The ThinkND Podcast

Episode Topic: Sustainable Hope  Marking the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter, this panel explores the shift from an “ideology of destruction” to decentralized green infrastructure. Discover how environmental law and energy innovation are securing Ukraine’s sovereignty and the future of international accountability. Featured Speakers: Diane Desierto, University of Notre Dame Carl Bruch, Environm...

Episode Topic: Poets & Art: Adela Najarro Listen in to a conversation with author Ruben Reyes, Jr.. interviewed by Notre Dame Ph. D. student Paulina Hernandez-Trejo, that resonates with the pulse of Salvadoran history, illuminating how memory transcends trauma through the architecture of speculative fiction.   Featured Speakers: Paulina Hernández-Trejo, University of Notre Dame Ruben Reyes, au...

Episode Topic: What Would You Fight For?   Join University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. and legendary broadcaster Mike Tirico for a panel discussion commemorating two decades of stadium excitement and profound mission in the iconic What Would You Fight For? series. Featured Speakers: Meenal Datta, University of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame Mik...

Episode Topic: Millennial Aesthetics and Global Politics Join acclaimed writers Aria Aber and Jamil Jan Kochai for an intimate exploration of the millennial Afghan experience. This evocative discussion, moderated by Mehak Faizal Khan, Assistant Professor of Global Anglophone Literature at the University of Notre Dame, reveals how memory, war, and technology reshape contemporary identity. Witness h...

Episode Topic: When Numbers Lie Data is the new gold, mined and used (for better or worse) every single day. Algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) are then used to suggest what movies we stream, or send us grocery store coupons in the mail. When our data is used mindfully and ethically, this can be beneficial. When it’s not, we could be putting ourselves at risk. Victoria Woodard Ph. D., ass...

Episode Topic: The Cost of Ambition   Tired of the relentless professional treadmill? Join Miroslav Volf and Suzanne Shanahan to explore The Cost of Ambition . Their conversation reveals how to reclaim joy by trading soul-crushing comparison for the freedom of excellence. Rediscover your work’s purpose and embrace a path toward genuine flourishing and find your freedom. Featured Speakers: Miroslav...

Episode Topic: Where are We in the Journey to a Knowledgeable Assistant ? Discover the future of AI with Meta Chief Scientist Xin “Luna” Dong. As AI assistants transition from chatbots to wearables, the demand for reliability is paramount. Learn how the Dual-Neural Knowledge framework targets hallucinations, ensuring your digital assistant provides the precise, real-time accuracy required to navig...

Episode Topic: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World  Stop examining the world from the outside and start reading its patterns. Join author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World Tyson Yunkaporta to navigate the complexity of the modern world through Indigenous logic. Shift from the fragmented lens of static text to the “Sacred Web of Life” that can restore balance to our sy...

Episode Topic: After the Evaluation ( https://go.nd.edu/e5f25d ) Can a bus pass prevent a jail sentence? Listen in to discover the “myth-busting” power of co-discovery. Join King County, Notre Dame’s LEO, and Stanford’s REGG Lab as they explore how high-stakes partnerships transform rigorous econometrics into equitable, real-world policy change. Featured Speakers: May Lynn Tan, California Associat...

Episode Topic: I am My Soul ( https://go.nd.edu/902b73 ) Is personal identity a matter of degree or a literal soul? Join Oxford’s Dr. Richard Swinburne for “ I am My Soul ,” a deep dive into Thomas Aquinas and modern philosophy. Challenge your views on consciousness and the self—listen in or watch now to discover why your soul is the essence of who you are. Featured Speakers: Dr. Richard Granville...

Episode Topic: Reimagining Mental Health ( https://go.nd.edu/47c51f ) This interdisciplinary inquiry explores the Catholic imagination’s role in mental health. Navigating the paradox of dependence where maturity necessitates the safety to rely on another, we transcend secular reductionism. Discover a symbolic ontology grounded in community, liturgy, and the transformative power of faith. Featured...

Episode Topic: Pensionados at Notre Dame ( https://go.nd.edu/abbd6a ) Discover Notre Dame’s first Asian pioneers through a 120-year retrospective of the 1903 Pensionado Program. Uncover how early Filipino students forged a path of global excellence and a unique place within this foundational heritage. Featured Speakers: Rebecca Tinio McKenna, University of Notre Dame Jeremy Dela Cruz ’15, ’19 MSF,...

Episode Topic: A New Humanism ( https://go.nd.edu/aaf1e4 ) “What is the city but the people,” wrote Shakespeare. In this spirit, architect Christian Sottile will share his visions about why the city is human and buildings are faces of humanity. Discover the "Renaissance Operating System" and why beauty is the irreducible secret to restoring goodness, truth, and our collective spirit. Fea...

Episode Topic: Metaphysics, Being, and the Transcendentals Eight centuries later, this session reveals that Thomas’s metaphysical architecture remains the essential map for reality. By interrogating divine attributes and the generative power of peace, modern scholars demonstrate how 13th-century wisdom provides the ontological integrity needed to navigate 2024’s most profound questions of existenc...

Episode Topic: Sickness and Healing This episode of Minding Scripture reflects on sickness, healing, and isolation in the Bible and in the Qur’an, with conversation around the global Coronavirus pandemic. What sources of hope do we find in the Abrahamic traditions for a time of sickness and quarantine? How might these three traditions interpret the pandemic and the quarantine religiously? Featured...

Episode Topic: A Conversation with Cynthia Cruz Born to a father whose education was severed at grammar school for field labor, Cynthia Cruz transformed feelings of shame into a determination that earned her a Ph. D. in philosophy and fueled the publication of nine poetry collections and a novella. Listen in to a conversation between Cruz and Notre Dame M.F.A. student Adriana Toledano Kolteniuk ab...

Episode Topic: Faithful Hope: Religion and Resilience in Ukraine This essential panel explores Ukraine’s religious pluralism, where faith galvanizes democratic resilience rather than division. Experts analyze “hope as a discipline” and interfaith solidarity, revealing how historical resistance weaponized spiritual energy into a powerful civic engine. Discover why Ukraine’s pluralistic landscape pr...

Episode Topic: God's Existence Many philosophers - and even theologians - believe that Immanuel Kant put an end to all attempts to prove God's existence. However, is the case truly closed? Dr. Sebastian Ostritsch, from Heidelberg University, argues that Kant's objections against proving God's existence have no decisive weight against the foundational logic of Thomas Aquinas&apo...

Episode Topic: Hope and Healing   How does a doctor find hope and joy each day amidst the challenges of serving others at “the end of the world?” Listen in to the  2025 Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C., Distinguished Catholic Social Tradition Lecture, in a conversation between Dr. Tom Catena and Suzanne Shanahan, the Leo and Arlene Hawk Executive Director of Institute for Social Concerns, to hear him sha...

Episode Topic: Bridging Gaps, Empowering Communities AI holds immense promise, yet Ketan Paranjape warns the “last mile” remains a formidable barrier. From rural Indiana to India, infrastructure gaps and cultural nuances challenge the scalability of digital health. Explore how we can bridge this divide by prioritizing human kinship and ethical innovation over mere algorithmic speed.  Featured Spea...

Episode Topic: Eclipses in Outer Space Lauren Weiss Ph. D., assistant professor of physics and astronomy, will explore how astrophysicists use eclipses of other stars to find new planets. Professor Weiss uses observational techniques to discover exoplanets, which are planets around other stars, and characterize their fundamental properties. Her goals are to understand the origin and evolution of p...

Episode Topic: Preparing for Evaluation King County Metro and Notre Dame’s LEO lab are re-engineering social service delivery, codifying racial equity through a transformative researcher-practitioner model. This isn’t just data—it’s a co-creative learning pipeline designed for systemic change. Explore how rigorous evidence-building is redefining the value proposition of civic interventions. Featur...

Episode Topic: Art in the Ruins: Engaging Secular Culture Join a Cambridge scholar and former Sons of Bill guitarist, a surf-instructor-turned-governance expert, and a missionary priest as they navigate secular culture. From “balancing the ship” of institutions to finding grace in pop music, this panel reveals how to engage the world with intellectual humility and bold faith. Featured Speakers: Sa...

Episode Topic: Christology and Christ's Knowledge ( https://go.nd.edu/8c7bcc )  This panel illuminates how Christ’s human intellect—from the Transfiguration to infused knowledge—perfects our nature. Experts navigate the mysterious intersection of divinity and human intellect, offering a high-impact look at the Savior’s relational and radiant mind.  Featured Speakers: Christopher Enabnit, Univ...

Episode Topic: Martyr! Experience the profound beauty of Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! in this soul-stirring conversation about the ways literature bridges the gaps of exile, turning grief into a vibrant quest for meaning. Featured Speakers: -Kaveh Akbar, author Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/de...