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The official podcast of the Society of Graduate Students at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. We aim to showcase the innovative research that graduate students are conducting at Western University and appeal to various audiences including those within and beyond the academic community.
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This is the second episode of the Thinking with the Earth miniseries. In this episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and Spencer Schmitz speak with Dharma Raj Dhakal, a second-year PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Dharma shares insights from his research on how landfills can contaminate groundwater, the water we rely on but rarely see. Beyond his research, Dharma also reflects on his journey as an international student in Canada and invites listeners to take part in Earth Day activities on April 22.
Recorded on Tuesday, March 17th, 2026
Produced by Kuljeet Chohan
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week’s episode, hosts Maris Schneider and Kelly Wang are talking with Yuhan Zhao, a MA student in the department of Education. Yuhan looks at how adults who learned English as their second language use derivatives when they are writing. For those who need an English refresher, a derivative is a word formed from another word (like actor, which is derived from the word act). Yuhan hopes that her research will help in classrooms where ESL speakers are struggling to learn the complex aspects of English grammar.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhan-zhao-5225aa367/
Recorded on Tuesday, March 24th, 2026
Produced by Milan Mammen
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Rafaela Platkin are joined by Alex Muth, an MSc student in the Psychology department at Western University. Alex shares an in-depth look at his research on the communication systems of two chickadee species, like did you know birds have accents just like humans?!
He also reflects on his experience at the intersection of psychology and biology, explaining how his curiosity about human behaviour leads him to study animals as a way of exploring those questions from a different perspective.
Click on the link to learn about the Centre for Animals on the Move (the research centre that Alex is a part of) and to watch their recent movie titled Making Peace with Canada Geese.
Recorded on Tuesday, March 17th, 2026
Produced by Ella Siciliano
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
This is the first episode of the Thinking with the Earth miniseries. In this episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and Garth Casbourn interview Madison Robinson, an MSc student in Biological Sciences, about her research on butterflies and her involvement in collaborative specialization of environment and sustainability at Western University.
From studying the ecology of butterfly populations to contributing to the interdisciplinary program and helping organize the Climate Hope Conference 2026, she shared insights into her research and experiences working at the intersection of ecology and environmental engagement.
Recorded on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026
Produced by Milan Mammen
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
This week, Purvaja Karthikeyan, a PhD candidate from Electrical and Computer Engineering is joined by hosts Mark Ambrogio and Victor Lau. Purvaja is supervised by Dr. Jayshri Sabarinathan, and is focusing on improving optical chip function for eventual deployment into space.. within ultra-small satellites known as CubeSats!
Listen to hear more about Purvaja’s work, and how it contributes to a bigger ecosystem (referencing the ‘nature’ of things and the Western Skylark project).
Here are some links accompanying’s Purvaja’s project, alongside hobbies outside of her research work!
https://space.uwo.ca/research/Missions%20and%20Instruments/Skylark.html
https://www.instagram.com/root_cycle?igsh=cTMxY2J3aHF1eHE0
Recorded on Tuesday, March 10th, 2026
Produced by Milan Mammen
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week’s episode, hosts Kuljeet Chohan and Rafaela Platkin interview Jake Daigle, a MSc student in bioinformatics, about his research on modelling mutation accumulation (buildup of genetic mistakes) in viruses.
From a bachelor's degree in math to starting a masters in bioinformatics, he discusses insights on his day-to-day life researching mathematical models that can hopefully be applied to the real world. Listen to find out the importance of asking "who cares" when formulating research questions and if you can ever know when you get something "right"?
Recorded on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026
Produced by Scott Walters and Milan Mammen
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Milan Mammen and Chrishma Perera are joined again by Varsha Vasudevan, a PhD candidate in the Health & Rehabilitation Sciences department at Western University, in the Health Promotion stream. Varsha went into depth in her work in a previous episode. Here, she goes more into her life outside her research, expanding on her journey as a Peer Advisor and the services available to help one market their skills in the job market and how peer advising can even empower oneself.
Click on the link to learn about the services offered by the Peer Advising team. Check out Western Connect it you would like to apply to become a Peer Advisor (Western Connect > Job Postings > Western Peer Leader Program > Job ID 126956 (Peer Advisor - Career Education).
Recorded on Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr and Anika Bushra
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Maris Schneider and Mark Ambrogio talk to Jessica Holmes. Jessica is completing a combined MCISc/PhD in Speech-Language Pathology and Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. Her work focuses on how children respond when hearing the sound of their own voice subtly shifted, and what that reveals about speech development.
Jessica explains how altered auditory feedback is used to study children’s speech adjustments, what it's like to work with children in the lab, and what it’s like to balance clinical training with research.
Recorded on Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Produced by Kuljeet Chohan and Victor Lau
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week’s episode, hosts Kelly Wang and Scott Walters interview Sorcha Rountree, a PhD student in Earth Science, about their journey from archaeology to geology and what studying ancient skull shapes can tell us about identity in the past.
Sharing insights from their MA research on cranial modification in Prehispanic Peru, Sorcha explains how geometric morphometric methods help researchers study shape and cultural practices, what their results revealed about identity and social status, and how their interdisciplinary background opened the door to a new path in Earth Science.
Recorded on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026
Produced by Milan Mammen
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
This week, French studies PhD candidate Kaitlyn Gagnon takes hosts Garth Casbourn and Mark Ambrogio into both the literary and theatrical worlds of mid-nineteenth-century France. Her research focus is the short-lived foray of Émile Zola into writing comic works for the stage. We learn about the various pitfalls and opportunities this work afforded him, and how it fit into the broader picture of his life and career.
Follow the links below to learn more about Kaitlyn's research, and about that of her supervisor, Dr. Geneviève De Viveiros.
https://www.instagram.com/zolaspy?igsh=Y3R4MnJrbnpxbDZh&utm_source=qr
https://www.uwo.ca/french/people/faculty/deviveiros.html
Recorded on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026
Produced by Garth Casbourn
Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Garth Casbourn and Bruno Mesquita interview Jessica Lammert, a fifth year PhD student in the Cognitive, Developmental, and Brain Sciences research cluster in Psychology, to talk about her work studying narrative processing and storytelling in children.
Jessica also shares past projects bridging the arts and science to facilitate scientific communication and the importance of open science practices.
Recorded on Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Milan Mammen and Kuljeet Chohan interview Emilie Potts, a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, to talk about what we still don’t fully understand about concussions, brains, and biological sex differences.
Sharing what it's like to bridge engineering and neuroscience, Emilie explains what surprised her most about female vs male brains and the life lessons she took from her PhD.
Recorded on Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Bruno Mesquita interview Shahnaz Shahid Ali, a PhD student in Nursing under the supervision of Dr. Panagiota Tryphonopoulos. Shahnaz's research explore midwives' experiences providing physical and mental health care to women during pregnancy, childbirth, and afterbirth. Tune in to learn how sociocultural factors shape midwifery practice, where gaps exist in screening and referral pathways, and how improved training and structured mental health care systems can lead to better outcomes for mothers and families.
Follow this link to learn more about Shanaz.
Recorded on Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Produced by Milan Mammen
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Ran Jiang, a PhD candidate in Music Education, in Western's Don Wright Faculty of Music. In her research, Ran explores how certain norms sometimes go unquestioned in music; especially, by non-disabled people. Music-making is sometimes associated with an "ideal" body, such as having above-average dexterity. In her field work, Ran works with secondary school students in China who use computer software and DIY electronics to expand what musical instruments are and who they are for.
In their conversation, Ryan, Mark, and Ran also discuss piano music and what it is like at Western's music faculty, as a place for research in music, music-making, and as a community.
Ran's supervisor is adam patrick bell, who, in addition to teaching at Western, is also the Canada Research Chair in Music, Inclusion, and Accessibility.
Recorded on Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Produced by Mark Ambrogio and Ryan Baxter
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Milan Mammen interview Evelyn MacKay-Barr, a third year PhD student in Physical/Analytical Chemistry. Evelyn is studying the effects of oxidation on protein structures and dynamics. Though her lab studies small model proteins, their findings have big implications for larger protein therapeutics! Tune in to learn how they use mass spectrometry and other techniques to study protein behaviour.
Evelyn, Anthony, and Milan also discuss finding the right research group for you and the importance of having a supportive research environment.
Follow these links to learn more about Evelyn's research and her supervisor, Dr. Lars Konermann, and his research group!
Recorded on Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
In this week's episode, hosts Kelly Wang and Mark Ambrogio speak with Marina de Oliveira Emerick, a PhD candidate in Neuroscience. Marina's research looks at the relationship between music and cognition; more specifically, how music and non-invasive brain stimulation can affect walking patterns (gait) in healthy older adults and those with Parkinson's Disease.
Although walking feels automatic, it relies on brain systems that help us start moving and keep a steady rhythm, which can be disrupted by aging and Parkinson’s. Early studies with young adults show promising improvements in step rhythm when people synchronize their steps to music. Marina is now expanding this work to older adults and those with Parkinson's, which means she is working directly with a clinical population.
In addition to being found on LinkedIn, Marina has a ResearchGate profile. Marina's supervisor is Dr. Jessica Grahn, a cognitive neuroscientist who studies music.
Those in the broader London area may find more information and community support from the Parkinson Society of Southwestern Ontario.
Recorded on Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Produced by Mark Ambrogio and Kelly Wang
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
This week, hosts Garth Casbourn and Maris Schneider speak to Sarah Capellaro, a master's student in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Sarah is developing methods to reduce bias against autistic people seeking to enter the workforce. Her particular focus is on promoting a growth mindset amongst hiring managers via carefully prepared infographic interventions. She studies how viewing these interventions affects managers' attitudes towards autistic applicants.
Sarah has been able to recruit a very impressive 400 participants in her experiment and shows us that it is possible to change, or at least momentarily influence, people's biases to create more fair hiring practices.
Recorded on Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot)
In this week's episode, hosts Milan Mammen and Kelly Wang interview Denise Bedard, a PhD candidate in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Health and Aging). Denise shares with us her immense professional and academic experience in long term care, including reimagining person-centered care in small home service areas. Denise also kindly shares the difficult lessons learned about long term care through the COVID pandemic and its many impacts, especially on older adults in long term care; please consider this a content warning if this is a particularly sensitive subject for you.
Denise is part of the Caregiving Research (CARE) Lab at Western University.
Recorded on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
Produced by kirstyn seanor.
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot).
For this edition of #BookCast, your hosts Garth Casbourn, Meghan Voll, and Scott Walters cover the unique writing of People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, a tale based on a real and highly important Jewish prayer book told through fictional vignettes of its history. Hanna is a book conservator tasked with restoring a famous (and very real) copy of the Haggadah Jewish text that has experienced a tumultuous past. Blending actual history with fictional accounts of the text's origins and mysterious migrations through time, and telling the stories of the people, both real and imagined, that brought it to the present. We discuss the uncommon structure of this novel, the historic foundations of Brooks sweeping epic, and several of the principal themes. Join us in exploring what has been described as "an erudite Davinci Code".
This episode was recorded on June 4, 2025
Produced by Scott Walters
Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ Produced by White Hot
In this week's episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Natasha Beaudoin, a student in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. The MFA has both academic and production elements, which enables Natasha to pursue her interests, mixing traditional painting techniques with influences from social media, gaming, and digital culture. Natasha is inspired by the use of light in the works of the Italian renaissance painter Caravaggio (1571- 1610). While portraiture is sometimes associated with the past, Natasha would like to see this tradition continue.
Natasha can be found on Instagram and her website is: https://tashaskates.wixsite.com/mysite
Some of Natasha's paintings will be featured at Western's McIntosh Gallery, from June 6 to July 4, 2026.
Recorded on Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Produced by Mark Ambrogio
Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)
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