GradCast

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)

518 | Press to start: Mind over muscle

In this week's episode, hosts Bruno Mesquita and Garth Casbourn interview Ben Pilling a Master’s student in Psychology. 

Ben shares how he plans to build on the classic motor homunculus model using video games in the fMRI throughout his Master's. He also discusses the benefits and considerations of making research more ecologically valid.

Recorded on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
Produced by Riya Sidhu 
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

517 | Theater Kid to Brain Nerd: The Connection Between Music & Memory

Hosts Ryan Baxter and Chrishma Perera chat with Caitlin Fitzpatrick, a MSc student about to defend her master's in Neuroscience. Caitlin returns to GradCast to discuss her findings into the emotional connection between music and memory, specifically in older adults experiencing "normal" forgetting or mild cognitive impairment.

If you'd like to register as a prospective research participant with OurBrainSCAN, you can do so online: https://ourbrainscan.uwo.ca/ 

If you're interested in attending a public defense at Western, consider reviewing details available on Western's Events Calendar and filtering by Public Events: https://www.events.westernu.ca/ 

Recorded on Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Produced by kirstyn seanor
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

516 | How are your Knees? Understanding Injury-induced Osteoarthritis

Hosts Ryan Baxter and Maris Schneider chat with Geneva Herold, a MSc student in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Geneva studies patients who are at high risk of developing osteoarthritis in their knees due to a previous injury, like an ACL tear. She is studying the cells in a special tissue in the joint called the synovium, which she hopes will help us better understand why some patients develop osteoarthritis and why some don’t.  

Geneva discusses graduate student life, both in and out of the lab, with Ryan and Maris.

Learn more about the lab Geneva works in! https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/appletonlab/  



Rcorded on Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Produced by Mark Ambrogio
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

515 | The Price of Precision: Are Surgical Robots Worth It?

In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Riya Sidhu interview Anthony Tannous, an incoming PhD student in Physical Therapy. Anthony is going to study whether robotic surgical assistants can improve patient satisfaction while saving healthcare dollars. Tune in for a look at how technology might reshape recovery—and the healthcare system.

Recorded on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
Produced by Riya Sidhu and kirstyn seanor.
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

514 | I'm an Adult Now: Supporting Young Adults With a Rare Disease

In this episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Dima Kassem, a PhD student in Anthropology on her research in the field of Sociocultural Anthropology.  More specifically, Dima is studying the assistance provided for People Living with a Rare Disease (PLWRD).  Entering the second year of her PhD, Dima is furthering her research on this subject, continuing work she did in her Master's degree.  In this conversation, Ryan and Mark learn about the support networks available for PLWRD -- and where support may be lacking; especially, as youth transition into legal adulthood.  

An important part of the conversation is the awareness that human "subjects" not only need to be treated with dignity, but also that their voices need to be heard.  Dima's supervisor is Dr. Pamela Block.  You can follow Dima on Twitter / X.  



Recorded on Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Produced by Mark Ambrogio
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot)