In this week's episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Jasmine Proctor, a PhD candidate in Media Studies, in Western's Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS). Jasmine ("Jazz") is interested in how queer K-pop fan communities negotiate gender and sexuality through transcultural networked fan labour across digital platforms. Ryan and Mark ask Jazz about the emergence of K-pop and the interesting phenomenon of K-pop's mass appeal to a North American audience. More broadly, they discuss fandom, popular music, and popular culture. Jasmine also discusses the PhD program in Media Studies and helpful ways of de-stressing, including running, listening to music (of course), and reading. For further information on Jasmine's research: Jasmine Proctor Profile Jasmine's doctoral supervisor is Dr. Norma Coates, cross-listed between FIMS and Western's Faculty of Music. Recorded on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 Produced by Mark Ambrogio, with help from Ryan Baxter Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

GradCast heads to the Western Research Forum! Get a glimpse into Western's largest multidisciplinary graduate research conference as hosts Chrishma Perera, Victor Lau, Maris Schneider, Milan Mammen, and Anthony Cruz conduct short interviews with the graduate student presenters. This year's conference featured over 100 different presentations from across Western's 11 faculties. See below for timestamps.

Funding for the 40th Annual Western Research Forum was provided by Western's Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS). The venue and technical support were graciously provided by Western Libraries.

Recorded on March 6, 2026. Produced by Anthony Cruz. Theme song provided by https://freebeats.io/ (Produced by White Hot).

Timestamps: 01:00 - Joey Butler 02:26 - Reshika Rohan 04:20 - Seth MacKenzie 05:50 - Kelly Wang 09:36 - Alessandra Walsh 11:26 - Abdul Moiz Noqui 12:28 - Alejandra Varela 13:24 - Aditi Satsangi 14:42 - Robyn Lewis 16:08 - Rameeza Rashed 17:06 - Emma Tassinari 18:40 - Mark Kwok 19:59 - Sara Varón Echeverri 21:11 - Sohini Chatterjee 24:01 - Haiyi Yan

This week, hosts Anthony Cruz and Mark Ambrogio are joined by Marc Lalonde, the longtime manager of The Grad Club and recent recipient of the Western Award of Excellence. For over 20 years, Marc has played a central role in shaping The Grad Club as a community space for graduate students, faculty, and staff. In this episode, Marc discusses his journey from Canadore College to Lake Louise, the West Coast, and finally to London. Listen to learn about Marc’s career, how The Grad Club has evolved over the past two decades, and maybe even a few teasers about what’s coming to The Grad Club this summer.

Follow The Grad Club on Instagram: @uwogradclub

Recorded on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026

Produced by Anika Bushra

Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)