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Faculty Stories

Faculty at Notre Dame come from communities and cultures all over the world. They conduct research and scholarship on topics and issues that span numerous academic disciplines. They share with students not just their areas of expertise but also their questions and concerns about the enduring issues and latest developments that shape our times.

But their role in broadening and sharpening the lenses through which we understand ourselves and the world around us extend well beyond individual research projects, classroom lectures, course syllabi, or a list of academic programs.

The selection of stories below helps illustrate the many other ways Notre Dame faculty foster diversity, support inclusion, and enliven the entire Notre Dame community.

Character studies

Character studies

Notre Dame Magazine

In his latest book, Narcomedia: Latinidad, Popular Culture, and America’s War on Drugs, Jason Ruiz focuses a scholarly lens on one-dimensional depictions of Latinos as the bad guys, kingpins and users in works such as Scarface and Miami Vice, up through more recent series like Narcos and Breaking Bad.

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Long-run decline in US poverty continued in recent years despite pandemic, new report shows

Long-run decline in US poverty continued in recent years despite pandemic, new report shows

Kathryn Desai and Tracy DeStazio

Using consumption poverty instead of income poverty as their measurement tool, researchers from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago and Baylor University found that poverty rates declined steadily between 2020 and 2022, a period when income-based poverty fluctuated noticeably. These findings were recently released in the Annual Report on U.S. Consumption Poverty: 2022, co-authored by James Sullivan, professor...

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For Ashlee Bird, digital culture scholar and Native American video game designer, better representation on screen fosters brighter future

For Ashlee Bird, digital culture scholar and Native American video game designer, better representation on screen fosters brighter future

Beth Staples

For decades, video game players have sat in front of TV and computer screens and used controllers and keyboards to kill Indigenous characters, regardless of their objective or importance to the story. While horrifying, it’s not surprising to Ashlee Bird, an assistant professor of American studies at Notre Dame. Indigenous characters have historically been represented throughout popular culture as a bloodthirsty...

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Foreign Language Teaching Assistant spotlight: Dayana Velasquez

Foreign Language Teaching Assistant spotlight: Dayana Velasquez

Luke Van de Walle

Located north of Ecuador’s capital Quito, the region of Otavalo is home to rich indigenous cultures that are recognized globally for their iconic clothing, textiles, and handcrafts. Dayana Velasquez, 2023–2024 Quechua FLTA, is proud to represent her home and Otavaleña culture in South Bend, as it has held a deep significance throughout her life.

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Balancing act: Mechanical engineer aims to make electrically powered prostheses both smart and lightweight

Balancing act: Mechanical engineer aims to make electrically powered prostheses both smart and lightweight

Karla Cruise

Powered prostheses hold promise for improving the lives of people with limb loss. Yet despite recent, rapid development of new designs and materials, current devices are often heavy and uncomfortable. Edgar Bolívar-Nieto, assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, is designing an electrically powered lower-limb prosthesis (wearable robot) with enough computational capability to make...

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Law School launches experiential learning program to serve parents of children with disabilities

Law School launches experiential learning program to serve parents of children with disabilities

Denise Wager

Notre Dame Law School is launching a new experiential learning program aimed at supporting parents in the wider South Bend, Indiana area as they advocate for services, accessibility, and accommodations required for their children diagnosed with physical and mental disabilities The program will also provide ND Law students the opportunity to work with families to ensure their child’s access to...

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Assistant professor Tarryn Chun chosen for public intellectuals program focused on US-China relations

Assistant professor Tarryn Chun chosen for public intellectuals program focused on US-China relations

Beth Staples

“I think there's a lot of concern in the general public right now about China, especially over issues like military buildup and cyber security,” said Chun. “And that means that those of us who have expertise in China, and Chinese culture, have all the more responsibility to contribute to knowledge and understanding on both sides.”

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Rare Books and Special Collections exhibit explores emancipation during the 19th century

Rare Books and Special Collections exhibit explores emancipation during the 19th century

Becky Malewitz

Making and Unmaking Emancipation in Cuba and the United States explores the fraught, circuitous and unfinished course of emancipation over the 19th century in Cuba and the United States. It will remain on display in 102 Hesburgh Library, Rare Books and Special Collections through December 15.

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