tag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:/newsThe Graduate School | News2024-03-12T11:31:00-04:00tag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1604012024-03-12T11:31:00-04:002024-03-12T11:31:08-04:00Downes, Lechartre, and Mathews claim top honors in 2024 Shaheen Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) finals<p>Three winners named in an evening focused on the importance of conveying why “your research matters”—in no more than three minutes.</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561526/400x/26_all_competitors_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="2024 competitors in the Shaheen 3MT finals: (L to R) Hoon Lee, Bow Wei Cynthia Chen, Henry Downes, O. Amandhi Mathews, Kurt Kohler, Liliya Chernysheva, Nicholas Herrud, Gowthami Mahendran, and Joséphine Lechartre." width="400" height="267">
<figcaption>2024 competitors in the Shaheen 3MT finals: (L to R) Hoon Lee, Bow Wei Cynthia Chen, Henry Downes, O. Amandhi Mathews, Kurt Kohler, Liliya Chernysheva, Nicholas Herrud, Gowthami Mahendran, and Joséphine Lechartre.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Your Research Matters...Share it!” proclaimed the banners on the stage of the Graduate School’s 2024 <strong>Shaheen Three Minute Thesis (3MT</strong><sup>®</sup><strong>) Finals Competition</strong>, held Wednesday evening, February 28, in Jordan Auditorium at the Mendoza College of Business.</p>
<p>Since 2016, Notre Dame has taken part in a competition that graduate schools around the world and their students have embraced since its founding at the University of Queensland in 2008. The event was co-sponsored by the Graduate School and the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development with support from the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Engineering, and Science; the Shaheen Family; Graduate Career Services; Graduate Student Government; Graduate Student Life; Hesburgh Libraries; Notre Dame Research; University Relations; and the University Writing Center.</p>
<p>“Your research <em>does</em> matter,” said <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/about/mary-ann-mcdowell/">Mary Ann McDowell</a>, professor of biological sciences and associate dean for professional development, as she extended a welcome to the contestants and the audience. “How to convey the essence of that research is one of the most important skills a researcher must develop,” she continued, whether it arises when sharing knowledge of a particular research problem to a colleague or to someone outside of the field.</p>
<p>“This is your moment!” she counseled. “Make it succinct—and make it fascinating!”</p>
<p>Nine graduate-student finalists rose to the challenge and came to the stage as storytellers—storytellers who had three minutes, and not a second more, to frame their research, its findings, and why both matter to the five judges and an audience that included faculty, administrators, and more than one hundred of their peers.</p>
<p>The judges announced two winners, and the audience chose a third:</p>
<div style="display: block; padding: 10px;">
<h3><strong>Henry Downes, Economics</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Advisers: Kasey Buckles, Ph.D. and William Evans, Ph.D.<br>1st Place Winner: $2000</strong></p>
<figure class="image image-left" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561586/400x/4_hdownes_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Henry Downes, Ph.D. student in economics, was named 1st Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="400" height="267">
<figcaption>Henry Downes, Ph.D. student in economics, was named 1st Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of the 20th century’s great puzzles is the question: What caused the U.S. Baby Boom?</p>
<p>Fifth-year graduate student <strong>Henry Downes’</strong> research explores a previously unexamined cause of fertility increases during that time—including the years before the U.S. entered World War II.</p>
<p>Using novel historical data, Downes discovered an important relationship between fertility increases during the Baby Boom and growth in union membership. Birth rates increased by about twice as much in counties with strong union growth relative to comparable counties with weak union growth, even accounting for many factors that might otherwise influence fertility. When there is stability in employment and confidence in earnings, workers who had steady, good-paying jobs married at younger ages, began having children sooner, and ultimately had larger families.</p>
<p>More fundamentally, his research highlights the central role played by labor market institutions in shaping family decisions and demographic outcomes. It suggests that America’s demographic challenges are unlikely to be solved without addressing economic precariousness in the labor market.</p>
</div>
<div style="display: block; padding: 10px;">
<h3><strong>Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Adviser: Guillermo Trejo, Ph.D.<br>2nd Place Winner: $1500</strong></p>
<figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561505/400x/15_jlechart_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Joséphine Lechartre, Ph.D. student in peace studies and political science, was named 2nd Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="400" height="267">
<figcaption>Joséphine Lechartre, Ph.D. student in peace studies and political science, was named 2nd Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How do the survival decisions that civilians make amidst genocide influence the emergence of new political cultures that drive political participation after the end of violence?</p>
<p>Using Guatemalan refugees who fled genocide and spent 14 years in refugee camps in Mexico as a case study, the research of sixth-year graduate student <strong>Joséphine Lecharte</strong> showed that refugees who became active participants in the administration of their camps developed strong democratic political cultures; whereas those who had only limited input in camp affairs did not, and experienced social dislocation.</p>
<p>Her findings have important consequences. Members of the first group of refugees are today highly active in democratic politics. Members of the second group have remained marginalized, with lagging economic development and levels of social dislocation that have led to a rise in criminality.</p>
</div>
<div style="display: block; padding: 10px;">
<h3><strong>O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Adviser: Cody J. Smith, Ph.D.<br>People’s Choice Award Winner: $1000</strong></p>
<figure class="image image-left" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561587/400x/6_omathews_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="O. Amandhi Mathews, Ph.D. student in biological sciences, was named People's Choice winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="400" height="267">
<figcaption>O. Amandhi Mathews, Ph.D. student in biological sciences, was named People's Choice winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The embryonic construction of the human nervous system requires neurons to navigate to a precise target at which they form connections to other neurons and make functional circuits. Neurons use a guidance system, a "neuronal GPS" third-year graduate student <strong>O. Amandhi Mathews</strong> calls it, to form these circuits. These primary circuits allow organisms to sense and respond to their environment and are thus critical for survival.</p>
<p>This process <em>must</em> happen accurately. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders result from incorrect wiring within the nervous system. Our ability to treat such disorders depends on an in-depth understanding of the genetic blueprints that inform the neuronal GPS that helps neurons navigate accurately. Using zebrafish neurodevelopment as a model system, Mathews’ research investigates the role of the gene <em>svip</em> in neuronal navigation. Her goal with this study is to advance scientists’ understanding of the genetic and molecular pathways involved in neurodevelopment.</p>
</div>
<p>Other finalists in the competition were:</p>
<p><strong>Bo Wei Cynthia Chen</strong> (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering); <strong>Liliya Chernysheva</strong> (Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Science); <strong>Nicholas Herrud</strong> (History); <strong>Kurt Kohler</strong> (Biological Sciences); <strong>Hoon Lee</strong> (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering); and <strong>Gowthami Mahendran</strong> (Chemistry and Biochemistry).</p>
<p>Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications <a href="https://www.nd.edu/about/leadership/council/pedro-ribeiro/">Pedro Ribeiro</a> was emcee of the evening.</p>
<p>Judges were:</p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">
<a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/about/michael-hildreth/"><strong>Michael Hildreth, Ph.D.</strong><strong><br></strong></a>Dean of the Graduate School; Associate Provost and Vice President for Graduate Studies; and Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy</li>
<li class="li1">
<a href="https://cee.vt.edu/people/faculty/jayachandran.html"><strong>Monica Arul Jayachandran, Ph.D.</strong><strong><br></strong></a>Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech University and winner of the <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/news/monica-arul-jayachandran-wins-the-2019-notre-dame-graduate-school-shaheen-3mt/">2019 Shaheen 3MT competition</a>
</li>
<li class="li1">
<a href="https://english.nd.edu/people/essaka-joshua/"><strong>Essaka Joshua, Ph.D</strong></a><strong>.<br></strong>Professor, Department of English and former Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Letters</li>
<li class="li1">
<a href="https://history.nd.edu/people/margaret-meserve/"><strong>Margaret Meserve, Ph.D.</strong><strong><br></strong></a>Glynn Family Honors Collegiate Professor of History and Vice President and Associate Provost for Academic Space and Support</li>
<li class="li1">
<a href="https://www.sbrchamber.com/aboutus/jeff-rea-bio/"><strong>Jeff Rea</strong><strong><br></strong></a>President and CEO, South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce</li>
</ul>
<p>Downes will move on to the next round—the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) competition in Clayton, Missouri on April 5, 2024.</p>
<h2>2024 Shaheen 3MT<sup>®</sup> Finalist Presentation Videos</h2>
<p>To view videos of each competitor's presentation, click on the link below.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<strong>Bo Wei Cynthia Chen</strong>, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: <a href="https://youtu.be/UO4vjdSvDr8">Cost of Natural Gas: Wasted Energy in Production</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Nicholas Herrud</strong>, History: <a href="https://youtu.be/htE1fKNviow">Ukrainian Identity through Borders and Memory in the Inter War Period</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Henry Downes</strong>, Economics: <a href="https://youtu.be/RaDr6d0OFas">Did Organized Labor Induce Labor? The Surprising Role of Unions in the American Baby Boom</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>O. Amandhi Mathews</strong>, Biological Sciences: <a href="https://youtu.be/mnGqJSIQkSA">The Neuronal GPS</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Hoon Lee</strong>, <strong> </strong>Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering: <a href="https://youtu.be/wqbQRVBhKz4">Electron Transport: What We Can Learn from Missing Data</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Liliya Chernysheva</strong>, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences: <a href="https://youtu.be/59u-9JDcs3U">The First Step to Cleaning Up Our Environment Is Analytics</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Gowthami Mahendran</strong>, Chemistry and Biochemistry: <a href="https://youtu.be/70TRW60GkF8">Giving Smooth Brain Babies a Shot at Life</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Joséphine Lechartre</strong>, Peace Studies and Political Science: <a href="https://youtu.be/C9G4qDg9omU">Collaborative Decision-Making: Learning Democratic Participation in Refugee Camps</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Kurt Kohler</strong>, Biological Sciences: <a href="https://youtu.be/KS6lY_DDn-c">Building a Homestead in the Catheterized Bladder: A Bacteria’s Survival Guide</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Gallery</h2>
<p><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/stylesheets/lb.css"><script src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/javascripts/lb.js?v=2023-05-17"></script><ul id="gallery-591" class="gallery-lb gallery-591" data-count="30"><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561585/fullsize/1_bchen8_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Bo Wei Cynthia Chen, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering" data-title="Bo Wei Cynthia Chen, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561585/300x300/1_bchen8_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Bo Wei Cynthia Chen, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561589/fullsize/2_nherrud_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Nicholas Herrud, History" data-title="Nicholas Herrud, History"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561589/300x300/2_nherrud_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Nicholas Herrud, History" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561590/fullsize/3_nherrud_2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Nicholas Herrud, History" data-title="Nicholas Herrud, History"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561590/300x300/3_nherrud_2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Nicholas Herrud, History" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561586/fullsize/4_hdownes_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Henry Downes, Economics" data-title="Henry Downes, Economics"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561586/300x300/4_hdownes_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Henry Downes, Economics" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561588/fullsize/5_audience_1_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561588/300x300/5_audience_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561587/fullsize/6_omathews_1_3mt_2024.jpg" title="O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences" data-title="O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561587/300x300/6_omathews_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561522/fullsize/7_omathews_2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences" data-title="O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561522/300x300/7_omathews_2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561517/fullsize/8_hlee24_1_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Hoon Lee, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering" data-title="Hoon Lee, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561517/300x300/8_hlee24_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Hoon Lee, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561518/fullsize/9_hlee24_2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Hoon Lee, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering" data-title="Hoon Lee, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561518/300x300/9_hlee24_2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Hoon Lee, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561507/fullsize/10_lchernys_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Liliya Chernysheva, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences" data-title="Liliya Chernysheva, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561507/300x300/10_lchernys_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Liliya Chernysheva, Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561525/fullsize/11_judges_3mt_2024.jpg" title="2019 3MT winner Monica Arul Jayachandran '22 Ph.D., returned to campus as a judge for the 2024 competition." data-title="2019 3MT winner Monica Arul Jayachandran '22 Ph.D., returned to campus as a judge for the 2024 competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561525/300x300/11_judges_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="2019 3MT winner Monica Arul Jayachandran '22 Ph.D., returned to campus as a judge for the 2024 competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561523/fullsize/12_audience_2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561523/300x300/12_audience_2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561519/fullsize/13_gmahendr_1_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Gowthami Mahendran, Chemistry & Biochemistry" data-title="Gowthami Mahendran, Chemistry & Biochemistry"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561519/300x300/13_gmahendr_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Gowthami Mahendran, Chemistry & Biochemistry" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561502/fullsize/14_gmahendr_2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Gowthami Mahendran, Chemistry & Biochemistry" data-title="Gowthami Mahendran, Chemistry & Biochemistry"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561502/300x300/14_gmahendr_2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Gowthami Mahendran, Chemistry & Biochemistry" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561505/fullsize/15_jlechart_1_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science" data-title="Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561505/300x300/15_jlechart_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561521/fullsize/16_jlechart_2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science" data-title="Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561521/300x300/16_jlechart_2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561514/fullsize/17_kkohler3_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Kurt Kohler, Biological Sciences" data-title="Kurt Kohler, Biological Sciences"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561514/300x300/17_kkohler3_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Kurt Kohler, Biological Sciences" width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561515/fullsize/18_audience_3_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561515/300x300/18_audience_3_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561504/fullsize/19_pribeir2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Emcee Pedro Ribeiro, the vice president of public affairs and communications, hosted the 2024 competition." data-title="Emcee Pedro Ribeiro, the vice president of public affairs and communications, hosted the 2024 competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561504/300x300/19_pribeir2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Emcee Pedro Ribeiro, the vice president of public affairs and communications, hosted the 2024 competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561513/fullsize/20_competitors_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Competitors confer while waiting for the competition results." data-title="Competitors confer while waiting for the competition results."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561513/300x300/20_competitors_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Competitors confer while waiting for the competition results." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561503/fullsize/21_banner_clock_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Students have three minutes and one slide to present their research at the 3MT competition." data-title="Students have three minutes and one slide to present their research at the 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561503/300x300/21_banner_clock_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Students have three minutes and one slide to present their research at the 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561511/fullsize/22_audience_4_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561511/300x300/22_audience_4_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Audience members at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561509/fullsize/23_peoples_choice_3mt_2024.jpg" title="O. Amandhi Mathews, Ph.D. student in biological sciences, was named People's Choice winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="O. Amandhi Mathews, Ph.D. student in biological sciences, was named People's Choice winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561509/300x300/23_peoples_choice_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="O. Amandhi Mathews, Ph.D. student in biological sciences, was named People's Choice winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561594/fullsize/24_2nd_place_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Joséphine Lechartre, Ph.D. student in peace studies and political science, was named 2nd Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="Joséphine Lechartre, Ph.D. student in peace studies and political science, was named 2nd Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561594/300x300/24_2nd_place_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Joséphine Lechartre, Ph.D. student in peace studies and political science, was named 2nd Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561510/fullsize/25_1st_place_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Henry Downes, Ph.D. student in economics, was named 1st Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="Henry Downes, Ph.D. student in economics, was named 1st Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561510/300x300/25_1st_place_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Henry Downes, Ph.D. student in economics, was named 1st Place winner in the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561526/fullsize/26_all_competitors_3mt_2024.jpg" title="2024 competitors in the Shaheen 3MT finals: (L to R) Hoon Lee, Bow Wei Cynthia Chen, Henry Downes, O. Amandhi Mathews, Kurt Kohler, Liliya Chernysheva, Nicholas Herrud, Gowthami Mahendran, and Joséphine Lechartre." data-title="2024 competitors in the Shaheen 3MT finals: (L to R) Hoon Lee, Bow Wei Cynthia Chen, Henry Downes, O. Amandhi Mathews, Kurt Kohler, Liliya Chernysheva, Nicholas Herrud, Gowthami Mahendran, and Joséphine Lechartre."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561526/300x300/26_all_competitors_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="2024 competitors in the Shaheen 3MT finals: (L to R) Hoon Lee, Bow Wei Cynthia Chen, Henry Downes, O. Amandhi Mathews, Kurt Kohler, Liliya Chernysheva, Nicholas Herrud, Gowthami Mahendran, and Joséphine Lechartre." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561506/fullsize/27_judges_reception_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Judges Prof. Essaka Joshua and Dean of the Graduate School Mike Hildreth enjoyed the reception following the competition." data-title="Judges Prof. Essaka Joshua and Dean of the Graduate School Mike Hildreth enjoyed the reception following the competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561506/300x300/27_judges_reception_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Judges Prof. Essaka Joshua and Dean of the Graduate School Mike Hildreth enjoyed the reception following the competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561508/fullsize/28_reception_1_3mt_2024.jpg" title="A reception outside Jordan Auditorium followed the competition." data-title="A reception outside Jordan Auditorium followed the competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561508/300x300/28_reception_1_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="A reception outside Jordan Auditorium followed the competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561512/fullsize/29_grad_careers_3mt_2024.jpg" title="Graduate Career Services team members Ryan Kristofek, Luna Rodriguez, and Thomas Meyers at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." data-title="Graduate Career Services team members Ryan Kristofek, Luna Rodriguez, and Thomas Meyers at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561512/300x300/29_grad_careers_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="Graduate Career Services team members Ryan Kristofek, Luna Rodriguez, and Thomas Meyers at the 2024 Shaheen 3MT competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li><li><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561524/fullsize/30_reception_2_3mt_2024.jpg" title="A reception outside Jordan Auditorium followed the competition." data-title="A reception outside Jordan Auditorium followed the competition."><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/561524/300x300/30_reception_2_3mt_2024.jpg" alt="A reception outside Jordan Auditorium followed the competition." width="300" height="300" loading="lazy"></a></li></ul><script>document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(){var lightbox = new Lightbox({showCaptions: true,elements: document.querySelector(".gallery-591").querySelectorAll("a")});});</script></p>Mary Hendriksentag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1604702024-02-29T15:43:00-05:002024-03-08T15:45:14-05:00Lucy Institute graduate scholar leverages technology to improve health access for migrant communities<p>Each day, millions of people leave their birth countries forever. Sometimes those who emigrate are forced to leave behind important identification and medical records. As a result, they face barriers to receiving care for chronic illnesses or mental health conditions.</p>
<p>Now, thanks to the work of University of Notre Dame doctoral student Maria Caterina “Cat” Gargano, a free user-driven digital platform is available to store and protect migrants’ essential health information.</p><p>Each day, millions of people leave their birth countries forever. Sometimes those who emigrate are forced to leave behind important identification and medical records. As a result, they face barriers to receiving care for chronic illnesses or mental health conditions.</p>
<figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://conductorshare.nd.edu/assets/560213/img_0143.2.jpg" alt="sign at Tijuana-San Diego border wall" width="600" height="450">
<figcaption>Yo soy tu, "I am you," sign displayed at the San Diego-Tijuana border wall.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now, thanks to the work of University of Notre Dame doctoral student Maria Caterina “Cat” Gargano, a free user-driven digital platform is available to store and protect migrants’ essential health information.</p>
<p>Gargano is a <a href="https://lucyinstitute.nd.edu/people/graduate-scholars/2022-2024-lucy-graduate-scholars-cohort/maria-caterina-gargano/">Lucy Graduate Scholar</a> at the <a href="https://lucyinstitute.nd.edu/">Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society</a>. A <a href="https://kroc.nd.edu/ph-d/ph-d-students/maria-caterina-cat-gargano/">doctoral student</a> in peace studies and psychology (focusing on <a href="https://psychology.nd.edu/graduate/areas/clinical-science/">clinical psychology</a>) at Notre Dame’s <a href="https://kroc.nd.edu/">Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies</a> in the Keough School of Global Affairs, Gargano’s research focuses on migration, interpersonal violence, and mental health. She developed <a href="https://umed.me/migration">Umed.me Migración</a>, a web application that launched in October 2023, to provide users with secure, portable control of their identification documents, medical history, and mental health history.</p>
<p>For Gargano, this work is close to home. “I grew up in San Diego. The closest place to me, closer than any other state, is Mexico. It's 20 minutes away,” she says. “I had classmates that would cross the border every day for school.” She has also worked on migration and mental health in Italy and Serbia. “I realized that I was hearing about the same challenges in completely different parts of the world–when documents are lost or stolen during migration, families in transit contexts can face legal challenges to establishing their identity and relationships to each other, and practical barriers to accessing vital healthcare and resources.”</p>
<p>“Transit” is an important term, Gargano says, because it captures “the journey part of migration—the crucial time that falls between when somebody leaves their home and when they're settled wherever they want to be long term.” Recognizing “people in transit” as an underserved segment of society helps define and address the problems that are important to that community, Gargano says. This realization motivated her to apply for support through the <a href="https://lucyinstitute.nd.edu/people/graduate-scholars/2022-2024-lucy-graduate-scholars-cohort/">Lucy Graduate Scholars program</a>, which provides mentorship and financial opportunities for doctoral research that offers translational solutions for societal challenges.</p>
<p>Gargano collaborated with <a href="https://everywoman.org/who-we-are/vidya-sri/">Vidya Sri</a>, co-founder of <a href="https://teqbahn.com/">Teqbahn</a> and Umed.me Migración, as well as the Teqbahn team to design the Umed.me Migración platform. Conversations with individuals staying in shelters in Tijuana, Mexico, and ongoing collaboration with shelter directors and health professionals working with people on the move have been and continue to be key to the application’s development. “We received a lot of feedback from individuals who told us that they did not have email or cell phones,” says Gargano. For this reason, they designed the platform in four formats and structured it without the need for an email address to register for an account. The app prompts each user to provide their name, the community where they are staying, and their country of origin. Then, an auto-generated username and password is assigned for login.</p>
<p>The platform gives users control over the amount of information they want to be stored in their personal account. Users can either upload documents or enter their information manually into fields for health summaries, medications, mental health, or procedure histories.</p>
<p>The application is currently available in several languages, including Arabic, Creole, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. The team plans to include other languages based on community needs.</p>
<p>In addition to improving medical and mental health care, Umed.me Migración may also improve intake procedures at shelters. At Embajadores de Jesus, the largest shelter in Tijuana, limited resources have put a strain on shelter workers who process the health information for thousands of in-transit residents. Through secure email requests, platform users can share health summaries with others, reducing the amount of time often required to process, diagnose, and safely treat chronic health conditions.</p>
<p>Gargano envisions Umed.me Migración as a widely used platform to upload documents even before individuals enter a transit environment, so that information can be securely accessed during unpredictable circumstances. “In a situation where everything is out of control, we want to send the message of, ‘you have the control.’”</p>
<p>”Cat Gargano’s research has demonstrated her commitment to working directly with the needs of communities that are often overlooked,” said <a href="https://lucyinstitute.nd.edu/people/the-lucy-family-core-team/nitesh-chawla/">Nitesh Chawla</a>, Founding Director of the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society and Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. “By inspiring innovative solutions at the intersection of health and data, Gargano is serving as an exemplary leader in the Lucy Graduate Scholars program.”</p>
<p>Applications for the Lucy Graduate Scholars program are currently open. All full-time enrolled doctoral students at the University are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the Lucy Graduate Scholars section of the Lucy Family Institute <a href="https://lucyinstitute.nd.edu/people/graduate-scholars/">website</a>.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Contact:</strong></p>
<p>Christine Grashorn, Communications Specialist<br>Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame<br>cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856<br>research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch</p>
<p><strong>About the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society</strong></p>
<p>Guided by Notre Dame’s Mission, the Lucy Family Institute adventurously collaborates on advancing data-driven convergence research, translational solutions, and education to ethically address society’s wicked problems. As an innovative nexus of academia, industry, and the public, the Institute also fosters data science access to strengthen diverse and inclusive capacity building within communities. Our vision is to become the preeminent intellectual beacon, inspiring collaborative, equitable, and impactful data innovations as a global force for good.</p>
<p> </p>Grashorn, Christinetag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1604692024-02-27T15:36:00-05:002024-03-08T15:37:41-05:00Global Health graduate researcher Henry Kamugisha works to reduce malaria in the Ethiopian Highlands<p>Although two hundred <a href="https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12936-019-2724-z#:~:text=Since%20the%20isolation%20in%201820,drugs%2C%20rendering%20them%20less%20effective.">years</a> have passed since the development of the first antimalaria treatment and over 140 years since the parasite was seen for the first time under a microscope, malaria remains one of the most critical health problems in Sub-saharan Africa–and numbers are on the rise in the Ethiopian Highlands.…</p><p>Although two hundred <a href="https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12936-019-2724-z#:~:text=Since%20the%20isolation%20in%201820,drugs%2C%20rendering%20them%20less%20effective.">years</a> have passed since the development of the first antimalaria treatment and over 140 years since the parasite was seen for the first time under a microscope, malaria remains one of the most critical health problems in Sub-saharan Africa–and numbers are on the rise in the Ethiopian Highlands.</p>
<p>Henry Kamugisha is on a mission to find out why.</p>
<figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/assets/559778/300x/kamugisha_ethiopia_2023.3.jpg" alt="photo of blood samples for malaria testing" width="300" height="400">
<figcaption>Kamugisha collecting blood samples</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A student in the Master of Science in Global Health program at the University of Notre Dame, Kamugisha hopes that innovations in malaria testing will explain why malaria is emerging at increasingly higher numbers in the rugged regions of central Ethiopia. He works with the research team in the lab of <a href="https://biology.nd.edu/people/cristian-koepfli/">Cristian Koepfli</a>, assistant professor in the <a href="http://biology.nd.edu/">Department of Biological Sciences</a>, who is developing novel testing methods to identify emerging variants in malaria parasites.</p>
<p>Kamugisha’s passion for studying malaria began in childhood. “Growing up in rural Uganda, I witnessed firsthand the profound impact of disease, how it affects villages and entire communities,” he says. “I want to make sure that even though I could not help my grandmother, who passed away from malaria, I can make sure that I am doing everything I can to prevent the suffering of future generations in my community–that’s why I am blessed to be a part of this program, to be able to contribute to this research.”</p>
<p>Kamugisha’s current research project examines the results of over 900 blood samples he collected during the summer of 2023 in the Gondar Zone of Ethiopia. Working closely with Koepfli’s long-term collaborators from the University of Gondar, he collected the blood samples from people at a bus stop as they traveled from the low country back to the Ethiopian Highlands. While at the bus stop, he tested voluntary participants with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) designed to identify positive cases of malaria from two malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum, the most common malaria parasite in Sub-saharan Africa, and Plasmodium vivax, which is common in the Horn of Africa.</p>
<p>Even with the announcement of two malaria vaccines in 2021 and 2023 to prevent the disease, there is still much work to be done to treat patients who have contracted malaria. “Sometimes medications don't work because different species of these parasites respond uniquely to treatment regimens,” Kamugisha explains. “For example, healthcare workers may administer a drug that has commonly demonstrated effectiveness in treating Plasmodium falciparum because the patient presents with common symptoms,” he says. “Only later, when the patient is much sicker, do healthcare workers realize the patient has a different type of malaria parasite.” Rapid diagnostic testing can help doctors select the right course of treatment early on.</p>
<figure class="image image-left"><img src="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/assets/559777/300x/kamugisha_ethiopia_2023.1.jpg" alt="photo of people volunteering for malaria testing" width="300" height="225">
<figcaption>Volunteers registering to be tested<br> for indications of malaria</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Testing is also helping to solve the mystery of malaria transmission. During his fieldwork, Kamugisha was surprised that although clinicians found a high number of positive malaria cases through RDTs, nearly everyone reported few to no symptoms. Kamugisha is now confirming the infections detected by RDTs by using highly sensitive molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in the laboratories at the University of Notre Dame.</p>
<p>“If the RDTs are accurate, we can prove that movement of people from endemic regions to non-endemic regions in the Ethiopian Highlands is contributing to the spread of infections,” he says. Providing this information to public health authorities may improve future intervention options that control the spread of malaria.</p>
<p>Koepfli is optimistic about the outcomes of Kamugisha’s work. “Ethiopia is a malaria-endemic country where isolated regions are experiencing significant challenges. There is a need for passionate researchers with a keen interest in working with the Ethiopian research community to develop innovative ideas together,” he says. “Henry has dedicated an immense amount of time in administering RDTs, and analyzing their results so that we can guide officials on how to reduce transmission and ultimately eliminate malaria for good.”</p>
<p>Kamugisha will continue this research in the University’s <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/degree-programs/biological-sciences-phd---doctoral/">doctoral program</a> in biological sciences, which he will begin in the fall of 2024.</p>
<p>Applications for the Master of Science in Global Health program are currently open. “The two-year Master of Science in Global Health is a best-in-class program, designed to train students to be leaders in global health,” says Bernard Nahlen, Director of the Eck Institute for Global Health. “The Eck Institute welcomes all to apply who, like Henry Kamugisha, have a passion for advancing health standards and reducing health disparities for all.”</p>
<p>To learn more about how to apply, please visit the Eck Institute for Global Health <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/education-training/masters/">website</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Contact:</strong></p>
<p>Christine Grashorn, Communications Specialist<br>Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame<br>cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856<br>research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch</p>
<p><strong>About the Eck Institute for Global Health</strong></p>
<p>The Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH), an integral part of Notre Dame Research, builds on the University’s historical strength in infectious disease research, including vector-borne diseases, while broadening the interdisciplinary expertise into other key global health areas including maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH); community health; mental health; nutrition and non-communicable diseases; the environment and health; health analytics and technologies; and health systems and organizations. Our team of interdisciplinary researchers and their students holistically address health disparities around the world. EIGH <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/affiliates/?service=undefined&location=undefined&name=&title=&school=undefined&id=&dept=&area=">faculty affiliates</a> recognize health as a fundamental human right and promote research, training, and service to advance health standards for all people, especially those in resource-poor countries who are disproportionately impacted by preventable diseases. The EIGH is <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/education-training/">training the next generation</a> of global health researchers and leaders through undergraduate, Master of Science in Global Health, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Christine Grashorn</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/news-events/news/global-health-graduate-researcher-henry-kamugisha-works-to-reduce-malaria-in-the-ethiopian-highlands/">globalhealth.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 27, 2024</span>.</p>Christine Grashorntag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1604672024-02-27T15:33:00-05:002024-03-08T15:34:29-05:00Graduate students to present research, compete for prize money in annual Three Minute Thesis competition<p>Nine University of Notre Dame graduate students will compete for $4,500 in prize money during the annual <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/3mt/">Shaheen Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition</a>. The competition will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 28) inside Jordan Auditorium at the Mendoza College of Business on campus. It is open to the public.</p><p>Nine University of Notre Dame graduate students will compete for $4,500 in prize money during the annual <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/3mt/">Shaheen Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition</a>. The competition will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 28) inside Jordan Auditorium at the Mendoza College of Business on campus. It is open to the public.</p>
<p>Sponsored by the <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/">Graduate School</a>, Graduate Student Government and the <a href="https://careerdevelopment.nd.edu/">Meruelo Family Center for Career Development</a>, 3MT is an academic competition that challenges graduate students to explain their research to a broad audience in three minutes or less, offering alumni, industry partners, various campus departments/institutes and the broader community the chance to learn about cutting-edge research at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>“3MT is a fantastic opportunity for graduate students across the University to convey their enthusiasm for their research and its impact on the world,” said Michael Hildreth, associate provost and vice president for graduate studies, professor of physics and astronomy and dean of the Graduate School. “I am always so impressed by the breadth of their studies and the excellence of their work. And, they are all so articulate. Everyone should come out to see this event.”</p>
<p><iframe width="1204" height="675" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rtiOPq5vPyA?si=GJvmvQKopJKpgTO2" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>This year’s finalists are Cynthia Chen (chemical and biomolecular engineering), Liliya Chernysheva (civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences), Henry Downes (economics), Nicholas Herrud (history), Kurt Kohler (biological sciences), Josephine Lechartre (peace studies and political science), Hoon Lee (aerospace and mechanical engineering), Gowthami Mahendran (chemistry and biochemistry), and Amandhi Mathews (biological sciences).</p>
<p>The judges are Monica Arul Jayachandran, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech; Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber; Essaka Joshua, professor of English and former associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Notre Dame; Michael Hildreth, vice president and associate provost, dean of the Graduate School and professor of physics at Notre Dame; and K. Matthew Dames, the Edward H. Arnold Dean of Hesburgh Libraries at Notre Dame.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Erin Blasko</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://news.nd.edu/news/graduate-students-to-present-research-compete-for-prize-money-in-annual-three-minute-thesis-competition/">news.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 27, 2024</span>.</p>Erin Blaskotag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1600752024-02-21T12:07:38-05:002024-02-21T12:08:36-05:00López-Pérez awarded APSA 2023 Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant<p>Kellogg Institute doctoral student affiliate <a href="https://kellogg.nd.edu/laura-neftaly-l%C3%B3pez-p%C3%A9rez"><strong>Laura Neftaly López-Pérez </strong></a>has been awarded a <a href="https://politicalsciencenow.com/2023-apsa-doctoral-dissertation-research-improvement-grantees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant</a> (DDRIG) from the American Political Science Association (APSA). She is one of 24 recipients nationwide.</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/559299/400x/laura_neftaly_lopez_perez.jpg" alt="Laura Neftaly López-Pérez" width="400" height="218">
<figcaption>Laura Neftaly López-Pérez</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Kellogg Institute doctoral student affiliate <a href="https://kellogg.nd.edu/laura-neftaly-l%C3%B3pez-p%C3%A9rez"><strong>Laura Neftaly López-Pérez </strong></a>has been awarded a <a href="https://politicalsciencenow.com/2023-apsa-doctoral-dissertation-research-improvement-grantees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant</a> (DDRIG) from the American Political Science Association (APSA). She is one of 24 recipients nationwide.</p>
<p>The APSA DDRIG program provides support to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation research in political science. Awards support basic research which is theoretically derived and empirically oriented.</p>
<p>López-Pérez is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science. Her dissertation examines the puzzling fact that it is predominantly families of disappeared persons who organize and engage in collective action to demand justice for victims. Why, in most cases, is it the families of disappeared persons who mobilize for justice? Why do they stay mobilized even though the possibilities of locating their disappeared relatives constantly decrease, and sometimes even after locating them? Her research analyzes both uncertainty and solidarity as causal explanations of variation in the duration of mobilization of families of victims. She tests her argument in Mexico, currently the country undergoing arguably the largest criminal conflict in the world.</p>
<p>López-Pérez is a researcher with Kellogg's <a href="https://kellogg.nd.edu/violence-and-transitional-justice-lab">Notre Dame Violence and Transitional Justice Policy and Practice Lab (V-TJ Lab)</a> and <a href="https://kellogg.nd.edu/evaw-lab">Notre Dame Eliminating Violence Against Women (E-VAW)</a>. She has been part of the latter since its inception last year, and joined the former in her first year at Notre Dame. With the V-TJ Lab she has played a central role in the Acapulco project, accompanying a collective of 336 relatives of missing people.</p>
<p>López-Pérez holds a bachelor's degree in communication studies from ITESO University and an master's degree in social sciences from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO Mexico).</p>Kellogg Institute for International Studiestag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1600732024-02-21T11:53:00-05:002024-02-21T11:54:31-05:00Opportunity for doctoral students to study international mediation in Oslo, Norway<p>The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) have announced the call for applications for their annual summer Ph.D. course on international mediation. </p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/559293/400x/prio_phd_2023.jpg" alt="Students and professors from the Summer 2023 Kroc Institute/PRIO international mediation course in Oslo, Norway" width="400">
<figcaption>Students and professors from the Summer 2023 Kroc Institute/PRIO international mediation course in Oslo, Norway</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) have announced the call for applications for their annual summer Ph.D. course on international mediation. </p>
<p><strong>“International Mediation: Theory, Cases and Skills,”</strong> will take place in person in Oslo, June 10-14, 2024. Now in its fourth year, the course covers academic, policy and practitioner perspectives on international mediation. Students will review scholarly literature, explore relevant theories, and learn from senior mediators.</p>
<p>“Participants develop skills in conflict analysis, strategic planning for peacemaking, and mediating agreements between conflict parties,” said Laurie Nathan, director of the <a href="https://kroc.nd.edu/policy-practice/mediation-program/">Mediation Program</a> at the Kroc Institute and the course leader. “This is a rich opportunity to explore the relationship between mediation theory and practice, as well as interact with students, practitioners, and professors from around the world.”</p>
<p>“International Mediation: Theory, Cases and Skills” is a Ph.D.-level course. Preference will be given to applicants who are currently registered in a Ph.D. program, those who have recently completed a Ph.D., or who have substantial practitioner experience.</p>
<p>The deadline to apply is March 21, 2024. For more details and to access the application form, visit the <a href="https://www.peaceconflictresearch.org/Courses/Course/?x=1163">website</a> of the Research School on Peace & Conflict, a cooperation venture between the University of Oslo, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and PRIO.</p>
<p>For additional questions, contact Nathan at <a href="mailto:Laurie.N.Nathan.4@nd.edu">Laurie.N.Nathan.4@nd.edu</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Kate Chester</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://kroc.nd.edu/news-events/news/opportunity-for-doctoral-students-to-study-international-mediation-in-oslo-norway/">kroc.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 16, 2024</span>.</p>Kate Chestertag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1600192024-02-21T11:41:00-05:002024-02-21T11:41:52-05:00Tech Ethics Lab announces inaugural cohort of graduate fellows<p>The Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab is pleased to announce the selection of five Notre Dame graduate students for its Tech Ethics Graduate Fellowship program. After a competitive application and evaluation process, the students were selected based on their outstanding research proposals on topics such as fair methods of evaluating human labor in the digital age, the efficacy of privacy policies, and the role of technological advancement in violent conflicts. </p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/558988/fullsize/tech_ethics_lab.png" alt='A dark blue background; on the left side is a small "e" character with stylized fragmented concentric circles surrounding the symbol. On the right are the words Tech Ethics in large, thin, sans-serif font, followed by the word "LAB" below.'></figure>
<p>The Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab is pleased to announce the selection of five Notre Dame graduate students for its Tech Ethics Graduate Fellowship program. After a competitive application and evaluation process, the students were selected based on their outstanding research proposals on topics such as fair methods of evaluating human labor in the digital age, the efficacy of privacy policies, and the role of technological advancement in violent conflicts. </p>
<p>During their two-year fellowships, in addition to continuing their dissertation research, Graduate Fellows will form interdisciplinary research collaborations with Notre Dame faculty, mentor Notre Dame undergraduates, and develop their research into a suite of applied deliverables such as discussion-starting green papers.</p>
<p>“We’re very excited to welcome our first cohort of Graduate Fellows. They are a promising and diverse group of young researchers demonstrating impressive creative thinking capabilities. We’re honored to have them and look forward to witnessing and supporting their important research moving forward,” said <a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/people/nuno-moniz/">Nuno Moniz</a>, Director of the Tech Ethics Lab. </p>
<p>Graduate Fellows will receive a stipend of $5,000 per semester for participating in the fellowship program. They will be active in the intellectual life of the Tech Ethics Lab and the <a href="https://strategicframework.nd.edu/initiatives/ethics-initiative/">University Ethics Initiative</a> throughout their fellowships.</p>
<p>The Tech Ethics Graduate Fellows are:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/people/noah-karger/">Noah Karger</a> - Ph.D. Student, Theology</li>
<li>
<a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/people/perla-khattar/">Perla Khattar</a> - J.S.D. Student, Law</li>
<li>
<a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/people/william-o-brien/">Will O’Brien</a> - Ph.D. Student, Peace Studies and History</li>
<li>
<a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/people/emma-schmidt/">Emma Schmidt</a> - Ph.D. Student, Political Science</li>
<li>
<a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/people/kesavan-thanagopal/">Kesavan Thanagopal</a> - Ph.D. Student, Philosophy </li>
</ul>
<p>A new call for Graduate Fellowships with the Technology Ethics Lab will launch at the end of the Spring 2024 semester. Learn more about fellowship programs at the Technology Ethics Lab at <a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/fellowships/">techethicslab.nd.edu/fellowships</a>.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Tech Ethics Lab</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://techethicslab.nd.edu/news/tech-ethics-lab-announces-inaugural-cohort-of-graduate-fellows/">techethicslab.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 15, 2024</span>.</p>Tech Ethics Labtag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1600182024-02-19T14:24:00-05:002024-02-19T14:25:08-05:00Seeing Stars: How postdoctoral fellow William Cramer investigates light in galaxy systems<p>What’s really out there? William Cramer, a postdoctoral research fellow with the <a href="https://physics.nd.edu">Department of Physics and Astronomy</a>, has been asking this question since he was 10 years old, reading all the books about astronomy that his library offered.</p><p>What’s really out there? William Cramer, a postdoctoral research fellow with the <a href="https://physics.nd.edu">Department of Physics and Astronomy</a>, has been asking this question since he was 10 years old, reading all the books about astronomy that his library offered.</p>
<p>“Several rocky physics courses later, I survived.” Survived is one way to put it: Cramer studied physics at University of Chicago, followed that by earning his doctoral degree in astronomy at Yale University, and continued his postdoctoral studies at Arizona State University before coming to the University of Notre Dame this year.</p>
<p>At Notre Dame he is excited to research galaxies with the other astronomers in the department. “A lot of astronomy is broken up into wavelength regimes . . . light can span frequencies from radio, at the low end of the spectrum — all the way to really high, like x-ray. I was mostly doing stuff with radio astronomy. Now I'm more in the optical to infrared range.”</p>
<p>Specifically, Cramer explores what is going on in and around galaxies: the gaseous movement. Gas, explained Cramer, informs researchers about what is going on with the galaxy. Is it old? New? Dying? The gas that moves around galaxies can tell a bigger story about the “health” of the galaxy.</p>
<p>Cramer explained one class of galaxy he has been researching since graduate school: a Ram Pressure Stripped Galaxy. These galaxies live in clusters of other galaxies, surrounded by a hot, gaseous medium. As galaxies move through this medium, the gas within the galaxy can be stripped off and lost. Since galaxies use gas to form new stars, losing all of its gas results in a galaxy slowly dying as stars burn out and are not replenished. At Notre Dame, Cramer is focusing more on the gas around galaxies, called the circumgalactic medium, and how it contributes to the lifecycle of stars and galaxies.</p>
<p>Cramer and the other astronomers interested in these galaxies rely on images for their work.</p>
<p>“All astronomy data is a raw image, and there is a bunch of processing to turn that into what we use for science, using data reduction. It's a process,” Cramer said. The team needs to use programming to analyze the image to find out what makes it special: object brightness, heat, density, phase of matter, and what elements are in the gas.</p>
<p>“It’s not always easy to know what you’ll write a paper about,” he continued. That’s because there are many different things that can show up in telescope images that would alter the direction of his research interests.</p>
<p>As for the images themselves, astronomers get these from telescopes like the James Webb or Hubble, and can propose to have certain areas of the sky imaged. These telescopes capture high-quality images researchers like Cramer use to field advancements.</p>
<p>“I have done some observing — I think I had a really romantic notion of what it would be like, you know, night sky, I would just be sitting there with a telescope,” joked Cramer. “What I should have realized is that you don't want any outside light, so you sit in a windowless room, sealed in from 10 pm to 6 am. It’s a slog. But it’s worth it when you get your images.”</p>
<p>In coming years, Cramer said he hopes to continue his research, and follow in his parents’ footsteps to eventually become a professor. “I take it a year at a time . . . I want to continue to work on cool stuff in the future — I am always proposing to keep looking.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Madeline Schlehuber</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://science.nd.edu/news-and-media/news/seeing-stars-how-postdoctoral-fellow-william-cramer-investigates-light-in-galaxy-systems/">science.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 14, 2024</span>.</p>Madeline Schlehubertag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1599262024-02-14T12:08:24-05:002024-02-14T12:08:24-05:00Becoming fully alive: Greer Hannan '09, '14 MNA, '15 M. Div. applies problem-solving and philosophical skills to help others<p>Now serving as the associate director of performance quality improvement and compliance at St. Vincent de Paul in Louisville, Kentucky, <strong>Greer Hannan ’09, ’14 MNA, ’15 M.Div.</strong> reflects on moments of “aliveness” that inspired her to serve those on the margins.</p><figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://weare.nd.edu/assets/556011/aran_islands_2008.jpg" alt="Aran Islands 2008" width="400px">
<figcaption>Hannan at the Aran Islands in 2008.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Greer Hannan ’09, ’14 MNA, ’15 M.Div.</strong> recalls a quote from St. Irenaeus that has guided her discernment since graduating from Notre Dame:</p>
<p><em>The glory of God is the human fully alive.</em></p>
<p>For Hannan, noticing when she has felt fully alive has been an important part of her post-grad journey. Now serving as the associate director of performance quality improvement and compliance at <a href="https://www.svdplou.org/">St. Vincent de Paul in Louisville</a>, Kentucky, Hannan reflects on moments of “aliveness” that inspired her to serve those on the margins.</p>
<p>One of those first significant moments when Hannan felt “fully alive” was an uncanny one: breaking her arm while studying abroad in Dublin her junior year at Notre Dame.</p>
<p>The second week of classes, Hannan suffered a biking accident during an adventure that was “100 percent worth it.” After a magical weekend visiting a farmer in County Kerry, Hannan fell off a bike on her mountain journey back to the train station. Luckily her study abroad family was there for her — <a href="https://international.nd.edu/about/people/kevin-whelan/">Kevin Whelan</a>, Michael Smurfit Director of the <a href="https://dublin.nd.edu/">Notre Dame Dublin Global Gateway</a>, and his wife, Anne, took her to the emergency room and he sat in the waiting room with Hannan until three in the morning.</p>
<p>Despite the logistical and physical challenges, the injury forced Hannan to adapt new perspectives.</p>
<p>“It just put me in this place of vulnerability and frankly, neediness, that I hadn’t really been in before … and it forced me to to ask for help and accept help, and recognize my limitations and be carried by my community,” Hannan said.</p>
<p>Hannan started to pay more attention to the people she encountered on the streets of Dublin. Growing up in a suburban subdivision in Mishawaka, Indiana, she had not typically seen people who were houseless or experiencing poverty. Living in the heart of Dublin, however, and taking the public transit for regular visits to the hospital for check-ups, Hannan began to encounter folks she wouldn’t normally interact with on Trinity College’s campus.</p>
<p>“I felt especially vulnerable in these situations, but also felt a sense of companionship with the people I was encountering,” Hannan said.</p>
<p>Experiencing this physical vulnerability for the first time offered Hannan a tiny glimpse into the kind of challenges those she encountered in Dublin were experiencing. This came full circle for Hannan when, after a year in Dublin, she befriended a man named Danny who begged in one specific spot behind Trinity College. Hannan felt inspired by his storytelling and outlook on life, and particularly the kinds of questions he wrestled with about God and life — the same questions she asked as a <a href="https://philosophy.nd.edu/">philosophy</a> major.</p>
<p>Hannan also was moved by how Danny brought out the best in her. A side of her character opened up that compelled her to consider how she could continue to interact with and serve others.</p>
<p>So when Hannan returned to South Bend, she started volunteering at the <a href="https://www.cfh.net/">Center for the Homeless</a>. Then, after graduating from Notre Dame, she moved back to Dublin to serve in a homeless shelter for those seeking recovery from alcohol and drug use.</p>
<p>When Hannan moved back that first year, her experience of Dublin was much more immersed in Irish culture than her student experience had been. As a full-time volunteer, she was now going specifically to places she was told as a student not to go. It proved to be another significant moment where Hannan felt herself becoming more fully human.</p>
<figure class="image image-left"><img src="https://weare.nd.edu/assets/556012/me_on_the_sofa_1_1_.jpg" alt="Me On The Sofa 1 1" width="400px">
<figcaption>Hannan relaxing in a former storage room that she and her colleagues converted into a meditation room for guests.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“I thrived on that because I wanted to expand my sense of what it means to be a human being, to make meaning and significance out of our lives … but it was also hard being a young adult with a lot of responsibility in an international context.”</p>
<p>Hannan’s tasks that year in Dublin were basic — locking up the building and letting folks back in, preparing beds for the next guests. She would also ride the bus with them, helping them navigate the city to get where they needed to go — even if she would make mistakes. In many ways, she says, her job was to greet them with kindness and bear witness to their daily activities — to see and recognize their full humanity.</p>
<p>“There were a million little moments like that, where people were willing to be vulnerable with me at such a dark time in their lives, and where people expressed a sense that I was a person that they could trust to be open in this way, or that they saw me as someone in the arena with them,” Hannan said.</p>
<p>After this year of frontline service work, Hannan returned to South Bend to work at Notre Dame at the <a href="https://ethicscenter.nd.edu/">de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture</a>. While there, she continued volunteering and serving folks in South Bend. At the Center for the Homeless, they tasked Hannan with grant writing on the side, which revealed to Hannan a different way she might serve. She saw a way that she could pair her strategic thinking and intellectual capacity to solve complex problems with a desire to serve others.</p>
<p>Hannan took the initiative to propose an academic track that might allow her to do exactly this, a track that no one at Notre Dame to her knowledge had attempted previously — combining the <a href="https://theology.nd.edu/graduate-programs/mdiv/">master of divinity</a> (MDiv) and <a href="https://mendoza.nd.edu/graduate-programs/master-of-nonprofit-administration/?utm_campaign=19964283090&utm_source=[g]-[c]-[]-[]&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=654781063113&utm_term=[notre%20dame%20mna]-[e]&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAzJOtBhALEiwAtwj8tgJZvOkglAcwNiUYDd3NkTVdd5CjE5N7JbdNBLyKFxILaJc7dfE8eBoCEaoQAvD_BwE">master in nonprofit administration</a> (MNA) degrees. Hannan saw a distinct way in which she wanted to serve the world, and how these two programs complemented each other.</p>
<p>For one, Hannan recognized that those in pastoral roles don’t often receive formal training in financial literacy or accounting, and the MNA degree would offer her that key learning.</p>
<p>“I didn’t really know what kind of role I would have on the other side of this, or what to look for or apply initially. I kind of took a winding path,” Hannan said.</p>
<p>The nonlinear path proved to be successful. The day after graduation, Hannan hopped in the car and drove down to Louisville, Kentucky, where she’s been for the last eight years — first in a grant writing role at a local foster care organization, <a href="https://volunteer.metrounitedway.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=114755">Father Maloney’s Boys and Girls Haven</a>, and now at <a href="https://www.svdplou.org/">St. Vincent de Paul Louisville</a>.</p>
<p>St. Vincent de Paul Louisville provides an entire campus of social services in the heart of Louisville, including a homeless shelter, transitional and permanent housing, a family success center, soup kitchen, food pantry, clothes closet — “a one-stop shop” to serve most needs. The nonprofit had been on Hannan’s radar during grad school and she had even cold-called St. Vincent in the spring of grad school, feeling like its rootedness in the Catholic Social Tradition resonated with her, but also seeing how expansive its operations were and ways they were using resources.</p>
<p>At the time, they didn’t have a position for Hannan. But sure enough, a year later, the executive director called Hannan with an opening to oversee the public funding of the organization. That role has since grown to include quality improvement and compliance functions. In her work, she gets to marry her problem-solving skills and philosophy-trained mind to impact those struggling with addiction and homelessness in Louisville.</p>
<p>Hannan thinks back to how studying abroad in Ireland “changed everything” for her — the immersive experience, her unexpected injury — and offers advice to Notre Dame students deciding what to pursue after graduation.</p>
<p>“It won’t be a straight line necessarily and that’s OK — you’ll develop new capacities, you’ll be challenged in new ways. … If you stay curious, that’s a good thing, if you grow beyond who you were at Notre Dame, that’s a really good thing. … The way I perceive myself now is not the way I perceived myself as an undergraduate, or even as a graduate student,” Hannan said.</p>
<figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://weare.nd.edu/assets/556010/twirling_at_cumberland_dance_week_2022.jpg" alt="Twirling At Cumberland Dance Week 2022" width="400px"></figure>
<p>Hannan continues to “be fully alive” outside of her professional role. She hosts a podcast “purely for joy in my free time,” <a href="https://femammal.buzzsprout.com/">Femammal</a>, in which she “holds space for women to explore what it means to live well in our bodies,” opening up dialogue to discuss their bodies, life cycles, communities, and families. Hannan herself has experienced tough gynecological conditions, and how these topics become taboo.</p>
<p>“I’m working hard to break down those taboos, and invite other people to share their stories as openly as I’ve shared my story in hopes of bringing about more connection and less confusion. …This is just as important to me as the other work I do, and people should feel really good about who they are and what they do outside of work,” Hannan said.</p>
<p>Hannan also belongs to a group of contra dancers, which is an American form of folk dancing done to live music, with a caller instructing movement and a long line of partners. Dancers change partners each dance, and the group celebrates diversity in age, race, gender, etc.</p>
<p>“It really builds community across generations. … It teaches me how to be in my body instead of living in my head. That’s really important to me,” Hannan said.</p>
<p>The contradance line in some ways serves as a metaphor for Hannan’s life — hand in hand with strangers, celebrating being fully alive and forming connections with others.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Allie Griffith '17, '19 M.Ed.</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://weare.nd.edu/stories/becoming-fully-alive/">weare.nd.edu</a>,</span> a digital publication from the Notre Dame Alumni Association telling stories of Domers doing good in the world.</p>Allie Griffith '17, '19 M.Ed.tag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1599252024-02-14T11:34:00-05:002024-02-14T11:34:43-05:00Notre Dame a top producer of Fulbright students for 10th straight year<p>The University of Notre Dame is a top producer of Fulbright students for the 10th consecutive year, according to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which administers the Fulbright Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.</p><figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/558501/300x/fulbright_studentscholar_topprod2024_800x900.png" alt="A badge consisting of a bright blue shield overlaid with a dark red ribbon near the center and a stylized globe at the bottom. Text reads: Fulbright Top Producer / U.S. Student Program / 2023-2024" width="300" height="267"></figure>
<p>The University of Notre Dame is a top producer of Fulbright students for the 10th consecutive year, according to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which administers the Fulbright Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.</p>
<p>Twenty Notre Dame students were awarded Fulbright Scholarships in June of last year for the 2023-24 academic year, tied for 16th among doctoral institutions in the U.S.</p>
<p>Notre Dame has been a top producer of Fulbright students 11 times since 2009-10. Full results are available online at the Chronicle of Higher Education.</p>
<p>“It was an honor to work alongside Mathilda Nassar, Emily Hunt and Kayla Hurd to prepare our students for all forms of Fulbright application,” said Elise Rudt-Moorthy, associate director of national fellowships at Notre Dame’s <a href="http://cuse.nd.edu">Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement </a>(CUSE). “Over the six months of the application process, we grew to know and like their narratives, ideas and goals and we are thrilled that Notre Dame’s selectees are currently actualizing their plans.”</p>
<p>Hurd, assistant program director in the <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/">Graduate School’s</a> <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships/">Office of Grants and Fellowships</a>, said, “Notre Dame is proud of the legacy that being recognized as a top-producing Fulbright institution for a consecutive decade brings to not only the University as a whole, but to the students that embark on a life-changing year abroad. It has been an honor to work with Notre Dame’s graduate students, faculty and staff throughout our Fulbright internal review process and to watch our students grow with curiosity and prosperity as they gain confidence in their writing. We aim to train the very best global citizens in their search for cross-cultural understanding and collaborative global leadership, and this distinction could not have been possible without the dedication, time and effort from the faculty and staff, especially the other members of the Grants and Fellowships and CUSE teams.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>For more information on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit <a href="http://cuse.nd.edu">cuse.nd.edu </a>(undergraduate students) or <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships/">graduateschool.nd.edu/professional_development/research/ </a>(graduate students).</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Erin Blasko</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-a-top-producer-of-fulbright-students-for-10th-straight-year/">news.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 13, 2024</span>.</p>Erin Blaskotag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1597592024-02-07T18:35:00-05:002024-02-07T18:43:43-05:00Notre Dame postdoctoral scholar working to improve cancer diagnosis through groundbreaking technology<p>Karla Gonzalez Serrano, postdoctoral scholar for the University of Notre Dame’s <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/">Eck Institute for Global Health</a>, has always wanted to join a team that helps doctors provide better care. “There are a lot of physicians in my family, and I have always wanted to help them have the tools that they wish they had to provide better care in their communities,” Gonzalez Serrano explains.</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 150px; text-align: center;"><img src="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/assets/556439/fullsize/gonzalez.jpg" alt="Gonzalez Serrano" width="150" height="200">
<figcaption>Karla Gonzalez Serrano '22 Ph.D.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Karla Gonzalez Serrano, postdoctoral scholar for the University of Notre Dame’s <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/">Eck Institute for Global Health</a>, has always wanted to join a team that helps doctors provide better care.</p>
<p>“There are a lot of physicians in my family, and I have always wanted to help them have the tools that they wish they had to provide better care in their communities,” Gonzalez Serrano explains.</p>
<p>As a graduate student at <a href="https://tec.mx/es">Tecnológico de Monterrey</a> in Monterrey, Mexico, Gonzalez Serrano participated in a collaborative program with the University of Notre Dame’s College of Engineering. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2022 and was then offered the opportunity to join the research team of <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/faculty/thomas-osullivan/">Thomas O’Sullivan</a>, associate professor of Electrical Engineering in the <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/">College of Engineering</a>.</p>
<p>Gonzalez Serrano is testing <a href="https://fightingfor.nd.edu/2023/fighting-for-breast-cancer-patients/?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Organic&utm_campaign=WWYFF&utm_term=Breast+Cancer+Patients">NearWave</a>, a wireless, handheld light-based imaging device recently developed by O’Sullivan and his then Ph.D. student, Roy Stillwell, to characterize breast abnormalities.</p>
<figure class="image image-left"><img src="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/assets/556441/300x/light_600.jpg" alt="Light 600" width="300" height="163">
<figcaption>NearWave imaging data</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In early 2023, a partnership between the Eck Institute and the <a href="https://harpercancer.nd.edu/">Harper Cancer Research Institute</a> (HCRI) offered her the opportunity to receive additional support to extend the device's application toward global health concerns. In limited-resource settings, there is a dire need for an approach to screen and diagnose breast cancers without causing significant false positive results that would consume already scarce resources. NearWave is portable, easy to use, relatively low cost, and does not require significant infrastructure to function, making it ideal for use in under-resourced communities where it could aid in tumor diagnosis, potentially decreasing the volume of false positive indications.</p>
<p>Testing and refining the device’s imaging procedure is necessary to produce an interface that is easy for clinicians to use and interpret for rapid pre-screening of breast lesions in diverse environments.</p>
<p>Partnerships with healthcare facilities in the United States are planned for the initial pilot study that will help to optimize the imaging procedure. Then, the device’s usability and quality of imaging scans of patients from a Mexican hospital will be evaluated. After integrating any necessary improvements identified in the US and Mexico, the device will be tested in a marginalized community with limited access to health care. Gonzalez Serrano also hopes to perform a more extensive clinical study to assess and inform diagnostic thresholds for distinguishing benign and malignant breast lesions.</p>
<figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/assets/556442/300x/nearwave_device_en2_0091_960x533.jpg" alt="Nearwave Device En2 0091 960x533" width="300" height="167">
<figcaption>The NearWave scanner</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“We want this device to be effective and accessible to clinicians in various environments,” Gonzalez Serrano emphasizes. Her dedication to the project is inspired by personal commitments toward providing positive impacts in her home country of Mexico, “because in limited-resource settings like many of the rural communities in Mexico, this device could identify breast cancers at earlier, more treatable stages and help these communities’ limited health care systems provide better breast cancer care.”</p>
<p><a href="https://chemistry.nd.edu/people/m-sharon-stack/">Sharon Stack</a>, who is the Ann F. Dunne and Elizabeth Riley Director of the Harper Cancer Research Institute, says she is pleased with Gonzalez Serrano’s work to advance NearWave’s application. She says, “As an early supporter of Tom O’Sullivan's basic research that enabled the development of the current NearWave device, HCRI is delighted to see this important product move into the clinic.” Stack, who is also the Kleiderer-Pezold Professor of Biochemistry for the <a href="https://chemistry.nd.edu/">Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry</a>, explains that “early detection is by far the best way to improve cancer survival. Translation of this technology to low resource settings will mean that the opportunity to survive a cancer diagnosis can be significantly expanded in the medically underserved community.”</p>
<p>Gonzalez Serrano’s work as part of the O’Sullivan Research Group is essential for ensuring the device is properly tested before wider application in healthcare settings. “Postdoctoral scholars, like Karla Gonzalez Serrano, are critical for advancing translational research,” said O’Sullivan. “Creating the connection between the devices that are developed in the lab, and how they are used in health care settings, is what defines our work as a force for good.”</p>
<p>For more information about this project and about O’Sullivan’s biomedical photonics laboratory, please visit the O’Sullivan Research Group <a href="https://osullivangroup.nd.edu/team/thomas-o-sullivan/">website</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Contact:</strong></p>
<p>Christine Grashorn, Communications Specialist<br>Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame<br>cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856<br>research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch</p>
<p><strong>About the Eck Institute for Global Health</strong></p>
<p>The Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH), an integral part of Notre Dame Research, builds on the University’s historical strength in infectious disease research, including vector-borne diseases, while broadening the interdisciplinary expertise into other key global health areas including maternal, newborn, & child health (MNCH), community health, mental health, nutrition and non-communicable diseases, the environment and health, health analytics and technologies, and health systems and organizations. Our team of interdisciplinary researchers and their students holistically address health disparities around the world. EIGH <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/affiliates/?service=undefined&location=undefined&name=&title=&school=undefined&id=&dept=&area=">faculty affiliates</a> recognize health as a fundamental human right and promote research, training, and service to advance health standards for all people, especially those in resource-poor countries who are disproportionately impacted by preventable diseases. The EIGH is <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/education-training/">training the next generation</a> of global health researchers and leaders through undergraduate, Master of Science in Global Health, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs.</p>
<p><strong>About the Harper Cancer Research Institute</strong></p>
<p>Investigators in the Harper Cancer Research Institute (HCRI) are dedicated to conducting innovative and integrative research that confronts the complex challenges of cancer. Our programmatic structure fosters multi-disciplinary cancer research by promoting interactions among research groups with distinct expertise and by training early career scientists to work across scientific fields. Clinical partnerships provide key translational insight and strengthen the mission of discovery. Collaboration is a foundational principle of the Institute. Harper research teams are comprised of faculty from multiple departments within the College of Science, College of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Letters at Notre Dame in addition to IUSMSB faculty.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Christine Grashorn</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/news-events/news/notre-dame-postdoctoral-scholar-working-to-improve-cancer-diagnosis-through-groundbreaking-technology/">globalhealth.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 02, 2024</span>.</p>Christine Grashorntag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1597582024-02-07T18:24:00-05:002024-02-07T18:25:53-05:002024 NSF LEAPS-MPS Awards <p>Four alumni from the Ph.D. program in mathematics have recently received <a href="https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/launching-early-career-academic-pathways">Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)</a> awards.</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 450px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/557238/450x/img_2086.jpg" alt="Left to right: Laura Murray '20 Ph.D, John Holmes '15 Ph.D., Alexander Diaz-Lopez '16 Ph.D., all alumni of Notre Dame's Ph.D. program in mathematics, reunited at a recent NSF workshop." width="450" height="338">
<figcaption>Left to right: Laura Murray '20 Ph.D, John Holmes '15 Ph.D., Alexander Diaz-Lopez '16 Ph.D., all alumni of Notre Dame's Ph.D. program in mathematics, reunited at a recent NSF workshop.</figcaption>
</figure>
<div class="gmail_default">Four department alumni have recently received <a href="https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/launching-early-career-academic-pathways">Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)</a> awards. These substantial awards help launch the careers of pre-tenure faculty in mathematical and physical sciences at institutions that do not traditionally receive significant amounts of NSF funding.</div>
<div class="gmail_default">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2211379&HistoricalAwards=false">Alexander Diaz-Lopez</a> '16 Ph.D. (adviser: Matthew Dyer) is currently at Villanova.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2316646&HistoricalAwards=false">John Holmes</a> '15 Ph.D. (adviser: Alex Himonas) is currently at Ohio State. </li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2317001&HistoricalAwards=false">MurphyKate Montee</a> '13 is currently at Carleton College.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2316646&HistoricalAwards=false">Laura Murray</a> '20 Ph.D. (adviser: Stephan Stolz) is currently at Providence College.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default"> </div>
<div class="gmail_default">The four met and had a mini Notre Dame reunion at a recent NSF workshop for new and recent PIs. Pictured at that meeting (from left to right) is Laura, John, and Alexander.</div>
<div class="gmail_default"> </div>
<div class="gmail_default">Congratulations to all four!</div>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Judy Hygema</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://math.nd.edu/news/2024-nsf-leap-awards/">math.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">February 01, 2024</span>.</p>Judy Hygematag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1597402024-02-07T15:15:00-05:002024-02-19T10:14:12-05:00Notre Dame Rome inaugurates Graduate Research Fellowships in Rome<p><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/">The Graduate School,</a> in partnership with Notre Dame International and the <a href="https://italianstudies.nd.edu/">Center for Italian Studies</a>, is offering semester- and year-long dissertation research fellowships at the Rome Global Gateway to advanced humanities Ph.D. students in the College of Arts and Letters. </p><p><a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/">The Graduate School,</a> in partnership with Notre Dame International and the <a href="https://italianstudies.nd.edu/">Center for Italian Studies</a>, is offering semester- and year-long dissertation research fellowships at the Rome Global Gateway to advanced humanities Ph.D. students in the College of Arts and Letters.</p>
<figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://rome.nd.edu/assets/556261/450x/mc_7.20.22_religious_liberty_summit_10_1_.jpg" alt="Mc 7" width="450" height="307"></figure>
<p>The goal of this residential fellowship is to facilitate dissertation research for students who demonstrate the need to conduct substantial work in Rome and its vicinity and to create a cohort of scholars engaged in the academic communities of Notre Dame Rome and of the city.</p>
<p>This fellowship is designed to support only those students in the advanced stages of doctoral work.</p>
<p><strong>Benefits:</strong> Selected fellows will receive a housing and airfare allowance (one semester—$7,000; one year—$10,000).</p>
<p>The Rome Gateway will offer guidance on identifying housing, support the visa application and the rest of the immigration process (costs borne by the fellow), and provide office space at the Gateway facility on Via Ostilia, just steps from the Colosseum. Additionally, Notre Dame Rome will support the fellows in networking with local experts and students at other institutions. Fellows will be expected to participate in the academic events and activities organized by the Rome Global Gateway and to present their work in progress in internal seminars and/or seminars organized with partner institutions.</p>
<p><strong>Eligibility Requirements:</strong> Applicants must be currently enrolled in a humanities PhD program in the College of Arts and Letters. Applicants should have completed all coursework and examinations. The dissertation proposal/project must be approved by the applicant's doctoral committee by the time of application.</p>
<p><strong>Program Dates:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Fall semester: arrivals from Sept 2, 2024, with a start date of Sept 9, 2024. End of the program on Dec 21, 2024.</li>
<li>Spring semester: arrivals from Jan 20, 2025, with a start date of Jan 27, 2025. End of the program on May 10, 2025.</li>
<li>Year-long: Sept 2, 2024, with a start date of Sept 9, 2024. End of the program on May 10, 2025.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Evaluation Criteria:</strong> A multidisciplinary review committee will be charged to evaluate the applications based on the quality and clarity of the proposal, the need for conducting research in Rome, and the professional benefits of this fellowship for the researcher.</p>
<p><strong>Application:</strong> To apply please send the following materials in pdf format using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBHwp6v99BodHS9wEr6R_sqeCRXvhDDZNE0OWTgvpb7q9m0A/viewform">the online application form</a> by February 28, 2024:</p>
<ol>
<li>Curriculum vitae</li>
<li>Statement of Purpose (1,000 words limit, double-spaced) that explains the parameters of your dissertation and how it will benefit from your research in Rome.</li>
<li>Research schedule for the fellowship (1 page).</li>
<li>Letter of reference from your adviser (sent separately to <a href="mailto:gradgrants@nd.edu">gradgrants@nd.edu</a>). Please combine all of your application materials except for the reference letter into a single PDF.</li>
</ol>
<p>Applicants will be notified about the outcome approximately three weeks after the deadline. The organizers anticipate to award up to ten (10) fellowships for the 2024–2025 cycle.</p>
<p>Please contact Michael Skalski (<a href="mailto:mskalski@nd.edu">mskalski@nd.edu</a>) at the <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships/">Office of Grants & Fellowships</a> with any questions.</p>
<p class="attribution"><a href="mailto:gradgrants@nd.edu" gradgrants="" a="">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Costanza Montanari</span> at </a><a href="https://rome.nd.edu/news-stories/news/notre-dame-rome-inaugurates-graduate-research-fellowships-in-rome/">rome.nd.edu</a> on <span class="rel-pubdate">January 31, 2024</span>. </p>
<p class="attribution"><em>*Edited February 16, 2024 to update submission deadline.</em></p>Costanza Montanaritag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1597312024-02-06T16:05:21-05:002024-02-06T16:20:42-05:00Eight graduate students receive fellowships from ND Energy to advance energy-related research <p>The Center for Sustainable Energy (<a href="https://energy.nd.edu/">ND Energy</a>) at the University of Notre Dame has selected eight exceptional graduate students from a pool of twenty-three outstanding applicants to receive fellowships to advance research in specific areas important to creating a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for all.</p><figure class="image image-center"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/557066/fullsize/nde_2024_graduate_student_fellows_h_02.29.24.png" alt="2024 recipients of the Patrick ’90 and Jana Eilers Graduate Student Fellowship for Energy Related Research and the John ’00 and Karla Forgash Graduate Student Fellowship for Solar Energy Research." width="100%">
<figcaption style="text-align: center;">2024 recipients of the Patrick ’90 and Jana Eilers Graduate Student Fellowship for Energy Related Research and the John ’00 and Karla Forgash Graduate Student Fellowship for Solar Energy Research.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Center for Sustainable Energy (<a href="https://energy.nd.edu/">ND Energy</a>) at the University of Notre Dame has selected eight exceptional graduate students from a pool of twenty-three outstanding applicants to receive fellowships to advance research in specific areas important to creating a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for all.</p>
<p>The <strong>Patrick ’90 and Jana Eilers Graduate Student Fellowship for Energy Related Research</strong> supports a broad range of energy-related topics and provides each student with an award of nearly $10,000 to advance their research. The supports advancements in solar energy and awards $6,000 to a graduate student to support their research. Recipients of the Eilers and Forgash Fellowships become members of a distinguished research group within the ND Energy community and are provided opportunities to feature their research throughout the year at various events, including the annual ND Energy Research Symposium.</p>
<p>The 2024 Eilers and Forgash Fellows are listed below with their project titles and brief descriptions of their research projects.</p>
<h2>Eilers Fellows</h2>
<h4>Barnabas Agbodekhe<strong> </strong>
</h4>
<p><em>Computational Investigation and Discovery of Novel Materials for the Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Phaseout of Hydrofluorocarbons</em></p>
<p>The necessary phaseout of refrigerant mixtures that cause global warming requires the forebodingly energy-intensive separation of these mixtures into their components so they can be repurposed. There is also the need to design more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient replacement refrigerants. <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/eilers-graduate/?id=barnabas-agbodekhe">This research project</a> seeks to investigate and discover novel materials to enable the energy-efficient recovery and replacement of environmentally harmful refrigerant mixtures by applying computational methods to enable the energy-efficient recovery and repurposing of harmful refrigerants and ensure the energy efficiency of future heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems, which currently consume 20-30% of electricity usage in U.S. households.</p>
<p>Barnabas is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/faculty/edward-maginn/">Edward Maginn</a>, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Vice President for Research, University of Notre Dame. Barnabas received his Master of Science in Advanced Chemical Engineering from the Imperial College in London and his Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Benin, Nigeria.</p>
<h4>Irina Gushchina</h4>
<p><em>Chalcohalide Nanocrystals for Solar Energy Harvesting: Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Applications</em></p>
<p><a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/eilers-graduate/?id=irina-gushchina">This research project</a> is devoted to synthesis of various novel chalcohalide nanocrystals and characterization of their optoelectronic properties to identify the best candidates for photocatalytic applications.</p>
<p>Irina is seeking a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering/Chemistry and Biochemistry and is conducting her research in the laboratory of <a href="https://chemistry.nd.edu/people/masaru-kuno/">Masaru Kuno</a>, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Irina received her Master of Science in Materials Science from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia and her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.</p>
<h4>Etinosa Osaro</h4>
<p><em>Development of a Universal Adsorption Model for Efficient Energy Applications: Simultaneous Exploration of Molecule and Material Space using Active Learning</em></p>
<p><a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/eilers-graduate/?id=etinosa-osaro">This research project</a> focuses on leveraging advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to identify the most efficient materials for energy-related processes. By precisely predicting how gases interact with certain materials (Metal-Organic Frameworks or MOFs), this approach could significantly reduce energy consumption in chemical separation processes, paving the way for more sustainable and eco-friendly energy solutions.</p>
<p>Etinosa is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/faculty/yamil-j-colon/">Yamil Colón</a>, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Etinosa received his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Gas Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.</p>
<h4>Hope Otor</h4>
<p><em>Elucidating Plasma-Catalytic Interactions for Nitrogen Fixation</em></p>
<p>Nitrogen fixation via ammonia and nitrate fertilizer provides nutrients for plant growth and food production. However, the current industrial process incurs a significant energy penalty and CO<sub>2</sub> footprint. <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/eilers-graduate/?id=hope-otor">This research project</a> aims to electrify and decarbonize the nitrogen fixation process via the use of plasma technologies.</p>
<p>Hope is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/faculty/jason-hicks/">Jason Hicks</a>, the Tony and Sarah Earley Professor of Energy and the Environment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, College of Engineering. Hope received his Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toledo, Ohio, and his Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria.</p>
<h4>Jonathan Ouimet</h4>
<p><em>Diafiltration Cascades for Critical Mineral Separations to Support a Clean Energy Transition</em></p>
<p><a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/eilers-graduate/?id=jonathan-ouimet">This research project</a> will establish fundamental insights on the transport of solute through membrane systems using salt concentrations that are relevant to lithium brines in the United States. The data, generated using high-throughput experimentation techniques, will enable current critical mineral processes to be improved and can be used to reverse engineer new membrane materials.</p>
<p>Jonathan is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/faculty/william-phillip/">William Phillip</a>, the Rooney Family Collegiate Chair of Engineering and Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Jonathan received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a concentration in Chemical Engineering from Miami University, Ohio.</p>
<h4>Gábor Szabó</h4>
<p><em>Revealing the Role of Iodine Expulsion in Perovskite Solar Cells</em></p>
<p>Perovskite solar cells have emerged as exciting candidates in solar energy conversion devices due to their high efficiency and low fabrication cost. <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/eilers-graduate/?id=gabor-szabo">This research project</a> aims to understand the light-induced degradation processes in perovskite solar cells, which will help the community develop strategies to improve long-term stability (crucial for commercialization).</p>
<p>Gábor is seeking a Ph.D in Chemistry and is conducting his research in the laboratory of <a href="https://chemistry.nd.edu/people/prashant-kamat/">Prashant Kamat</a>, the Rev. John A. Zahm Professor of Science in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Gábor received his Master of Science in Chemistry and his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Szeged, Hungary.</p>
<h4>Ke Wang</h4>
<p><em>Bayesian Optimization of Additive Manufacturing for Thermoelectric Materials</em></p>
<p>Thermoelectric (TE) generators (TEGs) are a promising technology for powering distributed sensor networks, biomedical devices, wearable electronics, and beyond. However, the efficiency of TEGs is limited by the TE materials and their manufacturing methods. <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/eilers-graduate/?id=ke-wang">This research project</a> seeks to establish a paradigm shift from heuristic time- and resource-intensive Edisonian search to systematical data-driven optimization for TE materials and devices.</p>
<p>Ke is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and is conducting his research in the laboratory of <a href="https://engineering.nd.edu/faculty/alexander-dowling/">Alexander Dowling</a>, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Ke received his Master of Science in Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Notre Dame and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Sichuan University, China.</p>
<h2>Forgash Fellow</h2>
<h4>Wyatt Balliew</h4>
<p><em>Quantum Dot Metal Complex Hybrids, a New Platform for Tunable Electro- and Photocatalysis</em></p>
<p>Tuning metal redox potentials can affect their catalytic activities and efficiencies for desirable energy-relevant transformations like CO2 reduction. <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/forgash-graduate/?id=wyatt-balliew">This research project</a> will study how post-synthetic modification of the ancillary surface ligands of nanocrystal-coordination complex assemblies can be used to modulate the transition metal redox potentials via nanocrystal surface electric fields.</p>
<p>Wyatt is seeking a Ph.D. in Chemistry and is conducting his research in the laboratory of <a href="https://chemistry.nd.edu/people/emily-tsui/">Emily Tsui</a>, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Wyatt received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Clemson University, South Carolina.</p>
<h2>About ND Energy</h2>
<p>ND Energy is a University Center whose mission is to build a better world by creating new energy technologies and systems and educating individuals to help solve the most critical energy challenges facing the world today. For more information, please visit the ND Energy website at <a href="http://energy.nd.edu/">energy.nd.edu</a> or contact Barbara Villarosa, Business and Communications Program Director, at <a href="mailto:bvillaro@nd.edu">bvillaro@nd.edu</a>.</p>
<h4>About Student Research Fellowships in Sustainable Energy </h4>
<p>ND Energy offers competitive <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/fellowships/">fellowships</a> to undergraduate and graduate students at Notre Dame to support advancements in <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">energy-related research</a> with <a href="https://energy.nd.edu/about/affiliated-faculty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ND Energy faculty affiliates</a> and to broaden the educational knowledge and research capabilities of students.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Barbara Villarosa</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://energy.nd.edu/news-events/news/eight-graduate-students-receive-fellowships-from-nd-energy-to-advance-energy-related-research/">energy.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">January 25, 2024</span>.</p>Barbara Villarosatag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1586952023-12-12T13:15:00-05:002024-02-19T15:05:29-05:00Graduate student health care subsidy to extend to spouses and children<p>When the Strategic Framework was introduced in August, excellence in graduate education and research were identified as essential to the University's ability to be the leading global Catholic research institution. In alignment with that vision, Mike Hildreth, dean of the Graduate School and vice president and associate provost for graduate studies, announced on December 12, 2023 the health care subsidy for eligible graduate students will be expanded to cover spouses and children.</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/550844/yrm_news_feature.png" alt="Your Research Matters" width="400"></figure>
<p>When the Strategic Framework was introduced in August, excellence in graduate education and research were identified as essential to the University's ability to be the leading global Catholic research institution. In alignment with that vision, Mike Hildreth, dean of the Graduate School and vice president and associate provost for graduate studies, announced on December 12, 2023 the health care subsidy for eligible graduate students will be expanded to cover spouses and children.</p>
<p>“This offering reflects the University’s values in the support of families, making it easier for our graduate students and their families to flourish during their time at Notre Dame,” Hildreth said.</p>
<p>The health insurance subsidy expansion will take effect at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year for <a href="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/funding/#health-insurance">graduate students who qualify for the subsidy</a>. Currently, the Graduate School provides a subsidy toward the cost of the health insurance premium for full-time, fully funded students who are enrolled in the University sponsored health insurance plan. Final details of the expansion will be shared in late spring or early summer next year.</p>
<p>This expansion is expected to have broad impact—both for current and prospective graduate students. This initiative, representing one of the first University investments aligned with the new Strategic Framework, has been enthusiastically endorsed by the University’s president, provost, and executive vice president.</p>
<p>December’s announcement is expected to be the first in a series of enhancements to the Notre Dame graduate student experience.</p>The Graduate Schooltag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1587032023-12-12T00:10:35-05:002023-12-12T00:10:35-05:00Recruiting Ph.D.s for the NDIAS Distinguished Graduate Fellowship<figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/551218/ndias_logo.jpeg" alt="Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study" width="400"></figure>
<p><strong><a href="https://ndias.nd.edu/fellowships/graduate/application/">APPLY NOW FOR DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP</a></strong></p>
<p>As a vital part of the new <a href="https://provost.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-announces-leadership-for-new-strategic-initiatives-on-democracy-ethics-and-poverty/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://provost.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-announces-leadership-for-new-strategic-initiatives-on-democracy-ethics-and-poverty/&source=gmail&ust=1701959656258000&usg=AOvVaw1PoFYtp4R4FHAUyZLAqmRP" rel="noopener">Notre Dame Ethics Initiative</a>…</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/551218/ndias_logo.jpeg" alt="Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study" width="400"></figure>
<p><strong><a href="https://ndias.nd.edu/fellowships/graduate/application/">APPLY NOW FOR DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP</a></strong></p>
<p>As a vital part of the new <a href="https://provost.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-announces-leadership-for-new-strategic-initiatives-on-democracy-ethics-and-poverty/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://provost.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-announces-leadership-for-new-strategic-initiatives-on-democracy-ethics-and-poverty/&source=gmail&ust=1701959656258000&usg=AOvVaw1PoFYtp4R4FHAUyZLAqmRP" rel="noopener">Notre Dame Ethics Initiative</a>, the NDIAS is thrilled to recruit the next cohort of<strong> </strong>Distinguished Graduate Fellows<strong> </strong>for the academic year 2024–2025. This premium, year-long fellowship supports five dissertating graduate students whose research, teaching, and career goals include interdisciplinary engagement and attention to the critical questions of ethics, value, and meaning.</p>
<p>Ph.D. fellows receive a stipend of up to $39,000 along with a $1,000 research/pedagogy development fund. They also receive dedicated office space in the NDIAS, an opportunity to publicly present their research in a “masterclass” format, attendance at a public engagement skills retreat with professionals at leading venues (e.g., The New York Times), and a long-term context for growing their network of mentors and friends throughout the broader interdisciplinary NDIAS community.</p>
<p>We believe that outstanding research and teaching necessarily go hand in hand, and NDIAS is excited to offer targeted programming to develop next years’ Ph.D. fellows into transformational university instructors. In addition to making tremendous progress on their dissertation research, Ph.D. fellows will also participate in the pedagogical development workshops of the signature course fellowship, funded by the John Templeton Foundation.</p>
<p>Learn more on the <a href="https://ndias.nd.edu/fellowships/graduate/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ndias.nd.edu/fellowships/graduate/&source=gmail&ust=1701959656258000&usg=AOvVaw1UhhwsT_m9aqCyarmGytNx" rel="noopener">distinguished graduate fellowship website</a>.</p>
<p>If you are currently a third or fourth year graduate student in the College of Arts and Letters who is interested in interdisciplinary community, research, and pedagogy for the common good, apply for the 2024–2025 Distinguished Graduate Fellowship.<strong> Applications will be accepted until Thursday, March 7, 2024.</strong></p>
<p>If you have any questions about this opportunity or application process, please contact Jeff Tolly (<a href="mailto:jtolly@nd.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jtolly@nd.edu</a>).</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Pauline Namuleme</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://raceandresilience.nd.edu/news-and-events/news/recruiting-phds-for-the-ndias-distinguished-graduate-fellowship-2/">raceandresilience.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">December 06, 2023</span>.</p>Pauline Namulemetag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1579842023-11-13T16:40:00-05:002023-11-13T16:41:41-05:00Envisioning greater accessibility <p>By the time <strong>Danny Fritz ’22 M.S. </strong>and<strong> Riley Ellingsen ’22 M.S. </strong>graduated from the 11-month ESTEEM master’s program at Notre Dame, they had co-founded a start-up, earned seed money to start developing their innovative product, and now dedicate themselves to expanding accessibility options for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.</p><p><strong>Danny Fritz ’22 M.S. </strong>was bound for a career in software engineering. <strong>Riley Ellingsen ’22 M.S.</strong>, meanwhile, set his sights on med school, or perhaps a career in medical research.</p>
<p>A few years out of college, though, they each felt called to change direction, and followed that call to the <a href="https://esteem.nd.edu/graduate-program-technology-entrepreneurship/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAr8eqBhD3ARIsAIe-buMzvPnuDRn75MzCJ2PadaLjaMZmwOjAQKyaCX6JlXNlm3jUWj33rq4aAve9EALw_wcB">Notre Dame ESTEEM program.</a></p>
<p>By the time they graduated from the 11-month master’s program, they had co-founded a start-up, earned seed money to start developing their innovative product, and now dedicate themselves to expanding accessibility options for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing.</p>
<figure class="image image-left"><img src="https://weare.nd.edu/assets/547720/engo_pro_black_back_3_copy.jpg" alt="Engo Pro Black Back 3 Copy" width="600" height="89">
<figcaption>An updated rendering of the product includes subtitles that are projected into the wearer's field of vision in real-time conversations.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Their company,<a href="https://hearsight.net/"> heARsight</a>, essentially gives people the ability to turn on subtitles in any conversation. Through augmented reality technology, heARsight glasses project real-time captions into the wearer’s field of vision.</p>
<p>“We’ve never seen ourselves as a replacement to hearing aids or other assistive technology that’s out there,” Ellingsen said. “We really just want to be another option or a complement to hearing aids. So, it’s just about giving people more options and the ability to communicate and stay connected with other people better.”</p>
<p>Fritz, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, came up with the idea for heARsight during the pandemic.</p>
<p>At the time, he was dating a woman who is hard of hearing and relied on lip-reading to fully understand conversations. When most people donned masks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, lip-reading became impossible.</p>
<p>“And I think it was when we were watching a movie, or something with captions, I noticed that captions are super helpful even for me,” he said. “... And I wondered why not mix subtitles and speech-to-text with augmented reality technologies so you can basically have subtitles wherever you go.”</p>
<p>That idea took root in South Bend in the summer of 2021, when Fritz and Ellingsen — who studied biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington — ended up as roommates in the ESTEEM program (Engineering, Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Excellence Master's).</p>
<p>The curriculum — designed for students with STEM backgrounds — included one technical course each semester, supplemented with business and entrepreneurship classes. Outside the classroom, ESTEEM students complete a capstone project in the business world.</p>
<p>“So we got the opportunity to work directly with senior executives at companies on, essentially, consulting projects,” Ellingsen said. “We were immediately applying everything that we learned in the classroom to a real-world business case that we had almost complete ownership over and responsibility to produce deliverables to paying clients.”</p>
<figure class="image image-right"><img src="https://weare.nd.edu/assets/547721/20230918_121208_1_.jpg" alt="20230918 121208 1" width="600" height="450">
<figcaption>Fritz and Jennifer Petrillo '95 at a recent demo at Accenture's Accessibility Center in Chicago.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In between coursework and capstone projects, Ellingsen and Fritz spent a lot of time talking about their own business ideas, even just when hanging out in their kitchen. That’s where Fritz first pitched the idea for heARsight.</p>
<p>“I had the reaction that a lot of people have when we tell them about heARsight, when Danny first talked about it in our kitchen, which was just, ‘Wait, how does this not already exist?’” Ellingsen said.</p>
<p>So, they started talking more specifically about how to turn their vision into a viable business — with some support from Notre Dame. They entered the <a href="https://ideacenter.nd.edu/se/opportunities/mccloskey-competition/">McCloskey New Venture Competition</a> through the IDEA Center, and made it all the way to the semifinals.</p>
<p>“And that took us from an idea that Danny had thought of to doing customer validation work to understand if this is a problem that is prevalent with a bunch of people and is the solution that we’re proposing actually something that would address the problem and meet that need,” Ellingsen said.</p>
<p>The competition provided them with some seed money, and the momentum to keep developing the company. After graduating from the ESTEEM program, Fritz and Ellingsen stayed in South Bend for the summer to participate in an IDEA Center accelerator program, which provided them with initial funding. By the end of 2022, they had raised a little over $300,000 to get heARsight off the ground.</p>
<p>Since then, they’ve each started other jobs, while continuing to use every spare moment to develop heARsight, where Ellingsen is the CEO and Fritz serves as chief technology officer. They hope to bring the product to market in four to six months.</p>
<p>That all makes for long hours and lots of work, but they remain motivated by their mission. The waitlist on the heARsight website now includes about 1,200 people, all of whom are asked how they could benefit from the project. Fritz and Ellingsen have also started meeting with potential customers to demonstrate their prototype.</p>
<p>“And to see people light up and think about all the potential possibilities it could help them in their life, really keeps me motivated,” Fritz said.</p>
<p>Those eventual possibilities could include harnessing this technology to provide real-time translation services.</p>
<p>“It’s all possible,” Fritz said. “I guess our main focus is where we started, and that is solving a problem for people who can’t quite hear as well. … I think there’s plenty of applications out there that it could be used for, but I think the main goal is to uplift people with less hearing ability.”</p>
<p>Ellingsen added that 420 million worldwide experience hearing loss but only 99 million get tested for it and 77 million receive treatment</p>
<p>“So there’s this huge treatment gap,” Ellingsen said. “And that 420 million number is expected to grow to a half-billion by 2050. So we see it as a very real need right now that’s just going to continue to expand. And we just want to give people another tool to combat that.”</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Jack Rooney</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://weare.nd.edu/stories/envisioning-greater-accessibility/">weare.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 13, 2023</span>.</p>Jack Rooneytag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1579832023-11-13T16:38:00-05:002023-11-13T16:38:15-05:00Graduate student Connor Moore named Meenakshi Narain Graduate Scholar at the LPC<p>Department of Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student Connor Moore has been named a Meenakshi Narain Graduate Scholar at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Physics Center (LPC) for 2024. This program is aimed to support exceptional graduate student from U.S. Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) institutions.</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 450px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/547836/450x/connor_moore_web_1.jpg" alt="Connor Moore, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy." width="450">
<figcaption>Connor Moore, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Department of Physics and Astronomy Graduate Student Connor Moore has been named a Meenakshi Narain Graduate Scholar at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Physics Center (LPC) for 2024. This program is aimed to support exceptional graduate student from U.S. Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) institutions. It will fund Connor to spend a year resident at the Fermilab LPC benefiting from the mentorship of resident LPC scientists.</p>
<p>At the LPC in 2024, Moore plans to investigate and implement color-singlet tagging techniques to improve searches for various decays of the Higgs boson. The final goal of this project is to apply color singlet tagging to the decay of the Higgs boson to two gluons (H → gg), though its effects on H → bb searches are also of interest. A full description of his project can be found <a href="https://lpc.fnal.gov/programs/graduate-scholars/2024/Connor_Moore.shtml">here</a>.</p>
<p>“I congratulate Connor on being named as one of only two Meenakshi Narain Graduate Scholars for 2024. Connor’s achievement is a great credit to the strong high energy physics group," said department chair Prof. Morten Eskildsen.</p>
<p>In 2023, the LPC Graduate Scholars program was renamed in honor of the late Professor Meenakshi Narain who fought for and attained the funds for this program when she was LPC co-coordinator. The LPC serves primarily as a resource and physics analysis hub for several hundred physicists at U.S. institutions in the CMS collaboration. The LPC offers a vibrant community of CMS scientists from U.S. and overseas institutions that play leading roles in analysis of data, in the definition and refinement of physics objects, in detector commissioning and operations, and in the design, and development, and construction of the detector upgrade. There is close and frequent collaboration with the Fermilab theory community.</p>
<p>During 2023, Connor was the recipient of a Fermilab Guest and Visitors program grant the funded frequent trips to the LPC to collaborate with scientists there.</p>
<p>At Notre Dame, Moore is advised by <a href="https://physics.nd.edu/people/faculty/kevin-lannon/">Prof. Kevin Lannon</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Shelly Goethals</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://physics.nd.edu/news-events/news/graduate-student-connor-moore-named-meenakshi-narain-graduate-scholar-at-the-lpc/">physics.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 10, 2023</span>.</p>Shelly Goethalstag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1579822023-11-13T16:30:00-05:002023-11-13T16:31:14-05:00Eck Institute announces 2023-2024 graduate research fellows<figure class="image image-right" style="width: 450px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/547835/450x/eigh_graduate_scholars_graphic.jpg" alt="Eck Institute 2023-2024 graduate research fellows." width="450">
<figcaption>Eck Institute 2023-2024 graduate research fellows.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Four Ph.D. students at the University of Notre Dame have joined the <a href="http://globalhealth.nd.edu/">Eck Institute for Global Health</a> as <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/funding/phd/fellowships/">graduate research fellows</a>…</p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 450px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/547835/450x/eigh_graduate_scholars_graphic.jpg" alt="Eck Institute 2023-2024 graduate research fellows." width="450">
<figcaption>Eck Institute 2023-2024 graduate research fellows.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Four Ph.D. students at the University of Notre Dame have joined the <a href="http://globalhealth.nd.edu/">Eck Institute for Global Health</a> as <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/funding/phd/fellowships/">graduate research fellows</a>. The Institute will support the students as they pursue topics in global health, including infectious disease and maternal health research.</p>
<p>The Eck Institute’s graduate fellowship program provides training, mentorship, and opportunities for collaboration with Notre Dame’s internationally recognized global health experts. Graduate fellows also have access to interdisciplinary opportunities, including the <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/education-training/global-health-case-competition/">Notre Dame Global Health Case Competition</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/about/staff/bernard-nahlen/">Dr. Bernard Nahlen</a>, director of the Eck Institute for Global Health, said “We are excited to have our <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/funding/phd/fellowships/fellowship-previous-awardees/">2023-2024 cohort of graduate fellows</a> join the Eck Institute this year as they are all exceptional scholars.” Nahlen added that, “they have an extraordinary opportunity to contribute their research expertise toward understanding existing and emerging global health challenges.”</p>
<p>The Institute’s 2023-2024 graduate fellows are:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p>Alyssa La Bella: La Bella’s research project is titled “Dissecting the Efg1 Virulence Network of Candida albicans in the Catheterized Bladder.”</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p>Elizabeth Lau: Lau’s project is titled “Validation of a Clinical Screening Tool for Postpartum Depression in Rural United States.”</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p>Bradley Jones: Jones’ research project is titled “Defining the Roles of Lysine Acetyltransferases MMAR_3740 and MMAR_3692 in Mycobacterial Pathogenesis.”</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p>Alexis Waldschmidt: Waldschmidt’s research project is titled “The Multiple Disease-Vectoring Roles of NORPA β-Class Phospholipase C Signaling in Aedes Mosquitoes.”</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The Eck Institute supports multidisciplinary research from graduate students across the University of Notre Dame who have a specific interest in global health. Graduates of the program have gone on to lead federal and academic research programs.</p>
<p>The Global Health Fellowship program for doctoral students will not accept new applications for the upcoming academic year.</p>
<p>Please visit the Eck Institute for Global Health <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/funding/phd/fellowships/">website</a> for information regarding the fellowship program, and updates on program availability.</p>
<p><strong>Contact:<br></strong>Christine Grashorn, Communications Specialist<br>Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame<br>cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856<br>research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>About the Eck Institute for Global Health<br></strong>The Eck Institute for Global Health (EIGH), an integral part of Notre Dame Research, builds on the University’s historical strength in infectious disease research, including vector-borne diseases, while broadening the interdisciplinary expertise into other key global health areas including maternal, newborn, & child health (MNCH), community health, mental health, nutrition and non-communicable diseases, the environment and health, health analytics and technologies, and health systems and organizations. Our team of interdisciplinary researchers and their students holistically address health disparities around the world. EIGH <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/affiliates/?service=undefined&location=undefined&name=&title=&school=undefined&id=&dept=&area=">faculty affiliates</a> recognize health as a fundamental human right and promote research, training, and service to advance health standards for all people, especially those in resource-poor countries who are disproportionately impacted by preventable diseases. The EIGH is <a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/education-training/">training the next generation</a> of global health researchers and leaders through undergraduate, Master of Science in Global Health, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs.</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">Christine Grashorn</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://globalhealth.nd.edu/news-events/news/eck-institute-announces-2023-2024-graduate-research-fellows/">globalhealth.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 08, 2023</span>.</p>Christine Grashorntag:graduateschool.nd.edu,2005:News/1579812023-11-13T16:20:00-05:002023-11-13T16:20:41-05:00MSM voice student Uche Aghulor wins first place in Upper Advanced Classical category at National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) student auditions<p>Soprano Uche Aghulor, a first-year student in the MSM voice studio, won first place in the Upper Advanced Classical category at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) student auditions. The auditions took place at Butler University in Indianapolis on November 4th, 2023. </p><figure class="image image-right" style="width: 450px;"><img src="https://graduateschool.nd.edu/assets/547833/450x/uche_aghulor_headshot_2023_new_featured_1200x810.png" alt="First-year master of sacred music student Uche Aghulor." width="450">
<figcaption>First-year master of sacred music student Uche Aghulor.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Soprano Uche Aghulor, a first-year student in the MSM voice studio, won first place in the Upper Advanced Classical category at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) student auditions. The auditions took place at Butler University in Indianapolis on November 4th, 2023. Assisted by Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano Dror Baitel, Uche’s competition repertoire included works by Mozart, Handel, Gustav Mahler, and Samuel Barber. </p>
<p>Uche was born and raised in Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria. Although she did not begin formal music training until later, her love and passion for music started at a young age in her home parish where she sang with the choir at Sunday masses with her parents and six siblings. In 2020, she received the MTN Foundation scholarship to study voice at the Musical Society of Nigeria, where she graduated at the top of her class and received the foundation’s first price for leadership, innovation and integrity in 2022.</p>
<p>In 2023, Uche was admitted into the Master of Sacred Music program, Notre Dame, a moment she describes as “life changing”. She studies currently with Visiting Professor of Voice Anne Slovin, is a co-director at the Notre Dame Children’s Choir and sings every Sunday at the Crypt Church of the Basilica.</p>
<p>In addition to Uche, three Notre Dame undergraduates also won prizes at the NATS auditions: Madeline Murphy (3rd place, 3rd-year College Classical Treble), Brigid O’Driscoll (2nd place, 2nd-year College Musical Theater Treble) and Camila Holden (2nd place, 3rd-Year College Musical Theater Treble).</p>
<p class="attribution">Originally published by <span class="rel-author">SMND</span> at <span class="rel-source"><a href="https://sacredmusic.nd.edu/about/news/msm-voice-student-uche-aghulor-wins-first-place-in-the-upper-advanced-classical-category-at-the-national-association-of-teachers-of-singing-nats-student-auditions/">sacredmusic.nd.edu</a></span> on <span class="rel-pubdate">November 06, 2023</span>.</p>SMND