A tornado that sliced through a rural area south of Didsbury, AB on July 1 is among the most powerful ever recorded in Canada. It has been rated at EF4 by Western’s Northern Tornadoes Project, in collaboration with the Environment and Climate Change Cana …
Research
Research eyes sport in residential schools
For Fatima Ba’abbad, BHSc’14, the role Canada’s favourite past time played in residential schools cannot be overlooked.
A rumour at rest: Western researcher clears a king’s reputation
Robert the Bruce was a warrior-king, hero, champion of Scottish independence. And not a leper. For almost seven centuries, the Scots have endured taunts that Robert the Bruce had leprosy, a disease that until recently, held a stigma unlike any other. Now, thanks to...
Improved access to health information needed in rural communities
Raised in a rural farming community, Brad Hiebert knows full well accessing health-care services and general health information can sometimes be a challenge. Hospitals are shutting down; doctors are leaving town and local health clinics – should a rural community be...
Separating fact from fiction using a ‘fake news’ algorithm
The impetus behind Victoria Rubin’s research is a tip from Ernest Hemingway: “Develop a built-in bullshit detector.” Working with a team of graduate students in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS), Rubin has been studying deception detection since...
Preserving history with a high-tech lens
Western researcher Madalena Kozachuk is bringing 200-year-old ghosts back to life. The Western PhD student and a team of interdisciplinary researchers have together developed a novel and non-invasive way to recover ‘vanished’ images from the earliest historical...
Fellowship may unlock polymer research potential
Elizabeth Gillies’ development of degradable plastic polymers could soon benefit everything from fertilizer used by farmers to cancer drugs administered by physicians.
Capone tapped for two-year extension
John Capone, Vice-President (Research), received a two-year extension to his term, now expiring June 30, 2019, university officials announced late last week. The Board of Governors approved the move Jan. 26, following a recommendation from the Review/Selection...
Personality key in predicting medical school success
We may be putting an “unhealthy emphasis” on Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) results and grade point averages (GPA) when it comes to picking the next best physician, according to one Western researcher. High marks are one thing, but they’re not a solid predictor...
Forgotten role of reproductive justice in Zika crisis
The media response to the recent Zika virus outbreak has been sensationalized and, as a result, governmental responses have been largely misplaced. Zika has been around for decades, with relatively mild symptoms. However, a recent outbreak in Brazil, that coincided...
Funding bolsters Canada’s role in international justice
For almost two decades, Valerie Oosterveld has dedicated her work to gender-sensitive criminal justice – first as a lawyer with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and now, as an academic. Oosterveld, associate dean in the Faculty of Law, along with 22 partners...
Helping a monarch future take flight
By analyzing the ‘chemical fingerprints’ in the wings of monarch butterflies, one Western researcher has helped pinpoint the North American birthplaces of the migratory creatures, vital information that may help conserve the dwindling species.
Digging into Drizzy: Research focuses on how a ‘hybrid identity’ built the perfect Drake
When Drake first broke onto the music scene, he climbed the charts. Fast. His first studio album, Thank Me Later, debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in 2010 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Drake’s next albums, Take...
Research eyes sport in residential schools
For Fatima Ba’abbad, BHSc’14, the role Canada’s favourite past time played in residential schools cannot be overlooked.
A rumour at rest: Western researcher clears a king’s reputation
Robert the Bruce was a warrior-king, hero, champion of Scottish independence. And not a leper. For almost seven centuries, the Scots have endured taunts that Robert the Bruce had leprosy, a disease that until recently, held a stigma unlike any other. Now, thanks to...
Improved access to health information needed in rural communities
Raised in a rural farming community, Brad Hiebert knows full well accessing health-care services and general health information can sometimes be a challenge. Hospitals are shutting down; doctors are leaving town and local health clinics – should a rural community be...
Separating fact from fiction using a ‘fake news’ algorithm
The impetus behind Victoria Rubin’s research is a tip from Ernest Hemingway: “Develop a built-in bullshit detector.” Working with a team of graduate students in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS), Rubin has been studying deception detection since...
Preserving history with a high-tech lens
Western researcher Madalena Kozachuk is bringing 200-year-old ghosts back to life. The Western PhD student and a team of interdisciplinary researchers have together developed a novel and non-invasive way to recover ‘vanished’ images from the earliest historical...
Fellowship may unlock polymer research potential
Elizabeth Gillies’ development of degradable plastic polymers could soon benefit everything from fertilizer used by farmers to cancer drugs administered by physicians.
Capone tapped for two-year extension
John Capone, Vice-President (Research), received a two-year extension to his term, now expiring June 30, 2019, university officials announced late last week. The Board of Governors approved the move Jan. 26, following a recommendation from the Review/Selection...
Personality key in predicting medical school success
We may be putting an “unhealthy emphasis” on Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) results and grade point averages (GPA) when it comes to picking the next best physician, according to one Western researcher. High marks are one thing, but they’re not a solid predictor...
Forgotten role of reproductive justice in Zika crisis
The media response to the recent Zika virus outbreak has been sensationalized and, as a result, governmental responses have been largely misplaced. Zika has been around for decades, with relatively mild symptoms. However, a recent outbreak in Brazil, that coincided...
Funding bolsters Canada’s role in international justice
For almost two decades, Valerie Oosterveld has dedicated her work to gender-sensitive criminal justice – first as a lawyer with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and now, as an academic. Oosterveld, associate dean in the Faculty of Law, along with 22 partners...
Helping a monarch future take flight
By analyzing the ‘chemical fingerprints’ in the wings of monarch butterflies, one Western researcher has helped pinpoint the North American birthplaces of the migratory creatures, vital information that may help conserve the dwindling species.
Digging into Drizzy: Research focuses on how a ‘hybrid identity’ built the perfect Drake
When Drake first broke onto the music scene, he climbed the charts. Fast. His first studio album, Thank Me Later, debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in 2010 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Drake’s next albums, Take...