Guitarist and vocalist Tarek Jafar (BSc Biology 2011) and drummer and backing vocalist Justin Tessier (BA Philosophy and Political Science 2014) are known in the rock world as The Blue Stones. The duo has been nominated for a 2020 Juno Award in the category of Breakthrough Group of the Year.

The duo started playing music together in high school, but didn’t get serious about the music business until attending the University of Windsor.

In 2011 they released their first self-titled EP which became a hit throughout Ontario and adjacent regions as they toured the club scene in support of the record.

It took seven long years — and two independently released EPs — for The Blue Stones to hone their approach, putting in those requisite 10,000 hours to perfect their craft and then build on it. The band has been experiencing new success since its full-length studio album Black Holes was re-released with support of the major label Entertainment One in 2018. Since signing with the Elevation Group, Jafar and Tessier have expanded their touring and their fan base to include Europe in addition to Canada and USA.

In November 2019, The Blue Stones released a new single, “Shakin’ Off the Rust,” from the album Black Holes (Solid Ground).

“The album’s about being a young adult and entering the real world from a sheltered environment, like college,” explains Jafar. “Feeling torn between taking the secure path or doing something that might be riskier, but you’re passionate about… following what you love as opposed to sticking to the straight and narrow.”

The presentation ceremony of the Junos, Canada’s music awards, will be held March 15 in Saskatoon and televised starting at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBC.

Nominated with The Blue Stones for breakthrough group are the country stars Hunter Brothers, the alt-pop Neon Dreams, the rock band Palaye Royale, and the indie pop foursome Valley.

—Susan McKee

A graduate student in the School of the Environment was the recipient of a research award acknowledging her accomplishments in the study of rip currents. Rip currents occur on any beach that has breaking waves across a wide area and are responsible for a majority of drownings and rescues every year.

Summer Locknick, a master’s candidate in earth sciences, studies rip currents on Prince Edward Island and through her research was the recipient of the 2019 Drowning Prevention Award in Research from the Canadian Drowning Prevention Coalition.

The non-governmental organization grants the award — as well as two others in Community Action Plans and Effective Policies and Legislation — to recognize excellence and innovation in best practices and impacts in those areas.

“Prince Edward Island sees a large number of tourists every summer,” says Locknick. “And rip currents are a major health hazard to these beach goes, as swimmers can be caught in the rips which puts them at risk of drowning due to fatigue and disorientation.”

Cynthia Cakebread, vice president of member services for the Lifesaving Society, presented the award to Locknick in the Essex CORe atrium on Dec. 20.

“Ms. Locknick’s graduate study is the first to examine the relationship between the presence and location of rip currents, beach user intentions, and the lifeguard-defined hazard level,” says Cakebread.

Locknick’s research focuses on the relationship amongst the presence and location of rips, beach user intentions and the lifeguard-defined hazard level.

“We hope that through this research we can reduce the number of drownings related to rip currents and other surf hazards through the effective deployment of lifesaving strategies and increasing public confidence in rip hazard predictions,” says Locknick.

—Darko Milenkovic

A partnership with World Wildlife Fund Canada is inviting University of Windsor students to design and pitch unique ideas for sustainability.

Living Planet @ Campus is an event on March 14 in Toronto. Students from any academic discipline are invited to brainstorm and create plans to help their campus be more sustainable and fight climate change.

Émilie Weidl, founding president of UWindsor Climate Action, called the event inspiring.

“The best thing that the WWF conference did for me was allow me to meet other like-minded individuals,” she says. “This has inspired me to push for sustainable initiatives on my campus, as I know that there is support for this among the student body.”

The program affords students the opportunity to connect with other post-secondary students and gain new contacts with professionals in the industry. Once students finalize their sustainable concept, they present their ideas to a panel of expert judges where there is a chance to win a prize.

Students must apply as an individual or as a team of four by Feb. 17.

To learn more, contact sociology professor Tanya Basok, UWindsor’s environmental sustainability advocate, at sustainability@uwindsor.ca.

—Dana Roe

The Office of Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility is seeking volunteers to help with its Accessibility Awareness Day on Tuesday, March 31.

Volunteers will help guide activities at stations and help educate students, faculty, and members of the community on accessibility. The experience will develop skills in communication, collaboration, responsibility, and leadership.

The opportunity is aimed at enthusiastic and caring individuals looking to promoting equality across campus. Volunteers will receive training at a one-hour orientation session and will be awarded a certification of appreciation.

To indicate an interest in volunteering, email aad@uwindsor.ca by Feb. 21 listing your availability for the event, and any related inquiries.

A panel discussion is the focus of a networking event for women in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines, Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Organizers are touting “Driving Diversity” as an opportunity to gain valuable connections, resources, and insight about experiences and pathways to STEM careers. It will bring students together with practising professionals, in the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre (EPICentre) from 6 to 8 p.m.

Aislyn Laurent, a student of biochemistry and computer science, will moderate the discussion featuring panellists:

• Joelle Sniatenchuk, director of software tools development and information technology at BlackBerry;
• Angie Colon, team leader in software engineering at Quicken Loans;
• Terri Michienzi, engineering manager at Ag-Tronic Control Systems, Inc.; and
• a female founder from EPICentre’s VentureWomen idea accelerator program.

“In order to further our mission of increasing and advancing female participation in STEM careers and entrepreneurship, female role models and mentorship play a key role in helping them achieve success,” says WEtech Alliance president Yvonne Pilon. “This event is all about getting everyone in one room to better connect women to mentorship opportunities, role models, enabling organizations, and resources.”

Admission is free; register in advance through EventBrite.

The Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre will host a party to launch the EPIC Blue Sky competition Thursday, Feb. 6.

Student participants form multidisciplinary teams and think of an innovative solution to a problem, then create a two-minute video explaining their idea.

This year’s theme is mobility, offering chances to address physical mobility, active mobility, and information technology. Attendees at Thursday’s event can learn about the many forms of mobility, create a multidisciplinary team, and talk to competition organizers.

The launch will run 5 to 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre. Admission is free but advance registration is encouraged; get the details on the EPICentre website.