Asian carp and Notre Dame

If you read my post below, and if you've been keeping up with campus over the past few years, you'll notice that Notre Dame has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in new facilities, labs, research areas and the like. While all of these buildings look fantastic and seem to have the ability to do some really interesting things, if you're like me, you've asked yourself, "but what are the practical implications?"

This article in today's Chicago Tribune discusses the Asian carp situation in Illinois (if you're not from the Midwest, this probably doesn't sound like a big deal. In essence, Asian carp--an incredibly invasive species of fish--have come up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and are approaching Lake Michigan. They pose a huge threat to the lake's native wildlife and commercial fishing industry). The article mentions a new system developed by Notre Dame researchers to identify trace amounts of Asian carp DNA, essentially allowing authorities to identify the "progress" of the carp up the river.

I do not know if this new system was developed in the Jordan Hall of Science or one of our newer facilities on campus, but the more we grow and improve, the better chance we have of developing practical uses for our research and technologies.

University hosts research symposium

Last week, the University hosted a regional research symposium for undergraduate researchers from the University of Notre Dame, Hope College and the University of Michigan. The symposium, centered around science research allowed students to present the fruits of their summer labors. It is an annual event and was held at the University of Michigan last year.

This is another great example of the growing trend of undergraduate research at Notre Dame. Students really can conduct their own research if they choose!

The full article is here.

I just came across this article...

...from almost a year ago, but I thought it was worth posting.  This article, from the Chicago Sun-Times, details the Jordan Hall of Science and everything it offers to our undergraduates.  It might be helpful to review this piece before going to college fairs as it gives you a good understanding of the new building!