Oct22

ND LEEF Hosts Halloween-themed Science Sunday

Author: Erin Blasko

The Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility (ND-LEEF) will host a Halloween-themed Science Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 30 at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend.

Students and faculty will lead demonstrations and hands-on activities around a variety of topics, from water filtration and the collection and identification of aquatic insects and zooplankton to groundwater resources, stream flow and watershed conservation.…

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Sep12

Notre Dame Dedicates New Hydro Facility along St. Joseph River in South Bend

Author: Erin Blasko

The University of Notre Dame dedicated a new hydroelectric facility, ND Hydro, along the St. Joseph River during a ceremony Monday (Sept. 12) in downtown South Bend.

Situated along the riverbed beneath Seitz Park, the 2.5-megawatt facility started generating power for the University in May and has operated at about 70 percent capacity ever since based on spring and summer river levels.…

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Apr06

Changing the Face of Swimming: Notre Dame student-athlete leads effort to provide swim lessons to kids from all backgrounds

Author: Erin Blasko

As the son of a former college swimmer, Cason Wilburn was introduced to the water at a young age, before he could walk or even sit up.

“My mom taught me how to swim at like 6 weeks,” said Wilburn, a junior at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the men’s swimming and diving team. “She threw me in the water and made sure I was comfortable.”…

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Feb28

Medieval Institute partners with Adams High School for hands-on course in medieval history

Author: Erin Blasko

The Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame recently welcomed to campus a group of students from John Adams High School in South Bend. The students, five boys and three girls, viewed centuries-old prints and manuscripts in the Hesburgh Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections, as well as sculptures, jewelry and other decorative and fine art objects at the Snite Museum of Art.…

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Oct19

Minding the (Housing) Gap

Author: Erin Blasko

Notre Dame partners with the city of South Bend to encourage affordable infill development on vacant lots across the city

October 18, 2021

Each summer, Notre Dame’s Center for Civic Innovation (CCI), part of the College of Engineering, operates an internship program in partnership with local governments and organizations in South Bend and Elkhart aimed at understanding and addressing some of the region’s most pressing issues, from clean air, water and soil to food security and affordable housing. (FULL ARTICLE WITH PHOTOS HERE)

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Sep24

Dedication, blessing held for new Notre Dame Robinson Community Learning Center

Author: Erin Blasko

The Notre Dame Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) held a blessing and dedication Tuesday (Sept. 21) for its new home at Eddy and Howard streets in South Bend, across from the new Trader Joe’s store at Eddy Street Commons.

The event, which was delayed from last year because of the pandemic, featured remarks from Notre Dame Executive Vice President Shannon Cullinan

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Jun15

Community by Design

Author: Erin Blasko

Architecture students help reimagine South Bend neighborhood

William Street in South Bend was primarily residential until about 1940, when the city decided to extend it north to Portage Avenue. Designed to establish a new commuter corridor linking downtown to the far north side, the decision would have lasting consequences. Almost immediately, traffic increased, altering the historical character of the street and hastening its decline. Homes became apartments or businesses and then parking lots, as people abandoned the area for the suburbs...Read more

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May03

A New Lease on Life

Author: Erin Blasko

Law students help ex-offenders move on

When St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter hosted an expungement clinic last year for people with criminal records in the county, he expected maybe a dozen people would show up. When he was wrong about that — and boy, was he wrong — he was grateful for the Notre Dame Law School

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Mar20

Fulbright students share language, culture with local school children; translate texts for parents amid pandemic

Author: Erin Blasko

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February 11, 2021

The Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program at the University of Notre Dame is unique among FLTA programs in that it involves community engagement as well as teaching, exposing educators from around the world to life beyond Notre Dame’s campus while introducing local school children to different peoples and cultures.…

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Feb02

Notre Dame, others join to fight rising local hunger

Author: Erin Blasko

...a coalition of local public, private and nonprofit organizations, including Cultivate Food Rescue, the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, the city of South Bend and South Bend Venues Parks and Arts, the South Bend Community School Corp., the United Way of St. Joseph County, enFocus and the University of Notre Dame, has been working to address a less obvious, but no less urgent consequence of the pandemic: growing hunger in the community.  Read the FULL STORY here.

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Dec10

Athletics staff, student-athletes provide gifts to local families amid pandemic

Author: Erin Blasko

Notre Dame Athletics, in partnership with the South Bend Community School Corp. (SBCSC), hosted a drive-thru version of its annual gift-giving event, “A Brighter Christmas,” on Sunday (Dec. 6) at the Compton Family Ice Arena.

Now in its 10th year, “A Brighter Christmas” pairs groups and individuals within Athletics, including staff, coaches and student-athletes, with SBCSC families that need help during the holidays putting food on the table and presents under the tree. The event, which typically takes place inside of the arena and includes a meal and ice skating, was scaled back this year because of the pandemic.…

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Sep11

Women’s soccer collects 1,111 pounds of food for Food Bank of Northern Indiana

Author: Erin Blasko

Members of the University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team collected 1,111 pounds of food, the equivalent of 868 meals, during a food drive Sunday (Sept. 6) outside Alumni Stadium.

The drive-thru event benefited the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, which collects and distributes food throughout Elkhart, LaPorte, Kosciusko, Marshall, Starke and St. Joseph counties.…

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May04

Story time moves on online for Robinson Center Youth

Author: Erin Blasko

Samantha Musleh was out and about in March, before the full onset of the coronavirus, when she bumped into a family from the University of Notre Dame’s Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC).
“They said their son was missing me so much, and my heart just broke,” said Musleh, who teaches preschool to learners of English as a new language at the RCLC as an AmeriCorps member.

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Feb03

Notre Dame recognized by Carnegie Foundation for Community Engagement

Author: Erin Blasko

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has again recognized the University with the Community Engagement classification, citing excellent alignment among the University’s mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices in support of “dynamic and noteworthy community engagement.”

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Nov01

Ribbon cutting Thursday for renovated Kelly Park

Author: Erin Blasko

Led by students from the University of Notre Dame Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) along with community members Lu Ella Webster and Beth Sanford, SBVPA renovated the 1-acre park over five years with support from dozens of volunteers and corporate and community sponsors.

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Nov01

College of Engineering announces new Center for Civic Innovation in partnership with St. Joseph, Elkhart counties

Author: Erin Blasko

Notre Dame’s College of Engineering has created a new Center for Civic Innovation in partnership with Notre Dame Research, the Center for Social Concerns and the IDEA Center—part of an effort to find innovative solutions to pressing civic issues and improve quality of life and place in St. Joseph and Elkhart counties.

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