July 11, 2025
(Top row, L to R) Elizabeth Greene, Ryan Stevenson, Lisa Saksida. (Bottom row, L to R): Taylor Schmitz, Shannon Stewart, Luke Stark. (Image design: Rob Potter/Western Communications)
Six faculty members have received Western Research Excellence Awards for advancing solutions in brain health, artificial intelligence, archaeology and child mental health.
Postdoctoral associates work with professor Yang Zhao in an engineering lab. (Photo source: Steven Anderson/Western Communications)
Western is making a bold investment in the future of research by doubling the number of Postdoctoral Fellowship Program awards and launching the new Doctoral Excellence Award to attract top global talent.
(L to R) Ivey dean Julian Birkinshaw and Stephanie Brooks, Ivey’s chief administrative officer (Photo source: Ivey Communications)
A report from Ivey’s Centre for Building Sustainable Value outlines practical strategies to help Canadian companies turn climate commitments into action.
Paul Wiegert (Photo source: Mitch Zimmer/Western Science)
Physics and astronomy professor Paul Wiegert spoke with Western News about asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a small chance of striking the moon in 2032. He explains its potential impact on future lunar missions and how the asteroid could affect satellites orbiting Earth.
The Impact Project
Explore how the Western community is collectively contributing to meaningful change in the world, today.
Trish Tucker (Photo source: Steven Anderson/Western Communications)
Trish Tucker: How research can empower educators to get kids moving.
Coming Up
July 12 (8:30 to 11 p.m.)
Public night at the Observatory
Discover how researchers use seismic data to study our universe at the next free public night at the Cronyn Observatory. Enjoy astronomy demos and, if the skies are clear, observe the night sky through vintage telescopes.
July 16 and 23 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Free Store donations
Support Western’s new Free Store by donating gently used household items and academic supplies at the sustainability booth during the Western Farmers Market, located in the open space in front of McIntosh Gallery.
July 16 (10 a.m. to noon)
Introduction to Dashboards
Learn how to transform static spreadsheets into interactive, web-based dashboards using research data from the Northern Tornadoes Project during this free virtual workshop from Western Libraries. Register online.
July 15 and 17 (various times)
Alternative solutions for OWL Sakai
Join Western Technology Services for a series of Zoom sessions designed to help faculty and instructors explore alternative tools as they transition content from OWL Sakai project sites. Register online.
Working at Western
University College (Photo source: Western Communications)
Share Western’s Story
Showcase how Western’s research is transforming the world by incorporating the Research Excellence video into your presentations, conferences, meetings and events. Visit the brand story website to access the video and explore additional resources that help share Western’s unique stories.
Photo of the Week
Campus gardeners enjoyed a busy and rewarding morning in the summer sunshine, weeding and mulching the Community Garden on July 10. (Photo source: Laura Mantz/Western Sustainability)
Western in the News
In addition to the news above, your colleagues have been featured in the following media outlets.
Elizabeth Greene (Photo source: Vindolanda Trust)
BBC
Mystery over 'unusually large' Roman shoes
Classical studies professor Elizabeth Greene, an expert on ancient footwear, is part of a research team that unearthed unusually large shoes discovered at a Roman fort.
TIME Magazine
What made the Texas floods so devastating?
Engineering professor emeritus Slobodan Simonović explains how warm, moist air and the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl triggered deadly flooding in Texas, and why climate change means more events like this are likely in the future.
CNN
Giant, flightless bird is next target for de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences
An article about efforts to bring back the giant moa through a process called de-extinction includes expert insight from Scott MacDougall-Shackleton, psychology professor and co-founder of Western’s Advanced Facility for Avian Research.
