Tuesday, March 18 – Jonathan Marks, Templeton Fellow, NDIAS (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) – Research Presentation Topic: "How to Think about Human Evolution"

Wednesday, March 19 – Douglas Hedley, Templeton Fellow, NDIAS (Clare College, University of Cambridge) – Research Presentation Topic: "Participation in God: Reassessing an Ancient Philosophical Idea and its Contemporary Relevance" (McKenna Hall)

If you are interested in attending an NDIAS seminar, please contact our Programs Administrator, Carolyn Sherman (csherman@nd.edu, 574-631-6240). For a complete list of Fall 2013 seminars, please click here.

The Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) invites highly-motivated students to apply to be Templeton Undergraduate Research Assistants for the 2014-2015 academic year working with senior researchers on the “great” questions that span the humanities, social and natural sciences, arts, engineering, and law.

The Templeton Research Assistantship Program builds on a tradition and a commitment at the University of Notre Dame to enriching the undergraduate curriculum with significant research experiences. Undergraduate students from the University who apply and are selected for this program will work with top researchers from around the world, in residence at Notre Dame, who are investigating “great” questions.

Interested University of Notre Dame students are invited to apply for the program using the online application available on the NDIAS website at http://ndias.nd.edu/student-engagement/templeton-undergraduate-research-assistants/online-application. Two information meetings for interested students have been scheduled for Wednesday, February 26 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Oak Room of the South Dining Hall and Tuesday, March 4 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the Remick Commons in Sandner Hall. Pizza and soft drinks will be available and an RSVP to ebugyis@nd.edu is requested. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Institute, students from all majors are invited to attend these forums and apply. For full story, click here.

This coming summer, the NDIAS will host undergraduate and graduate student summer seminars. This year's undergraduate student seminar will be led by Mark W. Roche, Rev. Edmund Joyce, C.S.C., Chair in German Language & Literature, and will cover he topic, "Faith, Doubt, and Reason"; the seminar will run from Sunday, June 1st, to Saturday, June 7th. To apply for the undergraduate summer seminar, click here. The graduate student seminar will be led by Christian Smith, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology, and will cover the topic, “What is a Person?—Implications for Academic Scholarship”; this seminar will run from Sunday, June 8th, to Saturday, June 14th. To apply for the graduate summer seminar, click here.

The summer 2014 student seminars will take place on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Students from all universities and colleges may apply. Each seminar is limited to fifteen students. There are no tuition fees. All expenses will be covered: transportation, housing in a campus residence hall, meals, and books and other materials.

The application deadline for the summer 2014 undergraduate student seminar has been extended to April 4, 2014.

The application materials, including letters of reference, for the summer 2014 graduate student seminar must be received by March 7, 2014.

For more information, click here.

The Fall 2013 issue of the NDIAS Quarterly is now available, featuring scholarly discourse, Institutional news, and the ongoing research of our current and alumni fellows. In this issue, biologist Jessica Hellmann, 2011-2012 NDIAS Fellow, and philosopher Daniel Sportiello provide a scientific reflection upon value. Atalia Omer, Fall 2011 NDIAS Fellow and Assistant Professor with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame, reimagines Israeli identity. And Scott Shackelford, Fall 2013 NDIAS Fellow and Assistant Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University, decodes the meaning of cyber peace. To view the digital edition, click here. To receive a print version of the quarterly, free of charge, please subscribe here.

Dr. Ulrich L. Lehner, NDIAS Fellow from the Inagural Class of 2010 and Professor of Theology at Marquette University, was elected a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, in the category “world religions.” It includes members such as Pope Benedict XVI, Prof. Hans Kung, Prof. Sara Coakley (Cambridge), Cardinal Walter Kasper, and Prof. H.-J. Klauck (University of Chicago).

The European Academy of Sciences and Arts brings together over 1200 scientists and researchers, philosophers and artists from Europe, Asia and the USA, including 29 Nobel Prize winners. This has resulted in a ‘think tank’ that analyzes ethical and scientific values in a society that is increasingly fragmented. Among the patrons of the academy are the kings of Belgium and Spain, the grand duke of Luxembourg, and the presidents of Austria, Russia, Greece, Slovakia, Slowenia and Montenegro. For full story, click here.