I just hope we can raise some money and do Windsor proud.”

He emphasized that the event is scaled to all ages and abilities, and that registrants identify themselves as members of the UWindsor community. When registering, specify National Team Affiliation as “University of Windsor.”

Learn more about the Windsor run here.

Learn more about the Post Secondary Team Challenge here.

First-year music student Elizabeth Zuwala won Thursday’s DailyNews contest and two tickets to see Ascolta La Ciociaria, a celebration of classical Italian music, Tuesday, September 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Assumption University Chapel.

Zuwala's name was drawn from all respondents who correctly translated Il Canto degli Italiani as The Song of the Italians, identified Il trovatore as the source of the aria Stride la vampa!, and named Giacomo Puccini as the composer of Tosca.

Tuesday’s concert will feature instructors from the UWindsor School of Music as well as musicians from Italy. Tickets are $10, available at the door or in advance by phone at 519-253-3000, ext. 4212.

The experience of patients and their families is often the missing ingredient to improve patient safety, says Deborah Prowse. Her mother’s tragic death in 2004 led her to become an advocate for providers to work with patients to make healthcare safer.

In an address to a one-day conference at the University of Windsor on Saturday, September 24, Prowse will discuss her personal journey from harm to healing.

Patient Safety Matters: Improving Patient Safety across the Continuum is organized by the Faculty of Nursing as an opportunity for all disciplines, roles and sectors in healthcare to learn together about patient safety.

In addition to Prowse’s presentation, attendees will hear from John Gosbee, a doctor specializing in human factors engineering, and Kathleen Sutcliffe, a professor of management who helps complex organizations to become more resilient in coping with uncertainty.

Find more information, including a complete schedule and registration details, on the conference Web site.

The Lancer cross-country team will open its 2011 season at the Western Invitational, which brings together some of the top-ranked teams in Canada on a demanding course on the banks of the Thames River this Saturday, September 24. Read the full story at goLancers.ca.

In other varsity action:

The women’s volleyball team is competing in the Brock Invitational St. Catharine’s from Friday through Sunday.

The men’s hockey team will hit the road to play the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo on Friday and Nippising University in North Bay on Saturday. Women’s hockey is at home to the Ryerson Rams, Saturday at 4:10 p.m. at South Windsor Arena and will travel to London to meet the Western Mustangs on Sunday.

Lancer football will play the Warriors in Waterloo on Saturday. Read a game preview at goLancers.ca.

Men’s volleyball will host Fanshawe College in exhibition action at the St. Denis Centre at 7 p.m. Saturday. Read “Men’s volleyball continues early preparations for non-conference games.”

Soccer is at home with games against the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday and the York Lions on Sunday. The women play at 1 p.m. and the men at 3:15 p.m. both days, on Alumni Field.

Men’s basketball will meet Humber College for a pre-season game Sunday in Chatham. Read a game preview at goLancers.ca.

Campus Community Police are investigating several thefts from lockers in the St. Denis Centre changing rooms.

Campus Community Police are advising students, staff and faculty to be extra vigilant and ask anyone with information that may be helpful to investigators to phone them at 519-253-3000, ext. 1234.

Find details of this incident, as well as a description of a person of interest and a list of theft prevention tips, in the crime advisory on the Web site of Campus Police.

If you missed yesterday's instalment of Research Matters on CJAM 99.1 FM, you can still listen to it online.

Yesterday's show focused on the work of psychology professor Charlene Senn, who is working to measure the effectiveness of a new sexual assault resistance training program. Download a podcast of the September 22 episode from the CJAM Web site.

The following union position is available to internal bargaining unit members only. Bargaining unit members interested in this position are requested to apply in writing by completing an 'Application for Transfer' form and forwarding it to: Department of Human Resources on or before 4 p.m. on the posting closing date. Please note: Union positions are covered by the union collective agreement, therefore, please be aware that we must allow our qualified unionized staff the first opportunity for transfer or promotion to these positions. This opportunity is not available to external applicants.

CUPE 1393

#2011-13-26 Program Development Officer V, Centre for Executive and Professional Education
The following posting closes on September 30, 2011, at 4 p.m.

This position is responsible for activities associated with the various programs and workshops of the Centre for Executive and Professional Education (CEPE). The incumbent will possess a Bachelor degree in business or equivalent post secondary education with demonstrable experience in successful program development and implementation, as well as 3 – 5 years of marketing/sales experience. The successful applicant will have demonstrated success in the development of marketing campaigns and promotional materials and will possess the ability to work in a self-directed environment. The incumbent will possess excellent interpersonal skills, excellent verbal/written communication, proven customer service skills, and experience at implementing customer service initiatives. The position requires the candidate to possess extensive skills with various computer applications including MS Word, Excel, Access and Drupal Content Management System and have the ability to maintain and implement website changes. This position requires the incumbent to maintain confidentiality.