Happy #FacultyFriday! Today, we're spotlighting Professor Heidi Swanson from @WaterlooBio! Prof Swanson usually teaches Arctic Ecology (BIOL 489), as well as a graduate level course in statistics.

Prof Swanson's research group focuses on understanding how aquatic ecosystems are connected to each other and to terrestrial environments, and how these connections interact to affect the ecology and life history of fish, and ultimately, accumulation of contaminants.

Prof Swanson's research locations are all up North, above the 60° North latitude. In her research she works alongside the Indigenous communities living there, and lets her research be shaped by the experiences and teachings of these communities.

"Sometimes when we face a big problem or issue as individuals, it is difficult to know where to start because it is so overwhelming. We are hoping that people will read the paper and choose a place to start." - Heidi Swanson Sign up for Monday's event:

Professor Swanson is from Saskatchewan, and is constantly awed by how big the trees are in Southern Ontario! She currently spends her time learning about the trees and fungi around us. In normal times, she can also be found playing basketball and percussion in community bands.

Some final words of advice from Professor Swanson for today's #FacultyFriday: "Be kind to yourself, this is hard. Just try to keep it between the weeds (that's what we say on the prairies when you can't see where the road is in the wintertime)."

Free event hosted in part by Dr. Swanson! You will hear from Mary Jane (Gùdia) Johnson, an Elder from Kluane First Nation, Lawrence Ignace, a policy analyst who is Anishinaabe, Kate Ballegooyen, Resource Manager for Kluane First Nation, and Carmen Wong, ecologist for Kluane Park

Proud to share the research of our female @water_institute members on #InternationalWomensDay including Prof. Heidi Swanson from @WaterlooSci "First Nations Fish safe to eat: Finding fish that are high in fatty acids and low in mercury" https://t.co/UyOw6N5aBd #WomenInWater

Ensuring fish are safe to eat in the Canadian north: @WaterlooBio researcher Heidi Swanson works alongside Indigenous communities to combine traditional knowledge with western science. Read more: https://t.co/pJy1ntqYcl #UWaterloo

Heidi Swanson, Assistant professor at #UWatrerlooSci, and her team of researchers aim to limit the amount of mercury in the ecosystem in the Northwest Territories by removing contaminated fish from lakes, leaving young, healthy fish to grow mercury-free:

Heidi Swanson is working to understand how catchment characteristics impact fish mercury concentrations... chlorophyll concentrations and forest cover are very important @NWF_Research @GWFutures

#NWF Co-I Heidi Swanson presents an incredible case study on mercury concentration in fish, management and traditional knowledge #GWFASM