Alicia LeslieAlicia Leslie is one of four UWindsor students gaining remote work experience with software company Preteckt.

Co-op students gain remote work experience with tech company

Four UWindsor students were able to gain experience in co-operative education from their bedrooms, thanks to a software company that uses vehicle sensors to diagnose potential problems and prescribe maintenance.

Built by Windsor native Ken Sills, Preteckt specializes in detecting issues before they arise. Using its machine learning algorithms and validation processes, clients are able to improve driver experience and generate cost savings.

Over the summer, mechanical engineering student Leah Flynn and computer science majors Charles Corro, Alicia Leslie, and Ikenna Uduh worked as data analyst interns, learning both soft skills and advanced technical skills. The company was able to hire student talent with the support of funding from the federal Student Work Placement Program.

Corro says the projects helped him to develop expertise: “I was able to learn a wide variety of skills and applications such as data aggregation and various statistical algorithms to validate such data and draw preliminary conclusions.”

The company operates from locations in Hamilton and Memphis, Tennessee, requiring the students to employ technologies to communicate and collaborate.

“Despite working from home, I was able to make meaningful connections with team members and colleagues across Canada and the United States,” says Leslie. “I worked closely with the software engineering team based in Memphis to design portable dashboards to visualize database metrics.”

She has continued to work with Preteckt, applying her learning toward her fourth-year project.

Teiya KasaharaIn an online presentation Wednesday, performer Teiya Kasahara will explore “Opera, creativity and the politics of inclusivity.”

Online presentation to explore intersection of opera and identity

The School of Creative Arts (SoCA) invites UWindsor students, faculty, and staff to its virtual guest series “Opera, creativity and the politics of inclusivity” with Teiya Kasahara at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Register for this free event on Zoom.

Toronto-based first-generation Nikkei-Canadian settler Teiya Kasahara is a queer, gender non-binary, interdisciplinary performer-creator who uses the pronouns they-them.

Kasahara has spent more than a decade singing both traditional and contemporary operatic roles across North America and Europe, exploring the intersections of identity through opera, theatre, electronics, and taiko within their artistic practice.

In January 2020, Kasahara performed the lead role of Cio-Cio-san in the Windsor Symphony Orchestra’s performances of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

Find more information and video on the SoCA website.

—Susan McKee

student counsellors are standing byThe Wellness Outreach Office has a list of resources to support students struggling or in distress.

Resources available to support struggling students

Everyone plays an important role in supporting student mental health and wellness, and faculty or staff members are often the first to notice a student might be struggling or in distress.

In an effort to support faculty and staff, the Wellness Outreach Office has created a webpage listing resources which can be used any time through the semester as a reminder for students what supports are available.

Resources include:

  • an infographic on how to have a supportive conversation about any concerns,
  • Blackboard posts and PowerPoint slides containing wellness resources,
  • posters to highlight available supports, and
  • links for further reading.

In addition to the resources, the Student Counselling Centre remains open for virtual appointments, continues to host regular Wellness Groups, and has recently introduced drop-in support groups for UWindsor students.

Currently there are two virtual drop-in support groups offered every week: the COVID Cares Conversations on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and an LGBTQ+ Drop-In Group every Tuesday and Thursday. At this time, these drop-in sessions are being under-utilized, so if you are aware of any students who are struggling, please encourage them to seek help. These group drop-in sessions may be an easy way for students to gain access to support.

More details about the Student Counselling Centre and its services can be found on the centre’s website.

University restructuring finance and operations

The University of Windsor will be proceeding with an organizational restructuring, announced earlier this year, that will create the role of Vice-President, Finance and Operations.

The decision follows a thorough and comprehensive search to fill the role on a permanent basis. Unfortunately, an appointment was not made due to several reasons, including the continuing issues and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

In the meantime, effective Nov. 16, the position of Vice-President, Finance and Operations will be filled on an interim basis by Sandra Aversa, who has been serving as special advisor, major capital projects. A new search to fill the VP Finance and Operations position on a permanent basis will be undertaken over the next 12 months.

As part of the new restructuring, two direct reports to the vice-president's role have been established: associate vice-president finance and associate vice-president operations. Legal Services will continue to report directly to the vice-president, with the Internal Audit role reporting administratively only.

Gillian Heisz, currently controller and executive director - financial reporting and accounting, will take on the role of Associate Vice-President Finance, and will provide strategic leadership in the areas of financial accounting and reporting, budgets, and financial services.

Anna Kirby, who has been serving as acting vice-president, planning and administration, will take on the role of Associate Vice-President Operations, and will provide strategic leadership in the areas of campus services, facility services, sustainability, and overall infrastructure planning, support, and management. The University would also like to thank Kirby for her leadership and commitment as the acting Vice-President, Planning and Administration for the past two years and five months.

Appreciation is also extended to the members of the Vice-President Finance and Operations search committee, who worked throughout this past summer.

The University thanks everyone for their help and support during this extended transition.

poppies on blue backgroundAn overlay image of poppies allows Facebook users to alter their profile photos to share a message in advance of Remembrance Day.

Poppy picture frame carries message of remembrance

An overlay will allow Facebook users to alter their profile photos to share a Remembrance Day message. The design adds poppies across the bottom of the photo.

The University’s 2020 tribute will premiere on YouTube at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The team responsible for its production invites viewers to share the names and memories of people they would like to honour in the comments section at https://youtu.be/JpHjvFgxTog.

imagery for SCAN Health Virtual Business Case CompetitionMaterials are now available to contestants in the SCAN Health Virtual Business Case Competition.

Case competition challenges students to source supplies

Materials are now available to contestants in the SCAN Health Virtual Business Case Competition.

Presented by the Supply Chain Advancement Network in Health (SCAN Health) in co-operation with the Odette School of Business and HIMSS, it asks students to act as advisors to the Canadian government on sourcing personal protective equipment for patients and health workers during COVID-19.

The top team will receive a cash prize of $4,000.

Round 1 submissions are due by Nov. 27. Find details, including eligibility, rules, prizes, judging criteria, and registration, on the competition website.

Nominations now open for Employee Recognition Awards

The Department of Human Resources invites the campus community to submit nominations for the annual Employee Recognition Awards, which recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions and dedication of employees to advancing the University’s mission.

The global pandemic over the last eight months has marked an unprecedented time at the University, across Canada, and around the world, notes Rita LaCivita, vice-president, human resources.

“The Employee Recognition Awards are a great opportunity for all of us to show appreciation to our colleagues across the University, working on and off campus, for their commitment, efforts, and positive impact during these challenging times and throughout the year,” she says.

The campus community is invited to submit nominations for the following awards by Nov. 28:

  • Excellence in Health & Safety Award
  • Excellence in Leadership Award
  • Impact Award
  • Service Excellence Award – Individual
  • Service Excellence Award – Team
  • Service Excellence Award – First 5 Years of Employment
  • “U” Make A Difference Award
  • UWindsor Proud Award

The awards description, criteria, and nomination forms are available on the Department of Human Resources Recognition website.

hands holding canned goods to display nutrition labelsA wellness tip calls the Nutrition Facts Table on food labels “a great tool” to guiding healthy eating.

Tip touts benefits of consulting nutrient labels

Nutrition facts on packaged food labels help consumers make informed decisions about what they eat, notes a message shared by the Department of Human Resources with UWindsor faculty and staff Monday.

In a wellness tip, dietitian Sara Perissinotti of the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre recommends selecting products with five per cent or less daily value of fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium.

Find more info on the benefits of consulting nutrition facts tables, including a link to tips on using food labels, in the entire message.

Search committee shortlists two for dean of Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

The search committee for the next dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences has announced its shortlisted candidates.

Both are associate professors in the UWindsor Department of Political Science and will conduct virtual presentations as an opportunity to meet the public on Friday, Nov. 20:

The candidates’ additional virtual public activities will take place during the week of Nov. 23, including meetings with the search committee, the president, the provost, deans and other members of senior administration, faculty and staff in FAHSS, student representatives on the FAHSS Faculty Council, and FAHSS student societies.

The search committee invites written comment on the suitability of each of the candidates, submitted in confidence to Iva Gentcheva, ivag@uwindsor.ca, by Thursday, Nov. 26.