Ever heard of the kudzu? Depending on where you're from, you might have a different idea of this dubious plant. Introduced as a way to nourish Southern US soil, it quickly spread throughout much of the eastern coast. Now, it is everywhere from Georgia to New York State. On today's episode, hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Roger Hudson interview Master's student Kenny Reilly about the kudzu vine. He tells them about how views toward immigrants and how old Civil War tensions has bred fierce controversy over how the kudzu is viewed in modern times.
Get in contact with Kenny:
Twitter: @KReilly16
email: kreill@uwo.ca
Produced by Lil' Baby Greg
You may have heard the work of Academy Award nominated composer Phillip Glass referred to as "Minimalism," but what does that mean? Martin Ross, PhD candidate in music theory, joins GradCast hosts Joyla and Yimin to discuss what might be the most influential musical movement of the 20th century. On this episode, we learn what blinking turn signals, mathematics, and four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence have to do with music.
Produced by Chantal Lemire
In order for microbial life to develop and grow it needs an environment and world that can habit them. Presence of an energy source, liquid water or another solvent, appropriate temperature conditions, and protection from outside harm. In this episode, hosts Gavin Tolometti and Connor Chato talk with Earth Science PhD student Josh Hedgepeth about Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and the mystery and complicated thoughts on astrobiology.
Produced by Roger Hudson
Today’s unique episode features science graduate student John Palmer, who provides undergraduate student Aida Noorbakhsh with advice on transitioning to grad school. For those of you interested in learning more about what first year of grad school is all about, including helpful graduate resources available on campus, this episode is for you!
Hosts: Joyla Furlano and Connor Chato
Producer: Gavin Tolometti
We’re welcoming our newest host and GradCast Committee member, Monica Molinaro! Monica is a PhD Candidate in the Health Promotion stream of the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences graduate program, and a qualitative health researcher. In this episode, hosts Roger Hudson and Gavin Tolometti talk with Monica about the use of narrative methodology to understand the experiences of health care providers caring for children with cancer. Monica discusses how storying experience often highlights more than just the story itself, how long it takes to transcribe an interview, and her experiences throughout her time in graduate school! If you'd like to contact Monica, email her mmolina3@uwo, or find her on twitter @monicalmolinaro.
Produced by Nick Handfield-Jones
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 characteristics of Canadian telegraphy and about the difficulties faced by telegraphers at the time. Plus, don’t miss a live demonstration of morse code!
--. .-. .- -.. -.-. .- … - !
Produced by Gregory Robinson
In this episode, hosts Monica Molinaro and Gavin Tolometti talk with Earth and Planetary Science PhD student Nicolas Garroni about meteorite impacts and their effect on carbonate rocks, and what it’s like to work out in the field.
Produced by Gregory Robinson
Hosts Gavin Tolometti and Joyla Furlano talk with Earth Science MSc student Nikol Posnov about the search for extinct microbial life on Mars. Nikol studies the minerals in bioalterated volcanic rocks in Brazilian impact structures, and the Martian environment to infer where in craters on Mars microbial life may have sparked and thrived.
Produced by Gregory Robinson
On this special episode of gradcast, listen as our host Chantal Lemire sits down to chat with Taniya Nagpal and Susan Anthony about pregnancy. As a phd student studying exercise during pregnancy, Taniya comes equipped with knowledge about how to lead a healthy lifestyle when expecting. Complimenting this, Susan brings her own personal experience as a pregnant student. It makes for cool opportunity to hear the research and the people who use it come together! You can read more about Taniya's work at: https://www.uwo.ca/fhs/EPL/
Produced by Connor Chato and Greg Rogers
Hosts Roger Hudson and Gregory Robinson talk to Drew Bowman, masters student in Health Geography, about what high school students eat and how the advertisements that surround them can influence their decision making when it comes to food. A researcher in the Human Environment Analysis Laboratory at Western University, Drew discusses some of the unique insights she gains from conducting her research with teens rather than on teens, and shares about her lab's innovative SmartAppetite project that helps teens make informed and healthy food choices.
Produced by Chantal Lemire
