GradCast

562 | Birds, Fatty Acids, and Isotopes: A Story About Where Fresh and Marine Waters Meet

In this week's episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview GradCast's own Scott Walters, a long-time host and producer. Shortly after his successful PhD defence on June 11, Scott's thesis was​ published on the Western website.

Scott's research explored how the feeding patterns of water-associated birds are reflected in the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their bodies. Surprised by the results, Scott talks the hosts through some of the prevailing hypotheses that contextualized his research and talks through an explanation for his findings.

In their conversation, Ryan and Mark also listen as Scott recounts his journey from the West Coast to Western. With Scott's time at GradCast winding down, they reminisce about collaboration with Radio Western, playing analogue music (vinyl and CDs) live on air, and the importance of family and friends to a well-rounded graduate experience.

Scott's PhD thesis:
https://uwo.scholaris.ca/items/59896d8f-a9c8-457f-b087-81ecdfc25065



Recorded on Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Produced by Kuljeet Chohan
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

561 | Popping the Bubble: International Experiences at Western

In this week’s episode, Anthony Cruz and Maris Schneider are joined by our newly reappointed international commissioner, Lucas Ferreira Marques dos Santos. Lucas is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry, but today he is telling us all about his experience moving to Canada, conducting research as an international student, and sharing the exciting new opportunities he pours his heart and soul into to help make Western a welcoming community for all. Tune in and get ready to think about how your soul is doing!

Check our Lucas' work here:
https://www.instagram.com/sogs.international/

https://www.instagram.com/westernuinternational/

https://www.instagram.com/lucas_forgeron/

 

Recorded on Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Produced by Anika Bushra
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

 

560 | Confidence, Speaking, and Digital Tools: Supporting Older Adult English Language Learners in Canada

In this week's episode, hosts Mark Ambrogio and Ryan Baxter interview Kelly Wang, a first-year PhD Student in Education. Kelly is exploring how digital media tools can enhance English language learning to support learners who are older adults and seniors. With her research, Kelly aims to contribute to a field that heavily emphasizes supporting children and youth, and less on older adults and seniors in their English language learning journey. The goal of her research is to support older newcomers in English-speaking regions to learn the language more efficiently and with greater confidence.

Tune in to hear Mark, Ryan, and Kelly’s conversation about her family’s immigration story, how it influenced her research, and how she’s preparing for her upcoming comprehensive exam.

Recorded on Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

 

559 | #Feminismo: Feminism and the Digital Hispanosphere

In this week's episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and Mark Ambrogio interview Pilar Rodriguez Mata, a PhD Student in Digital Humanities and Hispanic Studies. Pilar is studying Spanish-language tweets written from 2009 to 2022. Rooted in the humanities, Pilar studies the digital form, utilizing coding – to study the more than 3.5 million tweets she collected, with a focus on learning what enormous amounts of data can tell us about feminism in the Spanish-speaking world.

Chrishma and Mark talk with Pilar about what brought her to Western, her journey learning computational tools for her research, and how therapeutic music and reading can be for graduate students.

UWO Cultureplex Lab:  https://cultureplex.ca

Pilar's linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pilarrodriguezmata?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android

Recorded on Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Produced by Kuljeet Chohan
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

558 | How do we think about cells? There isn't one right way

Doing science is never about a single approach. Join hosts Bruno Mesquita and Rafaela Platkin as they chat with guest Camdyn Holmes, a MSc student in Biochemistry whose research compares two different approaches in examining what makes us human. Most people know that our DNA is an important part of who we are, but not all genes are active everywhere in our body. How do scientists study and measure the different ways our genes express throughout our cells?

 

Recorded on Friday, June 9, 2026

Produced by Milan Mammen and Zoe Kallenekos
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

557 | Minding the Body: How Does Mental Health Correlate With Exercise?

Hosts Garth Casbourn and Milan Mammen are joined this week by psychology student and member of the Psychobiology of Eating and Related Disorders (PEAR) Lab, Taylor Nicole Breddy.

 

Taylor is in the first year of her Master of Clinical Psychology, though she already has multiple years under her belt as a member of Western’s research community. We learn first about her current focus on individual approaches to exercise and how these might relate to mental health issues. The conversation then expands to Taylor’s other, wide-ranging research interests, and the links between psychology and other fields like neuroscience and forensics.

 

To learn more about the PEAR Lab and their research, visit: pearlabuwo.wixsite.com/mysite

Instagram handles:

@uwopearlab

@taylorenicolee

Recorded on Friday, June 5, 2026
Produced by Victor Lau
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

556 | K-Queer Regionality and Digital Affinities: Queer Identity in K-pop’s Transcultural Fandom

In this week's episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Jasmine Proctor, a PhD candidate in Media Studies, in Western's Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS).  Jasmine ("Jazz") is interested in how queer K-pop fan communities negotiate gender and sexuality through transcultural networked fan labour across digital platforms.  Ryan and Mark ask Jazz about the emergence of K-pop and the interesting phenomenon of K-pop's mass appeal to a North American audience.  More broadly, they discuss fandom, popular music, and popular culture.  

Jasmine also discusses the PhD program in Media Studies and helpful ways of de-stressing, including running, listening to music (of course), and reading.

For further information on Jasmine's research:  Jasmine Proctor Profile 
Jasmine's doctoral supervisor is Dr. Norma Coates, cross-listed between FIMS and Western's Faculty of Music.



Recorded on Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Produced by Mark Ambrogio, with help from Ryan Baxter
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

Special Episode: 40th Annual Western Research Forum

GradCast heads to the Western Research Forum! Get a glimpse into Western's largest multidisciplinary graduate research conference as hosts Chrishma Perera, Victor Lau, Maris Schneider, Milan Mammen, and Anthony Cruz conduct short interviews with the graduate student presenters. This year's conference featured over 100 different presentations from across Western's 11 faculties. See below for timestamps.

Funding for the 40th Annual Western Research Forum was provided by Western's Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS). The venue and technical support were graciously provided by Western Libraries.

Recorded on March 6, 2026.
Produced by Anthony Cruz.
Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ (Produced by White Hot).

Timestamps:
01:00 - Joey Butler
02:26 - Reshika Rohan
04:20 - Seth MacKenzie
05:50 - Kelly Wang
09:36 - Alessandra Walsh
11:26 - Abdul Moiz Noqui
12:28 - Alejandra Varela
13:24 - Aditi Satsangi
14:42 - Robyn Lewis
16:08 - Rameeza Rashed
17:06 - Emma Tassinari
18:40 - Mark Kwok
19:59 - Sara Varón Echeverri
21:11 - Sohini Chatterjee
24:01 - Haiyi Yan

555 | Marc Lalonde and The Grad Club, the Heart of Grad Life at Western

This week, hosts Anthony Cruz and Mark Ambrogio are joined by Marc Lalonde, the longtime manager of The Grad Club and recent recipient of the Western Award of Excellence. For over 20 years, Marc has played a central role in shaping The Grad Club as a community space for graduate students, faculty, and staff. In this episode, Marc discusses his journey from Canadore College to Lake Louise, the West Coast, and finally to London. Listen to learn about Marc’s career, how The Grad Club has evolved over the past two decades, and maybe even a few teasers about what’s coming to The Grad Club this summer. 

Follow The Grad Club on Instagram: @uwogradclub

The Grad Club

The Grad Club

Western News

Keri Ferguson

Western Award of Excellence recipients support campus community –...

Seven individuals and one interdisciplinary team are recipients of the 2025 Western Award of Excellence, a top honour for Western University employees.

 

 

Recorded on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026

Produced by Anika Bushra

Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

554 | Culturally Safe Long-term Care: Supporting Seniors with Diverse Cultural Backgrounds

This week, PhD candidate (Nursing) Azmat Jehan shines a light on older adults and their experiences in long-term care. How are they supported by family, or by other care partners? How do cultural practices intersect with the healthcare system to make individuals feel more heard, cared for, and respected? What are some of the potential barriers that remain, hindering the realization of what's been termed culturally safe care?

Join Kelly Wang and Victor Lau as they learn more about Azmat’s journey in interviewing and hearing stories from this age-friendly community. Discover a bit more about how communication can make a difference - both within, and outside of the time spent with individuals making up an important part of our community.

You can find Azmat on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/azmat-jehan-928399309

Recorded on Tuesday, May 12th, 2026

Produced by Garth Casbourn

Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)