Gradcast

Many people have never heard of the Falkland Islands, let alone the Falklands War. However, for History MA student, Ryan McLachlan, it is the source of much interest. In this episode, hosts Rosemary Giles and Ana Moyer get a crash course history lesson about the Falklands War from Ryan. The small islands in the South Atlantic were the setting for a defining moment, and on 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falklands, which had been British territory for almost 150 years. What followed was a short, fast paced war, concluding with a British victory on 14 June 1982. Ryan’s research focuses on the empire-related nostalgia that was produced by the war and felt throughout the United Kingdom. After the Second World War, and over the following three decades, the sun slowly set on the British Empire. The Falklands were a source of pride when the British stood up against an aggressor, rejuvenating the spirit of the British people, and marked the rebirth of the nation. An integral part of Ryan’s research is the materia

In this episode, hosts, Elizabeth Mohler and Francesco Colosimo, sit down with fourth year Integrative Bioscience PhD student, Megha Rao. For her research, Megha is currently looking at understanding the process of inter-facility transport of acutely ill and preterm neonates in Ontario. In other words...the path of care an ill newborn takes to recovery. Megha has extensive experience in this area of research previously working at SickKids in Toronto. For more on Megha’s research, you can find her on Instagram @TheBabyResearcher where she shares things that she’s learnt with a community of HCPs, parents, academics, researchers and graduate students. Full video on YouTube Recorded on May 15, 2021 Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In this special episode Danica Facca and Becky Horst, the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) VP Academic and VP Finance respectively, speak with Rhys Paterson and Francesco Colosimo about their positions as SOGS VPs and give us the details on what it’s like to have these roles, how their responsibilties have changed due to the pandemic and their experiences holding such responsibilities while being students.  To get in touch with Danica, you can contact her through her email academic@sogs.ca. Alternitively, you can follow her in Twitter and Instagram. To contact and Beck you can send her an email to finance@sogs.ca. Recorded on June 15, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Did you ever wonder how, exactly, a drone operates, or how disease is detected in farmers’ fields?  Well, in this episode of Gradcast, we sit down with Nicholas Mitchell and learn about his masters work witch was focused on multispectral cameras that are attached to drones for agri-tech applications. Some of the things you can use this for is: detecting diseases in farm fields, giving locations for farmers to increase or decrease fertilizer and assessing nitrogen and chlorophyll content of plants!  To learn more about Nicholas' work, check out the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Western's CubeSat team Ukpik-1, or you can email him at nmitch6@uwo.ca! Recorded on June 8, 2021. Produced by Hira Nadeem. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Have you heard of SOGS (Society of Graduate Students), but not really familiar with what SOGS is or what SOGS does?  In this episode, hosts Elizabeth Mohler and Gavin Tolometti unpack all things SOGS and sit down with VP Student Services, Effie Sapuridis and VP Advocacy, Yousuf Hasan to learn more about their roles. Elizabeth and Gavin hear about Empower You, a free, confidential counselling program offered to all graduate students, and learn that the work of advocacy includes much more than speaking up for students. Want to know more, check out this episode at the link below., and stay tuned for our next episode where gradcast host members sit down with the rest of the SOGS executive. If you would like to learn more about Effie's and Yousuf's roles as SOGS Executives, you can check out the SOGS website here. Full Video on YouTube  Recorded on June 2, 2021 Produced by Gavin Tolometti Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

In this episode kirstyn seanor, the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) President, speaks with Ariel Frame and Yimin Chen about their role as president and recent developments coming from the SOGS structural retreat. kirstyn delves into the history and structure of SOGS and elaborates on the big issues SOGS is addressing at the moment.    To hear more from kirstyn, contact them through email president@sogs.ca or follow them on Twitter @kirstynasdf or the SOGS Discord   To find out about SOGS activities or get involved in SOGS, check out the website sogs.ca or Twitter @WesternSOGS and Instagram @WesternSOGS Recorded on May 20, 2021. Produced by Hira Nadeem. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Sebastien Heine has nearly finished his 2 year MSc in Biology. He explains his research on Drosophila (fruit fly) female aggression to hosts Ariel Frame and Laura Munoz. Sebastien goes into details about his history with research and how he developed a general fascination with  neuroscience and how these brain cells connect with each other. His passion began at a young age and was fuelled by his reading of Connectome by Sebastien Seung. To find out more from Sebastien, check out his LinkedIn profile, his Facebook or email him at sheine@uwo.ca   Recorded on June 1st, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

So often in media and in real life, meteorites (asteroids that do not burn up in the atmosphere) striking the surface of Earth often result in catastrophic consequences for all living things. However, Geology and Planetary Sciences PhD student Lauren Stone opts to reveal the whole picture. In this episode, hosts Liam Clifford and Gavin Tolometti learn how this destructive process, known as impact cratering, can paradoxically foster a habitable environment for microscopic organisms. By discovering the secrets of these endoliths (life that survives in rocks), Lauren's research demonstrates the resiliency of life to prosper in the unlikeliest of places. Full video available on YouTube Recorded on May 25, 2021 Produced by Gavin Tolometti Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

In this episode Emily Davidson tells Ariel Frame and Rosemary Giles about her exciting new research project in the Neuroscience MSc program. In this project Emily will be conducting fMRI brains scans of people playing the video game Pac-Man, a more engaging task than is typically used. As a student co-supervised by philosophy professor Dr. Michael Anderson and psychology professor Jody Culham, Emily discusses her interest in the marriage of philosophy and neuroscience.  To find out more from Emily or possibly sign up to participate in her study email her ejdavidson777@gmail.com Full video available on YouTube Recorded on May 18, 2021 Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

Hosts Laura and Francesco talk to masters student James Braden of his work on predicting and managing high level floods through the preparation of flood models. Here, James explains how the models work and why it is so difficult to be accurate when using data from some of the more complex systems on Earth: the weather. Listen to this episode to find out the requirements for models with higher resolution, and how they are used to inform decisions on the infrastructure of entire cities.  Recorded on May 11, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

We often think of psychedelics to be purely recreational, but studies are showing that they may have medical value. Hosts, Rhys Paterson and Francesco Colosimo sat down with Master of Science student, Sid Rankaduwa, to discuss his research involving looking for the possibility of 'higher states of consciousness' in psilocybin users. More specifically, he is testing the effects of psilocybin on certain aspects of visual processing, and seeing how this might inform current theories of consciousness. To hear more from Sid and about psychedelic research, check out the MAPS Canada podcast! Recorded on May 4, 2021. Produced by Hira Nadeem. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.  

We often think of hibernation as simply going to sleep in the wintertime, but hibernating animals aren't actually sleeping at all! It's really a special type of dormancy or torpor. This week, hosts Yimin Chen and Laura Baena speak to Masters of Biology student Amalie Hutchinson about what the cute little thirteen-lined ground squirrel of Manitoba can teach us about the cellular processes that occur while these animals are snoozing under the snow. Recorded on April 27, 2021 Produced by Laura Munoz Baena Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a number of obstacles that students with disabilities face when accessing material online and participating in virtual courses. The shift to an almost to fully virtual format has made it challenging for students who relied on accessibility services on campus, and their ability to converse with fellow students and professors in person to overcome certain issues regarding navigating courses. Occupational Science PhD student Elizabeth Mohler is working on a way to get the word out and bring these issues to light. She has been reached out by Accessible Media Inc. (a not for profit media company the empowers and entertains Canadians who are blind or partially sighted) to help create a documentary discussing what accessibility education during the COVID-19 pandemic has looked like since early 2020. Elizabeth talks about what institutions have implemented in its education system to help ensure students with disabilities are not put at a disadvantage during the pandemic, and to ensu

Over one year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything for graduate students. We were all introduced to a different world of research and communication, held back by lab and class restrictions, prevention of in-person evaluations and tests, and limiting our access to resources such as books, equipment, and computer programs. We all experienced changes that have both benefited and hindered our abilities to become the best of who we can be. Some students became fallen soldiers who lost the momentum and motivation to conduct research at a rate they could maintain while being in-person, while others thrived staying at home and kept in a safer and less crowded environment.   In this episode of #GradLife, hosts Gavin Tolometti, Danica Facca, and Laura Muñoz Baena talk about their experiences with the pandemic and how it has effected their research progress and lifestyle. Who is a fallen soldier? What did everyone miss out on because of COVID-19? Do we think the virtual education system will keep some aspects

In this episode hosts Rose and Laura talk to Emmanuel Wong about his research on HIV's latent reservoir. They discussed the role of bioinformatics in a world that is generating astronomical amounts of biological information and how simulation programs could potentially help us to gain insights about how the latent reservoir originates, evolves and persists within an individual.  Recorded on April 13, 2021 Produced by Laura Munoz Baena Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

In this episode, Sandra Grahovac-Nemeth talks with hosts Ariel and Francesco about her novel research in Alzheimer's to isolate the metabolite, lactate, to fight against this complex condition. Sandra is an experienced second year Master of Science in Biology student who has returned to school after several years working in the Pharma industry. During our discussion, Sandra touches on a number of topics including her research, the state of Alzheimer's in Canada and her life outside academics. Recorded on Apr 6, 2021 Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

In this episode, Carly Charron talks with hosts Elizabeth and Rose (with some quick peeps from Rhys) about her research on a plant-based vaccine to prevent Salmonella infection in poultry which she is doing for her Masters in Biology at Agriculture Canada. Starting from a talk in her 3rd year course to undergrad thesis in the same discipline, Carly covers the what’s, who’s, and why’s of the vaccine, and its importance on future farming practices and overall health of chickens.  To learn more about Carly’s research, you can email her at ccharro5@uwo.ca or find her on Facebook and Instagram.  Full video available on YouTube Recorded March 23, 2021  Produced by Rhys Paterson  Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

Are those who fail to study history doomed to repeat it? Public History Masters student Kestra Greer has some strong opinions on the matter. How do we make the lessons of history relevant for the wider public? How should we navigate the debate over what and how we commemorate historical figures? What can knowledge of how people handled past pandemics teach us about how to deal with COVID? Join hosts Yimin Chen and Elizabeth Mohler as we learn about the poopy origins of modern epidemiology and more! To get in touch with Kestra, you can find her on Instagram @baragalog Recorded on March 30, 2021. Produced by Hira Nadeem. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Searching for jobs and networking with potential employers has always been a scary and intimidating process, and the COVID-19 pandemic has not made it any easier. As graduate students mark down the days towards the end of their degree, they begin to ask themselves, "How do I know I can stand-out in an interview over Zoom?", "How can I network with people if I cannot attend conferences in person?", and "Are their services on campus that can help me improve my résumé and CV?". These are questions that #GradLife what answered as well, and host Gavin Tolometti has reached out to find those answers.   In this episode, Gavin speaks with Teresa Boere and Heather Wakely who work in the Careers & Experience department's Career Education unit at Western University. Teresa is a career educator and Heather is the acting team lead of the Career Education unit team. They share insight into how graduate students at Western can gain invaluable advice and practice to prepare for job interviews, writing resumes, and expa

Cindy Mora-Stock has had quite the life journey. Departing her native Chile to embark on a seismology PhD in Germany, she now finds herself in Canada at UWO completing her second postdoctorate. As hosts Liam Clifford and Rhys Paterson learn, travelling the world and exposing oneself to new experiences has a brilliant way of enriching one's understanding and making the international student experience truly special. You can follow Cindy on Twitter and Instagram. Recorded on March 25, 2021 Produced by Liam Clifford Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot