Gradcast

What's a better way to start off the school year than with a brand new mini-series! GradCast is teaming up with Learning, Development and Success, out of Western Student Experience. We talk to experts on campus who support graduate students in doing research, writing theses, and have all the tips and tricks to succeed in grad school! In our last episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Scott Walters chat with Maggie Kubow, a Senior Writing Advisor at the Writing Support Centre and Heather Ellis, a Learning Specialist at Learning Development & Success, to share everything a grad student needs to know about writing and learning how to balance it all! We chat about the services offered by the Writing Support Centre by Maggie. Then we shift to Heather, who shares resources provided by Learning Development & Success when it comes to writing and project management. Tune in to learn some tips to help with the writing process! The Writing Support Centre offers free 50-minute one-to-one appointments with a writing advi

In this installment of the #TheScoopOnSOGS miniseries, host Maris Schneider is joined by Saghar Soltanabadi, a fourth-year PhD candidate in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, serving as the Vice President Student Services (VPSS) for the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) at Western University. In her role, Saghar acts as a main operational role for graduate student support, coordinating across committees, services, and the executive team to enhance student life beyond the classroom and lab. She oversees key areas including mental and physical health initiatives, ancillary fees, orientation programming, recreation, and overall student well-being. Through committees such as Graduate Peer Support, the Health Plan Committee, and the Orientation and Social Committee, Saghar helps deliver essential services like the orientation week, graduate wellness week, health and dental coverage, social and athletic events, buss pass system, and support funds for students. From launching large-scale activities like the SOGS

What's a better way to start off the school year than with a brand new mini-series! GradCast is teaming up with Learning, Development and Success, out of Western Student Experience. We talk to experts on campus who support graduate students in doing research, writing theses, and have all the tips and tricks to succeed in grad school! In our third episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Chrishma Perera chat with Aldean Ellis and Heather Ellis, Learning Specialists at Learning Development & Success, to dive into the hidden curriculum. We explore what exactly is the hidden curriculum in graduate school? Why is it hidden and what are some common hidden curriculum topics Learning Specialists discuss with graduate students? Tune in to learn more about this mysterious hidden curriculum! You can book an appointment with Learning Development & Success online! Workshops are being hosted with Own Your Future in October/November on sustaining motivation, AI and graduate school, the hidden curriculum/inculturation and pro

In this installment of the #TheScoopOnSOGS miniseries, host Maris Schneider is joined by Kirsty Ng, a PhD Candidate in Western's Department of Chemistry who currently serves as the Board Chair at the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS). Listen to this episode to learn about Kirsty's research, background, and roles at SOGS. Recorded on September 23, 2025.  Produced by Anthony Cruz & Milan Mammen.  Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ (Produced by White Hot).

What's a better way to start off the school year than with a brand new mini-series! GradCast is teaming up with Learning, Development and Success, out of Western Student Experience. We talk to experts on campus who support graduate students in doing research, writing theses, and have all the tips and tricks to succeed in grad school!  In our second episode, hosts Riya Sidhu and Garth Casbourn chat with Heather Ellis, a Learning Specialist at Learning Development & Success, to explore a timely topic: time management in graduate school. Heather shares how time management can be a huge task for a grad student to tackle. She shares tips and tricks for time management, such as breaking down bigger tasks into smaller ones and using sticky notes!   You can book an appointment with Learning Development & Success online! There are workshops being hosted with Own Your Future in October/November on sustaining motivation, AI and graduate school, the hidden curriculum/inculturation and project management! Here is

In this installment of the #TheScoopOnSOGS miniseries, host Maris Schneider is joined by Anthony Cruz, a PhD Candidate in Western's Department of Psychology who currently serves as the Vice-President Academic at the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS). Listen to this episode to learn about Anthony's research, background, and roles at SOGS. Recorded on September 16, 2025.  Produced by Anthony Cruz.  Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ (Produced by White Hot).

What's a better way to start off the school year than with a brand new mini-series! GradCast is teaming up with Learning, Development and Success, out of Western Student Experience, to talk to experts on campus who support graduate students in doing research, writing theses, and have all the tips and tricks to succeed in grad school!  In our first episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and Ryan Baxter chat with Aldean Ellis, a Learning Specialist, to dive into motivation. He defines motivation, key factors that shape and sustain motivation and practical strategies for navigating periods of low motivation or feeling stuck. Aldean will be hosting an Own Your Future workshop about sustaining motivation on November 11 through Western Connect.  Own Your Future complements the doctoral curriculum by focusing on the often-overlooked skills and attributes of PhDs that contribute to their success within and beyond their studies. Own Your Future makes professional development meaningful and makes the advantages of participatin

Join us for the 7th episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, which is a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience, and Western's 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research while enhancing transferable skills. This week, hosts Riya Sidhu and Ryan Baxter chat with Shafquat Rana, a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Her research at the Free Appropriate Sustainable Technology (FAST) lab focuses on decarbonization of Canada’s residential sector by integrating renewable resources with mechanical systems by using solar photovoltaics, heat pumps and thermal batteries. She shares practical application, its importance in Canada and how the system works to reduce carbon emissions. Check out Shafquat’s Appropedia, her Inspiring Minds submission and the Free Appropriate Sustainability Technology (FAST) Rese

Hosts Anthony Cruz and Scott Walters chat with Anemily Machina, a PHD candidate in Computer Sciences. Anemily puts our hosts on the spot with a word association game as part of summarizing their work on explainable AI, the limits of large language models (LLMs), and the risks of the ongoing AI bubble. For even more from Anemily on this topic, consider watching their two part series, available on Youtube: Part 1 | Part 2.   Recorded on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 Produced by kirstyn seanor Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

In this week’s episode, hosts Krishna Pereira and Anthony Cruz interview Sydney Holland, a second-year PhD student in Anthropology at Western University. Sydney’s research focuses on bioarchaeology, using human remains such as teeth and bones to study life in the past. Sydney Holland explores the lives of past communities through the lens of bioarchaeology. Her research focuses on how infant feeding practices—particularly breastfeeding and weaning—shaped survival, health, and social dynamics in early modern populations. For her master’s work, Sydney studied skeletal remains from a 17th–18th century rural community near Montreal. By analyzing teeth and bones, she investigated how families navigated feeding decisions, such as the use of wet nurses, the timing of weaning, and responses to food scarcity. These practices left measurable traces in the skeletons, providing unique insights into daily life and challenges faced by families. Using stable isotope analysis, Sydney revealed that variations in infant feedin

In this week's episode, hosts Riya Sidhu and Ryan Baxter interview Sarah Park, a student in the combined  MScOT/PhD program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.  Parkinson's disease can have a deleterious effect on walking, or gait. Left untreated, worsening gait (such as uneven pacing, or irregular steps) can lead to negative outcomes, such as falls. Sarah discusses her research in non-pharmacological interventions to help improve walking. Sarah, Riya, and Ryan discuss interdisciplinary research opportunities and ways in which graduate students can become involved in the local community. Sarah is co-supervised by: - Dr. Jessica Grahn, the Principal Investigator of the Music and Neuroscience Lab based out of the Centre for Brain and Mind - and Dr. Jeffrey Holmes, the Principal Investigator of the Health and Human Performance Lab based out of the School of Occupational Therapy For further information on Sarah's research, one may check out her Twitter / X account and her Linkedin.  For those in the London

In this week's episode, hosts Bruno Mesquita and Garth Casbourn interview Ben Pilling a Master’s student in Psychology.  Ben shares how he plans to build on the classic motor homunculus model using video games in the fMRI throughout his Master's. He also discusses the benefits and considerations of making research more ecologically valid. Recorded on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Produced by Riya Sidhu  Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

Hosts Ryan Baxter and Chrishma Perera chat with Caitlin Fitzpatrick, a MSc student about to defend her master's in Neuroscience. Caitlin returns to GradCast to discuss her findings into the emotional connection between music and memory, specifically in older adults experiencing "normal" forgetting or mild cognitive impairment. If you'd like to register as a prospective research participant with OurBrainSCAN, you can do so online: https://ourbrainscan.uwo.ca/  If you're interested in attending a public defense at Western, consider reviewing details available on Western's Events Calendar and filtering by Public Events: https://www.events.westernu.ca/  Recorded on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 Produced by kirstyn seanor Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

Hosts Ryan Baxter and Maris Schneider chat with Geneva Herold, a MSc student in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Geneva studies patients who are at high risk of developing osteoarthritis in their knees due to a previous injury, like an ACL tear. She is studying the cells in a special tissue in the joint called the synovium, which she hopes will help us better understand why some patients develop osteoarthritis and why some don’t.   Geneva discusses graduate student life, both in and out of the lab, with Ryan and Maris. Learn more about the lab Geneva works in! https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/appletonlab/   Rcorded on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Produced by Mark Ambrogio Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Riya Sidhu interview Anthony Tannous, an incoming PhD student in Physical Therapy. Anthony is going to study whether robotic surgical assistants can improve patient satisfaction while saving healthcare dollars. Tune in for a look at how technology might reshape recovery—and the healthcare system. Recorded on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Produced by Riya Sidhu and kirstyn seanor. Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

In this episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Dima Kassem, a PhD student in Anthropology on her research in the field of Sociocultural Anthropology.  More specifically, Dima is studying the assistance provided for People Living with a Rare Disease (PLWRD).  Entering the second year of her PhD, Dima is furthering her research on this subject, continuing work she did in her Master's degree.  In this conversation, Ryan and Mark learn about the support networks available for PLWRD -- and where support may be lacking; especially, as youth transition into legal adulthood.   An important part of the conversation is the awareness that human "subjects" not only need to be treated with dignity, but also that their voices need to be heard.  Dima's supervisor is Dr. Pamela Block.  You can follow Dima on Twitter / X.   Recorded on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Produced by Mark Ambrogio Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot)

In this week's episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and kirstyn seanor interview Ian O'Donnell, a PhD student in Economics. Ian discusses how he's analyzing tax records available through Statistics Canada to better understand income trajectories over time, especially of immigrant workers in Canada. Recorded on Tuesday, July 08, 2025. Produced by kirstyn seanor. Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

This week on GradCast, hosts Maris Schneider and Mark Ambrogio sit down with Linda Rosbach, a visiting research student from the University of Regensburg. Linda studies how the brain controls everyday actions, such as reaching and grasping. Her research explores whether our brains function the same way in the real world as they do in virtual reality. Tune in to learn more about her fascinating work and what it’s like to conduct research abroad in a brand-new environment.  Recorded on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Produced by Anthony Cruz and Chrishma Perera. Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot).

In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Ryan Baxter interview Ince Husain, a PhD student in Neuroscience. Ince discusses  her research on mapping the actions and impacts of the cerebellum, as well as her contributions to the London community as a local journalist. Recorded on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Produced by kirstyn seanor. Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)  

In this week's episode, hosts Bruno Mesquita and Anthony Cruz interview Rebekka Lagacé-Cusiac, a PhD candidate in Psychology. Rebekka discusses her PhD research on ratio processing, her passion projects, and how music and math may have more in common than you think. Recorded on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Produced by Riya Sidhu Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot)