The University of Windsor will celebrate the academic achievements of more than 1,500 graduates at its 122nd Fall Convocation on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 17 and 18, at the Toldo Lancer Centre.

The event will honour 1,528 graduands from a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs.

“Convocation is a momentous occasion that marks the culmination of years of hard work, perseverance, and dedication,” says registrar Ray Darling.

“We are proud to witness the incredible accomplishments of our graduates and the transformative potential they carry into their futures.”

Distinguished University Professors

Convocation will recognize two faculty members rising to the rank of Distinguished University Professor for their exceptional contributions to academia:

• Narayan Kar, professor of electrical and computer engineering and Canada Research Chair in Electrified Vehicles

• Charlene Senn, professor applied social psychology and Canada Research Chair in Sexual Violence.

Paige Coyne and Chelsea Salter will receive the Governor General’s Gold Medal during Fall Convocation ceremonies Thursday, Oct. 17.

Governor General’s Gold Medal recipients

The Governor General’s Gold Medal for exceptional academic achievement at the graduate level will be presented to Chelsea Salter, a Master of Science graduate in environmental science, and Paige Coyne, a PhD graduate in kinesiology. Both recipients have demonstrated outstanding academic excellence and research contributions, making significant impacts in their respective fields.

Under the guidance of professor Chris Weisener, Salter examined how microbes mediate degradation of cyanobacterial toxins. The work was motivated by a water crisis that impacted Pelee Island in 2014 as a harmful algal bloom enveloped the island and cyanobacterial toxins evaded treatment and were detected in potable water leading to an island-wide ‘do not drink advisory’. Her exploration of how naturally-occurring microbes can augment toxin removal merited publication in the peer-reviewed journal Water Research. Salter is currently working as a microbial ecology laboratory technician at the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre.

Dr. Coyne has excelled at every level, winning the Board of Governor’s Medal in each year of her undergraduate studies, the Governor Generals Medal at the master’s level, and now the Governor Generals Medal at the doctoral level. To date, she has 30 published papers — 16 as first author — with two others under review, in addition to 21 conference citations. During her time as a doctoral student, she published 21 papers with not only colleagues in kinesiology, but also with faculty members from science and the Centre for Teaching and Learning. She is now employed as an epidemiologist at Henry Ford Health and an assistant professor at Michigan State University.

Convocation program highlights

The University will confer degrees over four sessions. Graduands will cross the stage as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 17

• Session One at 9:30 a.m. – Graduates from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and the Odette School of Business.

• Session Two at 2:30 p.m. – Graduates from the Faculties of Human Kinetics, Nursing, Science, Education, and Law.

Friday, Oct. 18

• Session Three at 9:30 a.m. – Graduates from the Faculty of Engineering in Civil, Environmental, Electrical, and Computer Engineering programs.

• Session Four at 2:30 p.m. – Graduates from the Faculty of Engineering in General, Mechanical, Automotive, Industrial, and Materials Engineering programs.

The team in Public Affairs and Communications will livestream every session on the University’s YouTube channel.