Notre Dame Stories

Latest Episodes:

Bookstore Basketball: Faith, community, and the court Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

At Notre Dame, Bookstore Basketball isn't just an intramural tournament—it's tradition. For more than 50 years, generations of the Notre Dame family—students, alumni, priests, seminarians, and campus ministers—have found community and connection, one game at a time.

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, host Jenna Liberto talks with student co-president Mia Keener ‘26, Bookstore veteran Tim Frank ‘93, and members of the Congregation of Holy Cross about what makes Bookstore Basketball more than just a game.

Listen and subscribe to Notre Dame Stories, the official podcast of the University of Notre Dame, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Inside Artemis II mission control May 05, 2026

Show notes

For seven hours, Notre Dame alumna Kelsey Young ’09 sat in NASA mission control, listening as astronauts described the moon in real time from a vantage point no human had ever experienced before.

Young is NASA’s first science officer and the lunar science lead for the Artemis II mission. In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, she explains how her role is shaping the future of human space exploration and how human observation became one of the mission’s most valuable scientific tools.

She also reflects on the path that led her to NASA, her Notre Dame education, and what’s next as scientists begin analyzing data from this groundbreaking mission.

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What happened to the American family? Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, Melissa Kearney, economist and director of the Strengthening Families Research Initiative, explores the decline in marriage, the rise of single-parent households, and falling fertility rates in the United States. Drawing on decades of research, she connects these trends to economic inequality, child well-being, and public policy—making the case that strengthening families is essential to improving outcomes across society.

How do you measure success? Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

What does it really mean to be successful?

Joe Holt has lived enough lives to make most résumés look boring—including time as a Jesuit priest, a stockbroker, a corporate attorney, and even an Ironman triathlete—and he’s convinced that success can’t be measured by titles, prestige, or what you can show for your work.

In this podcast episode, Holt joins host Jenna Liberto, and together they explore why so many people feel disengaged at work, how to set goals that stretch you without burning you out, and why dreaming about the life you want should come before planning it.

Holt shares the simple tactics he uses to stay accountable, the difference between a “good” job and a “prestigious” one, and why wisdom—more than achievement—may be the measure that matters most. Along the way, he reflects on faith, stillness, and leaving room for a God of surprises.

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Notre Dame Stories is the official podcast of the University of Notre Dame, wherever you get your podcasts.

Cold Plunges and Unicorns Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

What can extreme cold teach us about the human body—and ourselves?

In this episode, Director of the Human Energetics Laboratory and anthropologist Cara Ocobock takes listeners inside her research on human adaptation, from subzero fieldwork in Finland with reindeer herders to lab studies on metabolism, cold exposure, and hunting unicorns.

She also unpacks popular cold-plunge trends, what science actually says about them, and how lessons from our ancestors can help us understand resilience, wellness, and the remarkable ways humans have survived across time.

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A human-centered framework for AI Ethics Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Questions about artificial intelligence are everywhere—shaping public debate, influencing industry, and surfacing deep uncertainties about what it means to be human. At Notre Dame, philosopher Meghan Sullivan is helping lead that conversation. In this episode, she explains the DELTA framework, a human-centered approach to AI ethics—and why the choices we make today will define how this powerful technology shapes our future.

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Show links:

Episode page (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/podcast/a-human-centered-framework-for-ai-ethics/)
DELTA framework (https://ethics.nd.edu/programs/faith-based-frameworks-for-ai-ethics/delta/)
Listen and Subscribe (https://link.chtbl.com/notre-dame-stories?sid=megaphone)

New tech to help stop the spread of bird flu Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

On a family farm in Ohio, more than a million hens produce eggs that fill grocery shelves across the Midwest. Behind the scenes, farmers like Jordan and Thomas Hertzfeld are working tirelessly to keep their flocks healthy and thriving.

Now, researchers at Notre Dame are helping them do just that—developing an “electronic nose” that can detect disease before it spreads, turning science into a lifeline for farms, food systems, and families.

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Show links:

Episode Page (https://go.nd.edu/04040c)
Fighting for faster virus detection (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/stories/fighting-for-faster-virus-detection/)
Listen and subscribe⁠ (https://go.nd.edu/nd-stories-podcast)

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Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:19 A brief history of the Hertzfeld Family Farm 02:02 How bird flu affects poultry farms 02:56 Biosecurity measures used to reduce the risk of avian flu outbreak 03:42 Why early detection of bird flu is so important 04:44 A new device from Notre Dame researchers can sniff out bird flu 05:55 How new technology helps farmers detect bird flu 07:37 How farms test for bird flu 08:57 The future of disease detection 11:24 Leveraging technology to solve big, meaningful problems 12:16 Potential uses for sensing technology

Improving Hurricane Forecasts Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

How do you improve hurricane forecasts? By studying one of the most powerful and destructive forces on Earth up close—where the ocean meets the atmosphere.

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, Professor David Richter explains how new drone technology is helping scientists better understand what happens inside a hurricane close to the ocean’s surface—and why this research is vital for improving forecasts. Richter also reflects on how his work connects to a deeper calling, and how he challenges students to see engineering as both a technical pursuit and a human vocation.

--- Show links: • ⁠Episode Page⁠ • ⁠Fighting to improve hurricane forecasts⁠ • ⁠Subscribe⁠

--- Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:32 Why hurricanes are difficult to forecast

03:13 How drones are advancing hurricane research

04:57 How aerial drones are deployed over hurricanes

07:00 How aerial drones capture hurricane data

09:04 Fluid Dynamics Professor David Richter shares how his faith guides his research

10:38 Engineering and the Human Vocation

A better start for NICU families: Notre Dame leads the way in neonatal intensive care research May 29, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Kathleen Kolberg, Ph.D., Associate Dean, College of Science, Office of the Dean, Assistant Director of the Center for Health Sciences Advising, shares how Notre Dame helped set the standard for NICU design and care.

We also hear from Ainee Martin '25, a recently graduated chemical engineering and pre-med student whose passion for helping others was born of her past experience with medical professionals following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Their stories reflect the University of Notre Dame’s interdisciplinary approach to healthcare—one that’s preparing the next generation of doctors to be a force for good in the world.

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Faith and freedom: Dean Marcus Cole on religious liberty Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

Notre Dame is committed to educating a different kind of lawyer—one rooted in Catholic social teaching. From real-world clinics to high-stakes cases like protecting the sacred Apache Oak Flat, students are prepared to serve with both skill and conscience.

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, shares why protecting religious freedom—especially for minority and land-based faiths—is essential to safeguarding all human rights. He reflects on the broader impact of the Law School’s work with the Apache people and other global efforts.

Learn how Notre Dame is fighting for religious freedom in all its forms—and how future lawyers are learning to do the same.

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