April 21, 2023 An Eastern carpenter bee on a dandelion was spotted on campus in April 2023. (Photo source: Jackson Kusack/iNaturalist) Western’s biodiversity inventory captured 1,225 species on campus, including 22 considered at-risk, using photographs uploaded to a web application called iNaturalist. Biology PhD candidate Brandon Samuels hopes the information can help protect Western’s natural environment. (From left): Chemistry professor Francois Lagugné-Labarthet with startup company SCATR Inc. founders Ari Forman, BSc’20, and Alex Boukin with the portable drug-checking device. (Photo source: Chris Kindratsky/Western Communications) Professor Francois Lagugné-Labartheth teamed up with two student entrepreneurs to develop an innovative technology that analyzes drug samples for dangerous fillers or other drugs. Thanks to a $1.9M federal grant, the technology is being piloted at safe consumption sites across Canada. (From left): Art history instructor Ira Kazi and third-year student Arthur Mustard Thompson stand in front of his exhibit at the Tropical House. (Photo source: Chris Kindratsky/Western Communications) Three years after closing due to the pandemic, Western’s greenhouses and botanical gardens have reopened, providing the perfect gallery for Locus Amoenus: The Garden of Verdant Delights, an exhibit by third-year art history students. Ivey Dean Sharon Hodgson (Photo source: Geoff Robins) Sharon Hodgson is stepping down as the dean of Ivey in June 2024 to prioritize family and personal passions. During her tenure, she made enormous strides in ushering the business school into its next century. Members of the Connecting for Climate Change Action development team (from left): Katrina Moser, Sara Mai Chitty, Beth Hundey and Hawlii Pichette. (Photo source: Chris Kindratsky/Western Communications) The recipients of the 2022-2023 Western Awards for Excellence in Teaching have been announced. Seven faculty members and a collaborative course development team were selected for their contributions to the academic development of students. Political science professor Martin Horak speaks to his class at King and Richmond streets during a downtown field trip. (Photo source: Megan Stacey/Western News) Students in professor Martin Horak’s political science class stepped out of the classroom and into the downtown core on a walking tour of key London, Ont. landmarks to see first-hand how political decisions play out in a city. Working at WesternThames Hall (Photo source: Western Communications) Stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations |