Gradcast

Take a trip to the Beaufort Sea in the Northwest Territories with Anthropology PhD student Rebecca Goodwin as she works to document and share the cultural history of Inuit peoples of the Western Canadian arctic. Join hosts Yimin Chen and Nikol Posnov as we hear some of the stories told by Inuvialuit elders and knowledge holders about current and past life in the far north. Plus, tips on how to eat muktuk, a traditional meal of whale blubber! For more information on the rich cultural and archaeological history of this region, visit: InuvialuitLivingHistory.ca or on facebook at: Facebook.com/InuvialuitLivingHistory Hosts: Yimin Chen & Nikol Posnov   Produced by: Gregory Robinson

Hosts Nikol Posnov and Ariel Frame speak with Will Yingling, an MSc student in geology and planetary science, about his work on impact melt pools on Mars. Using various sources of data from Mars orbiters, Will explains what he is learning about mapping the topography of Mars (the landscape) and how meteorite impacts have shaped its surface. To find out more about Will you can contact him on twitter @mars_mapper or take a look at his website willyingling.com Hosts: Ariel Frame & Nikol Posnov Produced by Gavin Tolometti

Have you ever watched somebody look off in the distance at something behind you and then immediately turn to look at whatever it is their seeing? That exact response is what PhD Student Borna Mahmoudian studies. It's a fascinating little feature that helps gives social skills to us humans and some other animals (Including the Old-World Monkeys Borna Studies). Hosts Nikol Posnov and Connor Chato chat about the neurological mechanics of this response and what it's like studying this in a lab with our incredibly smart evolutionary cousins.  To find out more about Borna you can find him on twitter @borna__m or on Dr. Julio Martinez's lab website http://martinezlab.robarts.ca/. Hosts: Connor Chato & Nikol Posnov Produced by Ariel Frame

In this episode, neuroscience Ph.D. student and fellow GradCast colleague Roger Hudson joins hosts Gregory Robinson and Nikol Posnov to speak about his research on the interactions between THC and CBD in the brain within the context of recent events related to cannabis legalization in Canada. Roger shares with us the knowledge he has acquired over his years of conducting cannabis research. Topics such as THC-induced psychosis, the infamous 'indica-sativa' dichotomy, and edible products for medical cannabis patients are discussed. Hosts: Nikol Posnov & Gregory Robinson Produced by Connor Chato

In part 2 of GradCast's coverage of the 2019 Western Research forum, Yimin Chen brings you conversations with nursing PhD student Yasin Yasin, psychology PhD student Laura Johnson, and physical chemistry master's student Sarai Guerrero. Host: Yimin Chen Produced by Gregory Robinson

In part 1 of GradCast's coverage of the 2019 Western Research forum, Roger Hudson and Yimin Chen bring you conversations with mechanical and material engineering master's student Sara Holland, master's of education student Bella Wang, and health and rehabilitation PhD student Humberto Omana. Hosts: Yimin Chen & Roger Hudson Produced by Gregory Robinson

In this episode, hosts Roger Hudson and Monica Molinaro talk to Dr. Mariya Goncheva, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Our hosts and Mariya talk about the infamous Staphylococcus aureus. They discuss the mutant purr gene that Mariya studies, how antibiotics work, and her experience finishing her PhD and starting her post-doc as an international student in Canada! To learn more about Dr Mariya Goncheva research and her lab go to https://www.heinrichslab.com Hosts: Roger Hudson & Monica Molinaro   Produced and edited by Gavin Tolometti

The humble spider-mite is a cousin of the spider with an incredibly diverse diet, letting them live and feast on plants all over the world. In their talk with master's student David Letwin - hosts Connor Chato and Nikol Posnov get down to the genetic code that makes these tiny critters and what it's like to share a lab with thousands of them. We learn about the evolutionary factors that allow animals to eat what they eat and how certain expansions in the genome may make Spider Mites frustratingly good at eating all the veggies we try and grow. To find out more about David's work you can email him at dletwin3@uwo.ca Hosts: Connor Chato & Nikol Posnov Produced by Ariel Frame

The Society for Neuroscience annual conference remains the largest international conference for neuroscience research, hosting upwards of 25,000 neuroscientists each year. GradCast had the opportunity to interview two conference attendees about their cutting-edge research for Neuroscience 2018. In part 2 of this 2-part series, hosts Viki Tellios and Joyla Furlano discuss effective MRI image analysis from work done by Guy Hwang in the Medical Physics department from the University of Wisconsin. As well, Roger Hudson along with Viki Tellios interview Michelle Stone from California State University of San Bernardino about her research associated with the neural sensitization response of cannabinoids.  To learn more about Guy Hwang's research: https://neurofmri.bme.wisc.edu/ To learn more about work from Michelle Stone's lab: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sanders_Mcdougall Hosts: Joyla Furlano, Roger Hudson, & Viki Tellios Produced by Roger Hudson & Chantal Lemire

In this entertaining episode, GradCast hosts Chantal and Nikol talk with masters student in biology Zoran Culo and his partner-in-crime, Peanut, about the spider-mite research labs at western. Zoran explains why the tiny spider-mite is a big pest for plant lovers, and what western researchers are doing to develop alternative pest control strategies for sustainable agriculture.   http://www.spidermite.org   Hosts: Nikol Posnov & Chantal Lemire Produced by Gregory Robinson

The Society for Neuroscience annual conference remains the largest international conference for neuroscience research, hosting upwards of 25,000 neuroscientists each year. GradCast had the opportunity to interview two conference attendees about their cutting-edge research for Neuroscience 2018. In part 1 of this 2-part series, hosts Roger Hudson and Viki Tellios learn about novel methods associated with the classical fear conditioning paradigm, from work done by Peter Zambetti from the University of Washington. As well, Roger Hudson along with Joyla Furlano interview Jamal Williams from Princeton University about his research testing the interaction between classical and jazz music on event segmentation within the brain.  To learn more about Peter Zambetti's work: http://faculty.washington.edu/jeansokk/index.html Contact info for Jamal Williams: jamalw@princeton.edu Hosts: Joyla Furlano, Roger Hudson, & Viki Tellios  Produced by Roger Hudson and Chantal Lemire

Did you know there are an estimated 1 million species of mites? They are found on every continent. They can live on both plants and animals, and you have microscopic mites living on your face right now (that are harmless, hopefully!) And yet, mites are often overlooked and poorly studied. To date, only 50,000 species of mites have been described. Luckily, you can learn more about the mighty mite with mite maven Matt Meehan as he joins GradCast hosts, Gregory Robinson and Nikol Posnov, to talk about his research on the interactions of mite colonies.  Hosts: Nikol Posnov & Gregory Robinson Produced by Gregory Robinson and Roger Hudson.  

How do different regions of the brain work together to recognize and make sense of the sounds that you hear? Our guest today is Sonia Varma, who is completing her Master's in neuroscience investigating auditory processing. Hosts Monica Molinaro and Yimin Chen get a crash course in how hearing works, plus some surprising insights into the film preferences of hearing research participants. You can contact Sonia to hear more about her research through email at svarma6@uwo.ca.    Hosts: Yimin Chen & Monica Molinaro     Produced by Connor Chato

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 coming soon.   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

Ever heard of the kudzu? Depending on where you're from, you might have a different idea of this dubious plant. Introduced as a way to nourish Southern US soil, it quickly spread throughout much of the eastern coast. Now, it is everywhere from Georgia to New York State. On today's episode, hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Roger Hudson interview Master's student Kenny Reilly about the kudzu vine. He tells them about how views toward immigrants and how old Civil War tensions has bred fierce controversy over how the kudzu is viewed in modern times.  Get in contact with Kenny: Twitter: @KReilly16 email: kreill@uwo.ca Hosts: Roger Hudson & Nick Handfield-Jones Produced by Greg Robinson

You may have heard the work of Academy Award nominated composer Phillip Glass referred to as "Minimalism," but what does that mean? Martin Ross, PhD candidate in music theory, joins GradCast hosts Joyla and Yimin to discuss what might be the most influential musical movement of the 20th century. On this episode, we learn what blinking turn signals, mathematics, and four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence have to do with music. Hosts: Yimin Chen & Joyla Furlano Produced by Chantal Lemire

In order for microbial life to develop and grow it needs an environment and world that can habit them. Presence of an energy source, liquid water or another solvent, appropriate temperature conditions, and protection from outside harm. In this episode, hosts Gavin Tolometti and Connor Chato talk with Earth Science PhD student Josh Hedgepeth about Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and the mystery and complicated thoughts on astrobiology. Hosts: Connor Chato & Gavin Tolometti Produced by Roger Hudson

Today’s unique episode features science graduate student John Palmer, who provides undergraduate student Aida Noorbakhsh with advice on transitioning to grad school. For those of you interested in learning more about what first year of grad school is all about, including helpful graduate resources available on campus, this episode is for you! Hosts: Connor Chato & Joyla Furlano    Producer: Gavin Tolometti

We’re welcoming our newest host and GradCast Committee member, Monica Molinaro! Monica is a PhD Candidate in the Health Promotion stream of the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences graduate program, and a qualitative health researcher. In this episode, hosts Roger Hudson and Gavin Tolometti talk with Monica about the use of narrative methodology to understand the experiences of health care providers caring for children with cancer. Monica discusses how storying experience often highlights more than just the story itself, how long it takes to transcribe an interview, and her experiences throughout her time in graduate school! If you'd like to contact Monica, email her mmolina3@uwo, or find her on twitter @monicalmolinaro. Hosts: Roger Hudson & Gavin Tolometti  Produced by Nick Handfield-Jones

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