REGISTER NOW: Hybrid Course on Ecosystem Approaches to Health

Discover innovative and dynamic approaches for better understanding the multiple factors that influence health – ecosystem approaches to health – with an experienced, pan-Canadian team. During this intensive course you will learn methods for carrying out research and interventions on issues at the nexus of health, ecosystems, equity and society. In a time of an unprecedented polycrisis, connections are more important than ever. Our course is designed to build relationships that can heal. Learn more about our land-based, transformative teaching style in our 2023 paper published in the Lancet Planetary Health.

The overall objective of this course is to provide participants with a working knowledge of ecosystem approaches to health, such that they can integrate the principles into their own work, as necessary, and to build relationships with land and among individuals with common interests in safeguarding a habitable future.

For more information, please visit our website.

INSPIRING MINDS | Anastazia Csegeny, PhD candidate, Faculty of Information & Media Studies

Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research, while enhancing transferable skills. Students were challenged to describe their research, scholarship or creative activity in 150 or fewer words to share with our community.

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Anastazia Csegeny
PhD candidate, Faculty of Information & Media Studies

Understanding Caregivers in Graphic Novel Memoirs

I have been a caregiver for a family member my entire life, and it has often been difficult to articulate my experience through words alone. My story is not unique, and many caregivers have harnessed the power of the graphic novel memoir to represent, affirm, and re-envision the experience of providing care. Spiegelman’s Maus (1986) and Bechdel’s Fun Home (2006) legitimized the comics medium as a site for conveying difficult truths through image and text, and caregivers are now using the form to show-and-tell their life narratives. My doctoral project examines how caregivers use, bend, and break the visual and textual conventions of the graphic novel to represent caregiving for those with disabilities, those who are aging, and those with physical and chronic illnesses. I consider how caregivers reshape depictions of disability, illness, and trauma, and how comics are emerging as a significant, accessible form for conveying the caregiving experience.

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The Future of AI is looking Bright at the 39th Annual Western Research Forum!

The Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) is proud to present the 39th Annual Western Research Forum! The Western Research Forum is an interdisciplinary conference open to all students at Western showcasing research from every faculty. This year’s forum, themed “Interdisciplinary Research in the Digital Age,” will take place on March 14, 2025, at the Physics and Astronomy Building Atrium from 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. 

The event will feature insightful keynote addresses from:

• Dr. Mark Daley, Chief AI Officer at Western University and renowned expert in Artificial Intelligence and interdisciplinary research.
• Sidath Rankaduwa, a PhD student in Neuroscience, exploring the intersection of psychedelics, consciousness, and cognition.

Our theme highlights positive research made possible by the advancements of the digital age. The digital age (also known as the information era) brings us advantages through the form of Artificial Intelligence and allows us to analyze large collections of data made possible through advancements in computing power. It also allows us to collect data and collaborate with other researchers on a worldwide scale.

To learn more about this exciting opportunity, and see some of the other presentations scheduled, please visit: https://sogs.ca/wrf/

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to connect with peers outside your faculty, and engage in meaningful discussions on how digital advancements are shaping research across disciplines.

Hope to see you there!

APPLY NOW: Investintech-CAJ Data Journalism Scholarship

We're proud to announce the sixth annual Investintech-CAJ Data Journalism Scholarship, a collaborative initiative with the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) that celebrates and supports emerging talent in Canadian journalism. 

 

This year's scholarship package includes:

 

• $1,000 CAD toward tuition
• Free one-year CAJ membership
• A free pass to the CAJ National Annual Conference (May 30-31, Calgary) 

Our past five recipients have won recognition for the skillsets they have to work in the journalism industry and have earned a good head start:

https://www.investintech.com/data-journalism-scholarship/winners/

 

Full details about the scholarship and application process are available at:

https://www.investintech.com/data-journalism-scholarship/

 

INSPIRING MINDS | Carly Charron, PhD candidate, Faculty of Science

Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research, while enhancing transferable skills. Students were challenged to describe their research, scholarship or creative activity in 150 or fewer words to share with our community.

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Carly Charron
PhD candidate, Faculty of Science

A green vaccine: Using plants to protect poultry from Salmonella

You’ve whipped up a delicious cake and the beater is dripping with batter. What do you do? Lick it? Think again. Poultry eggs and meat are a common source of Salmonella, a bacteria that can cause gut-churning consequences. Poultry pose a significant concern as they can harbour large amounts of Salmonella without showing any symptoms, making it difficult to identify contaminated birds. While numerous control measures can be used on poultry farms to prevent Salmonella contamination, they are often costly and/or difficult to implement. Therefore, my goal is to develop a ‘green’ vaccine: an edible Salmonella vaccine that is made in plants. This would provide a cheaper and easier method of protecting poultry, as the leaves of the plant could be ground into a powder and added to poultry feed. If effective, this could reduce the prevalence of Salmonella in poultry flocks and subsequently lower the rate of human infection.

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APPLY NOW: Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation of Canada Scholarship for Canadian Women

The Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation of Canada Scholarship for Canadian Women will be awarding a minimum of two scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each this year.

 

We are utilizing a portal for applications this year and applications may be made here:

 

APPLY NOW

 

Please be advised that applications will only be accepted through the portal and will not accept any documents via e-mail or physical mail.

 

The application deadline is April 15, 2025.

 

REGISTER NOW: EnviroCon 2025

Western’s Centre for Environment and Sustainability invites you to attend EnviroCon 2025, a free, student-led conference that brings together researchers, community members, and organizations to explore environmental and sustainability topics. This year’s theme, Sharing Environmental Knowledge, focuses on making sustainability knowledge accessible for all.

 

This is a great opportunity to engage with environmental research, network with like-minded individuals, and take part in important discussions about sustainability. Registration closes on Friday, March 7.

➡ Register now: https://www.uwo.ca/enviro/envirocon/index.html

 

📅 Date: Friday, March 21, 2025 (all day)
📍 Location: Physics & Astronomy Building, Western University
💲 Cost: Free (includes complimentary lunch!)

 

What’s Happening at EnviroCon 2025?
🌎 Research Presentations – Learn about the latest research in environment and sustainability.
💬 Panel Discussion – Hear from academia, City of London, Indigenous community, local school board, and youth on how environmental knowledge is shared and put into action.
🌿 Guided Hike – Explore campus biodiversity with an expert-led nature walk.
🤝 Community Booths – Connect with local organizations working on sustainability initiatives.

🔧 Repair Cafe (March 19) – Bring your broken household items and volunteer “fixers” repair them for free.

 

Questions? Contact us at [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram: @enviroconwestern

 

Hope to see you there!

 

INSPIRING MINDS | Sidney Wright, MSc candidate, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research, while enhancing transferable skills. Students were challenged to describe their research, scholarship or creative activity in 150 or fewer words to share with our community.

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Sidney Wright
MSc candidate, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Digital Technologies for the Enhancement of Anatomy Education

Anatomy can be challenging for university students to learn and understand but is vital for the education of future healthcare professionals. Existing tools, such as cadaveric or plastic models, have various limitations, creating a gap in the availability of adequate anatomy models to meet the needs of all student populations. The need for advanced teaching tools led to the investigation of Augmented Reality (AR). AR is an emerging technology that superimposes a virtual image onto a user’s view of the real world and can be used to explore human anatomy through interactive models. Our study aims to investigate whether integrating AR and digital three-dimensional models into anatomy education will enhance the overall learning experience through increased student engagement and motivation. By exploring digital models, we can address the lack of anatomical teaching tools to meet the needs of all student populations and improve learning outcomes across various educational settings.

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Essential Elements of Project Management

Essential Elements of Project Management (2-part series)

 

March 19 & 20, 2025, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Online/Virtual

 

This two-part introductory seminar to project management for doctoral students will present an overview of essential elements to creating and executing a successful project plan. Through interactive discussion, students will learn why self-awareness, stakeholder engagement and effective communication are critical to project success. The session will draw on parallels to research management to identify where industry-standard Project Management strategies and tools can be applied in an academic setting and how academic experience can be transferrable and valuable to private, public and non-profit contexts.

 

Please follow this link to Western Connect where you will be directed to register for each part on Zoom.

 

Copy That! Grappling with Copyright at Western and Beyond

Copy That! Grappling with Copyright at Western and Beyond

 

March 3, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. ET

IGAB 1N05

 

Did you know that the simple act of creation is enough to be the holder of the copyright to a work? That is, unless you sign these rights away. This session will provide an overview of copyright basics and provide a summary of your rights as a creator, and advice on how to protect these rights. It will also cover publishing, teaching, and document creation with practical examples of what to look for in a variety of employment contexts including universities, colleges, and the private sector.

 

REGISTER NOW