Clues in Ancient Mud Hold Answers to Climate Change
From the depths of Lake Malawi, Melissa Berke has helped uncover evidence that offers new insights into a long-held theory about Africa’s climate history.
News » Archives » 2016
Notre Dame mosquito researcher weighs in on Zika
The Zika zone is expanding in Florida as Miami Beach sees a huge increase in cases and money is running out to help study and fight Zika. Congress has not yet passed a bill to fund it. Now, a Notre Dame researcher is weighing in. Researchers at Notre Dame are...
Women in Science Regional Conference to be held at Notre Dame
The Association for Women in Science - Notre Dame chapter (AWIS) is organizing the first regional Women in Science Conference on September 30 and October 1, 2016 in Notre Dame, Indiana. This conference focuses on career and personal development as well as peer networking, through a variety of informative…
Green, Cool Roofs May Be Key To Cooling Cities Down
As populations rise, cities grow and the Earth heats up due to global warming, urban heat island (UHI) effects are expected to increase. These occur because city walls, streets and roofs hold in the sun’s warmth, making cities warmer than the land surrounding them. Large cities such as Chicago have…
Green and cool roofs provide relief for hot cities, but should be sited carefully
More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and the United Nations projects that this share will rise to 70 percent by 2050. During the daytime, these expanding urban areas absorb more solar energy than the surrounding countryside. At night…
Morrison Family Education & Outreach Pavilion Dedication at ND-LEEF
On Friday, June 10, the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initative welcomed the ND-ECI community to the dedication of the Morrison Family Education & Outreach Pavilion at Notre Dame’s Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility. Serving as the centerpiece of ND-LEEF, the…
Environmental Change Initiative Launches New Website
The Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI) has launched a new website, eci.nd.edu. The website now includes a modern look and enriched content that aims to better assist both ND-ECI’s internal and external communities.
Turtles Help Monitor Ecological Health Of Great Lakes
Several areas of the Great Lakes have been plagued by years of unregulated industrial waste dumping, resulting to a multitude of negative impacts on the wildlife and the environment. Now, new research suggests that in order to maintain the Great Lakes' ecological health, two turtle species…
GLOBES Students Make Science Policy Presentations in Washington, D.C.
GLOBES graduate students traveled to Washington, D.C. in early May to make science policy presentations to U.S. State Department and other federal agency officials.
Using Lake Michigan turtles to measure wetland pollution
Decades of unregulated industrial waste dumping in areas of the Great Lakes have created a host of environmental and wildlife problems. Now it appears that Lake Michigan painted and snapping turtles could be a useful source for measuring the resulting pollution.
Study Links Best Management Practices to Cleaner Watershed
A long-running experiment to improve water quality in and around Livingston County has yielded encouraging results. As farmers within the Indian Creek Watershed adopted more efficient methods of managing their nutrients, analyses of water samples collected between 2010 and 2015 are showing a positive…
Notre Dame hires managing director for Environmental Change Initiative
SOUTH BEND — Tom Springer has been hired as the new managing director of the University of Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative. He started June 1. Springer has 27 years of experience with the Battle Creek, Mich.-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Most recently, he held the position…
Knight Center Spartan becomes Golden Domer, accepts position at Notre Dame
When Tom Springer (M.A. 2002) applied for his new position as managing director of the Environmental Change Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, he wondered if he’d have enough of a science background to qualify. The initiative works with a network of 40 Notre Dame faculty who research…
Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative names new Managing Director
Tom Springer has been named the new Managing Director of the University of Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative (ECI), starting June 1, 2016.
Springer brings significant management and communication expertise to Notre Dame, including strategic planning, grant development, program design and evaluation, group facilitation, and program promotion.
Cooling down Chicago: How green and cool roofs could impact urban climate
More than 50 percent of today’s population lives in cities. According to the United Nations Development Programme, that number is predicted to rise to 70 percent by 2050. Growing urbanization increases the overall temperature of a city as buildings, roads, parking lots and other infrastructure absorb heat, creating an urban...
Dive into Notre Dame Research during the Alumni Reunion on June 3
Notre Dame Research will be participating in the Alumni Association’s Annual Reunion event on the first Friday of June on the third floor of the Main Building. From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., the dome will be open to tours, where several offices will open their doors to alumni, faculty,...
Looking beyond conventional networks can lead to better predictions
Zebra mussels, a ship-borne invasive species, are such a problem in American waters that they cost the U.S. power industry alone $3.1 billion in economic losses in 1993-1999, mainly by blocking pipes that deliver water to cooling plants. Researchers looking for a way to predict where they might end up...
Fernando to receive honorary degree
Harindra Joseph Fernando will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom.
2016 Faculty Promotions - Congratulations from ND-ECI!
Congratulations to the ECI faculty members, who earned a promotion, tenure, or other recognition this May.
Using mathematical models to fight the Zika virus
New research from the University of Notre Dame will be used to generate maps that provide time-sensitive, mosquito-to-human ratios that determine patterns of mosquito population dynamics for the Zika virus. The model outputs will be available online to provide users with the ability to find reported cases and estimated incidences...
Prof. Jeff Feder Honored with Graduate School's Burns Award
Prof. Jeffrey Feder, Director of GLOBES from 2005-2012, is one of two award winners of the 2016 James A. Burns, C.S.C., Graduate School Award. Given annually to a faculty member for distinction…
2016 Internal Grant Program Awardees Announced
Notre Dame Research has provided more than 35 researchers with awards from the Internal Grants Program for 2016. The grant awardees spanned the University in four program categories: Faculty Research Support (Initiation), Faculty Research Support (Regular), Equipment Restoration and Renewal, and Library Acquisitions.
Google Trekker shooting photos in South Bend, St. Joseph County parks
It looks like a Martian robot with a big green eye. City Parks Director Aaron Perri heaved it — all 48 pounds — onto his back and started walking the riverside trails. Strangers stared, waved at it or yelled, “What is it?” “Hey, this is for Google,” he'd reply. “There...
Google Trekker device collecting off-road Indiana panoramas
A Google camera system mounted on a backpack that's carried by hikers is collecting panoramic views of city and county parks across Indiana that will allow viewers to experience scenic treks without breaking a sweat.
Notre Dame’s Alex Perkins Wins Powe Award
Alex Perkins, Ph.D., Eck Family Assistant Professor in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, and a member of the Eck Institute for Global Health, has been recognized with the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Powe Award for Junior Faculty…
Understanding Behavior Key to Combating Malaria
Today, April 25, is the annual World Malaria Day. This year’s theme – End Malaria for Good – seeks to build upon past successes in combatting this deadly disease, which killed over 435,000 people in 2015, and sustain this progress in order to truly “end malaria for good.” At the University...
Eagles at St. Pat’s Park? Enjoy breakfast with them Sunday
Watch WNDU broadcast story HERE. St. Joseph County, Ind. -- Did you know that there are eagles at St. Patrick’s County Park? If you didn’t, an event happening…
Heavy Metals In Lake Michigan Turtles
Fish probably get the most attention when it comes to gauging the effects that heavy metals have on Lake Michigan’s inhabitants. But overlooked in this realm of research are turtles. Being that they are a part of the ecosystem too, there is still plenty that scientists can learn by studying…
Rough Childhoods Have Ripple Effect for Wild Baboons
Duke University, DURHAM, N.C. — Numerous studies have shown that childhood trauma can have far-reaching effects on adult health and survival; new research finds the same is true for wild baboons. People who experience childhood abuse, neglect and other hallmarks of a rough childhood…
Metal heads and body burdens: Lake Michigan turtles can’t get the lead out
You likely won’t find any painted and snapping turtles headbanging to Metallica in Lake Michigan wetlands. But heavy metal runs in their veins. These turtles accumulate heavy metals in their tissues, according to a recent study completed at University of Notre Dame and published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Some of those...