March 20, 2026
Shawn Whitehead (Photo source: Megan Morris/Schulich Medicine & Dentistry)
Schulich Medicine & Dentistry professor Shawn Whitehead received $4.1 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to develop an advanced brain imaging platform. His project is one of four at Western receiving more than $21.5 million through the foundation’s latest funding round.
This year's President's Challenge participants and judges (Photo source: Brandon MacIntosh/Ivey Communications)
From incentivizing movement through apps to corporate programs inspired by schoolyard recess, students from almost every faculty competed in the President’s Challenge to pitch a solution to the crisis of physical inactivity in Canada.
Jessica White (Photo source: Iulia Costache/Faculty of Health Sciences)
Sports dietitian and PhD candidate Jessica White explains how common supplements like creatine and hydration gels can support athletic performance when used appropriately, while emphasizing a food-first approach, proper rest and caution around unproven products and misleading claims.
Ivey Business School (Photo source: Western Communications)
Ivey Business School has launched an AI Fellows Program, bringing leaders from companies including Google and OpenAI to help prepare students for an AI-enabled business world and connect academic learning with real-world practice.
The Impact Project
Explore how the Western community is collectively contributing to meaningful change in the world, today.
Egide Kalisa (Photo source: Steven Anderson/Western Communications)
Egide Kalisa: How children in Rwanda advocate for better air quality.
Coming Up
March 23 (12:15 to 1 p.m.)
Mindful Mondays
Pause and recharge during a guided mindfulness session held monthly in the McIntosh Gallery. This session will encourage participants to look deeply, engage multiple senses and explore new perspectives. Register today.
March 26 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Open house: Rare books
Discover newly acquired treasures from Western Libraries Archives and Special Collections, including illustrated editions of Frankenstein, works by Austen and Brontë and rare comic books. Weldon Library, ARCC Reading Room.
March 25 (noon to 1:30 p.m.)
Navigating trans invisibility and hypervisibility
Join the Office of EDI for a talk with PhD student Malcolm Macdonald exploring the barriers trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit students face on campuses, in recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility. Weldon Library, Community Room.
March 20 (8 to 9:30 p.m.)
Studies in Motion 2026
Experience original dance works created and performed by students in Western’s dance program during this annual showcase directed by Don Wright Faculty of Music lecturer Barb Sarma. Paul Davenport Theatre.
Working at Western
Middlesex College (Photo source: Western Communications)
Course feedback now open
Encourage students to provide course feedback before April 12. Learn more.
Call for nominations: Honorary degrees
Nominate distinguished candidates to be considered for an honorary degree. Visit the University Secretariat’s website to learn more.
Responsible Investing Policy
There is still time to share feedback on Western’s draft Responsible Investing Policy. Complete the online survey by March 27.
Photo of the Week
Western leaders and volunteers met March 19 to celebrate the 2025/26 campaign for United Way Elgin Middlesex (UWEM), which raised $515,669 – making it the largest university fundraising effort in the country. (L to R) Chris McInnis, director of marketing and communications at UWEM, Dave Muir, campaign co-chair, Melissa White, incoming campaign co-chair, Faith Morrison, manager of philanthropy at UWEM, Opiyo Oloya, associate vice-president (equity, diversity and inclusion) and Darren Meister, campaign co-chair. (Photo source: Terry Rice/Human Resources)
Western in the News
Sunil Gurmukh (Photo source: Western Law)
Toronto Star
Police Charter violations persist years after Star found cops violating rights of accused with alarming frequency: report
A new report co-authored by law adjunct research professor Sunil Gurmukh found that, over the past decade, five major police services in Ontario violated the Charter more than 1,000 times, and outlines recommendations for change.
Scientific American
Why pristine mountain lakes are suddenly turning green
Geography and environment professor and department chair Katrina Eyvindson reconstructed the history of roughly 20 Uinta Mountain lakes using sediment cores, contributing to the understanding of why alpine lakes, once known for their crystal clear waters, are increasingly turning green.
CBC News
Ottawa puts $200M into space launch pad in Nova Scotia
Western Space director and physics and astronomy professor Sarah Gallagher explains how the federal government’s investment in a space launch pad will give Canada sovereign launch capabilities and better access to space assets.
