Excellent academic performance and a desire to mentor and tutor earned notice for third-year engineering majors Annalise Gignac and Suhaib Moualla.

The annual Liburdi Engineering Mentorship Award, established in 2020 by the WinOne Office for First-Year Engineering and funded by materials engineering alumnus Joseph Liburdi (BASc 1967), provides $10,000 to support two-senior-level undergraduate students who excel academically and express an interest in mentoring other engineering students.

The Liburdi scholars lead the WinOne tutorial program, which provides peer tutoring support for all first- and second-year core courses. They onboard 10 WinOne tutors each semester for one full year, assist with promoting the WinOne tutorials to first-year students, and schedule weekly tutoring sessions and exam review sessions for all tutors — including themselves. In addition to academic support, the tutors mentor students about topics such as program selection, co-operative education, and senior project selection.

“Tutoring for me is the joy of helping others,” said Moualla. “It also helps build my social network and communication skills, as English isn’t my first language.”

Gignac said she is passionate about helping first-year students get involved.

“Engaging not only with course material but extracurricular activities makes students more well-rounded,” she said. “These activities are really important when applying for jobs.”

Associate dean of engineering Jennifer Johrendt says the tutoring has helped retain junior students in engineering while providing leadership opportunities for seniors.

“The approach is two-fold: the Liburdi scholars take on leadership roles as lead WinOne tutors and mentor the other tutors about their role in the educational journey of our newest students,” she says. “They also serve as peer tutors in the program for three consecutive semesters which allows them to apply continual improvement initiatives throughout the year.”

—Naomi Pelkey

Rahaf Hussein found beauty in the degradation of an exposed film of copper and now her photograph of it, which resembles the blue waters and sandy shoreline of a beach, is a finalist in a national photo competition.

The PhD candidate’s photo, titled “Copper Beach,” is one of 20 images in the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Science Exposed competition.

“This competition showcases remarkable scientific images from participants across Canada, and I am proud to have the chance to represent our university with my image titled ‘Copper Beach’,” Hussein says.

Her research focuses on green printable electronics in the Tricia Carmichael lab in Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The public can support the graduate student’s work by casting a vote using this link. The voting deadline is Sunday, Sept. 17.

“The NSERC Science Exposed competition provides an opportunity for the public to vote for their favourite image,” Hussein notes. “Winning the People’s Choice Award would not only be a personal achievement but also a great honour for the University of Windsor in this national competition.”

—Sara Elliott

The Centre for Teaching and Learning is proud to announce the winners of the GA/TA Awards.

The winners of the GA/TA award for Educational Leadership are Haesung Ahn, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Sheldon Fetter, Department of Kinesiology.

The winners of the GA/TA award for Educational Practice are Mark Potter, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Emily Varga, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research.

Ahn said he was astonished and couldn’t believe that he had been selected as a recipient.

“I am honoured and grateful to the many teaching mentors and students who have guided me thus far,” he said.

Potter echoed that sentiment.

“I was grateful to be nominated for this award, and receiving it was a very fulfilling achievement, I am thankful to everyone who helped make this happen,” he said. “Being recognized for my educational practice was a great way to begin the semester.”

Each year the centre accepts nominations for the two awards recognizing contributions by graduate and teaching assistants to the University’s learning environment.

Read more about the GATA Awards and a quote from the nomination packages of each of the winners.

With the start of a new school year comes a new fall schedule for recreation programs at the Toldo Lancer Centre.

There’s a new pool schedule and new times for fitness classes, swimming lessons, and intramurals.

“We are excited to welcome students back to campus,” said Giulia Barile-Bernabo, assistant co-ordinator for Lancer recreation. “We have a lot of new and amazing programs for students, staff, and faculty to enjoy.”

You can find schedules on the GoLancers app, or online. Click on the following links for the various schedules:

• Fall pool schedule
• Fall fitness classes
• Fall swim lesson registration
• Fall intramurals

Users of the Toldo Lancer Centre must fill out a waiver. It can be done on the GoLancers app or in person at the front desk.

—Sarah Sacheli

Bio artist and School of Creative Arts faculty member Jennifer Willet has been showcasing her work, The Gentlemen Scientist Lab Coat, at the Ars Electronica 2023 Festival in Linz, Austria. The festival ran Sept. 6 to 10.

Ars Electronica invites artists, scientists, developers, designers, entrepreneurs, and activists worldwide to Linz. The question at Europe’s largest festival for art, technology, and society was: “Who Owns the Truth?”

MFA student Daniela Gaie provided valuable assistance to Dr. Willet in creating the new addition to the Gentlemen Scientist Lab Coat.

Willet’s artwork installation was made possible with the support of the IOTA Institute Gallery, which has played a significant role in the success of the When Microbes Dream Tour and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Friday, Sept. 29, is the last chance to submit nominations to the Organization of Part-time University Students for its annual awards recognizing contributions toward a rewarding experience for part-time and mature undergraduate students at the University of Windsor.

All part-time undergrads, as well as UWindsor alumni, staff, and faculty members, are welcome to submit nominations. Find a full list of the available awards, their criteria, and nomination forms on the OPUS website.

Winners will be honoured at the 2023 OPUS awards banquet on Oct. 27.