GradCast

This week, join hosts Mark Ambrogio and Meghan Voll as they interview Luigi De Angelis Soriano about his recent dissertation exploring the Hebrew book of Ruth and the concept of Hesed, "a Hebrew term that is often translated as loving kindness and connotes loyalty, love, and extraordinary commitment", in the context of Spanish plays, European art, and Latin American poetry. We hear about the inter...

In our first episode of 2024, Amalie Hutchinson and Meghan Voll interview Jacob Evoy, a PhD student in the Women’s Studies program at Western University. Jacob tells us about their oral history research investigating the stories of queer children of Holocaust survivors. Jacob talks to us about what queer experience is, the effects of the Holocaust on these individuals, and how narrative is constru...

One of GradCast's own, host Ryan Baxter, is interviewed about his studies as a doctoral student in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the Don Wright Faculty of Music. Ryan chats with us about his program, the balance between research and musical practice, and performing both on campus and in the community. We also discuss Ryan’s diverse passions, including education, distance learning, and trut...

This week hosts Carly Charron and Anum Anjum speak to one of our GradCast members Anthony Cruz about his PhD work in psychology. Anthony studies the cognitive process of categorization, where we break down information perceived from the environment into smaller components to understand and group them. Tune in to hear some bonus discussions on qualifying exams, clothing for cats, and Anthony's expe...

In our last episode from the special miniseries "The Scoop on SOGS", GradCast host Mark Ambrogio speaks with two other SOGS councilors, Kayla Davies and Evan Sauve. They chat about how council functions for SOGS, how they found their way to their roles and what they enjoy most about them.  To learn more about SOGS council, visit their webpage https://sogs.ca/council/ To follow Kayla's academic jou...

This week, Meghan Voll and brand-new host Garth Casbourn interview one of our very own producers, Suzy Lee. Suzy shares her experiences in the master of library and information science (MLIS) degree program. The conversation delves into Suzy's co-op placement with the user experience and assessment librarians at Western Libraries. Recorded on November 28, 2023 Produced by Amalie Hutchinson Theme s...

On this week's episode, GradCast hosts Anthony Cruz and Carly Charron are joined by Celeste Laube, who talks about her experiences so far in the one-year Master of Media in Journalism and Communication (MMJC) program. Tune into this week's episode for discussions about the projects she's currently working on, her grad experience at Western, and her plans for the rest of the program. Follow Celeste...

This week GradCast hosts Meghan Voll and Mark Ambrogio are once again joined by Alex Mayhew, a Library and Information Science instructor and PhD candidate. As a man of many interests, Alex briefly describes his thesis - the creation of a new cataloguing system called Phylomemetics - before delving into the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it's going to interact with society. Tune in...

In this special mini field-trip episode, managing editor Amalie Hutchinson travels to the Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs (CCUBC) annual conference in Banff Alberta to receive their Science Promotion Award and give a talk about what GradCast does. She also interviews some of the chairs about what graduate students are doing in their own universities to create connectivity and communi...

This is Sparta…and it’s not at all abs and Gerard Butler. In this episode, Meghan Voll and Mark Ambrogio interview Stephanie Dennie, PhD student and instructor at Western’s department of Classical Studies. Stephanie debunks common misunderstandings about Sparta, and discusses her research examining the lyrical poem Eunomia, and obstacles to finding resources depicting authentic accounts of the Gre...

We are back with our final episode of The Scoop on SOGS miniseries! Amalie Hutchinson chats with VP student services Kesavi Kanagasabai about her role on SOGS, how she balances a very busy schedule, her proudest moments as a student leader, how to deal with large problems, and more.  Recorded on October 30, 2023 Produced by Amalie Hutchinson Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by...

This week, hosts Carly Charron and Anthony Cruz sit down with Alec Mullender, a Library and Information Science PhD student and a part-time library assistant at Weldon Library. Alec teaches us all about the harm that library cataloguing systems can cause, as well as the challenges that come with trying to organize knowledge in a comprehensive way. Recorded on October 31, 2023 Produced by Suzy Lee...

In this episode, we delve deep into the world of social work and psychotherapy with our guest, Bansi Javiya, a dedicated student pursuing her Masters of Social Work (MSW) at King's College. We embark on an exploration of Bansi's academic and experiential journey, shedding light on her coursework in the master's program and her current role as a student therapist in a real-world placement. Bansi's...

This week, hosts Meghan Voll and Mark Ambrogio interview Ameena Abid, our first guest from King’s College’s Master of Social Work program. Ameena tells us about her research on Second-Generation Immigrants and the identity conflicts these individuals feel existing “between” cultures. Framing the longing and pain of wanting to belong in the context of nostalgia, we delve into deep discussions about...

This week, Amalie Hutchinson and Mark Ambrogio sit down with PhD candidate Pascal Michelberger. Studying comparative literature, Pascal tells us about his research into recently published fictional accounts of Nazi trials in West Germany during the 50s and 60s. We chat about transitional justice, how complex legal themes are translated into fiction, and what they teach us about the past and presen...

We're back for another episode of #JarringQuestions, where you get to know three of your GradCast hosts as we answer funny questions pulled out of a jar. This week, Amalie Hutchinson, Anthony Cruz, and Anum Anjum chat about the personalities of colours, fashion trends they're never letting go of, childhood fears and more. Recorded on October 3, 2023 Produced by Amalie Hutchinson Theme song provide...

This week, hosts Carly Charron and Meghan Voll interview Maris Schneider, a master's student in bio-archaeology. Maris examines the mummified remains of animals like birds to understand the role they played in ancient Egypt and the afterlife. Tune in to learn about the rich culture of the Ancient Egyptians, and how animal mummies actually made up a very profitable ancient industry! Recorded on Sep...

This week, hosts Anum Anjum and Mark Ambrogio are joined by master's student Kristen Jeanveau to discuss their work examining the stories of the London Underground Subway shelters during World War II through the eyes of shelter-specific newletters. Tune in for discussions of unreliable narrators, the power of communities, and the struggles of accessing primary sources.  Find Kristin on Twitter and...

This is the second installment of our mini-series: the Scoop on SOGS! In this episode, hosts Brittany Melton and Ryan Baxter speak with Hannah Litchfield, the current SOGS Racial Equity & Inclusivity Commissioner. Hannah shares about her important work and some upcoming events to bring together the diverse cultures at Western.  Check out their Instagram page: @sogs.reic Recorded on September 1...

In this unique episode, hosts Apurva Desai and Meghan Voll interview 4 MA Students from Western’s Master of Global Health Systems: Jiaxin (Cathy) Huang, Alyssa Ramsammy, Vishva Shah, and Rachel Baran. Having completed a research practicum in Mbarara, Uganda for 2.5 months investigating the relationship between maternal and nutritional health, our guests share some insights of their journey, and ob...

Welcome to our newest mini-series: the Scoop on SOGS! In this episode, hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Elizabeth Mohler chat with Heidi Kellett, Communications & Promotions Manager,  and Nick DeSumma, Governance & Policy Manager. We chat about the resources SOGS has for graduate students, including the bus pass and health plan, how to get involved with your Western community and more.  Recorde...

This week, hosts Meghan Voll and Amalie Hutchinson interview History MA Mary Baxter. Mary tells your hosts about an unheard-of moment in Canadian Dredging History: the "sand-sucker panic". We learn about what dredging is, the ecological impacts, and the historical connotations behind it!  Find Mary on Twitter here: @MaryBword Recorded on September 5, 2023 Produced by Suzy Lee Theme song provided b...

This week, GradCast hosts Amalie Hutchinson and Apurva Desai are joined by Joel Seigel, a student in the master's of physical therapy program. Joel shares his experiences in the clinic and some advice for keeping your muscles healthy. Recorded on August 29, 2023 Produced by Amalie Hutchinson Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot.

Join hosts Charan Mandur and Brittany Melton as they chat with recent PhD graduate Laura Munoz Baena. Laura's research focused on virus evolution using bioinformatics. In this episode, they discuss essential tips for graduate students, including maintaining a healthy work-life balance through physical activity and navigating the uncertainties that come with graduation. To find out more about Laura...

In this week's episode, Mark Ambrogio and Anum Anjum are joined by Amber Matthews too discuss her work and research working with Black youth in Canada to better understand their experiences with public libraries and how they perceive them.  Amber identifies aspects of libraries that act as structural barriers and speaks on how representation and inclusion seen in community-based programs can infor...