Gradcast

In her research, sociocultural anthropologist Mingyuan Zhang asks a deceptively simple question, "What does it mean to be Chinese?" in a remarkably complicated context: Madagascar. This week, Viki Telios and Yimin Chen learn that there's more to Africa's largest island than just lemurs. Plus, how to introduce yourself in the Malagasy language. To read more about Mingyuan's work check out Academia.edu Hosted by: Yimin Chen & Viki Telios Produced by: Ariel Frame

Cat Boucher is an MSc Neuroscience student working in Dr. Stephen Lomber's lab. Cat tells Ariel Frame and Nick Handfield-Jones about her work studying deafness and hearing in the brain. Her research is looking to show how some brain regions may be involved in processing visual and auditory input. Various treatments for deafness were also discussed. To find out more you can tweet her @catcortex or find her on Instagram @skepticat   To learn more about the illusions discussed here, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-lN8vWm3m0   Hosted by: Ariel Frame & Nick Handfield-Jones   Produced by: Viki Telios

What does it mean to be a man? Do the movies that we watch influence the ways in which we understand masculinity? Ryan Schroeder, MA student in Media Studies, think so. This week, hosts Yimin Chen and Greg Robinson learn about how the presentation of male protagonists in films has changed, and perhaps softened, over the years––from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ryan Gosling.  Hosted by: Yimin Chen & Greg Robinson   Produced by: Nick Handfield-Jones

In this special episode, hosts Taniya Nagpal and Roger Hudson interview three talented students - Natalia Skomorokhova, Sonja Dass, and Rachel Gain -  participating in the Western University Graduate Symposium on Music. A variety of topics are discussed, including the ways in which music can imitate art, feminist advocates ahead of their time, and what in the world a harpsichord is!  Hosted by: Roger Hudson & Taniya Nagpal

How do you study rocks up in space? Look at comparable formations here on Earth! Hosts Yimin Chen and Viki Telios learn about the work that Earth and Planetary Science PhD student Gavin Tolometti has been doing with Western's Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration (CPSX). On this episode: lava, impact craters, karaoke, and Scrabble! Hosted by: Yimin Chen & Viki Telios Produced by: Ariel Frame

Hosts Nick and Chantal speak with Natasha Ouslis about recent research progress from her Masters Thesis in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, with special emphasis on the nature of teamwork and very prominent ways these concepts play out in our daily lives.  Hosted by: Nick Handfield-Jones & Chantal Lemire Produced by: Roger Hudson

Taniya Nagpal and Nick Handfield-Jones talk to Kurtis Turnbull about his recent research trip to New Zealand and the beetles he studied there.  Hosted by: Nick Handfield-Jones & Taniya Nagpal Produce by: Chantal Lemire

Nick Handfield-Jones and Nav Mohan interview Cecilia Chavez Garcia about her computational work with intrinsically disordered proteins and how these proteins may impact disease. Cecilia is doing her PhD with Dr. Mikko Karttunen. To read more about her work you can check out their website http://www.softsimu.net/people.shtml. Hosted by: Nick Handfield-Jones & Navaneeth Mohan Produced by: Ariel Frame

Ariel and Taniya discuss fruit fly research on Autism and social spacing with Wes Robinson. Wes is a MSc student in Dr. Anne Simon’s lab in the Biology department. This episode produced by Roger Hudson. Hosted by: Ariel Chen & Taniya Nagpal Produced by: Roger Hudson

Host Yimin and Roger talk to Neuroscience Ph.D. Candidate Matthew Maksoud about an often overlooked cell in the brain - microglia. These small but mighty immune cells may hold the key to a host of neurological disorders. To learn more about Matthew's research, you can contact him at mmaksoud@uwo.ca.  Hosted by: Yimin Chen & Roger Hudson Produced by: Viki Tellios

Elmond Bandauko speaks with Viki Tellios and Nicholas Handfield-Jones about the current state of public administration efforts in Canada, with unique insights regarding municipal policies, particularly in London, Ontario.   Hosted by: Nicholas Handfield-Jones & Viki Tellios Produced by: Roger Hudson

Roger Hudson and Viki Tellios learn about the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) from John Ciancio. John studies the seasonal variations in stress tolerance of this invasive species and agricultural pest. Hosted by: Roger Hudson & Viki Tellios Produced by: Chantal Lemire

Hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Roger Hudson interview Bipin Dhillon from the Masters in Public Administration program about his research on the benefits of arenas and sports teams for the revitalization of city spaces and the creation of civic identity. Hosted by: Nick Handfield-Jones & Roger Hudson   Produced by: Chantal Lemire

In this Special Episode of GradCast, guests Dr. Douglas Bocking and Matthew Lund speak with hosts Roger Hudson and Viki Tellios about medical school education in Canada. Comparisons between today's medical school curriculum relative to the accelerated curriculum implemented during World War II are discussed. Dr. Douglas Bocking is a former Dean of Medicine and former Vice President of the Health Sciences Department at Western University, and a member of the Order of Canada. Matthew Lund is a current medical student attending Western and current President of the Osler Society for Medical Students at the university.  Hosted by: Roger Hudson & Viki Tellios Produced by: Chantal Lemire

GradCast team member Taniya Nagpal recently returned from a trip to the Technical University of Madrid in Spain, were she had the opportunity to work with Dr. Ruben Barakat on two projects involving exercise and pregnancy. On the show today, Ariel and Yimin find out about how exercise might be key in preventing and treating diabetes and depression in expecting mothers. Exercise and pregnancy lab website Hosted by: Yimin Chen & Ariel Frame Produced by: Viki Tellios

You may have heard that "exercise is the best medicine" - neuroscientist Joyla Furlano is working to see if that might be true. On this episode of GradCast, Nick and Yimin learn about the neurological link between diabetes and Alzheimer's in older adults and how regular exercise might be a promising preventative treatment for dementia. Hosted by: Yimin Chen & Nick Handfield-Jones Produced by: Arial Frame

Hosts Chantal Lemire and Susan Anthony interview the newest member of GradCast, Nicholas Handfield-Jones about his research on Parkinsons. Hosted by: Susan Anthony & Chantal Lemire Produced by: Viki Tellios

Hosts Taniya Nagpal and Roger Hudson discuss the importance of exercise before, during and after pregnancy with Western alumnus Dr. Margie Davenport, professor of kinesiology at the University of Alberta. Hosted by: Roger Hudson & Taniya Nagpal  Produced by: Chantal Lemire  

In this final instalment of the WUGSOM series from 2017, hosts Yimin and Roger speak with Rachel Avery from McGill University in Montreal, and Ryan Blakely from the University of Ottawa on their research projects they've developed over the past few years. Rachel and Ryan each communicated their research in lecture format during WUGSOM 2017. Hosted by: Yimin and Roger

David Reyes Figuero, a visiting graduate student from Mexico, is here at Western to work with Dr. Mikko Karttunen. Using a computational microscope, they probed the small world of atoms and molecules to investigate how fat molecules float on water. But, they stumbled upon something even more curious that can impact the medical world.    Hosted by: Susan Anthony & Navaneeth Mohan   Produced by: Arial Frame