- 17:47Cold Plunges and Unicorns | Notre Dame Stories (Audio)What can extreme cold teach us about the human body—and ourselves?In this episode, Director of the Human Energetics Laboratory and anthropologist Cara Ocobock takes listeners inside her research on human adaptation, from subzero fieldwork in Finland with reindeer herders to lab studies on metabolism, cold exposure, and hunting unicorns.She also unpacks popular cold-plunge trends, what science actually says about them, and how lessons from our ancestors can help us understand resilience, wellness, and the remarkable ways humans have survived across time.Show links: • Episode page (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/podcast/cold-plunges-and-unicorns/) • The Winter Olympics, equality in sports, and exercising in the cold (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/podcast/the-winter-olympics-equality-in-sports-and-exercising-in-the-cold/) • ‘Woman the hunter’: Studies aim to correct history (https://news.nd.edu/news/woman-the-hunter-studies-aim-to-correct-history/) • Women’s higher resting metabolic rates in cold environments could be thyroid requirements for pregnancy, researcher says (https://news.nd.edu/news/womens-higher-resting-metabolic-rates-in-cold-environments-could-be-thyroid-requirements-for-pregnancy-researcher-says/)
- 1:25Faith in the Cold: Mass in a Snow Chapel at Notre DameOn Feb. 2, 2026, more than 2,000 students gathered on North Quad at the University of Notre Dame for an evening of faith and community at a Candlemas Mass in St. Olaf’s Ice Chapel—a sacred space built entirely from snow and ice by students over dozens of hours.
Notre Dame Videos
- 17:47Cold Plunges and Unicorns | Notre Dame Stories (Audio)What can extreme cold teach us about the human body—and ourselves?In this episode, Director of the Human Energetics Laboratory and anthropologist Cara Ocobock takes listeners inside her research on human adaptation, from subzero fieldwork in Finland with reindeer herders to lab studies on metabolism, cold exposure, and hunting unicorns.She also unpacks popular cold-plunge trends, what science actually says about them, and how lessons from our ancestors can help us understand resilience, wellness, and the remarkable ways humans have survived across time.Show links: • Episode page (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/podcast/cold-plunges-and-unicorns/) • The Winter Olympics, equality in sports, and exercising in the cold (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/podcast/the-winter-olympics-equality-in-sports-and-exercising-in-the-cold/) • ‘Woman the hunter’: Studies aim to correct history (https://news.nd.edu/news/woman-the-hunter-studies-aim-to-correct-history/) • Women’s higher resting metabolic rates in cold environments could be thyroid requirements for pregnancy, researcher says (https://news.nd.edu/news/womens-higher-resting-metabolic-rates-in-cold-environments-could-be-thyroid-requirements-for-pregnancy-researcher-says/)
- 1:25Faith in the Cold: Mass in a Snow Chapel at Notre DameOn Feb. 2, 2026, more than 2,000 students gathered on North Quad at the University of Notre Dame for an evening of faith and community at a Candlemas Mass in St. Olaf’s Ice Chapel—a sacred space built entirely from snow and ice by students over dozens of hours.
- 1:08Love Thee, Notre Dame | Coyle Hall's Ice Chapel MassSung with full heart and voice 🎶More than 1600 students braved the 19° temperatures tonight to join the Coyle Hall community for Mass at St. Olaf’s chapel, which members of the residence hall and others across campus constructed out of ice and snow.
- 3:32Journey to Sainthood: Sister Thea BowmanSometimes people think they have to do big things in order to make change. But if each one would light a candle we'd have a tremendous light. - Sr. Thea BowmanImage: Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration | https://www.fspa.org/content/about/sister-thea-bowman
What Would You Fight For?
- 2:01Fighting for Community RegenerationGary, Indiana, is a city with deep roots and a powerful story of resilience. Once a thriving steel town, Gary has faced decades of economic decline—but today, community leaders and the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture are working together to rebuild its downtown and restore opportunity.Through Notre Dame’s Housing and Community Regeneration Initiative, the city is developing a plan to revive its downtown, honor its history, and create a stronger future for residents. With community input and thoughtful urban design, Gary is charting a path toward social and economic renewal.
- 2:00Fighting to Educate Children in GhanaWhen Notre Dame student-athlete Daniel Boateng ’26 showed exceptional promise on the soccer field, his mother and grandmother reminded him to never lose sight of the power of education. Now a midfielder for the Fighting Irish, Daniel is helping children in his native Ghana access the same opportunities that changed his life.Through his nonprofit Changing Lives GH, founded with two Notre Dame teammates, Daniel is sponsoring 100 students who might otherwise never attend school and dreaming of a future where every child in Ghana can learn for free.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/fighting-to-educate-children-in-ghana
- 2:01Fighting to cure brain cancerEach year, more than 12,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. The disease grows rapidly, adapts quickly, and evades the immune system—making it one of the most difficult cancers to treat.At the University of Notre Dame, Meenal Datta, the Jane Schoelch DeFlorio Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and her research team are pushing the boundaries of cancer research by taking the fight to space. In 2024, they launched a first-of-its-kind glioblastoma experiment to the International Space Station, using microgravity to grow more realistic tumor models and accelerate testing for new therapies.Their groundbreaking work is helping scientists understand glioblastoma in new ways—and bringing us closer to a cure here on Earth.
- 2:01Fighting for Maternal HealthThe United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation. For many new mothers, the weeks and months after giving birth can be the most dangerous—and too often, lifesaving care ends too soon.When Notre Dame professor, nurse, and researcher Joyce Adams saw these risks firsthand, she developed a groundbreaking model of postpartum care. Tested in Ghana and now saving lives in the U.S., her Focused Postpartum Care (Focused-PPC) program offers women yearlong follow-up visits, education on warning signs, and peer-to-peer support.Learn more: https://go.nd.edu/fighting-for-maternal-health
