Helping adults diagnosed with autism and other intellectual disabilities get in shape has been an extremely rewarding experience for graduate student Phil McKeen, and it’s provided him with a new sense of perspective about his own life.

“It’s a humbling experience, to see the difficulties they deal with on a daily basis, but it also opened my eyes to human potential and to see what they’re really capable of,” said McKeen, a master’s student in kinesiology. “It really enhanced my empathy. It takes you down a notch and helps you reflect on your own blessings.”

Co-supervised by professors Sean Horton and Nadia Azar, McKeen oversees the administration of an exercise program for 14 adults who were recruited by Community Living. Participants come in twice a week and take part in a 90-minute circuit training regimen which includes a variety of exercises.

After the program finishes they will undergo a series of tests to help determine whether the exercise is improving their balance, flexibility, strength, hand-eye coordination and reaction time. That subject is the focus is McKeen’s thesis work, but beyond his graduate studies, one of the program’s goals is to help improve the self-efficacy of the participants.

“Part of the motivation was to get the participants more involved in sport and exercise and to help them build their confidence around these kinds of activities,” said Dr. Horton. “One of Community Living’s goals is to help their clients integrate into the community and we’re hoping this program will make them more confident about joining a gym or an exercise class.”

Joel Parent is a 27-year-old area man with autism enrolled in the program. Carrie Schram, his personal support worker, said she’s seen numerous improvements in both his physical abilities as well as his behaviour since beginning it, noting that he has become much more gregarious.

“He could never skip rope before and he can do it just like anyone else now,” she said. “He loves it. He looks forward to coming here every time and he’s much happier. He loves interacting with the others.”

Cynthia Castellucci, a personal support worker from Community Living Essex, brings four participants to the program and said she’s seen improvements in all of them.

“I hope that we can continue to build upon the success of this because each one of them has really benefitted,” she said.

Kelly Carr is another master’s student involved with the program. She’s helping to develop a suitable questionnaire that would adequately measure whether it’s improving the participants’ self-efficacy. She said seeing how much the participants have improved over the last 11 weeks has been very fulfilling.

“It’s been amazing just to watch them engage with other people,” she said. “We had one participant who didn’t even want to come in the room and now she’s participating in all the activities. It’s a lot of those kinds of things that aren’t really measurable. So much of it is hard to quantify.”

McKeen will appear today on Research Matters, a weekly talk show that focuses on the work of University of Windsor researchers and airs every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on CJAM 99.1 FM.

Phil McKeen, left, works out with program participant Joel Parent.

A video by UWindsor communications grad Christiaan Meyer documents the September 29 Art and Ecology Sidewalk Parade, a performance artwork by professor Jennifer Willet of the School for Arts and Creative Innovation.

“The project was intended to draw participants, audiences and community members into discussions about art and ecology in the Windsor area,” Dr. Willet says. “Local artists, scientists and species—microscopic organisms, invasive species, home-grown vegetables, household pests, etc.—were represented in this delightful re-telling of our local ecology.”

The video runs just under seven minutes. Watch it now:

Art and Ecology Sidewalk Parade from Christiaan Meyer on Vimeo.

Tina Westlake, a campus custodian who died December 10, is remembered by friends and colleagues as a happy, caring person whose contributions will be missed.

She began her UWindsor career in 1990 as a server in Food Services, was promoted to cashier in 2000, and transferred to Facility Services in 2002 for her most recent position as a custodian.

Campus flags will be lowered in her memory on Friday, December 14. Funeral services are scheduled for that day; for details, read her obituary online.

The Lancer women’s basketball squad will join with every university team in the sport across the country to take part in Shoot for the Cure, a fundraising campaign for the fight against breast cancer.

Windsor will mark the event during its home game against Brock on February 2.

Since its launch in fall 2007, Shoot for the Cure has raised over half a million dollars ($512,394.58) in donations to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and other related charities.

Last year was the first time all Canadian Interuniversity Sport women’s basketball programs participated in the initiative. The foundation received $98,706.92  and an additional $22,541.78 was donated to local or provincial organizations, bringing the 2012 Shoot for the Cure overall total to $121,248.70.

Jeff Speedy, head coach at the University of New Brunswick head coach and project manager for Shoot for the Cure, says he is very excited to have every team on board again this season.

“It has always been one of our main objectives and after we achieved that goal for the first time a year ago, it’s now important to keep our level of support at 100 per cent every year,” he says.

Adding to the excitement around this season’s fundraising campaign, pink balls will be used at various events this winter, thanks to the cooperation of Wilson Sports Equipment Canada, the official basketball supplier of CIS.

“This is something we’ve had in mind for a little while and Wilson really came through with those basketballs. They look fantastic,” says Speedy. “To see a partner like Wilson get directly involved in Shoot for the Cure is very stimulating. It will make this sixth edition extra special.”

A search committee invites nominations and applications until January 15 for the position of head of the Department of Economics.

The position will commence July 1, 2013, for a term of three to five years. Candidates must hold a tenured position in the department. For more information, please see the online posting of the internal search.

A search committee invites nominations and applications until January 31 for the position of head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology.

The position will commence July 1, 2013, for a term of three to five years. Candidates must hold a tenured position in the department. For more information, please see the online posting of the internal search.

A search committee invites nominations and applications until February 14 for the position of head of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

The position will commence July 1, 2013, for a term of three to five years. Candidates must hold a tenured position in the department. For more information, please see the online posting of the internal search.