No. 555 - September 16, 2026

  • Coming Events:

    - Starling Centre Brown Bag Series Welcome Reception
    - Generative AI Community of Practice
    - Community-Based Approaches to Mapping Memory Conference
    - Starling Centre Brown Bag Series: Appearing Legitimate is Not Enough
    - FIMS Homecoming Alumni Reception
    - FIMS TA Pizza & Pedagogy
    - FIMS Faculty Pastries & Pedagogy

  • Important Dates:

    - Friday, September 18, 2026 - Senate (1:30 PM, Schmeichel Building)
    - Thursday, September 24, 2026 - Board of Governors (9 AM, WIRB 3000)
    - Friday, September 25 - Sunday, September 27, 2026 - Western Homecoming Weekend
    - Wednesday, September 30, 2026 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

  • News & Announcements:

    - Call for study participants

  • Awards & Accomplishments:

    - Jesse Cram
    - Giada Ferrucci
    - Houda Houbeish
    - Sharon Sliwinski

  • Publications & Presentations:

    - Aloa Alota (PhD'25, Media Studies)
    - Hannah Alper (BA'25, MIT)
    - Mark Ambrogio
    - Chris Arsenault
    - Anastazia Csegeny
    - Nicole Delellis
    - Wilhelm Eisenbichler (MLS, 1970s)
    - Selma Purac
    - Victoria Rubin
    - Bri Watson

  • In the Media:

    - Billie Anderson (PhD'25, Media Studies)
    - Luke Arnott
    - Chris Arseneault
    - Juan Andrés Bello
    - Selma Purac
    - Joanna Redden
    - Luke Stark
    - Bri Watson

  • Additional Activities of Note:

    - Mark Ambrogio

  • News from the FIMS Grad Library:

    - FIMS Graduate Library (FGL) team
    - Fall 2026 Hours
    - Research Skills Workshops
    - Make of the Month

  • Next Issue:


Coming Events

Starling Centre Brown Bag Series Welcome Reception
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
FNB 4070
About: FIMS faculty, grad students and postdocs are welcome to attend this opening reception for the Starling Centre Brown Bag Lecture Series, set to take place throughout the 2026/2027 academic year. To sign-up to lead a session or see what else is on the schedule, check your email for a link to the sign-up sheet.

Generative AI Community of Practice
Monday, September 21, 2026
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Via Zoom (register on Connect)
About: The Generative AI Community of Practice is a group of faculty, staff, librarians, and archivists interested in the pedagogical use of generative AI. We discuss issues related to generative AI in education, share examples and practices, discuss recent AI related events in the news, and more! Anyone interested in the educational implications of generative AI is welcome to join us!

Community-Based Approaches to Mapping Memory
September 23, 24, 25, 2026
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Scholar's Lab, Weldon Library
Registration is now closed.
About: This conference aims to bring together interdisciplinary researchers and research groups across campus engaged in mapping and historical memory, qualitative mapping, spatial storytelling, and community-based research (more information).

Appearing Legitimate is Not Enough: Interrogating Synthetic Agents in Representational Processes through a Participatory Lens
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
FNB 4070
About: Presented by Aditi Vashistha, LIS PhD student, as part of the Starling Centre Brown Bag Series. FIMS graduate students, postdocs and faculty are invited to participate in these informal gatherings to share works-in-progress, brainstorm ideas, workshop projects, practice a talk, screen a film, create zines, or simply come together to be in community.

FIMS Homecoming Alumni Reception
Saturday, September 26, 2026
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
FNB Atrium (first floor)
About: Join acting Dean Susan Knabe as she welcomes FIMS alumni back to campus. Special guests include FIMS Alumni Award of Excellence winner Mary Ann Mavrinac (MLS'84) and members of the BA'76 Journalism class, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary. Current students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend; please register on the Western Alumni event page.

FIMS TA Pizza & Pedagogy Returns
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location TBA (keep an eye on your email)
About: The first session will cover some of the basics for new TAs as well as returning TAs. All levels of TA experience are welcome so that we can crowdsource people's experiences for incoming teaching assistants - all while enjoying pizza. This session will count towards the FIMS TA Professionalization Program. Please RSVP if you plan to attend so that the pizza order will be accurate. RSVP by Friday, September 25.

FIMS Faculty Pastries & Pedagogy
Thursday, October 1, 2026
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
FNB 4th floor lunchroom
About: Back by popular demand! Who doesn't like caffeine - or talking about teaching? Last year, this series of casual, drop-in morning sessions designed to get us talking about teaching went so well that we're doing it again! These informal gatherings will take place monthly on different days throughout the term to accommodate a variety of schedules. We hope to see you there (read more).


Important Dates

- Friday, September 18, 2026 - Senate (1:30 PM, Schmeichel Building)
- Thursday, September 24, 2026 - Board of Governors (9 AM, WIRB 3000)
- Friday, September 25 - Sunday, September 27, 2026 - Western Homecoming Weekend
- Wednesday, September 30, 2026 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation


News & Announcements

Call for study participants: Benefits, drawbacks and tensions of curricular integration of hands-on journalism and communication simulations
Dr. Chris Arsenault and Prof. Erin Isings are conducting a study on the efficacy of teaching journalism and communication in tandem, and the perceived benefits, drawbacks and tensions of simulation exercises in education. You could win a $50 gift card for participating in the online survey, and it takes about 10 minutes to complete.

If you have completed a program or course that involves both disciplines being taught in tandem and would like to participate, please contact Dr. Arsenault for more details at carsen6@uwo.ca or join the survey here: https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4ZuikTPTh5eDQgK 


Awards & Accomplishments

Jesse Cram, MHIS candidate, successfully defended his thesis, titled Understanding the Utility of Drug Information Sharing in Responding to the Opioid Crisis Using Integrated Knowledge Translation in August.

Giada Ferrucci, recent FIMS Postdoctoral Associate, has joined Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in China as a Global Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in Media Studies.

Houda Houbeish, PhD in Media Studies candidate, successfully defended her thesis, titled Journalism From Within: Emotions and Professional Identities in Lebanon's Crisis, 2019-2024 on August 20.

Professor Sharon Sliwinski has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Society, Canada's highest honour in the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences. Professor Sliwinski is one of 105 new Fellows being inducted from across Canada. A Celebration of Excellence and Engagement induction ceremony will take place on November 13, 2026 in Ottawa.


Publications & Presentations

Aloa Alota, PhD'25 (Media Studies), authored a reflection titled, "The paradox of doctoral learning," published in University Affairs on September 3. Aloa's article has maintained it's space in the top three popular articles on the UA website for nearly two weeks, indicating it has struck a nerve with readers.

Hannah Alper, BA'25 (MACS), wrote an article for the Globe and Mail titled, "Even if it restores news on social media, a deal with the U.S. cannot cost Canada its digital sovereignty," published on September 7.

LIS PhD candidate Mark C. Ambrogio co-edited, with Stephanie Hanna, the latest edition of the fanzine SideTrekked, sponsored by the Science Fiction London book club. In addition to being found on the club's website (https://www.sflondon.ca/fanzine), the fanzine is also hosted by efanzines.com (www.efanzines.com), which is the principal repository of science fiction 'zine since 2000. Originally published as a print journal, SideTrekked has been in publication since 1980.

Assistant Professor Chris Arsenault wrote an article related to his recently published study on taxpayer-funded, local journalism for The Conversation titled, "Canadians distrust government-funded local news, but it might be the industry's best bad option." It was published on September 8.

Professor Arsenault also published the following peer-reviewed study:

Arsenault, C., & Deberdt, R. (2026). Investigating extraction: How journalism methods can serve resource governance research. Extractive Industries and Society, 28, 102018.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2026.102018  


Anastazia Csegeny, PhD student in Media Studies, presented "Reading Others to Write the Self: Teaching and Building Empathy Through the Graphic Novel Memoir," at the iTeach Graduate Students/Post-docs Teaching in Higher Education Conference, on August 7.

LIS PhD candidate Nicole Delellis and Professor Victoria Rubin co-authored the following publication:

Delellis, N. S., & Rubin, V. L. (2026). The potential impact of concussions on information behaviour. Journal of Documentation, 82(4), 1021–1041. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-10-2025-0304


The late Wilhelm Eisenbichler (MLS, 1970s) posthumously published his memoir, titled Along the Way ... The Stories I Leave With You in August. The memoir "is the touching, entertaining, and often funny story of Willy’s life, from his birth in Austria and childhood in Italy, to his immigration in Canada, his youth in Hamilton, his studies at Western University, his early career days in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, and eventually on to his long and successful career as a librarian and CEO in Sault Ste. Marie (ON), where he was also a founder of Heritage Sault Ste. Marie. On his retirement in 2009, Willy was awarded the W.J. Robertson Medallion Public Librarian of the Year from the Ontario Library Association" (as per Wilhelm's brother, Konrad). Wilhelm passed away from prostate cancer in 2024, and this book was a gift for his daughter.

Assistant Professor Selma Purac was part of the panel "Showcasing Teaching Innovation" and presented a talk titled "Reimagining Essays in the Age of GenAI" at the Centre for Teaching and Learning's Fall Perspectives on Teaching conference on August 27.

Assistant Professor Bri Watson presented research titled, "Don't just slap on gay:" Validating and developing findings from the largest qualitative interview of (and community-based participatory action by) queer knowledge workers at ISKO 2026 in São Paulo in August.


In the Media

Billie Anderson, PhD'25 (Media Studies) and King's lecturer, was quoted in an article titled, "From scandal to celebration: David Cronenberg's evolving legacy at TIFF," published on September 14.

Assistant Professor Luke Arnott and his course The Story of Play: Why Games Matter (MediaCom 2177) was featured in an article titled, "Coffee, CEOs and celebrities: Western offers roster of cool courses," published by Western News on September 8.

Assistant Professor Chris Arsenault's recent study examining taxpayer-funded journalism received news coverage in a number of places. New Canadian Media published an article titled "A new study examines the consequences of taxpayer-funded journalism" on August 31. The same article was published in The Hamilton Spectator. 

Professor Arsenault also joined CBC Afternoon Drive in London, Windsor and Sudbury on September 10 to discuss the results of the study.

Juan Andrés Bello was quoted in an article titled, "The Paramount-WBD Merger Has Documentary Filmmakers on Edge, as They Fear for the Future of Archival Footage," published by Indiewire on August 14.

Assistant Professor Selma Purac was one of four Western professors whose thoughts were included in a Globe and Mail article titled, "In the age of artificial intelligence, professors try to making cheating hard again," published on September 8.

Associate Professor Joanna Redden was quoted in an article titled, "CRA pilots AI to help with human resources, labour relations, as unions press for more consultation," published in The Hill Times on August 22.

Professor Sharon Sliwinski was included in a Western News article featuring Western's most recent RSC inductions, titled "Record number of Western scholars join Royal Society of Canada" published on September 9. 

Assistant Professor Luke Stark was quoted in a CBC News article titled, "AI researchers 'earnestly believe' it could kill all humans within the next decade, Anthropic employee says," published on September 9.

Assistant Professor Bri Watson spoke to media outlets in the wake of President Trump's directive to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. Professor Watson is quoted in a The Canadian Press newsclip titled "Why maps on Canadian websites are inadvertently adopting 'Lake America,' in a Globe and Mail article titled "Trump pressures Apple to use 'Lake America' as Canadian, U.S. officials trade blame for tensions," and in a Toronto Star article titled "Ontario maps displaying 'Lake America' demonstrates our overreliance on U.S. tech, experts say." All three news items were published on August 31.  


Additional Activities of Note

Mark C. Ambrogio contributed an entry for "Forest City Facts," an initiative on the City's website to share short, digestible blurbs ("facts") on London's history, as part of the festivities to celebrate 200 years since London was formally established. Forest City Facts is a joint initiative between the City of London, the London and Middlesex Historical Society, and Western's Public History program. The entries may be found at the bottom of this page, which also has other information relating to London's history: https://getinvolved.london.ca/london200 


News from the FIMS Grad Library

The FIMS Graduate Library (FGL) Team

Melanie Mills, Associate Librarian and Director
Kendall Sturgeon, Library Assistant

Welcome to this term's Student Library Assistants (SLAs):

Ashley Hunte
Sara Kahandani
Abbey McCauley
Emily Pudupakkam
Santhya Sivakumar
Joanna Walbourne

Fall 2026 Hours

Monday - Thursday, 10am-7pm
Friday, 10am-4pm
Saturday, 1pm-4pm
CLOSED Sundays, Thanksgiving Day and adjoining weekend, and Fall Research Week

Research Skills Workshops

Western Libraries offers a rich array of practical research workshops each term. Designed for students, these workshops are offered online (via Zoom) and cover topics ranging from literature searches and citation management strategies, to locating and managing data and recognizing epistemic justice. Visit Western Libraries' events page to learn more and to register.

Make of the Month

September is button making month in the FGL! Button makers are a popular tool in public libraries, used for programming, promotions, or just adding a little personality to your backpack or jacket. Pop by the FGL in September and learn how to use our button maker. You’ll have the chance to try it out, learn how it works, and walk away with your own creations using one of the FGL's designs or something you create on your own. All materials provided. No appointment necessary.

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.

The next issue of the FIMS Bulletin will be published on Wednesday, September 30. Please submit your items by noon on Tuesday, September 29.