The health shock of the opioid epidemic in America is a “huge crisis in people’s lives right now,” a University of Notre Dame researcher said. And it undeniably is. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths in the United States topped 100,000 in 2022 — with nearly 83,000 of those deaths involving opioids. And over the past two decades, mortality from opioid overdoses in the U.S. has increased at an alarming rate, claiming the lives of more than 645,000 individuals. In that same 20-year period, nearly 280,000 people died from overdoses involving pr ..read more

The University of Notre Dame’s Division of Student Affairs recently awarded scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year to six junior undergraduate students in recognition of their demonstrated leadership on campus and beyond. After reviewing nominations from across campus, a selection committee composed of representatives from Student Affairs and the academy awarded Lou Holtz Leadership Scholarships to Allison Caffrey, Collette Doyle, Amir Khouzam and Caroline McCaffrey and Hipp-Beeler Leadership Scholarships to Diane Musabese and Frances Ubogu. Each scholarship is designed to recognize a ..read more

Katie Edler, a graduate student in psychology, conducts an experiment in emotional regulation where she asks children between 6 and 8 years old to complete a simple puzzle with 20 large pieces and then leaves the room. The trick is that the puzzle is under a box with a sheet over it, and it’s actually “pretty much impossible” to fit the pieces together without seeing them. A video camera records the scene. “We put them in a challenging or frustrating situation—nothing too intense, but we want to see how they react,” Edler said. “It’s not a bad thing if a kid is struggling in the moment, but th ..read more

Doug Thompson Doug Thompson, current vice president for equity and inclusion at Gustavus Adolphus College, has been appointed as the inaugural executive director of diversity and engagement in the University of Notre Dame’s Division of Student Affairs, effective July 1. In this role, Thompson will oversee the newly established Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in addition to Multicultural Student Programs and Services, the Gender Relations Center and the Office of Student Enrichment. As executive director, Thompson will also lead the division’s efforts in the areas of diversity, equi ..read more

Eleven current or former University of Notre Dame students have been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, with an additional nine singled out for honorable mention for the award. Established in 1952, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides financial and other support to students in NSF-backed STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) disciplines to participate in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs at accredited institutions in the U.S. Applicants work closely with their advisers to create compelling personal statements and res ..read more

On April 18, leaders in cybersecurity from government, industry and academia gathered for the 2024 Indiana Statewide Cybersecurity Summit hosted by the University of Notre Dame in collaboration with co-sponsors Indiana University, Purdue University, and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The invited guests, which included the White House’s Jake Braun, gave voice to an urgent call for cross-sector collaboration to address the current shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals across the state and the nation. “There are 500,000 open cybersecurity positions around the country ..read more

Karla Badillo-Urquiola (left) and Katherine Walden (photos by Barbara Johnston/University of Notre Dame) While many computer science programs offer students a single, stand-alone course on ethics, an interdisciplinary team of University of Notre Dame researchers is rethinking that model. Faculty from the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Engineering are working together to integrate responsible computing instruction across the undergraduate curriculum, to better equip students to think critically and thoughtfully about technology. The project, “Computing, Culture, and Society: A ..read more

On Thursday (April 25), Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), joined U.S. Sen. Todd Young in a visit to the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The pair met with faculty, students and University leaders and discussed how research and innovation can drive better policymaking, grow the local economy and contribute to national security. Young said, “As I travel around the state, I am inspired by the quality of students and the quality of research at our universities — and we have that at Notre Dame. Some of the best research in the country is happening h ..read more

Xin Lu Adding a pre-ketone supplement — a component of a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet — to a type of cancer therapy in a laboratory setting was highly effective for treating prostate cancer, researchers from the University of Notre Dame found. Recently published online in the journal Cancer Research, the study from Xin Lu, the John M. and Mary Jo Boler Collegiate Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and collaborators tackled a problem oncologists have battled: Prostate cancer is resistant to a type of immunotherapy called immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) the ..read more

This Saturday (April 27) the Notre Dame Alumni Association will host the second annual Notre Dame Global Day of Service — a day to mobilize the Notre Dame spirit of service and serve those most in need in communities around the world. As of Thursday (April 25), 179 service projects had been registered with pledged participation from 123 Notre Dame clubs, as well as alumni groups and other alumni, parents and friends in 46 states and 27 countries. Projects range in size from large-scale group projects to individual efforts and benefit local, national and international causes. In the inaugural e ..read more