Chantal Lemire and Yimin Chen interview Elena Hillman from the Masters' in Public Administration program about her research on Ontario’s Social Assistance Program, Ontario Works, and discuss how different funding models for social services might impact not only the kinds of programs available to those in need, but also the employment success rate of those who utilize said services.
Produced by: Gavin Tolometti
How should one approach moral questions? Is Hume the best method? How do philosophers differ? These questions and more are the work of Chris Shirreff, a PhD student in the philosophy department. Chris enlightens Roger Hudson and Ariel Frame about his research on various methodologies in the study of ethics.
Produced by Gregory Robinson
Let's go behind the scenes of the Society or Graduate Students (SOGS) as Madison Bettle tells us about her time as former VPSS. On this week's episode, hosts Chantal Lemire and Nick Handfield-Jones explore Madison's tenure as Vice President - Student Services of SOGS. Madison tells us about the strides she made in representing Western graduate students. Specifically, she explains that including grad students in mental health programs was a great accomplishment, but that more work needs to be done. Finally, hear her tips on how grad students can take care of their mental health and what kind of discussions can be had to improve the grad school experience as a whole. If you would to get ahold of her, contact her by email. For more about SOGS, check out sogs.ca
Producers: Yimin Chen and Gavin Tolometti
Let's enter the Matrix with Ethan Jackson as he explains his work on machine learning algorithms. This week hosts Yimin Chen and Nick Handfield-Jones dive into Ethan's fascinating research on artificial intelligence and how machine learning algorithms can solve complex problems in the information age. Self-driving cars, big data, and the iPhone face recognition app; all this will be discussed, and more. Plus, listen as Ethan tells us about his new project, where he trains a computer to play Ms. Pac-Man against itself! To learn more, find Ethan here.
Produced by Gregory Robinson.
Julian Barg is a Doctoral student at Ivey. He speaks with Gregory Robinson and Ariel Frame about this research based program and how his work highlights the data on companies’ ability to act sustainably.
Produced by Joyla Furlano
Joyla Furlano and Ariel Frame speak with Aida Parvizi, Masters student in Biology, about her work on the armyworm moth and how she may be able to use spermatophores of the males to determine the natal origin of these pests.
Produced by Gregory Robinson
Let's all walk the plank with Abdullah Al-Jaja as he shares his research with us. This week hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Gavin Tolometti learn about Abdullah's journey immigrating to Canada from Lebanon and is now investigating dopaminergic signaling and anxiety in Parkinson's disease, which involves patients walking on a small plank to induce stress. All the while, Abdullah walks his own plank every day balancing the rigor of graduate studies at Western and the devotion of being a father. To learn more about his research, go to www.jessicagrahn.com or www.pennymacdonald.net.
Produced by Gregory Robinson.
In her research, sociocultural anthropologist Mingyuan Zhang asks a deceptively simple question, "What does it mean to be Chinese?" in a remarkably complicated context: Madagascar. This week, Viki Telios and Yimin Chen learn that there's more to Africa's largest island than just lemurs. Plus, how to introduce yourself in the Malagasy language. To read more about Mingyuan's work check out Academia.edu
Produced by Ariel Frame
What does it mean to be a man? Do the movies that we watch influence the ways in which we understand masculinity? Ryan Schroeder, MA student in Media Studies, think so. This week, hosts Yimin Chen and Greg Robinson learn about how the presentation of male protagonists in films has changed, and perhaps softened, over the years––from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ryan Gosling.
Produced by Nick Handfield-Jones
