Best Young Robots Records Podcasts (2025)

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519 | Mind the Gait: Walking the Internal Talk 29:32

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2d ago29:32

29:32

In this week's episode, hosts Riya Sidhu and Ryan Baxter interview Sarah Park, a student in the combined MScOT/PhD program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Parkinson's disease can have a deleterious effect on walking, or gait. Left untreated, worsening gait (such as uneven pacing, or irregular steps) can lead to negative outcomes, such as fal…

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518 | Press to start: Mind over muscle 25:00

9d ago25:00

25:00

In this week's episode, hosts Bruno Mesquita and Garth Casbourn interview Ben Pilling a Master’s student in Psychology. Ben shares how he plans to build on the classic motor homunculus model using video games in the fMRI throughout his Master's. He also discusses the benefits and considerations of making research more ecologically valid. Recorded o…

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517 | Theater Kid to Brain Nerd: The Connection Between Music & Memory 28:15

22d ago28:15

28:15

Hosts Ryan Baxter and Chrishma Perera chat with Caitlin Fitzpatrick, a MSc student about to defend her master's in Neuroscience. Caitlin returns to GradCast to discuss her findings into the emotional connection between music and memory, specifically in older adults experiencing "normal" forgetting or mild cognitive impairment. If you'd like to regi…

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516 | How are your Knees? Understanding Injury-induced Osteoarthritis 29:25

24d ago29:25

29:25

Hosts Ryan Baxter and Maris Schneider chat with Geneva Herold, a MSc student in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Geneva studies patients who are at high risk of developing osteoarthritis in their knees due to a previous injury, like an ACL tear. She is studying the cells in a special tissue in the joint called the synovium, which she …

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515 | The Price of Precision: Are Surgical Robots Worth It? 28:57

1M ago28:57

28:57

In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Riya Sidhu interview Anthony Tannous, an incoming PhD student in Physical Therapy. Anthony is going to study whether robotic surgical assistants can improve patient satisfaction while saving healthcare dollars. Tune in for a look at how technology might reshape recovery—and the healthcare system. Recor…

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514 | I'm an Adult Now: Supporting Young Adults With a Rare Disease 28:33

1M ago28:33

28:33

In this episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Dima Kassem, a PhD student in Anthropology on her research in the field of Sociocultural Anthropology. More specifically, Dima is studying the assistance provided for People Living with a Rare Disease (PLWRD). Entering the second year of her PhD, Dima is furthering her research on this …

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513 | It's Just Me and Millions of Tax Records 26:28

2M ago26:28

26:28

In this week's episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and kirstyn seanor interview Ian O'Donnell, a PhD student in Economics. Ian discusses how he's analyzing tax records available through Statistics Canada to better understand income trajectories over time, especially of immigrant workers in Canada. Recorded on Tuesday, July 08, 2025. Produced by kirstyn …

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512 | Reaching, Grasping, and Research Abroad 28:31

2M ago28:31

28:31

This week on GradCast, hosts Maris Schneider and Mark Ambrogio sit down with Linda Rosbach, a visiting research student from the University of Regensburg. Linda studies how the brain controls everyday actions, such as reaching and grasping. Her research explores whether our brains function the same way in the real world as they do in virtual realit…

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511 | Mapping It Out: The Cerebellum in Action 25:23

2M ago25:23

25:23

In this week's episode, hosts Anthony Cruz and Ryan Baxter interview Ince Husain, a PhD student in Neuroscience. Ince discusses her research on mapping the actions and impacts of the cerebellum, as well as her contributions to the London community as a local journalist. Recorded on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Produced by kirstyn seanor. Theme song prov…

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510 | Music and Math? You don't know the half of it! 27:55

2M ago27:55

27:55

In this week's episode, hosts Bruno Mesquita and Anthony Cruz interview Rebekka Lagacé-Cusiac, a PhD candidate in Psychology. Rebekka discusses her PhD research on ratio processing, her passion projects, and how music and math may have more in common than you think. Recorded on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Produced by Riya Sidhu Theme song provided by Fr…

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509 | The Pursuit of Science: Implanted Materials and the Human Body 27:47

3M ago27:47

27:47

In this week's episode, hosts Garth Casbourn and Mark Ambrogio interview Zoltan Richter-Bisson, a PhD candidate in Chemistry. Zoltan is studying the interaction between proteins, abundant in the human body, and the breakdown of implanted medical devices. While there are a large number of such devices, Zoltan is specifically interested in hip and kn…

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508 | AI; or, Another Modern Prometheus. 28:10

3M ago28:10

28:10

Hosts Garth Casbourn and Kirstyn Seanor are joined by Rawan El Moghrabi, a student in the master's program in computer science. How can human attitudes, behaviors, and expectations influence the internal representation and behaviors of AI? In this quite topical episode, Rawan offers some insight into the behind-the-scenes of large language models, …

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507 | Teen Spirit: Growing Up in 1950s Windsor 28:12

3M ago28:12

28:12

Hosts Maris Schneider and Mark Ambrogio interview Taylor Northwood, a Master's student in Public History. Taylor is interested in exploring the experience of teens in the past, particularly teens living in Windsor, Ontario, during the 1950s. Taylor shares her insights into how teens navigated a postwar world shaped by shifting cultural values, emer…

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506 | Environmentally-Conscious Music 29:51

3M ago29:51

29:51

In this week's episode, hosts Riya Sidhu and Ryan Baxter interview Catherine Birt, a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) candidate in Performance and Literature. Catherine is studying collaborative piano -- this, though, is just the tip of the iceberg! In addition to her interest in piano, Catherine explores the emerging interplay between climate activism…

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505 | Aging Actively 28:28

4M ago28:28

28:28

In this week's episode, Maddie Hertz, a PhD candidate in Anthropology, is interviewed by hosts Garth Casbourn and Mark Ambrogio. Maddie's research touches upon the intersection of aging and physical activity. More specifically, her research looks at bone loss in menopausal women, to see how physical activity may mitigate bone loss, comparing the ef…

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504 | The Chicken Trials 30:00

4M ago30:00

30:00

In this week’s episode, hosts Maris Schneider and Meghan Voll interview Carly Charron, a PhD candidate in Biology, and previous GradCast host! Carly breaks the news about the dangers of eating raw chicken and eggs (say goodbye to that cookie dough batter!) as she researches how to make food safer for consumption, starting at the source – chickens. …

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Chairs Chat 2 29:50

4M ago29:50

29:50

This follows up on a previous “Chairs Chat” from March 2021 Special Episode: Chairs Chat | GradCast, which commemorated 500 episodes. This “Chairs Chat” commemorates another milestone; namely, over 600 episodes, with specials, and hitting 500 regular episodes, wherein we interview individual graduate students about their research. In this episode, …

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503 | Owning your future: Transferring skills from academia to the job market 30:12

4M ago30:12

30:12

Hosts Anthony Cruz and Garth Casbourn sit down with Jenny Richmond-Bravo, an EdD candidate and coordinator of Western’s Own Your Future program, to discuss how she is helping PhD students identify, build, and market their skills for career success beyond academia. Recorded on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 Produced by Riya Sidhu Theme song provided by Fre…

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Special Episode: 39th Annual Western Research Forum 24:46

4M ago24:46

24:46

GradCast heads to the Western Research Forum! Get a glimpse into Western's largest multidisciplinary graduate research conference as hosts Liam Clifford, Mohammad Zeraati, Riya Sidhu, & Mark Ambrogio conduct short interviews with attendees, presenters, and organizers. This year's conference featured over 60 different presentations from across Weste…

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502 | You'd Better Be Done! 29:54

4M ago29:54

29:54

In his fourth time with us, Alex Mayhew joins his fellow office-mates in Western's Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS), hosts Mark Ambrogio and Meghan Voll, as he rapidly approaches the finish line. By the time this episode airs, Alex may officially have his PhD in Library and Information Science! Alex discusses what is involved in the …

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#GlobalGrads Redux: Policy and Practice 28:57

4M ago28:57

28:57

In the second episode of #GlobalGrads, hosts Liam Clifford and Anthony Cruz are joined by Eva Deligiannis — a MSc student in Neuroscience and the PSAC610 Communications Chair. Eva shares her background in research, her journey through activism, and highlights key contemporary developments affecting international students at Western. Shifting from t…

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501 | #InspiringMinds: Fit or Fixated? Unpacking Emerging Fitness Ideals and the Role of Disordered Eating 30:28

5M ago30:28

30:28

This week, join us for the 5th episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience and Western’s 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student…

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500 | Big Brain Energy 28:20

5M ago28:20

28:20

Hosts Liam Clifford and Ryan Baxter meet with Rafaela Platkin, a MSc student in Cognitive, Developmental and Brain Sciences Psychology. Her research looks at how engaged children become with different story themes, and how this may influence broader cognitive domains (listening effort, attention, load, etc). She discusses studies with behavioural d…

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499 | Third Time's a Charm: Exploring Representations of, and Attitudes Towards, Snakes 29:26

5M ago29:26

29:26

And yes, he's back! Liam Clifford and Mark Ambrogio are joined, for the third time, by William Laur, a PhD candidate at Western in Biology, as he shares how he is making good progress on his doctoral research. William discusses his research on snakes; more specifically, he is interested in the human reaction towards snakes, which he studies by look…

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#BookCast 8 | The Secret History by Donna Tart 56:53

5M ago56:53

56:53

For this edition of #BookCast, we dive deep into The Secret History by Donna Tart, the origin of the dark academia genre. Join us as we discuss the book, which follows a student at a prestigious New England College, where he experiences new friends, an eclectic professor, and murder. The Secret History is a novel heavily laced with classical symbol…

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#GlobalGrads Redux New Horizons: From Nepal to Western: Deepmala Rana Bhat's Journey as an International Student and Advocate for SOGS 30:02

5M ago30:02

30:02

#GlobalGrads is back! In this episode, hosts Liam Clifford and Riya Sidhu sit down with Deepmala Rana Bhat, a PhD student in Epidemiology from Nepal and the International Commissioner for SOGS at Western. As an international student herself, Deepmala shares insights into Nepal’s rich culture, fun facts, and her experiences advocating for internatio…

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498 | #InspiringMinds 4: Development of Parasports in Ghana 30:00

5M ago30:00

30:00

On our fourth episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience and Western’s 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research while e…

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497 | Am I Pronouncing This Correctly? Reading, Context, and Word Recognition 29:22

6M ago29:22

29:22

In this week's episode, hosts Liam Clifford and Bruno Mesquita interview Niki Sinha (they/them), a PhD candidate in Neuroscience. Niki's research delves into the processes by which, when we read, we connect letters with sound and words with meanings. As an example, the word "lead" has a very different meaning (and a very different pronunciation!) i…

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496 | A Bone by Any Other Name: Refining the Science of Anthropological Investigations Using CT Scans 28:40

6M ago28:40

28:40

Hosts Maris Schneider and Meghan Voll welcome Sarah Bidinosti to discuss her research on adapting traditional bone analysis methods for the digital age using CT scans. Sarah explains how techniques for estimating age, biological sex, and stature—commonly used in forensic and archaeological studies—must be refined when applied to digital scans. By c…

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495 | Algorithms, Hate Engagement, and the Digital Divide 29:01

6M ago29:01

29:01

Hosts Mark Ambrogio and Meghan Voll welcome Alanna Acchione, a PhD student in Media Studies at Western University, to discuss her research on data harms and the role of algorithms in curating hate engagement on social media. Alanna explores how platforms intentionally foster ideological clashes by amplifying content that triggers emotional response…

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494 | Advancing Ultrasound Imaging: Speed, Accuracy, and Biomedical Innovation 26:58

6M ago26:58

26:58

Hosts Mark Ambrogio and Ryan Baxter welcome back Kian Esmailian, a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Western University, to discuss his research on ultrafast ultrasound imaging and Doppler applications. Kian shares his journey from Iran to Western, detailing his passion for merging engineering and medicine. He explains how ultrasound imaging…

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493 | #InspiringMinds 3: Easing the Load: Shoulder Injuries and Firefighters 25:19

6M ago25:19

25:19

This week, we engage in the third episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience and Western’s 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate stud…

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#GradLife | For the Love of Grad School 31:00

7M ago31:00

31:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day, GradCast hosts Anthony Cruz, Riya Sidhu, and Liam Clifford discuss all things love in graduate school. The hosts review a series of would-you-rather questions centered around dating within academia, planning a wedding during graduate school, and balancing research-related and romantic demands. Recorded on February …

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#BookCast 7 | The Book of Two Ways 57:17

7M ago57:17

57:17

For our seventh episode of #BookCast, we discuss “The Book of Two Ways” by Jodi Picoult—a story that explores whether we make our choices—or our choices make us. Our story begins with a plane-crash, where our main character, Dawn Edelstein is faced with the choice to return home to her life as a death-doula, or continue on to Egypt to complete her …

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492 | Mining and Modeling: Here and Abroad 26:59

7M ago26:59

26:59

This week, hosts Garth Casbourn and Ryan Baxter speak with GradCast's own Mohammad Zeraati, a third-year PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering about some of the real-world implications of his research into the “Instability behaviour of granular soil and tailings and particle cementation.” Some of the topics discussed include mining reg…

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491 | Politics and Media Representation of Cow Violence 28:21

7M ago28:21

28:21

Hosts Mark Ambrogio and Maris Schneider are joined by Sananda Sahoo, a Postdoctoral Associate at the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. In Sananda's PhD dissertation, her research extrapolated how mainstream English-language Indian newspapers represent Muslims in the context of cow violence. She discusses the tension between the Muslims and …

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490 | Theoretical to Practical, and Skills Learned Along the Way 28:48

7M ago28:48

28:48

This week, hosts Mark Ambrogio and Liam Clifford are joined by Jessica Eblie, a student in the professional master's program in Media, Journalism, and Communications. Jessica shares her fascinating journey from a music background to journalism and communications, discussing how her experience as a musician brings valuable skills and perspectives to…

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489 | Journalism during Nigerian Political Crisis 28:47

8M ago28:47

28:47

This week, hosts Mark Ambrogio and Scott Walters are joined by Aloa Alota, a PhD Candidate in Western's Faculty of Information and Media Studies. His research focuses on political journalism in Nigeria following the June 12 Crisis, the annulment of a presidential election that plunged the country into a political turmoil. Listen to learn about the …

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488 | #InspiringMinds 2: Joeana Cambranis, Improving Biomedical Procedures with Virtual Tools 28:39

9M ago28:39

28:39

This week, we engage in the second episode of our collaboration with Inspiring Minds, a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience and Western’s 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate stu…

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487 | Snakes 2: Electric Boogaloo 30:20

9M ago30:20

30:20

Hosts Mark Ambrogio and Liam Clifford are re-joined by William Laur, PhD Candidate in the Biology Department. His research focuses on exploring representations of and attitudes towards snakes in online media, through an ethnozoological approach. He was previously in the GradCast studio over the summer (Episode 470). This time around, William comple…

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#BookCast 6 | Fifth Business by Robertson Davies 59:23

9M ago59:23

59:23

In our sixth installment of our #BookCast mini-series, we discuss Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies. The novel builds upon childhood events and grows into a personal epic spanning decades of national and world history, centered through the perspective of an older academic looking back over his life. The story begins, and the main characters all o…

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486 | Is That You? Hearing, Audio Perception, and Voice Familiarity 28:47

9M ago28:47

28:47

Hosts kirstyn seanor and Maris Schneider interview our own Bruno Mesquita, a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at Western and a member of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Communication and Hearing Lab. Topics discussed include how experience shapes our perception of auditory stimuli, voice familiarity, and speech intelligibility. For the discerning listen…

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#TheScoopOnSOGS | Academic Committee Chair (Andrew Grgas-Svirac) 26:12

9M ago26:12

26:12

In this installment of #TheScoopOnSOGS, host Liam Clifford is joined by Andrew Grgas-Svirac, a PhD Candidate in Western's Department of Civil Engineering who currently serves as the Chair of the Academic Committee at the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS). Listen to this episode to learn about Andrew's research and all of the amazing initiatives l…

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485 | What Satisfies your Desire? How Tags Structure Erotic Content on Pornographic Websites 29:26

9M ago29:26

29:26

Hosts Meghan Voll and Liam Clifford are joined by kirstyn seanor, as she talks about her research on how the design and navigation systems of pornography websites influence users' exposure to content. Along the way we will also discuss how to define pornography, and how access and availability of this content has changed over time. Check out Kirsty…

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484 | #InspiringMinds: At the Beginning of Phonation 28:54

9M ago28:54

28:54

Here is our first-ever collaboration with Inspiring Minds, a campus-wide partnership between Western Research, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Writing Support Centre, Western Libraries, Student Experience and Western’s 11 faculties. Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research while enhanci…

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483 | Quantifying Rurality: How urban/rural divide impacts voting behaviour 29:18

10M ago29:18

29:18

Katie McCoy, a PhD candidate in political science, joins Liam Clifford and Garth Casbourn. She tells us about her research on why people vote how they do, especially in rural communities. She also discusses how MPs from rural areas may differ in behaviour compared to urban MPs. Recorded on November 6, 2024 Produced by Riya Sidhu Theme song provided…

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482 | Rethinking Urban Mobility with the 15-Minute City 30:01

10M ago30:01

30:01

Host Mark Ambrogio welcomes John Hutchenreuther, a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Environment, to discuss the transformative potential of the "15-minute city" in urban planning. John’s research envisions a shift towards walkable cities, where essential amenities are accessible within a short walk or bike ride, making cars a choice r…

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481 | Live from the Production Control Room 28:14

10M ago28:14

28:14

This week, hosts Garth Casbourn and kirstyn seanor are joined by Eric Scarfone, a Master of Media in Journalism and Communication (MMJC) student in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. Eric talks about his transition from undergraduate to graduate studies and delves deeper into what the MMJC program entails. He shares his goals in broadcas…

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#BookCast 5 | Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 46:36

10M ago46:36

46:36

For our fifth installment of our book club series, the #BookCast team read Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. Join us for a discussion led by Garth Casbourn with co-hosts Meghan Voll, Riya Sidhu, and Scott Walters. We dive into the complex narrative of Gifty, a young scientist getting her PhD at Stanford, attempting to discover secrets behind addic…

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480 | A Symphony of Music Making, Education and Disability 28:04

10M ago28:04

28:04

This week, hosts Mark Ambrogio and Ryan Baxter are joined by Lauren Jarman, a Masters of Music Education Candidate in the Don Wright Faculty of Music. Her research is focused on the impact of policy, globalization and neoliberalism and how it affects students with disabilities through a windband pedagogy. Lauren explores how AI and technology enabl…