Healthy Headwaters Lab

10/02/2026

🤩 CONGRATULATIONS DR. LAUREN DAMPHOUSSE!!

🙌🏼 In this banner season for the lab, we congratulate Lauren for her incredible achievement, defending her PhD thesis on Unionid mussel translocations in Canada last week.

📢 Lauren’s science is clear and compelling: Canada’s native Unionid freshwater mussels are diverse and are in need of care when conducting translocations. There are technologies and relationships that can help ensure their successful conservation. On this journey she published multiple papers, a DFO report, trained/mentored/helped so many others and was part of the team who made the first ever mussel reintroduction possible - welcome home Kidneyshell 🥹

❤️ First but definitely not the last, Dr. Damphousse is the first HHL PhD with others to follow soon.

🛶 This work would not be possible without the incredible partnership with Dr Todd J Morris Fisheries and Oceans Canada Kelly McNichols St Clair Region Conservation Authority NSERC | CRSNG and opportunities to build relationships through native mussels Bkejwanong Eco-Keepers Deshkan Ziibiing Indigenous Land Guardians

🎉 Congratulations Dr. Lauren!

Integrative Biology UWindsor Faculty of Science GLIER University of Windsor

10/02/2026

🌟 CONGRATULATIONS Sarika Suarez Sharma on a successful MSc Defense!! 🎉 Sarika

🙌🏼 Last week Sarika defended her thesis research on remotely piloted aircraft in ecosystem restoration and Phragmites monitoring!

🛶 Sarika successfully brought School Environment GeoVision Lab & GLIER University of Windsor Integrative Biology The Healthy Headwaters Lab all together with local partners to show how technology and conservation practice can come together through co-production and collaboration.

🎉 Sarika is an award winning early career researcher & has been part of HHL since her undergrad days. We are so thrilled to witness this exciting chapter come to a successful end 🥹

👍🏼 Miigwech to the constellation of amazing partners and funders Ojibway Nature Centre Essex Region Conservation NSERC | CRSNG CREATE

09/21/2026

What can the Great Lakes learn from global biodiversity efforts? A new Lakes Letter article highlights how IPBES is bringing together scientists, Indigenous knowledge holders, and policymakers to turn research into action.

Read more in : https://bit.ly/ll-sp26

09/21/2026

Congratulations to IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel member, Catherine Febria, on her election to The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) / La Société royale du Canada (SRC) College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, recognizing her as an exceptional emerging scientist having demonstrated a high level of achievement early in their careers.

👉 Read more: https://ow.ly/72k750ZOAlj

09/18/2026

09/18/2026

08/13/2026

🔥🔥🔥 Congratulations to Caldwell First Nation / Chippewas of Pt Pelee & Pelee Island on their 2nd annual pow wow this past weekend

🛶 It has been the biggest privilege to work in partnership with & service to kin for the benefit of future generations in Three Fires Confederacy Territory.

🙏 We are so grateful for all the new connections, seeing many friends and witnessing fellow HHL fam perform and represent their cultures and communities.

💫 Chi-Miigwech to all who visited the GLIER University of Windsor ❎ The Healthy Headwaters Lab table. We had the best time!!!

✌️ See you next year 🙏 Baa Maa Pii

07/25/2026

🙌🏼 Welcome home Kidneyshell mussels! So grateful to be helpers on a larger journey to bring back an endangered Unionid freshwater mussel, the Kidneyshell , back to its native waters.

☀️ Teamwork makes the dream work! Thank you Dr Todd J Morris for the persistence, inclusive approach to collaboration and shepherding us through the process of reintroduction.

🙏Chi-Miigwech Deshkan Ziibiing Indigenous Land Guardians for leading this day off in a good way & extending the spirit of kinship & caretaking into this work.

🛶 People and partnerships made this happen, and will be why these special species thrive and succeed long-term. The science is clear that species conservation and ecosystem restoration will be more successful when we all work together. This was a hopeful moment for freshwater biodiversity in Canada. Go Kidneyshell Go! We’ll be here every step of the way 🩷

University of Windsor UWindsor Faculty of Science Integrative Biology GLIER University of Windsor

07/24/2026

🌟 We are so grateful to be part of Canada’s first ever Unionid freshwater mussel reintroduction.

🛶 This is a hopeful moment for freshwater biodiversity conservation, and the partnerships needed to ensure the success of this special species. Go Kidneyshell go!

06/13/2026

🎓 CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF ‘26! 🎉

🙌🏼 We couldn’t be more proud of our HHL friends & fam who walked the stage, marking a very special moment for their careers in science & in life last week.

⛰️ So proud of our HHL thesis students Avery Ng Alexia dunia who came as 1st and 2nd yrs, and chose to stay multiple years, through many projects and collaborations, learning and growing and making the most out of every opportunity. You make us proud!

🫶🏼 enjoy this moment, grads 🤩