Keara Stanislawczyk will spend a good part of her summer bobbing around in Hamilton Harbour trying to find tiny microscopic water fleas.

While some might think of better ways to spend their time, it’s a pursuit the graduate student describes as “awesome” and says could ultimately yield some better insights on the best ways to detect and prevent the spread of harmful aquatic invasive species.

“With a lot of invasive species, by the time we realize they’re there, the damage is already done,” said the master’s student who works in Hugh MacIsaac’s lab in the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research. “We want to catch them before they create negative environmental and economic consequences.”

Stanislawczyk, who is originally from Cleveland and earned her undergraduate degree in zoology from Ohio's Miami University, was just one of dozens of graduate students presenting brief talks on their work at last Thursday and Friday’s annual GLIER research colloquium. Projects covered everything from genetics and toxicology to trophic ecology and invasive species.

Water fleas – specifically cladocera – are a common form of zooplankton and source of food for a variety of fish species, Stanislawczyk said. She’ll examine whether traditional methods of taxonomy used to identify and categorize various organisms are as ffective as modern techniques like genetic sequencing at detecting the presence of species in water samples.

After taking water samples from Hamilton Harbour, Stanislawczyk will remove the cladocera, and use traditional taxonomic methods like microscopically analyzing their various features, such as the shapes of their heads, the size of their denticles, or teeth, and the length of their feet. She’ll compare her results to previously published research that identified species from the same locations based solely on DNA sequences they contained.

She chose Hamilton Harbour because it’s an extremely busy shipping port and previous research has shown that many invasive species are transported around the globe in the ballast tanks of ocean-going vessels. The port is one of the best studied on the Great Lakes, owing to the presence of the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, a federal government facility.

The study will provide insight into advanced molecular techniques and help invasive species scientists choose the most appropriate methods for their studies, Stanislawczyk said.

Truancy is a serious problem in Ontario, says Nicole Powers, but children’s aid societies across the province are not mandated to deal with it.

A student in the Master of Social Work/Juris Doctor program, she recommends that the Child and Family Services Act be amended to empower Children’s Aid Societies to intervene when students miss school.

“Truancy is the number one risk factor for later criminal activity and juvenile delinquency,” says Powers. “The Ministry of Children and Youth Services has set a goal to ensure every person graduates from secondary school. Changing the act is a way to achieve that goal.”

Powers was one of dozens of graduate students in social work presenting projects based on their practicum experiences, Friday in the CAW Student Centre. Her placement with the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society was “eye-opening,” she says.

“I chose this agency because I will be articling with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer (under Ontario’s attorney general),” says Powers. “I thought it would be a good idea to get some background on what children’s aid societies do.”

Although the public perception is that children’s aid societies “take people’s kids away,” she says she learned that it offers many supports to help families cope with challenges.

Social professor Connie Kvarfordt says that educational experience is the key reason why the graduate program places students with community agencies.

“The practicum bridges the gap between academic knowledge and real life,” she says. “It’s a great learning experience that will inform their professional practice.”

The students are required to identify possible funding sources for any recommendations they make, Dr. Kvarfordt says, and presenting their research in the poster display develops yet another skill—the ability to explain their work to the public.

To help celebrate the University of Windsor’s 50th anniversary, the University Bookstore is offering DailyNews readers chances to demonstrate their knowledge of the institution and its history.

Today’s quiz, the 39th in a series, offers one lucky winner a beautiful 12"x16" diploma frame. Bearing the words “University of Windsor” in gold with a single mat, the metal frame is available for purchase at a cost of $47.95 from the Bookstore kiosk in the CAW Student Centre.

To enter, match each of these Odyssey Award recipients to their majors of study. The Alumni Association confers the Odyssey Award in recognition of UWindsor grads who are in the early years of their career paths. The winner will be selected at random from all correct responses received by 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 8.

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. Note: the decision of the judge in determining the most correct response is inviolable.