Recognition for the environmental sustainability efforts of Under Sun Acres makes the University’s Food Services even more proud of its partnership with the Leamington greenhouse operator, says executive chef Paolo Vasapolli.

The company has been supplying peppers to campus kitchens, prompting the cooking staff to explore ways to use the local produce — from stuffed sweet peppers to spicy fajitas. It also has been working with researchers from the UWindsor Faculty of Engineering on projects to reduce dependence on carbon-based fuels and deliver leading-edge technology to remote locations, as well as providing capstone assignments for senior engineering students.

Now owner Chris Del Greco is featured in a video by the Cogeneration Channel for installing an electrical generation plant onsite, and using heat that would otherwise have been wasted to warm the 24-acre greenhouse.

“Buying local is the greener choice, saving the environmental costs of transport,” says Vasapolli. “Under Sun Acres is proving its commitment to sustainability. We’re lucky to have access here in Windsor-Essex to some of the most sophisticated agricultural suppliers in the world.”

The cogeneration plant runs at 94 per cent efficiency and won support from a provincial green energy program. Watch the video:

Functions in the Microsoft applications Outlook and Word can make the programs more useful for everyone, says the University’s accessibility manager, Cherie Gagnon.

“Have you ever had a headache so severe that you needed to take a screen break? Or have you experienced difficulty typing due to a temporary injury, sore wrists, disability, or a tight neck?” she asks. “What if a document could be read to you while you eat lunch to save time?”

Microsoft has been embedding more accessibility features into its products. Two tools that convert text to speech and vice versa not only enhance the experience for people with disabilities — all people can benefit from these adaptable features.

Read Aloud is typically found in the ribbon at the top of the Outlook screen. Depending on the version of Word, it can be found under “Review.” Users can set Read Aloud at varying speeds and even switch speakers to suit their preferences.

Dictate is typically found in the ribbon at the top of the screen when users start a new email. Depending on the version of Word, Dictate can be found in the ribbon under the “Home” tab. Click on the icon, wait for a red button to appear, then start talking. To add punctuation, simply say the name of the punctuation, like “comma” or “period.” To start a new paragraph, say “new line.”

“There are number of phrases that you can use to format your document as you go,” says Gagnon. “Like learning any new skill, the more you use it, the more proficient you will become.”

Follow this link to learn formatting and punctuation phrases that work for both Outlook and Word.

For more resources about creating Accessible Content, visit the website of the Office of Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility.

The offices of the Registrar, Student Awards and Financial Aid, and Student Accounts recently received approval to return to campus to offer services and have combined their efforts to create a new central point of contact — the UWin OneHub.

Located in the Joyce Entrepreneurship Centre, it is available for limited hours and services but “it is the first step in our eventual return to campus and normalizing operations,” says Chris Lanoue, manager of financial services.

As per the approved operating procedure from health and safety staff, this temporary location is intended to assist students with services they cannot access online, including:

• Printing of official transcripts
• Enrolment certificates
• Receipt of documents

• Affidavits for student financial aid
• Debit card payments

Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays. Volume and need, however, will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Appointments are required and must be made 24 hours in advance via each office’s website or through an online booking form here.

The St. Denis Centre will extend its opening hours to add time slots Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturdays starting Nov. 24.

The facilities will be available by appointment only:

• Monday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Tuesday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Wednesday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

All appointments can be made at imleagues.com/windsor on the Facility Reservations tab. See the full story at goLancers.ca.

WE-Spark Health Institute is hosting its second in a series of virtual Think Tanks on Friday, Dec. 4. The event will begin with an overview of three projects, followed by breakout sessions.

“Our Think Tanks provide unique opportunities for researchers, students, and our Windsor-Essex community to ignite ideas and move into research collaborations,” said executive director Lisa Porter.

The presentations include:

• “Creating Research Teams that Impact Cancer Care for the LGBTQ+ Community,” UWindsor professors Lisa Porter (biomedical sciences) and Laurie Freeman (nursing) and Krista Naccarato, research manager at Windsor Regional Hospital;
• “Breaking the cycle: Insufficient sleep, cerebrovascular dysfunction and sleep apnea,” kinesiology professor Anthony Bain, University of Windsor;
• “Is Intracranial Pressure (ICP) Just a Number? The Analysis of ICP Data and Predicting Patient Outcomes within the First Hour of Monitoring,” Andrea Kassay, student, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry - Windsor Campus.

The outcomes will focus on moving each project forward and building collaborations across Windsor-Essex.

The WE-Spark Think Tank will run 1 to 3:30 p.m. and is open to everyone. Click here for more information and to register.

Campus partners are working to maintain a robust set of Knowledge Base Articles (KBAs).

The KBA team has compiled a weekly digest of the most-referenced KBAs to streamline student-focused questions to ask.UWindsor to support consistent communication with current and future students.

These are this week’s top-five referenced KBAs:

• How do I know when to register for classes?
• How do I access and complete an online SET?
• What happens if I cannot get a student visa prior to my planned departure to Canada? (COVID-19)
• How do I sign in to UWinsite Student?
• How do I view my offer of admission to an undergraduate program at UWindsor?

Find Winter 2021 KBAs by clicking here.

You can submit common questions to askkba@uwindsor.ca.

Noon on Monday, Nov. 23, is the deadline to submit Winter 2021 proposals for the Ignite Work Study program through Qualtrics.

Career Development and Experiential Learning will notify successful applicants by Dec. 11 and students can begin working as early as Jan. 4.

Ignite is a co-curricular experiential learning program that provides a wage subsidy of up to $1,000 to fund part-time jobs for students at the University of Windsor. Find more information on the program website.