This workshop will cover how Generative AI works, explore models, chatbots, and companies in the consumer space, explain key terms (including model, LLM, training, hallucination, bias, context, and RAG), delve into AI capabilities, and discuss how your data is used in Generative AI. Click HERE to register Originally published at ai.nd.edu.

Join the Robinson Community Learning Center and the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion in a service activity intended to honor the legacy of those who lost their lives and those who responded heroically to the events of September 11, 2001. Together we will build four cedar flower boxes as a gift to the homeowners of the new Habitat for Humanity homes constructed in the Near Northwest Neighborhood as part of the inauguration events celebrating the inauguration of the Rev. Robert A. Dowd, CSC as the University of Notre Dame's 18th President. In addition to commemorating the events of September 11, we know that shared opportunities to collectively engage in service and share meals together nutures dialogue, cooperation, and civic engagement. We hope this event will continue to build upon the multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-generational, and multi-faith community already established at the Robinson Community Learning Center through its preschool and English classes and carry that forth into the broader community. Bringing out the best in America, this event wil embody the motto on the Great Seal of the United States of America, E Pluribus Unum, "out of many, one." A light meal will be provided. RSVP here. This event is sponsored by the Robinson Community Learning Center, the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, the United Religious Community, and the University of Notre Dame's Department of Art, Art History, and Design through a grant from the AmeriCorps State program overseen by Serve Indiana. Originally published at ansari.nd.edu.

Registration deadline extended! Register by noon Monday, September 8! To attend this in-person event on September 18, PLEASE REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ActionReg so we can get a count for ordering food!    In his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis “urgently appeals” for a “new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.” We, the Notre Dame Minor in Sustainability and the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, invite you to enter into that dialogue by forming a team from your campus organization or local parish to participate in the two-part workshop, The Pathway to Ecological Citizenship and Spirituality, organized by the Catholic Climate Covenant and the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests. Part One of the Workshop is an online Webinar on September 11 that addresses the spiritual message of Laudato Si’. Part Two of the workshop is an in-person event on September 18 at Notre Dame that will be the live origination site for a national webinar focused on climate change and how your organization or parish can become involved in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.  6:00 PM        Gathering reception with heavy hors 'd'oeuvres   6:30 PM         Begin live Webinar feed   Welcome by Rev. Emmett Farrell, founder of Creation Care, Diocese of San Diego.   Opening prayer by Rev. Stephen P. Newton, C.S.C., executive director, AUSCP.   “A Scientific Perspective of Our Climate Crisis” by Philip Sakimoto, director of the Minor in Sustainability and Professor of the Practice in Physics and Astronomy, University of Notre Dame   “A Primer on the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform and Planning” by Notre Dame alumna Christina Bagaglio Slentz, Director of Creation Care, Diocese of San Diego.   8:00 PM         Conversation and Dessert ReceptionParticipants coming by private car may drop off passengers at the McKenna Center and then drive across the street to the Morris Inn to obtain a parking pass and instructions on where to self-park. If you cannot come to Notre Dame, you may view the program part of the September 18 Part Two event online. For this, and to view the September 11 Part One Webinar online, register at https://bit.ly/ccc_AUSCP_EcologicalPathwayFor information about the Laudato Si’ Action Platform please visit:            https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/               https://godsplanet.us/              https://laudatosiuniversities.com/              https://www.ncronline.org/feature-series/laudato-si-action-platform/storiesIf you have any questions about this event, contact Phil Sakimoto, director of the Notre Dame Minor in Sustainability, at psakimot@nd.edu. Sponsored by the Minor in Sustainability, Office of Sustainability, Catholic Climate Covenant, Association of U. S. Catholic Priests, and Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.  Originally published at susminor.nd.edu.

The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, in partnership with its Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) Working Group, as part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, proudly offer a four-part lecture series over the 2024-25 academic year. The series focuses on U.S. imperialism and U.S. military and humanitarian involvement in the Middle East, and in particular Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. Graduate students serve as discussants after each lecture, prior to Q&A with the audience. The series conducts a critical evaluation of U.S. policy in the Middle East and calls for a reassessment of the nature and function of a U.S. presence, and the implications posed for peacebuilding practitioners and contemporary global affairs scholarship. Though the US-led “war on terror” has been ongoing for over two decades, it is a war that has been waged largely in the shadows—in the concealed spaces of black sites, extraordinary renditions, covert drone programs, secret global surveillance, and through expanding terrorism laws and security databases. This talk tracks a little-known but ever-expanding dimension of US counterterrorism warfare, one that travels in and through a growing body of US counterterrorism law and sanctions regimes that tether to foreign aid flows and monetary transactions around the world. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in Palestine, this talk traces how US counterterrorism law bundles and embeds in humanitarian and development aid flows inbound to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, transporting, in turn, Washington’s counterterrorism regime into the intimate spaces and interstices of Palestinian everyday life—in a greenhouse in Gaza, in a library in Bethlehem, in the collection of personal information and mapping of land plots, in the halls of municipal councils, and in local elections. Tracing the transnational operation of US law, this talk demonstrates how US empire operates as a topological formation that projects security and war power through opaque arrangements and blended genres of rule—in this case contracted relationships of aid—that render Washington’s counterterrorism regime intimately embedded in the lifeworlds of those afar. More broadly, it suggests that a close analysis of the topological workings of the US security state in Palestine tells us something significant about the shape-shifting nature of imperial formations, their realignments and reformulations, their haunted sites, and their obscured but intimate forms. Speakers:Lisa Bhungalia is a political geographer researching late-modern war, law, empire, and transnational linkages between the US and Southwest Asian and North African region and an Assistant Professor of Geography and International Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her first book, Elastic Empire: Refashioning War through Aid in Palestine, published by Stanford University Press in December 2023, examines the entanglements of aid, law, and war in Palestine with attention to policing and surveillance regimes produced through the embedding of counterterrorism laws and infrastructures into civilian aid flows. She is also developing new research on the social lives of terrorism databases. Her research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, and Palestinian American Research Center, among other bodies, and her published work has appeared in Politics and Space, Political Geography, Geopolitics, Small Wars & Insurgencies, Society and Space, Environment and Planning A, Middle East Report, and Jadaliyya, among other venues.Student respondent: Francesca Freeman, Peace Studies and HistoryFaculty respondent: Perin Gürel, Associate Professor American StudiesOriginally published at kroc.nd.edu.

Kellogg Work-in-Progress seminars are designed to generate in-depth discussion of new scholarly work. For the pre-circulated paper and to attend, register here.  Kelly McMannKellogg Institute Visiting FellowLucy Adams Leffingwell Professor, Case Western Reserve University When are democracies, or other regime types, more successful at mitigating problems? Examining numerous economic, environmental, health, and security problems and guided by an initial theoretical framework, this project will provide an answer to the question. For mor information, click here. 

Get ready for a micro-festival full of free concerts, dancing, free food trucks and giveaways, and special celebratory moments. Featuring performances by Jerry O'Fonics, DJ Chuck Fry, and Brollision, this night commemorates you in thanks for all the support South Bend has shown DPAC since the center opened in 2004. It's our 20th birthday party, but you're the special guests! Bring your boogie shoes and enjoy fun activities until twilight on DPAC's Terrace and walkways at this all-ages event. RSVP  

Alexandra Razskazoff, the 2022 Met Opera Laffont Competition Grand Finals winner, and Dror Baitel, Notre Dame Opera music director, join forces in a vibrant program spanning Baroque to the 20th century, including works by Handel, Strauss, and Britten. This concert is free and open to the public.  To watch a livestream. Originally published at music.nd.edu.

NDIGI is delighted to welcome Vinayak Nikam, director and biotech investor at Paradigm BioCapital Advisors, and Colleen Nikam '08, investment advisor at Goldman Sachs, to Notre Dame! Colleen and Vinayak will engage in a fireside chat to teach us about the current landscape of biotech investing, the investment advisory business, and the many paths you can take to find a fulfilling career in financial services. Food from Einstein's Bagel Co. will be provided! Please let us know if you’ll be attending by filling out this short Google Form.   Originally published at ndigi.nd.edu.

Join Mondoza College of Business Dean Martijn Cremers for a fireside chat with Byron Spruell, president, league operations at the NBA, and who serves on the University’s Board of Trustees, as they discuss challenges and rewards of an executive leader and how the NBA embodies the ideas of "Growing the Good in Business."  As president, league operations at the National Basketball Association, Byron Spruell oversees critical league operations, including domestic and international basketball operations, referee operations, and basketball strategy & analytics. With effective integration of these departments, he is principally responsible for the processes regarding the management of rule changes, the development, evaluation, and training of game officials, the enforcement of conduct standards and discipline, and the application of analytics, innovation and strategy on the future evolution of the game. Spruell also collaborates with USA Basketball and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) to promote the global growth of the game and development of players worldwide. Prior to joining the NBA in August 2016, Spruell spent 20 years at Deloitte LLP, most recently as its vice chairman, central region market leader. The Dean’s Speaker Series is a leadership-focused series featuring respected senior executives from top global companies across diverse industries. Through engaging discussions, the leaders share their unique insights on careers, global trends, effective leadership and emerging issues affecting business and society. The series is sponsored by the Burns Family endowment. Open to all students and the Notre Dame community. No registration required. 

The International Day of Peace, established by the United Nations in 1981, provides an opportunity for the Notre Dame community to come together to pray for peace. This year’s theme is Cultivating a Culture of Peace. What can we do to create peace in the world? Join University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., at the Our Lady of the Lake World Peace Plaza (next to St. Mary's Lake, across the street from the Grotto) for a prayer service to celebrate the International Day of Peace.  Originally published at pulte.nd.edu.

Leo Varadkar, former Taoiseach of Ireland (2017-2020, 2022-24) and current member of parliament in Dáil Eireann, will join the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies for a public discussion of Irish current affairs, including public health initiatives, civic life, and the political future of the island of Ireland. Varadkar will be in conversation with Colin Barr, professor of modern Irish history and director of the Clingen Family Center for Study of Modern Ireland. About the Speaker Leo Varadkar was Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland from 2017-2020 and again from 2022-24. He served in cabinet for 13 years in the Ministries of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Enterprise, Trade, Employment, and Social Protection and Health. He is currently Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency and a member of Ireland's Council of State. Varadkar helped guide Ireland through the Pandemic with public health and economic responses that were internationally recognized for their efficacy. He led Ireland through Brexit, preventing a hard border between North and South, upholding the Good Friday Agreement, and maintaining Ireland's place at the heart of the European Union and its single market. A strong supporter of Irish unification, Varadkar allocated over €1 billion to North-South projects under the Shared Island Fund and helped to get the power-sharing institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operating again. As Taoiseach, Varadkar established a Child Poverty and Well-being Programme, early results of which include the introduction of free school books, hot school meals, and lower childcare fees for working parents. Varadkar also doubled spending on the arts, culture, and sport as well as significantly enhanced workers’ rights. His government introduced paid parental leave and statutory sick pay and made major progress towards a living wage and occupational pensions for workers. During Varadkar’s premiership, greenhouse gas emissions reached a 30-year low on foot of a new climate law, which included major investment in renewable energy production as well as a carbon tax with revenues ring-fenced for climate initiatives like subsidized home retrofits and greener farming. At the time of Varadkar leaving office, Ireland had record levels of employment and a budget surplus that allowed for increased investment in public infrastructure, such as new public housing, schools, and healthcare facilities. Varadkar is a medical doctor and a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He lives with his partner Dr. Matthew Barrett in Dublin. Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

Javier Zamora is a Salvadoran poet and activist. In his debut New York Times bestselling memoir, Solito, Javier retells his nine-week odyssey across Guatemala, Mexico, and eventually through the Sonoran Desert. Zamora was a 2018-2019 Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and holds fellowships from CantoMundo, Colgate University (Olive B. O’Connor), MacDowell, Macondo, the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation (Ruth Lilly), Stanford University (Stegner), and Yaddo. He is the recipient of a 2017 Lannan Literary Fellowship, the 2017 Narrative Prize, and the 2016 Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award for his work in the Undocupoets Campaign. Co-sponsors: Creative Writing Program, Department of American Studies, Institute for Latino Studies -- Join the Center for Social Concerns on Friday afternoons of home football weekends for MVP Fridays: lectures by national leaders, journalists, and writers on questions of meaning, values, and purpose.Learn more

Join the Liturgical Choir of the Notre Dame Children's Choir the second and third Mondays of the month in-person or online for a prayerful Vespers service.  https://youtube.com/live/b2NY2EKdSio?feature=shareNotre Dame Children's Liturgical ChoirOriginally published at sma.nd.edu.

Join the Klau Institute and NDVotes for this installment of "Pizza, Pop, and Politics" as Professor of Law Derek Muller discusses voting rights and election administration. Originally published at klau.nd.edu.

Join us for this year's flu blitz. Appointments must be made to participate in this year’s Flu Vaccine Blitz. All faculty, staff and spouses must have their own unique appointments and will be asked to show their appointment QR code on their phone upon arrival. Spouses and dependents must currently be enrolled in a Notre Dame medical plan. Registration coming soon! Children must be accompanied by a parent. Appointments for dependent children are not required. A form, which will be provided at the event, will need to be completed for each dependent child who will be receiving the vaccine.Vaccinators, volunteers, and patients will be expected to follow all safety guidelines and precautions currently in place. Masks are not required for this event. The free flu vaccines will be available while supplies last. Tips to staying healthy during flu season:Get a flu vaccine. Flu vaccines are available on campus at our Annual Flu Vaccine Blitz, while supplies last.Wash your hands. Frequent hand washing offers the best protection against the flu. Alcohol-based hand wipes or gel sanitizers help, too. Avoid contact with sick people.Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Difficult? Yes. Effective? Very.According to the CDC, last year’s flu vaccines reduced the risk of influenza A-related hospitalization among adults by nearly half. Vaccination also provided significant protection against flu-related illness and flu-related emergency department visits, with people who were vaccinated about half as likely to have those outcomes as people who had not been vaccinated.    Originally published at hr.nd.edu.

Michael C. Davis, a former professor at the University of Hong Kong, will discuss his recent publication, "Freedom Undone: The Assault on Liberal Values and Institutions in Hong Kong" (Columbia University Press, 2024). Liu faculty fellow Victoria Hui, associate professor of politics, will serve as a discussant and Michel Hockx, professor of Chinese literature and director of the Liu Institute, will moderate the event. The lecture is free and open to the public. Lunch will be served. Michael Davis's publication will be available for purchase during the event onsite through Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore. Sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and cosponsored by Law School Human Rights LLM Program and the Global Human Rights Clinic. In support of the Liu Institute’s growing commitment to sustainability, we will no longer be offering drinks at our public lectures and panels. We encourage audience members to bring their own water bottles or to drink from nearby water fountains. Thank you for your understanding. Originally published at asia.nd.edu.

Please join the Kellogg Institute in its annual tradition — this year in a new format! — that introduces research of its new Visiting Fellows in an informative and inviting atmosphere. Learn firsthand why Kellogg has invested in the work of these fellows from brief research overview presentations then delve deeper during a Q&A session, moderated by Kellogg Director Aníbal Pérez-Liñán. A light lunch will be available in this second session of a two-part series. Session 2Kelly McMann, Lucy Adams Leffingwell Professor of Political Science at Case Western Reserve UniversityNermin Allam, Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University-NewarkNusrat Chowdhury, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Amherst CollegeSr. Damien Marie Savino, Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas CollegeFor more information, click here.   Sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies honors this year’s International Day of Peace with a special presentation from one of its own — The Honorable Chernor Bah (M.A. ’11), Minister of Information and Civic Education in Sierra Leone, who will also receive this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Each year the Kroc Institute pays heed to the International Day of Peace (IDOP), established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly, by way of an event or panel discussion. The Institute also honors a Notre Dame graduate in peace studies annually with the Distinguished Alumni Award — someone whose career and life exemplifies the ideas of international peacebuilding. This year, the two events will merge. Using the 2024 IDOP theme “Cultivating a Culture of Peace” as a framework, Minister Bah will speak to his professional trajectory since graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a master’s degree in international peace studies. He will also address his current ministerial work with civic education related to cultural renaissance and decolonization, and the mindset shift necessary to rediscover our sense of identity and to see each other’s humanity. Minister Bah’s talk, "Intentional National Consciousness as critical tool for longterm Peacebuilding — A Sierra Leone case study," will discuss how national consciousness, the shared sense of identity among citizens, is essential for uniting a diverse nation like Sierra Leone. By examining the historical challenges stemming from colonial legacies, which fragment our national identity and contribute to social and political instability, this lecture will explore the crucial role of constructing and socializing an intentional national consciousness in long-term peacebuilding for Sierra Leone. In his lecture, Minister Bah will demonstrate how reconstructing these narratives purposefully and in citizen voices is critical to building a cohesive and peaceful society. Drawing lessons from countries including Rwanda, Germany, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, and the United States, strategies emerge for reconstructing Sierra Leone's national consciousness through national dialogue, civic education reform, cultural revitalization, inclusive governance, youth engagement, and international collaboration. By embracing these strategies, Sierra Leone can build a more united, peaceful, and prosperous society. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the strength (and positive peace) of a state is based on the power of its fictional narrative and the sense of ownership and pride that the citizens carry with them in their hearts. Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.

The University provides tuition assistance to the children of eligible faculty and staff who are attending Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, or other four-year accredited colleges and universities. If you would like to learn more about this benefit, we hope you join us at our upcoming Children's Educational Benefits Information Session. Junior high and high school-age children are encouraged to attend with their parents. This event is sponsored by NDHR and the Enrollment Division.   Session Content:Educational benefits for attendance at Notre Dame, Saint Mary's, and other colleges and universities Academic preparation and admission requirements to Notre Dame Additional information on financial aidUpcoming Information Sessions:Tuesday, September 24 at 7 p.m. in Eck Visitors Center Wednesday, October 9 at 7 p.m. in Eck Visitors CenterIf you have any questions, please contact us at tuition@nd.edu. Originally published at hr.nd.edu.

Now in its fourth year, the 2024 Accountability in a Sustainable World Conference, as the flagship event of ASWQ, continues to ask the hard questions and delve deeper into regulation, sustainability reporting, capital allocation, and performance metrics. The ongoing conversation will answer the immediate need for dialogue among academics and non-academics about sustainability, data and measurement, related assurance, high-quality information to inform responsible investment decisions, and accountability in setting personal, corporate, and public sector goals. This conference will focus on key concerns regarding assurance of a sustainable future: the changing sustainability reporting landscape, the politization of ESG, accounting for sustainability with a particular emphasis on carbon accounting, measurement and assurance, performance metrics, the new corporate focus on sustainability, the effects of carbon footprint information on consumer choice and thoughts from a younger generation. A main feature of the conference is to generate discourse between academics and non-academics, featuring high-profile, well-informed, often provocative speakers. Events are online and open to the public. Registration is required. Sponsored by the Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE).