Gradcast

Chantal Lemire and Yimin Chen interview Elena Hillman from the Masters' in Public Administration program about her research on Ontario’s Social Assistance Program, Ontario Works, and discuss how different funding models for social services might impact not only the kinds of programs available to those in need, but also the employment success rate of those who utilize said services.  Produced by: Gavin Tolometti  

How should one approach moral questions? Is Hume the best method? How do philosophers differ? These questions and more are the work of Chris Shirreff, a PhD student in the philosophy department. Chris enlightens Roger Hudson and Ariel Frame about his research on various methodologies in the study of ethics.  Hosts: Ariel Frame and Roger Hudson Produced by Gregory Robinson

Let's go behind the scenes of the Society or Graduate Students (SOGS) as Madison Bettle tells us about her time as former VPSS. On this week's episode, hosts Chantal Lemire and Nick Handfield-Jones explore Madison's tenure as Vice President - Student Services of SOGS. Madison tells us about the strides she made in representing Western graduate students. Specifically, she explains that including grad students in mental health programs was a great accomplishment, but that more work needs to be done. Finally, hear her tips on how grad students can take care of their mental health and what kind of discussions can be had to improve the grad school experience as a whole. If you would to get ahold of her, contact her by email. For more about SOGS, check out sogs.ca   Hosts: Nick Handfield-Jones and Chantal Lemire Producers: Yimin Chen and Gavin Tolometti

Let's enter the Matrix with Ethan Jackson as he explains his work on machine learning algorithms. This week hosts Yimin Chen and Nick Handfield-Jones dive into Ethan's fascinating research on artificial intelligence and how machine learning algorithms can solve complex problems in the information age. Self-driving cars, big data, and the iPhone face recognition app; all this will be discussed, and more. Plus, listen as Ethan tells us about his new project, where he trains a computer to play Ms. Pac-Man against itself! To learn more, find Ethan here. Hosted by: Yimin Chen and Nick Handfield-Jones Produced by: Gregory Robinson.

Julian Barg is a Doctoral student at Ivey. He speaks with Gregory Robinson and Ariel Frame about this research based program and how his work highlights the data on companies’ ability to act sustainably.   Hosted by: Ariel Frame & Gregory Robinson Produced by: Joyla Furlano  

Joyla Furlano and Ariel Frame speak with Aida Parvizi, Masters student in Biology, about her work on the armyworm moth and how she may be able to use spermatophores of the males to determine the natal origin of these pests. Hosted by: Ariel Frame & Joyla Furlano Produced by: Gregory Robinson

Let's all walk the plank with Abdullah Al-Jaja as he shares his research with us. This week hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Gavin Tolometti learn about Abdullah's journey immigrating to Canada from Lebanon and is now investigating dopaminergic signaling and anxiety in Parkinson's disease, which involves patients walking on a small plank to induce stress. All the while, Abdullah walks his own plank every day balancing the rigor of graduate studies at Western and the devotion of being a father. To learn more about his research, go to www.jessicagrahn.com or www.pennymacdonald.net.  Hosted by: Nick Handfield-Jones & Gavin Tolometti Produced by: Gregory Robinson.  

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