The science of Avatar

Maybe you saw Avatar (I still haven't - I'm not sure I will), or maybe you have no idea what it is (James Cameron's latest movie, which, I believe, became the highest grossing movie of all-time last weekend). But apparently, the "world" in which the movie is set has floating mountains and other sci-fi wonders. But are things like that really possible?

Below is a video from WGN TV in Chicago. They interviewed Notre Dame's Morten Eskildsen of the Physics Department. Professor Eskildsen conducts research on superconductors (or, for non-science people like me, "electric stuff that floats with liquid nitrogen"). I think all of this would be pretty interesting - if I understood the scientific jargon!

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.

Notre Dame research

Notre Dame has always been known for its undergraduate education; the University often rivals liberal arts colleges in small class sizes, individual attention to students, and strong relationships between students, faculty and staff.

Recently, and especially over the past few years, Notre Dame has made efforts to strengthen its research opportunities and achievements at all levels. Personally, I am often amazed and what some of the very bright students and professors here at the University can do in their respective fields, whether it is biological sciences, electrical engineering, or economics.

The Office of News and Information has a website specifically dedicated to Notre Dame research and the many projects conducted on campus each year: http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/category/research/. If you are anything like me, much of the information is over your head, but the page certainly highlights an impressive list of people and projects making Notre Dame proud.

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!

We found a planet!

OK, the title to this post is a bit misleading, but if you ever get the question, "When was the last time a scientist from Notre Dame discovered a planet?", you now have an answer: Monday.

On Monday, Notre Dame's David Bennett and his international team presented their discovery of MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb, which is only about 3,000 light years away. What is remarkable about this finding is that MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb orbits a star with an incredibly low mass--something scientists did not know was possible until now.

You can read the complete article and some of the technical descriptions here.

I don't know about you, but I think I would have named the star something more exciting than MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb...

New Deans

On July 1, the College of Arts and Letters and College of Science will welcome new deans to their programs.

John T. McGreevy, the current chair of the history department, has been appointed the I.A. O'Shaughnessy Dean of the College and Arts and Letters.

Gregory P. Crawford, the current dean of engineering and professor of physics and engineering at Brown University, was appointed dean of the College of Science.

In January, Peter Kilpatrick took over as dean of the College of Engineering after chairing chemical and biomedical engineering at North Carolina State University.

Reilly Center Reports

As explained in this News and Information article, the University's John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values has started an online journal addressing relevant ethical and value-based topics in relation to science and technology.

Many prospective students are concerned that the opportunity to study certain sciences and technologies at the University may be limited because of the Catholic nature of Notre Dame. Referring these students to the "Reilly Center Reports" is a good way to show that science and ethics can easily coexist.

The "Reilly Center Reports" can be found here.