REGISTER NOW! Tree Planting for Watershed Health and Climate Change Resiliency | November 16/21, 2023

Tree Planting for Watershed Health and Climate Change Resiliency

All are welcome! Refreshments will be served. This event is FREE.

Flooding is a significant climate change risk in London that can be reduced by planting trees along watercourses. PhD candidate Brendon Samuels will discuss how planting trees using live stakes, a form of bioengineering, improves resiliency to flooding and overall watershed health. Brendon will also share practical advice on how you can support nature-based solutions for climate change. Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) staff will be on hand with displays and a presentation that will frame the live staking project within the larger context of the Watershed health and the UTRCA Watershed Report Card Program.

Session One | November 16, 2023
TIME: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
LOCATION: London Public Library, Masonville Branch
30 North Centre Road London, ON N5X 3W1

REGISTER HERE

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Session Two | November 21, 2023
TIME: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: London Public Library, Central Branch
251 Dundas Street London, ON N6A 6H9

REGISTER HERE

INSPIRING MINDS | Chukwuka Achu, PhD candidate, Faculty of Law

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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Chukwuka Achu
PhD candidate, Faculty of Law

Examining Policy Instruments and Environmental Tax as Effective Tools for Managing Environmental Impacts and the Implementation of the Paris Accord: Possible Lessons from Canada and a Case for an Action Plan in Sub-Saharan Africa.

How can vulnerable developing countries address the impacts of climate change, which disproportionately affects them more than other countries? My dissertation examines the need for developing countries to implement policies, including putting in place an environmental tax framework, to raise funds from polluters that can be put back into the system to alleviate the harmful effects of environmental degradation, thus allowing them to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN SDGs. To achieve this, my dissertation explores the policy measures that have been implemented in Canada, which is one of the developed countries with ambitious climate goals, toward the 2030 emissions reduction goal and the 2050 carbon neutrality goal. I will make the argument, through a transplant comparative analysis, for developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to adopt the policy measures that have been implemented in Canada to address the impacts of climate change in the region.

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Volunteer with St. Joseph’s Health Care London!

St. Joseph's Hospital, comprised of 5 sites (4 in London and 1 in St. Thomas) is renowned for compassionate care, and is one of the best academic health care organizations in Canada dedicated to helping people live to their fullest. St. Joseph’s key role areas include acute/ambulatory care (including chronic disease management, urgent care, surgery and medical imaging), complex care and veterans care, long-term care, rehabilitation and specialized geriatrics, and specialized mental health care.

Volunteers play an integral role in supporting patients, residents and staff across our organization in a variety of roles, such as at our information desks, in support or clerical roles in clinics, within rehabilitation and therapeutic recreation programs, visiting with patients or our Veterans, within one of our 6 stores, and more!

There is no deadline to apply and volunteer applications are accepted all year.

Complete an application form today, or find out more about volunteering at St. Joseph’s, at www.sjhc.london.on.ca/volunteers.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: 2023-2024 National Student Paper Competition (NSPC)

We are excited to inform you about a fantastic opportunity that could benefit graduate students engaged in critical Canadian policy matters. The National Student Paper Competition (NSPC) is now open for submission!

Here are the key details:

• Application period: From October 5, 2023 to December 15, 2023
• Hosted by: Canada School of Public Service (CSPS)
• Purpose: Recognize and amplify significant policy work by Canadian graduate students
• Partnerships: Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA), Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS)

Why NSPC matters:

• Opportunities to network and share innovative ideas with the federal public service.
• Grand prize: 4-month internship with the Government of Canada.
• Top 5 authors present papers to senior executives.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Quality of life and the well-being of Canadians
• Ethics and Values in the Public Service
• Anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion
• Government and democracy
• Federalism in Canada
• Digital government and artificial intelligence
• Climate change and sustainable development
• Indigenous affairs and reconciliation
• Public administration innovation and partnerships
• Canadian policies and program improvement
• Skills development and the future of work

APPLY NOW!

Mindful Moments for Graduate Students | Fall Term 2023

Relax, recharge, refocus with weekly drop-in mindfulness practices live on Zoom. The facilitator leads a different mindfulness practice each week, for approximately 15-20 minutes. No prior mindfulness experience is necessary to participate and all are welcome to attend.

When?
Mondays 12 noon -12:20 p.m.

How can you join?
https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/j/93032497859
Meeting ID: 969 6066 4355

Visit mindfullearning.uwo.ca for more information and to download a calendar invite.

Participate in Diversity Western: A Study on Black Lived Experiences at Western

Since 2020, Western University has become increasingly focused on confronting, challenging, and changing its anti-Black racist history and contemporary ramifications. Despite these macro-scale efforts, anti-Blackness continues to persist in the everyday lives of Black faculty, students, and staff. This, then, creates a profoundly dissonant campus climate, one where anti-Black racism is conversationally condemned, but actionably sustained.

To challenge this, we -- a coalition of Black academics, administrators, and allies -- have crafted a multi-pronged project which strives to counter anti-Black racism on campus using an ecosystem of pro-Black knowledge and Afrocentric support.

Bold and game-changing, this project is guided by four deliverables:

1. a qualitative self-study of Black students’, staff, faculty, and alumni lived experiences, across differing disciplines, ethnicities, genders, classes, (among others);
2. an Afrocentric speakers series, that will acknowledge and appreciate the plurality of Black expertise and experiences;
3. a suite of anti-racist, decolonial and intersectionality-driven career- counselling courses, featuring Black leaders and stakeholders from nationwide businesses and community organizations, and
4. a Black virtual hub, designed to meet the inclusion, belonging, community and mentorship needs of Black students, emerging scholars, junior faculty and staff by connecting them with supportive senior faculty, staff, and alumni.

Sewn with the seeds of equity, diversity, inclusion, and unwavering Afrocentrism, this pro-Black project will work toward closing the gap between the rhetoric and reality of anti-racism on campus.

REGISTER NOW!

Music Doctoral student Ryan Baxter opens Brock University’s Music@Noon concert series

Photo credit: Photo via The Brock News/Brock University

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA – piano performance) student and pianist Ryan Baxter, kicks off the 2023-24 RBC Foundation Music@Noon Series at Brock University Tuesday, September 26, 2023.

Baxter, a graduate of Brock, University of Manitoba, and Humber College, who also developed his skills through The Royal Conservatory, is currently studying with professor Stéphan Sylvestre at Western’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. Baxter will play works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt, Glenn Buhr and Alexander Scriabin.

“I enjoy programs that have a lot of variety, which I have tried to offer with my musical program. I love to play a little bit of everything in classical piano,” Baxter said in an article shared via Brock’s website. His love of music was sparked by a children’s music program he attended in his youth when he was introduced to the piano. He played many instruments growing up and was part of the Niagara Youth Orchestra, but he was always drawn to the keyboard.

Student Application Now Open for the Western Black Leadership University Experience (B.L.U.E.) program

Student applications are now open until October 1 for the 2023-24 Western B.L.U.E. program!

Western B.L.U.E. will provide paid part-time leadership experiences for 20 Black students. The experiences will be funded by the university and hosted by organizations in the London area (including Western). Each experience is valued at $6,300 for the part-time commitment over the 5-month period. Students will be given the opportunity to work on a chosen challenge independently alongside a dedicated mentor who will provide the student with ongoing supervision and feedback.

The program’s key objectives include:

• To demonstrate the passion, talent and knowledge of Black student leaders in the community and instill a spirit of community giving across campus
• To help Black students develop transferable skills through work-integrated learning and community partnerships
• To create meaningful income-earning opportunities for Black students
• To develop a strong network of Black student leaders who can offer guidance and mentorship to future program participants

Learn more and register: https://www.edi.uwo.ca/initiatives/western-blue/

Standing in Solidarity with Our Muslim Community

To Western's Graduate Community

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We extend our heartfelt thoughts and unwavering support as the trial of a man facing terror-related murder charges in the deaths of four members of the Afzaal family continues in our community.

The trial reminds us not only of this horrific event but of the ongoing struggles against discrimination, hate, and violence many Muslim communities face. We understand these events can evoke a range of emotions and concerns among our Muslim community members, and we want to assure you we stand in solidarity with you during these difficult times.

Graduate students who need compassionate relief or other academic supports, can reach out to their graduate program or the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for assistance.

Counselling services are available through Wellness and Well-being at Western by calling 519-661-3030 or by drop in (Thames Hall, Room #2170). They’ll help you access an appointment. Wellness and Well-being also offers specific Group Care and Workshops including Grief & Loss Support, as well as Journey Together: Sharing Our Lived Experience. A Support Group for Black and Racialized Students: Grad Edition.

There are also various prayer spaces across our campus:

Elborn College
Location: Room 2560

Faculty of Education
Location: FEB 2001 (second floor)

Wellness and Well-being Multi-Faith Prayer Space
Location: Middlesex College, 15A

Western is committed to providing you with a safe and supportive environment where you can thrive.

Please reach out if we can support you in any way.

Weigh in on Graduate Study Space

Graduate study space is a hot commodity at Western. Western Libraries and the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) want to help provide space as best as we can.

Join us Thursday, July 20 from 1 - 2:30 p.m. to help revise the graduate study room application process. We also want to learn how to improve our graduate study spaces to fit your needs.

Snacks will be provided.

Register today