Gradcast

This week your hosts Ariel Frame and Scott Walters speak with master's student Julia Hammer about how climate change may impact basic life function of trees. Julia discusses her research on how rising temperature and carbon dioxide levels affect boreal trees' capacity to photosynthesize and what this might mean for these species with projected climate trends. We learn about rooftop greenhouses, forest laboratories with scaffolded trees, what photosynthesis really is, and a whole lot more. To learn more about Julia's research, follow her on Twitter @julfacts   Recorded on November 29, 2022. Produced by Amalie Hutchinson. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Hosts Carly and Laura talk with master's student Erin Brintnell about her research on SARS-CoV2. Erin explains how bioinformaticians use biological data to create models that predict the number of infected individuals in a population, and use those numbers to inform public health responses.  If your want to learn more about Erin and her journey between computers and viruses, find her on instagram at smoresperson3. Recorded on November 16, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Anusha Ravikumar speaks with Ariel Frame and Laura Muñoz Baena about her research on stars she is doing as part of her PhD in physics and astronomy. Anusha answers multiple questions about how we currently think stars are born and explains how her work will shed light on the development of star disks.    To find out more from Anusha, follow her on Twitter @hustling_stars Recorded on November 22, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.  

This week, hosts Carly Charon and Meghan Voll interview PhD student Hossein Asgari about his research using 3-D marker-less tracking to investigate locomotion on black widow spiders. Hossein talks about the effect particular vibrations have on spider’s behaviour and ability to detect prey, and whether they actually use differing postures to better make sense of these vibrations.  To find out more about Hossein and his work, go check out his Twitter (@hoss_asg). Recorded on November 15, 2022. Produced by Jordan VanderBurgt. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This week, hosts Carly Charron and Laura Muñoz Baena interview Facundo Lodol, one of the newest members of the Editorial Board, about his MSc research in the Neuroscience department. Facundo talks about his project on misophonia, a disorder characterized by heightened sensitivity to trigger sounds such as chewing. He is interested in the relationship between misophonia and the brain’s ability to filter out irrelevant stimuli. To find out more about Facundo, find him on Instagram @foku_  Recorded on November 8, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This week, hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Brittany Melton sit down with PhD candidate Audra Quinn. Audra is studying entrepreneurship at Ivey Business School. We talk about one branch of her work: the interactions between co-founders. So, before you choose your business parter, give this episode a listen! To find out more about Audra and her work, go check out her Twitter (@AudraQuinn) and website (https://audraquinn.com).  Recorded on November 1, 2022. Produced by Jordan VanderBurgt. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This week, our newest member of the Editorial Board, Scott Walters, joins host Ana Moyer and Charan Mandur to talk about his PhD research in the biology department. Scott talks about his work looking at how nutrition on mudflats and rivers affects the water-associated birds living there and their migrations. We learn about mist nets, biofilm, and more.  To get into contact with Scott for more questions, email him at swalte42@uwo.ca Recorded on October 25, 2022. Produced by Amalie Hutchinson. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Today, host and past editor, Ariel Frame (PhD candidate in Neuroscience) joins hosts Laura and Brittany to discuss the final stages of his PhD research. Join us to learn more about lactate metabolism in the brains of mice and flies! For more of Ariel, check out Episode 267, The Super Secret Sex Life of Fruit Flies. To keep up with Ariel, check out his Twitter  @ArielFrame and on Google Scholar.   Recorded on October 18, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This week, hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Ariel Frame speak with FIMS PhD candidate Meghan Voll about her research on the economics of dating apps. Meghan is interested in how these companies use value conflation to influence their business platforms and is aiming to map out the data flows of how these companies use, exchange, and monetize user data.  To find out more about Meghan's research, go check out her Twitter at @meghan_voll9 Recorded on October 11, 2022. Produced by Jordan VanderBurgt. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This week, hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Charan Mandur interview our very own SOGS VP Academic, Kevin Moore. In addition to his role on the Society of Graduate Students advocating for and making grad student's voices heard, Kevin is a PhD Candidate in the department of Medical Biophysics where he studies blood flow. We chat about what his lab days look like, learn a bit more about how blood flows through our veins, hear about the best part about Kevin's grad experience: friendships made along the way. How very heart (..and the blood flowing through it..) warming. Recorded on October 4, 2022. Produced by Amalie Hutchinson. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Charan Mandur and Ariel Frame speak with Zsofia Agoston about her ongoing institutional ethnography research with Ontario teachers. Zsofia explains how she plans to use an anthropological lens to investigate the methods being used to teach difficult knowledge at the K-8 level. To find out more from Zsofia check out her Twitter @zsofimedovarski Recorded on September 28, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In today’s episode, Benjamin Souriol speaks with Laura Muñoz and Claire Bottini about his Master studies on nitrogen cycling and soil ecology. Benjamin explains how nitrogen molecules go in and out of the environment and how nitrogen spreads in a system according to different treatments. He aims to better understand how agricultural intensification and global warming can affect this molecule in our environment on the short and long term.  Recorded on September 20, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This episode welcomes Javier Alvarez, a PhD student in anthropology, studying Mapudungun — the language of the Mapuches. Mapuches are an indigenous community that inhabited South America way before colonization, and is currently established in central Chile and southwest Argentina. Javier shares with hosts Charan and Laura his intentions to cooperate with the Mapuches in order to develop and promote strategies to revitalize Mapudungun.   Recorded on September 17, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Peter Baker speaks with Ariel Frame and Charan Mandur about his ongoing Biology MSc research on lake trout from Lake Ontario. Peter explains how he studies lake trout to determine how a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, caused by the consumption of invasive prey fishes, impacts fish health and behavior. Moreover, Peter discusses aspects of fishing which influence ecosystem conservation. Recorded on September 13, 2022. Produced by Amalie Hutchinson. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In today’s episode, hosts Claire Bottini and Carly Charron talk with Natalia Parra about her anthropological studies on Canadian refuges immigration process. Natalia particularly focuses on the experience of Columbian women refugees in Canada and the asylum adjudication system that determines who is “worthy” to be considered a refugee and who is not.   Recorded on September 6, 2022. Produced by Jordan VanderBurgt. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In this episode, Gradcast's new managing editor, Amalie Hutchinson, talks with hosts Laura and Brittany about her PhD studies in hummingbird physiology. Specifically, daily torpor and mitochondria. Tune in to learn about how birds cope with cold winter temperatures and get a glimpse of the day of a Biology grad student.    Recorded on August 30, 2022. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.  

On this episode of #GraduatedLife, hosts Charan Mandur and Amalie Hutchinson chat with Dr Christina Booker. Christina graduated with her PhD in Chemistry in 2012, and now works as a faculty member at Western, developing new teaching strategies. She shares with us ways to balance work and family life, advice for making career connections, and more. Recorded on August 22, 2022 Produced by Amalie Hutchinson. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This week, hosts Ana Moyer and Amalie Hutchinson interview Reese Gartly. Reese is completing her M.Sc. in the biology department. We discuss her work making computer models for spider body-size, and learning more about how spiders perceive the world around them using eight of their body parts... not the eyes, the legs! Listen in for some cool facts about spiders, how your stiff knee probably won't help you predict the weather, and how to catch a spider, if that's what you're after. To learn more about Reese's research, you can follow her on Twitter @rgartly Recorded on August 23, 2022.  Produced by Amalie Hutchinson.  Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

On this episode of our #GraduatedLife series, hosts Jordan VanderBurgt and Carly Charron chat with Patrick Langille. Patrick finished his MSc in biology in 2016. After deciding that research wasn't for him, he took off to New Zealand, completed teacher's college, and became a science teacher. Patrick shares how his career took shape, gave advice for current grads who might not be loving what they're doing now, and how he was able to persevere and find the job he was meant for.   Recorded on August 17, 2022.  Produced by Amalie Hutchinson.  Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

To continue our #GraduatedLife series, hosts Jordan VanderBurgt and Claire Bottini interview Tara Saab. Tara graduated with her MA in geography in 1999. We learn that even a grad degree in geography won't necessarily keep you on the map you started on! Tara now works as a project manager at a hospital in Ontario, and she shares how skills she learned at UWO helped her navigate a somewhat off-road career trajectory.  If you have more questions for Tara, you can send her an email at tsaab@gbhs.on.ca Recorded on August 8, 2022 Produced by Amalie Hutchinson. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.