J.P LaBrucherie’s family has farmed in southern California for generations, but he’s uncertain about their future there. After years of drought, the 2002 law graduate is struggling to get enough water for his crops, which supply our supermarkets, our favorite restaurants, and our plates.But two Notre Dame professors believe they have an innovative solution for the global issue of water scarcity. Tengfei Luo, an engineer, and Brandon Ashfeld, a chemist, have worked together to create technology that can desalinate seawater or purify unclean water. Importantly, their method is more energy- and cost-effective than existing options. That potential offers hope to folks like J.P., and all of us who rely on clean water to eat, drink, bathe and more.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/96cb64

In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit Puerto Rico, causing widespread destruction. For six months, Notre Dame student Lucas Barreto's family went without power on an island totally dependent on traditional energy infrastructure.The experience solidified his desire to study engineering and help his home someday become energy stable. This spring, he returned home with a group of undergraduates and the ND Energy team to better understand the complex energy situation in Puerto Rico.Plans for renewable energy are still years away, but the group took early steps by installing solar panels for some of the residents most in need.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/FightingForRenewableEnergy

Since 2008, the Notre Dame Law School has sent students to eastern Kentucky, one of the poorest regions in the country. The students offer pro bono legal services to those who could not afford them otherwise.In recent years, they’ve worked with hundreds of disabled residents who are victims of Eric Conn, a lawyer who committed the largest Social Security fraud in U.S. history. You may have seen the docu-series about him on Apple TV+. Many of the victims have lost their only source of income and are struggling to make ends meet.But this is more than a service trip. It’s an academic course in the school’s curriculum that shapes the way these students perceive and practice law. And it’s one of several experiential learning opportunities with similar, practical objectives.See how Notre Dame is educating a different kind of lawyer: https://go.nd.edu/EducateADifferentKindofLawyer

The University of Notre Dame’s award-winning “What Would You Fight For?” series showcases the work, scholarly achievements, and global impact of Notre Dame faculty, students, and alumni.These two-minute segments will air during home football game broadcast on NBC. They highlight the University’s proud moniker, the Fighting Irish, and tell the stories of the members of the Notre Dame family who fight to bring solutions to a world in need.

Teaching English at Oakland High in the late 1990s, Ernest Morrell faced the age-old problem of how to get modern students interested in a canon of long-dead writers and poets. He watched kids muddle through class, heads down, interest limited. Then one day, while teaching Beowulf, a student’s eyes lit up when he realized the story was similar to a popular rap song. That day, Professor Morrell saw a spark of joy, enthusiasm and engagement and wondered how he could give that spark to all his students.He started bringing in other contemporary tangents – pop culture references, movies, music – but without losing the basis in classic literature. His students were learning. They were engaged. And, most importantly, Professor Morrell says, they were learning to love school and love themselves.Since then, Professor Morrell has authored K-5 and 6-12 curricula which are being taught by schools in every state. He’s advocated for teaching that not only improves academic outcomes, but also personal and social ones. And he’s teaching Notre Dame undergraduates and ACE students to find that spark in their lives and the lives of those around them.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/LiteracyAcrossAmericaWWYFF

During Jayme Hentig’s career as an Army medic, he was comfortable caring for others every day. But in 2010, he went from caregiver to patient after an accident sent his armored vehicle into a rollover. As he grappled with a traumatic brain injury and struggled to regain his cognitive abilities, doctors eventually told him there were no more therapeutic options. But Jayme was undeterred and decided if there were no existing options, he would create them.After earning his undergraduate degree, Jayme came to Notre Dame to pursue a doctorate in biology. Working with zebrafish, he was able to better understand how and why brain cells regenerate. After graduation he will continue to study traumatic brain injuries in active-duty service members and veterans as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/MilitaryCommunityFF