Artistic endeavour is more than just a sideline for Windsor lawyer Peter Hrastovec. An actor with community theatre, past president of the Windsor Symphony Society, and a self-proclaimed “foodie,” he will release his second collection of poetry, Sidelines, with a public launch tonight—Wednesday, April 8.

Hrastovec, a UWindsor English and law grad (BA 1979, LLB 1982) and a partner with the firm Shibley Righton LLP, says he draws inspiration from many facets of life.

“I could say that it comes from the heart. I’m moved by a lot of things, people and places,” he says. “The whole idea of writing has always been a part of my life.”

He says he likes the vehicle of poetry: “One of my university professors referred to poetry as a high-energy construct that can say a lot in a small amount of space.”

Hrastovec is a past president of the University of Windsor Alumni Association and received the Alumni Award of Merit in 1998. Sidelines follows 2012’s In Lieu of Flowers, similarly published by Black Moss Press.

Wednesday’s reception is free and open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Caboto Club, 2175 Parent Avenue, and will also launch Gillian Cott’s memoir Make Me, Remake Me, and Sunday with the Tigers, edited by UWindsor professor Dale Jacobs.

Areas as varied as animal behaviour, genetics, toxicology and biogeochemistry will come under the microscope during the Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Symposium, this week at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research.

The event runs 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 9 and 10, in the institute’s conference room at 2990 Riverside Drive West. Presentations by more than 40 graduate students are open to the public, and director Daniel Heath says he hopes members of the community will take note.

“Our aquatic ecosystems are vulnerable to multiple, interacting stressors such as exotic invasive species, harmful chemicals, habitat alteration, climate change and overexploitation,” says Dr. Heath. “GLIER’s graduate students investigate how our aquatic ecosystems are impacted by threats, and explore the processes underlying healthy ecosystems to better predict the impact of novel or emerging stressors.”

He says the institute’s mandate includes engaging the public in efforts to aid in the conservation and restoration of aquatic resources and biodiversity.

“I am excited to be part of the dynamic research effort reflected by the graduate student presentations in this colloquium,” he says.

Students experiencing stress as the end of the semester looms can get some much-needed relaxation therapy, courtesy of the certified friendly dogs of Therapeutic Paws of Canada.

The canine counsellors will be available for meetings with students from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 8 and 9, in Ambassador Auditorium’s Salon A, CAW Student Centre.

The student caucus of Senate, along with the Windsor chapter of Therapeutic Paws of Canada, has organized the event, sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Parking Services.