No. 534 - April 2, 2025

  • Coming Events:

    - Exploring information seeking and sharing among doctoral peers
    - Creative Arts 3200 - Sound, Image, Text II Final Showcase
    - Consciousness, Above and Below: A Spiritual Perspective on AI
    - Storytelling from the Margins: Student Documentary Showcase
    - Humane online and hybrid teaching: a story in three parts
    - Machine Learning for Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review of Diagnostic Performance and Ethical Challenges Using the ADNI Dataset

  • Important Dates:

    - Friday, April 4, 2025 - Last day of undergraduate classes
    - Monday, April 7 - Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - Undergraduate exam period
    - Friday, April 11, 2025 - Last day of FIMS graduate classes
    - Friday, April 18, 2025 - Good Friday holiday (FIMS offices closed)
    - Friday, May 2, 2025 - Orientation for new MLIS students
    - Monday, May 5, 2025 - First day of classes for FIMS graduate programs

  • News & Announcements:

    - FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence - Nomination deadline is April 11

    Awards & Achievements:

    - Pinar Barlas
    - Leah Brown
    - Andrew Lewis

  • Publications & Presentations:

    - Chris Arsenault
    - Basil Chiasson
    - Giada Ferrucci
    - Sarah Smith

  • In the Media:

    - Nick Dyer-Witheford
    - Luke Stark

  • News from the FIMS Grad Library:

    - Intersession Hours
    - Upcoming Events

  • Next Issue:


Coming Events


Exploring information seeking & sharing among doctoral peers
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
FNB 4130
Presented by recent McGill PhD graduate, Peymon Montazari. Pizza will be available!
Description: Doctoral students provide one another with invaluable support, ranging from academic to psychological, throughout the doctoral journey. Peers also serve as an important source of information and can be encountered in structured and unstructured environments. In structured environments, such as classrooms, peers provide information that can help with learning and improvement of skills (continue reading).

TAP: A CAP Initiative - 4th Year Student Showcase
Thursday, April 3, 2025
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thames Hall Atrium
Everyone welcome.
Fourth year students in Creative Arts and Production (CAP) are excited to invite you to TAP, a CAP creative showcase initiative and special event celebrating creativity, community, and storytelling. Come for the art, stay for the stories.

Creative Arts 3200 - Sound, Image, Text II Final Showcase
Friday, April 4, 2025
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Weldon Library, Community Room
Description: Students enrolled in Creative Arts 3200 - Sound, Image, Text II, will present a showcase of their final work in the class. Everyone welcome.

Consciousness, Above and Below - A Spiritual Perspective on AI
Friday, April 4, 2025
3:30 p.m.
Attend in-person: FNB 4110
Attend online: Zoom link
Presented by Associate Professor Ajit Pyati as part of the 2024/25 Mediations Lecture Series.
Abstract: Throughout the academy, much is made of the social, political, ethical, and equity-based concerns of the AI revolution. However, very little attention is paid to the spiritual dimensions of AI and its effects on society (continue reading).

Storytelling from the Margins - Student Documentary Showcase
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
1:30 p.m.
UC 1401 NBC Universal Screening Room
All are welcome.
Students enrolled in MMJC 9606 - By, For, About: Telling Stories from/with the Margins, will showcase their final documentary work.

Humane online and hybrid teaching: a story in three parts
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
12:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Attend in person: FNB 4130
Attend online: Register on Zoom
Presented by Professor Pam McKenzie and students Lola Wong, Valerie Chong, Michelle Gleason, Nancy Knyf, Erin Moorhead, Court Schnurr, Meghan Skinner and Jordan Smith as part of the 2024/25 FIMS Seminar Series.
Abstract: In 2024, FIMS Professor Pam McKenzie was awarded a Western Teaching Fellowship for her project, Implementing UDL for IDEA in Blended Learning for the MLIS. This seminar presentation gives a short overview of the Master of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) course redesign occurring as part of this Fellowship and introduces three interrelated Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research projects: an MLIS student pedagogical partnership to evaluate the course changes, a knowledge synthesis, and an autoethnographic teaching reflection (read more).

Machine Learning for Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review of Diagnostic Performance and Ethical Challenges Using the ADNI Dataset
Thursday, April 10, 2025
4:30 p.m.
Attend in-person: FNB 4110
Attend online: Zoom link
Presented by HIS PhD candidate Earlel Thiyagaratnam as part of the 2024/25 Mediations Lecture Series.
All are welcome.
Abstract: This study explores the use of machine learning (ML) for diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), focusing on its accuracy and the challenges to its adoption. AD, the leading cause of dementia, lacks reliable early diagnostic tools, which delays timely intervention. ML offers potential by analyzing biomarkers from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset, which includes neuroimaging, genetic, and cognitive data (read more). 
 


Important Dates

- Friday, April 4, 2025 - Last day of undergraduate classes
- Monday, April 7 - Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - Undergraduate exam period
- Friday, April 11, 2025 - Last day of FIMS graduate classes
- Friday, April 18, 2025 - Good Friday holiday (FIMS offices closed)
- Friday, May 2, 2025 - Orientation for new MLIS students
- Monday, May 5, 2025 - First day of classes for FIMS graduate programs


News & Announcements

FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence - Nomination deadline is April 11
Nominate a deserving FIMS alum for the new FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence. The first winner will be recognized at Western's 2025 Homecoming celebrations. Nominations are open to all, so if you know a FIMS alum from any program or era who deserves to be highlighted for their outstanding professional achievement, community service, service to the university, or social impact or innovation, please consider nominating them. Full details can be found at: https://www.fims.uwo.ca/alumni/alumni_awards.html  


Awards & Achievements


LIS PhD student Pinar Barlas has been accepted into a summer internship at Microsoft Research Montreal. She will be working with Dr. Alexandra Olteanu in the Fairness, Accountability, Transparency and Ethics (FATE) group.

This month, PhD LIS student Leah Brown was named to the 2024 Information is Beautiful Awards longlist in the category of People, Language and Identity for her visualization, A Sample of Pictish Ideograms by Scottish Shire. One of the largest international competitions for data visualization, the IIB Awards are run each year by the Data Visualization Society. This marks Brown’s second consecutive year as a finalist. Her work was selected alongside entries from Scientific American, Nature, Reuters, ABC News Australia, BBC, Der Spiegel (Germany), the Daily Mail and the Washington Post.

FIMS Instructor Andrew Lewis has been selected by the 29th International Poster Biennale in Warsaw for the Main Competition. "A total of 6500 posters from artists from 38 countries were submitted for pre-selection ... These statistics demonstrate how broad and diverse the contemporary poster landscape is, as well as the passion of the artists creating their works in this exceptional medium." Andrew's poster for Victoria BC store Baggins, entitled "Frank Sale" was the only Canadian design selected.


Publications & Presentations

Assistant Professor Chris Arsenault published the following article:

Chris Arsenault. (Mar. 19, 2025). "Canada’s new leader culls carbon tax seen as burden on voters"
Climate Home News.  

Assistant Professor Basil Chiasson published the following book chapter:

“Subjectivity in Dennis Kelly’s Early Drama: Towards Neoliberalism” In Beautiful Doom: The Work of Dennis Kelly on Stage and Screen, eds. Jacqueline Bolton and Nicholas Holden. University of Manchester Press. 

Postdoctoral Associate Giada Ferrucci published the following article:

Ferrucci, G. (2025). Water Is Worth More Than Gold: Networked Activism and Transnational Resistance to Extractivism in the Cerro Blanco Mining Conflict. (Con)textos: revista d’antropologia i investigació social, no. 14: 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1344/contxt.2025.14.1-37

Associate Professor Sarah Smith published a review of Old Town, New Approach, co-authored with Friederike Landau-Donnelly and Kirsty Robertson, in the latest issue of RACAR – Canadian Art Review | Revue d'art canadienne. This research was supported by the Radboud-Western Collaboration Fund.


In the Media


Professor Nick Dyer-Witheford was featured in an article titled "Cyber-Marx celebrates 25 years since publication," published on the FIMS website in mid-March. The article recognizes the impact that Dyer-Witheford's book has had on the field of media studies since its publication in 1999.

Assistant Professor Luke Stark was interviewed for an article titled "Some people are turning to AI for therapy. Here's why experts say it can't replace professional help," published by CBC News on March 24, 2025.


News from the FIMS Grad Library

Intersession Hours at the Library

Monday, April 14 – Friday, May 2: OPEN 10am-1pm
(Closed Saturdays, Sundays and Good Friday, April 18)

*If you require access to the library outside of these hours, please email fimslib@uwo.ca to make arrangements

Transfer your print credits to a colleague

Graduating this term? Still have funds on your PaperCut account? Want to transfer that money to a friend? You can do that! Login to your FIMS PaperCut account and click on the ‘Transfers’ button on the left-hand menu. Enter the amount you want to transfer and the username of the person to whom you want to transfer it and that's it. Reach out to the library if you require assistance (fimslib@uwo.ca).

Upcoming Events at the Library

The FGL hosts workshops, lectures, and community events each term to support graduate teaching, learning, and research. Events are posted to our website (https://lib.fims.uwo.ca/events/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fimsgradlib/)

Learning and Leisure: Discover the FIMS Grad Library Graphic Novel Collection

Join us for a special showcase as our student library assistant, Oz, presents the graphic novel collection development project they've been working on this term! This event will highlight key selections from the FIMS Graduate Library’s graphic novel collection while offering insight into the collections development process.

Whether you're aspiring to become a collections development librarian, or simply love graphic novels, this is a great opportunity to learn, connect, and explore.

We’re planning to offer a hybrid format, so stay tuned for details on how you can join us in person or online!

Thursday, April 3, 2025
12:00pm – 1:00pm
FIMS Graduate Library Room 3020 D/E
Zoom: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/j/98017463735

Disaster Response Techniques - Wet Salvage of Library Materials

Disasters can be big or small, and can arrive anytime. Being prepared when a water disaster hits our libraries is an important part of caring for the collections. This workshop will prepare you with the materials and the techniques for recovery, including drying techniques and preparation for freezing of books for later treatment. Students will gain hands-on experience with:

  • Understanding the types of disasters that may impact library collections.
  • Identifying areas where water damage is most likely to occur, or areas that are high risk.
  • Determining necessary roles and responsibilities for disaster response among team members.
  • Response/treatment techniques for a variety of materials.
  • Preparing affected materials for drying and freezing disaster response treatments.
  • Appling determined treatments and evaluating effectiveness.
  • Organizing staff and volunteers for conducting a recovery effort
  • Evaluating the scope of the disaster and what options to exercise

There are 8 free tickets available. Email fimslib@uwo.ca to claim yours before they are gone!

Monday, April 14, 2025
Morning session: 9am-12pm; Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm
FIMS Nursing Building, FNB 3220


Next Issue


The FIMS Bulletin is your source for news, announcements, and events pertaining to FIMS graduate programs. Submissions from the FIMS community are always welcome and may be sent via e-mail to fims-communications@uwo.ca.

This is the final issue of the FIMS Bulletin for the Winter 2025 term. The FIMS Bulletin will return in May on a once-per-month summer schedule. Publication dates include May 21, June 18, July 9, and August 6.