News » Archives » December 2007

Senior “zoom, zoom, zooms” to top of Mazda design competition

William G. GilroyDate: December 20, 2007

A senior University of Notre Dame industrial design major dubbed thecar girlby classmates has written a new chapter in the Universitys rich tradition of auto design excellence. p. Virgil Exner, a design student at Notre Dame in the 1920s, established the tradition, working for several companies, including Chrysler and…

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The year in review: “Spirit of Notre Dame” among highlights

Dennis BrownDate: December 20, 2007

Each year at Notre Dame is filled with highlights, achievements and accomplishments. Here are some of the significant moments from 2007: * The seventh capital campaign in the Universitys history,The Spirit of Notre Dame,was publicly announced on the first weekend in May. The $1.5 billion goal is the largest…

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Survey ranks Notre Dame junior faculty among most satisfied

Julie Hail FloryDate: December 20, 2007

When it comes to job satisfaction, the University of Notre Dame is hitting many of the right notes among its junior faculty members, according to a recent survey that gauges the opinions of tenure-track scholars about work environments at some 80 institutions of higher learning. p. Released by the…

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Center for Civil and Human Rights, Burundi

Melanie McDonaldDate: December 19, 2007

After more than a decade of civil war, the African nation of Burundi is on the path to democracy and rebuilding following the recent signing of a peace accord between the fighting Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-controlled army. Right in the thick of that process is Jean-Marie Kamatali, a…

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A writer so prolific, he’s lost count

Carol C. BradleyDate: December 18, 2007

Its the rare reader of fiction who does not at some time or other consider becoming a writer himselfÂ…some carry it about forever as an unredeemed promissory note to themselves. In their heart of hearts, they regard themselves as writers. Unfortunately, they never write anything. p. – Ralph McInerny,I…

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Puente joins immigrant integration exchange program in Spain

Shannon ChaplaDate: December 18, 2007

Sylvia Puente, director of the Center for Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives (CMCI) in the University of Notre Dames Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), recently returned from a two-week trip to Spain as part of the U.S./Spain Exchange Project on Muslim Integration, funded by the U.S. Department of State and the…

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Early start to Thanksgiving recess is approved

Don WycliffDate: December 16, 2007

The Academic Council at the University of Notre Dame has approved a change to the University calendar that will make the day before Thanksgiving a part of the Thanksgiving holiday recess for students beginning next fall. p. The change was approved Dec. 12 on the recommendation of a committee…

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Law professor wins Marshall Memorial Fellowship

Melanie McDonaldDate: December 16, 2007

The German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States awarded a 2008 Marshall Memorial Fellowship to Bridgette Carr, associate clinical professor of law at the University of Notre Dame Law School. p. Carr advocates for non-citizens, particularly those who are victims of forced migration. Migration and immigration are among…

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New VP for research optimistic about future

Cynthia Maciejczyk and Gail Hinchion ManciniDate: December 13, 2007

Providence seems to have guided Bob Bernhard through a lifetime of experience just exactly for his new job. p. Since arriving Aug. 1, the vice president of research at Notre Dame has had to hit the ground running on several fronts. As the first administrator to focus exclusively on…

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Notre Dame mourns passing of Frank Eck

Dennis K. BrownDate: December 12, 2007

Frank E. Eck, a University of Notre Dame alumnus, benefactor and advisor, died today (Dec. 13) in Columbus, Ohio, of complications from open heart surgery. He was 84. p. "Frank was a tremendously generous man – with his time, counsel and resources – and we join with his family…

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A life-changing peace blog

Shannon ChaplaDate: December 11, 2007

Several of Daniel Myersstudents have told him that his new course, Introduction to Peace Studies, has changed their lives, and what the young men and women are sharing in the class this semester has repeatedly moved Myers to tears. p. A professor of sociology and the director of research…

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Russo publishes book on student financial aid for Britons

Michael O. GarveyDate: December 11, 2007

Student Financial Aid:Lessons for the U.K. from the U.S.,by Joseph Russo, director of student financial strategies at the University of Notre Dame, was recently published by the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (OxCHEPS). p. The derivation of Russos book is a series of lectures he gave while…

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Astrophysicist to present Christmas Star evidence

Gail Hinchion ManciniDate: December 09, 2007

Grant Mathews is a theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist at the University of Notre Dame whose research addresses such unknowns as the age of the galaxy or at what rate the universe is expanding. p. He also is intrigued by one of the enduringseasonalmysteries, namely, the nature of the Star…

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Past and present ND presidents join brother priests for booksigning Friday

Michael O. GarveyDate: December 09, 2007

University of Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., and Emeriti Presidents Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., and Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., will be among the 29 Holy Cross priests at a booksigning from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday (Dec. 14) at the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore….

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A Challenge for Churches: Adulthood Takes Its Time

Peter SteinfelsDate: December 07, 2007

At some point during the 20th century, the United States invented adolescence. Where once there had merely been youth, there were now teenagers, with their own dress, music, magazines, books, economy, culture and expected patterns of behavior. It was enough to get organized religion, in the words of the…

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Air flow research takes flight

Gail Hinchion ManciniDate: December 06, 2007

After more than 100 years of work on the ground, aerospace engineering research has taken flight. p. Earlier this fall, two Cessna Citations engaged by faculty from the aero-optics project in the Center for Flow Physics and Control at the University of Notre Dame began the initial flight experimentation…

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NSF awards grant for RET@ND

Gail Hinchion ManciniDate: December 06, 2007

The National Science Foundation has recently acknowledged the University of Notre Dames growing influence as a resource for high school science teacher enrichment with a $500,000 grant for continuing support of the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program. p. The three-year grant was awarded to Wolfgang Porod, Frank M….

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Professor wins Asian literary prize for translation

Susan GuibertDate: December 05, 2007

Howard Goldblatt, research professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded the inaugural 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize for his translation ofWolf Totemby Chinese author Jiang Rong. p. The book is a fictional account of Jiangs life on…

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Magazine ranks ND 13th for academic/athletic excellence

Dennis BrownDate: December 05, 2007

The University of Notre Dame is ranked 13th in STACK magazines inaugural survey of the colleges and universities with the best combination of academic and athletic excellence. p. Published in the magazines November/December issue, the survey is the first ranking of the countrys 50 leading college sports programs based…

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From Boot Camp to Calculus: A Unique First-Year Experience

Julie Hail FloryDate: December 05, 2007

You wont hear first-year student Aaron Gutierrez complain that his room in Keough Hall is too small. p. My dorm room is huge compared to what Im used to,says the freshman from San Antonio, Texas, who takes the phrasenon-traditional studentto a whole new level. p. Gutierrez is unusual among…

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Award-winning paper sheds light on regional social movements

Joan FallonDate: December 04, 2007

A paper written by University of Notre Dame sociologist Jackie Smith and post-doctoral fellow Dawn Wiest has received the second-place award in an international competition held by the Zurich-based World Society Foundation, a major funder of social science research on the causes and social impact of global change. p….

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Film screening to conclude semester for WORLDVIEW series

Julie Hail FloryDate: December 04, 2007

All the Invisible Children,a compilation of seven stories examining the exploitation of children, will be screened Saturday (Dec. 8) at 7 and 10 p.m. in the Browning Cinema of the University of Notre Dames DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts. p. Admission is $6 for the general public, $5…

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Gimello an extraordinary “Buddhologist”

Michael O. GarveyDate: December 02, 2007

As perhaps befits a new member of the University of Notre Dames increasingly diverse arts and letters faculty, Robert Gimello, research professor of theology and East Asian languages and cultures, is no ordinary Buddhologist. p. Its a term not all of us are comfortable with,Gimello said recently when asked…

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Smithsonian and ND in unique partnership

Ted FoxDate: December 02, 2007

University of Notre Dame seniors Lauren Holcomb and Shannon Mimnaugh interned last summer at the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C. To gauge their thoughts on the experience, you only need ask them if they would recommend it to other students. p. Absolutely,Holcomb says,…

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'Huge leap forward' for Notre Dame

Dave NewbartDate: December 02, 2007

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING’ | University tops off science push with $70 million, high-tech building and new equipment p. SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame has long been known for its Fighting Irish football team and emphasis on faith. p. But now the school is hoping to be…

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