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09/04/2026

The American Chemical Society has awarded Dr. Kate Biberdorf, with the James T. Grady–James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.

Biberdorf is the professor for the public understanding of science at University of Notre Dame and holds a doctorate in chemistry. She is well known for her work as a science entertainer and educator.

“This award validates a transition I’ve been making deliberately,” she says. “I spent years as a science entertainer doing demonstrations with flames on a stage for a large crowd. Moving toward being a science communicator meant treating this as a discipline with its own methods and standards, not simply a performance.”

Since arriving at Notre Dame, she has engaged students and faculty across the University, and is pioneering models that other institutions are beginning to emulate.

As Kate the Chemist, Biberdorf reaches millions through books, stage shows, television, and digital platforms. She translates chemical principles into unforgettable experiences, turning demonstrations into entry points for genuine scientific understanding.

Notre Dame researchers have discovered that a star thought to have died in a supernova nearly 900 years ago is still act...
09/03/2026

Notre Dame researchers have discovered that a star thought to have died in a supernova nearly 900 years ago is still active.

Led by Professor Peter Garnavich (University of Notre Dame Physics and Astronomy), the team studied the stellar remnant WD J005311 and found that it did not follow the typical path of stars at the end of their life cycles. Rather than being completely destroyed in the explosion, an unstable stellar remnant remains.

The discovery offers a rare opportunity to study an unusual outcome of stellar evolution. The supernova was visible to the naked eye and recorded by ancient astronomers in 1181.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qSq5SF

Environmental sciences major Katherine Spiller '29 spent her summer conducting research and fieldwork in the St. Joseph ...
09/02/2026

Environmental sciences major Katherine Spiller '29 spent her summer conducting research and fieldwork in the St. Joseph County Kettle Lakes Corridor.

Her primary role in the research project involved interviewing local residents to gain a better understanding of how people impact the interconnected lakes in the corridor and how the community can better care for this important habitat.

https://bit.ly/4gbwBPo

Relying on a urinary catheter is a standard part of medical care for hundreds of thousands of patients each year. Unfort...
09/01/2026

Relying on a urinary catheter is a standard part of medical care for hundreds of thousands of patients each year. Unfortunately, the device carries the risk of catheter-associated urinary infections (CAUTIs), where bacteria are widely recognized as the primary cause.

And yet, many patients face a growing threat from another pathogen: a fungus, Candida albicans.

Research published in PNAS by University of Notre Dame associate professors of biological sciences, Ana Lidia Flores-Mireles and Felipe Santiago-Tirado, shows how the fungus works in the bladder, potentially changing the way doctors treat and diagnose CAUTIs.

Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBvaA_8G

08/31/2026

🎹 video submitted by 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕚 𝕃𝕚𝕣𝕒

Meet the summer residents of the Touchdown Jesus reflecting pool 🐸Gracie Hedgpeth, a fourth-year doctoral student in bio...
08/31/2026

Meet the summer residents of the Touchdown Jesus reflecting pool 🐸

Gracie Hedgpeth, a fourth-year doctoral student in biological sciences, estimates the reflecting pool was inhabited by more than 400 tadpoles this summer.

In spring and early summer, native tree frogs come to the pool to breed. If you take a peek into the water today, you might spot tadpoles and froglets at all different stages of metamorphosis — from tiny tadpoles just beginning to sprout legs to bright green froglets still navigating the water with their long tails.

“Eggs hatch into tadpoles in about a week or two and remain tadpoles for an additional month or two before sprouting legs, absorbing their tails, and becoming terrestrial froglets,” Hedgpeth says.

“Only a small percentage of them survive to adulthood, though. One female produces thousands of eggs in one single mating season, and in her lifetime, she will be lucky to produce a few offspring that will survive to adulthood.”

These grey tree frogs are more than just campus wildlife: they’re also part of Hedgpeth’s research as she tests a new treatment for chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease contributing to amphibian declines around the world.

But what about when South Bend descends into autumn, and the pool is eventually drained for the winter? Hedgpeth says the frogs will find crevices in the surrounding vegetation, namely treeholes, where they will hibernate during the winter and early spring.

“They have high site fidelity, which means they are loyal to their small home range or pond and will continue to return to their same breeding spot year to year!” Hedgpeth says.

Want to learn more about Gracie’s work with tree frogs? Read this recent Notre Dame Magazine story: https://bit.ly/3TOUF37

If you spot the frogs or tadpoles in the pool, please admire them from a respectful distance and leave them undisturbed in their habitat.

(Photos by Samantha Keller)

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame and collaborators have uncovered a critical piece of the cellular machinery ...
08/26/2026

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame and collaborators have uncovered a critical piece of the cellular machinery that awakens dormant Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) spores.

Led by Mayland Chang, research professor, and Shahriar Mobashery, Navari Family Professor in Life Sciences, both in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the study reveals the core assembly of the “germinosome,” the cellular machinery that senses bile salts and amino acids in the gut and initiates spore germination.

C. diff spores are highly resistant to antibiotics. Once they germinate, the resulting bacteria can colonize the intestine and cause severe illness. Understanding how the germination process begins could ultimately help researchers develop drugs that interrupt it before infection takes hold.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3SzysWt

Photo by Matt Cashore

This Welcome Weekend chalk art!!🤩☘🎨 Dome illustrated by Ali Thomson
08/24/2026

This Welcome Weekend chalk art!!🤩☘

🎨 Dome illustrated by Ali Thomson

Proud Fighting Irish Parents ☘📍Welcome Weekend in Jordan Hall of Science
08/24/2026

Proud Fighting Irish Parents ☘

📍Welcome Weekend in Jordan Hall of Science

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