Lauren Goddard spent her summer in the mud.

At the end of her first year of study in biological science, Goddard was one of three students hired for a summer internship at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER).

Chris Weisener, a professor in GLIER and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, advertised for summer interns to assist his doctoral student Nick Falk with an upper watershed study, which would have them looking at nutrient sources and sinks within the sediment of streams in Essex County.

“Lauren was a bit of an outlier,” says Dr. Weisener. “Usually first years don’t apply to these ads.”

Goddard says she was “really interested in getting research experience” and decided to apply even though she was a long shot. The other two student interns were in their third and fourth years of study.

Weisener admits there is a misconception that professors and researchers are looking only for people with prior lab experience.

“We recognize that a lot of students that join have no field experience — that they are all in the same boat. At the end of the day, it is our job and responsibility to help train the students, and to give them that experience. We do ourselves a disservice if we don’t,” he says.

“This opportunity was great because the students were out in the field collecting samples on the ground and getting muddy in the rivers. It was kind of fun.”

The students made trips to the field on only several targeted days throughout the summer. They collected samples and brought them back to the lab, and then were trained in extracting genetic information.

“I was given the chance to learn all these really cool techniques,” says Goddard. “Even just learning how to use some of the equipment, most that I’ve never even seen before, was a great experience.”

Despite being a bit intimidated as the youngest member of the team, Goddard says she will apply again when internships are offered in the winter and summer semesters.

—Darko Milenkovic

Learning how to intervene to prevent sexual assault may be priceless, but first-year students who complete the Bystander Initiative workshop can count on $50 in UWin money for the purchase of books or food on campus.

Bystander Initiative team leader Emily Rosser is reminding the campus community that the three-hour workshops are available throughout the school year and are led by student peer facilitators right on campus.

Participants can share as little or as much as they wish and can participate in separate workshops for men and women. Trans and gender non-conforming students can choose the workshop where they feel most comfortable. All students who complete the workshop receive a Certificate of Completion, which they can add to their resumé.

“There is a place for all students in the Bystander Initiative,” Dr. Rosser says. “We all share responsibility in learning to speak up against unacceptable sexual language or behaviour. The workshops help participants develop the skills to stop a sexual assault before it happens, as well as how to be an ally to survivors. We know students are very busy, so offering this $50 gift card acknowledges that they have made an important choice in attending.”

For more information on the Bystander Initiative or to register, visit www.uwindsor.ca/bystander-firstyear/.

University Players is offering DailyNews readers a chance to win two tickets to see its production of Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, continuing through September 30 in the Essex Hall Theatre.

This dark and funny musical tale explores how today’s pop culture can evolve myths of tomorrow, as characters thrown together by global catastrophe retell favourite episodes of The Simpsons animated television series — in particular the 1993 spoof “Cape Feare.”

Wednesday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; matinees Saturday and Sunday are at 2 p.m. For more information or tickets, call 519-253-3000, ext. 2808, or visit www.UniversityPlayers.com.

To enter the contest, just send your answers to the following three trivia questions inspired by “Cape Feare.” The winner will be selected at random from all correct responses received by 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 25.

1. The Simpsons episode features villain Sideshow Bob, voiced by which actor?
   a) Hank Azaria
   b) Dan Castellaneta
   c) Kelsey Grammer
   d) David Hyde Pierce
   e) Harry Shearer
    
2. In the 1962 film Cape Fear, which actor portrayed murderous Max Cady?
   a) Martin Balsam
   b) Robert De Niro
   c) Robert Mitchum
   d) Gregory Peck
   e) Telly Savalas
    
3. Both Cape Fear films are based on a 1957 novel by what title?
   a) Cape Fear
   b) Doctor Zhivago
   c) The Executioners
   d) Murder in the Wind
   e) On the Beach

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please. Note: the decision of the judge in determining the most correct response is inviolable.

Campus departments should double-check any hyperlinks on University websites currently pointing to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Office of Quality Assurance pages following the complete overhaul of the area’s web presence.

The graduate studies website, published last month, has been developed based on the feedback received from multiple surveys, focus groups, and consultations to improve the content offerings and design, ensuring that information is readily accessible for students, faculty, and staff from a variety of backgrounds. Areas of focus were centered around: accessibility, ease of navigation, emphasis on student services, faculty and staff resources, and appealing design and layout.

The Quality Assurance website, launched a few weeks ago, aims to create a “one-stop-shop for Quality Assurance,” says Noah Campbell, communications assistant in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Office of Quality Assurance. “The site provides a place for departments to easily find information related to the cyclical review process, new program development, program and course changes, and the new PDC E-Approval Workflow Process from the University Secretariat.”

Faculties and academic units should also note that the information and submission links to PDC forms have been moved from the University Secretariat’s site to the Quality Assurance site.

The new Faculty of Graduate Studies website can be found at uwindsor.ca/graduate-studies/ while the new Quality Assurance website is uwindsor.ca/qualityassurance/.

Canadian Blood Services will hold donor clinics on campus Tuesday and Wednesday, September 25 and 26.

The clinics are aimed at UWindsor students, faculty, and staff, but open to the general public, and will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the CAW Student Centre’s Alumni Auditorium. Walk-in donors are welcome, but appointments will better accommodate donors’ working schedules. To book an appointment, call 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283).

Marisa Gatfield of Canadian Blood Services says the collection target is 144 units over the two days. She offers some tips for those considering donating blood:

• Not sure if you’re eligible to donate? Take the Eligibility Quiz.
• Note the waiting period for tattoos and piercings is now only three months.
• Make sure you have something to eat before coming to donate.
• Drink plenty of water in the days leading up to your donation.
• Remember to bring identification, such as your signed donor card, driver’s license, or health card.

As with previous clinics, the Department of Human Resources encourages all eligible employees to participate in this worthwhile process and asks any employees who wish to donate to make the necessary arrangements with their supervisors regarding the possibility of extended lunch or break periods.

The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association will hold a Get Swabbed! event outside Alumni Auditorium during Tuesday’s blood donor clinic. It is especially targeting ethnically diverse male donors between 17 and 35 years old.

The association is holding a University Challenge to see how many social media messages can generate interest in registering as a stem cell donor, using the hashtags #GetSwabbedKBBMA and #ThankYouDonor. Find details on its Facebook page.

On March 1, 2018, the Board of Governors requested the Search Committee for the Seventh President and Vice-Chancellor to renew its efforts in the coming academic year. In accordance with this, and as announced to the campus on May 10, the search will be re-launched shortly through the issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a search firm, with the goal of having the search committee and the search firm meet in early 2019 to begin their formal work.

As the process has moved forward, the membership of the committee has changed somewhat. Chair of the search committee, Sheila MacKinnon, will be ending her nine-year term on the board December 31, and therefore is no longer eligible to serve, and William Willis will be assuming the role of board chair on October 28, making him unable to serve, since the board chair must be independent from the process.

The board has appointed Jodi Butts and Helga Reidel to fill these vacancies, with Norbert Hartmann appointed as chair of the search committee. Hartmann has served on the committee from the outset and has extensive experience in senior level hiring and with public-sector appointments, as former assistant deputy minister of education.

The board also has been informed that Senate will be electing new representatives to replace members who are no longer able to serve.

The board expressed its gratitude to outgoing search committee members for all their work and their commitment to the search during their tenure, to those who will be continuing on the search committee for their continued dedication to this task, and to the newly-appointed members for their willingness to serve. Special thanks to Sheila MacKinnon for her outstanding leadership during her tenure as chair of the search committee. The executive brief, the search committee membership, and the search process, along with the latest updates or announcements related to the search, can be found on this webpage.