Notre Dame News | Notre Dame News | News

A better start for NICU families: Notre Dame leads the way in neonatal intensive care

2025-05-29T08:47:00-04:00

In this episode, Kathleen Kolberg, Ph.D., Associate Dean, College of Science, Office of the Dean, Assistant Director of the Center for Health Sciences Advising, shares how Notre Dame helped set the standard for NICU design and care.

We also hear from Ainee Martin, a recently graduated chemical engineering and pre-med student whose passion for helping others was born of her past experience with medical professionals following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Their stories reflect the University of Notre Dame’s interdisciplinary approach to healthcare—one that’s preparing the next generation of doctors to be a force for good in the world.

Listen now

Fighting poverty: Research helping our communities

2025-03-24T14:20:00-04:00

Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) is using research to fight poverty in a way that makes a real impact.

This podcast episode features Heather Reynolds, managing director of the Notre Dame Poverty Initiative and the Michael L. Smith Managing Director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), who shares how Notre Dame’s research has shaped policy changes—such as expanding access to high school diplomas for adults—and helped nonprofits implement programs that truly work. With more than 100 projects in 30 states, LEO’s evidence-based approach is cutting through political divides to create solutions that lift people out of poverty.

We’re also joined by Tracy Kijewski-Correa, the William J. Pulte Director of the Keough 91��Ƶ’s Pulte Institute for Global Development. She discusses how her experiences—from being a first-generation student at Notre Dame to leading post-disaster rebuilding efforts—have shaped her work in helping communities build resilience. She also explains how the Keough 91��Ƶ’s approach to poverty extends beyond economic hardship, addressing social, psychological, and environmental challenges to foster true human flourishing.

By collaborating with policymakers, local leaders, and global networks, Notre Dame is bridging the gap between poverty research and real-world impact. Listen to the full episode of Notre Dame Stories to learn how Notre Dame is driving change—and why this work matters.

Listen to the podcast

Podcast: Advancing Rare Disease Research and Patient Advocacy

2025-02-18T10:38:00-05:00

Notre Dame researchers are advancing rare disease research and patient advocacy, driving groundbreaking discoveries to bring hope to patients and families.

Watch the podcast

Notre Dame in 2024

2024-12-26T17:00:00-05:00

As the University of Notre Dame stands on the threshold of its next bold iteration, we celebrate breakthroughs in research and the launch of key strategic initiatives in mental health, democracy, poverty, and more. We celebrated the start of a new era of leadership while making bold commitments to increase affordability and access. Anchored by our mission to be a force for good in the world, Our Lady’s University stands poised to take on a new year. But first, we reflect.

View the year in review

Merry Christmas from Notre Dame

2024-12-19T15:14:00-05:00

May we be the seekers of truth, the sustainers of hope, and the builders of bridges that our world needs.

– Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., University President

Reasons to serve

2024-12-16T13:30:00-05:00

History, West Point, and 9/11 memorial inspire ND ROTC students in New York

About two dozen seniors in the Notre Dame Army ROTC program were impressed with the mealtime rituals at the United States Military Academy at West Point: the corps formations with drums and bugle, the historic Washington Hall that reminds visitors of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and the efficiency and precision of feeding 4,000 cadets in a matter of minutes.

But when the Notre Dame students in school gear waded into the cavernous mess hall with the gray-clad Army cadets, a chorus of boos erupted.

James Lindell, a senior from Hawaii who wore a Notre Dame Glee Club jacket, said he didn’t mind. He expected it on the Thursday before Army faced Notre Dame in a football game at Yankee Stadium in late November.

“I understood it was all in the spirit of competition,” Lindell said. “Once we all sat down at lunch, I got to meet the cadets I was sitting with. The football rivalry was quickly an afterthought to learning about each other’s college experiences.”

Read the story

Con todo el corazón (With all our heart)

2024-12-12T08:41:00-05:00

Coro Primavera celebrates Latino community on campus

Enter the Basilica of the Sacred Heart during the 3:30 Sunday Mass, and you’ll hear a choir singing the tunes of the same church songs you remember—except the lyrics are in Spanish. Or you may hear some different melodies that bring new meaning to the word catholic, or universal.

Coro Primavera, Notre Dame’s Spanish choir, sings every Sunday at La Misa en Español in the Basilica. The choir treats each Mass as a celebration that not only uplifts the spirit, but also fosters a profound sense of belonging and pride, where the richness of Latino heritage shines through. That’s the goal for Jaimie Lopez-Alvarez, a senior and Coro’s co-president.

“Coro, for me, is really a space to de-stress and step aside from the busyness of campus, and it also helps me feel closer to home because I’m also part of a choir back home, so I feel really connected to my culture,” she said. “Being so far from home, it reminds me of my family, but it also helps me grow my faith in a different way, incorporating my love for music and song.”

Read the story

How was your break? What we did while campus was on vacation, summer 2024

2024-08-20T10:59:00-04:00

University photographers Barbara Johnston and Matt Cashore share a little of what they’ve photographed since the pomp and circumstance of Commencement came to a close.

View the photo essay

"Learn every day"

2024-05-08T09:14:00-04:00

In October, it was announced that Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., would step down from his role as the 17th president of the University of Notre Dame. He has shaped and grown the University and its impact over the past 19 years in research, global engagement, and by attracting super faculty and the highest caliber students, just to name a few.

In this special episode of Notre Dame Stories, Father Jenkins reflects on his tenure with host Jenna Liberto.

Watch the podcast

Notre Dame as a leading research university

2024-03-22T08:50:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame has experienced transformational growth in research over the past decade. The evidence is everywhere on campus, both in the talent of the faculty and the resources devoted to making Notre Dame a leading research institution.

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, host Jenna Liberto talks to Vice President for Research Jeff Rhoads, who shares his plans for expanding the University's impact globally.

Watch now

Women Lead 2024

2024-03-07T09:33:00-05:00

As the University of Notre Dame celebrates International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, meet eight individuals who are accelerating progress in their respective fields and advancing the University’s mission as a leading research institution that is a means for good in the world.

Read their stories

Breathe with both lungs

2024-02-23T14:00:00-05:00

Notre Dame's theology chair demonstrates Catholic character in a global context

What comes to mind when you think about the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame? Likely, an image of traditional Roman Catholicism. But the Church is a global body with diverse traditions and people who lead them. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the life story of the chair of Notre Dame’s Department of Theology, Father Khaled Anatolios.

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, we explore one way the University embraces and advances its Catholic character in the global context.

Listen to the episode

G.K. Chesterton and Notre Dame

2023-10-27T10:53:00-04:00

The writer’s things add a new dimension to the University’s presence in London

When Rev. Charles O’Donnell, C.S.C., assumed the presidency of the University in 1928, he sought to bring to campus guest lecturers who could help elevate Notre Dame’s academic reputation. One such invitation was extended to Gilbert Keith (G.K.) Chesterton of England. It was, in some ways, an obvious choice: At the time, Chesterton was the most famous Catholic writer in the world.

Read the story

Defending democracy

2023-10-20T09:23:00-04:00

Kellogg visiting fellows work toward justice in their native countries

The democratic government in Ukraine is under military attack from a Russian invasion, while the democracy in Nicaragua was undermined from within by an elected but autocratic leader.

Representatives from both countries — Nazarii Stetsyk and Juan Sebastián Chamorro — are among the nine visiting fellows currently participating in a program the Kellogg Institute for International 91��Ƶ has run since 1983. This residential program offers visiting faculty the time to pursue scholarly inquiry wherever it takes them, advance their personal research and collaborate with other scholars from across the U.S. and world.

In the spirit of this year’s Notre Dame Forum focusing on “The Future of Democracy,” here are their stories, which illustrate two of the ways that democracy can be threatened or dissolved. In a world where democracies are measurably losing ground, their experiences offer profound lessons in the ongoing fight for freedom, justice and a government that is responsive to the needs of its people.

Read the story

G.K. Chesterton and Notre Dame

2023-10-20T08:12:00-04:00

In this episode, we look at the relationship between the great Catholic intellectual G.K. Chesterton and the University of Notre Dame. Chesterton spent a semester on campus in 1930, lending his intellectual prowess and good humor to the Notre Dame community. Today, a collection of his personal belongings is adding a new dimension to the University’s presence in London.

The connection between dreams and work productivity

2023-09-22T09:32:00-04:00

We know that a good night’s sleep can help you at work…but what role do dreams play in your 9-to-5? We sat down with Casher Belinda, assistant professor for management at the Mendoza College of Business, to discuss a new study that shows how the emotions we experience at night can help us during the day.

A picture of drought: ND ecologist matching NASA images with field data to measure forest health

2023-09-13T15:48:00-04:00

Nate Swenson strides so quickly through the Wisconsin forest while carrying a large pole clipper that postdoctoral researcher Vanessa Rubio usually follows the 40 feet of rope dragging behind him.

When they reach the designated plot, Swenson extends the clipper about 30 feet high and pulls the rope to snip off a leafy twig from the canopy of a tall, tagged tree. The twig floats down through the dappled sunlight and lands in his hand.

It would be a majestic scene but for the mosquitoes. Hundreds and thousands of them, swarming everything that smells like warm blood.

Swenson cuts twigs from nine sample trees in each plot where the reflection of light from the leaves could show up in a space-based image. Rubio selects one leaf from each twig, folds it into a labeled test tube, and drops it in a metal canister of liquid nitrogen.

This flash freezing will preserve its RNA, which degrades quickly otherwise. Later in his campus lab, Swenson can study the leaf’s gene expression, which changes as it is stressed by drought later in the summer.

Read the story

How Notre Dame became the "Fighting Irish"

2023-08-23T14:12:00-04:00

One of the more popular stories we've produced is on the origin of the University's athletics nickname, the "Fighting Irish."

As the football team prepares to open its season in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, we revisit that history to open the new season of Notre Dame Stories.

Guest narration by Brian Ó Conchubhair of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish 91��Ƶ.

Explore the University's relationship with the Emerald Isle at: https://www.nd.edu/stories/ireland-series/east-and-west/

The Census Tree

2023-08-14T10:45:00-04:00

Kasey Buckles is more of an economist than a family genealogist. Most of her past work explores the economics of the family, demography, and child health.

But she decided to try the genealogy website FamilySearch because she was working with Brigham Young University economist Joseph Price on a study of intergenerational mobility. Buckles knew how difficult it can be to track and link the historical records of one person over time, especially women who change names when they marry.

She decided to look up her great-grandmother, and was surprised to see that some of her U.S. census records were already attached to her profile on FamilySearch. In 1910, the 2-year-old was listed as Mary L. Gaddie. A decade later, she went by her middle name of Lettie. And by 1940, she was a married woman: M. Lettie Caswell.

Buckles knew traditional research methods that attempt to trace a person by following the same name over time would have failed to make the connections.

Read the story

Golden Hour

2023-07-24T10:22:00-04:00

For the first time in nearly two decades, the famous dome atop the University's Main Building is being regilded.