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Notre Dame Research, Athletics address challenges of ACL tears, sleep loss, and stress in new joint research projects

2025-05-02T13:36:00-04:00

Notre Dame Research and Athletics have awarded three research teams the first-ever Human Performance & Wellness Research Grants. The grants will provide funding to support exceptional research projects that contribute meaningfully to fields related to the health, well-being, and performance of human subjects.

Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, said, “Notre Dame Research is proud of our research relationship with Notre Dame Athletics. Through this collaborative partnership, Notre Dame will officially connect the lab to the playing field for the first time ever. We are excited to witness the potential of what it means to marry Notre Dame’s research excellence with its long-standing preeminence in Athletics — all for the good of our collective well-being.”

“We congratulate the researchers and practitioners who, through these projects, will help athletes train effectively, cope with difficult conditions, and perform safely,” said John P. Wagle, the Pat & Jana Eilers Sr. Associate Athletics Director for Sports Performance. “We look forward not just to these results but also to our continued collaboration with Notre Dame Research and the role it will have in fostering high performance and overall well-being, both at Notre Dame and beyond.”

The 2025 awardees of the Human Performance & Wellness Research Grant are below.

Helping athletes return after ACL injuries

Edgar Bolívar-Nieto, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and principal investigator at the Wearable Robotics Laboratory, will lead a project titled “Towards Functional Return-to-Sport Assessment after Anterior-Cruciate-Ligament Reconstruction: A Wearable Framework to Estimate Muscle Strength.” He will be joined by co-principal investigator Mandy Merritt, DPT, the senior associate athletic trainer and physical therapist for the Notre Dame Men’s Lacrosse Team.

Bolívar-Nieto and Merritt will work to develop an instrumented functional test to help determine when an athlete who has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is ready to return to their sport. ACL injuries are common in young athletes. Although ACL surgeries can be effective, about 20% of athletes who experience a torn ACL reinjure the same or opposite knee. Better measures of an athlete's readiness to return will reduce the risk of repeated injury and ensure athletes are able to perform effectively and safely.

Reducing the “sports travel disadvantage”

Gerald Haeffel and Ivan Vargas will lead a project titled “The Sports Travel Disadvantage: Untangling the Effects of Circadian Rhythm Disruption and Sleep Loss on Athletic and Cognitive Performance.” Haeffel, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, leads the Cognition & Emotion Lab, and Vargas, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, leads the Sleep and Health Research Lab. Haeffel and Vargas will be joined by co-principal investigators Matthew Robison, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, and Carlie McGregor, a staff psychologist in the University Counseling Center and Notre Dame Athletics.

The researchers will explore the “travel disadvantage” — the well-documented phenomenon that teams that travel across multiple time zones before a competition are about 20% less likely to win than teams that do not have to travel. This disadvantage holds true regardless of the direction the team travels or what sport the team plays. By exploring the underlying causes related to sleep and circadian rhythm, the researchers will identify the best ways to intervene and enable teams to compete at their best, even when traveling long distances.

Building stress-resilience in student-athletes

Zhi Zheng, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, will lead a project titled “Smart Textile Sensors for Mental Stress Sensing During Daily Activities.” She will work with Yiyu Shi, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Ying (“Alison”) Cheng, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Associate Director of the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society.

Their project looks at mental stress, a significant challenge for college students as they encounter new academic responsibilities, unfamiliar social dynamics, and heightened expectations. The problem is especially difficult for college athletes, who face the additional pressure of athletic commitments. The research team will develop smart textile sensors to detect mental stress as students go about their daily activities. The textile sensors will detect electrodermal activity. Unlike existing sensors, they will be discreet, integrated into socks and other clothing, and they will use advanced AI computations modeling to overcome the signal challenges that arise due to movement. The researchers’ goal is to help students become more aware of stress, improve how they adapt to it, and ultimately support both their performance and mental health.

In addition to the outcomes within the award period, the grants will also serve as seed funding to generate preliminary results for larger, external grants.

To learn more about the ways Notre Dame Research is partnering with Notre Dame Athletics to provide new facilities, infrastructure, and funding to explore the science of elite performance, contact sportsperformance@nd.edu or athleticsresearch-list@nd.edu.

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on April 22, 2025.

Notre Dame researchers develop new, ultra-power-efficient 5G antenna

2025-04-09T10:58:00-04:00

Globally, two billion people use fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks. These users have gained more rapid upload and download speeds, lower latency, and greater reliability on their mobile devices. But the rollout of 5G technology has also come with a steep energy cost. 5G networks require more energy than previous generations, with each base station consuming as much energy as 73 U.S. households.

Each antenna utilizes a 3D-printed dielectric material with a repeating pattern of gyroid cells. Photo by Angelic Rose Hubert.

Now, with funding from the U.S. Army, researchers at the University of Notre Dame are launching an effort that could help reverse this trend. The team will apply prior research conducted at the University on the physics of low-power antennas. Working with a set of industry partners, they aim to produce an antenna that delivers 5G-level performance while using less than ten percent of the energy.

The team is led by Jonathan Chisum, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and an affiliate of Notre Dame's Wireless Institute. Chisum says the key to the new antenna is a kind of artificial dielectric material designed and built in his lab.

“Right now, a large portion of the cost to operate a cellular network is for electricity. If you look at a cell tower, you can see why: It uses a different antenna for each band, and these rely on active, powered chips,” Chisum said. “Our initial idea was simple: What if we could design similar capabilities into just one very wideband antenna by letting the physics of materials do the work normally done by many power-hungry chips.”

Benjamin Davis holds an antenna prototype constructed layer-by-layer through a detailed, 100-hour process. Photo by Angelic Rose Hubert.

The new low-power antenna is a type of millimeter-wave gradient index (GRIN) lens antenna. Although GRIN lenses have existed for over a century, the idea of developing a GRIN lens antenna for 5G networks once seemed far-fetched to most researchers in the field of wireless technology. However, over the past eight years, Chisum and his lab have made groundbreaking discoveries in the fundamental science of wideband beam steering. These findings have allowed Chisum and his team to create one antenna that can operate over all the frequency bands for 5G, a feat once thought to be impossible.

The antenna’s wideband, low-power capabilities make it especially useful to the U.S. Army. The Army was involved in the development of 5G technology and relies on it not just for secure communications but also for tracking equipment and monitoring the health of soldiers. However, current 5G technologies are difficult and costly to set up, transport, and operate in the field.

“The Army has to operate 5G networks all over the world,” Chisum explained, “and 5G networks operate at different frequencies across the globe. Thus, a wideband solution like ours is an essential capability. And since it consumes very little power and is relatively small and lightweight, it can be integrated into a mobile platform.”

Once it is implemented, the technology will provide a “5G-on-the-move” solution with improved efficiency, safety, and versatility.

Chisum also emphasized that developing this new technology is the first step in integrating it into mobile networks for civilian use.

“The deployment of 5G millimeter-wave base stations in current 5G networks has stalled because operators cannot afford the cost of the current multi-antenna solutions. However, wideband 5G antennas based on GRIN lenses open up new possibilities for lowering cost and efficiency in commercial wireless networks,” Chisum said.

So far, Chisum and his team have a working prototype of their design produced in the lab one thin layer at a time through a detailed 100-hour process. The team is developing an efficient and cost-effective way to manufacture the device using cutting-edge 3D printing technology. It will also allow Chisum’s team to demonstrate the technology in the field, paving the way for inclusion in a 5G network.

Researchers in Chisum's lab create and refine digital models of the lens antenna using computer-aided design software. The image on the left shows an individual gyroid unit cell from the lens antenna design. The image on the right shows a 3x3 cube of gyroid cells. Image courtesy of Microwave & Millimeter-wave Circuits and Systems, Notre Dame College of Engineering.

To transition this technology from the lab into the field, Chisum’s lab has formed a team of industry partners. The team will include multiple leading vendors with expertise in wireless networks, antennas, and additive manufacturing uniquely suited to GRIN media.

"Nicolas Garcia, CEO of Cheshir Industries, said, “The Cheshir Industries team is proud and excited to lead the lens and array design efforts for Notre Dame's 5G-on-the-move antenna development program. This project represents not only an important step in advancing our nation’s wireless capabilities but also a major milestone in the commercialization and development of wideband GRIN antenna systems.” Cheshir Industries was launched with support from Notre Dame’s IDEA Center. It was co-founded by Chisum along with two graduates of Notre Dame’s Electrical Engineering doctoral program: Nicolas Garcia (‘22 Ph.D.) and Nicholas Estes (‘22 Ph.D.)."

Karlo Delos Reyes, Chief Customer Officer and Co-founder at Fortify, said, “As the leader in RF design and manufacturing, we at 3D Fortify are thrilled to collaborate with the University of Notre Dame and our industry partners to deliver cutting-edge technology. This partnership allows us to leverage our advanced capabilities to push the boundaries of what is possible in GRIN lens antenna design. Together, we’re working across the value chain to deliver a transformative solution that will pave the way for future civilian applications."

To learn more about advances in wireless technology at the University of Notre Dame, visit wireless.nd.edu.

Contact: Jessica Sieff, associate director of media relations, 574-631-3933, jsieff@nd.edu

‘Quiet eye’: Notre Dame psychologist identifies links between a steady gaze and elite performance

2025-04-01T15:26:00-04:00

In his book on basketball great Bill Bradley, writer John McPhee proposed that Bradley’s greatest asset had little to do with speed, strength or agility. It had to do, McPhee proposed, with his eyes.

“His most remarkable natural gift ... is his vision,” McPhee observed. “During a game, Bradley’s eyes are always a glaze of panoptic attention.”

The work of University of Notre Dame researcher Matthew Robison suggests that McPhee may have been on to something. In a recent study supported by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the Army Research Institute, Robison documented a phenomenon in eye movement — or “oculomotor dynamics” — that links a steady, focused gaze with superior levels of performance.

Matthew Robison, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

Robison, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, made the discovery thanks to the unique capabilities of his lab, which includes more than a dozen precision instruments for tracking eye movement and pupil dilation. These devices capture images of the eyes every four milliseconds, providing 250 frames per second.

This ultra-detailed look at the eyes allows Robison to “read” the complex language of minute eye movement. A slight wiggle in the eye, for example, can reveal that a study participant was distracted by a stimulus entering their field of vision — even though their facial expression never altered. Or a dilation of the pupil might indicate a participant is struggling to solve a complex math problem.

Recently, though, Robison has been most interested not in why our eyes move, but in why we might — or might want to — keep them still. He was inspired to investigate the meaning of a steady gaze by the work of applied sports psychologists helping athletes achieve high levels of performance.

“Sports psychologists regularly advise that if you're about to putt, pick a spot on the back of the golf ball and keep your eyes still there for a second or two. Then hit the ball,” Robison said. “Or, if you’re shooting a free throw in basketball, pick a spot on the rim and focus on it for a few seconds. Then shoot the free throw. The advice seems sound in many cases. But the causal pathway behind this phenomenon has not been thoroughly demonstrated or explained.”

Robison hypothesized that a steady gaze had to do with attention control and thus would lead to better performance not only in sports but also in almost any mentally demanding activity, whether it was comprehending a difficult passage of text, solving a complex problem, remembering new information or multitasking. To test his hypothesis, he recruited nearly 400 participants to perform a series of tasks in his lab over a two-hour period while their gaze was being recorded by eye trackers and pupilometers.

Robison found that, across the board, those participants who kept their gaze steady in the moments just before being called upon to complete a task performed with greater speed and with greater accuracy. Borrowing a term from sports psychologist Joan Vickers, Robison called this specific quality of gaze “quiet eye.” He said it is more than a lack of motion. Like Bradley’s gaze that so impressed McPhee, “quiet” eyes are not just still. They are focused — able to resist distractions and remain vigilant, ready and “awake.”

His work documenting quiet eye suggested another question for Robison to explore: Would it be possible to train individuals to perform better by training them not in the task itself but in developing a steadier gaze?

Thanks to new funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Robison launched a new three-year project focused on answering that question. The funding is part of the ONR’s Young Investigator Award program, and Robison is one of just 25 awardees of the program over the past year. The funding will allow Robison to test new ways to train one’s gaze and to determine how far the effects of “quiet eye” reach.

“Our aim is to make the benefits of ‘quiet eye’ available to anyone who wants to learn them,” he said.

And while it will not immediately lead to Bill Bradley levels of basketball virtuosity, the benefits could be widespread. Robison hopes that “those who learn this skill are able, in turn, to sustain and control their attention, which will yield benefits for their performance in almost any complex or demanding task.”

Natalie Steinhauser, a program officer at the Office of Naval Research, said she looks forward to starting this new research that bridges two aspects of her Prepared Warfighter Portfolio. Her portfolio focuses on “understanding attention control and how it impacts warfighter performance” and “accelerating and innovating training approaches to maximize warfighter readiness.” This research, she said “brings those worlds together in hopes of training our naval warfighters to optimize their attention and, thus, performance.”

Robison’s research is one instance in a broad effort by Notre Dame researchers to explore the science of elite performance. To advance this effort, Notre Dame Research is partnering with Notre Dame Athletics to provide new facilities, infrastructure and funding. To learn more, contact sportsperformance@nd.edu or athleticsresearch-list@nd.edu.

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on March 24.

Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu

Soft, air-filled 'muscles' power a new robotic exosuit created at Notre Dame

2025-03-14T12:49:00-04:00

The phrase “robotic exosuit” likely calls to mind something metallic, rigid, and hinged—Iron Man’s suit or the dozens of other, similar apparatuses that appear on screen, in video games, and even on the red carpet.

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are working to show that for many real-world applications, there is value in exploring robotics’ softer side.

"Soft exosuits can help solve several engineering challenges,” explains Margaret Coad, whose lab recently published a paper on a soft robotic exosuit designed to fit the wrist.

“A key problem in exosuit design is how to avoid misalignment between the body and the device,” she says. “Soft exosuits can handle that problem more easily than their rigid counterparts. Our design showcases how soft actuators—rather than traditional motors—allow for a very lightweight and comfortable wearable device.”

Coad, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, developed the design with doctoral student Katalin Schäffer. The pair's prototype utilizes four soft actuators positioned around the wrist—one in front, one in back, and one on each side.

The actuators inflate and outwardly resemble the modeling balloons used for twisting into animal shapes. However, Coad’s actuators are not rubberized; they are made from an extremely strong and intricately woven, airtight nylon fabric. Each actuator stretches from a mounting point on the forearm to a point on the hand below the fingers.

“This type of muscle is not only lightweight, durable, and foldable; it can also exert incredible force with a quick response time to inputs. We're still exploring all the applications and benefits this opens up."

Through precisely controlled inflation and deflation, the soft actuators tighten and relax like muscles. As each actuator fills with air (flexes), it draws the wrist toward it. As it deflates (relaxes), it allows the wrist to move away. A custom-designed software program coordinates the tradeoffs between the muscles that allow the wrist to move in all directions with support on all sides of the wrist.

Among the first to try the new exosuit were U.S. Senators. Directly following their paper's publication, Coad and Schäffer traveled to Washington, D.C., where they demonstrated their prototype at the Senate Robotics Demo Day.

Schäffer (standing, left) and Coad (standing, right) demonstrate their soft wrist robotic exosuit for U.S. Senator Todd Young (seated).

Coad says she was proud to bring a focus on soft robots to the day's demonstrations. "Soft robotics allows us to rethink what the body of a robot should be," she says. "It helps us expand what robots are capable of by using new materials and mechanisms for creating motion and force.”

Coad points out that in addition to avoiding discomfort from weight, rigidity, and joint misalignment, the soft exosuits bring an added benefit: They tend to be low-cost. Whereas existing upper limb exoskeletons cost tens of thousands of dollars, the wearable part of the suit costs just $134 in materials, minus the off-board components and compressed air source that power it.

Low-cost designs are important, Coad says, because they can help get the benefits of robotic exosuits into the hands—or onto the limbs, rather—of more people more quickly. That has been true for one of the first groups to benefit from the new design: stroke survivors. Schäffer has been exploring ways the device can aid in their rehabilitation and help expand their range of movement. The device’s affordability, combined with its portability, means that stroke survivors may be able to use the device in their homes without requiring visits to therapy facilities.

Coad and Schäffer say their initial wrist-focused served as a proving ground, but they say new designs for other parts of the body are on the way. They envision uses for the device that could help relieve soreness or stiffness and could complement traditional occupational therapy. The device could also aid in repetitive movement or even lifting.

As Coad points out, “This type of muscle is not only lightweight, durable, and foldable; it can also exert incredible force with a quick response time to inputs. We're still exploring all the applications and benefits this opens up."

The initial stages of Coad and Schäffer’s work were funded by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary. Schäffer also received support from the O’Brien Family Endowment for Excellence Fellowship at Notre Dame’s Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health and the Edison Innovation Fellowship at the IDEA Center.

To learn more about Notre Dame’s collaborative group of researchers who bring cutting-edge robotics solutions to critical societal problems, visit https://robotics.nd.edu/.

Contact: Jessica Sieff, associate director of media relations, 574-631-3933, jsieff@nd.edu

Two Notre Dame seniors, four alumni named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list

2025-03-03T11:08:51-05:00

Six students and alumni of the University of Notre Dame have earned spots on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2025. The annual list, launched in 2011, honors trailblazing entrepreneurs, innovators and creators under the age of 30.

The list includes Notre Dame seniors Zachary Brown and Liam Redmond as well as four alumni: Royce Branning, Kevin Mekulu, Krystal McLeod, and Brandon Wimbush.

Zachary Brown and Liam Redmond

Brown and Redmond were recognized in the Youngest and Transportation & Mobility categories for co-founding Yelo, an innovative social ride network that aims to revolutionize how students connect and travel.

The idea for Yelo originated in Notre Dame’s South Dining Hall, where Brown and Redmond discussed the need for a more affordable and student-friendly way to match for rides around town. Brown, a computer science major in the College of Engineering, focused on the platform’s technical development, while Redmond, a neuroscience and behavior major in the College of Arts & Letters, crafted the innovative business model. Yelo allows student drivers to keep 100 percent of their fares while riders benefit from lower costs and the added security of traveling with fellow students.

Yelo officially launched in 2023 and generated $20,000 in revenue within its first month. It quickly became a popular service on Notre Dame’s campus, with more than 40 percent of students using the app during the 2023–24 academic year. This year, Yelo will expand to several additional universities, bringing its unique, student-driven platform to a broader audience.

The IDEA Center, the University’s commercialization hub, played a pivotal role in developing Yelo from an initial concept into a growing company.

“The IDEA Center was a game-changer,” said Redmond. “When we walked in as freshmen, we had no idea how to build a company. With the guidance of our coach, John Henry, and programs like Race to Revenue, we transformed Yelo into what it is today.”

The duo launched Yelo’s pilot program during their sophomore year and debuted the app on the Apple App Store in 2023. Brown and Redmond credit the Notre Dame community for providing invaluable support and feedback.

“Launching Yelo here has been incredible,” said Redmond. “The feedback from friends, classmates, and even casual conversations on campus has helped us refine and improve the app. We’ve been able to ask, ‘How was your ride last night?’ and incorporate what we’ve learned directly into Yelo.”

The Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition came as a surprise for the pair, who view it as both a significant milestone and a call to action.

“We’re honored to be included,” said Redmond. “It’s a validation of the work we’ve done so far and a reminder of the potential impact we can have. But for now, it’s heads down as we prepare for our expansion and the opportunity to bring Yelo to new campuses.”

Royce Branning

Royce Branning, who earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Notre Dame in 2018, was included in the social media category alongside co-founder Oliver Hill for their app Clearspace. Backed by the well-known startup accelerator Y Combinator, Clearspace was recently valued at $20 million. Branning, who launched his first company with his brother at age 15, pointed out the irony that their "app to help people spend less time on social media was chosen to represent innovation in social media." He said the app is part of "a digital wellbeing groundswell."

Clearspace intercepts opens of social media apps and requires users to do something — breathing exercises, pushups or squats, for example — in order to continue. The app has already helped hundreds of thousands of people build better phone habits and has saved them millions of hours of unwanted screen time.

Kevin Mekulu

Kevin Mekulu, who earned his master of science degree in applied and computational mathematics and statistics from Notre Dame in 2018, was included in the healthcare category for his innovative technology DementiAnalytics. The technology utilizes smart devices and is capable of generating a cognitive assessment of a patient in under five minutes based on a patient’s speech, eye tracking and vitals.

Mekulu said, "Notre Dame instilled in me the drive to pursue purpose-driven innovation. The growing global impact of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in senior living communities, highlights the critical need for early detection solutions. I'm honored to represent the Fighting Irish community alongside my fellow alumni as we work to address this pressing health care challenge."

Krystal McLeod

Krystal McLeod, who earned her juris doctor degree from Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ in 2021, was included in the education category for her work as director of New York University's Center on Violence and Recovery. Since joining the center, McLeod has raised $2.8 million, including $2 million from the Department of Justice and Office on Violence Against Women.

McLeod said, “I am deeply humbled by this recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30. True leadership is not about status or accolades, but about serving others with compassion and wisdom. My journey has been guided by the belief that justice is not just about repairing harm, but about restoring our shared humanity. Notre Dame nurtured in me a deep commitment to this path, and I carry forward its mission of love, peace and transformation. May this honor serve as a reminder that when we work for the healing of others, we heal ourselves and the world.”

Brandon Wimbush (‘19)

Brandon Wimbush, known for his performance as the quarterback for the Fighting Irish in the 2017 and 2018 football seasons, earned his bachelor of arts in accountancy from Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Wimbush was included in the sports category for his role in co-founding MOGL. MOGL is a marketplace that helps businesses connect with college athletes to form name, image and likeness (NIL) marketing deals. Wimbush recently shifted to an advisory role at MOGL to focus on Duael Track, a televised running competition that hosts head-to-head races in a tournament-style format.

"Though it’s an honor to have my name listed on the Forbes 30 under 30, I genuinely wish it was a list of all the people who helped me get to this point," Wimbush said. "I clearly didn’t build MOGL alone, and if not for my fellow Domer Ayden Syal (‘17), this award may not have been achievable at all. So a grand shout out to him and our early investors and early partners — many of whom come from the Fighting Irish community.”

"We are deeply honored by Forbes's recognition of our exceptional alumni and students," said Karen Deak, interim executive director of the IDEA Center. "This distinction highlights the vibrant innovation ecosystem we are cultivating at the University — where groundbreaking ideas not only flourish but also become products and services that make a difference in our world."

The IDEA Center seeks to change students' lives through the discipline of entrepreneurship. To submit an idea — and receive assistance, resources and access to possible funding sources — please visit https://ideacenter.nd.edu/se/opportunities/disclose-an-invention/.

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on February 20, 2025.

New global tool measures climate resilience at the city level

2024-12-19T12:15:00-05:00

Jakarta, Indonesia, faces a paradox. Its economy and population are soaring, but the city itself is sinking. Excessive groundwater use is causing land to sink by up to 10 inches annually. Experts warn that by 2050, this sinking, combined with rising sea levels and extreme weather, could leave a third of the city underwater. In response, the Indonesian government is weighing plans to relocate the capital at an estimated cost of $35 billion.

Jakarta’s climate-related conundrum may be extreme, but the underlying question it raises is relevant to urban areas around the world: What is the best use of limited resources for cities to adapt to climate change?

To help answer this question, governments and organizations now have a critical new resource developed by a team at the University of Notre Dame: the Global Urban Climate Assessment (GUCA). It is a decision-support tool that offers leaders a way to understand and compare city vulnerabilities, assess adaptation plans and develop resilience.

“Cities are realizing the question isn’t ‘if’ they’ll face the effects of climate change—it’s ‘when’ and ‘how,’” said Danielle Wood, associate professor of practice at the University of Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative.

According to Wood, who leads the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), what those investing in climate adaptation need is evidence-based guidance.

“The challenge for investment is a lack of reliable, comparable data, making prioritizing difficult for those managing climate investment,” she said.

A more granular approach to climate resiliency

GUCA builds on the foundation of ND-GAIN’s Country Index, which measures climate vulnerability and readiness for more than 180 countries. The GUCA pilot provides city-level metrics for 12 cities, incorporating data from multiple sources, including remote sensing. Like ND-GAIN, GUCA is free and open-source, so stakeholders across the public, private and nongovernmental organization sectors can identify priorities and direct funding where it is most needed.

GUCA measures vulnerability and resilience across a number of globally comparable metrics. Vulnerability includes specific hazards such as flooding, extreme heat and landslides. It also measures sensitivity to climate change, which can refer to potential impacts on people (including specific groups, such as children, seniors, migrants or low-income residents) as well as features of urban areas, such as the rate of urban expansion.

Resilience, on the other hand, is the capacity of a city to withstand shocks and adapt over time. It includes disaster planning, water access, governance systems and economic stability, recognizing that cities with robust systems can respond more effectively to climate-related challenges.

A tool with global implications

GUCA’s 12-city pilot phase focused on Abuja (Nigeria), Amman (Jordan), Beijing (China), Berlin (Germany), Bogotá (Colombia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kinshasa (DR Congo), Mogadishu (Somalia), Mumbai (India), Panama City (Panama), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Shenzhen (China). With additional funding, ND-GAIN aims to expand the GUCA framework, enabling a deeper understanding of vulnerabilities and resilience in more cities across the globe.

Wood emphasized that this expansion is critical because as more people migrate to urban environments, the need to identify and target funding for climate adaptation in the most impacted cities is becoming an even more widespread and urgent concern.

“At the start of the 20th century, only 13 percent of the world’s population lived in urban areas. By 2050, that number is expected to rise to 60 percent, with an estimated 4.9 billion people living in cities,” she pointed out. “Our team at Notre Dame is eager to see the tool evolve with feedback from partners around the world.”

GUCA is the latest addition to ND-GAIN’s already robust suite of data-driven climate tools and resources, which includes the U.S. Urban Adaptation Assessment, a tool assessing more than 270 U.S. cities’ climate risks and social vulnerabilities by neighborhood.

ND-GAIN is a program of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI). At ND-ECI, more than 60 faculty across several disciplines are pursuing research solutions for some of the key environmental challenges of our time. ND-ECI focuses on globally significant, multidisciplinary research that can be translated into management and policy solutions to help make the world a better place for humans and the environment upon which people depend.

Contact: Jessica Sieff, associate director of media relations, 574-631-3933, jsieff@nd.edu

Notre Dame marks another year of unprecedented research success

2024-09-06T16:55:00-04:00

During the 2024 fiscal year, researchers at the University of Notre Dame submitted 1,310 proposals for external research funding for a total amount of $1.016 billion — the first time the University has surpassed the billion-dollar mark for proposals. In addition, the University received 829 separate awards — the largest number on record. With $223 million in total funding, these awards propelled the University past the $200 million mark for the fourth straight year.

“I want to extend my congratulations to the faculty, students and staff who have dedicated themselves to the research enterprise of the University. This year’s successes are the tangible result of their hard work,” said Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

“Proposals, awards and total dollar amounts matter,” Rhoads said, “but only as an imperfect measure of our progress toward fulfilling our mission to use our research and scholarship to transform lives for the better, both here in our local community and in the growing list of locations around the world where our faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and students are having an impact.”

Below are some of the most significant research awards to the University’s colleges and schools:

Helping to build the ‘Silicon Prairie’

Researchers in Notre Dame’s College of Engineering received new funding as part of the CHIPS and Science Act to support the on-shoring of semiconductor manufacturing. This funding makes University facilities and resources available to help in the national “lab-to-fab” effort.

Advancing technology for quantum computing

A grant from the Army Research Office will allow researchers in the College of Science to conduct quantum computing research. The researchers will design and fabricate new circuits that mitigate or eliminate “trapped flux,” a significant obstacle affecting the performance of supercomputing circuits.

Meeting challenges facing humanity

Scholars in the College of Arts and Letters continued the college’s long record of success in winning prestigious grants in the humanities. The past year’s highlights included three faculty members receiving 2024 Guggenheim Fellowships in recognition of their career achievements and exceptional promise.

Pursuing justice for the wrongly convicted

Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ’s Exoneration Justice Clinic received a grant from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs to administer a program for the defense of Mexican nationals in criminal matters in the United States. The clinic has an established record of success that includes the recent exoneration of a client who spent 14 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Partnering for peace in the Philippines

Building on the success of its Barometer Initiative project in Colombia, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ in the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs has expanded its Peace Accords Matrix (PAM) program with funding from the U.S. Department of State. PAM Mindanao supports and accompanies the people of the Philippines in their peacebuilding process using PAM’s Comprehensive Peace Agreements verification and monitoring methodology.

Developing the next generation of sustainable building materials and practices

In the 91��Ƶ of Architecture, a grant from the National Science Foundation will allow researchers to develop an integrated ecological-technological framework and create a dashboard to visualize the embodied carbon emission and related environmental impact from the building stock in the United States at the ZIP code level.

Educating ethical business leaders

In the Mendoza College of Business, new funding from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation will help support the undergraduate Business Honors Program. The program will enable students to investigate the moral purpose of business and apply Catholic social thought in today’s business world.

The largest portion of the new funding — more than $134 million — came from federal agencies. The largest single sponsor was the National Science Foundation, which contributed over $46 million to research at Notre Dame. Another $23 million came from private foundations, while $20 million came from industry partners, and the remainder came from other non-federal sources.

In addition to increasing its number of funded projects, the University expanded its global footprint. Of the new funding, 173 awards will support international research in 67 countries around the world.

Rhoads said, “We deeply appreciate the support of the agencies, foundations, industry partners and others who have joined forces with our researchers to share in our vision for being a powerful means for doing good in the world.”

To explore more about the University’s research funding and awards, including historical trends and current activity, visit https://research.nd.edu/about/facts-figures/.

Contact: Jessica Sieff, associate director of media relations, 574-631-3933, jsieff@nd.edu

Notre Dame partners to grow Indiana’s mental health workforce

2024-09-05T14:04:00-04:00

Today, one out of every two Americans lives in a mental health workforce shortage area, according to the United States Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW). In many communities, the lack of providers means behavioral health, mental health and substance use-related needs go untreated. To meet Americans’ needs by 2036 would mean training nearly 100,000 new psychologists, along with thousands of social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists and other providers.

The University of Notre Dame is part of a statewide effort aimed at reversing this trend. In partnership with WISE Indiana, on behalf of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA), the University is contracted to help enhance the recruitment, retention and quality of Indiana’s behavioral health workforce. The effort will also identify promising, data-driven strategies for mental health workforce development that can be applied by future programs across the state.

Gina Navoa Svarovsky, who will lead Notre Dame's efforts, said, "With a problem this large, it's important to explore a wide range of potential solutions." Svarovsky, who serves as the faculty director of the Center for Broader Impacts and an associate professor of the practice in the Center for STEM Education, will oversee the convening of representatives from the state’s 18 Recruitment and Retention Innovation grant awardees to form a Community of Practice that can foster idea sharing, networking and professional learning among project leaders.

Initiatives within the state’s Community of Practice will take several different approaches, such as:

Hosting career exploration and training for high school students,
Implementing new training opportunities and career pathways for community health workers and addiction peer recovery coaches,
Piloting or expanding intern-to-employee career programs, and
Providing support for existing providers to reduce unnecessary burdens and prevent burnout.

The members of the Community of Practice will share successful ideas with each other as their projects unfold. The team will also leverage Notre Dame’s expertise in mental health to provide professional development opportunities to members of the Community of Practice over the next three years.

The Community of Practice will be supported by Notre Dame's research strengths in community health and data-driven program evaluation. Campus partners that will contribute to the statewide Community of Practice will include the Center for Broader Impacts, the Community Health and Clinical Partnerships team, the Department of Psychology, the Notre Dame Research Communications Team, and the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families.

To learn more about efforts to enhance the overall societal impact of research at the University of Notre Dame, please visit cbi.nd.edu.

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu

Notre Dame’s Center for Bioanalytic Metrology receives five additional years of NSF support

2024-08-29T13:12:00-04:00

For the past five years, the Center for Bioanalytic Metrology (CBM) at the University of Notre Dame has served as the world’s leading consortium for academic research in analytical science and engineering.

Now, with five years of funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the CBM will enter Phase II of its mission to create new capabilities in measurement science and solve current, emerging and industry-relevant problems, creating value for its corporate, non-profit and federal members.

CBM Director Paul W. Bohn said, “Support from the NSF has allowed the Center for Bioanalytic Metrology at Notre Dame to play a pivotal role in advancing research and product development across a broad spectrum of industries; pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, energy, consumer products and ag/nutrition sectors are all represented in CBM. We are grateful to the NSF for supporting and affirming these efforts."

Bohn, the Arthur J. Schmitt Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, added, “The CBM's Phase II will lead to enhanced measurement science and more precise instrumentation to ensure that industrial products are safe, accurate and personalized.”

In addition to serving as the director of the CBM, Bohn is the inaugural director of Notre Dame’s Bioengineering and Life Sciences Initiative, which was launched in the spring of 2024.

For Phase II, Bohn will remain CBM director but step down from his role as Notre Dame site director for the CBM. Merlin Bruening, the Donald and Susan Rice Professor of Engineering, has accepted the position of site director.

Bruening said, “I look forward to working with Professor Bohn and our colleagues at Purdue University and Indiana University on this important research collaboration with our industry partners.”

The CBM was launched in 2019 as an NSF Phase I Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC). The IUCRC program accelerates the impact of basic research through close relationships between industry innovators, world-class academic teams and government leaders. IUCRCs are designed to help corporate partners and government agencies connect directly and efficiently with university researchers to achieve three primary objectives:

Conduct high-impact research to meet shared industrial needs in companies of all sizes;
Enhance U.S. global leadership in driving innovative technology development, and;
Identify, mentor and develop a diverse, high-tech, exceptionally skilled workforce.

Notre Dame serves as the lead institution with Purdue University and Indiana University Bloomington as partners. During Phase I, the CBM facilitated over $3 million in industry-relevant measurement science research on behalf of its dues-paying corporate members, including AbbVie, Agilent, Corteva, Evonik, ExxonMobil, Genentech, Bristol Myers Squibb, Lilly, Merck, Moderna, P&G, Pfizer and Takeda.

Since its inception, the CBM has been at the forefront of developing cutting-edge bioanalytical tools and methodologies. The center's interdisciplinary approach, combining expertise in chemistry, biology and engineering, has led to significant advancements in understanding complex chemical systems and developing innovative solutions for real-world challenges.

The NSF's renewed support will enable the CBM to expand its research initiatives, foster new collaborations, and accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into practical applications.

For more information about the Center for Bioanalytic Metrology and its research initiatives, visit cbm.nd.edu.

Contact: Brett Beasley, writer and editorial program manager, bbeasle1@nd.edu, 574-631-8183

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on Aug. 27, 2024.

Notre Dame to develop next-generation refrigerant technology as part of a new National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center

2024-08-21T15:02:00-04:00

Jennifer Schaefer (Photo by Wes Evard/University of Notre Dame)

The University of Notre Dame is part of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) called EARTH, which stands for Environmental Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub. Led by the University of Kansas, EARTH will bring together 80 institutions and researchers from a wide array of disciplines. In addition to Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, the University of Hawai'i, the University of South Dakota and Lehigh University will serve as core university partners.

All partners will collaborate around a shared goal: creating a sustainable refrigerant economy.

Currently, most of the air-conditioning and refrigeration systems used to preserve foods, store medicines and cool buildings rely on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs are greenhouse gases, some of which are thousands of times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. Due to leaks and the energy required to operate existing systems, HFCs account for nearly 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S. and 170 other countries are phasing down HFCs in accordance with domestic and international agreements signed in recent years, which creates a tremendous challenge to responsibly and sustainably replace billions of kilograms of refrigerants.

“A warming world combined with rising incomes around the world means that globally, we’re adding air conditioners at a rapid rate. Over 3 billion people live in some of the hottest places on Earth, and only 8 percent currently have air conditioning,” said Jennifer Schaefer, the Sheehan Family Collegiate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Notre Dame. “That means we’ll likely see 10 new air conditioners sold every second over the next 30 years. We have to find alternative solutions to meet that demand without contributing to a vicious cycle of ecological harm.”

Schaefer will serve as Notre Dame’s lead and the center’s deputy director. The Notre Dame team will also include eight additional members of the College of Engineering, including seven from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Assistant Professor Yamil Colón, Associate Professor Alexander Dowling, Frank M. Freimann Collegiate Professor of Engineering Ruilan Guo, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering and Associate Vice President for Research Edward Maginn, Bernard Keating-Crawford Professor Nosang Myung, Assistant Professor Casey O’Brien and Rooney Family Collegiate Chair of Engineering William Phillip.

The team also includes Yanliang Zhang, the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Collegiate Professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering; John Onyango, an associate professor in the 91��Ƶ of Architecture; and Bruce Huber, a professor in the Law 91��Ƶ.

Schaefer explained that Notre Dame will contribute to all three main streams of the center’s research.

The first stream focuses on innovative ways to handle current refrigerants. Notre Dame researchers will develop new, more economical ways to separate HFCs to reuse or recycle them. A second research stream aims to achieve safer refrigerants that maintain or improve performance but do not negatively affect Earth’s atmosphere over time. Notre Dame will do computational prediction work for this stream in collaboration with atmospheric scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi. As part of a third stream, researchers at Notre Dame will pioneer technologies that will increase the energy efficiency of refrigeration systems to reduce the electricity demand on the grid.

Notre Dame researchers will also develop new ways of sensing refrigerant leaks, engineer solid-state systems that eliminate the need for refrigerant fluids and explore new approaches to moving heat while also contributing expertise in environmental law and sustainable architecture to support the successful implementation of new technologies developed by the center.

For Schaefer, EARTH’s approach aligns well with the University’s mission and current priorities.

“Refrigeration might not be the first thing that comes to mind as we think about protecting the environment, but it is a critical energy sustainability challenge, and we are grateful to the National Science Foundation for supporting innovation in this area,” Schaefer said. “At the same time, Notre Dame’s new strategic framework asks us to ‘draw the connections between the social and environmental dimensions’ of climate change. That is exactly what the holistic, interdisciplinary approach embodied in EARTH is seeking to do.”

Contact: Jessica Sieff, associate director of media relations, 574-631-3933, jsieff@nd.edu

Biotech hub that includes Notre Dame awarded $51M in CHIPS Act funding

2024-07-10T08:00:00-04:00

The U.S. Department of Commerce and its Economic Development Administration have announced $51 million in federal funding to support the implementation of a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub that includes the University of Notre Dame among its members. Called Heartland BioWorks, the hub is led by the Applied Research Institute and aims to enhance Indiana’s capacity to make and deploy life-saving medicines. 

Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Notre Dame, said, “Heartland BioWorks’ new grant is exciting news for Indiana and the Midwest writ large. Every dollar will go toward establishing our region as a national and international leader in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. The University of Notre Dame could not be more proud to join together with the esteemed research institutions and industry partners helping to build an unparalleled innovation ecosystem and talent pipeline here in our state.”

Rhoads added, “We are especially pleased that through Heartland BioWorks, Notre Dame is able to contribute its expertise in data, bioengineering and the life sciences while also driving economic and workforce development throughout the Midwest.”

Nitesh Chawla, the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and founding director of the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, serves as Notre Dame’s lead on the BioWorks Hub.

Chawla said, “We have an established track record for bringing the latest data science and AI techniques to advance innovations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing and benefit human health. We have also developed educational and training programming, including internship and experiential learning opportunities for our students, and workforce development. Contributing these strengths to the BioWorks effort is a way for us to ensure we are producing breakthroughs that create benefits for society.”

Other major Notre Dame contributors to BioWorks so far include Paul Bohn, the Arthur J. Schmitt Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and director of Notre Dame’s Bioengineering & Life Sciences (BELS) Initiative; Valya Kuskova, professor of the practice and associate director at the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society; and Gina Svarovsky, an associate professor of the practice and faculty director of Notre Dame’s Center for Broader Impacts.

Last October, Heartland BioWorks was one of 31 regional hubs chosen for Tech Hub designation by the Department of Commerce. It is now one of 12 hubs chosen to split $500 million in funding that stems from the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which was co-authored by Indiana’s U.S. Sen. Todd Young.

Heartland BioWorks stated that the funding will support projects to:

Attract and connect workers, including those historically excluded from the innovation workforce, to good jobs. 
Establish a formal network to provide navigation resources, mentorship and greater access to facilities and venture capital funding to help innovators successfully scale and launch their bioproducts in the region. 
Construct BioWorks HQ, a training and demonstration facility for trainees to enter the workforce and for current employees to grow.  
Implement a grant program to help early-stage innovators surmount cost barriers to accessing these product development facilities, keeping biotech inventions and supply in the U.S.
Develop training pathways, leveraging curricula from Indiana’s higher education institutions and other globally recognized training programs to prepare participants for high-quality jobs in biomanufacturing operator and lab technician roles once the BioWorks HQ is constructed.

In addition to the University of Notre Dame, Heartland BioWorks members include Eli Lilly, Elanco, Corteva, INCOG BioPharma Services, Roche, Indiana University, Purdue University and Ivy Tech Community College. To learn more about Heartland BioWorks, visit pathfinder.theari.us/heartlandbioworks.

Contact: Brett Beasley, writer and editorial program manager, Notre Dame Research, bbeasle1@nd.edu, 574-631-8183; research.nd.edu, @UNDResearch

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on July 8.

Notre Dame elected to Universities Space Research Association

2024-06-05T08:00:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame has been inducted into the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). Founded in 1969 under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. government, the USRA is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology and engineering. The USRA consists of 121 universities that work together to advance space-related education, research, development and operations around the world.

To be eligible for USRA membership, a university must demonstrate “significant contributions in space- or aeronautics-related research by faculty and a substantial commitment to a course of studies and dissertation research leading to the doctorate in one or more related fields.”

The USRA cited Notre Dame’s “active research programs in physics, astronomy, aerospace and mechanical engineering, and earth sciences.” It also noted that research at the University “is built around a robust framework of strong interdisciplinary and collaborative activities both within in-house departments and with other renowned national and international institutes.”

Clive Neal, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, called the University’s USRA membership “an important recognition of Notre Dame’s deep involvement in space activities.”

Neal, who has been conducting lunar research at Notre Dame for more than 30 years, explained that Notre Dame’s involvement with USRA will bring benefits for researchers interested in conducting research in space as well as for those who are interested in helping to advance space exploration.

“Utilizing the space environment to conduct experiments has been revolutionary,” Neal said. “It has led to new materials and new pharmaceuticals. And now, as we understand and document useful resources on different planetary bodies, it is crucial that we understand how to utilize those resources in a very different environment from what we are used to on this planet.”

The University’s recent space-related research includes an effort by Neal’s lab to perform the first-ever analysis of samples collected in 1972 from the surface of the moon in vacuum tubes by Apollo 17 astronauts.

Additionally, Tengfei Luo, the Dorini Family Professor for Energy 91��Ƶ, used the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to gain a better understanding of the competing physical forces involved in the dynamics of bubbles. In another experiment aboard the ISS, Meenal Datta, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, explored how the microgravity environment affects the development of organoids that could lead to more efficient and effective models for cancer research.

Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, said, “Space is an exciting new frontier for making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. We are grateful to the USRA for recognizing the distinctive contribution Notre Dame can make to these efforts.”

Rhoads added, “It is particularly inspiring to see the ways Notre Dame researchers are looking to space to advance human health on Earth — whether by improving disease detection, creating more realistic disease models or developing new and better therapeutics in space.”

To learn more about the USRA, visit usra.edu.

Contact: Brett Beasley, writer and editorial program manager, Notre Dame Research, bbeasle1@nd.edu, 574-631-8183; research.nd.edu, @UNDResearch

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on May 22.

White House’s Jake Braun addresses statewide cybersecurity summit at Notre Dame

2024-05-01T08:00:00-04:00

On April 18, leaders in cybersecurity from government, industry and academia gathered for the 2024 Indiana Statewide Cybersecurity Summit hosted by the University of Notre Dame in collaboration with co-sponsors Indiana University, Purdue University, and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The invited guests, which included the White House’s Jake Braun, gave voice to an urgent call for cross-sector collaboration to address the current shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals across the state and the nation.

“There are 500,000 open cybersecurity positions around the country and thousands of vacancies in Indiana,” said Braun, the acting principal deputy national cyber director in the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director. Established by a bipartisan act of Congress in 2021, Braun’s office spearheaded the development of the President’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, which was issued by President Joe Biden on March 2, 2023.

Braun called the effort to fill cybersecurity positions “a national security imperative.” He said that cybersecurity professionals are critical for protecting everything from water systems to the electric grid to airports and national defense systems.

Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, said, “I can think of few issues right now that are more impactful on society than the issue of cybersecurity.” Rhoads called the summit, which is now in its third year, “a shining example of how universities, government and industry can come together to solve really complex challenges.”

Jarek Nabrzyski, director of Notre Dame’s Center for Research Computing, served as the program committee chair and the host for the summit. Nabrzyski, who is also a concurrent professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, shared his hope that the meeting will serve as a segway to “establishing more coordinated action here in Indiana,” including a statewide cybersecurity task force.

“Cybersecurity is more critical than ever as we think about a world where AI, drones, unmanned vehicles and robots are the norm. In order to make use of these capabilities, we must also have a coordinated plan for how we will secure our critical infrastructure,” Nabrzyski said.

Luiz A. DaSilva offered a keynote address on his experiences as co-founding executive director of Virginia’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. DaSilva explained how the initiative connects the state’s colleges and universities to create a statewide engine for cybersecurity research, workforce development and innovation. DaSilva also offered insights for building a similar statewide initiative in Indiana.

DaSilva explained that by creating a statewide initiative, universities can increase resources from state, local, corporate and federal sources.

“The key message,” DaSilva said, “is that we can work together to ‘grow the pie’ rather than competing against each other for a slightly larger piece of a smaller pie.”

To find out more about the annual Indiana Statewide Cybersecurity Summit, visit indianacybersummit.org.

Contact: Brett Beasley, writer and editorial program manager, Notre Dame Research, bbeasle1@nd.edu, 574-631-8183; research.nd.edu, @UNDResearch

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on April 26.

Sen. Todd Young, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan visit Notre Dame to discuss critical investments in science and technology

2024-04-29T14:59:00-04:00

On Thursday (April 25), Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), joined U.S. Sen. Todd Young in a visit to the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The pair met with faculty, students and University leaders and discussed how research and innovation can drive better policymaking, grow the local economy and contribute to national security.

Young said, “As I travel around the state, I am inspired by the quality of students and the quality of research at our universities — and we have that at Notre Dame. Some of the best research in the country is happening here. That is exactly why I thought it was important that the director of the National Science Foundation come to Indiana, see it for himself and meet many of the researchers whose projects have been funded by the NSF.”

Panchanathan, who was appointed as the 15th director of the NSF in 2020, stressed that his agency invests in discovery, curiosity and exploratory research with the aim of serving not just researchers, but all of humanity.

“Pick any technology that we rely on today, and chances are the NSF had a hand in supporting its development,” Panchanathan said. “Artificial intelligence, for example, which we hear so much about today, was sustained by investments from the NSF for almost six decades.”

During his visit, Panchanathan was welcomed by senior Notre Dame leaders, including University President-elect Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., and John T. McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. Panchanathan also met with Notre Dame faculty members who were recently awarded through the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development Program.

A final session focused on wireless technology and highlighted the ways through which Notre Dame researchers are partnering with the local community. South Bend Mayor James Mueller and the city’s chief innovation officer, Denise Linn Riedl, joined Notre Dame Wireless Institute co-directors Nicholas Laneman and Bertrand Hochwald to discuss how researchers are working with the city to enhance the region’s innovation ecosystem. Hochwald and Laneman, both professors in the Department of Electrical Engineering, discussed Notre Dame’s history as the site of the nation’s first long-distance wireless transmission and its current work leading SpectrumX, the NSF Spectrum Innovation Initiative Center.

Several Notre Dame graduate student recipients of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship were also able to discuss their projects with Panchanathan and Young.

Panchanathan said, “The future is always about the young talent, the young minds. And I can tell you that when I meet students all across the country, I have no doubts that our country will be at the vanguard of innovation.”

Panchanathan also commented on the University of Notre Dame and its ongoing relationship with the NSF.

“Notre Dame is a fantastic institution,” Panchanathan said. “It is a place of great ideas and tremendous talent. But it is also founded on values and is committed to serving humanity. At the NSF, we find that when you pursue research and commit to serving others, you find a new dimension of excitement and possibility.”

Notre Dame Research hosted this visit together with Notre Dame’s Office of Federal and Washington Relations, which serves as a resource and connection point for all members of the Notre Dame community, including faculty, current students, alumni and friends of the University. To learn more about Notre Dame’s work and opportunities in the nation’s capital, visit federalrelations.nd.edu.

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on April 26.

Notre Dame sends cancer research aboard the International Space Station

2024-03-21T11:00:00-04:00

SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket

Researchers will gather new insights about cancerous tumors using the station’s microgravity environment

University of Notre Dame researchers are taking their science to space aboard NASA’s 30th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission, which is slated to launch no earlier than Thursday (March 21).

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft will lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and travel to the International Space Station (ISS), which is in orbit roughly 250 miles above Earth’s surface. In addition to food, supplies and equipment for the ISS crew, the spacecraft will transport an experimental study from researchers in Notre Dame’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

Assistant Professor Meenal Datta, an affiliate of Notre Dame’s Harper Cancer Research Institute, is leading the study. She plans to use the unique microgravity environment found aboard the space station to gain new insights into human biology.

The self-contained experiment uses materials and methods similar to those Datta uses in her lab at Notre Dame, but the experimental procedures have been miniaturized and automated in partnership with Space Tango using its CubeLab technology.

“Researchers have been studying the body and biological processes in space since the ISS first launched,” she said. “It goes hand-in-hand with space exploration and is a key part of keeping astronauts safe and healthy. But increasingly researchers are turning their attention toward ways research in space can improve life on Earth.”

Datta’s experiment will shed light on glioblastoma, a fast-growing, aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer.

“There are all sorts of advantages to studying brain cancer in microgravity,” she explained. “When you study brain tumors on Earth, that usually means studying them in a flat layer in a dish on a benchtop. But the microgravity environment of the ISS provides conditions that in some ways mimic how a tumor would form when it is suspended within the brain’s tissues.”

Datta’s experiment focuses on one particularly difficult step in studying brain cancer: growing tiny structures that resemble human organs known as organoids. Organoids function as “stand-ins” or “avatars” for human tissues in experimental studies. Datta and her team use organoids developed from glioblastoma and immune cells to discover how immune cells interact with cancerous cells. They will be among the first researchers to grow glioblastoma-immune organoids in space and compare their growth and development to similar structures grown on Earth.

“Organoids form organically from human cells,” she said, “but in Earth’s gravity, they are heterogeneous and form slowly. Microgravity will provide an environment where they can form quickly and regularly, allowing for clearer and more reproducible results in experimental studies, including drug discovery and testing.”

To provide a control condition for the study, Datta’s lab at Notre Dame will run an Earth-based experiment parallel to the one that will take place during the 30-day space expedition. After the mission is complete, Datta and Alice Burchett, a doctoral student in Notre Dame’s Bioengineering Graduate Program, will collect the samples and thoroughly analyze the differences.

Datta’s experiment is not the first by a Notre Dame researcher to take place on the ISS. In 2021, Tengfei Luo conducted a groundbreaking study with Space Tango on the formation of bubbles in space, the results of which recently appeared in the Nature journal Microgravity.

Datta said she plans to work with Luo and a host of other researchers at Notre Dame to send additional experiments to the ISS.

“As surprising as it may sound,” Datta said, “when it comes to advancing health research, there are many things we can do more efficiently in space than on the ground. Space provides a better way to synthesize a reproducible model. And better models allow us to more quickly develop and test the treatments that can fight this cancer and ultimately save lives.”

In addition to the Harper Cancer Research Institute, Datta is an affiliate of the Eck Institute for Global Health, the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health, NDnano, the Warren Center for Drug Discovery, the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society and the Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases.

Find more information, including instructions for viewing the launch, in NASA’s news release.

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu

Researchers to develop electronic nose for rapid disease detection

2024-02-26T08:00:00-05:00

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator Program has awarded $650,000 to the University of Notre Dame to support the development of an advanced electronic nose that researchers say could help prevent the next pandemic.

“Human health is linked with animal health, and we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic what can happen when a disease passes from animals to humans and continues to spread uncontained,” explained Nosang V. Myung, the Bernard Keating-Crawford Endowed Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Myung, who also directs the micro- and nanoscale biomedical instrumentation theme at the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health, will lead the development of the new technology. His team is one of 16 teams awarded under Track L: Real-World Chemical Sensing Applications.

Myung said the electronic nose will build on existing technologies developed in his lab at Notre Dame. It will complement conventional disease prevention and management approaches by adding real-time disease monitoring.

A researcher works with a prototype of the electronic nose in the Myung Lab.

To build the device, Myung and his team of collaborators will develop new, high-sensitivity materials using nano-engineering processes. Still, Myung says the device will be portable and affordable, so it can be used on-site by farmers, packing plant inspectors, animal husbandry technicians and others.

“The idea is to use data to make critical decisions quickly — to isolate or treat infected animals, for example — to minimize the spread of diseases,” Myung explained.

During the project’s first phase, Myung and his collaborators will equip the electronic nose to detect avian flu, which resulted in more than 40 million animal deaths and over $2.5 billion in economic losses during a 2022 outbreak. The researchers will gather data from infected birds and healthy birds and will employ machine-learning techniques to train the electronic nose to distinguish between the two.

At the same time, Emily Stoler, assistant director of risk assessment at Notre Dame’s IDEA Center, will work with Myung and his team to evaluate and pursue potential commercial opportunities associated with the electronic nose technology.

During the project’s second phase, the researchers will train the electronic nose to detect an array of other infections, both in animals and in humans. The end result will be a flexible monitoring system that can be taken to sites where infections are most likely to occur or spread.

Finally, the researchers will develop a user-friendly graphic interface that allows users to operate the device wirelessly using a smartphone and see results in real-time.

Components of the electronic nose technology.

Although it has been two decades since a landmark experiment found that dogs were effective at using smell to detect human bladder cancer, the use of smell for disease diagnosis remains rare. Myung said the new device has the potential to show that smell is a valuable surveillance technique that can be affordable, accessible and also highly sensitive. The team predicts that the electronic nose will be capable of detecting smells at a sensitivity of one part per billion.

The academic collaborators who will join Myung in developing the electronic nose technology include:

Richard Bowen, a professor of reproductive biology and virology at Colorado State University. Bowen also directs the Animal Models Core of the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease.
Yamil Colón, assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Colón is an expert in computational materials discovery and design.
Bruce Kimball, a chemical ecologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center. Monell is an independent, nonprofit scientific institute dedicated to interdisciplinary basic research on taste and smell.

To learn more, visit myung-lab.com.

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on Feb. 16.

New ND-GAIN data shines spotlight on small islands’ climate vulnerability and adaptation efforts

2023-12-19T12:00:00-05:00

Palau, which lies in the western Pacific, is one of several island countries added this year to ND-GAIN.

“We will not sign our death certificate,” said Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) last week, calling for a clear commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.

Schuster was representing the Alliance of Small Island States and drawing attention to the fact that rising sea levels, tropical storms, droughts and dwindling freshwater supplies pose existential threats to life on many small islands around the world.

Despite these vulnerabilities, islands often have little influence in shaping major climate resolutions. But researchers at the University of Notre Dame say there is something that could lend islands more influence: data.

“We have lots of data on the vulnerability and preparedness of wealthy nations with highly developed infrastructure,” said Danielle Wood, director of the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) and an associate professor of the practice in Notre Dame’s College of Engineering. “But having routine data collection is expensive. Low-income countries are usually data scarce, with islands often lacking the resources to collect it. What this means is that we often have the most information on the countries likely to be the least impacted.”

Wood pointed out that the lack of data can deepen existing disparities and create a vicious cycle. “Many small islands contribute a negligible amount to greenhouse gas emissions, but we quite often don’t have a clear picture of where the most critical vulnerabilities lie or how the situation might worsen without action. That lack of data can discourage investment on the part of governments and philanthropists — including the investments that would help collect better data,” she said.

ND-GAIN is a signature climate change adaptation tool that has long been central to conversations at COP and other climate change conferences. Updated annually, ND-GAIN’s Country Index ranks more than 180 nations according to how vulnerable they are to climate change and how prepared they are to deal with climate change’s effects.

Until this year, measurements specific to islands were largely absent from ND-GAIN. This year’s update, however, includes data on Nauru, Palau and the Marshall Islands. It also includes updated vulnerability indicators that reflect the core concerns of islands, such as how dependent the country is on imported energy.

“Before the recent addition of these islands, we have routinely received questions about data for islands and representation in ND-GAIN,” said Brian Wanbaugh, program manager for ND-GAIN.

“This update is a step in the right direction,” Wood cautioned, “but it helps make the case that the data needs to be part of a larger conversation about justice in climate adaptation.”

Camile Cleveland, a policy manager at Hua Nani Partners, which relies on ND-GAIN in its climate policy, strategy and advocacy efforts, welcomed the updates.

“Donors and agencies are very data-driven. Without solid evidence, it’s tough to make a case for funding, and this data will help show why islands need attention and investment,” Cleveland said. “And although all islands are vulnerable to climate impacts, they are vulnerable in different ways; we need a clearer picture of who is most at risk now.”

Cleveland also emphasizes that we should see islands not just as vulnerable places on the “front lines” of climate change but also as leaders developing innovative solutions to climate adaptation.

“Island communities were thriving on their own for centuries before colonizers reached their shores, so they have cultures and indigenous practices that reflect an impressive mastery of natural systems,” Cleveland said. “These cultures combined with the need to adapt to climate impacts are leading to innovations that should be given more attention on the global stage.”

The updated ND-GAIN Country Index is available to download at gain.nd.edu. Free and open source, the ND-GAIN Country Index helps decision-makers in governments, nongovernmental organizations, corporations and academia prioritize investments for a more efficient response to the global challenges ahead, such as overcrowding, food insecurity, inadequate infrastructure and civil conflicts.

ND-GAIN is a program within Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative, with more than 60 faculty across several disciplines pursuing research solutions for some of the key environmental challenges of our time.

Contact: Brett Beasley, writer and editorial program manager, Notre Dame Research, bbeasle1@nd.edu, 574-631-8183; research.nd.edu, @UNDResearch

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on Dec. 15.

Notre Dame helps establish first US node of top computational modeling network

2023-12-13T08:00:00-05:00

The European Centre for Atomic and Molecular Computation (CECAM) is the longest-running European institute for promoting computational methods. Sometimes called the “third pillar of science,” computational methods involve a new form of discovery that complements theory and experimentation. These methods have become central for advanced research in materials science, medicine, biology and other fields. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, CECAM initiates research and training at 17 different nodes across Europe and Israel.

This month, the University of Notre Dame announced it will help launch an 18th CECAM node, extending CECAM’s network to the United States for the first time.

The node, which will be called CECAM-US-Central node, will be based at and led by the University of Chicago. In addition to the University of Chicago and Notre Dame, several leading Midwestern research universities will be founding partners, including Northwestern University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Argonne National Laboratory will also serve as a founding partner.

Edward Maginn, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering and associate vice president for research

Edward Maginn, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering and associate vice president for research at Notre Dame, said, “The University of Notre Dame is excited to partner in the establishment of CECAM-US-Central. Notre Dame has long been a leader in the field of molecular modeling and simulation, and the establishment of this CECAM node will allow us to further strengthen our research in this rapidly changing field. Along with our partner institutions, we look forward to developing this node into an intellectual hub for the advancement and application of new simulation and modeling methods to solve some of the most challenging problems facing society.”

CECAM Director Andrea Cavalli said, “The CECAM-US-Central remarkably impacts the global positioning of CECAM by creating its first node outside of Europe. This node brings together a strong and exciting consortium of partners. It provides CECAM with a unique opportunity to strengthen further knowledge exchange between European and U.S. researchers in computational science. These scientific and technological activities are crucial to fostering exciting collaborations in leading-edge theories, software and applications to address grand challenges for societal progress.”

The node and its members will host workshops, seminars and conferences and provide opportunities to jointly develop training programs and networks. Faculty and students will also have the opportunity to visit and/or work alongside peers at other CECAM nodes.

The new node will officially launch in January, and its first activity will be an academic conference to be held at the University of Chicago in July.

Contact: Brett Beasley, writer and editorial program manager, Notre Dame Research, bbeasle1@nd.edu, 574-631-8183; research.nd.edu, @UNDResearch

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on Dec. 8.

Notre Dame joins IBM, Meta, other partners in founding new AI Alliance

2023-12-05T11:00:00-05:00

On Tuesday (Dec. 5), the University of Notre Dame joined with partners around the world to launch the AI Alliance. The AI Alliance is a broad, international coalition of organizations that are working across numerous aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) education, research, development, deployment and governance. Its aim is to enhance the social benefits of AI by supporting open innovation and ensuring that AI systems are safe, secure and trustworthy.

“Innovations in artificial intelligence offer, at the same time, the promise of serving the common good and the threat of undermining it. It is critical that we engage serious ethical questions about AI alongside the technological,” said University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. “Notre Dame has long been a place for researching and reflecting on the ethical implications of science and technology, and we are pleased that through the AI Alliance we will be able to lend a distinctive voice and perspective to the conversation about building technologies that are both innovative and ethical.”

Led by IBM and Meta, the AI Alliance also includes builders of hardware and software such as AMD, as well as creators of open-source AI tools and models. In addition to Notre Dame, university partners in the AI Alliance include Cornell University; Dartmouth College; Imperial College London; Indian Institute of Technology Bombay; Technical University of Munich; the University of California, Berkeley’s College of Computing, Data Science, and Society; University of Illinois; University of Tokyo; Yale University; and others.

Through the range and diversity of its partners, the AI Alliance plans to “shape the evolution of AI in ways that better reflect the needs and the complexity of our societies.” With this approach to AI development, the AI Alliance “stands in contrast to a vision that aims to relegate AI innovation and value creation to a small number of companies with a closed, proprietary vision for the AI industry.”

“The technologies that will truly move our world forward will be the ones that emerge from an inclusive, interdisciplinary innovation ecosystem,” said Jeffrey F. Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “As a founding partner in the AI Alliance, Notre Dame’s engineers, data scientists, ethicists and other researchers will be able to collaborate to build that ecosystem, joining both with AI labs around the world and with the industry partners who get new technologies into the hands of users.”

Rhoads added, “This will bring an unprecedented opportunity to our faculty and our students as they help steer innovations that bring benefits to society.”

AI Alliance members will participate in working groups to develop the following:

Benchmarks, tools and other resources that enable the responsible development and use of AI systems at a global scale.
Benchmarks and evaluation standards for open model releases and model deployment into applications.
An ecosystem of open foundation models with diverse modalities, including highly capable multilingual, multimodal and scientific models that can help address society-wide challenges in climate, human health and beyond.
An AI hardware accelerator ecosystem that boosts the contributions and adoption of essential enabling software technology.
AI skills building, education and exploratory research.
Educational content and resources to inform the public discourse and policymakers on the benefits, risks, solutions and precision regulation for AI.
Initiatives that encourage open development of AI in safe and beneficial ways and events to explore AI and show how alliance members are using open technology in AI responsibly and for good.

As it participates in the AI Alliance, Notre Dame builds upon its commitments in its recently announced Strategic Framework and will draw upon its established strengths in technology ethics research, applied technology ethics, values-based technology education, trusted AI and data science as a force for good.

To learn more about the AI Alliance, visit thealliance.ai.

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu

New technology could lead to quick, minimally invasive cancer diagnoses

2023-10-20T07:00:00-04:00

Reprinted with permission from Sharma, Himani, Vivek Yadav, Crislyn D’Souza-Schorey, David B. Go, Satyajyoti Senapati and Hsueh-Chia Chang. "A Scalable High-Throughput Isoelectric Fractionation Platform for Extracellular Nanocarriers: Comprehensive and Bias-Free Isolation of Ribonucleoproteins from Plasma, Urine, and Saliva." ACSnano 17, no. 10 (2023): 9388-9404. Copyright 2023 American Chemical Society.

A new device created at the University of Notre Dame employs an innovative method for “listening in” on cells’ conversations.

Scientists have long known that RNA (ribonucleic acid) acts as a messenger inside cells, translating DNA information to help cells make proteins.

But recently, scientists have discovered that certain types of RNA venture outside the cell wall. Each of these strands of “extracellular RNA,” or exRNA, rests inside a tiny carrier “bottle” and flows along bodily fluids like a microscopic message in a bottle, carrying information to other cells.

The new appreciation for exRNA also raised a tantalizing possibility: Could we use exRNA as a way of “listening in” on cells’ conversations?

“These extracellular RNAs are a goldmine of information,” said Hsueh-Chia Chang, the Bayer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. “They can carry the early warning signs of cancer, heart disease, HIV and other life-threatening conditions.”

Chang, an expert in nanofluidics, explains that diagnosing a disease using exRNA could prove not only more effective but also faster and cheaper than existing methods, since there is enough exRNA in a small sample of blood or another bodily fluid to signal the presence of many diseases.

But intercepting and interpreting exRNA messages has been a difficult challenge. Many labs have attempted to filter them from samples of blood or other bodily fluids. Many others have used advanced centrifuges to isolate exRNA. These methods have met with little success for a simple reason: The different types of “bottles” that carry exRNA messages overlap in size and weight. Even the most advanced filters and centrifuges leave many carriers jumbled together. Labs using these methods have to add additional steps in which they add chemicals or small magnetic particles to further sort the carriers into discrete groups.

Four years ago, Chang and a team of researchers at Notre Dame decided to try a radically new approach, and their idea received support from the Common Fund of the National Institutes of Health, which selects promising “high-risk, innovative endeavors with the potential for extraordinary impact.”

Chang was joined by three other Notre Dame faculty members: Crislyn D’Souza-Schorey, the Morris Pollard Professor of Biological Sciences; David Go, vice president and associate provost for academic strategy and the Viola D. Hank Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering; and Satyajyoti Senapati, research associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Postdoctoral fellow Himani Sharma served as project lead, and chemical and biomolecular engineering graduate student Vivek Yadav helped conduct the research.

In a study published in ACS Nano, Sharma, Chang and their colleagues describe the groundbreaking device that resulted from their research. The new technology uses a combination of pH (acidity/basicity) and electrical charge to separate the carriers. The idea relies on the fact that although the carriers overlap in size and weight, each type has a distinct “isoelectric point” — the pH, or level of acidity/basicity, at which it has no positive or negative charge.

The device integrates several existing technologies developed at Notre Dame and fits neatly in the palm of the hand.

Flowing through the middle of the device is what looks like a simple stream of water. But there is something special about the stream that is not visible to the naked eye. At the left side, the water is highly acidic, with a pH about the same as a glass of grapefruit juice. On the other side of the stream, the water is highly basic, with a pH similar to a bottle of ammonia.

A special feature of the device is not just the fact that it has a pH gradient in the stream but also how it achieves that gradient. The technology is able to generate the gradient without the addition of any chemicals, making it cheaper, more eco-friendly and more efficient to run than designs that rely on added acids and bases.

Postdoctoral fellow Himani Sharma holds a prototype of the device in the Chang Lab.

The gradient comes not from a chemical but from a two-sided membrane powered by a specially designed chip. The membrane splits the water in two ions (H+ and OH-) and adds a different kind of ion to each side of the stream. One side of the membrane releases acidic hydronium ions, and the other size releases basic hydroxide ions. When the basic and acidic streams flow together, they create a pH gradient just as hot and cold streams flowing together would form hot and cold sides with a gradient of temperature through the middle of the stream. The team used the two devices running in parallel to select the pH range required for carrier separation and optimized the process using machine learning.

The pH gradient achieved what filters and centrifuges could not: It caused the exRNA carriers floating in the stream to sort themselves like colors of light passing through a prism. The different types of carriers formed lines along their isoelectric points where they could easily flow out into separate outlets.

Thanks to the new method, the research team was able to generate very pure samples (up to 97 percent pure) using less than a milliliter of blood plasma, saliva or urine. The process was also lightning-fast compared to current methods. Whereas the best existing technologies take about a day to achieve separation, the Notre Dame team was able to comprehensively sort their sample in just half an hour.

“We have filed for a patent and soon hope that the technology will be commercialized, so that it can help improve diagnoses of cancer and other diseases,” said Sharma, who won several awards for her work on the study from Notre Dame’s Harper Cancer Research Institute.

“Noncommunicable diseases are responsible for more than 70 percent of deaths worldwide, and cardiovascular disease and cancer are responsible for most of that number,” Sharma said. “Our technology shows a path to improving the way clinicians diagnose these diseases, and that could save a tremendous number of lives.”

Contact: Brandi Wampler, associate director of media relations, 574-631-2632, brandiwampler@nd.edu

Originally published by Brett Beasley at research.nd.edu on Oct. 18.