The University of Windsor continues its upward ascent in global sustainability rankings, securing its place among the top 20 universities in Canada and within the top 20 per cent globally, according to the 2024 QS World University Rankings: Sustainability.

Rising nearly 300 spots since 2023, Windsor now ranks 341st globally out of 1,751 institutions and 90th in the Americas, a testament to its leadership in environmental research, equity, and sustainable innovation.

“The University’s ascent in global sustainability rankings is a testament to the transformative work happening across our campus,” said president Robert Gordon. “From innovative research to meaningful collaborations with our community and industry partners, the University of Windsor is committed to driving sustainable solutions that extend beyond our institution.

“This achievement reflects the impactful strides the University community has taken toward a more sustainable, more equitable future.”

Scaling new heights across key indicators

The University of Windsor’s rise is driven by strong performances in critical areas:

• Equality (165th globally): Among the top 10 per cent worldwide, Windsor’s achievements include the Flip the Script with EAAA sexual assault prevention program, which has shown a 46 per cent reduction in completed rapes and a 63 per cent reduction in attempted rapes among participants. This evidence-based initiative underscores Windsor’s commitment to creating safer and more equitable campus environments.

• Good governance (240th): Windsor’s dedication to accountability and sustainability is demonstrated through transparent financial reporting and the establishment of a dedicated sustainability office to implement the University’s ambitious Carbon Neutral Master Plan.

• Environmental research (269th): Projects like the Real-time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network and collaborations through the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) exemplify Windsor’s impact on global environmental challenges.

A campus leading the climb

The University’s integrated approach to sustainability is reflected in diverse initiatives:

• Research leadership: Windsor researchers are tackling real-world challenges, including partnerships like the Hydrogen Business Council, which explores alternative fuel corridors for commercial trucking along Highway 401.

• Living laboratory: Student-led GIS mapping projects on greenhouse impacts in Essex County and urban tree health in Amherstburg provide critical data for regional environmental planning.

• Operational milestones: The University has achieved a 36 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2019 through energy-efficient upgrades like Canada’s first dual-drive electric-steam turbine chiller, with goals of 45 per cent reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.

• Community engagement: Collaborative efforts, such as the Windsor-Detroit Health and Wellness Friendly Communities initiative, bring cross-border expertise to address homelessness and healthcare disparities.

Continuing the ascent

From 601+ in 2023 to 341 in 2024, the University of Windsor’s upward climb reflects its sustained momentum in advancing sustainability.

With a position in the top 20 Canadian institutions and excellence across global indicators, Windsor continues to lead efforts to build a greener, more inclusive future.

For more information, visit uwindsor.ca/sustainability.

Neve Hudson, a master of science student at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, is exploring how climate change and warmer winters have impacted Lake Erie’s algal community. Her research utilizes light readings and water samples from the lake to investigate how minimal ice coverage affects algae in the winter.

In partnership with the Canadian and United States Coast Guards, Hudson will join a team of researchers aboard the Ice Cutter USCG Morro Bay this winter to conduct sampling. She also took samples in Port Stanley in November alongside GLIER technician Jon Leblanc.

“We are looking at the community makeup of phytoplankton, as well as their energy production rates and methods,” Hudson says. “This research furthers the understanding of how Lake Erie’s winter algal community is adapting to warmer winters that are associated with climate change.”

Warmer winters have decreased ice cover and changed water precipitation patterns over the Great Lakes. Understanding these changes, particularly with winter period studies, will be key to measuring the impact on the environment.

Despite the significant impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem, water sampling rarely occurs during the winter. Studies during this season are crucial to understanding algal ecosystems in the Great Lakes and help to inform how varying conditions can impact them over the course of the year. Hudson’s research will help to predict potential moving forward and provide markers on the effects of seasonal trends.

Worldwide, hypertension is a leading cause of death and disability. Too much pressure in blood vessels can lead to such complications as chest pain, heart failure, blocked arteries, kidney damage, and death.

For the last 15 years, human kinetics professor Cheri McGowan, co-founder of the Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Research Lab, has been conducting studies together with her students and collaborators focused on isometric handgrip training — a form of resistance training that involves squeezing a handgrip interspersed with short periods of rest.

It is “simple, inexpensive, time-efficient, and highly tolerable,” Dr. McGowan says. “People need therapies that do not cost a lot of money and that they can do over their lifetimes.”

She is part of an international team launching a study to investigate its effectiveness among individuals living in rural Uganda.

“This is an incredible opportunity to use our expertise to help people who need effective BP control in a part of the world that needs it the most,” says McGowan.  “To see our laboratory-based research impacting clinical guidelines and practice within my career is something truly remarkable.”

Learn more in the full article, “Getting a grip on cardiovascular health,” published in the Research and Innovation in Action report.

The Leddy Library loaned out more than 27,000 physical books through the first 11 months of the year, easily dwarfed by the number of times electronic materials were accessed: 1,283,517.

The most downloaded book was by a UWindsor professor: classics scholar Max Nelson’s monograph The Barbarian’s Beverage: A History of Beer in Ancient Europe. It was downloaded 2,547 times in 2024, contributing to a total of 39,624 since it was posted in April 2015.

Political conflict seems to be of interest this year — the most loaned non-textbooks were:

• Chinua Achebe’s 1966 satirical novel A Man of the People;
• Selected Works by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels;
• William Trevor’s 1983 novel of the legacy of Irish decolonization, Fools of Fortune.

A total of 5,487 separate individuals booked study rooms up to the end of November — more than 42,000 bookings for almost 115,000 hours!

Ning Zhang, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named a 2024 Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher, an honour that places him among an exclusive group of scholars whose research has had a significant and lasting influence on their fields.

The Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers program identifies individuals whose scholarly work has consistently ranked in the top 1 per cent by citations within their discipline, both in the current year and over the past decade. This recognition reflects the global impact of their work and highlights how their contributions have shaped academic research and practice.

As part of the program, Dr. Zhang joins a group of 6,886 across various disciplines worldwide in 2024, and is one of 206 in Canada to receive this distinction. His achievement underscores the significant role his work has played in advancing the fields of edge computing and the internet of vehicles.

Zhang is a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in these areas and serves as an associate editor for several IEEE journals, reflecting his ongoing leadership and contributions to cutting-edge research.

Can plastic waste be repurposed as fuel? That’s the winning idea pitched last week in a competition for students in the Master of Medical Biotechnology (MMB) and Master of Materials Chemistry and Engineering (MMCE) programs.

The BioTech Entrepreneurship “Pitch to Win” competition saw close to 200 students, scientists, and industry professionals in full networking swing Dec. 5.

This event challenged teams of students to use creative thinking to address a problem in biotechnology and to learn tools to bring their solutions to life.

“The engagement and energy during the event were further evidence of the community we are building within our international students, and particularly amongst our MMB and MMCE students,” said competition founder Zareen Amtul, a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Students in her Biotechnology Entrepreneurship course — Marzieh Khorrami, Sudipta Saha, Oluwafunmilola Christiana Adetunji, and Gazi Maknuna Manaz — won the “Novelis Best Pitch” award, established by Dr. Amtul with funding from Novelis Inc., for their presentation on “Plastic to Power.” They proposed the use of bioengineered Ideonella sakaiensis and genetically modified enzymes like FAST-PETase to convert plastic waste into ethanol and acetate as a sustainable, scalable, market-ready alternative to traditional recycling.

The winning team was also invited to join WEtech Alliance as clients.

“The winning team delivered a pitch so compelling that the entire judging panel instantly shifted into advisory mode, brainstorming ways to help bring their vision to life,” said Adam Castle, director of venture services and partnerships for WEtech Alliance, which partnered in the event.

“I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the students and their ideas. Each team leveraged their diversity to approach markets with a naturally global perspective, crafting solutions that were not only forward-thinking but also truly viable in a sector where demand is growing every single day.”

In the audience choice category, attendees voted Mehak Rajput, Tarokh Arzani Birgani, and Archana Devi Ramachandran as the one-minute pitch winners.

The annual event also featured panel discussion with advice on careers, job hunting, barriers to employment, business development, best professional practices, problem-centric ideation, problem-solution fit, market and competitive environment scanning, seeking and analyzing feedback, intellectual property fundamentals, sales, and more by experts from industry, academia, and the Office of Career Development and Experiential Learning.

“Hosting such events brings a unique experience for our international students, participating both as contestants and volunteers,” said James Gauld, head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

WE-Spark Health Institute is hosting its annual Health Research Conference on March 22, 2025, at Caesars Windsor. The event serves as a dynamic platform for the health research community to connect, collaborate, and showcase ground-breaking work alongside peers and renowned experts.

The carefully curated program offers:

• Engaging plenary sessions: Learn from leading experts about the latest advancements in health research.
• Interactive panel session: Explore the meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience in research projects.
• Networking opportunities: Connect with researchers, clinicians, students, and trainees from across the region.
• Presentations and discussions: Share your work and gain feedback during poster and oral presentations.

The conference welcomes researchers, clinicians, allied health professionals, administrators, students, and trainees, as well as community partners, organizations, and individuals interested in health-related research taking place in Windsor-Essex and beyond.

It is an inclusive space to present research, expand knowledge, and engage with the vibrant Windsor-Essex health research community.

Abstract submissions will be accepted through Jan. 31.

Participants have the opportunity to publish their abstracts in the Scholarship at UWindsor Institutional Repository, an open-access platform that broadens the global reach of their research. Publishing with this platform does not restrict from submitting work to other journals.

Registration is $225 general admission, $85 for students. Early bird rates for registering by Jan. 31 are $180 and $50, respectively.

Click here for more information and to register.