Gradcast

Join hosts Elizabeth Mohler and Rhys Paterson as they talk to Frangel Lopez Cesena, a violinist who analyzes music from a hermeneutical perspective. What’s that you ask? Musical meaning. Listen in as Frangel, Elizabeth and Rhys talk about becoming a violinist, practicing, songs that make them feel good, and how we interpret and imagine music. Recorded on November 30, 2021. Produced by Rhys Paterson Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In this episode Zara Diab speaks with Ariel Frame and Claire Bottini about her ongoing PhD in English and Writing Studies. Zara describes how her research will be focusing on contributors to rape culture and the involuntary celibate (Incel) community. Listen in as Zara discusses examples of violent acts relating to these phenomena and how contemporary media reflects and perpetuates narratives that can lead to this kind of behaviour. To hear more from Zara, find @ZaraDiab on Instagram and Facebook or email zdiab@uwo.ca Recorded on November 23, 2021. Produced by Laura Muñoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Having recently completed her MSc in Neuroscience at Western University, Kyla Lee has embarked on the next step in her career, a Medical Science PhD at University of Toronto. Kyla speaks with Ariel Frame and Yimin Chen about both her MSc research and her plans for PhD studies. Kyla explains how her MSc work modelling schizophrenia in rats aimed to elucidate how brain development contributes to the disease and how her PhD work will focus on cultural competency of primary physicians with immigrant patients.  To hear more from Kyla, follow her on Twitter @kylaaalee Recorded on November 16th, 2021. Produced by Hira Nadeem. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Join hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Laura Munoz-Baena as they sit down with recent PhD grad Gavin Tolometti to learn about how space rocks, rock! Gavin shares how he uses remote sensing techniques and field research here on Earth to figure out how impact craters and lava flows affected the landscape of the moon. In addition to rocks beyond our planet, our conversation flowed into some impactful advice about life beyond the degree.  To hear more about Gavin, you can find him on twitter as @GavinOnTheMoon, visit his website, or listen to his podcast The Diaries of Space Explorers.  Recorded on November 9, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.  

Kate Onuska is a PhD student in the Department of Neuroscience. She is working on new ways to trace changes in the brain cholinergic system associated with age. She described the different brain imaging techniques before diving into her research on a new marker for cholinergic neurons called FEOBV in association with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Her work with mice increases our understanding of proteins and how neuronal tracts change with time that could lead to pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease.  To hear more about Kate's research, follow her on Twitter @k8onuska and check out the INCA Lab here. Recorded on November 2nd, 2021. Produced by Hira Nadeem. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

If you ever wonder about the survival of some organisms during the winter, you won't want to miss this episode, where hosts Amalie and Laura talk to PhD student Brynne Duffy about one of the most interesting survival strategies in mammals: hibernation. Particularly, the conversation centers around thirteen lined squirrels, obligated hibernators that almost shut down their entire body during several days, significantly reducing their body temperature. Find out how climate change could affect the survival of squirrels and discover other potential uses of hibernation way far from the forest, in the outer space.  To learn more about the science of hibernation, find Brynne on twitter as @BrynneDuffy.  Recorded on October 26, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Jeff Hutchinson is a PhD student in Physiology and Pharmacology studying the intervertebral disc and back pain. Jeff explains to Elizabeth Mohler and Ariel Frame how his research is conducted using a variety of models and involves understanding the effects of sex hormones.  To find out more about Jeff's work, check out Dr. Cheryle Séguin's website. Recorded on Oct 19, 2021 Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In this special episode in honour of Asexual Awareness Week, hosts Laura Muñoz-Baena and Ana Moyer chat with PhD Philosophy student Katrina Zmavc, in partnership with SOGS Graduate Peer Support (GPS). Join us in discussing the spectrum of possibilities surrounding asexuality, which is often categorized as a lack of sexual attraction.    If you would like to continue this discussion in a safe space, check out our collaboration with GPS’s Shared Experiences event on November 4th, 2021 at 7:00PM. You can find more information here and register for the event here.   Recorded on October 14, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Join hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Yimin Chen as they chat with PhD grad and MLIS candidate, Brooke Brassard. Our conversation follows Brooke's slightly unorthodox (pun intended) journey from a PhD in religious studies to life after graduation, to her return to grad school. She shares about her experience and life advice about doing field work, navigating the post-grad experience, and what life is like beyond the degree. To find out more from Brooke, follow her on Twitter @BrookeBrassard or listen to her on the So What? podcast Recorded on Oct 12, 2021 Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Ariel Frame and Elizabeth Mohler speak with Brendan Charles about his research on Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) investigating how these animals behave and how they can be used to study the biology of the brain. In particular, Brendan discusses work from his recently completed MSc and ongoing PhD work that touches on 9 neurons in the fly brain which govern female aggressive behaviour and characterization of tRNA mistranslation in flies.  To learn more about this kind of fly research, check out Dr. Amanda Moehring's Twitter @FlyBehaviour and website.   Recorded on Oct 6, 2021 Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In this episode, Francesco Colosimo and Rhys Paterson sit down with Alexis Pascual, PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, as he updates us on his research with machine learning and AI in space applications. Alexis explains how he uses linear algebra and statistics on images to teach extraterrestrial vehicles to pick out interesting features on a martian surface. This episode is full of questions to be answered such as: the probability of the MARS rover becoming a self-sufficient machine, what the Mars yard is like and who is better: Canadian Space Agency or NASA? To hear more from Alexis, head over to his website https://alexispascual.github.io  You can listen to his previous episode here.   Recorded on September 28th, 2021. Produced by Hira Nadeem. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Ever see a link on your phone that you just HAVE to click? As it turns out, so do mice! Join hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Laura Muñoz Baena as they chat with aspiring neuroscientist Esmin Unaran and learn about how learning itself can change the structure of your brain. Esmin explains how she uses myelin concentration of mouse brains to study how much they learn using touch-screen operant chambers. Might want to grab yourself a strawberry milkshake before you click "play" on this episode! To learn more about Erin's research, find her on her Twitter as @esminunaran Recorded on September 21st, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In this episode, hosts Laura Muñoz-Baena and Ana Moyer chat with Anahí González, a PhD student in Art and Visual Culture. As a Mexican photographer based in Canada, Anahí is interested in how migrant labour is portrayed in Canadian media and explores alternative visual narratives that might contribute to a different view of migration in North America.  To learn more about Anahí, visit her photography website or follow her in Instagram   Recorded on September 14th, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In this episode, Katrina Zmavc (PhD Philosophy Student) discusses her research on depression and how it really is an umbrella term for many related disorders. She also chats with hosts (Yousuf Hasan and Ana Moyer) about her involvement with the Society of Graduate Students as a member of the Graduate Peer Support Committee. Her aim is to find strategies to de-stigmatize mental illness and spread awareness about mental health in our community. You can view more about Katrina's research at Rotman Institute of Philosophy and the TCN Lab websites Recorded on Sept 9, 2021 Produced by Yousuf Hasan, Edited by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

This episode contains discussions of mental health, grad school, the COVID-19 pandemic, and discusses suicide and suicide prevention. If you or someone you know needs help, there are resources available to help you. If you are a graduate student, SOGS.ca/support-resources provides a list of mental health services located on and off campus. Alternatively, the description box contains resources discussed in the episode. Listener discretion is advised.  In this special episode hosted by GradCast, Francesco Colosimo and Elizabeth Mohler talk with Katrina Zmavc, a PhD student in Philosophy about World Suicide Prevention Day. Imposter syndrome, the COVID-19 pandemic, “publish or perish” mentality, outdated terminology, suicidal ideations and general mental health struggles are discussed from the grad school perspective.   If you would like to continue this discussion in a safe space, check out our collaboration with GPS’s Shared Experiences event on Friday, September 16 at 7pm.     Resources discussed in the epi

As fervent calls for racial equity have justifiably proliferated within the United States in recent years, it raises the issue of familiarizing oneself with the historical and systemic nature of American racism. One such way to do this is analyzing the literature of the era for greater context, which is the approach English PhD student David Mitterauer is taking. And as hosts Liam Clifford and Elizabeth Mohler learn, David's juxtaposition of 18th and 19th century. Black thought and white supremacist texts demonstrates the abhorrence of racial discrimination within the then-fledging nation. The ensuing conversation highlights the need to understand the deep roots of racism in the U.S. in the hopes that this understanding can promote a better future for all. To find out more from David, follow him on Twitter @DMitterauer Recorded on Aug 31, 2021 Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In the second episode of our newest series, There Is No Planet B - Rose Giles and Brendon Samuels talk with Courtney Neidig, a second year Masters student in Education and Curriculum studies. She tells us the story of starting out as an ECE in British Columbia, the dissatisfaction in teaching practices when it comes to the environment, and ultimately how she found herself at Western as the head of the Society of Graduate Students’s Sustainability Committee.  If you would like to get in touch with Courtney, you can email her at cneidig@uwo.ca and check out @sogs.sustainability on Instagram  If you have question about sustainability on campus or would like to reach out, email sustainability.coordinator@sogs.ca  Recorded on July 12, 2021 Produced by Rhys Paterson  Theme song provided by https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/bathtime-funk License code: B7LBQYKLY9EDAFQ3

Dristy Zaman is a PhD student in Biology studying soybeans, a type of legume. In conversation with Yimin Chen and Ariel Frame, Dristy explains how she is investigating asparagine metabolism. Dristy is on the hunt to discover a particular enzyme in this pathway that is currently unknown. What is asparagine? How will she find this enzyme? What will she name it? Find out the answer to these questions, and more, in this episode. Recorded Aug 24, 2021 Full video available on YouTube Produced by Ariel Frame Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

How does a 1972 hockey tournament between the USSR and Canada lead to the conceptualization of masculinity and the expression of nationalism in Canada? In this episode, host Rose Giles interviews Kaitlyn Carter on her research about how the idealization of the perfect Canadian and the perfect man all ties into a game we all know and love - hockey.  Correction to claim at 4:59 that Canada won the series by only one goal: Russia actually outscored Canada in the series 32-to-31. If you would like to contact Kaitlyn, you can find her on Twitter at @cartkait or email her at kcarte46@uwo.ca Recorded on August 8, 2021 Produced by Rhys Paterson  Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

In the wake of the riots in the United States this past year, History MA Sara Duodu was inspired to dive deeper into historical race relations in the United States. In this episode Rosemary Giles and Liam Clifford talk with Sara about the Red Summer, interracial violence and the framing of race in American newspapers. To reach Sara, you can email her at sduodu@uwo.ca Recorded on August 3, 2021. Produced by Laura Munoz Baena. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.