We live in a world where cars drive themselves, thermostats are set via smart phones, and home security systems can be armed and monitored remotely.

But how can we ensure the tiny components connecting these devices to the Internet are safe from malicious interference?

That’s the problem UWindsor graduate student Sahereh Sahandabadi is probing. As part of a larger research project in collaboration with Canadian telecommunications company Telus on 5G technology, the Master’s student in engineering is looking for ways to build safeguards into Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

“A crucial factor for the IoT devices is security and reliability,” said Sahandabadi. “Since these devices have limited battery power and can’t accommodate complicated processes in their sensors, new algorithms and methods are needed to provide this reliability.”

Sahandabadi’s research is being funded by the University. She is one of 107 UWindsor students receiving $6,000 grants as part of $642,000 in overall funding for research internships.

UWindsor is contributing an unprecedented $471,000 toward these research opportunities. The grants are going to undergraduate and graduate students from Canada and abroad, and are across all disciplines, said K.W. Michael Siu, UWindsor’s vice-president, research and innovation.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected research internships for students everywhere,” said Dr. Siu. “At the University of Windsor, we are trying to make sure our students continue to have exceptional research opportunities despite the current circumstances.”

Sahandabadi is part of a research team in UWindsor’s Research Centre for Integrated Microsystems supervised by engineering professor Rashid Rashidzadeh.

“The 5G technology and the Internet of things are predicted to profoundly affect the everyday life of many across the globe,” said Dr. Rashidzadeh.

“5G technology will provide foundational infrastructure for smart cities, connected vehicles, and cybersecurity…. Working on the TELUS project in the area of 5G technology and the IoT gives students a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts and work on real-world projects.”

TELUS recently announced its collaboration to transform the University of Windsor into a 5G connected campus.

Eros Spadotto, TELUS’s executive vice-president, technology, strategy and business transformation and a UWindsor alumnus, said the partnership “will bring some of the most cutting-edge telecommunications technology available today and in the future to our students, building on our promise to advance higher education and science, and unlocking new ways for technology to improve Canadians’ lives.”

Sahandabadi, an international student who first came to UWindsor as a visiting scholar, is researching multi-input single output and millimeter wave technology as a means to enhance security in new 5G IoT devices. Alternatives, like using coding, would deplete the battery in these devices.

“This is called physical layer security, using the innate properties of the sensors in the device to make them secure,” she explained.

It’s projected there will be more than 75 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2025, Sahandabadi said.

“I came here to research this. I thought this is something I really want to do.”

—Sarah Sacheli

English Essentials are self-paced, asynchronous modules that allow participants to advance communicative skill sets. Continuing Education is now offering them to current UWindsor students.

Each module aims at expanding English language skills in a flexible and engaging online format with built-in guidance and feedback. Learners can purchase one, a few, or all modules in any order which suits their preference.

This can be an effective option for those looking for step-by-step guidance to enhancing a certain aspect of their English language skills. As an example, the Effective Presentations module walks viewers from the stages of pre-planning to creating effective visuals.

Current module topics available:

• Critical Reading
• Writing Fundamentals
• Grammar: Building Strong Sentences
• Grammar: Connecting Ideas
• Effective Presentations

Continuing Education will continue to develop additional modules, and encourages academic advisors and faculty to suggest language topic areas to add; email continue@uwindsor.ca.

For more information, visit the English Essentials program website.

From building a roller coaster to a robotic arm, the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Engineering is offering free, online workshops on Saturdays in October and November for students in Grades 3 to 10.

Taking place in a UWindsor virtual classroom, the interactive events will walk participants through a hands-on activity that focuses on an engineering discipline. These events include the faculty’s annual Go ENG Girl sponsored by the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering for females in Grades 7 to 10 and also a series of events for all students in Grades 3 to 7 called UWindsor Engineering Saturdays.

For all events, participants will need to have their own supplies to complete the activities. Supplies include common household items readily found around the home that can also be purchased at a minimal cost. A supply list for each activity will be provided to registrants in advance.

Go ENG Girl

• 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24
  Build your own Roller Coaster. Open to girls in Grades 7 to 10.

UWindsor Engineering Saturdays

• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17
  Build a Cardboard Robotic Arm. Open to all students in Grades 3 to 7.
• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7
  Build an Extended Grabber. Open to all students in Grades 3 to 7.
• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14
  The Battle of the Beams. Open to all students in Grades 3 to 7.

Note: UWindsor Engineering Saturdays feature some of the same activities from the Windsor Engineering Lancer Summer Camps held in August 2020. Organizers are planning future events in the series with different activities.

Spaces are limited. To register for Go ENG Girl, visit uwindsor.ca/engineering/495/go-eng-girl.

To register for UWindsor Engineering Saturdays, visit uwindsor.ca/engineering/1206/uwindsor-engineering-saturdays.

In an update issued Friday to the campus community, UWindsor president Robert Gordon outlined the steps taken so far to combat systemic anti-Black racism at the University.

“We need to fully address racial injustice, as it manifests in society, and as it has manifested on our campus,” he wrote, calling actions to date a “starting point.” Among them are:

• the establishment of an anti-Black racism working group drawing on experienced Black faculty, students, staff, and board members;
• the hiring of an anti-Black racism strategic planning officer and a special projects co-ordinator to provide strategic insight and support;
• finalizing the terms of reference, call for nominations, and nomination processes for the Anti-Black Racism Task Force, launched Friday; and
• creation of the University’s Anti-Black Racism website. 

“There is much more to do,” Dr. Gordon concludes. “A truly inclusive future for the University of Windsor begins with our actions and choices today.”

Read the entire message on the Anti-Black Racism website.

The Faculty of Science’s newest research facility is the winner of the Ontario Association of Architects 2020 people’s choice award.

The Essex Centre of Research (Essex CORe) won the association’s design excellence award in September and beat out competitors across Ontario, as well as in Alberta and the United States, for the people’s choice award.

The building’s designers, Hariri Pontarini Architects, said they were inspired to merge and engage the dense work of science within the welcoming, collegial, and natural environment of the University of Windsor.

The award was announced Oct. 1 at the virtual OAA Celebration of Excellence. The ceremony is available on Youtube.

—Sara Elliott

Food Services is offering free coffee and tea Tuesday at its Starbucks location in the Toldo Health Education Centre.

The move is intended to treat those students, staff, and faculty on campus, says Dave McEwen, executive director of Campus Services.

The coffee shop is serving patrons Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Customers must enter the building from its north-facing doors on Fanchette St., are required to wear a face mask, and must provide their contact information.

The St. Denis Centre and Forge Fitness Centre are now available to UWindsor students and employees by appointment.

Entry is limited to 50 occupants at a time between the Forge and the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse, where a temporary gym has been set up.

The staff has asked patrons to arrive 15 minutes prior to their appointment start, wear face masks, and bring their UWindsor ID cards.

Find details, including the hours of operation, exercise guidelines, and cleaning measures, in the full story, “St. Denis Centre to open October 5th.”

A new podcast channel will engage Lancer fans during the hiatus of varsity sport due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sponsored by the University of Windsor Alumni Association, the channel promises multiple shows, including a bi-weekly headline series entitled Behind the Shield, hosted by students Cailey Theos and Andrew Papadopoulos.

Their first webisode features a conversation with track and field alumni Osi Nriagu and Melissa Bishop-Nriagu. Athletics will distribute the podcasts through its social media outlets.

Find links and more information at goLancers.ca.

The University of Windsor Students’ Alliance is launching a new, pay-as-you-go student tutoring service through the Nimbus Learning Platform, which provides easily accessible tutoring through the Nimbus mobile app.

The goal is to provide support for as many courses as possible while making booking, communication, and scheduling as easy as possible. Students can select the course they want tutoring in from the available list, handpick their tutor through the ratings on the site, choose a location for the tutoring to occur, and rate their tutor on each session.

Nimbus tutors are experienced fellow students who have taken and excelled in the course, and who have just graduated or are currently students themselves. This recent experience enables the tutors to provide first-hand knowledge of courses and give tips on how best to improve.

Nimbus also offers an option for online tutoring, allowing students and their tutors to meet no matter where they are, something that has become very important during COVID-19.

“The introduction of the Nimbus program is a win-win situation for everyone,” says UWSA president Herman Dayal. “Students in need of tutoring support can receive that personalized teaching from a friendly face, learning material from another student’s perspective.

“Tutors help their fellow students out while improving their communication and leadership skills and enriching their own understanding of the course materials.”

Tutors will receive payment through the Nimbus app. Interested students can apply for tutoring positions on the alliance website.

—Bridget Heuvel