The ThinkND Podcast

Arduino Cantàfora , born in Milan in 1945, is a renowned painter and architect whose work bridges the realms of art and architecture. Initially trained as a copyist of Caravaggio, Cantàfora mastered the technical aspects of oil painting, blending his fascination with anatomy and organic forms with his architectural studies at the Politecnico of Milan. His career highlights include his participatio...

Explore the expanding role of artificial intelligence (AI) in scientific discovery, with a focus on early-stage molecular design and synthesis. Uncover an overview of recent advancements in AI applications that are shaping how we approach molecular discovery—highlighting both their transformative potential and the important considerations around dual-use implications. Join Soc(AI)ety Seminars as w...

Episode Topic: Pioneering the Shakespeare in Prisons Movement Listen in to a conversation between prison theatre practitioner and activist Jean Trounstine and Mary Irene Ryan Family Executive Artistic Director of Shakespeare at Notre Dame Scott Jackson. Jean’s work at the MCI Framingham Prison for Women in Massachusetts during the 1980’s and 90’s represents perhaps the very first productions of Sh...

Notre Dame celebrated its 180th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 18, at Notre Dame Stadium. Adm. Christopher Grady ’84 , the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the principal speaker and received an honorary degree. Upon announcing him as a commencement speaker, Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. said of Adm. Grady, “A true American hero, Admiral Grady has demonstrate...

Episode Topic: The Church's Vision for Women Thirty years ago, in both Evangelium Vitae and his Letter to Women , Pope John Paul II issued a clear call for the genius of women to be “more fully expressed in the life of society as a whole, as well as in the life of the Church” (Letter to Women 10). Throughout his papacy, in fact, he emphasized women’s “prophetic character,” calling on them to...

What is the role of psychology and anthropology in the writings of Thomas Aquinas? Contemplate Aquinas’ thoughts on the soul’s habitual knowledge, psychological continuity without personhood, and how we encounter the world through concrete particulars. Thanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect y...

Episode Topic: A Conversation with Aleida Rodríguez  Listen in to an oral history conversation with award-winning poet Aleida Rodríguez, interviewed by Karla Yaritza Maravilla Zaragoza, English Ph. D. student and a Joseph Gaia Distinguished Fellow in Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Aleida discusses how a fortuitous 1973 call from a pay phone in a Chinese restaurant marked the begin...

Episode Topic: A (different) Innovation Journey   Join John chroeder, Executive Vice President of Retail, Foodservice and Water Groups at Marmon Holdings, for a discussion about how companies with a wide variety of brands and businesses functioning under one umbrella like Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. can innovate better by bringing entirely new things into the world that serve to critically improve li...

Episode Topic: Lessons in Chemistry   Have you read Bonnie Garmus’s bestselling novel Lessons in Chemistry (2022)? Are there elements of the novel – say, Elizabeth Zott’s headstrong character, the “mysterious benefactor” plot line, or the book’s treatment of religion – that you’d like to learn more about? Join Notre Dame professor and assistant director of the Sheedy Family Program in Economy, Ent...

One of the most imaginative architects in history, Francesco Borromini (1599-1667), came out of the quarries of Switzerland to transform the face of Baroque Rome. Masterpieces like San Carlo alle Quattro Fontana and Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza have long entered the canon of architectural history. This master builder, pioneer of the graphite revolution in draftsmanship, was both a connoisseur of history...

Episode Topic: Trust, Talent, and the AI Colleague (https://go.nd.edu/7d5af7) In this episode of The New AI , Accenture Managing Director and Notre Dame alum Jen Hall '98 joins student hosts for a conversation abput how generative AI is reshaping the workplace. Hall discusses the shift from experimentation to scaled implementation, highlighting key themes like trust, transparency, and workfor...

Episode Topic: Personal Narratives in a Public Space   Join the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art to experience recordings from Indigenizing Museums, a two-day symposium amplifying the voices of Indigenous artists and curators, made possible by generous funding from the Terra Foundation for American Art. “Personal Narratives in a Public Space,” the final panel, brings together artists David Ocelotl Garc...

Episode Topic: Empowering Families, Transforming Futures The University of Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child  works to create pathways out of adversity for the world’s most vulnerable children in 25 countries around the world, leveraging evidence-based innovations to develop effective Whole Child Development (WCD) approaches to not only advance children’s academic a...

Episode Topic: From Champions to Leaders What does it look like when the champions of years past become the leaders of today? Angela Logan, Ph. D. , St. Andre Bessette Academic Director of the Master of Nonprofit Administration Program at the Mendoza College of Business, sits down for a fireside chat with Danielle Green ‘99 , former ND Women’s Basketball player, U.S. Army Veteran, and Warriors Spe...

Episode Topic: What Makes Work Meaningful (A Feminist Intervention) Why does care work feel fulfilling on some days, and infuriating on others? What could success look like if we divorce it from individualism and achievement? In this episode, listen in to a conversation with Paul Blaschko '19 Ph. D. , Director of the Sheedy Family Program and assistant teaching professor in philosophy at Notr...

Episode Topic: Utopia and Sustainability Uncover the connection between Shakespeare and the messy realities of building sustainable communities, utopias, and environmental futures. Listen in to a pre-show event from the August 31, 2024 performance of As You Like It, featuring Westin Smith, Ph. D. candidate in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Notre Dame, and Mackenzie Pittman...

Episode Topic: Resilience (https://go.nd.edu/c558d4) What will the process of creation and renewal look like by 2035? How will we leverage innovation to meet the challenges of the future in areas from our power grid and collaborative intelligence to community health and resilience building? Explore questions, ideas, and trends likely to affect business and society over the next decade. Let these i...

Episode Topic: Perspectives on Caregiver Mental Heath & Wellbeing Listen in to a conversation with Kendra Washington-Bass '94 , chair of the Black Alumni of Notre Dame, and Danielle Duchatellier Boucree, MSW, LCSW-C, MBA '91 about how caregivers can preserve their mental health, navigate the stress and emotional challenges of caregiving, and strengthen relationships during this deman...

Episode Topic: Eschatology How has Thomas Aquinas shaped our thoughts on death, judgment, and the final destiny of our souls and of humankind? Contemplate Aquinas’ writings on the integration of different human dimensions in the vision of God in heaven, the necessity of embodied repentance, and how and whether we should include animals in the glorified universe. Featured Speakers: Rev. James Domin...

Episode Topic: Cultivating Purpose   Anna Moreland, Chair and Director of the Villanova University Honors Program, and Thomas W. Smith, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at The Catholic University of America, will discuss their recent book, The Young Adult Playbook: Living Like It Matters and their work in education for flourishing among undergraduates. Featured Speakers: Suzanne Shanahan, L...

Episode Topic: Generosity & Medicine with physicians Sneha Mantri, MD, MS and Abraham Nussbaum, MD   As part of the Virtues & Vocations series Education for Flourishing: Conversations on Character & the Common Good , we are pleased to welcome Sneha Mantri, MD, MS, physician and director of Medical Humanities at Duke University School of Medicine, and Abraham Nussbaum, MD, physician, Ch...

Episode Topic: Character & Transformative Leadership  Nathan Hatch served as the president of Wake Forest University for 16 years and previously served as Provost at the University of Notre Dame. He recently published The Gift of Transformative Leaders . We will discuss this book and his lifelong commitment to making character central in higher education. Featured Speakers: Suzanne Shanahan, L...

Episode Topic: Preservation Today Join the School of Architecture for the annual Michael Christopher Duda Center for Preservation, Resilience, and Sustainability Lecture "Preservation Today" by Ashley R. Wilson, FAIA. Wilson will explore the role of preservation in addressing contemporary architectural challenges, from sustainable development to the conservation of recent heritage. Drawi...

Episode Topic: From Poet to Novelist  Listen in to an oral history conversation with poet Maria Melendez Kelson, interviewed by Notre Dame graduate literary researcher Paulina Hernández-Trejo, recorded 17 years after Melendez Kelson’s original Letras Latinas Oral History Project interview. Melendez Kelson’s most recent work is the contemporary mystery novel Not the Killing Kind , and this conversa...

Episode Topic: Can LLMs Reason and Plan?   Large Language Models (LLMs) are on track to reverse what seemed like an inexorable shift of AI from explicit to tacit knowledge tasks. Trained as they are on everything ever written on the web, LLMs exhibit “approximate omniscience”–they can provide answers to all sorts of queries, but with nary a guarantee. This could herald a new era for knowledge-base...