GradCast

235 | The Power of Working Together (Part 2)

Have you ever wondered what undetected forces help influence whether you'll be hired or not? This week, hosts Nick Handfield-Jones and Chantal Lemire interview Natasha Ouslis about her research on organizational psychology. This is the second of a two-part episode. In the first episode, we focused on the nature of teams. This time, Natasha discussed the secrets of the hiring process and what you can do to increase your chances of landing that job! 

Check out part 1 here: 180 | The Power of Working Together (Part 1)

If you'd like to contact Natasha, you can contact her on Twitter (@natashaouslis), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashaouslis/), or on her website (www.natashaouslis.com) 

Produced by Nick Handfield-Jones 

234 | Cataloging Without Plato

Hosts Gavin Tolometti and Monica Molinaro talk with PhD student Alex Mayhew in the Library Catalogue Science studies department in the Faculty for Information and Media Studies. Alex wants to design a new library catalogue system for the public that does not have a Platonic view of literature, media and information. He wants to be able to semantically link information and allow readers to understand the connection between texts.

If you would like to get ahold of Alex, email him at amayhew@uwo.ca

Produced by Nick Handfield-Jones 

Special Episode: CanMoon - Lunar Sample Return Analogue Mission

CanMoon is a Canadian Lunar Analogue Mission funded by the Canadian Space Agency, run by the CPSX program at Western in collaboration with The University of Winnipeg. Hosts Nikol and Greg chat with Cassandra Marion, the mission's "MOM", about what's it's like to simulate controlling a rover on the Moon, and more interestingly, how do you even train graduate students to do this. Tune in and hear about the team's experience working 10 hour night shifts controlling a rover from Western's control room, who knows maybe it's the perfect career for you!

Produced by Gavin Tolometti

233 | How Bacteria Can Create Alternative Fuel

Biodiesel provides an alternative fuel option for gasoline combustion engines, reducing the output of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Usually the production of biodiesel requires the fermentation of bio-products such as soy or sugarcane, however the process is slow and cannot compete with fossil fuel production. Now with the help of bacteria, everything is about to change. In this weeks episode, hosts Gavin and Greg talk with MSc student Colin Couper from the chemical and biochemical engineering department about his research using a bacteria called Clostridium pasteurianum to intensify the fermentation process of converting glycerol to the biodiesel fuel alternative butanol.

Produced by Ariel Frame

 

232 | Romanian Immigrants, or Enemy Aliens? WWI Edition

Canadian perception of immigrant minority groups is the topic of this week’s episode, as we welcome back to the show Ilinca Olariu, MA student in the History department. This time, Ilinca discusses what it meant to be a Romanian immigrant in Canada during WWI, and why a proportion of Romanian citizens were considered “enemy aliens”. Hosted by Yimin Chen and Viki Tellios.

Produced by Roger Hudson.

Special Episode: GradCast on Tour Gordon Research Conference - Cannabinoids in the Brain with Andrew Roebuck

This week, hosts Roger Hudson and Nicholas Handfield Jones interview PhD Candidate Andrew Roebuck from the University of Saskatchewan via Skype for another #GradCastOnTour episode!

Roger and Andrew recently attended the Gordon Research Conference in Spain for Cannabinoids in the Central Nervous System where they had a chance to discuss all things cannabis-related. Andrew is using cutting edge neuroscience tools to explore aspects of the endocannabinoid system using compounds known as 'Positive Allosteric Modulators' (PAMs) that bind to the Cannabinoid Type 1 Receptor (CB1R) in the brain under the supervision of Dr. John Howland. Unlike THC, which binds to 'orthosteric' sites of the CB1R to elicit intoxication, the PAMs that Andrew uses in his laboratory do not produce a feeling of being 'high'. Through his research, he hopes that these compounds may someday be a therapy for various forms of pediatric epilepsy.

you can also check out the video recording of this episode by clicking here

231 | Unlock the Secrets to Becoming a Poker Pro

On this episode, hosts Gavin and Greg discuss game theory with a PhD Candidate in Economics, Adam Rooney. From childhood, Adam has been an avid poker fanatic often hosting poker tournaments with his friends. When he came to university, he started with $50 in his bank account, which he used as a buy in for online poker tournaments. After winning many tournaments, he cashed out with an undergraduate degree education. Now he is in his PhD studying what he loves most, poker. And most importantly, he has many poker tips and tricks. Tune in to unlock the secrets of how you can become a poker pro too!

Produced by Gavin Tolometti

230 | There's No Plankton Like Zooplankton

Second year biology master's student Rosie Savage is passionate about plankton! From the Pacific coast of Western Canada to the genetics lab at the University of Western Ontario, hosts Yimin Chen and Ariel Frame hear all about Rosie's adventures collecting, sequencing, and studying tiny marine zooplankton and their even tinier parasites.

Produced by Gavin Tolometti

229 | The Art of Sound

Hosts Ariel Frame and Roger Hudson welcome our first Visual Arts Department student to the show, Ellen Moffat. After 20 years of working as a professional artist, Ellen tells us how she is now doing both theoretical and practical work towards getting a PhD in Studio. In this episode, find out how Ellen makes art from her creative research on acoustic properties of various materials. To hear a sample of the sound produced in a few of Ellen’s art pieces you can listen on SoundCloud.

To find out more about Ellen, check out her website www.ellenmoffat.ca

Produced by Gavin Tolometti

#GradLife Episode II: Finances and $1 Scones

We’re bringing you another #Gradlife episode with a special guest - Demetri Pananos! Demetri is co-host of the podcast Two Broke Grads and is currently completing his PhD here at Western in Biostatistics. In this episode, Monica, Demetri and Viki talk about finances - conferences, grocery shopping, and stresses related to money. They also share some of their tips for saving money!

Like this episode? Let us know! We barely covered the tip of the iceberg for finances and are always willing to discuss what our listeners are interested in.

You can follow Demetri @PhDemetri and his podcast Two Broke Grads @2BrokeGradsPod on Twitter - find Two Broke Grads on Apple Podcasts or anywhere else you listen to podcasts!