March 31, 2023
Residence don Madison Budy (far left) leads a tour with (from left) students Shamir Mehrani, Alyssa Podann and Alexa Tantis, as Mackenzie Gouthro and Christine Von Wistinghausen look on. (Photo source: Christopher Kindratsky/Western Communications)
Braving wind and rain, more than 7,000 future students and family members visited campus last Saturday, for Western’s largest-ever Spring open house, featuring program demonstrations, mini-lectures, concerts and tours.
Lily Cho (Submitted photo)
Former faculty member Lily Cho is returning to Western as vice-provost and associate vice-president (international) on July 1. A scholar of cultural studies and postcolonial literature, Cho is currently associate dean, global and community engagement at York University.
The Language and Information Technology Research Lab (LiTRL) team. (Back, left to right) Sarah Cornwell, Yimin Chen, Sodiq Onaolapo. (Front, left to right) Alex Mayhew, Victoria Rubin and Dominique Kelly (Photo source: Chris Kindratsky/Western Communications)
Although ChatGPT is a relatively new AI tool, Victoria Rubin, a natural language processing scholar in FIMS, says the idea behind the app is not. Rubin’s lab is exploring the uses and misuses of ChatGPT, and the mechanics and ‘hype’ behind it.
Students visit the Spring Market in the atrium of UCC on March 28. (Photo source: Chris Kindratsky/ Western Communications)
From candles and coffee, keychains and jewelry, the businesses featured at the Spring Market had one key trait in common: they are all run by students or alumni. Organized by The Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship, Powered by Ivey, the market is a reflection of the entrepreneurial spirit growing among the campus community.
Mackenzie Place is a 17-storey structure in Hay River that stands as a reminder of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline which was never completed. (Photo source: Jesse Colin Jackson photo)
In her upcoming book, Under Pressure: Diamond Mining and Everyday Life in Northern Canada, anthropology professor Lindsay Bell examines the way resource extraction has impacted demographics, economics and culture in Hay River and throughout the Northwest Territories.
The inner region of the Orion Nebula as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument. (Image source: NASA, ESA, CSA, PDRs4All ERS Team; image processing Olivier Berné.)
A Western grad took on the mission to make Canada's Space industry more diverse, and this year, our students make up almost a quarter of the Zenith Canada Pathways Foundation program.
Working at Western
(Photo source: Hospitality Services)
Food Truck Alley returns to campus
Try delicious food truck favourites including gourmet grilled cheese, plant-based burgers and more on April 5 and 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Food Truck Alley on Oxford Drive.
Student questionnaires on courses and teaching
One of the most effective ways to support a high response rate for course feedback is instructor encouragement. View a list of strategies to encourage students to complete the questionnaires.
Researchers: Share your input
Tell us about your experiences managing research data and outputs in a seven-minute survey. Respond by April 17 to help inform the implementation of Western’s Research Data Management Strategy.
Photo of the Week
Western Black Leadership University Experience (B.L.U.E.) participants celebrate a successful inaugural year of the program that provided paid part-time leadership experiences for 15 Black students. (Back, left to right) Stanislas Yekel, Makayla Spencer, Mekayla Wilson-Johnson, Olateju Obisesan, Abiodun Awosusi, Erica Wilkinson, Mary Olaleye, Rachel Mawuenyegah, project lead Jessica Ouko, Panashe Nyaude, Giselle Hinds, Tavia Gilkes. (Kneeling, left to right) Anirejuoritse Coker, Janelle Allan, Nasra Yarow, Niyonella Kamera. Missing: Christopher Adepoju, Jessica Brown, Kristina Springer, Semere Ghebrekidan, Stephanie Urena Rodriguez (Photo source: Lesley Oliver/EDI)
Coming Up
Bernice Vincent, In July the Sun Sets Thirty One Times, 1978. McIntosh Gallery Collection, gift of the artist, 1998. (Photo source: McIntosh Gallery)
March 30 to June 16
The View from Here at McIntosh Gallery
Curated by Jennie Kraehling, The View from Here brings together artworks from the gallery’s permanent collection that evoke a particular perspective, moment in time, landscape or space, and highlights the breadth and strong regional focus of the collection.
April 3 (6:30 p.m.)
Understanding Generational Trauma
The Office of EDI and Western Hillel welcome Jenna Quint to the Propel Centre, Western Student Services Building. Quint runs the Courage 2 Change and Intergenerational Trauma programs at JACS Toronto and will discuss intergenerational trauma through personal narratives and the latest science. Register today.
April 5 (12 noon)
Emergency weather siren testing
A reminder that live monthly testing of Western’s emergency weather siren continues on the first Wednesday of every month at 12 p.m. Unless otherwise notified, this is only a test and no action is required.
Western in the News
Dr. Elizabeth Finger (Photo source: Schulich Medicine & Dentistry)
National Post
What is frontotemporal dementia? Bruce Willis' condition explained
Schulich Medicine & Dentistry professor Dr. Elizabeth Finger studies potential treatments for frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the disorder afflicting actor Bruce Willis, and explains the first changes seen in FTD are often in behaviour, personality, judgment and decision-making.
The New York Times
Canada grew by a record 1 million people from immigration
Canada’s record population growth comes as the federal government makes a push to address its labour shortage by raising its 2025 immigration targets by almost 25 per cent. Victoria Esses, psychology professor and director of the Centre for Research on Migration and Ethnic Relations, says there is widespread support for immigration in Canada.
The Walrus
Will ChatGPT kill the student essay? Universities aren’t ready for the answer
Chat bots like ChatGPT are sparking important conversations in academia. FIMS professor Luke Stark says these large language models are created using a computational technique called deep learning, in which simulated electronic neurons infer patterns in a large amount of data.
CBC London
Students spent 2 years searching for untold stories in SoHo. Here's a look at what they found
A group of students supervised by public history professor Michelle Hamilton are wrapping up two years spent collecting stories about the rich history of SoHo, one of London's oldest neighbourhoods.
Commentary
A group of brown chickens. (Photo source: Pexels)
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor Dr. Sameer Elsayed answers questions about the highly contagious avian influenza (“bird flu”) and its emergence as a potential public health threat.
