14
view . fall 2011
A new generation of UWindsor graduates will be
better prepared
to find ways of preserving freshwater
resources for both humans and animals thanks to
a $1.6-million grant from the Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
More than 50 students will be trained over the next
six years by a team of about 30 scientists led by Melania
Cristescu, an assistant professor in the University’s Great
Lakes Institute for Environmental Research. The funding
from NSERC’s Collaborative Research and Training
Experience program will help prepare students to
understand a multitude of such environmental stressors as
metal contaminants, the decline of calcium, and invasive
species that threaten our sources of fresh water and the
diverse range of organisms they support.
“The main goal is training,” said Dr. Cristescu, who
has already begun recruiting students for the program.
“Graduates will be able work in positions where they
can have a positive influence on the way we manage our
aquatic ecosystems.”
An agreement to share the costs of a space for
multi-faith practice in the CAW Student Centre
is
another example of co-operation between the University of
Windsor Students’ Alliance and University administration,
says alliance president André Capaldi.
“This is a definite priority for us,” Capaldi said. “We
must work together to ensure that students are enjoying
the best quality of life on campus, and that extends to their
spiritual needs.”
Under the terms of the agreement signed in late July,
both groups will contribute up to $75,000 each toward the
renovation of the former used bookstore on the building’s
ground floor. The bulk of the cost will be to modify
neighbouring washrooms to accommodate ritual ablutions
necessary to some faith practices. Renovations will also
include new flooring and paint, and removable dividers to
partition the space.
“The space is very flexible to accommodate the
different needs and requirements of the faith groups on
campus,” he said. The space is expected to be completed
by the end of September.
UWINDSOR SCIENTISTS TO TRAIN FUTURE FRESHWATER EXPERTS
STUDENT CENTRE TO HOUSE MULTI -FAITH SPACE
FORENSICS PROFESSOR MIXES ART WITH ICK
Dr. Sherah VanLaerhoven is a UWindsor associate
professor in biology, academic chair of the forensic
sciences program,
and
one of only two forensic
entomologists in Canada.
Her expertise is relied
upon in the courtroom,
including the wrongful
death trial of Steven
Truscott.
So she can be forgiven
if her creative outlet is a
bit unconventional.
VanLaerhoven uses
fly larvae to create unique
works of art. That’s right,
live maggots.
“We just put different
colours of paint on them
and let them crawl around on the canvas,” she says, holding
up one of her two creations that hang on her office wall.
She took her artwork on the road in July, much to the
delight of bug-eyed children at the Ontario Science Centre,
when she made a presentation about forensic entomology.
“It’s a really fun
way of helping little kids
understand what maggots
do,” she says of the
creations, which can take
anywhere from 10 to 30
minutes, depending on the
number of maggots, how
fast they’re crawling and
how much you want on
your canvas. “And those
crawling patterns can
help us understand how
maggots can alter blood
stains in a crime scene.”
VanLaerhoven noted
that some of the children
at the centre opted out of the experience, but many of
them “just dove right in and had a blast.”
Using live maggots to create art: Entomologist Sherah VanLaerhoven
holds up a painting she created with the assistance of live maggots.
