Rachel Andrews, a student in the laboratory of biology professor Andrew Swan, won recognition at a gathering of more than 200 senior-level honours undergraduate students this past weekend at Laurentian University in Sudbury.

Andrews won best presentation in cell biology at Ontario Biology Day for her entry, entitled “The role of cortex (CORT) in sex determination of Drosophila.”

Dr. Swan says her research project investigates how the CORT gene, if misregulated, can cause female fruit flies to transform into males.

“Rachel has been able to generate many high-quality results,” he says. “Most importantly, she found very good evidence that CORT targets for destruction a known sex determination protein called Tra. These findings represent a major advance in our understanding of sex determination.”

The University of Windsor was represented at the colloquium by a contingent of 18 undergraduate students from the Department of Biological Sciences and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research.

To celebrate United Nations World Water Day, volunteers with UWindsor’s Green and Environmental Sustainability Advocate will be strategically placed on campus today — Wednesday, March 22 — to talk all things water.

With the theme “Reducing and Reusing Waste Water,” the students will set up information tables in the CAW Student Centre, the Centre for Engineering Information, and the Toldo Health Education Centre to answer questions on everything from Great Lakes water health to ways disposable water bottles damage the environment. Volunteers will be armed with information from the May 2016 student report Eliminating Bottled Water on Campus.

A reading Thursday, March 23, will launch the spring 2017 edition of Windsor Salt, the University’s literary magazine.

It’s actually a double reading, with magazine contributors leading into visiting author Stan Rogal, published poet, playwright and fiction writer. Featured readers include Vanessa Barraco, Jennie Broadwell, Tim Fogarty, Micaela Muldoon, and Yanik Gallie.

The free public event starts at 7 p.m. at Mare Nostrum restaurant, adjacent to the Education Building.

The University of Windsor was top among five universities named “Canada’s Rising Stars” in UniversityHub’s recently released Canadian University Rankings.

The publication says the institutions named already have a lot to offer and promise to become household names in the near future.

UniversityHub cited UWindsor’s investment in infrastructure, programs, and research among the reasons for its inclusion in the list and called the recently announced Science Research and Innovation Centre “an incredible space for creativity and collaboration.”

To read the entire article in the Huffington Post Canada, visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/universityhubca/canadian-universities-to-watch_b_15433758.html?ncid=engmodushpmg00000006

Chris Waters, dean of the UWindsor Faculty of Law, is the guest speaker for the Essex Law Association’s annual general meeting, April 8 at the Windsor Club.

The association serves a membership of more than 600 lawyers in Windsor and Essex County. Besides an address by Prof. Waters, the meeting will feature the presentation of the 2016 Charles J. Clark Award and recognition of members celebrating 25 years in legal practice.

Find details, including ticket information, on the association’s website.

A roundtable discussion Wednesday, March 29, will explore the challenges posed by autonomous vehicles — and the opportunities for the WindsorEssex-Detroit region.

The event will feature expert panellists presenting on the technological, business and legal aspects of self-driving vehicles.

It gets underway at 4 p.m. in the Freed-Orman Centre’s Garden Room, Assumption Hall. Find additional details on the law website. RSVP by Friday, March 24, to Cristina Corio at cristina.corio@uwindsor.ca.

The University’s finance department is preparing for the end of the 2016-17 fiscal year, and has prepared a set of guidelines for staff using the Finance Information System and its digital ledgers.

Controller Gillian Heisz says employees across the campus are an essential part of the process: “We appreciate everyone’s efforts to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.”

The team in Financial Accounting and Reporting has prepared a memorandum explaining the year-end procedures and cut-off dates. The memo is available on the finance website; read it in portable document format here.

A lecture Thursday at the University of Toronto’s St. Michael’s College will commemorate Cecil Houston, a former dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, who died in September 2016.

Two scholars will deliver “Remembering Cecil Houston:  A Journey through Irish Canadian History”: David A. Wilson, a professor of Celtic studies at the University of Toronto, and W.J. Smyth, president emeritus of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

The event will start at 6:00 p.m. March 23, in the Charbonnel Lounge at 81 St. Mary Street in Toronto. A memorial ceremony is set for 1 p.m. Friday, March 24, at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Dr. Houston joined the University of Windsor as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in July 2002. He became acting director of the School for Creative Arts in July 2012 and also held the position of professor of political science until his retirement in July 2015.

Windsor colleagues and friends will gather to celebrate his life at a reception April 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Kildare House, 1880 Wyandotte Street East.