Notre Dame science alumnus inducted into the National Academy of Sciences
James Elser '81, who majored in biology at the University of Notre Dame, became a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2019.
Graduate student receives sustainable agriculture grant
Shannon Speir’s research focuses on how storms affect nitrogen concentrations in Indiana streams, but this nutrient build-up influences bodies of water as far away as the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.
Study: Transmission of river blindness may be reduced when vegetation is removed
A University of Notre Dame research team used mathematical modeling, which showed combining mass drug distribution with removing vegetation may be the quickest way to curb transmission.
Strength in numbers: Crowdsourcing challenge seeks new methods to combat drug-resistant malaria
Three hundred and sixty participants from 31 countries participated in the Malaria DREAM Challenge, a crowdsourcing effort challenging anyone in the world to develop computational models for predicting emerging drug resistance to artemisinin, a widely used therapeutic considered the “last line of defense” against multi-drug-resistant malaria.
Fighting to Understand the Scientific Impact of Community
Playing in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro are 300 baboons that are the focus of one of the longest-running studies of wild primates. For more than 40 years, these Amboseli baboons and their ancestors have provided important data about questions in evolution, genetics, nutrition, hybridization and…
Up Close with the Department Chair
Crislyn D’Souza-Schorey is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. She is the first woman to serve in the role. In addition to oversight of a department of over 80 faculty and one of the largest undergraduate majors and graduate programs on campus, she also runs her cancer research laboratory. She is married to Jeffrey Schorey, Professor of Biological Sciences; they have a son, who will be a freshman in high school in the fall.
Notre Dame biologist to study the role of woody vines in tropical forests
Tropical forests absorb more carbon than any other system, and therefore help regulate the earth’s climate. Lianas — woody vines — that surround trees in these forests have been shown to slow rates of tree growth, but their role hasn’t been fully studied.Tarzan may find lianas in the jungle useful, but David Medvigy, associate professor in the department of biological sciences, intends to find out what they add or take away from these ecosystems.
University names Lamberti as acting director of UNDERC
Gary A. Lamberti, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been named the Gillen Acting Director of the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC). Lamberti will oversee the center’s two facilities: UNDERC-East, located between Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and UNDERC-West, located in western Montana on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Lamberti will be supported by Stuart E. Jones, associate professor in the Department of Biological sciences, in the role of associate director of research at UNDERC.
Notre Dame to host 2020 U.S. presidential debate
It will take place on Sept. 29, 2020, (Tuesday) in the Purcell Pavilion of the Joyce Center.
Environmental DNA to be used for monitoring endangered and invasive species in flowing waters
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have received $1.5 million to develop models that will improve the monitoring of endangered or invasive species in flowing waters, like streams and rivers, using information from environmental DNA (eDNA) samples.
Introductory Biology: Asking Big Questions from Molecules to Ecosystems
For many, the phrase “Introductory Course” conjures up the image of a large classroom, dominated by lectures and intensive exams. Notably however, introductory…
Biology professor receives NIH New Innovator Award to study the nervous system
Cody Smith has been granted a highly competitive National Institutes of Health Director’s New Innovator Award that will allow him to perform bold research that has the potential to impact a broad area of science.
Research fellows tackle drug resistance, disease transmission and other global health issues
Nine graduate students from Notre Dame have joined the fellowship program at the University’s Eck Institute for Global Health. The program aims to support students across the University with an interest in topics that impact global health.
Scientists tackle potential drug resistance by using new single-cell genetic method
Using a new technique that can identify genetic profiles of individual cells, University of Notre Dame researchers modeled a breast cancer tumor’s potential resistance to a drug, and then identified a drug combination that reversed that resistance.
Biologist Mary Ann McDowell named Jefferson Science Fellow
The Jefferson Science Fellowship Program is designed to further build capacity for science, technology and engineering expertise with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Study of the nervous system could have implications for regenerative medicine and cancer
A new study from the University of Notre Dame has shown that synaptic vesicles are utilized much earlier than previously thought for the formation of the spinal cord during early development.
Completing summer research on campus is valuable, undergraduate students say
Many University of Notre Dame science students stayed on campus this summer to do research to investigate topics as diverse as neuroscience, astronomy, and the causes and treatment of disease.
Assistant biology professor’s research focuses on malaria
Assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Eck Institute for Global Health Cristian Koepfli researches carriers of malaria, who may transmit one of the world's deadliest diseases without even knowing they have the tricky-to-detect parasite.
Study provides insight into spatial repellents as method to reduce infection of vector-borne diseases, encourages additional research
According to researchers at the University of Notre Dame, data from a clinical trial in Indonesia designed to evaluate the impact of a spatial repellent on reducing malaria infections showed promising results.
Researchers to create quick, low-cost cancer diagnostic
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have received $2.9 million to develop a new diagnostic platform that could diagnose cancer in as little as three hours by using only one or two drops of blood.
Fungal infections the focus of Notre Dame biology professor's research
A dual research and teaching position attracted Felipe Santiago-Tirado to accept an offer from Notre Dame in 2018. “I enjoy teaching,” he said. “Few places are good in both teaching and research.”
Notre Dame biologist uncovers causes and possible treatments for catheter infections
Ana Lidia Flores-Mireles researched one of the word’s largest organisms before a graduate school class sparked her interest in the tiniest ones. She went from studying whales to studying microbes, and is now the Hawk Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame.
Mosquitoes are a major global health threat and Notre Dame researchers are fighting back
Learn how Notre Dame researchers have made key discoveries that have improved our understanding of mosquito-borne diseases and continue these research efforts today.
Fortified salt delivered through a social enterprise proves cost effective for warding off tropical disease, study finds
A University of Notre Dame study has shown that a novel social enterprise program to fortify and deliver salt via the marketplace in Haiti has not only been effective at combatting a tropical disease, but is also more cost-effective and financially sustainable than annual mass drug distribution efforts.
Zhang group identifies gene that may make triple-negative breast cancer cells vulnerable to existing drug
But a new study by Notre Dame researcher Siyuan Zhang and collaborators, published in Nature Communications, shows that an existing, FDA-approved drug that treats other types of breast cancer may work for TNBC.
Cilia's got the moves in the kidneys, researchers' work shows
Cilia are tiny, hair-like appendages that stick out from each of your cells. They can either move to propel fluid or remain stationary, acting as antennae to receive information from their environment. Most cells have just one cilium, but some are multiciliated cells (MCCs), which means…
Study deciphers packaging of tumor ‘cargo,’ leading to better understanding of how cancers spread
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have outlined the delivery mechanism tumor cells use to move nucleic acids into small sacs shed from their surfaces — information that is eventually shared with other cells within the tumor, causing the cancer to spread.
In memoriam: Robert A. Schulz, Notre Dame Professor of Biological Sciences
Robert A. Schulz, Notre Dame Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, died Saturday (July 6). He was 64.
Joseph Chambers Awarded Graduate Fellowship
Three graduate students from Notre Dame have received fellowships from Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics. Each fellowship recipient will spend their summer conducting research at Notre Dame that aims to combat disease or promote health.
Finding the sweet spot
Competitors arriving at the 1st hole of the U.S. Senior Open are greeted by Juday Creek. Flowing through Warren Golf Course, the stream is home to an important ecosystem, and is a valuable resource for Notre Dame researchers today.