Opening Up is a podcast series that features faculty, staff, students, and community members engaged in the Conflict Transformation (CT) Collaborative at Middlebury. Learn more at our website: https://www.middlebury.edu/conflict-transformation
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CT Collaborative Podcasts
Hosted by CJ the DJ (Colette Steer), this is a 30 minute radio show featuring a graduate student or postdoc each week. Each episode is an opportunity for Queen’s grad students and postdocs to showcase their research to the Queen’s and Kingston community. From time to time, CJ the DJ also interviews an alum or interview grad students in relation to something topical for the day. Grad Chat is a collaboration between the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs and CFRC 101.9FM
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KM on the FM and Suyin the DJ Bear – Fall Wrap Up Part 1
30:00
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30:00Join KM on the FM and Suying the DJ Bear for a review of Grad Chat in Fall 2025.By CFRC Podcast Network
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Dr. Chikezirim Nwoke (Geography and Planning) – Tech-in-to-the-Future: Immigration, Black Youth Empowerment, and Digital Technology in Canada’s Shifting Economy
28:37
28:37
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28:37Join Dr. Chikezirim Nwoke, a SSHRC postdoc in Geography and Planning, for a discussion of his research “Tech-in-to-the-Future” which explores immigration, Black youth empowerment, and digital technology in Canada’s shifting economy.By CFRC Podcast Network
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Ramtin Mojtahedi (Computing) – Deep learning approaches for liver cancer segmentation, tumour-type classification, and survival prediction from contrast-enhanced CT imaging
39:34
39:34
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39:34Join Ramtin Mojtahedi (Computing) for a discussion of his PhD research on deep learning approaches for liver cancer segmentation, tumour-type classification, and survival prediction from contrast-enhanced CT imaging. Ramtin is open to discussing his research further and can be reached at [email protected].…
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Barb Lotan, Manager of Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Services, Overview of Supports and Services Available
31:23
31:23
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31:23This week, join Barb Lotan, Manager of Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Services, to learn about the many supports and services the office provides to the Queen’s community.By CFRC Podcast Network
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Emily Croft (Art History) – The development of archaeological museums in Sardinia, Italy between 1861-1939
31:03
31:03
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31:03Join Emily Croft (Art History) for a discussion of her dissertation research on the development of archaeological museums in Sardinia, Italy between 1861-1939.By CFRC Podcast Network
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Rachel Korchinsky (Chemistry) – Forward osmosis followed by reverse osmosis for the removal of contaminants of emerging concern using a CO2-responsive draw agent
29:11
29:11
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29:11Join Rachel Korchinsky (Chemistry) for a discussion of her PhD research which utilizes forward osmosis followed by reverse osmosis for the removal of contaminants of emerging concern using a CO2-responsive draw agent. Rachel also discusses her work as a member of Q-ACS (the Queen’s University International Student Chapter of the American Chemical S…
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Emily Ferguson (Kinesiology) – Mitochondrial responses to skeletal muscle-disuse
28:29
28:29
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28:29This week, join Emily Ferguson (Kinesiology) as she explains her PhD research on mitochondrial responses to skeletal muscle-disuse and other exciting projects happening in the McGlory Lab. To learn more, check out https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat .By CFRC Podcast Network
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Kana Ogawa (Translational Medicine) – The generation of alternative transcripts as a means of regulating phosphorylation in sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma
29:21
29:21
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29:21Join Kana Ogawa (Translational Medicine) for a discussion of her Master’s research on the generation of alternative transcripts as a means of regulating phosphorylation in sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma. For more information check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www…
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Mateus Karvat Camara (Computing) Collaborative Perception Under Adverse Weather Conditions
34:46
34:46
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34:46Join Mateus Karvat Camara this week for a discussion of his Master’s thesis exploring how collaborative perception can be used to improve autonomous vehicle operation under adverse weather conditions. For more information check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.qu…
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Alicia Cuzner (Education) Decolonizing Educational Environments: An Analysis of Experiences Shared by Educators in the National Capital Region
44:46
44:46
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44:46This week, join Alicia Cuzner for a discussion of her Master of Education research on decolonizing education in the classroom, specifically in the National Capital Region. For more information check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/researc…
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Shelagh Rogers and Colette Steer – Communication Skills
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34:07Join CJ the DJ for a very special episode with Queen’s University Chancellor Shelagh Rogers! The show focuses on the importance of strong communication skills, storytelling, and being a good listener. Chancellor Rogers also shares about her career in radio and TV which all started at CFRC. For more information check out the Grad Chat webpage on Que…
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Jessica Caravaggio (English) – Young Adult Fiction, Feminist Theory, and Fandom Studies
28:21
28:21
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28:21Join Jessica Caravaggio (English) for a discussion of her research Fantasy, Fandom, and Feminist Community-Building which explores the connections of young adult fiction, feminist theory, and fandom studies in different communities of readers. For more information check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Po…
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In this episode, we feature a conversation with international mediator Julian Portilla. For the past three years, Julian has been one of the instructors of our successful Winter Term class at the college, "Conflict Transformation Skills." A graduate of Vassar College and George Mason University, Julian works with international organizations and loc…
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From Post-Conflict Reconstruction to Democratic Dialogues
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31:55In this episode, we talk international post-conflict reconstruction, foreign aid, and domestic public policy dialogue with Dr. Naazneen Barma, a member of the External Advisory Board of the CT Collaborative. Barma is the founding Director of the Doug and Mary Scrivner Institute of Public Policy at the University of Denver (DU) and is a professor in…
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This week’s show is hosted by Suyin the DJ Bear. Suyin the DJ Bear interviews CJ the DJ, Colette Steer, and KM on the FM, Katie-Marie McNeill, about Grad Chat’s history and future. As you may have heard, CJ the DJ is retiring from her role at Queen’s University, and she has passed hosting duties of Grad Chat to her colleague KM on the FM. For upcom…
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Peash Saha (Computing) – Improving Efficiency of Societal Services for the Vulnerable through Algorithmic Approach
36:04
36:04
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36:04A social choice represents the collective decision of the individuals based on their preferences over the alternatives. There are societal services operated by governmental or non-governmental organizations which implement a social choice model. For example, the allocation of shelters to homeless individuals considers both the preferences of homele…
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Practicing Negotiation: Tools for Skill-Building
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32:05In this episode, we bring you a panel discussion with two practiced negotiators. In January, the CT Collaborative and MiddCORE each planned to bring an expert in to help build student skills - and so we decided to put our two visitors in conversation with one another. Morgan Gaskin Thomas is Managing Director and Americas Lead for Accenture's Resol…
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Bhavya Bogra (Geography) – Travel Needs of Older Adult Women in Mid-Sized Canadian cities
37:22
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37:22With Canada’s aging population and rising immigration rates, this research explores the unique transportation challenges faced by older adult women—both local-born and immigrants—in mid-sized Canadian cities. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website.…
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Nithikaa Shashikanth (Rehabilitation Science) – Parent-Administered Sensorimotor Intervention (PASI) Program
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32:22
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32:22Nithikaa looks at the effect of the Parent-Administered Sensorimotor Intervention (PASI) on the developmental outcomes in infants born preterm at 18 months of age and to determine the long-term impact of this program. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs webs…
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Nikta Sadati (English Literature) – Afrofuturism and Diaspora Studies
32:52
32:52
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32:52Nikta’s research for my dissertation, titled “Queer Remembering: Fractured Memory and Haunted Futures in Contemporary Novels of the Black Diaspora,” focuses on the contemporary re-imagining of archiving Black pasts and futures in Afrofuturist, diasporic, fantasy novels. The authors and texts that I examine refuse the fluidity of time and truth, opt…
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Conflict Past and Present: History, Memory, and the U.S. Civil War
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36:21Today's podcast features historian Connor Williams, Middlebury Class of 2008.5. We explore the role of history and memory around the US Civil War and the way in which historical narratives inform our ability to tackle contemporary conflicts. Connor shares his experiences in community dialogues across the United States and lessons for engaging in di…
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Danielle Harper (Pathology & Molecular Medicine) – Genetic disruption to decrease breast cancer metastasis
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33:38Danielle studies triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive breast cancer subtype associated with poor survival. Unlike other subtypes for which there are targeted therapies, treatment options for TNBC are limited. In order to better understand the biology underlying TNBC, she studies a family of proteins called calpains. For upcoming inte…
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Margot Smith (Geography) – An Astrobiologists’s study of lipids in spring waters up in the high Arctic
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29:07The Arctic is host to cold, hypersaline, perennial springs that flow through 600m of permafrost. I studied 44 samples from cores, sediments, filtrates and microbial mats from these springs. Surficial life at these springs has been studied for decades, but this is the first investigation that looks at the deep subsurface life. This is of interest as…
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Fiction as a Pathway to explore History and Conflict
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56:45In this episode, we bring you a talk from Ava Homa, the first Kurdish woman writer to publish a novel in English. In September 2024, Homa spoke at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey. Professor Sharad Joshi provides an introduction. Homa is an acclaimed author, speaker, activist, and faculty member at California State Uni…
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Basmah Rahman (English Literature) – Canadian BIPOC Literature and Educational Pedagogies
35:43
35:43
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35:43Canadian provincial education systems play a vital role in developing the social and academic interests of youth who, typically, spend over thirty hours in classrooms per week. Yet, significant consistency in terms of provincial guidelines and teacher booklists restrict these classrooms’ approaches to diverse literary content. The lack of both dive…
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Alyssa Grocutt (Management) – Employee perceptions and behaviours towards tattooed colleagues
42:32
42:32
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42:32Alyssa’s research focuses on nuances in observer perceptions and treatment of tattooed colleagues based on tattoo content. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website.By CFRC Podcast Network
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Support and Challenge: Higher Ed's role in fostering constructive conflict skills
41:36
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41:36In this episode, Teyonce Allison '25 talks with Professor Jonathan Miller-Lane. Professor Miller-Lane, known affectionately as "JML," teaches education studies at Middlebury and is a facilitator in the Engaged Listening Project, a professional development program for faculty and staff. Prof. Miller-Lane discusses his upbringing in various countries…
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Lara Bulger (Cultural Studies) – Documentary Film, how we can use it as a pedagogical tool and a medium for social change
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37:13
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37:13Lara is looking at Canadian documentary film through both a contemporary and historical lens, as well as the limits of radical pedagogy and activism. Some of the themes that interest her include environmental racism, Indigenous sovereignty and food security. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Gra…
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Zoe Brisson-Tsavoussis (Astro-particle Physics) – Neutrinos, Blazars and Black holes
35:39
35:39
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35:39My research focuses on looking at black holes. Some black holes are so energetic, that they tear up the bright hot matter spinning around them and funnel it into jets shooting out their top and bottom. And once in a while, we luck out and a few black holes are oriented so that the jets are pointed straight towards the earth! We call these kinds of …
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Francisco Zepeda Trujillo (Cultural Studies) – Failed Aspirations: Modernity, Religion, and the Interplay of Social and Political Imaginaries in Twentieth Century Mexico
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42:55This research explores the interplay of social and political imaginaries in Mexico, both secular and religious, during the twentieth century. It uses archival research and discourse analysis to examine how liberal and revolutionary political leaders and various Catholic groups have interacted, how they have handled their contradictions, how their r…
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Ahmad Nagib (computing) – Building Trust in Reinforcement Learning for Next-Generation Wireless Networks
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35:37Machine learning is very popular nowadays for solving problems in many fields, including wireless networks such as 5G networks that we use to make calls and connect to the internet using our phones. Next-generation wireless networks (NGWNs), such as 6G networks, will include more diverse devices and applications that make them more complex to contr…
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Gabby Torretto (Pathology & Molecular Medicine) – Assessing BRCA1 Genetic Variants involved in Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer
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31:06Between 5-10% of breast and 20-25% of ovarian cancers are inherited. The majority of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer cases are caused by deleterious mutations (variants) in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which normally prevent cancer through protecting and repairing our DNA. Genetic testing is used to identify pathogenic BRCA carriers who would su…
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Christina Ferazzutti (Biomedical & Molecular Sciences) – Why One Complicated Pregnancy Can Lead to Another: The Role of Immune Memory
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35:39Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a significant complication linked to uncontrolled inflammation, which not only causes immediate distress but also heightens risks in future pregnancies. It is hypothesized that inflammation during pregnancy induces long-term changes in maternal immune cells, altering their responses in subsequent pregnancies and in…
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This session talks about the PhD-Community Initiative program at Queen’s University and one of the projects with a community partner (KFL&A Public Health) to provide a Program Evaluation of the Efforts to Prevent Invasive Meningococcal Disease in Kingston. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Gradu…
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Trent Atkinson (MA, Religious Studies) – Muscular Christianity
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34:39Rooted in Victorian England as a response to a number of social and religious factors, Muscular Christianity is a set of beliefs that revolves around contact sports, the physicality of the male body, and a return to a “traditional” masculinity (a term always fraught), much writing has been done on Muscular Christianity in it’s heyday during the lat…
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Allen Tian (Biology) – Assessing the impact of invasive mollusk species on native mollusk communities and algal blooms with eDNA
31:51
31:51
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31:51Zebra mussels are some of the most high profile and impactful invasive species in Canada, and have transformed the Great Lakes watershed in the past three decades. Voracious feeders that consume all algae, they have clarified our lakes, caked our beaches with their sharp shells, and denied other species precious food. Interactions between zebra mus…
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CJ the DJ with DJ Bear – What’s happening in 2025
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29:56A look at what graduate events are coming up in 2025 from GRADflix to the Three Minute Thesis. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chatBy CFRC Podcast Network
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CJ the DJ with DJ Bear – 2024, It’s a Wrap!
27:47
27:47
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27:47Reflecting on this years interviews.For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chatBy CFRC Podcast Network
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Protest, Conflict, and Lessons from Interfaith Dialogue
1:00:21
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1:00:21At the end of 2024, we mark the end of Laurie Patton's tenure as president of Middlebury by sharing her reflections on conflict transformation, protest, and higher education. In September, President Patton sat down with Eboo Patel, president of Interfaith America, as part of their programing on Teaching Interfaith Understanding. Their conversation …
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Logan Germain (Biomedical & Molecular Sciences) – The impact of the environmental pollutant triphenyl phosphate on epigenetics in aquatic embryonic cells
39:42
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39:42Triphenyl phosphate is used as a flame retardant and plasticizer in a wide variety of consumer and industrial products in Canada. TPhP is also an environmental pollutant found in air, water and soil. TPhP has been shown to act as an Endocrine Disrupting Chemical, meaning it interferes with normal hormonal signalling. I’m investigating how epigeneti…
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Eileen O’Brien (Biomedical & Molecular Sciences) – Gut healing: uncovering immune pathways contributing to IBD
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34:17
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34:17Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immune disorder leading to chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. It affects 0.8% of the Canadian population with a recent increased prevalence in the pediatric population. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affai…
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In this episode, Sarah Stroup talks with Meg Griffiths, director of programs at Essential Partners (formerly the Public Conversations Project). Founded in 1989, Essential Partners (EP) uses a reflective structured dialogue approach to help people communicate across deep differences in identities and values in order "to address communities' most pre…
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Fateme Babaha (Pathology & Molecular Medicine- Investigation of Hemophilia A gene therapy
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31:29Hemophilia A (HA) is an X-linked bleeding disorder caused by a mutation in the factor 8 (F8) gene that codes for FVIII coagulation protein. FVIII is naturally synthesized in the liver and the mutation results in the loss of function of FVIII protein which is critical in the blood clotting cascades. HA occurs is 1 to 5000 male births and it is estim…
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Embodiment and Improvisation: from Dance to Conflict Transformation
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37:04Today, we bring you a conversation with Susan Sgorbati, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College. In conversation with Lida Winfield, the undergraduate pillar head of the CT Collaborative and dance professor, Susan shares insights from her journey as a dance artist and educator, and how the principles of dan…
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Blue Miaoran Dong (Carleton-PhD) – Studying the similarities and differences between tech platforms and privatized infrastructure.
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33:32Although tech platform companies often claim in their advertisements and public relations efforts that they represent the public interest, as private companies, their primary goal is to maximize their own profits. Equating private interests with public interests not only overlooks the issues arising from the increasingly blurred lines between the t…
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Max van Zyl (Chemistry) and the Bader Symposium.
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32:57The Queen’s chapter and why be part of the American Chemical Society will be hosting the “Celebrating the Late Dr. Alfred R. Bader: A 100th Birthday Symposium” on Monday, November 18th, 2024. This interviews highlights the work of Dr Bader and how Queen’s will showcase his love for chemistry and the arts. To round it off we delve a little bit into …
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Laura Szczyrba (Geological Sciences) – Modern Coastal Processes
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39:06The coastal zone is shaped by sea level change, wave action, geological characteristics, and human decisions. These processes are spatially continuous, therefore techniques that monitor larger regions, such as remote sensing and numerical modeling, allow for a more detailed understanding of the drivers of coastal change. In Laura’s research, she ap…
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Beth Berila - Building Compassionate Communities with Mindfulnesss
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Rashelle Aldbai (Biomedical & Molecular Sciences) – Impact of cannabis on cancer metastasis mediated through epigenetic rewiring
34:24
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34:24The plant Cannabis sativa L. has historically served as a herbal remedy, garnering a considerable surge in both recreational and medicinal domains in contemporary times. However, this increased application has not aligned with our clinical awareness regarding the disturbances associated with cannabis. This assumes heightened significance in the con…
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What does peace look like for ordinary people, and how we can create metrics of peace that reflect those things that people value? In this conversation, we bring you audio from a May 2023 talk by Peter Dixon, a member of the CT Collaborative's External Advisory Board and a Middlebury alum. Peter Dixon is an Associate Professor of Practice in Negoti…
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