Study focuses on attitudes toward physical education that includes children with disabilities Master’s student Danielle Salters is leading research with kinesiology professor Sara Scharoun Benson into attitudes toward inclusive physical education. The project focuses on teachers in training. When UWindsor’s Danielle Salters taught elementary school in London, England, she encountered children who had never participated in physical education with their classmates. “Students with special needs were given another activity and told to go off and play by themselves,” said Salters. “I insisted on including them, and for some, that was a first.” Perspectives on inclusive physical education (PE) are likely formed during a teacher’s own education, says Salters, a Master’s of Human Kinetics student who earned bachelor’s degrees in HK and education at the University of Windsor. So, together with UWindsor kinesiology professor Sara Scharoun Benson, Salters has begun a study on the next generation of teachers’ attitudes about the subject. Dr. Scharoun Benson and Salters…
Volunteer mask makers seek public input Patricia Savage, a member of the Windsor Essex Sewing Force, works on a mask on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star A local group of volunteers dedicated to sewing cloth masks and scrub caps is seeking public input about mask comfort and fit for future design purposes. The Windsor Essex Sewing Force recently reached a milestone of having sewed 50,000 masks and caps over the past year. An assortment of masks made by the Windsor Essex Sewing Force are shown on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star “Understanding the experience of people in the community is critical as public mask mandates have been shown to be a vital public health tool,” said project lead Ken Drouillard. “We have an unique opportunity to improve the tools for the remainder of this pandemic and prepare for the future.” Anyone who has worn a homemade mask who is interested in taking a brief survey can…
Multitasking pressures underlie distracted driving and “Zoom fatigue,” says researcher Remote work — with its countless online meetings — is taking its toll on employees, says kinesiology professor Francesco Biondi. Four in 10 remote workers report suffering from a sense of physical and mental exhaustion that accompanies prolonged screen engagement and the lack of face-to-face interaction during the workday, says kinesiology professor Francesco Biondi. Millions experience “Zoom fatigue,” named after the video-conferencing platform. “With workplaces becoming increasingly virtual, my focus on understanding human cooperation with machines and systems contributes to understanding how human cognition responds to our increasingly virtual world,” Dr. Biondi writes in an article published Monday in the Conversation, which shares news and views from the academic and research community. While teleworking has its advantages — for example, shorter commutes — it comes with a cost. Biondi notes that the causes of Zoom fatigue remain a mystery, but a contributing factor…
Windsor-Essex grassroots mask makers seek feedback on fit and comfort A local grassroots group of people who sew want to hear back from those individuals who have used their homemade personal protective equipment (PPE). The Windsor-Essex Sewing Force (WESF) mobilized early in the pandemic to make face masks and scrub caps for frontline workers. Later it provided PPE to vulnerable and high risk groups like seniors, low-income families, migrants and people with disabilities. Now, beyond a full year of the pandemic, a survey has been launched to better understand how the masks fits, as well the mask’s comfort and usefulness. “Volunteers knew they wanted to make the best masks possible for our community,” said WESF cofounder Rebecca Rudman. “It was natural for us to reach out to local researchers at the Great Lake Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) with its expertise in quality control and materials analysis, and WE-SPARK Health Institute with their network of experts at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, the University of Windsor…
Prof to address world body on empowering young women to resist and reduce sexual violence UWindsor professor Charlene Senn will present on the topic “Empowering young women to resist: An evidence-based intervention to reduce sexual violence” at Psychology Day at the United Nations on Thursday, April 15. UWindsor researcher Charlene Senn will represent the discipline of social psychology at the 14th annual Psychology Day at the United Nations on Thursday, April 15. Professor of women’s and gender studies as well as psychology and the Canada Research Chair in Sexual Violence, Dr. Senn will present a lecture entitled “Empowering young women to resist: An evidence-based intervention to reduce sexual violence” as one of five global experts providing recommendations using evidence-based research from different spheres of the discipline. The title of this year’s event, “Psychological Contributions to Building Back Better in a Post-Pandemic World,” responds to a call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resist the temptation to return to the way the world…
Fruit flies could hold key to unlocking cancer mystery, says UWindsor researcher Biology professor Andrew Swan has been awarded a $30,000 grant to study a protein associated with cell growth in hopes of identifying treatment for cancer. The tiny insect attracted to overripe bananas and discarded apple cores is being used at the University of Windsor to unlock one of the mysteries surrounding cancer in humans. UWindsor biologist Andrew Swan is using fruit flies to study a protein that holds cell division in check. The protein, called tuberin, is the product of a tumour suppressor gene in our DNA. It’s been established that tuberin is related to cell growth, but Dr. Swan says its role in mitosis, or cell division, requires further study. “This is where we come in,” said Swan. “Our collaborator, Dr. Elizabeth Fidalgo Da Silva from Dr. Lisa Porter’s lab, found that tuberin has some responsibility in mitosis as well and we want to see if this protein is playing the role we think it is. If we’re right, this could represent a druggable target for many human…
Networking event to bring together health research community The April 29 “WE-Spark After Dark” virtual networking event will gather members of the Windsor-Essex research community.
Non-invasive helmet ventilation system in development by local researchers Windsor researchers are in the early stages of developing a non-invasive ventilation system called the Canada Hood. (courtesy Dr. Jay MacDonald) WINDSOR, ONT. -- A made-in-Canada device is aiming to breathe new life into the COVID-19 battle, by taking a different approach on a device that has been crucial during the pandemic — ventilators. A team of Windsor researchers is in the early stages of developing a non-invasive ventilation system called the Canada Hood. “We are trying to avoid putting people into an induced coma and breathing tubes. It’s a lot less harsh on the body,” says Dr. Jay MacDonald, emergency and hyperbaric medicine specialist at Windsor Regional Hospital. Dr. MacDonald is working alongside Windsor Regional Hospital’s former ER chief Dr. Rob Woodall and Dr. Clive Davis, an expert in respirology, intensive care, and hyperbaric medicine in Hamilton to spearhead this project. Hood ventilation devices, also known has helmets, uses a transparent plastic bubble…
Brain Tumour Foundation offers free school lesson plans Tara Malone, a teacher at Riverside Secondary School in Windsor is shown on Thursday, April 1, 2021. Malone was on a committee organized by the Brain Tumour Foundation that developed specialized lesson plans. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /Windsor Star Understanding more about brain tumour survivors is the goal a new national educational resource program developed with the help of two Windsor residents. Ryan Palazzolo, a University of Windsor student, and Tara Malone, a teacher at Riverside secondary school, were on a committee that created more than 20 lesson plans for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. The Superkids Program launched last week, offering free lesson plans for students from Grades K-12. The committee behind it is a mix of patients, survivors, teachers and post-secondary students. Malone was one of four teachers who helped shape the curriculum. “I think it was important to have pre-ready lessons with handouts and activities, especially this year when teachers are so overwhelmed,”…
