News

Biology postdoc wins annual Lightning Talk Competition title

Author: Samantha Keller

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Tolulope “Kay” Kayode holds the Lightning Talk trophy Postdoctoral researcher Tolulope “Kay” Kayode won the top prize in the second annual Postdoc Lightning Talk Competition on Thursday, September 21, during Postdoc Appreciation Week.    Fourteen postdoc finalists from five departments in the College of Science presented their research in "lightning talk" format—three minutes or less using a singular presentation slide. …

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A picture of drought: ND ecologist matching NASA images with field data to measure forest health

Author: Office of Brand Content

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Nate Swenson strides so quickly through the Wisconsin forest while carrying a large pole clipper that postdoctoral researcher Vanessa Rubio usually follows the 40 feet of rope dragging behind him. When they reach the designated plot, Swenson extends the clipper about 30 feet high and pulls the rope to snip off a leafy twig from the canopy of a tall, tagged tree. The twig floats down through the dappled sunlight and lands in his hand.…

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Eliminating public health scourge can also benefit agriculture

Author: Deanna Csomo Ferrell

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Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that causes organ damage and death, affected more than 250 million people worldwide in 2021, according to the World Health Organization.  Senegalese women and children wash clothes in small basins by water covered with weeds. In those weeds live hordes of snails, hosts to parasitic flatworms.…

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2023 Faculty Promotions and Awards

Author: Kelly Dietz

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The Department of Biological Sciences would like to recognize the faculty in the department who have earned a promotion this year as a result of their outstanding teaching, research, and service.   Patricia Vaughan has been promoted to Associate Professor of the Practice Kristin Lewis has been promoted to Teaching Professor…

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Second gene implicated in malaria parasite resistance evolution to chloroquine

Author: Provided

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New study reveals increased complexity of drug resistance How malaria parasites evolved to evade a major antimalarial drug has long been long thought to involve only one key gene. Now, thanks to a combination of field and lab studies, an international research project has shown a second key gene is also involved in malaria’s resistance to the drug chloroquine.…

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College of Science Announces 2022-23 Faculty Awards

Author: Tammi Freehling

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Santiago Schnell, D.Phil., the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science, has announced several faculty awards, including two new awards in research science and advising. Father James L. Shilts, C.S.C./Doris and Gene Leonard Teaching Award This award, bestowed annually on a faculty member in the College of Science, is named in honor of Father James Shilts, C.S.C., who taught in the Department of Physics from 1961 until his death in 1982, and was endowed in 1984 by Dr. Eugene T. Leonard III in memory of his parents Dr. Eugene and Doris Leonard.  Dr. Leonard III was a member of the Science Advisory Council from 1976 until 1991. The award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated sustained excellence in teaching.…

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Graduate biology student Megan Vahsen wins prestigious award for environmental research

Author: Caroline Crawford

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Megan Vahsen, who is graduating in May with her doctorate in biology from the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded the prestigious Shaheen Graduate School Award which recognizes one outstanding graduate student from the College of Science. Her work connects evolutionary biology and ecosystem ecology to study how populations evolve rapidly in response to environmental changes and how this evolution, in turn, influences ecological dynamics.

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Expert panel to discuss PFAS in firefighting gear with documentary film screening

Author: Jessica Sieff

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On April 29 (Saturday), the University of Notre Dame will host a screening of “BURNED: Protecting the Protectors” — a short documentary exploring the link between perfluorinated substances, known as “forever chemicals,” and decades of cancer in the firefighting community. The screening will take place at the DeBartolo Performing Art Center’s Browning Cinema at 6:30 p.m.

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Research Spotlight - Grace Bradley

Author: Kelly Girst

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Grace Bradley Major: Neuroscience and Behavior Research Location: The University of Notre Dame Grace investigated the relationship between different coping mechanisms used during COVID-19 isolation and their impacts on marital relationships. Grace chose this topic because she read research articles that indicated that domestic violence and child abuse rates drastically increased during the COVID-19 lockdown. She wanted to examine what lifestyles and coping mechanisms contributed to this increase, and what behaviors led to more positive outlooks on the pandemic.…

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