Mission in action

Articles, podcasts, and photo essays that demonstrate Notre Dame’s commitment to being a force for good in the world.

A blurry image shows a robotic leg, partially covered in colorful fabric, attached to a black athletic shoe with a Notre Dame logo on the ankle, on a treadmill. A woman in a white lab coat, blue gloves, and safety glasses holds up two vials, one with a yellow liquid and one with an orange liquid, in a lab. A yellow mannequin head with red and white attachments sits surrounded by blue sound-dampening foam cones in an anechoic chamber.

Discover and engage
  1. Pope Francis holds a yellow Notre Dame sign while posing with the University of Notre Dame men's and women's basketball teams, coaches, and staff dressed in formal attire on marble steps inside the Vatican.

    Photo Essay

    Notre Dame Basketball heads to Rome for the Eternal City Tip-Off

    From South Bend to the Seven Hills

  2. Golden sunlight glows over the mist-covered surface of St. Mary's Lake at sunrise, reflecting the silhouetted Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart in the distance.

    Photo Essay

    October's golden glow

    The month in photos, October 2026

  3. A researcher wearing safety goggles, a lab coat, and blue nitrile gloves uses tweezers to lower tubing into a glass flask filled with clear liquid.

    Article

    Fighting to prevent infections

    Notre Dame researchers have created a novel catheter adaptation that prevents infections before they begin.

  4. Fireworks burst over Notre Dame's Golden Dome and Basilica at dusk.

    Photo Essay

    Happy new year!

    The month in photos, September 2026

  5. A Catholic priest wearing a black clerical shirt and collar reaches up to lay a basketball into a hoop in an indoor gymnasium.

    Podcast

    Bookstore Basketball

    Faith, community, and the court.

  6. A young child in a pink shirt and red skirt drinks clean water directly flowing from an outdoor hand-operated water pump.

    Article

    Fighting for universal access to clean water

    More than 700 million people lack access to clean water, but research from the University of Notre Dame is helping organizations optimize how they manage, maintain, and build water pumps to reduce water scarcity.

  7. Two researchers in red helmets operate search-and-rescue equipment among concrete rubble. One stands holding a controller while another kneels with a yellow tank backpack near a portable console display.

    Article

    Fighting for robotic search and rescue

    Notre Dame engineer develops vine robot to help first responders after disasters

  8. A grandfather kisses the forehead of his granddaughter in a wheelchair wearing sunglasses as they share a quiet, affectionate moment outdoors.

    Article

    Fighting for nonverbal communication

    Notre Dame researchers are developing AI technology designed to help caregivers interpret the nonverbal communication of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

  9. A person wearing green leggings and white sneakers lying in a teal hammock and reading a book on campus.

    Photo Essay

    How was your summer?

    The month in photos, summer break edition