Leah is a M.Sc. student at the University of Manitoba. She is completing her research within the Environment and Geography Department, in the Stress Ecology Laboratory. She is supervised by Dr. Vince Palace (IISD-Experimental Lakes Area) and Dr. Mark Hanson (University of Manitoba). Leah has obtained a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Hons.), with a focus in aquatic ecology from the University of Manitoba. Her master’s research involves assessing the ecotoxicological effect of aquaculture wastewater on zooplankton communities. The communities to be examined were collected from experimental mesocosms that were planted with northern wild rice (Zizania palustris) and exposed to varying volumes of aquaculture waste. There are two locations where the research was conducted: the Prairie Wetland Research Facility at the University of Manitoba; and R&L Acres south of Sperling, MB. Leah’s research also involves exploring the feasibility of using of environmental DNA as an alternative method to identify and quantify these zooplankton communities. Leah is passionate about freshwater science and the impacts that aquatic ecosystems face. This passion grew during her time working as an undergraduate research assistant with the toxicology crew at the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area. She hopes that her research will lead to a greater understanding of the impacts of aquaculture nutrient pollution on the aquatic environment, and that this experience will aid her in her future aquatic ecology career pursuits.