New online portal forecasts coronavirus transmission to aid officials in management, planning
Developed for government and public health service officials, the portal models predict COVID-19 disease transmission by using county data of daily reported infections and current human movement restrictions, such as shelter-in-place and social distancing orders.
Notre Dame researchers to study wastewater, focus on short-term forecasts in response to pandemic
Alex Perkins and Kyle Bibby are looking at short-term forecasts of potential infection and are monitoring spread of the coronavirus in wastewater.
Why are our lower jawbones fused? It’s all about strength, study finds
Using testing methods more common in engineering research, Professor Matthew Ravosa, in the Department of Biological Sciences, determined that the lower jawbones of certain primates – including humans – are stronger than those of their “cousins” because the bones are fused.
New research suggests US may be at critical juncture of pandemic response
A new study by epidemiologists at the University of Notre Dame suggests social distancing measures at current levels in many states may need to be maintained until the summer to avoid a potentially deadly resurgence of the coronavirus.
Why climate scientists are watching the world’s response to coronavirus
Climate scientists at Notre Dame say despite the challenge to collecting data, the current crisis is already spurring new proposals for research and revealing interesting parallels to the climate crisis that could provide valuable lessons for the future.
Online biology courses engage students, mimic real life
Using various online tools and unique classroom exercises, professors in the Department of Biology continue to deliver quality education to students during e-learning, caused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And Hawk Assistant Professor Ana Lidia Flores-Mireles' class, with its focus on infectious diseases, is able to learn about the virus in different ways.
Notre Dame switches to online after canceling in-person classes
In the face of the continuing threat of the novel coronavirus, and to mitigate its impact on campus, University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., announced a suspension of all in-person classes on campus.
A Decade of Progress: Continuing Notre Dame’s journey to grow as a preeminent Catholic research university
While the University of Notre Dame has continued its commitment to inquiry and endeavor over the entirety of its history, creating the circumstances for achievement has evolved over time. Upon inauguration, Father Jenkins set out to lead a great Catholic university for the 21st century, but also one of the pre-eminent research institutions in the world.
James Hentig Wins 2020 Notre Dame Graduate School Shaheen 3MT®
James Hentig, a Ph.D. student from the Department of Biological Sciences, won the 2020 Notre Dame Graduate School Shaheen Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) on Thursday, March 5 on the stage in Jordan Auditorium in the Mendoza College of Business. …
Jennifer Tank named a 2020 Society for Freshwater Science fellow
Each year, fellows are selected “based on sustained excellence in contributions to freshwater science research, policy, or management.”
University of Notre Dame among top 100 proposals for MacArthur $100 million grant
Notre Dame Professor Jason Rohr’s proposal—Disease, Food, Energy, and Water Solutions (DFEWS): Defusing a Global Crisis—offers a sustainable, local solution to reduce schistosomiasis while at the same time addressing food, energy, and water shortages afflicting marginalized populations throughout the developing world.
University of Notre Dame-developed home lead screening kits shown to be highly accurate
An inexpensive lead sample collection kit distributed to homes in St. Joseph County is comparable in accuracy and sensitivity to more costly in-home analysis, according to research published this month in the Journal of Environmental Research.
New study identifies potential path forward for brachial plexus injury recovery
The study has identified a strategy that may support the regeneration of nerves affected by the injury.
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 parasitology.…
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.