A memorial service Friday will bring together friends and colleagues to mourn five members of the UWindsor community who died in the crash of a Ukrainian airplane Wednesday.

Doctoral student of civil engineering Pedram Jadidi; biology research assistant Samira Bashiri and her spouse Hamidreza Setareh Kokab, a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering; and civil engineering doctoral student Zahra Naghibi and her spouse Mohammad Abbaspour Ghadi are among 176 passengers and crew killed.

“This is a real tragedy for our institution,” said UWindsor president Robert Gordon. “These were five extraordinary individuals who embodied what our University is all about.”

The campus community is invited to the memorial service at 1 p.m. Jan. 10 in the CAW Student Centre’s second-floor Alumni Auditorium. It will be live-streamed through YouTube (www.youtube.com/uwindsor) for those that cannot attend. The video feed will be screened simultaneously in room 2101, Centre for Engineering Innovation.

“This is an important healing event for all those grieving,” Dr. Gordon said. “We want friends and family around the world to be able to participate.”

A fund to commemorate these victims is now accepting donations:

• by credit card online at www.uwindsor.ca/alumni/remembering-flight-ps752;
• by cheque, written to “University of Windsor” with “Remembering Flight PS752” in the memo;
• by contacting Katie Mazzuca, major gift officer in the Faculty of Engineering at 519-253-3000, ext. 5959 or katie.mazzuca@uwindsor.ca to answer any questions related to the memorial fund, or to set up a payroll pledge for faculty or staff.

The University offers resources for anyone needing assistance in dealing with their grief; find details here.

A new and improved library may be on the horizon for UWindsor students, faculty, and staff.

The Leddy Library Master Space Planning Committee is hosting the first of several consultation days over the next six months to determine how to transform the library space into an innovative hub for learning, teaching, research, and creative activity.

Campus partners, faculty, and students are invited to join the committee along with associates from Hariri Pontarini Architects, the firm selected to work with the University on this project, to share their ideas and visions to modernize the library.

"Leddy Library is the heart of this campus and we want to ensure we are meeting as many needs as possible for our academic community,” said university librarian Pascal Calarco. “My hope is that our stakeholders and students will come with their ideas and vision for the library, because we have the ability to transform this space into a state-of-the-art hub for research and learning.”

A consultation session specifically for students, faculty, staff, and community partners will take place Thursday, Jan. 16, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Student Research Collaboratory, on the first floor of the main library building, behind the café. Anyone with ideas or feedback for the library is welcome to attend and share their thoughts.

The consultation presentation will be recorded for those unable to attend, and an online feedback form with be available later in January.

—Marcie Demmans

The latest article by John Hartig of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research likens Toronto’s rehabilitated waterfront to the front porch on a new home.

Toronto Waterfront Magazine asked Dr. Hartig, GLIER’s visiting scholar, to write the article about his work on the cleanup and revitalization of Toronto Harbour. He describes how Toronto has become a North American leader in waterfront reclamation, boosting its local economy by creating such a welcoming environment.

Hartig was the first PhD graduate from GLIER. After building a career as an internationally renowned conservation scientist, he returned to his alma mater last year as a visiting scholar. He continues to write books and articles, give talks, and offer his expertise to students, researchers, and policy-makers.

The Chef to U station in the CAW Student Centre’s Marketplace will begin serving a Meatless Monday lunch on Jan. 13.

The initial choices are:

• Crab cake over mixed greens salad, chipotle aioli, and micro greens;
• Carrot osso buco and caramelized cipollini onion over creamy polenta;
• Mushroom stroganoff;
• Pasta of the day.

Food Services staff will prepare menus to rotate each week for the midday meal, served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Organizers invite students wishing to volunteer in the Celebration of Nations to register by Feb. 1.

The March 19 event gives students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to learn about other cultures and share their own heritage through performances, demonstrations, and displays of food, dance, dress, and music.

There are a variety of volunteer positions including representing one of 50 countries by being a flag bearer. Volunteers are required to be available from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. the day of the event, as well as for a mandatory training session.

Sign up through the online volunteer registration form.