GradCast

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 an...

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 characte...

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 i...

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 Reh...

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 Robinso...

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 mathe...

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 abo...

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 colon...

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 socia...

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 viru...

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 A...

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 i...

This episode, hosts Ariel Frame and Connor Chato speak with Megha Verma, a Master's student in the Neuroscience program, about her work on determining standards for use of anesthetics when imaging non-human primates. Megha explains how standardizing this procedure will enable researchers to conduct neuroimaging better. To discover more about Megha, you can find her on Instagram  @MeghaVerma95 or c...

This episode, hosts Nikol Posnov and Gregory Robinson interview guests Matthew Svensson and Mohammed Chamma who are part of the High Altitude Balloon initiative from the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration at Western University. Matt and Mo and the rest of the team built an apparatus to collect and study microbe particles found in the stratosphere well above the tallest buildings but within...

On this episode, Gradcast hosts Connor Chato and Nikol Posnov interview Chimira Andres, an intrepid researcher of space ice! We learn what it's like to do field work in the Canadian Arctic, what ice on Earth can tell us about its equivalent on other planets and how it's important to stay creative as a researcher, because in the words of Albert Einstein: "Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun" If y...

On this episode, hosts Gregory Robinson and Ariel Frame interview neuroscience student, Kartik Pradeepan, about his research on Autism. Autism is a complex disease that is associated with mutations among gene clusters. Kartik's research uses stem cells differentiated into neurons to create neuronal networks in order to study the role of SHANK2, a gene associated with autism, by measuring electrica...

In this special episode, hosts Jenna Schlorff and Nikol Posnov chat with students about their practicum experiences during the Master of Public Health Practicum Showcase day. Harvir Sandhu talks about the three months she spent at Bruyère Research Institute. Rachelle Roussel shares about her time with the Canadian Red Cross Society. Nour Kachouh discusses her experiences with the Public Health Ass...

 In this episode, hosts Monica Molinaro and Gavin Tolometti are joined by PSAC President, Katelyn Mitri! PSAC, or the Public Service Alliance 610, is the Graduate TA and Postdoctoral Union at Western University. They discuss how PSAC works, what is done behind the scenes to advocate for graduate students, and how PSAC can help when having a difficult TA experience. If you’d like to learn more abou...

Alex Kozlov is a PhD Student in the developmental biology collaborative program. She tells hosts Greg Robinson and Ariel Frame about her work using metabolism to reprogram skin cells into stem cells. One day her work could allow for this process to become more efficient and useful for personalized medicine. To find out more about Alex's work check out her lab's website thecumminglab.com Produced b...

Have you ever wondered what undetected forces help influence whether you'll be hired or not? This week, hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Chantal Lemire interview Natasha Ouslis about her research on organizational psychology. This is the second of a two-part episode. In the first episode, we focused on the nature of teams. This time, Natasha discussed the secrets of the hiring process and what you c...

Hosts Gavin Tolometti and Monica Molinaro talk with PhD student Alex Mayhew in the Library Catalogue Science studies department in the Faculty for Information and Media Studies. Alex wants to design a new library catalogue system for the public that does not have a Platonic view of literature, media and information. He wants to be able to semantically link information and allow readers to understa...

CanMoon is a Canadian Lunar Analogue Mission funded by the Canadian Space Agency, run by the CPSX program at Western in collaboration with The University of Winnipeg. Hosts Nikol and Greg chat with Cassandra Marion, the mission's "MOM", about what's it's like to simulate controlling a rover on the Moon, and more interestingly, how do you even train graduate students to do this. Tune in and hear ab...