Gradcast

We are bringing you another GradCast Undergrad to Grad Transition episode! In this episode, host Gavin Tolometti talks with masters student Meredith Fyfe and fifth year undergraduate student Hanna Rzyszczak about life for an earth science student after graduation. Meredith brings Hanna into the world of a graduate student, and discusses the thoughts and preparations you need to consider before you apply to grad school.  Produced by Connor Wilson

You may have heard that eating too much fish may put you at risk of mercury poisoning, but how does mercury get into fish in the first place? Hosts Gregory Robinson and Yimin Chen speak with biologist Jennifer Blythe about the ecology of organic mercury - from the peat-loving, Sulphate-reducing bacteria that produce it, down to the trout on your dinner table. Along the way, we'll also hear about bog bodies, black flies, and other exciting stories of field work in the marshlands of Ontario. Produced by Laura Munoz

Today's episode listens in on a conversation between 2nd year Undergrad student Alexandra Posnov and Daryl Peiber about the transition from an undergrad to a graduate in the field of Information and Media studies. Join Hosts Nikol Posnov and Greg Robinson as we talk about things we wished we could tell our undergraduate selves. To all you undergrads out there, this episode contains a well of wisdom. Produced by Greg Robinson Edited by Connor Chato

Gavin Tolometti and Ariel Frame hear from a burgeoning chemical engineer, Connor Wilson, about his experience during his undergraduate degree at Western. Furthermore, Connor enlightens us on the differences between internship, grad school and undergrad experiences. To find out more from Connor, you can contact him through his chemical engineering club or brew crew club (https://www.facebook.com/westernchemengclub/). Produced by Ariel Frame

We’ve touched upon individual topics like imposter syndrome and finances, but how is #GradLife incorporated within the broader university community? To delve into this, we brought in an expert. Monica Munaretto, the new Manager of Graduate Student Life in Student Experience, is focused on the goal of creating a thriving graduate student experience across Western. If you’d like to learn more about Student Experience at Western, visit studentexperience.uwo.ca.   Produced by Nikol Posnov and Gregory Robinson

In this episode, hosts Greg and Viki interview Matt Novello, a Master’s student in Physiology and Pharmacology. Matt is a molecular biologist that studies how protein structure can effect function. More specifically, he studies stromal interaction molecule 2 (STIM2), a protein important in calcium regulation in the heart. Tune in to find out more. If you want to get in contact with Matt Novello and learn more about his research and lab group, follow him using the Twitter handle and sites below: @mattnovello Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=RybzX6MAAAAJ&hl=en Dr Feng lab website: http://www.qingpingfeng.org/  Dr Stathopulos lab website: http://publish.uwo.ca/~pstatho/StathopulosLab/content/en-ca/index.html Produced by Gavin Tolometti  

You may know them from Westerns, spy flicks, or film noir. But did you know that there is a rich history of telegraphs? Ever wonder about telegraphy, the art of using telegraph? And what about the people who used it? This week, hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Roger Hudson interview Michael Feagan, who tells us about telegraph culture in Canada during the 1800s. He tells us about the unique characteristics of Canadian telegraphy and about the difficulties faced by telegraphers at the time. Plus, don’t miss a live demonstration of morse code! --. .-. .- -.. -.-. .- … - ! Hosts: Roger Hudson & Nick Handfield-Jones  Produced by Gregory Robinson

This week we’re bringing you our very first #Gradlife episode! Based on popular demand, our first episode is on Impostor Syndrome! Impostor Syndrome, or feeling like you are a fraud, affects many graduate students, regardless of their success or accomplishments. In this episode, hosts Viki Telios, Monica Molinaro, and Gavin Tolometti discuss their experiences of feeling like frauds in their time in graduate school, and talk about what helps them when they experience peaks of impostor syndrome. They also discuss triggers and tricks for impostor syndrome submitted by other graduate students. YouTube video version available here. SOGs resources page: http://sogs.ca/resources/ Mental Health Resource Guide: http://studentexperience.uwo.ca/student_experience/wellness_initiatives/mental_health_resource_guide.html Western's Mental Wellbeing Resource: https://www.uwo.ca/health/mental_wellbeing/resources.html CMHA Middlesex: https://cmhamiddlesex.ca/ Produced by Gregory Robinson  

Twas the night before Christmas, And all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, Except the worried grad student who has a grant application due Dec.27th In this episode, Monica, Viki, Gavin and Greg discuss their experiences over the winter holiday, the questions they (repeatedly) get asked, and how guilty they feel taking a break. Produced by Baby Greg on a boat

On tonight’s exciting episode, hosts Connor Chato and Joyla Furlano are joined by Anthropology master’s student Evelyn Newland. Evelyn's ethnographic work examines the lives of transgender people from a medical, political and cultural perspective, and explores topics such as self-conceptions and pre-conceptions within the transgender community. Produced by Gavin Tolometti

Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's can make everyday tasks like getting dressed and going to the bathroom immensely challenging, which is why most people with the disease rely on informal caregivers, often family members, to help maintain their quality of living. But what's it like to be a caregiver for someone with a long-term illness? Lisa Moszczynski, master's student in Health and Rehabilitation Science, has been researching the difficulties caregivers face - feelings of invisibility, lack of agency, and inability to access support - in order to work towards providing more effective resources to these invaluable informal workers. This week, hosts Connor Chato and Yimin Chen learn about the frequently-invisible family labour involved in living with Parkinson's disease. Produced By Gavin Tolometti

Russell Ashton has been a working man since he was 10; first running his own very successful neighborhood lawn services business, and now working as a Mechanical Engineer at a Junior Mineral Exploration Company. So why is Russel even in school doing his Masters? Tune in and listen to hosts Greg and Nik pick his brain about how to get your job to pay for your education.  Produced by Gregory Robinson

Yousuf Hasan, PhD student at Rotman Institute of Philosophy, tells hosts Ariel Frame and Gavin Tolometti about his research on 20th century history of science and mathematics. Yousuf discusses how scientists need think about current best theories given how many past theories have gone from being considered the best to completely falsified. In addition, Yousuf explains how empiricists explain mathematical knowledge. To find out more about Yousuf, go to the Rotman UWO website. Produced by Nick Handfield-Jones

Proteins are some of the most fundamental tools in our cells. In many cases they are not just the metaphorical "bread and butter" of our biochemistry, but also the butter-knife and the hand that holds it. On this episode of gradcast, hosts Nikol Posnov and Connor Chato speak with Josh Isaacson, a researcher of one of the fundamental tools that assembles these proteins: tRNA. Tune in for a talk about this biochemical starting point, and what can go wrong when it doesn't work quite as expected. To find out more about Josh you can follow him on Twitter @JoshIsaacson Produced by Laura Munoz

This episode, hosts Joyla Furlano and Gregory Robinson interview two guests from the Biology Graduate Research Forum (BGRF) on October 18th, 2019. Josh Isaacson, the first guest, talks about his research on mutating tRNAs in Drosophila, which are important building blocks of proteins. Our second guest, Vonica Flear, shares with us her research on modelling altruistic behaviour as seen in bee colonies. Tune in to learn more! Produced by Gavin Tolometti and Gregory Robinson

Nathan Oesch is a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Jessica Grahn's laboratory at Western University. Nathan informs Connor Chato and Ariel Frame about his research determining how music contributes to group cohesion. Using techniques informed by evolutionary psychology, Nathan's work spreads across various disciplines and provides us with some important answers about how music impacts humans on a social level.   Produced by Laura Munoz

Today’s unique episode features Professor David Smith, who provides some context on life as a full-time researcher in STEM. Here to represent the graduate student perspective is Viral genome researcher Laura Munoz. If your curious about the next steps after grad school, be sure to tune in!  Hosts: Connor Chato & Nikol Posnov Produced By Connor Chato

Given that viruses have a profound impact on every living organism, understanding how viruses evolve is crucial to understanding life itself. In this episode, hosts Gavin Tolometti and Nick Handfield Jones interview PhD student Laura Muñoz from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Laura introduces us to the world of virus genomes, bioinformatics and how her passion for evolution and virus diversity brought her to Canada. Produced by Ariel Frame

DID YOU KNOW: Cartilage injuries to joints, ears, and the nose heal much worse than cartilage injuries to bone or muscle? In this episode, hosts Gavin Tolometti and Joyla Furlano interview Dr. Roman Krawetz about what processes occur on a cellular level when these types of cartilage injuries attempt to heal. The keynote speaker at this year’s Western Biology Graduate Research Forum and a Western Alumni himself, Dr. Krawetz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of Calgary as well as a member of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. Produced by Gregory Robinson and Gavin Tolometti

On this week's GradCast, hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Nikol Posnov interview Danielle Spice about her research into sonic hedgehog. And no, we're not talking about the video game. Sonic hedgehog is a protein involved in growth, and Danielle tells us about how she uses a cutting edge technology CRISPR to investigate how it works. We also delve deep into the best flavour of Crisper chips. To get in contact with Danielle, find her on twitter @spicedanielle Produced by Gregory Robinson