Latest News
To ensure that postdoctoral scholars in the early stages of their careers receive necessary resources, training, mentoring and comprehensive professional development support, the University of Notre Dame is forming an Office of Postdoctoral Scholars. The newly formed office will be administered through the Graduate School and is slated to open July 1.
Sociologist Lyn Spillman Awarded Two Book Prizes
Lyn Spillman, professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Sociology, has been awarded two book prizes from the American Sociological Association for her work _Solidarity in Strategy: Making Business Meaningful in American Trade Associations_ (University of Chicago Press). The Mary Douglas Prize honors the best book in the field of cultural sociology, and the Viviana Zelizer Award recognizes the best book in economic sociology.
FTT Students Film Theological Journey Through Jerusalem
Over fall break, Erin Moffitt and Nicole Timmerman, both senior film, television, and theatre (FTT) majors in the College of Arts and Letters, traveled with a group of undergraduate theology students to Notre Dame’s Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem. Their mission was to create a pair of short documentaries about the experience for the Department of Theology.
Nobody Likes a 'Fat-Talker,' Study Shows
Women who engage in “fat talk”--the self-disparaging remarks girls and women make in relation to eating, exercise or their bodies--are less liked by their peers, a new study from the University of Notre Dame finds.
English Ph.D. Students Receive Prestigious Research Fellowship
“When you’re working on a dissertation, you’re stuck in your own head a lot, so I wondered if anyone cares about this other than me,” says Hilary Fox, who received her Ph.D. from Notre Dame’s Department of English in 2012. “Having a group of people tell you, ‘Yes, we actually do care and find it really interesting and important,’ that’s a psychological boost.” The Mellon Foundation/American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Dissertation Completion Fellowship Fox received offered her that validation and quite a bit more.
Traumatized Moms Avoid Tough Talks With Kids, Study Shows
Mothers who have experienced childhood abuse, neglect or other traumatic experiences show an unwillingness to talk with their children about the child’s emotional experiences, a new study from the University of Notre Dame shows.
Washington Program Packed With Opportunity
For students participating in the University of Notre Dame’s Washington Program, the semester studying in our nation’s capital offers opportunities to combine coursework with internships in a range of areas, from Congress and advocacy groups to media and cultural institutions.
Child’s Counting Comprehension May Depend on Objects Counted, Study Shows
Concrete objects--such as toys, tiles, and blocks--that students can touch and move around, called manipulatives, have been used to teach basic math skills since the 1980s. Use of manipulatives is based on the long-held belief that young children’s thinking is strictly concrete in nature, so concrete objects are assumed to help them learn math concepts. However, new research from the University of Notre Dame suggests that not all manipulatives are equal.
Psychology Major Mallory Meter Named 2013 Valedictorian
Mallory Meter, a psychology major from Beverly Hills, Mich., has been named valedictorian of the 2013 University of Notre Dame graduating class and will present the valedictory address during the University Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19 at Notre Dame Stadium.
New Study: Risk Factor for Depression Can be 'Contagious'
According to a new study from the University of Notre Dame, a particular style of thinking that makes people vulnerable to depression actually can be “contagious” to others and increase their symptoms of depression six months later. The study, conducted by Notre Dame Psychology Professor Gerald Haeffel and former Notre Dame undergraduate student Jennifer Hames '09, is published in the journal _Clinical Psychological Science_.
Students Find Inspiration in Public Policy Conference
Why do you do what you do? This deceptively simple question faced Notre Dame students Bright Gyamfi and Madelynn Green when they arrived at the 2013 Public Policy and Leadership Conference (PPLC) at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government this February.
Theology Professor Wins Luce Fellowship
Yury P. Avvakumov, an assistant professor in Notre Dame's Department of Theology, was recently selected as one of six Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology for his work on the relationship between the Latin West and Byzantine East during the 12th century. Established in 1993, the Luce Fellows Program has awarded just 136 fellowships in its 20-year existence.
Catherine Reidy Named a Clarendon Scholar
Catherine Reidy, a University of Notre Dame senior majoring in psychology with a minor in anthropology, has been awarded a Clarendon Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford. Reidy, a Rhodes Scholar finalist, will use the scholarship to study for her master’s degree in African Studies starting in October.
Historian Wins ACLS Fellowship to Research Counterfeit Goods
Catherine Cangany can’t stop thinking about fakes. Luckily, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) doesn’t want her to stop. Cangany recently won an ACLS fellowship for her proposed research project “An Empire of Fakes: Counterfeit Goods in Eighteenth-Century America,” which will analyze counterfeit goods travelling around the Americas during the colonial period.
Historian John Van Engen Awarded 2013 Haskins Medal
John Van Engen, Andrew V. Tackes Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, has won the 2013 Haskins Medal for his book, _Sisters and Brothers of the Common Life: The Devotio Moderna and the World of the Later Middle Ages_. The Haskins Medal is the highest award granted by the Medieval Academy of America, the main professional organization for medievalists.
Psychology Student Examines Legacy of Trauma
University of Notre Dame senior Taylor Thomas says she chose to major in psychology because it can help bring order to things that seem incomprehensible. “I’m interested in the ways we can explain systematically the very chaotic aspects of life.” In pursuing this interest, Thomas spent last summer studying how mothers who have experienced trauma engage their children in conversation.
Africana Studies Major Excels in Competition, Research, Service
The University’s world-renowned fencing program brought student-athlete Alex Coccia to Notre Dame. By the end of his freshman year, the junior Africana studies major helped bring fencing around the world—specifically, to a group of schoolchildren in Uganda.
Notre Dame And Catholic Charities USA Join Forces to Reduce Poverty in America
An innovative partnership between the University of Notre Dame, the nation’s preeminent Catholic university, and Catholic Charities USA, one of this country’s most influential social service networks, was announced recently. The formation of the collaboration, called the Alliance, was driven by the two institutions’ common belief that helping those in need is a core element of the Catholic faith. A key component of the Alliance is Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), the first domestic poverty lab in the United States.
Arts and Letters Student Explores What it Means to be Korean
Jaehyun Jung spent the summer of her sophomore year interviewing Koreans who had lived through colonization, civil war, dictatorships, and democratization. It was not just a great academic experience, she says, it was also a personal journey. “I’m definitely even more proud of my heritage now.”
Three Professors Earn NEH Awards; ND Leads Nation for Past 15 Years
Three University of Notre Dame professors have been awarded National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowships for 2013-14, bringing Notre Dame’s total number of NEH grants to 49 since 1999, more than any other university in the country. The University of Michigan is second to Notre Dame with 36 fellowships, followed by Harvard with 28, Princeton with 23 and the University of California at Berkeley with 21.
Renowned Sociologist Robert Bellah to Visit Notre Dame
Sociologist Robert Bellah will visit the University of Notre Dame on Tuesday, March 19. The Elliott Professor of Sociology emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, Bellah will present a lecture titled “The Modern Project in Light of Human Evolution.”
ND Expert: African Pope Would Reflect Church’s 'Shifting Center of Gravity'
Over the past several years, the number of Catholics in Europe has plummeted to the point that it is no longer the most Catholic region in the world, and the election of a non-European pope would reflect that change, according to Naunihal Singh, a University of Notre Dame political scientist specializing in African politics.
ND Expert: Kenya’s Election Important for Growth, Development and Security of Entire Region
A peaceful presidential election in Kenya would bolster efforts to promote economic growth, human development and security not only in Kenya, but throughout East Africa, according to University of Notre Dame political scientist Rev. Robert Dowd, C.S.C., who specializes in African politics with particular expertise in Kenya.
Theology Alumna Melanie Howard Wins Essay Prize
Melanie A. Howard, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s Master in Theological Studies (MTS) program, has won the 2011-12 _Word & World_ Essay Prize for Doctoral Candidates. The prize is sponsored by _Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry_, a quarterly journal published by Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minn. Joseph S. Khalil, a current Ph.D. student in the department, won the prize last year.
Cupid’s Arrow: Research Illuminates Laws of Attraction
University of Notre Dame Sociologist Elizabeth McClintock studies the impacts of physical attractiveness and age on mate selection and the effects of gender and income on relationships. Her research offers new insights into why and when Cupid’s arrow strikes.
Economics Alumnus Wins TIAA-CREF’s Samuelson Award
Sylvester Schieber, who received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1974, was recently recognized by TIAA-CREF for his work on the history of the U.S. retirement system and the ways in which it could be improved. Schieber won the 17th annual TIAA-CREF Paul A. Samuelson Award for Outstanding Scholarly Writing on Lifelong Financial Security for his book _The Predictable Surprise: The Unraveling of the U.S. Retirement System_.
Students Take Learning on the Road and Around the World
There’s nothing quite like dipping one’s foot into the Dead Sea or speaking with participants of the 1965 Freedom Marches to bring perspective to classroom learning. Over fall break 2012, students in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters took advantage of the week off to expand their educational experiences through travels abroad, around the nation, and across campus.
Design Blitz Connects Students, Community
Thirteen design majors in the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History & Design used their fall break to engage the local community with a “social design blitz.” In a single week, the students brainstormed, conceptualized, created, and exhibited three public, interactive art projects designed to help bridge the gap between downtown South Bend and the Notre Dame campus.
New Research: Mali Villagers Say Basic Humanitarian Relief Most Important
As French forces continue battling Islamist militants in Mali and the international policy community debates additional foreign intervention, the voices of those most affected by this political instability are rarely heard--until now. University of Notre Dame Political Scientist Jaimie Bleck, who specializes in Malian politics, has completed extensive research in Mali where she interviewed some 600 Malian villagers living on the border of rebel-claimed territory.
Vocal Instructor Lives Dream at Metropolitan Opera House Debut
“It’s all I’ve ever dreamed about,” says Deborah Mayer. “I can’t think of any young, American, soprano who didn’t dream of singing at the Met. Now I can die happy.” Mayer, a vocal instructor for the Department of Music in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters, will make her debut with the Metropolitan Opera this spring in the role of Gerhilde in Richard Wagner’s opera, _Die Walküre_; part of the Met’s revival of Wagner’s epic, four-part _Ring_ cycle directed by Robert Lepage, and conducted by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi.