This is the third episode of the Thinking with the Earth miniseries. In this episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and Ryan Baxter interview Javier Ponce de Leon Eyl, a PhD student in Hispanic Studies. Javier also serves as the Sustainability coordinator for the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) sustainability committee and shared a lot of insights into how the Western student community can engage in sustainability activities on campus.

This is the second episode of the Thinking with the Earth miniseries. In this episode, hosts Chrishma Perera and Spencer Schmitz speak with Dharma Raj Dhakal, a second-year PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Dharma shares insights from his research on how landfills can contaminate groundwater, the water we rely on but rarely see. Beyond his research, Dharma also reflects on his journey as an international student in Canada and invites listeners to take part in Earth Day activities on April 22.

Recorded on Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 Produced by Kuljeet Chohan Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

In this week's episode, hosts Bruno Mesquita and Zoe Kallenekos are joined by Samantha Hopkins, a PhD candidate from the department of biology who is investigating the exciting and complex world of carbon fluxes in dryland ecosystems. Outside of her studies, she is also a student athlete for the Team Canada Football team and is one of the top 24 scouted players in Canada. Listen to learn more about carbon flux towers, peak productivity days, and what it's like in the competitive world of national level football.

Samantha Hopkins Instagram: sam.hopkins_

Recorded on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 Produced by Anika Bushra and Bruno Mesquita Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)