Shows
GradCast306 | A Hearty Dose of CannabisGregory Robinson enlightens hosts Ariel Frame and Nikol Posnov about his research on the impact of cannabis during development. As a soon to be MSc graduate from the physiology and pharmacology department's collaborative specialization program in developmental biology, Greg has discovered some novel effects that cannabinoids, THC and CBD, have on the developing fetal heart when ingested by the mother. They are not good for the baby's heart and Greg explains why.
To hear more about Greg and his research follow him on Twitter @GregIanRobinson or check out his supervisor's Twitter @QFeng3
Recorded December 15, 2020
Produced by Laura Munoz Ba...2020-12-2230 minGradCast#GradLifeX Holiday Special: Winter Facts and Food Wars#GradLife is back with another winter holiday special episode! Graduate students get to use the holidays as a chance to put aside work and spend time with friends and family, eating mountains of homecooked food and catching up with stories. This year we face new challenges with COVID-19 restricting travel and making it harder to see extended family over the holidays. However, it is not all doom and gloom. Hosts Gavin Tolometti, Rhys Paterson and Nikol Posnov break open the winter holiday spirit with stories about holidays traditions, epic food wars, random and fun winter holiday facts, and learning...2020-12-211h 07GradCastSpecial Episode: #GlobalGrads Episode II: Missing MexicoIn the second episode of GradCast's international student segment, hosts Liam Clifford, Nikol Posnov, and Rhys Paterson speak to Earth Sciences Master's student Karina Martinez about her experiences at UWO. Hailing from Mexico, Karina speaks to how Canada has both benefited her growth as an academic and increased her yearning for home. A subsequent discussion on food, social outings, and tequila seeks to broaden our horizons and educate us on how the Western community is enriched by the international student community.
Full video available on YouTube
Recorded on Dec 6, 2020
Produced by...2020-12-0930 minGradCast303 | Nikky Stardust and the Microbes From MarsLast year, Nikol Posnov told us about all the things that she was planning to study as an Earth Science MSc student. This time, she's returned to tell us about what she actually ended up researching. What can rocks taken from Brazilian impact craters tell us about where we might find evidence of life on Mars? How likely is it that future missions will find anything living on the Red Planet? On this episode, hosts Yimin and Yousuf ask these hard-hitting questions and more: like, "what's your favourite movie alien"? The answer may surprise you!
To find...2020-12-0830 minGradCastSpecial Episode: #GlobalGrads The Inaugural EpisodeBeing an international grad student is an incredibly rewarding adventure but one consisting of a unique set of challenges. In a brand-new series debuting on GradCast during UWO International Week, hosts Liam Clifford, Nikol Posnov, and Rhys Paterson speak with Brazilian Political Science MA Ricardo Moll about the international student experience and what we can all learn from it. As the subsequent conversation highlights the obstacles surrounding travel in a global pandemic, the sights and sound of Canada, and subpar Tim Hortons coffee, Ricardo provides insightful context on how international students provide Western's community and the country with greater vib...2020-11-1630 minGradCast299 | Best Friend ElementsDo you want to know what it takes to work in the field of gold exploration in the Canadian Yukon Territory? An Arts degree, a failed calculus course, four exploration field seasons and a Masters in Geology. JUST KIDDING! It takes believing in yourself and a properly guided passion. Tune in to this week's GradCast episode with James Alexander to learn more about "best-friend" elements and minerals, instrumentation used to define gold mineralization, and if that's not for you, skip to the second half of the episode for reasons to visit the Yukon and some cheesy inspirational advice. The...2020-11-1030 minGradCast296 | Untying the Myths Surrounding Tubal LigationIn this episode of GradCast, hosts (Elizabeth Mohler and Nikol Posnov) talk with Anna Sui (PhD Candidate in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences) about her research which looks at how women story their experiences of requesting and receiving tubal ligation (getting their tubes tied). Specifically, her research explores how various intersecting social identities (race, disability, gender, etc.) shape these experiences. We learn from Anna that this process is more difficult and complicated by myriad barriers than one might believe, especially in how medical professionals regard female patients.
To learn more about Anna's research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile...2020-10-2029 minGradCast271 | Do rovers make good Geologists?What's new in space this month?
What's the deal with SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft I've been hearing so much about?
Is there a way for rover spacecraft on Mars to detect rocks of interest without the help of a human?
Should I be worried about artificial intelligence taking over the Earth?
If any of these questions have crossed your mind lately (or not), join hosts Gavin Tolometti and Nikol Posnov as they interview Alexis Pascual about his novel Space-Engineering PhD research and his opinions on popular space news.
If you want to learn more about Alexis's research and the pr...2020-06-1028 minGradCast252 | Transition from Undergrad to an Arts and Humanities MastersToday's episode listens in on a conversation between 2nd year Undergrad student Alexandra Posnov and Daryl Peiber about the transition from an undergrad to a graduate in the field of Information and Media studies. Join Hosts Nikol Posnov and Greg Robinson as we talk about things we wished we could tell our undergraduate selves. To all you undergrads out there, this episode contains a well of wisdom.
Produced by Greg Robinson
Edited by Connor Chato
2020-02-0428 minGradCast#GradLife V: GradLife on Grad LifeWe’ve touched upon individual topics like imposter syndrome and finances, but how is #GradLife incorporated within the broader university community? To delve into this, we brought in an expert. Monica Munaretto, the new Manager of Graduate Student Life in Student Experience, is focused on the goal of creating a thriving graduate student experience across Western.
If you’d like to learn more about Student Experience at Western, visit studentexperience.uwo.ca.
Produced by Nikol Posnov and Gregory Robinson
2020-01-2429 minGradCast245 | Trouble making our cellular toolkitProteins 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 @JoshIsaacson2019-11-2727 minGradCast243 | Transitioning From graduate work to Research in STEMToday’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
2019-11-1628 minGradCast241 | Sonic the HedgehogOn 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
2019-11-0728 minGradCast239 | 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...2019-10-2528 minGradCast238 | From the Arctic to MarsOn 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
2019-10-2228 minGradCastSpecial Episode: Master of Public Health Poster Day 2019In this special episode, hosts Jenna Schlorff and Nikol Posnov chat with students about their practicum experiences during the Master of Public Health Practicum Showcase day. Harvir Sandhu talks about the three months she spent at Bruyère Research Institute. Rachelle Roussel shares about her time with the Canadian Red Cross Society. Nour Kachouh discusses her experiences with the Public Health Association of Canada. Jessica Hill and Jenna Schlorff exchange thoughts regarding their time spent with the Health Equity Action Research Team with Western University.
Feel free to reach out to any of these public health professionals via...2019-10-1358 minGradCast226 | Inuvialuit Living HistoryTake a trip to the Beaufort Sea in the Northwest Territories with Anthropology PhD student Rebecca Goodwin as she works to document and share the cultural history of Inuit peoples of the Western Canadian arctic. Join hosts Yimin Chen and Nikol Posnov as we hear some of the stories told by Inuvialuit elders and knowledge holders about current and past life in the far north. Plus, tips on how to eat muktuk, a traditional meal of whale blubber!
For more information on the rich cultural and archaeological history of this region,
visit: InuvialuitLivingHistory.ca
2019-07-2428 minGradCast225 | The Svelte Fool Who Works on Melt PoolsHosts Nikol Posnov and Ariel Frame speak with Will Yingling, an MSc student in geology and planetary science, about his work on impact melt pools on Mars. Using various sources of data from Mars orbiters, Will explains what he is learning about mapping the topography of Mars (the landscape) and how meteorite impacts have shaped its surface. To find out more about Will you can contact him on twitter @mars_mapper or take a look at his website willyingling.com
Hosts: Ariel Frame & Nikol Posnov
Produced by Gavin Tolometti
2019-07-1629 minGradCast224 | Monkey See Monkey DoHave you ever watched somebody look off in the distance at something behind you and then immediately turn to look at whatever it is their seeing? That exact response is what PhD Student Borna Mahmoudian studies. It's a fascinating little feature that helps gives social skills to us humans and some other animals (Including the Old-World Monkeys Borna Studies). Hosts Nikol Posnov and Connor Chato chat about the neurological mechanics of this response and what it's like studying this in a lab with our incredibly smart evolutionary cousins.
To find out more about Borna you can find him o...2019-07-1026 min
GradCast223 | Cannabis and Blowing Smoke - It's Not All THC and CBDIn this episode, neuroscience Ph.D. student and fellow GradCast colleague Roger Hudson joins hosts Gregory Robinson and Nikol Posnov to speak about his research on the interactions between THC and CBD in the brain within the context of recent events related to cannabis legalization in Canada. Roger shares with us the knowledge he has acquired over his years of conducting cannabis research. Topics such as THC-induced psychosis, the infamous 'indica-sativa' dichotomy, and edible products for medical cannabis patients are discussed.
Hosts: Nikol Posnov & Gregory Robinson
Produced by Connor Chato
2019-07-0228 minGradCast221 | DynoMiteThe humble spider-mite is a cousin of the spider with an incredibly diverse diet, letting them live and feast on plants all over the world. In their talk with master's student David Letwin - hosts Connor Chato and Nikol Posnov get down to the genetic code that makes these tiny critters and what it's like to share a lab with thousands of them. We learn about the evolutionary factors that allow animals to eat what they eat and how certain expansions in the genome may make Spider Mites frustratingly good at eating all the veggies we try and grow. To...2019-06-1428 minGradCast220 | the Super-Powered Stomach of a Spider MiteIn this entertaining episode, GradCast hosts Chantal and Nikol talk with masters student in biology Zoran Culo and his partner-in-crime, Peanut, about the spider-mite research labs at western. Zoran explains why the tiny spider-mite is a big pest for plant lovers, and what western researchers are doing to develop alternative pest control strategies for sustainable agriculture.
http://www.spidermite.org
Hosts: Nikol Posnov & Chantal Lemire
Produced by Gregory Robinson2019-06-0528 minGradCast219 | The Mighty MiteDid you know there are an estimated 1 million species of mites? They are found on every continent. They can live on both plants and animals, and you have microscopic mites living on your face right now (that are harmless, hopefully!) And yet, mites are often overlooked and poorly studied. To date, only 50,000 species of mites have been described. Luckily, you can learn more about the mighty mite with mite maven Matt Meehan as he joins GradCast hosts, Gregory Robinson and Nikol Posnov, to talk about his research on the interactions of mite colonies.
Hosts: Nikol Posnov & Gregory Ro...2019-05-3129 minGradCast210 | Locating The Homes of Extinct Martian MicrobesHosts Gavin Tolometti and Joyla Furlano talk with Earth Science MSc student Nikol Posnov about the search for extinct microbial life on Mars. Nikol studies the minerals in bioalterated volcanic rocks in Brazilian impact structures, and the Martian environment to infer where in craters on Mars microbial life may have sparked and thrived.
Hosts: Gavin Tolometti & Joyla Furlano
Produced by Gregory Robinson
2019-04-0927 min