Ed Lumley, who retires as Chancellor of the University of Windsor today — May 28 — has been granted the title Chancellor Emeritus in honour of his exemplary service to the institution and community.

The University’s Board of Governors bestowed the title on the outgoing Chancellor during a dinner Monday night to mark the end of his tenure.

“During his 13 years as Chancellor, Ed Lumley has exemplified the qualities of outstanding leadership, fulfilling his duties with honour and commitment to his home town and university,” said board chair William Willis. “His support of students and his advocacy for the University have had an enormous impact, and we are honoured to recognize his continuing legacy.”

As Chancellor, Lumley conferred nearly 55,000 degrees, representing 40 per cent of the University’s 136,000 alumni.

Later today, Lumley will also receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the afternoon session of the University’s 111th Convocation. The morning session will mark the installation of Chancellor Mary Jo Haddad. Convocation ceremonies continue through Friday.

Lumley was left “speechless” by the tributes.

“My business career had wrapped up, my political career had finished, and to end your career as chancellor of your alma mater in your hometown is an incredible honour,” he said. “And for them to name me Chancellor Emeritus… I mean, it’s too much for words.”

During his time as Chancellor, Lumley has worked tirelessly to promote the University and has helped fundraise over $100 million in support of capital projects and scholarships. Of that total, $80 million came from federal and provincial government contributions for the Centre for Engineering Innovation.

On May 30, 2012, Lumley was also the focus of a benefit attended by former prime ministers, premiers, and federal and provincial cabinet ministers that helped raise $5.3 million for the centre. The $112-million building was the largest capital investment in campus history.

This world-class hub for innovation spans 300,000 square feet, and features the latest in classroom teaching technology, an Industrial Courtyard for collaborative work with the region, and 80 research labs. Lumley’s unwavering support of the University resulted in the naming of the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation in 2013.

In fall 2014, Ron Joyce, chair of the Joyce Foundation, announced a $10-million gift in support of students at the University of Windsor in the form of a bursary to be named the Ed Lumley Bursary, in recognition of the Chancellor’s commitment to the University and the Windsor-Essex community. Since 2015-16, 58 students have benefited from the bursary and each will qualify for as much as $32,000 in assistance during their four years of study.

Born and raised in Windsor, Lumley graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Commerce from Assumption University, the predecessor of the University of Windsor.

Prior to his appointment as Chancellor, Lumley had a distinguished record of achievement as an entrepreneur and mayor of Cornwall, Ontario, before serving 10 years as a Member of Parliament and holding several senior cabinet portfolios in the federal government. Those positions included Minister of Industry, of International Trade, and of Science and Technology. A successful corporate executive, Lumley served as vice-chair of BMO Nesbitt Burns for more than 25 years and was a member of a number of domestic and international corporate boards of directors. He has also been involved in numerous non-profit organizations.

In July 2014, Lumley was invested as a member of the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour for lifetime achievement.

A UWindsor engineering student’s design of a reconfigurable hand brace has landed her first place in a national competition.

Shreya Patki, a third-year mechanical engineering student and UWindsor Outstanding Scholar, took top honours in the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) Canada Makes 2019 3D Challenge for her design of an environmentally friendly, custom hand brace that can assist elderly people who lack fine motor control or people with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome — a genetic connective tissue disorder.

“The problem with current braces is that they are expensive to customize and generally sized braces don’t allow for flexibility or comfort. This is where my research comes in,” Patki says.

Thanks to additive manufacturing — often referred to as 3D printing — Patki was able to use advanced design and modeling tools to create a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly brace that can easily be customized to all hand shapes and sizes. Additive manufacturing is a process that builds components in layers by placing material only where it is needed. It does not require multiple cutting tools, machines or fixtures and as a result, has less material waste and energy usage when compared to fabricating components using a machining or molding approach, says Patki’s faculty advisor Jill Urbanic, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering.

“I am very proud of Shreya's efforts,” says Dr. Urbanic. “She has broken down a complex problem into bite-sized pieces and has worked on solving them. I am looking forward to seeing what she does in her fourth year.”

The project Patki has been working on for nearly two years was judged by a panel drawn from industry and academia. Patki received a $1,250 scholarship and is now in the running for a paid internship with Burloak Technologies, an Oakville-based firm that produces highly engineered additive manufactured components.

“It is through design submissions like Shreya’s, and the other participants, that we are able to grow the competition and program as a whole,” says Cyndy Palleske, CME’s vice president of Ontario operations and membership engagement. “We are excited to be able to encourage students to think outside of the box in their design skills and to continue to develop their experience and skills.”

CME is national non-profit organization that partners with industry, service providers, academia, and government to offer customized programs, events and services, including the additive manufacturing program, Canada Makes.

—Kristie Pearce

While everyone is familiar with helium’s use in party balloons, the lighter-than-air element has many more important uses in semiconductor manufacturing, medical imaging, and other technological applications.

Rising prices are resulting from a worldwide shortage, but a research group led by UWindsor chemistry professor Scott Mundle is exploring new sources in Western Canada.

Dr. Mundle describes the project in an article published May 23 in the Conversation, which shares news and views from the academic and research community.

“Helium is generated deep underground by the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium over geological timescales. It gets trapped in non-porous rock formations. The only way to find helium is to drill exploration wells deep into the subsurface,” he writes.

What makes the helium resource in Western Canada so attractive is the composition of the gas, which is associated with underground reservoirs of nitrogen, rather than carbon dioxide or methane present in other parts of the world.

“Extracting this resource will have a much smaller environmental footprint in Canada,” Mundle explains.

In addition, major recent helium discoveries in Canada are in areas that have already seen significant oil and gas development.

Says Mundle: “This means that the growing helium exploration industry can piggyback on decades of investment by oil and gas companies, such as existing seismic data and well control.”

He concludes that Western Canada is poised to become a leader in the production of helium: “These new explorers are well positioned to fill the supply gap.”

Read the entire piece, “Exploration in Western Canada could hold the answer to the global helium shortage,” in the Conversation.

A short story by UWindsor creative writing alumnus Alexander MacLeod (BA 1995) will be published in the centenary edition of the O. Henry Prize Stories anthology.

Dr. MacLeod, a professor of English and Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, was one of 20 authors to win the American honour, which recognizes excellence in short fiction.

Previous honorees include Flannery O’Conner, Raymond Carver, Alice Munro, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner — writers whose works MacLeod says he has admired and loved.

The O. Henry anthology will be published this fall by Anchor Books. MacLeod’s selection, “Lagomorph,” originally published in the literary magazine Granta, is available online.

Having a diverse network of contacts accelerates careers, builds community, and helps individuals benefit from the knowledge and experience of others, says Rob Janisse, co-ordinator of special projects in the office of Alumni Affairs and Donor Communications.

He is the leader of a team spearheading the launch today — Tuesday, May 28 — of a new networking and mentoring platform to introduce graduates and students based on their specific career interests and goals.

UWindsor Ten Thousand Coffees, powered by RBC Future Launch, which funds programs to prepare youth for the changing world of work, will provide participants with simple, step-by-step instructions on how to network and mentor effectively. Registrants can receive LinkedIn certificates to help in their job search and support them during professional development.

“It’s about connecting students with alumni to identify career opportunities,” says Janisse. “We’re building an easy-to-use platform that links generations of Lancers.”

He encourages staff and faculty not only to share this new platform with students they interact with, but to sign up as mentors. Find more information, including details on how to sign up, on the program website.

Students new to the University of Windsor can register now for a session of the Head Start orientation program for an introduction to campus facilities and services, as well as academic expectations at a university level.

Attendees will tour the grounds and buildings, receive information on managing finances and classwork, and have a chance to purchase a parking pass, explore residence halls, and visit the Campus Bookstore.

Faculty-specific dates will also provide an opportunity to meet professors and gain insight into individual programs of study.

• Friday, June 14 - Science and Education
• Friday, July 5 - Human Kinetics, Education, and Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
• Saturday, July 6 - General
• Friday, July 12 - Business and Engineering
• Saturday, July 13 - Nursing
• Saturday, Aug. 10 - General

“There is an advantage to attending a faculty-specific date, if possible,” says student development specialist Amber Norman. “Coming on the general dates will still give them the information they need and there will be academic advising present to support those that couldn’t make it to their faculty day.”

For schedules, additional resources, and registration instructions, download the UWindsor events app from the Head Start website.

The spring-summer workplace wellness campaign encourages UWindsor employees to follow healthy eating habits.

“The choices that we make every day in terms of the foods and beverages we consume can make a big difference in our ability to maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of developing chronic illness such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity” says Marcela Ciampa, director of organizational development and training in the Department of Human Resources.

From June 3 to July 26, the Workplace Wellness Committee invites employees to participate in the “Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight Workplace Challenge.” Each week, employees will receive information on a specific healthy eating theme and then challenged to replace unhealthy habits with healthier ones:

• Hold the Salt (week 1)
• Paint your Plate With Fruits and Vegetables (week 2)
• Rethink your Drink (week 3)
• Fill-up on Fibre (week 4)
• Be Sugar Smart (week 5)
• Select Healthy Options When Eating Out (week 6)
• Limit Your Junk Food Snacking (week 7)
• Plan Ahead (week 8)

Earning and tracking points during the eight weeks of the challenge is optional. Employees interested in tracking points can download the Challenge Overview and Tracking Sheet from the Human Resources website at www.uwindsor.ca/healthyeating.

Faculty and staff who submit their tracking sheets by July 31 will be entered into a draw for prizes. The Challenge Overview also includes ideas for turning the challenge into a friendly departmental competition.

There are endless opportunities to be gained by mobilizing the knowledge and power of data achieved through supply chain transformation, writes Anne Snowdown, CEO of the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health (SCAN Health), in its annual report.

“SCAN Health’s strategic initiatives mobilize knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned to support Canadian and global health systems to achieve peak performance…. Supply chain knowledge and best practices provide the foundation for current and emerging leaders to reduce health system costs, optimize performance, advance patient safety by reducing medical errors, improve population health, and drive economic growth for companies.”

Dr. Snowdon characterizes 2018-19 as a “tremendously successful year,” and expresses gratitude to partners around the world for contributing to progress, impact, and positive health outcomes.

“Together we are reaching new heights,” she says. “By expanding our knowledge and capacity to transform healthcare supply chains we are increasing patient safety, improving performance and driving economic growth.”

Read the full report.