When it comes to a song sparrow attracting a mate, the little feathered fellow may want forget about the singing audition and worry more about his smell, according to one Western PhD student.
Biology
Journey into the weird and wonderful
Biology professor Brent Sinclair shares true facts about everything from escaped Nazis, remote island archipelagos and, yes, ‘True Facts’ about everything science – and silly.
Alumnus putting big ideas into small batches
In Beamsville, Ont., halfway along the highway between Hamilton and Niagara-on-the-Lake, you can spot a light blue and white barn tucked away on a side road.
Western emerging generation among New College
Four Western scholars were named among the newest members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
NSERC taps two for elite national honours
A pair of Western researchers have been honoured among the winners of six Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) six national prizes.
Smith: Do profs need social media insurance?
I’m on parental leave and spending way too much time scanning online news sites while bouncing my 4-month-old son on an exercise ball. My head is all shook up. Every day brings another barrage of social media shaming, undoubtedly some of which is well warranted.
Read. Watch. Listen. with Sharla Thompson
Read. Watch. Listen. introduces you the personal side of our faculty, staff and alumni. Participants are asked to answer three simple questions about their reading, viewing and listening habits – what one book or newspaper/magazine article is grabbing your attention;...
Confessions, and corrections, of an email addict
I had this dream once where I was standing at the podium of a large lecture hall and all my coworkers and students were seated in front of me. Slowly, I leaned into the microphone and said, “Hello, my name is David Smith and I am an emailoholic.” Hundreds of voices...
‘Science, Action!’ contest puts research in motion
Postsecondary students across the country, including three from Western, are getting out of the labs and behind the camera for the annual Science, Action! initiative, sponsored by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), to highlight...
Fruit fly offers insight into human ‘space issues’
The need for ‘personal space’ among fruit flies has Biology professor Anne Simon buzzing when it comes to potentially learning more about individuals with autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia. “How does the brain decide there is another individual of the same...
NSERC backs Western research projects
As avian malaria and other parasites continue to spread northward into new habitats, wildlife health experts are sounding the alarm of potential threats to global health up and down the food chain, according one Western researcher. “Parasites are everywhere; they make...
New process allows ‘live’ look inside insects
Western researchers have created spectacularly detailed, three-dimensional views of insects’ insides – without harming the creatures in any way – by using carbon dioxide to place the insects into a state of temporary animation.
Researchers re-classify mistaken-identity mushrooms
Biology professor Greg Thorn has shaken the mycological world with not one but three discoveries about prized edible mushrooms called golden chanterelles.
Vanier celebrates nation’s finest graduate students
Four Western PhD candidates have been named among 167 nationwide recipients of the 2017-18 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships – two from the natural sciences and engineering competition, two from the health sciences competition. Each winner will receive $50,000...
Suárez tapped to lead non-STEM efforts
Western professor Juan Luis Suárez has been named Associate Vice-President (Research), a position university officials envision proving unprecedented support for scholarship in the social sciences, arts and humanities, Research Western announced today.
Roots rally professor to the call
Amanda Moehring was born to answer the call. “I’ve always been of the mindset that if you see something that needs to be done, something that needs to happen, you just do it,” said the Western Biology professor. When an email began to circulate among science...
London, Western join global March for Science
Scientific progress is not a given – it must be fought for, defended and encouraged. And that is exactly what many at Western, and across the Forest City, plan to do Saturday. The March for Science – a global movement to defend the role of scientific research in...
Western applauds fed re-investment in research
A new blueprint for scientific research – said to be the most comprehensive in four decades – offers Canada a renewed opportunity to be a world-changer in the sciences, according to Western administrators and scholars. Commissioned last year by Minister of Science...
Teaching in the age of social media
To some of my students’ displeasure, I have my office hours on Friday afternoons. I prepare for this ancient tradition of face-to-face, pen-and-paper pedagogy by tidying my office, purging unwanted scraps of paper, removing half-empty coffee cups, and sometimes...
New research opens a window on eye health
Poets see the eyes as a window to the soul. Scientists increasingly view the eyes as a window to the inner workings of the body. And early vision loss, according to Western researchers, could be a predictor, and precursor, of other ailments that may appear later in...