Your October 2023 edition
Welcome to the International Insights newsletter, a monthly roundup of news, opportunities and updates with an international focus, curated by Western International for the Western community.
Western scholars among the top in the world in international undergraduate competition
Six Western undergraduate student researchers were recently named among the best in the world in The Global Undergraduate Awards, including three global winners from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities – the faculty’s highest ever number of global winners in one year.
Their award-winning coursework spans a diverse range of research topics, including ancient literature and medieval studies, brain functionality testing, soil contaminants, ethics in pandemic health care and artificial intelligence.
The Global Undergraduate Awards is a global cross-disciplinary competition that invites undergraduates to submit their high-quality undergraduate work to be judged anonymously by academic panels in each category. Global Winners are the top submissions worldwide in their respective categories and Regional Winners are the top submissions in their categories in their designated region.
This year, nearly 2,800 submissions from 352 institutions in 111 countries were received, according to the organizers. In addition to the global and regional winners, 23 other student scholars from Western were named to the Highly Commended List, making Western the leading university in North America, and placing it among the top two institutions overall for this year’s competition.
Meet Western's 2023 Global and Regional Undergraduate Award Winners
Hosting Visiting Research Only (VRO) Students: Overview Sessions
If you're planning to host a visiting research only (VRO) student, join us for one of three upcoming sessions: Hosting VRO Students: Everything Supervisors Need to Know.
The session will provide an overview of the VRO student program, immigration categories and required
documentation to proceed with an assessment and approval of your VRO student’s research visit at Western.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A.
Save the date: International Week 2023 - November 20-24
Save the date for International Week - the annual celebration of all things international at Western, including students, learning experiences, research, partnerships, collaborations and more!
Watch for stories, plan to attend events and be part of this exciting week focused on the many pieces that make up our #GlobalWesternU!
Events are still being added to the schedule and will include:
AWB: Calls for Project Proposals and Volunteers
Academics without Borders (AWB) is calling for the following volunteers and project proposals:
Project Proposals for capacity-building projects in partnership with an institution of higher learning in a low or middle-income country (Deadline Nov. 10)
Volunteer Opportunity: Supporting creation of a program in professional skills development and training for graduate students (Deadline Nov. 7)
Volunteer Opportunity: Supporting Creation of a Program to Enhance Faculty Research Skills (Deadline Nov. 20)
Learn about Western's Global and Intercultural Engagement Honour
Faculty and staff who work with students are invited to attend a virtual information session about the Global Honour on November 1 at 11:30 am.
The session will provide:
- an overview of Western's Global Honour
- information on how your students can achieve the Global Honour
- the benefits for students who chose to pursue it
- discussion on how we can work together to increase students’ participation in global and intercultural engagement activities during their time at Western.
This information session is aimed towards staff and faculty who work in student support roles, however any interested staff and faculty at Western are welcome to attend!
Did you know?
Western is participating in the 2023 CBIE International Student Survey. All current full-time and part-time international undergraduate and graduate students on Western’s main campus are eligible to complete the survey.
The CBIE survey is being conducted at institutions across Canada and gives students the opportunity to provide important feedback and suggestions about their educational experience.
If you have ideas, suggestions or opportunities with an international focus to share, please let us know at wicomms@uwo.ca.
