The Asian delicacy shark fin soup is often served at weddings, banquets and important business deals and symbolizes wealth, power, prestige and honour, but demand for its main ingredient has led to the overfishing and rapid decline of many shark species around the world.

A visiting researcher will discuss his work, which he hopes will help slow that decline, at a lecture this afternoon.

“The overfishing of sharks is a global environmental problem, but with the tools I’ll describe and the political will to put them to use, I suggest it’s not an insurmountable one,” says Demian Chapman, an assistant professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at Stony Brook University.

Those tools include a combination of field-based visual identification and genetic testing that could enable a species-specific regulation of the shark trade, Dr. Chapman said.

Chapman said the global nature of the shark trade makes it difficult to track how certain species are being affected and to establish population-specific regulations to prevent overfishing. Genetic testing is an effective way to identify shark fins, but he says the perception persists that it’s expensive, time-consuming and cannot be done in the field.

“We have found that several of the key shark species in trade have fins that are readily identifiable by non-experts in the field using fin coloration and morphological characteristics,” he said.

Chapman’s lecture will be held at 3 p.m. today in Room 250 at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research.

Expanded recruiting efforts and a broader provincial profile are just two of the reasons UWindsor has experienced a six per cent increase over last year in applicants selecting UWindsor as their first choice, topping the provincial average increase of two per cent.

Dave Bussière, assistant provost, admissions and recruiting, says a new approach to student recruitment has significantly helped increase interest in UWindsor.

“We’re crediting a number of factors, including a 50 per cent increase in high school visits by our Liaison and Student Recruitment staff this fall,” Dr. Bussière says. “This is in addition to expanded faculty and student participation in the Toronto University Fair, exceptional efforts by our deans and a greater coordination of efforts between our recruiting and advertising departments.”

He added that a new advertising campaign with expanded reach into such areas as malls and theatres brings the UWindsor message even closer to students.

“These numbers show that we are having considerable success in sharing the UWindsor story with students making post-secondary decisions, and that we seem to be reaching them in a number of different ways,” Bussière says. “High school students may hear great things from our liaison people during school visits, but they are also hearing these same things from friends and siblings who are already attending UWindsor and this is reinforced by our advertising campaign.

“These students want to be assured that they’re making the right choice and the combined efforts of our faculty and staff to help students and their parents make informed decisions is really the driver of this year’s recruiting success.”

Some highlights within individual faculties include:

• The Faculty of Engineering is up by 29.4 perc ent across all areas, generated by interest in the opening of the Centre for Engineering Innovation this fall.
• The Odette School of Business is up 10.8 per cent compared to the provincial average of 5.9 per cent.
• The School of Nursing is up 11.9 per cent.
• The Faculty of Science is up 8.7 per cent with significant gains in biology, computer science and physics.
• The Faculty of Arts and Social Science is up 6.5 per cent with strong numbers in political science, social work and the new digital journalism program.

Relocating into the Centre for Engineering Innovation will further its work to attract and grow businesses in the region, says the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation.

The economic development agency and its WindsorEssex Small Business Centre will move into the building at the corner of Wyandotte Street and California Avenue this weekend.

“The WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation looks forward to the opportunity of moving to this regional address and to continue partnering with the University of Windsor and St. Clair College on a number of initiatives,” says spokesperson Lana Drouillard. “We will work with them to leverage their comprehensive research for strategic planning purposes as well as focus on building the talent pipeline that will continue to ensure our region remains competitive globally.”

She says a robust economy depends on creating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. The agency’s new location, adjacent to the UWindsor Faculty of Engineering and the Odette School of Business, will facilitate its collaboration with key community stakeholders.

UWindsor President Alan Wildeman says the combination of academics, business, industry and agencies will make 700 California Avenue “an address for innovation.”

“Our University is fully committed to being a hub for the manufacturing sector and for industry and business across our region,” he says. “We welcome the addition of the Economic Development Corporation as a partner in creating a regional address that business and government can point to as the place to go for ideas and innovation that could support investment in our community.”

The Lancer basketball teams will face one of their toughest tests to date this weekend when they play host to the Brock Badgers on Saturday night at the St. Denis Centre.

The games will be one of the featured match-ups in Canadian university basketball, carried live for local viewers on TV Cogeco’s cable channel 11 and webcast for out-of-town fans at SSN Canada.

On the women’s side, Windsor is ranked second in the nation and its 12-2 record is good for first in the Ontario University Athletics West division, just one game ahead of second-place Brock. The women will tip off at 6 p.m.

The Lancer men are currently 10-3 and third in the OUA West, but just one game out of first – and two games ahead of the Badgers. They will play at 8 p.m.

Read the full story, “Lancers set to battle Badgers in featured weekend match-up at the St. Denis Centre,” at goLancers.ca.

The Athletics Department is offering DailyNews readers a chance to win four tickets to this premier evening of basketball. At $8 admission, that’s a $32 value. Of course, UWindsor students are admitted free with valid identification.

Just send your answers to the following trivia questions. The winners will be randomly selected from all correct responses received by 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 19.

1. Lancer basketball coaches Chris Oliver and Chantal Vallée each reached what milestone recently?
   a) 1000 wins with the Lancers
   b) 100 wins with the Lancers
   c) 500 wins with the Lancers
   d) 67 wins with the Lanceres
2. Which two current Lancer basketball players represented Canada at last summer's World University Games in China?
   a) Korissa Williams and Josh Collins
   b) Bojana Kovacevic and Enrico Diloreto
   c) Jessica Clemencon and Evan Matthews
   d) Miah Langlois and Lien Phillip
3. Which two former Lancer greats both played point guard on Coach Oliver's and Coach Vallée's teams?
   a) Raelyn Prince and Greg Surmacz
   b) Cookie Leach and Gino Sovran
   c) Shavaun Reaney and Ryan Steer
   d) Leslie Goossens and Geoff Stead 

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please.

Student Health Fair brings campus and community agencies together in one place to answer the myriad of questions students have, says health promotion nurse Judi Wilson.

“So many resources are gathered here for them,” Wilson said Wednesday in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium. “They can wear beer goggles to learn about the effects drinking has on their senses or they can get a relaxing massage.”

Nursing student Arica Gill staffed a booth for the HIV Care Program as part of her community placement with the agency. She encouraged visitors to roll a large die, then draw a matching question-and-answer.

“It’s something people don’t want to think about, which makes it important for us to bring the education to them,” she said.

Wilson estimated 800 patrons visited the fair, held as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

The event concludes today with three activities:

• A suicide prevention workshop led by Elizabeth McDermott and Rosemary Plastow of the Student Counselling Centre will provide instruction in the QPR method – question, persuade and refer. It runs 10 a.m. to noon in Vanier Hall’s Katzman Lounge. Contact the centre to register.
• Identical twins Allison and Lauren Knight tell the story of their journey through life as inseparable sisters who have never spent more than a few hours apart at any one time. They will discuss their unique relationship and its obstacles – and sign copies of their memoir Mirror Mirror: Two Bodies, One Soul, at 2 p.m. in Vanier Hall’s Katzman Lounge.
• Shepell fgi is sponsoring a one-hour webinar entitled Understanding Depressive Illness at 3:30 p.m., to shatter misconceptions about depression and explore treatments. Space is limited; reserve a spot at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/937105946.

Free fitness classes offered through Campus Recreation continue through Friday. Find a full list of opportunities and register on the Campus Rec Web site.

Watch a video from the Student Health Fair:

University of Windsor students will have extra incentive to kick the habit. Registration is open this week for Leave the Pack Behind, a contest to discourage tobacco use, open to student smokers and non-smokers alike.

Contestants who meet the contest guidelines during the period of January 23 to March 5 enter a draw to win certificates toward their 2012/13 tuition in several categories:

• Quit for Good: $500 for quitting smoking entirely
• Keep the Count: $200 for cutting cigarette consumption in half
• Party Without the Pack: $200 for remaining smoke-free while consuming alcohol
• Don't Start and Win: $100 for non-smokers who stay tobacco-free

This year, a provincial draw offers a top prize of $1,000 cash. Registration continues through Friday, January 20, at www.leavethepackbehind.org/contest_register.php.

Students in visual arts professor Cyndra MacDowall’s introductory photography course in chemical and digital photographic processes explore a wide range of themes in their exhibition, “A Thousand Words: Comments on Photography,” currently on display in the LeBel Building’s SoVA Projects Gallery.

Curated by MFA candidate Owen Eric Wood, the show features works by participating artists Simon Allen, Silvia Avramut, Kristen Binder, Elyse Dagenais, Rachelle DeBrouwer, Kareem El Shazly, Fatima Fakih, Laura Hammell, Shannon Jackson, Miranda Lauzon, Jaron Loban, Christopher Manousos, Kimberly McIntosh, April Morris, Syed Dawud Shahidi, Taylar Tippins, Erin Treverton, Rachel Willie and Aleeza Wright.

A free public reception at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 20, will mark the show’s closing.

A reception tonight will celebrate the opening of a group painting exhibition featuring works by artists with UWindsor ties.

Dean Carson, a staff member in the Leddy Library, and former visual arts instructor Jim Mroczkowski have teamed up with Matthew Hawtin for “Are you in the room?” at SB Contemporary Art.

Gallery owner Sarah Beveridge said she was initially intrigued by the differences in the artists’ practices and processes, but couldn’t help drawing parallels between them.

“The relationships to space, to perception, and our understanding of meaning are in some cases physical and in others conceptual, psychological within the work,” she says. “In all cases, the viewer as well as the artist poses questions as the work pushes and pulls against perceived boundaries.”

The reception is free and open to the public beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 19. SB Contemporary Art is located at 1017 Church Street. The exhibition will remain on display through March 3.

Interested in boosting your memory and health?

Anne Baird, associate professor of psychology, is conducting a free workshop offering information and skills aimed at those who seek to maintain or improve good memory function and health in the second half of work life and in retirement. The workshop is part of her research study, funded by a University of Windsor internal grant.

People 50 and up are likely to get the most out of this program, says Dr. Baird. Please telephone or e-mail her for more details and a telephone screening to see if you qualify: 519-253-3000, ext. 2234, abaird@uwindsor.ca. Voicemail and e-mail message will be returned in 72 hours.

Those who qualify and enroll in the study will come to the Psychological Services and Research Centre at 336 Sunset Avenue for one-hour individual pre- and post-workshop sessions on January 28 and March 10. All workshop sessions will be on Saturdays -- February 4, February 11, and March 3 -- from 9:30 a.m. to 1 pm.

Participants will receive $6 at the pre-workshop session. Those who complete all sessions will receive an additional $24 at the post-workshop session, as well as handouts and refreshments during sessions.

This research program has received clearance from the University of Windsor Research Ethics Board.