EXTENSION OF SCIENCE
Students linked to industry
A University of Windsor partnership with several local industries that is backed by $750,000 in provincial funding has created a unique science program.
The extension science program will allow faculty of science students to do testing and work on specific problems identified by industry partners while at the same time operating like a business within the faculty.
“This agreement is a game changer,” said Paul J. Mastronardi, vice-president of Golden Gem — an associate of Kingsville-based Red Sun Farms. “We are creating programs that are tailor-made to help local industry. This is exactly what we need.”
Among the sectors already on board are the agriculture, wine, and craft beer and distilling industries.
“It’ll be the only program of its kind in Ontario,” said Chris Houser, dean of the faculty of science. “The benefit for our students is we can provide internal internships with hands-on experience working on actual industry projects. It’s very difficult for students to get these type of placements.”
Students who complete 10 courses in the extension science program will get a certificate recognizing their additional expertise. The internships take place in the third year of the program.
Houser said the program will slowly ramp up beginning in September and will be fully rolled out by 2020. A series of labs will be constructed in Essex Hall through this spring for the program.
In addition to supporting the local agriculture, wine, brewing and distilling industries, Houser said science students will also be working in labs aimed at economics, math and other local industries.
“When I arrived (from Texas A&M) I was shocked at how little the university was seen as part of the community,” Houser said of the motivation for the program. “We were missing opportunities to make ourselves relevant.
“We needed to do a better job for students in integrative experiences and providing services to local industry, agriculture and even government. We’ve lacked an outward look to the face of the science faculty.”
Mastronardi said the benefits to industry of extension science will be improvements that help business operations and improve product quality.
“From an employers’ standpoint, working with the university gives us access to students and helps with recruiting people,” Mastronardi said.
“It allows students to get the most important word to employers — experience. It let’s them learn what we really are about by working on actual workplace problems
“Instead of having to get people from the U.S. and Europe, we can recruit people and create jobs right here.”
As the greenhouse industry becomes more high-tech, Mastronardi said there will be an increasing need for more science.
“Instead of sending our leaves off to Guelph or Holland for testing we can do it right here,” Mastronardi said. “In our industry, people are surprised by just how many different areas we touch in addition to the agricultural portion — business, lab testing, marketing, packaging, transportation, automation.”
The idea for the extension science program came out of discussions Houser has been having with local industry and the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corp. over the past year.
“People in industry identified this as the best way we could help them,” Houser said.
Students will actually be filling a gap in the market, he said. They will also be doing it without industry having to incur the expense of training student interns.
“There’s nobody doing this analysis locally, so we’re not competitive with anyone,” Houser said. “Nobody’s job will be impacted. We’re offering a service no one is offering locally and offsetting the costs for industry because we’ll train up the students.”
Houser said the university is also taking the opportunity to set up the program to operate as if it’s a business to broaden the student experience.
Houser said equipping students with a variety of skills is the direction employers want universities to go. “Employers don’t care about your degree or where you went to school as much as they care about do you have soft skills to go with it,” he said. “Are you capable of doing different jobs?”
Nobody’s job will be impacted. We’re offering a service no one is offering locally and offsetting the costs for industry because we’ll train up the students.