Fighting to Understand the Scientific Impact of Community
On a dusty plain in Amboseli National Park in Kenya, Notre Dame professor Beth Archie stands watching baboons and taking notes. The data she collects is part of one of the world’s longest-running primate studies in existence.The study has followed the same community of baboons since 1971, and its data can reveal important information about human health. Because studies of this tenure are nearly impossible in humans, the baboons, who share a 94 percent genetic similarity with us, can tell us a lot about ourselves. These days, Archie’s lab seeks to answer questions about how being part of a community impacts health. The results point to improved immune responses, resilience to trauma, and longer lifespans.Read more:
More from What Would You Fight For?
- 2:07Fighting to Protect the InnocentThrough collaboration with the National Immigrant Justice Center, Notre Dame law students are able to participate in an NIJC externship program allowing them to work on asylum cases of immigrants entering the United States.Law School alumnae Stephanie Torres and Christina Shakour took on the case of Maria and Ariel, immigrants from El Salvador seeking a safer life after receiving threats of violence from gangs. The team worked up to 30 hours a week on top of their course work to help the family in need. In total, they filed more than 300 pages of documentation to prove that the family qualified for asylum. After hours of preparation, Shakour and Torres presented the case before Immigration Court and obtained asylum for Maria and Ariel in the United States.*Because the well-being of Maria's daughters is still in jeopardy in El Salvador, and because gang retaliation could still occur in the U.S., actors were used in this What Would You Fight For video.*
- 2:01Fighting to Explore the MoonIn the 40 years since Notre Dame professor Clive Neal started studying the Moon and its wonders, many discoveries have been made, boundaries pushed and technology improved. But now he’s focused on making sure the next 40 years hold ingenuity, growth and adventure when it comes to the Moon. And he’s going to find the scholars, explorers and researchers who keep the Moon firmly in their sights.