GradCast

#TheScoopOnSOGS | Vice-President student services (Saghar Soltanabadi)

In this installment of the #TheScoopOnSOGS miniseries, host Maris Schneider is joined by Saghar Soltanabadi, a fourth-year PhD candidate in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, serving as the Vice President Student Services (VPSS) for the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) at Western University. In her role, Saghar acts as a main operational role for graduate student support, coordinating across committees, services, and the executive team to enhance student life beyond the classroom and lab. She oversees key areas including mental and physical health initiatives, ancillary fees, orientation programming, recreation, and overall student well-being. Through committees such as Graduate Peer Support, the Health Plan Committee, and the Orientation and Social Committee, Saghar helps deliver essential services like the orientation week, graduate wellness week, health and dental coverage, social and athletic events, buss pass system, and support funds for students. From launching large-scale activities like the SOGS Summer Games to strengthening partnerships with campus partners, she is committed to building graduate community and ensuring graduate students have the resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive at Western.

 

Recorded on Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Produced by Mohammad Zeraati
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

Thrive, Don’t Just Survive #3: The Hidden Curriculum, Navigating the Ins and Outs of Grad School

What's a better way to start off the school year than with a brand new mini-series! GradCast is teaming up with Learning, Development and Success, out of Western Student Experience. We talk to experts on campus who support graduate students in doing research, writing theses, and have all the tips and tricks to succeed in grad school!

In our third episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Chrishma Perera chat with Aldean Ellis and Heather Ellis, Learning Specialists at Learning Development & Success, to dive into the hidden curriculum. We explore what exactly is the hidden curriculum in graduate school? Why is it hidden and what are some common hidden curriculum topics Learning Specialists discuss with graduate students? Tune in to learn more about this mysterious hidden curriculum!

You can book an appointment with Learning Development & Success online! Workshops are being hosted with Own Your Future in October/November on sustaining motivation, AI and graduate school, the hidden curriculum/inculturation and project management! Here is the list of events!

Recorded on August 26, 2025

Produced by Mohammad Zeraati and Maria Khan

Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

#TheScoopOnSOGS | Board Chair (Kirsty Ng)

In this installment of the #TheScoopOnSOGS miniseries, host Maris Schneider is joined by Kirsty Ng, a PhD Candidate in Western's Department of Chemistry who currently serves as the Board Chair at the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS). Listen to this episode to learn about Kirsty's research, background, and roles at SOGS.

Recorded on September 23, 2025. 
Produced by Anthony Cruz & Milan Mammen. 
Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ (Produced by White Hot).

Thrive, Don’t Just Survive #2: Time Management for Graduate Students

What's a better way to start off the school year than with a brand new mini-series! GradCast is teaming up with Learning, Development and Success, out of Western Student Experience. We talk to experts on campus who support graduate students in doing research, writing theses, and have all the tips and tricks to succeed in grad school! 

In our second episode, hosts Riya Sidhu and Garth Casbourn chat with Heather Ellis, a Learning Specialist at Learning Development & Success, to explore a timely topic: time management in graduate school. Heather shares how time management can be a huge task for a grad student to tackle. She shares tips and tricks for time management, such as breaking down bigger tasks into smaller ones and using sticky notes!

 

You can book an appointment with Learning Development & Success online! There are workshops being hosted with Own Your Future in October/November on sustaining motivation, AI and graduate school, the hidden curriculum/inculturation and project management! Here is the list of events!

Recorded on August 12, 2025

Produced by Riya Sidhu and Maria Khan

Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

#TheScoopOnSOGS | Vice-President Academic (Anthony Cruz)

In this installment of the #TheScoopOnSOGS miniseries, host Maris Schneider is joined by Anthony Cruz, a PhD Candidate in Western's Department of Psychology who currently serves as the Vice-President Academic at the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS). Listen to this episode to learn about Anthony's research, background, and roles at SOGS.

Recorded on September 16, 2025. 
Produced by Anthony Cruz. 
Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ (Produced by White Hot).

Thrive, Don’t Just Survive #1: Sustaining Motivation in Graduate School

What's a better way to start off the school year than with a brand new mini-series! GradCast is teaming up with Learning, Development and Success, out of Western Student Experience, to talk to experts on campus who support graduate students in doing research, writing theses, and have all the tips and tricks to succeed in grad school! 

In our first episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and Ryan Baxter chat with Aldean Ellis, a Learning Specialist, to dive into motivation. He defines motivation, key factors that shape and sustain motivation and practical strategies for navigating periods of low motivation or feeling stuck. Aldean will be hosting an Own Your Future workshop about sustaining motivation on November 11 through Western Connect. 

Own Your Future complements the doctoral curriculum by focusing on the often-overlooked skills and attributes of PhDs that contribute to their success within and beyond their studies. Own Your Future makes professional development meaningful and makes the advantages of participating transparent and explicit. Here is the list of events!

Recorded on August 5, 2025

Produced by kirstyn seanor and Maria Khan

Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)3

522 | #InspiringMinds 7: Residential Decarbonization using Solar Photovoltaics

Join us for the 7th episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, which is 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 transferable skills.

This week, hosts Riya Sidhu and Ryan Baxter chat with Shafquat Rana, a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Her research at the Free Appropriate Sustainable Technology (FAST) lab focuses on decarbonization of Canada’s residential sector by integrating renewable resources with mechanical systems by using solar photovoltaics, heat pumps and thermal batteries. She shares practical application, its importance in Canada and how the system works to reduce carbon emissions. Check out Shafquat’s Appropedia, her Inspiring Minds submission and the Free Appropriate Sustainability Technology (FAST) Research Group’s LinkedIn page!

Recorded on Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Produced by Riya Sidhu & Maria Khan
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

521 | Matrices All The Way Down: The Limits of Large Language Models

Hosts Anthony Cruz and Scott Walters chat with Anemily Machina, a PHD candidate in Computer Sciences. Anemily puts our hosts on the spot with a word association game as part of summarizing their work on explainable AI, the limits of large language models (LLMs), and the risks of the ongoing AI bubble.

For even more from Anemily on this topic, consider watching their two part series, available on Youtube: Part 1 | Part 2.

 

Recorded on Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Produced by kirstyn seanor
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

520 | Archaeological Insights into Infant Feeding in Colonial Quebec

In this week’s episode, hosts Krishna Pereira and Anthony Cruz interview Sydney Holland, a second-year PhD student in Anthropology at Western University. Sydney’s research focuses on bioarchaeology, using human remains such as teeth and bones to study life in the past.

Sydney Holland explores the lives of past communities through the lens of bioarchaeology. Her research focuses on how infant feeding practices—particularly breastfeeding and weaning—shaped survival, health, and social dynamics in early modern populations.

For her master’s work, Sydney studied skeletal remains from a 17th–18th century rural community near Montreal. By analyzing teeth and bones, she investigated how families navigated feeding decisions, such as the use of wet nurses, the timing of weaning, and responses to food scarcity. These practices left measurable traces in the skeletons, providing unique insights into daily life and challenges faced by families.

Using stable isotope analysis, Sydney revealed that variations in infant feeding strategies directly influenced health outcomes and mortality. Her findings highlight how cultural choices and environmental pressures intersected to impact some of the most vulnerable members of society. This work not only deepens our understanding of early Canadian communities but also underscores the enduring importance of infant care practices across time.

Recorded on Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Produced by Mohammad Zeraati
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

519 | Mind the Gait: Walking the Internal Talk

In this week's episode, hosts Riya Sidhu and Ryan Baxter interview Sarah Park, a student in the combined  MScOT/PhD program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.  Parkinson's disease can have a deleterious effect on walking, or gait. Left untreated, worsening gait (such as uneven pacing, or irregular steps) can lead to negative outcomes, such as falls. Sarah discusses her research in non-pharmacological interventions to help improve walking.

Sarah, Riya, and Ryan discuss interdisciplinary research opportunities and ways in which graduate students can become involved in the local community.

Sarah is co-supervised by:
- Dr. Jessica Grahn, the Principal Investigator of the Music and Neuroscience Lab based out of the Centre for Brain and Mind
- and Dr. Jeffrey Holmes, the Principal Investigator of the Health and Human Performance Lab based out of the School of Occupational Therapy

For further information on Sarah's research, one may check out her Twitter / X account and her Linkedin. 

For those in the London community, the Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario focuses on education, advocacy, community building, and research.

Recorded on Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Produced by Mark Ambrogio
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)