GradCast

245 | Trouble making our cellular toolkit

Proteins are some of the most fundamental tools in our cells. In many cases they are not just the metaphorical "bread and butter" of our biochemistry, but also the butter-knife and the hand that holds it. On this episode of gradcast, hosts Nikol Posnov and Connor Chato speak with Josh Isaacson, a researcher of one of the fundamental tools that assembles these proteins: tRNA. Tune in for a talk about this biochemical starting point, and what can go wrong when it doesn't work quite as expected. To find out more about Josh you can follow him on Twitter @JoshIsaacson

Produced by Laura Munoz

Special Episode: BGRF 2019 - Mutant Flies & Model Bees

This episode, hosts Joyla Furlano and Gregory Robinson interview two guests from the Biology Graduate Research Forum (BGRF) on October 18^th, 2019. Josh Isaacson, the first guest, talks about his research on mutating tRNAs in Drosophila, which are important building blocks of proteins. Our second guest, Vonica Flear, shares with us her research on modelling altruistic behaviour as seen in bee colonies. Tune in to learn more!

Produced by Gavin Tolometti and Gregory Robinson

244 | The musical animal: Why are we such a musical species?

Nathan Oesch is a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Jessica Grahn's laboratory at Western University. Nathan informs Connor Chato and Ariel Frame about his research determining how music contributes to group cohesion. Using techniques informed by evolutionary psychology, Nathan's work spreads across various disciplines and provides us with some important answers about how music impacts humans on a social level.

 

Produced by Laura Munoz

243 | Transitioning From graduate work to Research in STEM

Today’s unique episode features Professor David Smith, who provides some context on life as a full-time researcher in STEM. Here to represent the graduate student perspective is Viral genome researcher Laura Munoz. If your curious about the next steps after grad school, be sure to tune in! 

Hosts: Connor Chato & Nikol Posnov

Produced By Connor Chato

242 | On the Origin of Viral Genes

Given that viruses have a profound impact on every living organism, understanding how viruses evolve is crucial to understanding life itself. In this episode, hosts Gavin Tolometti and Nick Handfield Jones interview PhD student Laura Muñoz from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Laura introduces us to the world of virus genomes, bioinformatics and how her passion for evolution and virus diversity brought her to Canada.

Produced by Ariel Frame

Special Episode: BGRF 2019 Keynote - Bones, Joints and Super Healing Mice

DID YOU KNOW: Cartilage injuries to joints, ears, and the nose heal much worse than cartilage injuries to bone or muscle? In this episode, hosts Gavin Tolometti and Joyla Furlano interview Dr. Roman Krawetz about what processes occur on a cellular level when these types of cartilage injuries attempt to heal. The keynote speaker at this year’s Western Biology Graduate Research Forum and a Western Alumni himself, Dr. Krawetz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of Calgary as well as a member of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health.

Produced by Gregory Robinson and Gavin Tolometti

241 | Sonic the Hedgehog

On this week's GradCast, hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Nikol Posnov interview Danielle Spice about her research into sonic hedgehog. And no, we're not talking about the video game. Sonic hedgehog is a protein involved in growth, and Danielle tells us about how she uses a cutting edge technology CRISPR to investigate how it works. We also delve deep into the best flavour of Crisper chips. To get in contact with Danielle, find her on twitter @spicedanielle

Produced by Gregory Robinson

240 | How to relax in one of the world's biggest magnets

This episode, hosts Ariel Frame and Connor Chato speak with Megha Verma, a Master's student in the Neuroscience program, about her work on determining standards for use of anesthetics when imaging non-human primates. Megha explains how standardizing this procedure will enable researchers to conduct neuroimaging better. To discover more about Megha, you can find her on Instagram @MeghaVerma95 or check out her @MeghaVerma95.Art

Produced by Gregory Robinson

239 | Its a Bird, it's a Plane, No it's Flying Microbe Particles!

This episode, hosts Nikol Posnov and Gregory Robinson interview guests Matthew Svensson and Mohammed Chamma who are part of the High Altitude Balloon initiative from the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration at Western University. Matt and Mo and the rest of the team built an apparatus to collect and study microbe particles found in the stratosphere well above the tallest buildings but within our atmosphere. Tune in to hear more about these high flying microbes.

If you want to get in contact with Matt, Mo and the team to learn more about the High Altitude Balloon initiative you can go to the Western Space website: https://space.uwo.ca/research/projects/high_altitude_balloon_initiative/index.html

To follow the team on social media @westernuSpace #westernuHAB

 

Produced by Gavin Tolometti

238 | From the Arctic to Mars

On this episode, Gradcast hosts Connor Chato and Nikol Posnov interview Chimira Andres, an intrepid researcher of space ice! We learn what it's like to do field work in the Canadian Arctic, what ice on Earth can tell us about its equivalent on other planets and how it's important to stay creative as a researcher, because in the words of Albert Einstein: "Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun"

If you want to learn more about Chimira Andres research you can follow her on Twitter - @RocksNRockets

Produced by Gavin Tolometti