Prof offers guidance for parents of teens entering high school It’s not just about academics: managing roles, responsibilities and relationships can be part of what you discuss with your teen, says education professor Lindsey Jaber. Transitioning to high school can be a time of mixed emotions for many teens, and parents can provide a safe place to discuss their concerns, says Lindsey Jaber. A professor specializing in educational psychology and school-based mental health in the UWindsor Faculty of Education, she argues in an article published Monday in the Conversation that taking the time to talk with your teen about starting high school will set the stage for ongoing, open communication. Dr. Jaber provides several suggestions for helping teens make a successful transition: Keep the lines of communication open. However you engage with your teen, they must know that you care and are listening to what they say. Remind them it takes time to adjust to big changes. Sometimes just acknowledging that the transition to high school is a significant change…
Kindergarten transitions can be eased by supporting kids' social and emotional needs For many parents, caregivers and children, the entry into kindergarten is a watershed transition. © THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck With the new school year here, parents and caregivers of young children may be experiencing heightened emotions and anxieties about starting kindergarten. Under typical circumstances, the transition to kindergarten evokes a multitude of emotions for parents and caregivers. Amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns, transitioning into a new school year may prompt a unique set of emotions and anxieties for both parents and children. Whether or not children entering kindergarten have experienced learning interruptions due to closures — for example, through interruptions to stable early learning and child care settings — children’s early social development continues to be at the forefront of many parents’ concerns. Considering the unparalleled experiences of the pandemic, and in acknowledgement of any anxieties about the upcoming school year, the list below contains…
Fruit fly study targets treatment of chronic pain Dr. Jeffrey Dason wants to help treat chronic pain in humans by studying the fruit fly. Biomedical sciences professor Dr. Jeffrey Dason received a $516,376 Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grant for his five-year project, “The role of Neuronal Calcium Sensor-1/Frequenin2 in nociception.” “1 in 5 Canadians experience chronic pain resulting in cost of healthcare and lost productivity that exceeds the cost of cancer, heart disease and HIV,” says Dason. To understand what molecules could be potentially targeted in humans to treat chronic pain, he will study the simpler model of the fruit fly. “In our grant we use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to study cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying nociception,” he says. “Nociception is a process in which pain sensing neurons called nociceptors detect painful stimuli and allow individuals to avoid potential tissue damage and death.” Treating pain remains a major challenge due to a lack of understanding of…
New partnership between university and public health unit announced Residence Hall West, at the University of Windsor, is pictured on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. PHOTO BY DAX MELMER /Windsor Star The University of Windsor and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) have entered into a strategic partnership that will explore opportunities such as co-location, joint programming and collaboration in research, teaching, experiential learning and community service. “We are thrilled to partner with such an important organization and are excited about the opportunity this brings to our campus and region” said Dr. Robert Gordon, University of Windsor president and vice-chancellor. “This partnership aligns with the university’s vision of being an engaged and meaningful community partner and opens the door to collaboration resulting in exceptional teaching, learning and research opportunities.” The partnership will bring together individuals from both institutions focused on learning, research, community service and public health to examine potential…
WE-SPARK Releases Q1 Report WE-SPARK Health Institute, now in its fourth year, has released its 1st quarter report, highlighting key accomplishments from May 2022 – July 2022. Highlights include: • awarded $310,000 to 15 local research grants, bringing the total to $1,086,725 since the grant program launch April 2020; • added 33 new members for total of 893 members; • on boarded 15 new members to its Student Volunteer Network, reaching to 100 student alumni, and logging over 400 hours this quarter; • hosted four events including a Think Tank with 120 participants; • initiated a Research Data Management strategy; • reported on Core member successes including $1.3M in new research funding and 16 publications; and • grew Ask the Expert program to include eight feature stories from local health and research experts. Read the report here. WE-SPARK quarterly reports communicate outcomes and provides accountability to its members and the Windsor-Essex community.…
Networking event to bring together health research community The next WE-SPARK Health Institute networking event will be held Thursday, September 1st. WE-SPARK Health Institute hosts monthly networking events for members of the Windsor-Essex health research community to get to know one another through fun and casual conversations. There is no formal agenda, and all are welcome. This is an opportunity for anyone interested in health research to learn what is happening locally, make connections, and help your research idea move forward, all in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere. The next event will be held Thursday, September 1st, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Bourbon Tap & Grill, 1199 Ottawa St. No RSVP is required. WE-SPARK Health Institute is a partnership of the University of Windsor, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital designed to take healthcare to the next level through research.
Report highlights accomplishments of health institute WE-SPARK Health Institute details its accomplishments in its third annual Impact Report. With a theme of “Succeeding Together,” the third annual Impact Report from WE-SPARK Health Institute details its accomplishments from May 2021 to April 2022. “For the past three years we’ve been focusing on establishing a strong common vision, uniting our strengths, and accelerating our research activities and the progress is exciting,” says executive director Lisa Porter. “I’m very proud of our team, and thank our four supporting partner agencies, and the clinicians, researchers, students, community supporters and donors for making this all possible.” The institute is supported by the University of Windsor, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital. Among the report’s highlights are: membership grown to 860 members; facilitated 13 clinical professorships; created a plan to connect and grow industry engagement in preparation for new health research…
Health institute surpasses $1 million in research grants Lisa Porter, executive director of the WE-Spark Health Institute, is excited that it has awarded more than $1 million in research grants. WE-SPARK Health Institute and its funding partners have awarded 15 research grants totaling $310,000 to tackle local health challenges in its latest round of funding. The grants provide funding to promote the development of early-stage, innovative health research and health education projects in Windsor-Essex and support other health research programs to increase their prospects for future funding. Projects include addressing gaps in healthcare needs, igniting new ideas, generating and disseminating knowledge, studies in emerging health topics, and sparking collaborations. The grants involve collaborators across WE-SPARK’s four supporting institutions — Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, the University of Windsor and Windsor Regional Hospital — along with numerous community members, students and volunteers across Windsor-Essex. “With…
Project aims at design of soft electronics materials Chemistry professor Simon Rondeau-Gagné heads a research team exploring new approaches to prepare and synthesize organic semiconductors. Simon Rondeau-Gagné is using the fundamental building blocks of chemistry to design soft and flexible electronics that could be used for chemical sensing and medical treatment. An associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, Dr. Rondeau-Gagné received a five-year $310,000 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery grant for his project “Molecular Engineering of Semiconducting Polymers for Emerging Organic Electronics.” His team looks to add to today’s technologies by making semiconducting materials that can emulate the properties of human body. “Integration of current electronics, mostly based on silicon, is very challenging. For example, it will always be difficult to implant a rigid device in the brain that would completely conform to its surface to create new functionalities,” says Rondeau-Gagné.…
