Workshop Video

The stately gallery in Bond Hall was alive with activity during Solarium26, an annual fine arts show and signature event hosted each year by the Graduate School. Visitors moved slowly from piece to piece—studying the artwork, reflecting on it, and reading the ekphrastic reflections displayed beside the works. Some paused to speak with the artists about their process and the stories behind their work, while others gathered in small groups—talking about the art, enjoying the food, and celebrating the creativity and community that filled the room.

Held on March 4, 2026, Solarium26 showcased the work of talented University of Notre Dame master of fine arts (MFA) students, whose visual pieces were paired with written responses by English MFA students.

As Graduate School Dean Mike Hildreth told the crowd, the show featured "art you can see paired with art you can read." That is exactly what an ekphrastic reflection is. "It's writing that is produced in reflection of art," he explained further. "It's a new creation based upon a creation. I think that's a really cool metaphor for it."

While the art on the walls took weeks or even months to plan and create, the writing exercise was done last minute by design. The writers had roughly 24 hours to reflect on it and craft their ekphrastic response. The creativity on display by both the artists and writers made the gallery experience all the more compelling.

"It was a joy to work with such talented artists and help them showcase their work in such a beautiful space," said Veronica Vos, advisor with the Office of Grants and Fellowships, who coordinated the selection and installation of the student artwork. "This event is special because it allows us to highlight graduate student work that isn't strictly research. Artists think differently about the world and help others see the world differently. Creativity is an important part of innovation, and these students help us highlight that truth."

Several students were recognized for their visual pieces, while others were honored for the ekphrastic reflections inspired by the artwork. Together, the works illustrated the creative dialogue between visual art and writing.

Celebrating the visual arts

Alejandro Mejía Andrade, ceramics—Best of Show

Alejandro Mejía Andrade was honored with the Best of Show Award for his striking wall-mounted sculptural piece titled "The Map Is Not the Territory."

At first glance, it appears as a crumpled piece of paper. But upon closer inspection, viewers notice a carefully arranged grid of small red triangles placed in precise geometric patterns. And that's where this artist says his inspiration began. "The idea began on a small sheet of paper with fold lines that allowed me to bend it in many different ways," Mejía Andrade explains. "After experimenting with several possibilities, I started thinking that this small sculptural gesture could become something very different if it involved the whole body and not just the hands, so I decided to make it large enough to explore how our sense of space and volume changes depending on our ability to inhabit it."

Unlike the quick spark of inspiration behind it, the piece took him about a month to fully develop. Mejía Andrade cut small triangles from wood veneer and carefully glued them to paper before building a wire-and-aluminum structure that allows the piece to bend and hold its shape.

What he enjoys most about the work, he says, is its flexibility. Each time it is installed, its form shifts slightly, making it dynamic and ever-changing. "I like that the piece can be seen almost like a landscape, creating a feeling of contemplation and inner travel," he says. "We are familiar with landscape, but encountering it through other materials or situations can reinforce the idea of an internal landscape—one that can be activated whenever there is a sufficiently evocative pretext."

For Mejía Andrade, receiving the Best of Show Award was both professionally validating and personally meaningful. "Winning this distinction gives me not only more confidence in my own work, but also the opportunity to keep developing new ideas. It also makes me feel that all the effort my family and I have made to live in another country is truly worthwhile."

Kiana Bates, photography—Best Artist

Photographer Kiana Bates, who received the Best Artist Award, approached her work from a deeply personal place. Her exhibit "Cultivate" features a series of documentary-style portraits that honor her Japanese grandmother's "profound love, resilience, and quiet sacrifices as an immigrant."

Her work portrays Bates's grandmother, Baachan, as a cultivator—someone who lives her life by a Japanese phrase that means striving "to be of use." The portraits show her planting seeds, tending to her garden, and embracing her granddaughter.

"My grandmother is a woman who pours herself into other people and seeks to be useful," Bates says. "I have seen time and time again the way that she quietly serves others, particularly her family, and especially myself. This piece is in honor of her giving nature—she is a cultivator not only of her garden, but of everyone around her." And she hopes viewers of her work reflect on their own relationships with older generations and the wisdom they carry.

"I am shocked and honored to have won Best Artist at the Solarium Show," Bates shared. "Coming from a commercial photography background, it is sometimes hard to view the work that I make as 'art'. It is very validating and humbling to know that my work is seen and appreciated in the greater art world, especially at an esteemed university like Notre Dame."

Concepción Claude, visual communication design—People's Choice

Graduate School staff also had the opportunity to weigh in on their favorite work of the show, selecting Concepción Claude as the recipient of the People's Choice Award.

Claude, an MFA candidate specializing in liturgical design, presented an untitled installation from the series, The Grammar of Beauty. It featured intricately laser-cut sculptures that explore complex architectural forms and sacred spaces of the Sagrada Família.

She came to Notre Dame to research the history of sacred architecture—particularly Catholic churches—and the elements that make a space feel truly holy. "This piece was inspired by my search for a grammar of beauty; it is an exploration of how simple geometric forms can evoke a sense of transcendence and define the sacred quality of a space."

Claude says winning the People's Choice Award was an unexpected honor. "Winning this award was a beautiful surprise," she says. "It means so much to know that the public connected with my work, as it confirms that the language of beauty and harmony is something we all instinctively share."

She hopes viewers experience a sense of quiet reflection when encountering the pieces.

Celebrating the written word

Helen Quah, ekphrastic reflections—First Place

In a fitting pairing, the first-place ekphrastic reflection was inspired by the evening’s Best of Show artwork. Helen Quah, whose written piece was selected as the top ekphrastic reflection, was assigned Alejandro Mejía Andrade’s sculpture, “The Map Is Not the Territory.”

Quah said she really loved a line from Mejía Andrade's artist statement, and it was something that really resonated with her: "The smaller the divisions, the more forms became possible." And that idea sparked her imagination.

"I was thinking about how he made divisions/separations productive, and have value when looked at as a whole. I also liked peeking behind this earthy surface to see the mirror-like reflective surface on the back of the sculpture."

It made her reflect on her childhood. "I couldn't get away from thinking about the monumental landscape as similar to the memory of being close-up to my mother's face as a child," she says. "The familiarity of the contours, each one bringing depth. So I began writing there."

For Quah, the First Place recognition at Solarium was wonderful, but she also enjoyed engaging with fellow artists' work. "I think more than anything, the chance to engage with the work of the artists on campus was really special," she says. "It was a pleasure to meet Alejandro and find out more about his sculptures, installations, and ceramics."

Adalyne Perryman, ekphrastic reflections—First Runner-Up

First Runner-Up in the Ekphrastic Reflection category was Adalyne Perryman, whose poetry was inspired by Kiana Bates' photography exhibit, "Cultivate."

"I felt immediately connected to the artwork by Kiana Bates," she said. "Summer is my favorite season to experience and to write about. The wonderful greenery in her photography was instantly comforting and inspirational. I also greatly valued her view on ancestry and family. The poem came easily and naturally!"

Perryman said her poem reflects the idea of growing up with the land that raises you, suggesting that nature itself can mirror a coming-of-age story.

She also said she appreciated being surrounded by fellow writers and artists and the sense of community during the event.

"The food was really quite excellent, and the art was beyond amazing," Perryman said. "I could have looked at each piece for hours."

Daryna Gladun, ekphrastic reflections—Second Runner-Up

Second Runner-Up in the Ekphrastic Reflection category was awarded to Daryna Gladun, whose poem was inspired by Concepción Claude's "Untitled" from The Grammar of Beauty series.

"There's nothing more fragile than monumental architecture. I am thinking a lot about it in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine. When I saw the showpiece by Concepción Claude, I was instantly struck by the intricate dance of splendor and finitude embodied in [Claude's installation].”

Gladun structured her poem around Claude's interpretation of Barcelona's Sagrada Família. "I used Concepción's idea of reinventing the structure of Sagrada Família in five figures, and structured the poem accordingly," Gladun explained. "I usually tend to populate my writing with Ukrainian characters, but Sagrada Família is usually so crowded that I decided to embrace the architecture instead, and focus on verticality, hierarchy, symmetry, ornamentation, and color, in Concepción Claude's interpretation."

For Gladun, Solarium offered artists and writers a chance to encounter one another through their work and to celebrate creativity "in every shape and form."

"I met The Grammar of Beauty first, then I met the artist. Concepción first read my poem, then met me. There's something infinitely poetic—and infinitely artistic—in being introduced to one another in this manner."

Moments like these captured the spirit of Solarium26—an evening where art and writing shared the gallery and inspired conversations that continued long after the first viewing of each piece. 

Artist and writer pairings

The student installations will be available for in-person viewing Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Solarium gallery at 117 Bond Hall until May 1. For those who can't make it in person, we present the pairings of art and inspired reflections below.

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The Graduate School will launch its Spring 2026 Mentor Up! workshops on Friday, April 10, 2026. “Mentor Up” is similar to “Managing Up” from the business world: it encourages mentees to take an active, intentional role in shaping and enhancing their mentoring relationships.

The six mini lunch-hour workshops are offered every semester to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, providing practical, research-focused strategies drawn from the University of Wisconsin’s Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). They are designed to help mentees navigate and address challenges they may encounter in their careers.

Participants may attend the whole series or choose individual sessions, always held on Friday. Lunch is provided, and registration is requested to ensure accurate meal counts for catering.

Topics covered include:
• understanding the mentoring relationship and the mentee role
• maintaining effective communication
• setting realistic expectations
• navigating diverse perspectives within the mentor–mentee relationship
• building research self-efficacy
• progressing toward independence and professional development

For more information or to sign up for Mentor Up!, click here: https://gradconnect.nd.edu/portal/mentor-up.

The lights dimmed inside Decio Theatre at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The crowd quieted. The stage was sparse—a single screen, a countdown clock, and a banner. Attendees filled the main floor and spilled into the balcony, forming the largest audience in the history of the Shaheen Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) Finals at Notre Dame. This was no ordinary competition. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the 2026 finals brought graduate students to one of the most striking stages on campus to present their years of research in just three minutes.

There was an air of excitement, anticipation, and nervous energy. It was the kind of night that pushes even the most confident researchers out of their comfort zone. One by one, the 12 finalists stepped into the spotlight. They represented the Colleges of Arts & Letters, Engineering, and Science; the Mendoza College of Business; and the Keough School of Global Affairs.

During her introduction, Mary Ann McDowell, associate dean for professional development, explained how vital it is for researchers to "be able to communicate the importance of their work clearly, concisely, and passionately to a diverse audience." And she added, "Truthfully, I think the last 10 years have shown us we haven't done a very good job of that."

That challenge is exactly why 3MT matters.

Competitors have just three minutes and one static slide. Exceed the time limit, and they face automatic disqualification. Judges evaluate each presentation on the clarity of the research explanation, the effectiveness of the visual slide, and the broader impact of the work.

The range of topics was striking. Finalists presented on adaptive robotics designed to operate across varied environments and on how artificial intelligence systems might become more powerful if they could better interpret their surroundings.

Others tackled complex global issues—strengthening biodiversity policy, addressing antibiotic resistance, and examining whether exposure to toxic video game chat increases toxic behavior in subsequent play.

Health innovations were also front and center, including research examining whether a smartwatch could detect and intervene during acute mental health crises, potentially preventing suicide, alongside studies exploring diagnostic testing through breath rather than blood.

2026 3MT Winner: Marialena Bevilacqua

The 2026 3MT winner was Marialena Bevilacqua, who made history as the first winner ever from the Mendoza College of Business. In her presentation, "Preserving the Human in Humanitarian: The Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Donations to Humanitarian Organizations," she asked a critical question: As humanitarian organizations invest in innovation to combat decreased funding, are they risking the humanity that inspires generosity? Bevilacqua’s research demonstrates that replacing human roles with AI creates a perceived "mission alignment gap," with donors viewing AI as competent but emotionally distant—a shift associated with a 39% drop in donor participation.

Bevilacqua, a Ph.D. candidate in IT, Analytics and Operations, entered the competition to prepare for the job market this upcoming fall, wanting to further refine how she presents her research. It definitely took her out of her comfort zone. "I can present for 75 minutes to a room full of people in my department, and I feel fine doing that," Bevilacqua pointed out, "But presenting in 3 minutes was actually more pressure. It was very hard." She was surprised by her win, "I'm very surprised, but I'm so happy. And I feel honored to represent Mendoza in this competition."

And perhaps as meaningful, the experience reshaped how she sees her work.

"I was always skeptical of the impact of my research," she said. "Through this process, I realized that my research does have a tangible impact—and being at a place like Notre Dame allows me to pursue research that does just that. This journey was truly a great learning experience."

The $2,500 prize money was a bonus. Bevilacqua recently got engaged and says that will go toward her wedding.

2026 3MT Runner-Up: Gabriela Padilla Marrero

The runner-up, Gabriela Padilla Marrero, a post-baccalaureate scholar in the ASPIRE-ND program, presented "The Sticky Situation: Unlocking the Secret of Leishmania Survival Inside the Sand Fly."

Padilla Marrero examined the deadly parasite that causes leishmaniasis, a disease affecting roughly 1 million people each year. By studying how the parasite adheres to the sand fly's gut—potentially through sticky proteins known as mucins—she hopes to disrupt the transmission cycle and lay the groundwork for future vaccines.

The competition also strengthened her confidence as a communicator.

"I am very passionate about science communication. I think it's essential to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public," Padilla Marrero shared. "This was a good opportunity for me to exercise that and know that I'm taking a step in the right direction because my work was seen as accessible."

As second runner-up, she received $2,000—though she was arguably more excited about the oversized ceremonial check. “I mean, it’s amazing, first of all," Padilla Marrero said. "A giant check. It’s going right on my wall. A decoration.”

2026 3MT People's Choice Award: Joash Lau

Finally, the People's Choice Award went to Joash Lau for his presentation, "Capturing a Brighter Future," which blended complex chemistry with well-timed humor.

Lau says he is drawn to the idea of "combining science and art, finding a way to make something mundane to other people, interesting." This competition allowed him to do just that. In his presentation, Lau demonstrated how encircling flexible fluorescent dyes with larger molecular rings enhances their brightness for medical imaging. He earned the biggest laugh of the night when he quipped, "Much like in real life, putting on a ring greatly restricts one's freedom. But before you call off your engagement, what might seem like an unnecessary restriction leads to a dramatic enhancement in brightness.”

"It's an honor to get the People's Choice Award," Lau said. "I have some people coming up to me saying, 'Oh, I laughed at your jokes.' I like that I can connect with people through jokes. I hope the jokes can make my research a little more understandable."

Lau received $1,500, which he may use for a new suit for professional events or perhaps toward his graduation regalia this spring.

Beyond the Awards

Even finalists who did not take home a title found the competition very rewarding. Finalist Amio Ritwik, who studies aerospace and mechanical engineering, says he genuinely enjoyed every second of the experience.

"I entered the preliminary round fully prepared to be eliminated in the first stage,” Ritwik said. But once I made it through, I realized how much joy I actually found in sharing my research, and how engaging it can be for others. For me, this was a great opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, practice communicating science, and genuinely enjoy the experience."

Additional 2026 3MT Finalists Included:

• Nnamdi Chikere, Electrical Engineering
• Mariana Fernandez Espinosa, Computer Science and Engineering
• Ignacio Guarachi Cando, Global Affairs
• Jonathan Karr, Theology
• Anne Knorr, Psychology
• Ana-Teresa Mendoza, Chemistry & Biochemistry
• Fr. Emmanuel Ojeifo, Theology
• Sunan Qian, IT, Analytics, and Operations
• Amio Ritwik, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

In reflecting on the night, Mary Ann McDowell emphasized just how far the competition has come. "The 10th annual Three-Minute Thesis competition was a resounding success," she said. "With a record-breaking crowd of 250 attendees, the event continues to grow in both scale and impact each year. The presentations were truly exceptional, showcasing the world-class graduate research taking place here at Notre Dame. I am incredibly proud of our students' hard work and brilliance. Huge congratulations to everyone who took the stage."

Ten years after it first appeared on campus, 3MT continues to challenge researchers to communicate clearly, concisely, and passionately—because when research is shared boldly and accessibly, it does more than inform. It matters. See more pictures from the event in this picture gallery.

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One of the snowiest Januaries on record had left its mark on South Bend—38.6 inches of snowfall blanketing campus in white.

Against that backdrop, 55 aspiring graduate students from 45 colleges and universities across the country gathered at Notre Dame for Our Futures Weekend. For one student, it was the first time she had seen snow. For others, it was the first time they had seen this much of it. But as temperatures dipped below zero the weekend of January 30, 2026, the welcome these students received was anything but cold.

By the time the weekend ended, the snow was not the only thing that left an impression.

At the start of the weekend, Joseph Engelking, a mechanical engineering student who traveled from Rice University in Texas to Notre Dame, said, “I have been emailing professors, and trying to talk to them, and I am really excited to meet them in person and tour their labs and see what Notre Dame is all about. I want to understand if I want to go to graduate school. Right now, I am very convinced that I do. But I think this weekend will be an extra push to confirm that I do.”

For Joseph and his cohort, Our Futures Weekend was far more than a campus visit. Hosted by the Graduate School, the immersive program invited highly achieving undergraduate juniors from across the United States and Puerto Rico to Notre Dame for an all-expenses-paid introduction to graduate study under the Dome.

Now in its third year, the initiative offers an inside look at the University’s advanced degree programs, history, culture, and mission—along with practical guidance on preparing for and applying to graduate school.

"Our Futures Weekend is all about discovery,” explains Jamila Lee-Johnson, assistant dean of inclusive excellence. “I believe that Notre Dame graduate programs are a hidden gem, and this event is our way of inviting talented students to come see for themselves. By exposing them to our unique research and campus culture early on, we help them turn their interest in graduate school into a clear path forward at Notre Dame.”

Our Futures Weekend is packed with talks from Notre Dame leaders and inspirational speakers like Rev. Pete McCormick, C.S.C., assistant vice president of campus ministry. Father McCormick shared the University’s belief that education must cultivate both mind and heart.

Ron Metoyer, vice president and associate provost for teaching and learning, reflected on why he came to Notre Dame and what makes it so special. “You don’t have to be Catholic to belong here,” Metoyer emphasized. “What matters is a commitment to excellence and the shared commitment to the mission—to do good in the world through your work.”

The group also heard from current members of the Notre Dame community—a graduate student, two postdoctoral scholars, and two professors—who shared their experiences during a panel discussion titled “My Journey to Notre Dame.” They attended networking lunches with faculty, which offered more personal conversations, while breakout sessions with offices such as Grants and Fellowships and Graduate Career Services provided practical advice. Additionally, students had the opportunity to visit their academic departments of interest for a firsthand look at where their future research could unfold.

For Bryson Hannah, a mechanical engineering student at Alabama A&M University, that firsthand look came in the form of Professor Ed Kinzel’s Laser Precision Manufacturing Laboratory. “This was amazing,” Hannah said. “It was really great to actually go into the engineering department and just see what it’s really like to come to ND and be a part of Notre Dame in my field. The tours of the campus are amazing, but it’s even more meaningful to see where I would actually be working.”

Kinzel spoke candidly with Hannah’s group about the rigor of a Ph.D. program—the timing, the expectations, and how to decide whether that path is the right one. It’s that kind of interaction, says Jim Schmiedeler, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering, that is essential. “This gives students the clearest insight as to what their experiences as Ph.D. students would entail. So much of the Ph.D. experience hinges on students working on a project that excites them with a faculty mentor whose advising approach is the right fit.”

Moments like these are critical when evaluating fit and recruiting top talent.

“I’m certainly focused on recruiting the best engineering graduate students to Notre Dame,” Schmiedeler says, “but maintaining a culture of excellence across all programs on campus is just as important. Engineering students thrive when they’re surrounded by outstanding peers from other disciplines who enrich their broader academic experience.”

Students shared that connecting with other like-minded, driven peers from other institutions across the country was another meaningful—and fun—part of the experience. Between sessions, they explored campus and South Bend together, including an evening of ice skating at Howard Park.

Throughout the weekend as a whole, Our Futures Weekend participants didn't just learn about graduate school—they began to see themselves in it.

“What stood out most was the level of intention behind the weekend,” Hannah explained. “This was not a passive visit to South Bend. Every session, conversation, and interaction was purposeful and helped remove uncertainty around graduate school, replacing it with clarity and direction. The experience reframed graduate school from a checkbox into a deliberate stage of personal and professional growth.”

“You will leave the program with questions answered and resources to help you start,” added Eduarda Frizzo Pereira, who came from the University of Kentucky. “And if you still have questions, now you have the people that you can ask for help.”

Spelman College’s Savanah Carrasquillo echoed that sentiment. “Getting valuable information from the faculty, staff, and grad students here made me super excited about my future,” she said.

Those reflections capture exactly what Lee-Johnson and the Graduate School staff hope the students take away. “More than anything, I want these students to leave knowing they are now part of our family,” Lee-Johnson emphasized. “Whether they ultimately wear the blue and gold or choose another path, I hope they walk away with the conviction that they matter and their research matters. Beyond academics, my hope is that the bonds formed this weekend turn into lifelong connections with a peer group that will support them throughout their entire careers.”

Our Futures Weekend sends these scholars forward with clarity, confidence, and the conviction that their work in the world truly matters. See more pictures from the weekend in this picture gallery.

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Giulia Gliozzi is a Ph.D. student in Italian studies in the Department of Romance Languages & Literatures, a 2025–26 Graduate Justice Fellow at the Institute for Social Concerns, and a doctoral student affiliate at the Kellogg Institute.

What is the focus of your current research?

Within Italian literature, I focus specifically on Holocaust testimonies—a field that is usually dominated by survivor and chemist Primo Levi. It often feels as though Italian women didn’t experience the concentration camps or have anything to say. Sadly, this kind of erasure of women’s voices is relatable to societies beyond post–World War II Italy. It is a nearly universal experience.

To address this erasure, my research focuses on the early editorial reception of female Holocaust memoirs in Italy between 1945 and 1955. This is the decade before the Eichmann trial, which eventually sparked a boom in testimonies. I am trying to understand why some voices were neglected while others were promoted to the public during that short window. Ultimately, my goal is to reopen the Italian literary canon to integrate more female voices not simply to be more inclusive but in order to bring to life erased stories and uncover what might have been hidden. I focus on the reception of these books—not just who was listened to but also why others were not.

How did you get interested in this topic?

Though I began my career as a medievalist working with manuscripts, I felt a pull toward Holocaust history, an interest sparked first by visiting Auschwitz at the age of twelve. While that was a young age to be exposed to such a story, I have never forgotten it. My interest was further kindled by taking classes with my advisor, Charles Leavitt. During a period of discernment at Notre Dame, I realized that I wanted to develop that interest into a research project that motivates me and gives me a sense of purpose as a scholar responsible to future generations. This project allows me to merge my passion for archival research with modern questions of identity and history.

How do you view your research as contributing to the common good?

My research shows that if female survivors’ accounts mentioned being arrested by an Italian officer or being betrayed by an Italian neighbor, those accounts often disappeared or were published by tiny houses and never reached a broad public. Accounts that focused strictly on the experience within the camps—the in media res of the Holocaust—tended to have better fortune, though even these got lost in the Italian Holocaust literary canon over time.

My research advances the common good by restoring ownership to these survivors whose voices were mitigated by editors and historical narratives. In an era of rising nationalism, it is vital to challenge comfortable myths. By teaching students to look beyond the official version of history and engage with marginalized perspectives, I hope to foster a more critical, empathetic society that recognizes our shared humanity and resists repeating past injustices.

Imported from the Notre Dame Institute for Social Concerns

Originally published by David Cramer at italianstudies.nd.edu on February 16, 2026.

Former Graduate School student Paul Scherz is advancing Notre Dame’s mission to be a force for good through his co-edited book on reclaiming human agency in the age of AI.

One of the fundamental promises of artificial intelligence is that it will strengthen human agency by freeing us from mundane, repetitive tasks.

However, a new publication, co-edited by University of Notre Dame theologian Paul Scherz, argues that promise “rings hollow” in the face of efforts by technology companies to manipulate consumers — and ultimately deprive them of agency.

The book, “Reclaiming Human Agency in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” is the second in a series created by the Vatican’s AI Research Group for the Centre for Digital Culture. Part of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, the group is composed of scholars from across North America who represent a range of disciplines from theology and philosophy to computer science and business.

“We wanted to examine the idea of how AI affects human actions, human freedom and the ability of people to develop virtues — which we classified under the heading of human agency,” said Scherz, the Our Lady of Guadalupe College Professor of Theology and the ND–IBM Tech Ethics Lab Program Chair. “This is such an important topic right now because one of the most hyped developments that we’re hearing about right now is ‘agentic’ AI — or AI that will take action for people.

“We think it’s important to distinguish what the differences are between these AI agents and true human agents — and how the AI we have now is affecting our actions.”

In “Reclaiming Human Agency,” Scherz, co-editor Brian Patrick Green of Santa Clara University and their fellow research group members cite potentially problematic issues with the technology, including addictive applications, “surveillance capitalism” that exploits users’ personal data for profit, widespread de-skilling in the workplace as complex tasks are handed over to AI and the growth of algorithmic governance — where social media algorithms influence what people buy, how they perceive events and even how they vote.

They also assert that human agency should not be seen in terms of “freedom from” tasks, but in “freedom for” pursuing the good, seeking excellence and purpose by building flourishing relationships with others and with God.

“This book is really an attempt to look at a number of these problems that AI is raising but, at the same time, to examine the opportunities that AI could provide to improve our ability to act,” Scherz said. “We wanted to come up with a set of strategies that would enable AI to serve human agency in the best way possible and ensure that it isn’t undermined.”

For Scherz, who holds a doctoral degree in genetics from Harvard University and a doctoral degree in moral theology from Notre Dame, this research builds on his work at the intersection of religion and science. While researching the Human Genome Project for his 2024 book “The Ethics of Precision Medicine,” Scherz began exploring the ways that precision medicine used data analytic technologies.

“When I was invited by the Vatican to be part of this group in 2020, I was already looking at the problems that were arising around AI in that framework, how it was affecting physicians and how it might affect patients’ actions and their views of themselves,” he said. “It felt like a natural next step to begin looking at AI’s impacts more broadly in relation to the Catholic understanding of a human person.”

Notre Dame hosted a plenary session of the AI research group and Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, last summer. The session, hosted by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, not only allowed the researchers to work together on forthcoming publications, but to engage with Notre Dame faculty and students.

The University — which recently received a $50 million grant to further develop a faith-based approach to AI ethics — is an ideal place to explore the field, Scherz noted, because of both its Catholic character and academic excellence.

“As one of the world’s leading Catholic universities, Notre Dame brings the resources of the Catholic tradition to bear on this issue — which Pope Leo XIV has said is one of the defining issues of our time,” Scherz said. “And with our expertise in computer science, theology, philosophy and the history and philosophy of science, we are well-positioned to be a leader in these conversations.”

The AI research group is now working on a book focused on AI and education and will be looking next at AI’s effects on labor and the philosophies and ideologies that are active in Silicon Valley.

Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, c.gates@nd.edu or 574-993-9220

Originally published by Carrie Gates at news.nd.edu on February 17, 2026.

Is toxicity contagious? Can hateful video game chat comments make you more toxic in your next match? How do we design robots that combine physical intelligence with AI-driven decision-making? Could your smartwatch deliver real-time intervention during a mental health crisis?

These are just a few of the real-world questions Notre Dame graduate students are exploring in their research and will present at the Shaheen Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) Finals on February 25. In just three minutes, finalists will bring years of groundbreaking research to life through compelling presentations designed for a broad audience. Competitors can use only one static slide, and a visible countdown clock keeps each presentation to three minutes—exceeding the time limit results in automatic disqualification. The competition is open to the public, offering a front-row seat to the innovative research Notre Dame graduate students are conducting and the ideas shaping our future.

This year, following a week of highly competitive preliminary rounds, 12 graduate students from the Colleges of Arts & Letters, Engineering, and Science; the Mendoza College of Business; and the Keough School of Global Affairs advanced to the Shaheen 3MT Finals to compete for cash prizes—including $2,500 for first place, $2,000 for second place, and a $1,500 People’s Choice Award selected by the audience.

The Shaheen 3MT Finals will be held February 25 from 5:00– 7:00 p.m. in Decio Theatre at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The competition is free to attend, and a reception will follow. Community members are encouraged to attend and experience Notre Dame research in action.

Now in its 10th year at the University of Notre Dame, 3MT continues to celebrate graduate research and the art of clear, impactful storytelling. To learn more about the 3MT: https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/3mt/.

The beauty of fine art, the story the artist tells, and the emotions it stirs in the viewer are on full display at the Graduate School in Bond Hall. These works, selected for the Graduate School's annual fine arts show, Solarium 25, feature a juried sampling of artistic explorations created by eight talented University of Notre Dame master of fine arts students. This signature event is held each spring and this year's event was made even bigger, as students in the English master of fine arts (MFA) program—also known as the creative writing program—were chosen to view the art and write an ekphrastic reflection, which is displayed alongside the original piece.

Solarium 25's opening reception took place on March 5, with artists, writers, and nearly 100 members of the Notre Dame community in attendance to celebrate the work. Michael Hildreth, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School, associate provost and vice president for graduate studies, and professor of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said, "Today, we recognize the importance of the unique and powerful contributions of Notre Dame's MFA students in art, design, and writing to our University," he said, "and we honor and celebrate the many ways these students research, interrogate, and interact with events in our world today and with the very experience of being human."

"The opportunity to collaborate with the Graduate School and foreground the research produced by our MFA students in studio and design is one of the highlights of our spring semester each year," adds Jason Lahr, associate professor, painting and drawing, and director of graduate studies for the MFA programs in studio art and design. "Not only do our students gain recognition for their work, but they also gain valuable professional experience through the process of hosting jurors from the Graduate School in their studios and in collaborating in the installation of their work."

Artists in Solarium 25 explore some of the pressing issues of contemporary life

The students featured in Solarium 25 utilize their art to explore some of the most pressing issues of contemporary life. One theme that appears is the examination of gender roles that compartmentalize or even erase women's achievements in science or art. Another overarching theme is personal autonomy, particularly when that autonomy is compromised, threatened, or even denied by governments or one's fellow humans. The creative writing students also creatively responded to these themes in their ekphrastic reflections.

What is an ekphrastic reflection? Paul Cunningham, Ph.D., creative writing program manager, says that in the past, the term "ekphrasis" has been defined as "a literary device in which a painting, sculpture, or other work of visual art is described in detail. Think Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn,'" he suggests. Today, Cunningham says, "writers use ekphrasis to translate existing visual artworks into new poems and stories."

The pairings—the artist and the creative writer chosen to write about the exhibit—are listed below.

The creative writers had just short of 20 hours to craft their response of 300 words or fewer, and the results were impressive. "When students are face-to-face with a different visual medium, they elevate their diction, allowing them to try stylistic risks they might not normally take," says Cunningham.

Solarium 25 art and ekphrastic award winners

Visual artists Griffin Lui, Sara Motallebi, and Emma Brooks claimed top prizes.

Isabel Boutiette, Helen Quah, and Oli Peters won the top awards for their ekphrastic reflection pieces.

Best in Show: Griffin Liu (sculpture), No Exit

Through a surreal miniature landscape titled No Exit, sculptor Griffin Liu says he aimed "to explore the tension between governmental control and human agency." Liu, who drew from personal experience as a political refugee, crafted two exit doors connected by a fire escape, creating a sense of entrapment despite the promise of escape. The piece features both doors bearing exit signs, yet they lead nowhere. It includes precision-cut shapes for the railings and doors, as well as laser-cut signs, ensuring architectural accuracy. Even the most minor details were painstakingly tended to as Liu used acrylic paint to weather the surfaces, enhancing the worn, aged appearance and reinforcing the feeling of an unsettling, trapped atmosphere. His installation will undoubtedly resonate with many at a time of great turmoil in the United States and worldwide.

Creative writing student Adriana Toledzano Kolternik artfully composed the ekphrastic reflection accompanying Liu's sculpture. The ending fragment of her composition:

Best Artist: Sara Motallebi (Visual Communication Design), Flow, Interrupted

Sara Motallebi probes memory, trauma, and identity in her installation Flow, Interrupted.

Motallebi's art draws on memories surrounding the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022—a death widely believed to be at the hands of the Islamic Republic regime's notorious morality police for Amini's alleged improper hijab. Amini's death sparked the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, which was met with brutal repression and resulted in at least 500 deaths in Iran, human rights groups estimate.

Motallebi's installation takes up the theme of "digital amnesia." Many Iranians, Motallebi included, erased photos from their phones, "an action born of fear, survival, and resistance." The artist's work uses monoprints of the same image of Nika, a 16-year-old protester. Through layers of transparent prints, shadows, and text, fragmented images blur what is present and what has been erased. Motallebi says, "It invites viewers to reflect on the fragility of remembrance and the persistence of resistance against erasure."

Creative writing MFA student Isabel Boutiette, who received first place honors for her creative writing about Motallebi's piece in the Solarium show OR CROSSING STREETS LIKE LETTERS, describes her process of response to the installation: "It was important to me to integrate Sara's idea of erasure and absence into the work. I wanted each quatrain in the sequence to leave open-ended, signaling a gap in the text. I tried to incorporate the violence of what her work bore witness to, and I really wanted to draw attention to the importance and power of 'witness' in her work, even under the pressures of state-backed erasure and censorship."

People's Choice: Emma Brooks (Design), Joy, Activism, & Buttons

Emma Brooks won the People's Choice Award for Joy, Activism, & Buttons, a unique and joyful work designed to spark activism. Brooks produced her installation through a collaboration with Goshen College's Prevention Intervention Network (PIN), using pinback buttons as the primary medium, along with stickers, door hangers, and t-shirts, all while promoting a message of consent and aiming to dismantle rape culture. Two examples of text on the buttons: "We look out for each other" and "Consent is my cup of tea." Brooks also designed a toolkit to empower the PIN students, featuring custom stamps, ink, and button templates to create their own buttons. It is a weighty topic, but Brooks also infused her work with another quality: joy. She says, "The experience of creating the buttons together is enriching, fun, and joyful while ensuring consistency and reinforcing PIN's brand recognition."

Brooks explains that she is inspired by the work of designer Ingrid Fetell Lee and her philosophy around the aesthetics of joy. "Activism can be heavy," Brooks says. "Joy is more sustainable, as it embodies the drive for life itself."

Creative writing student Helen Quah's accompanying ekphrastic reflection, titled "Safety Pin," was awarded first runner-up honors in the Solarium show. In it, she describes sensations and memories linked to the swallowing of a pin and waiting for "[a] jolt of pain or tingly itch" that would "get me wondering about the little creature." This symbol of the safety pin, she explains, "a small sharp everyday object, was a way for mine and Emma's work to collide, exploring ideas of concealment, shame, and their relation to violence against women."

Furthermore, Quah found great joy in the intertwining of their work during Solarium 25. "I found this Solarium ekphrasis a really enjoyable challenge to engage deeply with the work of Emma Brooks. Her constellation of pin badges and stamps aimed to promote discussions about women's safety and consent, which was remarkable. I found myself quickly engaging with the art through a fiction story that focused on the image and object of the safety pin from a first-person, young girl's perspective."

Ekphrastic reflection: second runner up, Oli Peters

Oli Peters, who won second-runner-up honors for her ekphrastic reflection, “Miss A-Bomb,” imaginatively crafted a character to bring Heidi Dargle’s museum-style exhibit Miss Atomic to life. Peters provides this context for her work:

I hoped to communicate the complexity and layeredness of Dargle’s piece. I attempted to do this by turning Miss Atomic into a character and generating a narrative that began with her winning the pageant. From there, I was able to weave in some of the striking details that the artist presented in her work: the lipstick-stained uranium tea cup, the images of the women who survived the A-bomb blast then traveled to the US to get corrective plastic surgery, the gas mask, the history-forgotten women who helped put the bomb together. I also wanted to harness the strange and contradictory version of femininity that Miss Atomic represented, which Heidi adeptly probed and questioned.

In every pairing, artists representing completely different mediums found a powerful way to come together and tell a story. Whether they were chosen as winners, learned a new perspective, solidified their own, or honed their creative skills, they all walked away with a richer understanding of art, ekphrastic reflections, and perhaps themselves.

Dailin Gan is the recipient of the 2025/2026 Outstanding Ph.D. Research Award. With his advisor, Professor Jun Li, Dailin is working on research that integrates statistical methodology, machine learning, and computational biology to address fundamental challenges in high-dimensional and single-cell data analysis.

The Outstanding PhD Research Award is awarded to Ph.D. students in their final year of studies who have performed outstanding research during their Ph.D. studies in ACMS.

Originally published by Kathy Phillips at acms.nd.edu on February 04, 2026.

What does storm-driven coastal erosion in Ireland have in common with protein quantification, social behavior in prairie voles, and next-generation membrane technologies? On December 11, 2025, the answer was on full display at the annual Colleges of Science and Engineering (COSE) Research Horizons Symposium at the University of Notre Dame.

Throughout the day, 16 oral presentations and 70 poster presentations transformed Jordan Hall of Science into a forum for curiosity, debate, and discovery. Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from across the Colleges of Science and Engineering presented work spanning molecules to coastlines and biology to infrastructure—offering a vivid snapshot of research shaping the future of science and engineering at Our Lady’s University.

The symposium’s top honors, the Excellence in Research Awards, recognized projects pushing disciplinary boundaries. Postdoctoral Research Associate Simon Dyck Weaver, from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received the Science Award for his project “OnePotNαta,” a streamlined method for N-terminal acetylation and protein quantification in complex biological samples. The Engineering Award was presented to Ph.D. candidate Hannah Rose Spero, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, whose work combined field observations and modeling to reveal how extreme storms transport massive coastal boulders along Ireland’s Aran Islands.

Poster awards highlighted equally compelling research. Postdoctoral Research Associate Tommy Lee, from the Department of Biological Sciences, earned the Best Poster Award - Science for demonstrating how natural variation in the oxytocin receptor gene influences social observation in female prairie voles. Ph.D. student Ellie Johandes, from the Bioengineering Program, received the Best Poster Award - Engineering for her work targeting lymphatic endothelial glycolysis to regulate vascularization under hypoxic conditions. The People’s Choice Award went to Ph.D. candidate Laurianne Estrada, from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, for her research on designing membranes for critical mineral recovery using high-throughput characterization.

More than a competition, the COSE Research Horizons Symposium served as a celebration of interdisciplinary thinking, intellectual risk-taking, and emerging scientific leadership. By day’s end, one message was clear: The horizon of scientific research at Notre Dame is not only broad—it is bright.

Members of the Notre Dame community with an active NetID may view additional photos from the event via this link. (Image Credits - Wes Evard)

Twenty-two Notre Dame students, including 18 undergraduate students and four graduate students, were awarded Fulbright Scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year, ranking 12th among U.S. doctoral institutions. Slightly more than 30 percent of the Notre Dame students who applied to the program were accepted, exceeding the respective rates for the 11 schools ahead of Notre Dame in the rankings.

Notre Dame has been a top producer of Fulbright students 13 times since the 2009-10 academic year. Full results are available online at the Chronicle of Higher Education.

“Last year's Fulbright process was unusually challenging due to shifting federal funding priorities. Many countries lessened the amount of awards they offered halfway through the process,” said Elise Rudt-Moorthy, associate director of national fellowships with Notre Dame’s Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement. “However, our students worked incredibly hard to earn their placements and then displayed great patience amid uncertainty. It was a pleasure and honor to serve them alongside my colleagues Mathilda Nassar, Emily Hunt, Michael Skalski and Veronica Vos.”

Mary Ann McDowell, a professor of biology and associate dean for professional development at the Graduate School, offered similar praise.

“Fulbright awards are highly competitive and recognize academic excellence, leadership potential and a strong commitment to global engagement and public service,” McDowell said. “The continued success of Notre Dame students earning Fulbright awards reflects their remarkable talent, dedication and drive to make a meaningful difference in the world. I am sincerely thankful to the exceptional teams in the Graduate School’s Office of Grants and Fellowships and the Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement, whose guidance and expertise are instrumental in supporting students throughout the Fulbright application process.”

Established in 1964, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship educational and cultural exchange program, offering students the opportunity to study, teach or pursue research or other projects abroad.

For more information on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu (undergraduate students) or graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships/ (graduate students).

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on February 04, 2026.

At the end of the preliminary rounds, three finalists from each competition will advance to the 3MT® Finals, where they will compete for cash prizes, including a People’s Choice Award voted on by the audience. The final competition will take place on February 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in Decio Theatre at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and is open to the public. A reception will follow.

3MT Preliminary Round Schedule

• February 9 – Arts & Letters | 5–7 p.m. | 104 Bond Hall
• February 10 – Engineering | 5–7 p.m. | 283 Galvin Life Science Center
• February 11 – Keough/Mendoza | 5–7 p.m. | 104 Bond Hall
• February 12 – Science | 5–7 p.m. | 104 Bond Hall

Originally developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, the Three-Minute Thesis competition was designed to strengthen students’ academic presentation and research communication skills. Now in its 10th year at University of Notre Dame, 3MT® continues to celebrate graduate research and the art of clear, impactful storytelling. To learn more about the 3MT®: https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/3mt/.

Ask a LASER participant about the program, and you’ll often hear the exact phrase: life-changing. LASER—Leadership Advancing Socially Engaged Research—is frequently described by program alums as a transformative experience that can shape your future in meaningful ways.

William Castillo, a former participant, said a quote from a member of his cohort captures how many feel about the program. “My life is split into two chapters: one pre-LASER and one post-LASER,” he said. Castillo says he shares that quote often because it reflects his own experience and that of many others. He adds, “LASER was such a profound and life-changing experience that I was a part of it twice, once as a participant and once as a peer-mentor.”

Among the many experiences graduate school offers, LASER also stands out for former participant Miranda Macfarlane. “My time in LASER was one of considerable learning and growth. It was also, dare I say it, fun!”

John Lubker, the director of LASER and associate dean for academic affairs at Notre Dame, started the program for Ph.D. students ten years ago. He explains, “If you’re graduating from Notre Dame with a Ph.D., it’s not if you are going to be a leader, it’s when you’re going to be a leader. My ultimate goal is to really give these Ph.D. students the confidence to step up.” The program, he says, encourages them to think deeply about what’s important to them and what they really want their career to look like while emphasizing networking and making meaningful connections.

That vision takes shape through a yearlong, experiential program that helps Ph.D. students gain clarity, purpose, and impact in their research. Through a mix of guided activities, students enhance their self-awareness by exploring their values, emotional intelligence, and their communication styles. They also learn what it means to be a socially engaged and ethically grounded researcher. Participants co-facilitate workshops on topics of their choosing and teach the rest of the group. And each student also completes a LASER project focused on leadership or research impact.

Participants earn a $3,000 stipend and receive 1 course credit each term, totaling 3 credits over the length of the program.

Part of what makes the program special is the design of the cohorts. Each group brings together a highly diverse group of graduate students from fields such as theology and chemistry, and from countries all over the world. The diversity leads to meaningful conversations about complex social issues and introduces participants to a wide range of perspectives.

“Because of these deeply impactful exchanges, LASER creates a strong sense of unity within each cohort,” Castillo said. “LASER helped me form lifelong friendships—not only with the participants in my cohort, but also with John (Lubker), to whom I will always be eternally grateful.”

LASER participants design projects that reflect both their academic interests and values, often creating work that extends beyond the program. Macfarlane chose a project focused on making Notre Dame a more intellectually and socially inclusive space. “For my project, I co-organized a graduate student queer theory reading group and served on the organizing committee of the first-ever Notre Dame Queer Studies Symposium, which took place last spring,” she said. The work will continue well beyond her time in LASER. “We have now expanded our reading group into the Franco Institute-sponsored Queer Studies Graduate Working Group and are in the midst of organizing the second-annual Notre Dame Queer Studies Symposium, which will take place March 27-28, 2026.”

For William, LASER reshaped his understanding of leadership—and himself. “I initially joined LASER because my ultimate goal is to become a professor who not only teaches but also mentors students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Through LASER, I learned that leadership extends far beyond formal titles such as presidents or CEOs. It lives in the everyday roles embodied by parents, relatives, and the people who influence our lives. Most importantly, LASER taught me that I have always possessed the qualities of an effective leader; I simply needed the confidence to recognize and embrace them.”

Stories like Macfarlane’s and Castillo’s are rewarding for Lubker, who keeps in touch with the students long after each cohort ends. In addition to directing LASER, his role as associate dean for academic affairs often finds him working alongside graduate students during their most challenging times.

“My other responsibilities involve working with students who are struggling, and that can really wear on you,” Lubker said. “LASER is the best part of my job. I get to work with some of our most engaged students, see where they go, and watch who they become. It’s a real point of pride to know I get to have that kind of impact.”

Another fundamental point of pride is the fact that Notre Dame’s LASER was named Program of the Year by the Association for Leadership Educators. “As a researcher, it’s hard to make broad claims,” Lubker said. “But to my knowledge, there isn’t another program like this in the country—one where Ph.D. students commit to this level of engagement on top of the demands of their doctoral work.”

When Lubker shares LASER at national conferences, he says colleagues are often struck not only by the student buy-in, but by the institutional support. “People are impressed by how committed the students are and by the fact that the university backs this with real resources.”

LASER runs from August to August, and students can apply from March 1 through April 1, 2026. The application includes four short essays designed to help students reflect on their motivations, values, and readiness to engage fully in the yearlong experience. LASER invites Ph.D. students to step into leadership with intention, confidence, and community. Learn more: https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/leadership/laser/.

Forests can reduce hunger in rural households while also capturing carbon and advancing sustainability goals for low- and middle-income countries, according to new research by University of Notre Dame experts.

Households in Liberia that participated in forest-based activities — including collecting and processing timber, hunting bushmeat or gathering edible plants — reduced their food scarcity by 84 percent, according to a study published in the journal Food Security. The research was conducted by Daniel C. Miller, associate professor of environmental policy at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, and co-author Festus Amadu, a former Notre Dame postdoctoral researcher who is now assistant professor of climate policy at Florida Gulf Coast University.

“Previous research has shown that forests benefit people, but now we have evidence on a national scale,” Miller said. “Forests are a vital source of food security for forest-adjacent households in Liberia, the most forested country in West Africa.”

Miller and Amadu analyzed data from a 2019 survey by the Liberian government and the World Bank. Miller, a former World Bank senior forestry specialist, helped design the survey, which collected data from nearly 3,000 households living near forests across all 15 counties in Liberia. The researchers found that when households reported engaging in forest-based activities, they also reported food insecurity for almost three fewer months out of the year.

Food insecurity is severe in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Liberia, where most rural households do not have access to enough food to meet their daily calorie intake requirements for the whole year, Miller said. Causes of this food insecurity include extreme weather events, political instability, and poor agricultural productivity caused by natural resource depletion. Existing research shows that forests may be more resilient to some of these stresses, making them increasingly vital for reducing food insecurity in countries such as Liberia, where forests comprise 69 percent of its land area.

“Forests do a lot of things for us as human beings, and yet their manifold contributions are not systematically studied and documented,” Miller said. “While forests will never substitute for agriculture on any large scale, they can serve as an important food source, particularly in lean times.”

Miller said the study’s methodology — using forest-specific data acquired on a national scale — could be applied to other forest-rich, economically poor countries in West Africa and elsewhere to further understand how forests can mitigate food insecurity.

“Forests can and should be considered by national governments in other countries not only for their climate and environmental benefits, but for their potential to support human development and well-being,” he said.

The research was supported by the Forests & Livelihoods: Assessment, Research and Engagement (FLARE) network, which Miller leads, with funding from Notre Dame Research, the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative and the Keough School.

In future studies, Miller and Amadu will examine how forest governance, particularly at the community level, affects how people living near forests can benefit from them. Miller also said the study’s findings have important policy implications and could be used by policymakers focused on forest management and conservation.

“The benefits that forests create for the citizens of a country are yet another reason why forests are worth managing well and conserving,” Miller said. “When you have empirical evidence at the national level, it becomes relevant not only in scholarship but also for the policy realm.”

Originally published by Renée LaReau at keough.nd.edu on July 22.

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

Originally published by Renée LaReau at news.nd.edu on July 22, 2024.

Jennifer Burke Lefever has worked her entire career in the field of child psychology. Yet, nothing compares to being a parent who needs resources for their own child.

”One of my own sons had mental health issues as a young adolescent. And even though I'm a psychologist, and my husband was a youth therapist at the time, we weren’t prepared. If we weren’t prepared, how do you expect other people who aren't within the mental health system to navigate those moments?”

That personal experience is what drives her passion as she transitions from managing director of the Shaw Family Center for Children and Families to her current role at the University, helping lead the Mental Health Initiative as managing director of the Wilma and Peter Veldman Family Psychology Clinic. Scheduled to open in South Bend’s East Bank neighborhood this summer, the clinic was announced two years ago as a significant commitment to addressing the nationwide mental health crisis. It will unite the work of the Shaw Center with new research on substance use and other developing areas, bringing together faculty experts focused on innovative methods for the prevention and treatment of mental health issues.

The intersection of psychology and research is what ignited Burke Lefever’s interest in the field at an early age. She says psychology was “love at first sight.”

“As a high school student, I visited my older sister in college, and she took me to her Psych 101 lecture, and I thought, ‘Oh, man, this is it. This is it for me.’ So, I've known for almost 40 years that I wanted to be a psychologist, and that this is where I wanted to be doing psych research.”

She went on to do her graduate studies at Notre Dame, gaining training in statistics before earning her Ph.D. Burke Lefever’s first staff role at the University was as a research analyst, primarily working with teen mothers and their children in a study of what supports healthy growth for both mom and child.

During the more than 30 years of experience that followed, Burke Lefever cultivated critical community relationships that are as vital today in the latest expression of her work. Her job as managing director is a hands-on role, securing resources for the new facility and its operations, hiring clinicians, and connecting the University’s research goals to what’s needed in the community—both in South Bend and beyond.

“The joke I make is that I’m the ‘make-it-happen’er.’ I want to hear everyone’s good ideas and then I work on the logistics of making that dream come to fruition, including resources and equipment, hiring, and making connections across the University and in the community to get the project done well.”

Among the priorities: addressing a gap in services, including trauma intervention for children and autism evaluation. In fact, the autism evaluation clinic opened last July to help address long waiting periods in the community and to lower cost as a barrier. Assessments are provided for $50 for families without insurance, compared to the thousands of dollars they might pay elsewhere.

Other forthcoming areas of focus will include substance use prevention and recovery; and suicide prevention. In one current study, led by Kristin Valentino, director of the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic, two different mobile interventions are being tested to help reduce anxiety and social isolation, two factors critical in the prevention of self-injury. One of the tools being tested is a pocket-sized music player with earbuds to stimulate the vagus nerve.

Another upcoming program, in collaboration with psychologists at Northwestern University, aims to help teens through in-person or digital single-session interventions available around the clock. The new three-year program, called the St. Joseph County Universal Wellness Project, will train 75 local providers to offer a one-time, solution-focused meeting with youth in need of mental health support.

“Our goals are to be educators and researchers [of mental health] and to do that with our distinctly Catholic character,” Burke Lefever said. “We'll take innovative programming that uses research to build the evidence and use that to work with the South Bend community about what works. And then we’ll scale those models.”

The cornerstone of that work is the physical clinic nearing completion at the site of the former Psychological Services Center at 501 N. Hill Street. Strategically located within a mental health campus near Downtown South Bend, the 35,000-square-foot facility clinic will act as a centralized hub for faculty and student collaboration, as well as an easily accessible location for community members to receive services.

The facility will also include a neuroimaging center with an fMRI machine, a piece of technology Burke Lefever describes as critical for bridging clinical care with innovative research. The fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) will be the only one of its kind in the South Bend area. Another distinctive feature for work of this nature: collaborative spaces designed to facilitate spontaneous innovation between researchers.

"We’re going to use a shared space model, which opens up possibilities for faculty to expand the work that they're doing and make collaboration easier. Our staff will help facilitate work in those shared spaces, including faculty and graduate students, as well as clinicians.”

As the physical spaces continue to take shape, Burke Lefever remains as connected to the mission—and her passion—as ever.

“I've always felt my goal in life is to try to make the world a better place for children. One of the core pieces of Catholic social teaching is treating people—especially the most vulnerable—with dignity. By supporting someone’s mental health, you help restore their felt sense of dignity.”

Get involved 

Learn more about the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic

Learn more about the Mental Health Initiative

Learn more about the University's strategic initiatives

Connect with the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic on April 27

Additional features

Arnie Phifer, Bioengineering & Life Sciences Initiative

Angie Appleby Purcell, Ethics Initiative

Joel Day, Democracy Initiative

Kevin Fink, Just Transformations to Sustainability

Rebecca Struch, Arts Initiative

Originally published by Jenna Liberto at ndworks.nd.edu on January 20, 2026.

At the inaugural Notre Dame Postdoc Spotlight, held on November 6, 2025, Dr. Khushi Bhatt was awarded the Community Choice Award for Excellence in Research Communication in the final round, recognizing her outstanding ability to communicate complex research in an engaging and accessible way. The event, organized by the Graduate School, University of Notre Dame, brought together postdoctoral scholars from across disciplines to showcase their work to the wider Notre Dame community.

Dr. Bhatt’s journey to this honor began in early October, when she competed in the College of Science Postdoc Lightning Talk Competition. There, she earned second place for her three-minute presentation titled “Recreating the stars in the lab”, in which she described how her work uses particle accelerators to simulate the nuclear reactions that occur in stellar explosions — helping to unravel how elements like niobium form in the cosmos.

Advancing to the university-wide Postdoc Spotlight final, Dr. Bhatt’s presentation again resonated with attendees. Her clarity, enthusiasm, and ability to connect fundamental nuclear astrophysics to big-picture questions about the origins of elements earned her the community’s favor. Event organizers noted that the presentations were “nothing short of jaw-dropping.”

Bhatt is a Provost’s Postdoctoral Society of Science Fellow and holds a postdoctoral research associate appointment in the research group of Prof. Anna Simon-Robertson in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Notre Dame. Her win underscores not just her scientific prowess, but also her growing reputation as a skilled science communicator — a role that bridges her deep expertise in nuclear astrophysics with the public’s wonder about the cosmos.

Congratulations to Dr. Bhatt on this remarkable achievement — and thanks to her for helping make nuclear-astrophysics accessible, inspiring, and compelling to the Notre Dame community and beyond.

Originally published by Janet Weikel at isnap.nd.edu on January 21, 2026.

NSL graduate student Fabio Rivero served as director for the inaugural run of the University of Notre Dame chapter of PING (Physicists Inspiring the Next Generation) in summer 2025. Five high school students from the greater South Bend area participated in a two-week summer program designed to introduce them to what physics research is and how it is carried out in practice.

During the first week, students explored foundational physics concepts and completed a Python coding bootcamp. In the second week, they applied their new skills by working on week-long modern physics projects. These hands-on projects included analyzing real data from the Hubble Space Telescope, conducting experiments in a nuclear science laboratory setting, and more.

The program provided an exciting opportunity to share our passion for physics with the next generation of scientists, and we look forward to welcoming a new cohort of students in Summer 2026!

Originally published by Janet Weikel at isnap.nd.edu on January 15, 2026.

Qing Cao is working in Kaiyu Fu’s laboratory within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to develop an alternative to the typical venous blood test. The lab’s solution enables continuous, painless, and real-time detection of multiple biomarkers for advanced healthcare applications. This alternative consists of developing a bio-nano interface design for multiplexed wearable biosensors—miniature devices that monitor several biomarkers—on microneedles.

In the production of the microneedles, the Fu lab uses laser cutting to build up a mold using a flexible polymer. Laser power controls the geometry of this pattern, which can be about 200 to 1500 microns in length. For reference, a human hair is about 70 microns wide.

Because the microneedles are so short, they do not reach the pain receptors in the skin, making them painless. Though they cannot reach the blood, Cao noted that this is no problem.

“The needle is only micros, so it cannot detect something directly from the blood, but it can reach the interstitial fluid. In the interstitial fluid, there's a high similarity to the biomarker levels in our blood, so it's a very good alternative,” said Cao.

Cao’s microneedles enable the simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers through electrochemical analysis. She is working on proposing a needle design in which its platform includes multiple microneedles, each equipped with the ability to detect distinct biomarkers or individual drug release. In this design, the needles can be used for multiple functions simultaneously because each microneedle can work independently.

“During the fabrication, we can load drugs inside the needle surrounded by soluble materials so that when it's parked under the skin and in contact with interstitial fluid, the material will dissolve and the loaded drugs can be released in the skin,” Cao said.

She uses different combinations of materials to make distinct solubilities required to release certain drugs. Some can release very fast, while others release very slowly, giving it a time-controlled mechanism.

Cao’s next step is to use the microneedles as multi-functional tools. She proposes that researchers can insert a needle in the top of an organoid, an artificially grown mass of cells or tissue that resembles an organ, to function in a drug release process, while a bottom electrochemical needle simultaneously functions in the detection of the drug function.

“Microneedles will allow translation of data directly to a doctor combined with intelligent AI tools,” Cao said. “A doctor can give feedback to the patient, preventing the patient from needing to go to the hospital too frequently. The doctor can also do remote diagnoses of simple diseases.”

Cao received her doctoral degree from Free University of Berlin, Germany last year and joined Notre Dame in February of 2025, where she received a Provost's Postdoctoral Society of Science Fellowship.

During her doctorate, Cao carried out fundamental research on two-dimensional materials such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide, focusing on their photoelectronic properties.

Cao said that Fu's expertise in biosensor research offers “a highly promising application for the materials she had previously studied.” She looks forward to bringing her background into the fast‑growing field of biosensing and exploring innovative ways to use two-dimensional materials in this space.

Originally published by Lorenzo Rose at science.nd.edu on January 16, 2026.

Brighton Miller, doctoral candidate at the University of Notre Dame, aims to bridge the gap between the way cancer is studied and the way it is treated, mending the broken path between research and community education. She is seeking a Ph.D. in Integrated Biomedical Sciences, but even greater than that, she is seeking to advance scientific knowledge of cancer so that it can be translated into education, prevention, and treatment in the wider community.

Throughout Miller’s adolescence, cancer was omnipresent. As diagnoses afflicted her classmates, coaches, and family, and claimed the lives of people close to her, Miller began to feel the weight of cancer’s presence and its devastating consequences. These consequences were especially prevalent within her family’s Native American community, a group which has long been underserved in the realm of cancer prevention and education. It was in high school that Miller began to question how she could make an impact not only in the fight against cancer itself, but also against the lack of cancer education that burdens many marginalized communities.

Early on, Miller considered going into medicine and working directly with cancer patients. Upon beginning her research journey, however, Miller realized that the field of research and exploration was the path for her. “I love the meticulousness of research,” she explained, but beyond her obvious passion for scientific inquiry, Miller realized that research, not bedside treatment, would “better address the root of the issue,” the disconnect between research and clinical care.

Once she chose to pursue the former, Miller participated in research internships, studying medical science in early diagnostic techniques for pancreatic cancer as well as inhibitors and vaccines for COVID-19.

These internships helped prepare Miller for the current work that she is doing at Notre Dame: studying the way that aging affects the prognosis for women with ovarian cancer. Miller’s lab is studying aging and senescent cells, and the feasibility of combating these risk factors using senolytic drugs

Miller’s affinity for meticulousness works in her favor in her current studies. “It doesn’t matter if I’m sick or tired or busy, I need to be there,” said Miller. But no matter how arduous her research is, the organization and discipline that she has learned and gained through her work is paying off.

“I feel like my work is very close to the next step: the bridge to actual clinical practices,” says Miller, “Science is so rewarding. You always feel like your work means something.”

To Miller, her work means everything. Teaching members of her Native American community about cancer prevention means everything. Working to save them, and other marginalized communities, from life-threatening knowledge gaps means everything. Fighting cancer through research, so that it cannot claim any more innocent lives, means everything.

As she looks forward to a profession in clinical research, Miller is proud to be where she is today: in a prestigious graduate program at Notre Dame, in a lab designing her own studies, and in a position where she can truly “fight a bigger battle” against cancer.

Originally published by Kile, Gabrielle at harpercancer.nd.edu on January 20, 2026.