Graduate Student Representatives
If you wish to represent any other society not currently listed, please contact both Izabela Batko ( ibatko@uwo.ca) and the society itself to be added to their e-mail list. All reps serving as liaisons to these societies are responsible for conveying applicable information regarding conferences, job, and funding opportunities to M&I grads.
Graduate Student Representative
Current Grad Rep: Izabela Batko - ibatko@uwo.ca
Responsible for preparing reports for and attending all faculty meetings (typically monthly) and conveying any pertinent updates from the student body to the faculty and vice versa. Coordinates the graduate student and PDF representatives on all other committees, manages elections for these positions, and organizes the graduate student and PDF Meet-and-Greet in September. Controls the graduate student accounts/finances and secures funding from the department for events. Gives orientation talks to incoming students. May be required to recruit students for external reviews of the department and recruitment meetings, as requested by the Dean’s office. This position is typically held by a PhD student in their second year of study or beyond.
Graduate Studies Committee Representative
Current Rep: Jaspreet Toor - jtoor7@uwo.ca
Attends all Graduate Studies Committee meetings, as the student representative. The Grad Studies Committee is responsible for making decisions on the distribution of finances for student awards and scholarships (the student rep is not involved in decisions pertaining to whom scholarships are awarded), revising the graduate curriculum and course design, and implementing changes to the program (e.g. the 1-year MSc). The student rep also typically organizes the annual town hall meeting, may participate in external reviews of the graduate program, and serves to represent the interests of MNI grad students on the Grad Committee. This position is best suited to a PhD student.
Undergraduate Education Committee Representative
Current Rep: Cassie Edgar – cedgar5@uwo.ca
Second Rep: Sarah Gowanlock – sgowanl@uwo.ca
This position is open to any graduate student in M&I, with preference for those that completed their undergrad at Western. This student works with the Undergrad Committee to develop curriculum at the undergraduate level in the department.
Outreach Committee Representatives
Current Rep: Agetha Mahendran – amahen@uwo.ca
Works with Outreach Committee faculty members to recruit student volunteers for open houses and other promotional events advertising the M&I department to prospective students. Notifies undergraduate and graduate students of these events via e-mail, and creates a volunteer schedule based on availability. Serves as a coordinator and ensures the display for M&I runs smoothly on the day of the event. This position is open to any graduate student in M&I.
Appointments Committee Student Representative (non-voting)
Current Rep: Cassandra Edgar – cedgar5@uwo.ca
PDF Rep: Karine Dufresne – kdufres3@uwo.ca
This student/PDF representative is a non-voting member of the faculty Appointments Committee, and is responsible for attending meetings with regards to hiring of new faculty members, as well as attending appointment seminars. Ideally this representative is a senior PhD student familiar with the department.
Seminars Committee Student Representative
Grad Rep: Daniel Morelli – dmorell2@uwo.ca
PDF Rep: Karine Dufresne – kdufres3@uwo.ca
The student representative on the Seminars Committee is responsible for attending meetings throughout year to discuss potential speakers for the R.G.E. Murray Seminar Series. This position is typically held by a PhD student.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee Representative
Current Rep: Reeya Parmar - rparma2@uwo.ca
Second Rep: Ainslie Shouldice - ashould2@uwo.ca
The representatives on the EDI committee are responsible for attending and participating in departmental EDI committee meetings (~4-6/year) and serving as the EDI representative on ad hoc committees if required. EDI committee representatives should make themselves available to receive notifications of concerns from the MNI graduate students. Concerns should be relayed to the EDI committee which will consult to propose solutions. Representatives will help the EDI committee identify EDI barriers that may affect graduate students and PDFs and propose solutions for the removal of the barriers. Representatives will help estimate the EDI landscape among their peers. This position is open to any graduate student or PDF in MNI.
Graduate Student Representative to Schulich
Current Rep: Lane Buchanan – lbuchan5@uwo.ca
Second Rep: Shabitha Arumugarajah - sarumug2@uwo.ca
The responsibilities of the MNI Grad Student Rep to Schulich include: 1) attending approximately 1 meeting/month throughout the school year on campus, 2) keeping MNI graduate students up to date on Schulich events and graduate student issues as they arise via both email and announcements in seminar class, and 3) motivating MNI grad students to attend Schulich social events, and 4) motivating MNI grad students to give their opinions (both positive and negative) to you so you may open dialogue with grad students from other departments during Schulich grad rep meetings. Please note that this is a council made up of your student peers charged with bringing both positive and negative situations to the attention of other graduate students and to the Associate Dean of Research (Graduate and Post-doctoral Studies). Meetings are attended by your peers from other Schulich departments and sometimes attended by the Associate Dean. This position is typically open to any graduate student in MNI.
SOGS Representatives
Current Rep: Camryn Bonn – cbonn@uwo.ca
Second Rep: Emily Ying - yying32@uwo.ca
Alternate Rep: Paul Sols-Reyes – psolisre@uwo.ca
The representatives to the SOGS council are responsible for attending all SOGS council meetings and representing the interests of the MNI students at these meetings, as well as communicating any relevant changes/elections within SOGS to our department. Two students are required to attend each meeting, a third rotating student may be selected to ensure that all meetings are attended. The department receives a stipend for each meeting attended to fund graduate student events, so attendance at these meetings is essential.
Graduate Teaching Assistant Union Representative
Current Rep: Daniel Morelli – dmorell2@uwo.ca
The student holding this position must be a Teaching Assistant for the M&I department. The responsibilities of the selected MNI PSAC representative include: 1) Communication with the Biological Science Chief Steward. 2) Being up to date on all PSAC related news and relaying important information to MNI Grads. 3) Attending all PSAC meetings and elections. 4) Hosting yearly Solidarity Events for MNI Teaching Assistants at the Grad Club.
Infection and Immunity Research Forum Committee
Chair: Camryn Bonn – cbonn@uwo.ca
Co-chair: To be determined by the 2024 IIRF Committee
The Infection and Immunity Research Forum is an initiative organized by the graduate students of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Western Ontario. Prominent scientists are invited to present their research within the scope of infection and immunity. This research forum also provides graduate students and post-doctoral fellows with a platform to showcase their own research, by means of oral and poster presentations, as it pertains to the theme of infection and immunity. An email will be sent out by the IIRF chair asking for volunteers when it is time to start organizing IIRF 2024.
Representative to Let’s Talk Science
Current Rep: Katelyn MacNeil – kmacne9@uwo.ca
Conveys information with regards to volunteer opportunities available through Let’s Talk Science to M&I grad students. This person must be hired as an official volunteer through Let’s Talk Science.
Representative to the Canadian Society of Microbiologists
Current Rep: Aanchal Rishi - arishi3@uwo.ca
Second Rep: Nick Walton - nwalton4@uwo.ca
Conveys information regarding the annual general meeting of the CSM, funding opportunities, and other relevant information from the society to M&I grad students.
Representative to the American Society of Microbiologists
Current Rep: Akanksha Thukral – athukra2@uwo.ca
Conveys information regarding the annual general meeting of the ASM, funding opportunities, and other relevant information from the society to M&I grad students.
Representative to the Canadian Society for Virology
Current Rep: Cassandra Edgar – cedgar5@uwo.ca
Conveys information regarding the annual general meeting of the CSV, funding opportunities, and other relevant information from the society to M&I grad students
Representative to the American Society for Virology
Current Rep: Livia Kucman - lkucman@uwo.ca
Conveys information regarding the annual general meeting of the ASV, funding opportunities, and other relevant information from the society to M&I grad students.
Representative to the Canadian Society for Immunology
Current Rep: Nicole Wang - nwang268@uwo.ca
Conveys information regarding the annual general meeting of the CSI, funding opportunities, and other relevant information from the society to M&I grad students.
Representative to the American Association of Immunologists
Current Rep: Paul Sols-Reyes – psolisre@uwo.ca
Conveys information regarding the annual general meeting of the AAI, funding opportunities, and other relevant information from the society to M&I grad students.
