Science MattersSummer 2024 | |
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Dean's Message
With summer at our doorstep, we take a moment to highlight all we have achieved this past academic year – welcoming of new faculty, elevating our research, celebrating our graduating students, recognizing our alumni achievements, impacting the community around us and so much more. Looking ahead, we are also excited to welcome our new Dean of Science, Dr. Cláudio Verani, who will be commencing his term this summer. Dr. Verani is coming to us from Wayne State University with a wealth of knowledge and experience in academia. We look forward to his leadership in advancing the mission and vision of the Faculty of Science. And as my term as interim dean soon comes to an end, I want to take a moment to thank all the faculty, staff, students, alumni, colleagues and community members who have worked alongside me throughout this journey. I have had many amazing opportunities to collaborate, innovate and lead in science. I have truly enjoyed the experience and am grateful for all I have learned from you. I look forward to the many more years of success ahead of us and am proud to always be Science at UWindsor!
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New dean of science inspired by faculty ambition to lead
Cláudio Verani, professor of chemistry and associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University, has accepted a five-year appointment as dean of the UWindsor Faculty of Science starting July 15, provost Robert Aguirre has announced.
DailyNews: New dean of science inspired by faculty ambition to lead
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Cláudio Verani will join the University of Windsor July 15 as dean of science. Photo by Jessica Archer. | |
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Through the “Because of Science at UWindsor” campaign, you have an opportunity to join us in this spirit of giving by supporting the Science LEAD Fund.
With your support, we pledge to deliver research opportunities, high impact learning experiences, and integrative outreach programs. Your support will inspire the next generation of young scientists by providing students amazing opportunities to lead, engage, apply and discover.
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Because of Science at UWindsor | |
We are celebrating our illustrious alumni with a series called 'Because of Science at UWindsor.' Each month we highlight the stories of alumni who share how their experiences as a student in the Faculty of Science at UWindsor contributed to their successes. | |
Faculty attracting attention | |
Forensic entomologist Sherah VanLaerhoven has received a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. | |
Peers recognize professor for achievement in forensic science
An accomplished career spent pushing the boundaries in forensic entomology has earned Sherah VanLaerhoven a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
The Forensic Life Sciences award, Pathology-Biology Section, was officially announced at the academy’s annual conference held in February in Denver, Colorado. As a fellow of the academy, she says she was thrilled to receive the award.
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Funding to advance neutron research
Drew Marquardt took another step forward in his quest to bring neutron scattering to the forefront of material research and cancer treatment in Windsor when he received the Early Researcher Awards (ERA) program from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
DailyNews: Funding to advance neutron research program
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Drew Marquardt took another step toward bringing neutron scattering to material research and cancer treatment in Windsor. | |
President’s Medallist Samantha Blackwell, conducting fieldwork near the Bay of Fundy, holds a savannah sparrow, the subject of her honours thesis. Photo by Sarah Dobney. | |
Graduand honoured for exceptional engagement
The scholarly and leadership accomplishments of Samantha Blackwell during her undergraduate career have earned her the President’s Medal, awarded to a graduating student who has made an outstanding contribution to campus activities while maintaining a superior academic record.
DailyNews: Graduand honoured for exceptional engagement
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Science students sweep research presentation contest
Science swept the 2024 University of Windsor Three Minute Thesis (3MT) research competition for graduate students. This year, first, second, and third place all went to science students.
DailyNews: Science students sweep research presentation contest
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Samra Khan took top honours in the UWindsor Three Minute Thesis competition for her presentation on creating vaccines to target immune responses against cancer. | |
Pharmaceutical founders produce top pitch
From conducting chemistry lab experiments to launching a start-up, two chemistry and biochemistry doctoral candidates are taking their research knowledge and turning it into a viable medical technology business venture.
Michelle Dao (BSc 2017, MSc 2020) and Joy-Lynn Kobti (BSc 2020) found rapid success as the winners of the RBC Founders Program hosted by the Entrepreneurship Practice and Innovation Centre (EPICentre); the program aims to support businesses in the early stages of development.
DailyNews: Pharmaceutical founders produce top pitch
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The team from Complex Therapeutix claimed first place in the RBC Founders pitch competition. From left: entrepreneurship program co-ordinator Sydney Thompson, Marc Mundy of sponsor Royal Bank of Canada, founders Michelle Dao and Joy-Lynn Kobti, EPICentre director Wen Teoh. | |
A team of researchers led by professor Siyaram Pandey (centre) is investigating the anti-cancer properties of maitake mushrooms. | |
Researchers to explore anti-cancer potential of mushrooms
A UWindsor research team is partnering with the Shogun Maitake Canada company to investigate the anti-cancer properties of mushrooms.
Led by chemistry and biochemistry professor Siyaram Pandey, the team received a two-year $60,000 Mitacs-Accelerate grant for their project.
DailyNews: Researchers to explore anti-cancer potential of mushrooms
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International team to explore impact of freshwater oil spill
UWindsor researchers from the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) are joining a multi-faceted team led by Michigan’s Lake Superior State University in the Biological Impacts of Oil in Our Waters of the North (BIO-OWN) network. The four-year project has received $1,756,000 from Natural Resources Canada Multi-Partner Research Initiative fund.
DailyNews: International team to explore impact of freshwater oil spill
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Master’s student Peter Jobin tests the impact of oil on freshwater sediments in the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research biomaterials laboratory. | |
$15 million research project to boost Canada's pandemic preparedness
The University of Windsor is leading a $15 million research project to help Canada respond to future pandemics by strengthening our country’s biomanufacturing sector.
INSPIRE, short for the Integrated Network for the Surveillance of Pathogens: Increasing Resilience and Capacity in Canada’s Pandemic Response, brings together 43 experts from seven universities and public and private agencies in Canada and the United States.
DailyNews: $15 million research project to boost Canada’s pandemic preparedness
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Professors Arezoo Emadi, Mike McKay, Kendall Soucie, and Kenneth Ng are pictured along the Windsor-Detroit riverfront, showcasing the interdisciplinary team leading the $15 million INSPIRE project to advance Canada’s biomanufacturing and pandemic response capabilities. | |
Glider pilot Lydia Paulic and post-doctoral researcher Silviya Ivanova deploy an autonomous underwater glider with sensors to collect and transmit data from Lake Ontario. | |
Windsor signs on to national water observatory network
Participating in a new nationwide scientific freshwater observatory called the Global Water Futures Observatories will help to secure the University of Windsor as a leader in freshwater research, says Aaron Fisk.
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Changing Great Lakes Ecosystems in the School of the Environment, he also serves as scientific director of the Real-Time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON) — a key component of the new .
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Bird's eye view identifies Arctic duck egg predators
Is climate change affecting the foraging habits of eider duck predators in the Canadian north?
Andrew Barnas, a former post-doctoral fellow in integrative biology professor Christina Semeniuk’s lab, says because of climate change, melting Arctic sea ice is pushing polar bears onto land earlier in the year. As it turns out, this phenomenon is creating the perfect conditions for predatory gulls to get access to the duck eggs.
DailyNews: Bird’s eye view identifies Arctic duck egg predators
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Kathyani Parasram has discovered how biological timing is born in fruit flies. | |
Researcher discovers birth of biological timing in the body
University of Windsor graduate Kathyani Parasram (PhD 2023) has discovered how biological timing is born in fruit flies, shedding light on when circadian rhythms turn on in animals and providing a path for future research in other species.
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Nest environment affects birdsong acoustics, study finds
Savannah sparrows living on a remote island off the coast of New Brunswick build their nests on the ground under dense vegetation. Sarah Dobney, a PhD student in the Department of Integrative Biology, wanted to know if this thick covering limits what nestlings can hear, potentially altering song learning — and set out to find out.
DailyNews: Nest environment affects birdsong acoustics, study finds
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PhD student Sarah Dobney found that dense vegetation over their nests can affect what songs young savannah sparrows hear and learn from their elders. | |
Chelsea Salter studied the potential of bacteria to combat the toxic effects of algal blooms. | |
Sand-basesd microbes explored as filter of algal blooms
Chelsea Salter spent her master’s studies combing through Lake Erie sand investigating microbes because they were doing something unique. They were cleaning water tainted with an algal bloom toxin called cyanotoxin.
DailyNews: Sand-based microbes explored as filter of algal blooms
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Grant to boost search for treatment of Alzheimer's disease
With a long-term goal of offering a novel approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease, professor Vijendra Sharma is researching biological pathways that could reverse long-term memory impairment.
His research project got a boost with a one-year $20,000 WE-Spark Igniting Discovery grant.
DailyNews: Grant to boost search for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
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Biomedical sciences professor Vijendra Sharma is exploring pathways to treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. | |
Assistant professor and GLIER researcher Catherine Febria conducts work with partners in the Sydenham River near Chatham-Kent. | |
Paper proposes partnership approach to ecological research
A group of researchers is exploring the question of how to conduct their work “in a good way,” recognizing the harm Indigenous Peoples around the world have faced in the name of science — and it starts with truth.
DailyNews: Paper proposes partnership approach to ecological research
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The Faculty of Science recognized and celebrated the accomplishments of members during the 2024 Science Awards Spring and Shout ceremony.
Faculty and staff award recipients:
- Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award – Isabelle Barrette-Ng, Integrative Biology
- Research Excellence and Impact Award – Drew Marquardt, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Outreach and Community Engagement Award – Jeff Dason, Biomedical Sciences
- Service Excellence Award – Joe Lichaa
- Student Mentoring and Engagement Award – Tranum Kaur, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Going Above and Beyond in Research (research associates or post-doctoral fellows) – Elizabeth Fidalgo da Silva, Biomedical Sciences
- Friend of Science Award – Jeff Casey, Play for a Cure Campaign Lead, and Luc Serre, medical physicist, radiation safety officer, and associate director of the residency program at Windsor Regional Hospital
Student awards recipients:
- Ambassador Award (graduate) – Stuart Castillo, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Ashley Watt, Integrative Biology
- Ambassador Award (undergraduate) – Faith Findlay, Biomedical Sciences, and Timothy Igbokwe, Integrative Biology
- Graduate Assistant Excellence Award – Angela Awada, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Going Above and Beyond in Research Award (undergraduate) – Stephanie Dinescu, Biomedical Sciences
- Going Above and Beyond in Research (masters) – Ali Nadi, Integrative Biology/Biomedical Sciences
- Going Above and Beyond in Research (doctoral) – Aaron Bondy, Physics
- Teaching Assistant Excellence Award (undergraduate) – Christine Wong, Computer Science
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New faculty hires 2023-2024 | |
The 2023-24 year is proving another fruitful one for new faculty members joining the Faculty of Science. In addition to the 11 faculty members who joined the science family in the summer of 2023 we got one more member in January, 2024. Be sure to read up on their wealth of experience. | |
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With heavy hearts we said goodbye to former Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry professor Roger Thibert, who passed away on May 30, 2024.
Since 2011, the Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award has recognized the stellar quality of teaching in the Faculty of Science, as well as commemorating its namesake.
Read the full story here DailyNews: Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award
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Recipients of the Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award past and present include (back row from left) Jeremy Rawson, Steven Rehse, Isabelle Barrette-Ng, Martin Crozier; (middle row) Chitra Rangan, Tanya Noel, Oliver Love, Drew Marquardt; (front row) Tranum Kaur, Dora Cavallo-Medved, Dan Mennill.. | |
Faculty of Science
University of Windsor
401 Sunset Ave.
Windsor, ON N9B 3P4
519-253-3000 Extension: 3009
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