GradCast

499 | Third Time's a Charm: Exploring Representations of, and Attitudes Towards, Snakes

And yes, he's back!  Liam Clifford and Mark Ambrogio are joined, for the third time, by William Laur, a PhD candidate at Western in Biology, as he shares how he is making good progress on his doctoral research.

William discusses his research on snakes; more specifically, he is interested in the human reaction towards snakes, which he studies by looking at both the scientific literature and social media posts.  Topics discussed include threat perception, human-animal conflict, and the importance of ecological diversity.  Snakes are not as dangerous as commonly perceived; indeed, it is possible, as William discusses, for us to learn to live alongside them.  

Recorded on Mark 25, 2025
Produced by Mark Ambrogio

Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot).

#BookCast 8 | The Secret History by Donna Tart

For this edition of #BookCast, we dive deep into The Secret History by Donna Tart, the origin of the dark academia genre. Join us as we discuss the book, which follows a student at a prestigious New England College, where he experiences new friends, an eclectic professor, and murder. The Secret History is a novel heavily laced with classical symbolism, and we discuss some of the central themes as well as engage in a breakdown of the main characters.

This episode was recorded on March 5, 2025

Produced by Scott Walters

Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

#GlobalGrads Redux New Horizons: From Nepal to Western: Deepmala Rana Bhat's Journey as an International Student and Advocate for SOGS

#GlobalGrads is back! In this episode, hosts Liam Clifford and Riya Sidhu sit down with Deepmala Rana Bhat, a PhD student in Epidemiology from Nepal and the International Commissioner for SOGS at Western. As an international student herself, Deepmala shares insights into Nepal’s rich culture, fun facts, and her experiences advocating for international students. They also dive into the evolving landscape of international student policies in Canada and how these changes impact students like Deepmala. Tune in for a lively and informative conversation about culture, advocacy, and student life!

This episode was recorded on March 18, 2025 

This episode was produced by: Jessica Eblie

Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ 

Produced by White Hot

498 | #InspiringMinds 4: Development of Parasports in Ghana

On our fourth episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience and Western’s 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research while enhancing transferrable skills. 

Our hosts Riya Sidhu and Ryan Baxter are joined by Dennis Osei-Nimo Annor, a PhD candidate in the Department of Kinesiology, under the Faculty of Health Sciences. His research examines the ways in which sport can be used as a toolkit to address physical and sociocultural challenges faced persons who experience disability (PWEDs). By addressing this gap, he hopes to use sports as a tool for social inclusion to address harmful cultural stereotypes and perceptions about disability in Ghana. Dennis also talks about his journey to his PhD and his work in sports journalism.

Check out Dennis' Inspiring Minds Showcase here!

Recorded on March 11, 2025

Produced by Maria Khan

Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

497 | Am I Pronouncing This Correctly? Reading, Context, and Word Recognition

In this week's episode, hosts Liam Clifford and Bruno Mesquita interview Niki Sinha (they/them), a PhD candidate in Neuroscience. Niki's research delves into the processes by which, when we read, we connect letters with sound and words with meanings.  As an example, the word "lead" has a very different meaning (and a very different pronunciation!) in the context of "lead singer," as opposed to "lead pipe."

These cognitive processes are so quick as to almost appear automatic.  In this interview, we learn, from Niki, that making connections between visual information and language isn't something that our brain is programmed to do by itself (unlike recognizing faces for instance), but it is something almost all of us learn to do anyways. 

Do tune in for a very erudite and engaging conversation! 

Recorded on Mark 4, 2025
Produced by Mark Ambrogio

Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot).

496 | A Bone by Any Other Name: Refining the Science of Anthropological Investigations Using CT Scans

Hosts Maris Schneider and Meghan Voll welcome Sarah Bidinosti to discuss her research on adapting traditional bone analysis methods for the digital age using CT scans. Sarah explains how techniques for estimating age, biological sex, and stature—commonly used in forensic and archaeological studies—must be refined when applied to digital scans. By creating a standardized methodology, she aims to improve accuracy and repeatability in osteobiography, the process of identifying unknown individuals based on skeletal characteristics.

Our conversation explores the advantages of CT scans, which allow researchers to study bones non-invasively, preserving remains in forensic cases and with cultural artifacts like mummies. Sarah highlights challenges in translating physical bone analysis to the digital realm, as scan parameters and software algorithms can alter bone appearances. Sarah’s work bridges archaeology, forensic science, and medical imaging, offering applications across cultures and time periods.

Recorded on February 25, 2025
Produced by Scott Walters

Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot).

495 | Algorithms, Hate Engagement, and the Digital Divide

Hosts Mark Ambrogio and Meghan Voll welcome Alanna Acchione, a PhD student in Media Studies at Western University, to discuss her research on data harms and the role of algorithms in curating hate engagement on social media. Alanna explores how platforms intentionally foster ideological clashes by amplifying content that triggers emotional responses, ultimately driving user engagement and platform profitability.

Drawing from Wendy Chun’s "Discriminating Data", Alanna explains how users are categorized into marketable groups, often pushed into ideological echo chambers that reinforce extreme narratives. She shares how these algorithmic structures fuel anti-feminist and anti-minority rhetoric, shaping online discourse in ways that can have real-world consequences.

The conversation also delves into rhetorical silence—the act of disengaging from online debates—as a potential resistance strategy. Alanna discusses the effectiveness of "feed cleansing" to disrupt harmful engagement patterns and considers whether quitting social media entirely is the only true form of protest against these platforms’ exploitative models.

Recorded on February 25, 2025
Produced by Mohammad Zeraati
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot).

 

494 | Advancing Ultrasound Imaging: Speed, Accuracy, and Biomedical Innovation

 

Hosts Mark Ambrogio and Ryan Baxter welcome back Kian Esmailian, a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Western University, to discuss his research on ultrafast ultrasound imaging and Doppler applications. Kian shares his journey from Iran to Western, detailing his passion for merging engineering and medicine. He explains how ultrasound imaging plays a crucial role in diagnostics due to its affordability, safety, and real-time capabilities, making it a preferred choice over MRI and CT scans.

The conversation dives into Doppler ultrasound applications, which allow for velocity estimation in blood vessels, helping doctors detect abnormalities like clogged arteries and aneurysms. Kian breaks down the trade-offs between frame rate and accuracy, highlighting how ultrafast ultrasound improves speed but requires balancing image quality. He discusses how his research focuses on optimizing transmission techniques to achieve both high-speed imaging and precise velocity estimation, ultimately improving diagnostic accuracy.

Recorded on February 19, 2025
Produced by Mohammad Zeraati

Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot).

493 | #InspiringMinds 3: Easing the Load: Shoulder Injuries and Firefighters

This week, we engage in the third episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience and Western’s 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research while enhancing transferrable skills. 

Our hosts Garth Casbourn and Ryan Baxter are joined by Temitope Osifeso, a PhD Candidate at the School of Physical Therapy in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Temitope’s research explored how firefighters manage shoulder injuries and what they need to recover effectively by interviewing firefighters in North America. We chat about potential gender differences, what made Temitope engage with this research area and what can be done to minimize and treat these shoulder injuries in a high-risk occupation.

Recorded on February 11, 2025

Produced by Maria Khan

Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot

#GradLife | For the Love of Grad School

Just in time for Valentine's Day, GradCast hosts Anthony Cruz, Riya Sidhu, and Liam Clifford discuss all things love in graduate school. The hosts review a series of would-you-rather questions centered around dating within academia, planning a wedding during graduate school, and balancing research-related and romantic demands.

Recorded on February 4, 2025.

Produced by Anthony Cruz

Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ (Produced by White Hot).