News » Archives » December 2010
2010: The Year in Review
• Date: December 23, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community
Each year at Notre Dame is filled with highlights, achievements and accomplishments. Some of the significant moments from the 2010 calendar year:
- In his five-plus years as Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., has emphasized the University’s research efforts, while maintaining its historic strength as an undergraduate university and enduring commitment to its Catholic character – to be the Catholic research university for our time. Significant evidence of Notre Dame’s progress in this regard was the nearly $119 million in external research awards for fiscal year 2010, an increase of some $40 million from the previous year and $80 million from a decade ago. In addition, the University provided a second round of $40 million of internal funding for a wide array of projects.
Vachon named director of Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine
• Date: December 23, 2010 • Categories: Academics
Dominic Vachon has been named director of the Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine in the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame, beginning Jan, 1. The center trains aspiring and practicing physicians in the human element of patient care.
The center will primarily focus on training undergraduate students, who are interested in pursuing careers in the health professions, in compassionate care before they enter graduate school. The center also will network with other national and local health care organizations, conduct research in caring science, and provide continuing education opportunities to practicing physicians, nurses and other helping professionals supporting caring practice in helping professions.
Mayland Chang receives NFL Charities grant to study traumatic brain injury therapies
• Date: December 22, 2010 • Categories: Research
Mayland Chang, a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, has received a grant from NFL Charities to design and develop therapeutics for the treatment of traumatic brain injury.
NFL Charities, the charitable foundation of the National Football League owners, has awarded more than $1.6 million in grants to support sports-related medical research at 16 organizations, including Notre Dame. Of these grants, $988,224 will go to research groups studying concussion prevention and treatment.
New study focuses on nitrogen in waterways as cause of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere
• Date: December 21, 2010 • Categories: Research
Jake Beaulieu, a postdoctoral researcher at the Environmental Protection Agency in Cincinnati, Ohio, who earned his doctorate at the University of Notre Dame, and Jennifer Tank, Galla Professor of Biological Sciences at the University, are lead authors of new paper demonstrating that streams and rivers receiving nitrogen inputs from urban and agricultural land uses are a significant source of nitrous oxide to the atmosphere.
Notre Dame business dean receives honorary doctorate
• Date: December 21, 2010 • Categories: Academics
Carolyn Y. Woo, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, received an honorary doctoral degree from Lewis University during the school’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on Dec. 19.
Woo also holds honorary doctorates from the University of St. Francis and Providence College.
New study examines immunity in emerging species of a major mosquito carrier of malaria
• Date: December 21, 2010 • Categories: Research
In notable back-to-back papers appearing in the prestigioous journal Science in October, teams of researchers, one led by Nora Besansky, a professor of biological sciences and a member of the Eck Institute for Global Health at the University of Notre Dame, provided evidence that Anopheles gambiae, which is one of the major mosquito carriers of the malaria parasite in Sub-Saharan Africa, is evolving into two separate species with different traits.
Notre Dame Band awarded prestigious Sudler trophy
• Date: December 20, 2010 • Categories: Athletics and Campus and Community
The University of Notre Dame Band has been awarded the 2011 Sudler Trophy, recognizing “collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life.” The trophy was presented Dec. 17 during the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago.
Dating back to 1982, the trophy, presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, is considered the Heisman trophy for college bands and recognizes Notre Dame’s contributions over numerous years. It is the only nationally recognized award for college marching bands, and only one trophy is awarded bi-annually.
Physicist Mark Caprio named 2010 Cottrell Scholar
• Date: December 20, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Research
Mark Caprio, assistant professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame, has been named a 2010 Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. The award recognizes leaders who integrate science teaching and research at leading American research universities.
Each of the 11 new 2010 Cottrell Scholars will receive a $75,000 award to further their research and teaching and career development as teacher-scholars.
Blake recognized for contributions to computer science and technology
• Date: December 16, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Research
M. Brian Blake, associate dean for research and professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been named a Distinguished Scientist by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and selected as one of the “50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology” by San-Francisco-based publisher eAccess Corporation.
Coughlin promoted to associate vice president for student development
• Date: December 16, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community
As part of a division-wide reorganization of the University of Notre Dame’s Division of Student Affairs, M. Brian Coughlin has been promoted to associate vice president for student development, effective Jan. 1, 2011. Coughlin, currently assistant vice president for student activities, has served as a member of the senior staff since 2007.
Cancer researcher Stack named science director for Mike and Josie Harper Cancer Research Institute
• Date: December 15, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community and Research
M. Sharon Stack, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences and Mulligan Professor of Cancer Research at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, has been named Ann F. Dunne and Elizabeth Riley Science Director of the Mike and Josie Harper Cancer Research Institute and professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame. The Harper Cancer Research Institute is a novel collaboration between the University of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Robert A. M. Stern named 2011 Driehaus Prize laureate
• Date: December 14, 2010 • Categories: Academics
Robert A. M. Stern, whose influential designs have revitalized traditional architecture, has been named the 2011 recipient of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture. Stern will receive $200,000 and a model of the Choregic Monument of Lysikrates during a March 26 ceremony in Chicago.
As founder and senior partner of Robert A. M. Stern Architects, and as dean of the Yale School of Architecture, Stern has built a reputation as a modern traditionalist architect. In his work as an architect, as a scholar, and as a teacher, he is dedicated to reconnecting the present and future with the past, building upon what went before to extend the trajectory of architecture.
Tongi University names Kareem honorary professor
• Date: December 14, 2010 • Categories: Academics, International, and Research
Ahsan Kareem, the Robert Moran Professor of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, has been named an honorary professor in the Department of Bridge Engineering at Tongji University. Located in Shanghai, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher education in China. He is the first Notre Dame faculty member and only the fifth civil engineering (bridge) expert to have received this honor.
A faculty member since 1990, Kareem serves as the director of Notre Dame’s NatHaz Modeling Laboratory, where he specializes in probabilistic structural dynamics, fluid-structure interactions, structural safety, and the mitigation of natural hazards.
Shared interest in mind-brain connection sparks collaboration
• Date: December 13, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Research
A new initiative in the Department of Psychology is uniting faculty from across the University of Notre Dame who study various aspects of the mind’s connection to the brain.
Assistant Professors Michelle Wirth and Jessica Payne — who both joined the department last year — created the group called Conversations on Brain, Mind and Behavior as a platform for faculty to share ideas in their various areas of expertise and to inspire new research collaborations.
Eck Institute researchers have strong presence in prestigious journal Science
• Date: December 10, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Research
A visible sign of the continuing emergence of the University of Notre Dame as a world-class research university is the increasing number of papers by its researchers that appear in prestigious science journals, such as Nature, Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A visible sign of Notre Dame’s emerging leadership role in the field of global health is the fact that in a recent month researchers from its Eck Institute for Global Health had a remarkable four studies published in Science.
Notre Dame VectorBase project offers genomic resources
• Date: December 09, 2010 • Categories: Research
Something as simple as whether a disease-carrying mosquito lives primarily inside or outside can affect whether it comes into contact with humans or is exposed to insecticides—and that has implications for disease transmission and control.
In order to get a complete picture, biologists need access to a species’ genome—its biological blueprint—and that’s where the University of Notre Dame’s VectorBase project comes in. Simply put, VectorBase is a Website that makes available genomes and related information on five vectors—insects and ticks known to transmit diseases to humans or animals.
Center for Philosophy of Religion receives $1.3 million grant
• Date: December 08, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Research
The University of Notre Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion (CPR) has received a $1.3 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to promote research at the intersection of philosophy and theology.
The award is part of a four-year, $5.7 million initiative called “Analytic Theology: The Convergence of Philosophy and Theology.” Researchers at the University of Innsbruck in Austria and the Shalem Center in Jerusalem also are involved in the research project.
Notre Dame rallies for peace in Sudan
• Date: December 07, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community, Faith and Service, and International
“I grew up eating one meal a day,” says southern Sudan native Emmanuel Gore, a graduate student in the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. “I got displaced with my family to Khartoum. We left my father behind.”
Gore detailed his life story and explained the history of conflict in Sudan to hundreds of students Dec. 4 at Notre Dame’s “Stand with Sudan Peace Rally,” where the audience was asked to pray, advocate and give to promote peace in the war-torn country.
Father Mark Poorman appointed executive VP at the University of Portland
• Date: December 07, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community and Faith and Service
Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., associate professor of theology and former vice president for student affairs at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed executive vice president and associate professor of theology at the University of Portland, effective July 1.
Father Poorman’s responsibilities in the newly restructured position will include general oversight of the divisions of university operations, financial affairs, university relations, and supervision of the student life division.
ND Expert: WikiLeaks points out danger of insider threats to information security
• Date: December 07, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Research
Even as WikiLeaks faces increasing public outcry over security breaches, potential prosecution of its founder and crippling cyber-attacks, there are probably more information leaks to come, says information security expert John D’Arcy, assistant professor of information technology management at the University of Notre Dame.
The reason has to do with the fact that organizations haven’t paid enough attention to their greatest security threats – their employees.
“The recent WikiLeaks incident is no fluke, and certainly points to the increasing insider threat to information security,” says D’Arcy. “Although sentiment has begun to shift, organizations have traditionally approached information security with a technological focus through investment in firewalls, network detection systems and monitoring technologies. However, these technologies are useless against the motivated insider who wants to damage the organization by leaking sensitive information.”
Notre Dame alumnus Kenneth Meyer makes $10 million gift for MBA fellowships
• Date: December 06, 2010 • Categories: Academics
Kenneth R. Meyer, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Lincoln Capital Management Co. and a 1966 alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, has made a $10 million gift to his alma mater to fund fellowships for the Notre Dame MBA program. Meyer’s gift is to be matched with University funding for a total of $20 million.
The Kenneth R. Meyer Fellowships will be the critical component of the newly established Meyer Family Center for MBA Studies at the Mendoza College of Business. The center also will sponsor an annual distinguished guest lecture focusing on ethical business leadership, and will participate in the ethics orientation sessions offered to all incoming MBA students at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame receives TARDEC grant for next-generation batteries
• Date: December 06, 2010 • Categories: Research
Faculty from the University of Notre Dame’s Colleges of Engineering and Science have been awarded more than $1.3 million from the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in collaboration with research being conducted by Mississippi State University on the development of novel materials for improved battery technology.
Researcher Bilgicer using nanotechnology to improve cancer treatment
• Date: December 03, 2010 • Categories: Research
Research directed by Basar Bilgicer, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and a member of the Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics initiative at the University of Notre Dame, could one day enable clinicians to deliver powerful chemotherapy drugs to tumors without deleterious side effects.
Although chemotherapeutic agents are poisonous to tumors, they also can kill healthy cells, leading to toxic side effects.
Bilgicer’s research involves developing drug- loaded nanoparticles to target the tumor tissue, so that the chemotherapeutic agents can be delivered specifically to the tumors rather than healthy tissue.
South Bend-Notre Dame partnership wins gold for municipal excellence
• Date: December 03, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community
A partnership including the City of South Bend, the University of Notre Dame, Memorial Hospital and Health System, Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, the South Bend Clinic, Madison Center and neighborhood residents to revitalize the Northeast Neighborhood has been singled out for excellence by the National League of Cities.
The award recognized the City’s participation in the formation of the Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization (NNRO), a partnership for redevelopment efforts.
Notre Dame professor explores historic St. Nicholas
• Date: December 03, 2010 • Categories: Academics
Though most are familiar with the Christmas lore surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas – the snowy-bearded saint whose legendary generosity morphed into America’s secular Santa Claus figure — few are familiar with the origins and details of his acts of kindness.
Rev. Nicholas Ayo, C.S.C., professor emeritus in the Program of Liberal Studies at the University of Notre Dame, is author of “Saint Nicholas in America: Christmas Holy Day and Holiday,” in which he takes a closer look at the saint whose feast the Catholic Church celebrates on December
Notre Dame astrophysicist to present Christmas Star lecture
• Date: December 02, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Campus and Community
University of Notre Dame astrophysicist Grant Mathews will give two presentations of his popular program titled “What and When was the Christmas Star?” in the Digital Visualization Theatre of Notre Dame’s Jordan Hall of Science.
The programs, which are free and open to the public, will take place Dec. 3 (Friday) at 7 p.m. and Dec. 5 (Sunday) at 3 p.m.
New book examines how mediation leads to peace
• Date: December 02, 2010 • Categories: Academics and Research
Over the last 20 years, more wars have ended through mediation than in the previous 200. How can international mediators be even more successful?
A new book co-authored by peace scholars Isak Svensson and Peter Wallensteen, a professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, considers the art of mediation and offers lessons for mediators and researchers alike.
Notre Dame to play and rally Dec. 4 for peace in Sudan
• Date: December 01, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community and International
The University of Notre Dame is uniting to rally for sustainable, just peace in Sudan in preparation for a referendum there that could end in violence on a scale that “would make Rwanda or Darfur look manageable,” according to Dan Griffin of Catholic Relief Services.
On Saturday (Dec. 4), the University is hosting an all-day “Playing for Peace” 3-on-3 basketball tournament and Stand with Sudan Peace Rally. The rally, which begins at noon in the Joyce Center Field House, is free and open to the public.
Chorale and Chamber Orchestra to present Handel’s “Messiah”
• Date: December 01, 2010 • Categories: Campus and Community
The University of Notre Dame Chorale and Chamber Orchestra will present George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” Dec. 3 and 4 (Friday and Saturday) at 8 p.m., in the Leighton Concert Hall of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
The annual presentation of this masterwork has become a Notre Dame tradition, with sold-out houses standing to cheer the famous “Hallelujah Chorus” that ends the performance.
