Print Edition of The Observer for Thursday, October 5, 2017
SMC event connects students, local community
By IMAN OMAR news Writer
s aint m ary’s is hosting its first Westside Friday event aimed at connecting students with issues involving immigration within the s outh b end community.
e mily s ipos- b utler, assistant director of c ampus m inistry, said the event, taking place this Friday, is the last event for the weeklong Prayer and a ction for r efugees and m igrants program.
“ i t’s part of this global migration campaign that the c atholic c hurch worldwide is engaging in, and it is an important part of what we do here in c ampus m inistry
— to try and engage students with both their faith and issues of justice and charity and action.” she said The event aims to give students an experience of the immigrant community in s outh b end, s ipos- b utler said. r eceiving information through the news or social media creates a distance between students and those affected by these issues.
“ i f we can help students encounter a community and individuals within a community and the culture of that community, that is a way of breaking into this big issue of immigration and refugees in a different way,” she said.
s ophomore a nne m aguire
said she started getting involved in s outh b end last year, and it has helped her feel connected to the larger community and make it feel like home.
“When i came here, i didn’t really think s outh b end had much to offer, and i think that is a common misconception many students have when they’re stuck in their campus community,” m aguire said. “ b ut i have discovered that the community is so incredible and full of inspiring people that have really welcomed me.”
m aguire said one of the things c atholic institutions are called to do is to welcome the stranger.
“The importance of this
program through c ampus m inistry is one that roots itself in faith, as we are called to love our neighbors, locally and globally,” she said.
o ne of the best ways to support the community is to spend our money in places that count, m aguire said.
“ s pending your money is just a small part that can make a really big impact on someone’s life if you’re conscious of where you’re spending it and who you’re really supporting,” she said.
“ i really hope that, through this event, students will be more appreciative and supportive of the businesses in s outh b end, particularly those that are owned by people with mixed-immigrant status.”
s tudents often get stuck in the campus bubble and forget that one of the main goals of their education is to to go out into the world and be part of something larger, s ipos- b utler said.
“ i f you can have a taste of what that’s like to be out into a real community of a diversity of backgrounds, beliefs and occupations, while you’re also participating in this wonderful bubble, i think that’s just going to help you prepare so much better when you go out into the world past this bubble for good.”
Contact Iman Omar at iomar01@saintmarys.edu
c ard served as chief of staff to b ush from n ovember 2000 to a pril 2006, the longest serving White h ouse chief of staff in the modern era. he played an important role during significant events such as the 9/11 attacks; c ard was the man who famously informed b ush of the attacks.
i n o bama’s first term, mc d onough worked on the national s ecurity c ouncil. i n this position, he was involved in the organization and
planning of the navy sea L raid that led to the death of o sama bin Laden. a ppointed o bama’s chief of staff in 2013, mc d onough is currently an executive fellow of the Global Policy i nitiative in the Keough s chool.
Policelli has backgrounds in Washington, d c ., too. Prior to becoming executive director of the Global Policy i nitiative, she served as chief of staff for representatives Gabrielle Giffords and Jane h arman and worked at o xfam a merica.
s he began by asking c ard and mc d onough about the
greatest challenge a chief of staff faces. b oth speakers emphasized calm, collected decision making.
“ m aking sure the president is available to make a brutally tough decision at any time at any day,” c ard said.
mc d onough agreed — saying that the president sometimes needs to make a decision immediately, sometimes in the middle of the night.
“The most important thing is make sure you’re sensitive to the president’s time,” he said. “ d on’t overload him with decisions he doesn’t
need to make, but the decisions he does need to make, give him the information he needs.”
mc d onough and c ard were also asked questions regarding team organization.
mc d onough said he asked all living chiefs of staff for advice before assuming the position. c ard referred to the leadership tactics needed to govern the president’s staff.
“The chief of staff’s job is to manage those people so that they don’t abuse the president or process,” c ard said.
“ m ake sure their tunnel vision wasn’t used without the context of peripheral vision.”
Policelli next addressed some of the more recent controversies to come out of White house in regards to executive power, including engaging c ongress in order to use military force.
“ it’s difficult to get, but it’s important to get because the c onstitution calls for it,” mc d onough said.
“ d ebatable,” c ard said.
The two former chiefs of staff agreed about the dangers of the Trump administration’s communications strategy and also said they want to see the president succeed.
“Taste your words before you spit them out,” c ard said.
“The words that a president uses are very, very significant. They impact the White house staff, they create a climate that c ongress then has to consider, they motivate people, they generate emotion and they sometimes call others to action.”
“a particular result i think we need is a return to more civil discourse, of the type that i often have with a ndy,” mc d onough said.
“Particularly in light of what’s
happening in Washington, i think there is a great responsibility on us to return to civil discourse.”
The keynote concluded with questions from undergraduate and graduate students, including one regarding how c ard and m c d onough approached harsh sentiments of i slamophobia following international terrorist attacks.
Junior b en Foley, who attended the keynote, found this question the most interesting.
“ i think [ c ard and m c d onough] both had very optimistic views for the future while also addressing how a merican citizens were suspicious of their neighbors following the 9/11 attacks, saying we were united, but still divided,” he said.
c ard specifically addressed b ush’s blunder of calling the war on terror, “a crusade.”
“We worked very hard to show that i slam has many good things in its faith,” c ard said. “This is not a campaign against muslims. he tried to overcome any bias that was created because of the attacks. it was a hard thing to do.”
“There is great strength in our diversity and it is incumbent on all of us to protect that,” mc d onough added. “There’s nothing more empowering than to see the picture of Fr. Ted with d r. King on campus. n otre d ame has taken a particular role in the country in serving as a conscience for that strength through diversity over time, and i have every confidence that you all will continue that.”
Contact Lucy Lynch at llynch1@nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
a
Laramie
real names in the play, thousands of people will contact them,” she said. “We would probably do it differently now to protect our interview subjects from intrusion, but we just didn’t even know any better.”
unlike “The Laramie Project,” the stories gathered for “if You Knew me” will be anonymous. assistant director of the play, senior makena henell, had never seen “The Laramie Project” before Wednesday night.
“i thought it was really powerful and heartbreaking to see every side of the argument,” henell said. “You thought people would be sympathetic, but they weren’t.”
henell said the purpose of the saint mary’s play will be to bring awareness to diversity and inclusion.
“What the show really is is holding a mirror up to saint mary’s,” she said. “how is saint mary’s inclusive, how is it not inclusive? We’re trying to include diversity in every aspect — race, sexuality, mental illness — by listening to people’s stories and their perspectives.”
Pitts mcadams’ process is different than what henell has worked with in the past.
“The big thing we’ve learned working with barb is that it’s a lot harder working on an original project,” she said. “You’re really building on the experiences of other people. i had a friend tell me you have to remember people aren’t numbers — these people have friends and families and dreams and desires.”
Pitts mcadams said she is inspired by working on saint mary’s campus.
“Wherever we are in the conversation about diversity or inclusivity, i can totally see why anyone would want to go to college here,” she said. “it really is beautiful to experience.”
Contact Stephanie Snyder at ssnyder02@saintmarys.edu
Pe Mco
a lot on really expressing what you’re saying while singing a tune,” dolan said. “Then, we talked more about backstory for characters and put that back into the musical process.”
similarly, sophomore samuel Jackson, who plays schwinn’s boyfriend roger, also considered his character’s history to fully capture roger’s essence.
“i created the entire context through which roger lives his life. i asked myself how old is he, where did he go to school, who are his parents, how long has he been dating Gordon,” Jackson said. “Through those experiences, i tried to find a mapping between his life and my life, so i could not only act as the character, but have some type of connection to him so that, on stage, i don’t just know the information, but i can live in it.”
dolan hopes the audience
will identify with schwinn.
“i’d want people to take a look at [schwinn], who is having a really tough time … and maybe see a little bit of themselves,” dolan said. “Then, they can see how and why this can affect his life so completely in terms of how he views his past and how he’s looking towards his future, if there is going to be a future for him.”
“a new brain” is unique to Pemco in terms of the centrality of a same-sex relationship, senior Kelsey dool, the show’s executive producer, said.
“This is one of the first times, if not the first time, that Pemco has featured a same-sex relationship fully fleshed out on stage,” dool said. “This is a show that treats the relationship between two men as if it were a heterosexual relationship. The show is not about Gordon being gay. he just happens to be gay, and his relationship with his boyfriend is a very central part of the show, but it is just treated
as a fact of his life, and i think that will be very exciting for notre dame students to see.”
Lezny, dool and dolan expect “a new brain” to resonate with students through its depictions of ubiquitous human truths.
“We think that theatre, and musical theatre in particular, is a great place to go to see something that both resonates with you from personal experience but also exposes you to something new and allows you to spend time thinking about it afterward, which i think this show is going to do a really good job doing,” dool said.
The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and saturday, as well as 4 p.m. on saturday in Lab Theatre. Tickets are available for $8 per student and $10 general admission at LaFortune box office.
Contact
Serena Zacharias
at szachari@nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
con T inued F rom PaGe 1
Katelyn Valley | the Observer
Saint Mary’s presents
screening of “The Laramie Project,” which explores reactions to the murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998.
By CHARLIE KENNEY s cene Writer
darren Aronofsky makes films about the obsessed. his debut feature, “Pi,” deals with a man obsessed with finding the equation for life. “requiem for a dream” deals with a heroin addict obsessed with getting that next high. And his box-office hit, “black swan,” deals with a ballerina obsessed with perfection and pleasing those around her. Upon hearing about the release of his most recent feature, “mother!,” I naturally assumed it would fall into the same category — a mother obsessed with her children, her husband or whatever Aronofsky so desired.
“mother!” has hints of obsession — just as every good film does — but by no means is the film dominated by a protagonist and his or her single desire. It’s a film about human ignorance, religious fanaticism, individualism and trust. It’s 100 lessons that Aronofsky wants to teach — a task that he completes in a beautiful, although sometimes confusing manner.
The lessons the film teaches, however, don’t work without the content.
The content of the film is, for the most part, an allegory. Jennifer Lawrence’s character, “mother,” is an embodiment of earth, and Javier bardem’s character, “him,” is an embodiment of God the Father. The house they live in together is an allegory for the planet earth and the Garden of eden.
The plot is essentially the story of the bible told within the octagonal house and through its inhabitants. For example,
the first unwelcomed visitor that knocks on the door and is let in by “him” is a character who only goes by “man” and is meant to portray Adam from Genesis. he was the first man that God created in the bible, so he is also the first man that Javier bardem’s character (God) lets into the four-story house that in “mother!” is his Garden of eden.
Aronofsky’s modern interpretations of biblical stories persist throughout the entire movie — building a narrative that not only portrays the story of the bible and destruction of the environment in an incredibly relatable and human way. It’s an allegory that demands a second watching to fully understand and appreciate. every event that occurs has significance. A scar on an old man’s back visible while he pukes is a symbol for the rib that was taken from Adam to create eve and a frog that jumps out from underneath an oil barrel for a split second is one of several allusions to the egyptian plagues from exodus. It’s a film that needs to be watched, rewinded and re-watched with painstaking attention to detail.
The script of “mother!,” it is one that took Aronofsky five days to compose, and it makes sense. All he needed to write it was a little bit of focus and a lot of creativity; he had the bible as a blueprint for the plot in front of him the entire time.
Aside from the unique blending of fiction, religion and social commentary, the film is incredibly well done.
Aronofsky’s primary quartet of Jennifer Lawrence, Javier bardem, michelle Pfeiffer and ed harris all put on performances worthy of praise. Lawrence, however, stands out from the pack. Throughout the entire movie, her character is torn between wanting and not wanting everything that is
happening to her and the “earth,” between forgiveness and anger, between solitude and publicity. Lawrence — an actress who many have written off as a box office heroine lacking any real talent or depth — captures all of these superbly through believable and poignant emoting.
The brilliant plot and acting, however, do not make up for the controversy of the film. It’s graphic, it’s gory, it’s offensive and, at times, it’s cringe-worthy. It’s a film that fully deserves the F cinemascore that it received.
but if you have a stomach and a love for good films, critics and scores shouldn’t stop you from seeing it. sure, it’s no “black swan” or “requiem for a dream” that will leaving you begging for more pleasing aesthetics. It will leave you begging for something more worthwhile: to watch it a second time.
Contact Charlie Kenney at ckenney4@nd.edu
“mother!”
Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
By JOHN WILSON s cene Writer
season 4 of the FX comedy “You’re The Worst” begins with a new title sequence that cements many of the changes the show and the characters in it underwent in season 3. As the show has grown, it has become less and less centered upon the original lead characters, Jimmy (chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya cash), and instead it has become more focused on the array of characters that were on the periphery while they starred — two characters in particular, Lindsay (Kether donohue) and edgar (desmin borges). They have become such integral parts of the plot and dynamic of the show that they almost share equal screen time and importance with the original leads. The new intro shows a few seconds of each character and then cuts to different posters around Los Angeles, warning of the dangers each respective character represents to society. They aren’t actually dangerous people, but none — save for maybe edgar — could exactly be called ideal members of society by any means, either. Jimmy’s poster warns bartenders not to serve him; Gretchen’s warns convenience store owners about her tendency to steal liquor; edgar’s warns neighbors not to give him heroin; and Lindsay’s is an actual wanted poster regarding her alleged hit-and-run and public urination. The title sequence also clearly conveys how separated the four characters are this season compared to previous ones. The season begins addressing the fallout from the season 3 finale, when Jimmy — overcome
by a combination of fear and panic — leaves Gretchen alone and stranded only moments after proposing to her. befitting of the magnitude of such a situation, Jimmy and Gretchen don’t see each other in the new season until the last moments of the second episode. meanwhile, the relationship between Lindsay and edgar that was toyed with towards the end of season 3 takes the next step in season 4. They demonstrate how a relationship between two dysfunctional opposites can bring out the best in both people — an attribute that we rarely saw in the complicated relationship between Jimmy and Gretchen. The dramatic arc of this season, however, doesn’t seem to be Lindsay and edgar’s success, but rather looks to be based around the fracturing of Jimmy and Gretchen’s relationship and how the ripples from its destruction will affect the other characters on the show. The friendship dynamic between the four main characters established during the previous seasons is tossed entirely on its head in the new season, with little explanation for how (or if) it will resolve itself. With season 4 being just over halfway finished, the standout has without a doubt been the fourth episode — a successor to the episode “There Is not currently a Problem” from season 2. both are bottle episodes with constantly rising tension that crescendos with Gretchen ultimately lashing out to regain control. In the fourth episode, instead of the Los Angeles marathon keeping them inside as it does in season 2, it is a flurry of misunderstandings between Jimmy and Gretchen. The confusion stems from neither of them being willing or able to honestly discuss what happened between them at
the end of last season. despite most of the action taking place inside Jimmy’s house, the episode is shot to make the space seem as open and cavernous as possible — using all the rooms of the house and wider shots, further driving home the divide between Jimmy and Gretchen despite their physical proximity. The mix of comedy with real emotional stakes is typical for this show, but done to particular effect here.
As prevalent in that drama-filled episode, the draw of a show like “You’re The Worst” has less to do with its comedic element and more with how it deals with the less humorous aspects of life. The title sequence is a great example of this. Those posters are hints to the specific ways in which the characters actions are shaped by their struggles with mental illness: Gretchen through her battle with clinical depression, edgar through his struggles with PTsd and Jimmy through his love/hate relationship with his rampant narcissism. For a show to remain brutally funny while closely examining all of these real, poignant topics is a testament to what is so refreshing about the show and others like it.
In this regard, “You’re The Worst” is refreshing because it doesn’t reduce its characters to pure embodiments of their respective diseases. It allows its characters to be layered people realistically dealing with troubling diseases. It’s an important step to take in the world of comedy, where all too often mental illness becomes the butt of jokes instead of the topic of discussion.
Contact John Wilson at jwilson29@nd.edu
InsIde cOlumn
south bend river lights
Charlie Ortega Guiferro sports Writer
It was on a cool April night when I found a treasure, a true blessing, an everlasting memory …
As an incoming freshman, I never liked the idea that the college I was going to spend four years in was supposedly in the middle of nowhere. “south bend, Indiana,” was never listed as a reason to come to notre dame, on any college review website or by anyone I talked with. moving to a place infamously known as one of America’s dying cities, how was I supposed to be excited about the location of my “home under the dome?”
I spent my first semester in college stuck inside the notre dame bubble, willingly. coming from the booming metropolis of m iami, I had fixed the idea that south bend was just a low-quality college town with nothing more to offer other than a University mall, some restaurants and a very small downtown. I had only visited downtown south bend once for a quick trip and was unimpressed but, then again, I was never giving it a chance.
I tend to read reviews before I buy anything online; I have to know whether what I’m buying is high quality or not. very few would buy a product after reading several bad reviews on it. c oming to south bend for me was like going to a restaurant that has been said to have low-quality atmosphere and food except for that one exclusive table with bright lights and food for thought.
second semester rolls around, and I had now visited two places in south bend: nick’s Patio and c inemark cinema. A 24-hour diner and movie spot. Talk about progress.
The night that I asked out my girlfriend, I realized — apart from all the lovey-dovey things — how much I did not know about south bend. The river lights are a jewel that few people know about, and I — by chance of luck and love — found it in my freshman year. ever since, I have explored a bit more of south bend, and I am glad that I have, because there is a lot more to our host city than just a lack of great clubs or big-city entertainment.
The westside of the city has a lot to explore, with a Latino community that reminds me of home and always has something new to discover. downtown south bend has a theater with many performances every year, the offices of mayor Pete, an Indian eatery and an art district worth checking out. While I certainly can’t say that I’ve visited most of the spots in the bend, I sure hope that by the time I graduate, I can say that I’ve fully appreciated the wonders that are in south bend and its surrounding areas.
I came in with a mindset that south bend would bore me very easily and had unknowingly set myself to reach just that: disappointment with the city. I advise you, fellow reader, to not make the same mistake I did and discount south bend before you even try it. Go and explore the bend — it’ll be a satisfying experience, and even if you don’t take my previous advice, take this one: Go to the river lights one evening, you won’t regret it.
seconds into my new relationship, I took in the moment and realized how great it was: the gentle spring breeze, the sound of water falling and running and hurdling past us and the light that ignited the white cheeks of my beautiful girlfriend with delicate ribbons of blue and purple. The south bend river lights.
Contact Charlie Ortega Guifarro at cortegag@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
“The past is never dead. It is not even the past.”
-William Faulkner*
We, the native American student Association of notre dame, ask that the University solidify its commitment to inclusion and its indigenous population by declaring monday, oct. 9, 2017, “Indigenous Peoples’ day.”
We feel that our experiences have been ignored by the University in spite of its self-proclaimed commitment to native populations during “The Trail.” The declaration of Indigenous Peoples’ day would make notre dame the fifth major academic institution to
Dominic Acri sicangu o yate senior
Lia Acri sicangu o yate freshman
Clare Armstrong osage freshman
Alan-Mychal Boyd sicangu o yate freshman
Mark Brinegar muskogee c reek sophomore
Carrera Brown diné senior
Angela Dunsmoor c hippewa senior
Katie Ward junior
do so and denote a commitment to continuing the conversation.
We invite all of campus, especially those who work in the main building under the dome, to join us in peaceful protest in front of the columbus murals on monday, oct. 9, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. We are excited to open discussions on native American representation at notre dame.
*This Faulkner quote was chosen by the University to justify the columbus murals in the dome. We reject their interpretation and take it back for ourselves.
Grayson Maker c herokee sophomore
James L. Martínez Weitzel diné junior
Alexander Morton Pokégnek bodéwadmik junior
Mikaela Murphy c herokee freshman
Rebecca Parmenter stockbridge-munsee community, band of mohicans sophomore
Armani Porter e astern band c herokee senior
Marcus Winchester-Jones Pokégnek bodéwadmik freshman
oct. 4
Changed for the better
I swore I wouldn’t be that girl. I would not come back from abroad and begin every other sentence with “When I was in…” but when I looked in the mirror this morning, I knew I wasn’t the same person that I had been when I made that declaration. And that is why I am writing to you. because you, too, can be transformed. spending three weeks at a 14th-century castle in Germany (yes, there was a moat) and one week basking in the glory of rome merits more than the term “study abroad.” This was an adventure. This was living fully alive. This was the catholic Worldview Fellowship. every day stunned me in a new way. each conversation, lecture, and excursion deepened my faith, imparted Truth and broadened my worldview. We experienced comprehensive academic, spiritual, cultural and leadership development. our day-to-day discussions and explorations connected the dots between our faith and the culture we live in and challenged us, using concrete
skill building, to change the course of the future and light up the world. This experience taught me who I am, who God is and who I can become. my mind and heart underwent such unexpected, deep and positive changes. by turning my life upside down, I look to find it right side up. The depth of the friendships and memories made continue to shape my day-to-day life. so, not only am I that person, but I want you to be also. visit www. catholicworldview.com to see for yourself! And please contact me personally at cbeecher@nd.edu to hear more about the upcoming information session or ask any questions you may have regarding the Fellowship. I’m quite ready for another adventure, and I’d love to see you there.
Caroline Beecher senior o ct. 2
Alyssa Ngo diversity c ouncil
Who doesn’t remember the feeling of their first love? The hot flush on your face, the funny jumps in your stomach — you would’ve done anything to spend time together, and you loved everything about them. Their voice, their smell ... their smooth white pages ... wait, maybe that was just me. Yes, my first love was reading, and what a romance it was. m y parents introduced us, showing its best side with “o ne Fish, Two Fish, r ed Fish, b lue Fish,” and later, my crush only grew. Like any good relationship, literature was always there for me when I needed support. We traveled to amazing places, and while there were times it made me cry (a certain trip we took to Terabithia), all relationships have conflicts, and we got over ours. In my mind, we were perfect together. It was no surprise when I decided to spend the rest of my life with literature, declaring PL s and e nglish in college. We had some exciting times, but one of the peaks was my sophomore Fiction Writing seminar. It was an unbelievable experience developing and critiquing our own works, and for
Telling my story
my second manuscript, I got personal, incorporating bits of my own life into my writing. In the end, it wasn’t perfect, but I was satisfied. however, when I finished, my protagonist was still unnamed, and here I got stuck. s he wasn’t quite me — just inspired — so I couldn’t give her my name. b ut at the same time, I wanted a name I could relate with. This ... was a challenge. Giving her a “normal” name, like s arah or Katie, felt wrong somehow; frankly, they felt too white. e ven though I have a so-called “white” name, when I read the name “ s arah,” I just couldn’t picture someone who looked like me. o n the other hand, I couldn’t give her an Asian name, either. It felt too explicit; I knew that multicultural literature was expected to make a statement, talk about racism or heritage or funny food. In other words, characters of color had to address their race in some big way — otherwise, what’s the point? m y story didn’t. It was a normal story about a college girl who just happened to be Asian, like me, but somehow, when I transcribed my life, it felt unnatural. This was a story written by me about my experiences, and yet, I felt rejected by it. Years of reading about white characters had demolished my ability to see myself inside a text, and I couldn’t shake it. d espite my
deep love of books, they had a type, and like the white boys I crushed on in middle school, Asian girls weren’t it.
Ultimately, my character was “ r achel,” a name which evoked for me high school cheerleaders, and possibly Jennifer Aniston from “Friends.” I’ll never know what my classmates pictured in their head when they read my manuscript, but I know I defaulted to a white girl, lithe and brunette, unlike me in every way. To be honest, I don’t know quite what I’m complaining about, or what solution I would suggest. I’ve not even sure if there is a solution. b ut I do hope that here, if nowhere else, I can share my authentic story, the way that I couldn’t bring myself to do before.
The Diversity Council of Notre Dame advocates for awareness, understanding and acceptance on issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other intersectional identities in the Notre Dame community. The viewpoints expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Diversity Council, but are the individual opinions of the author. You can contact Diversity Council at diversnd@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
The nobel Prize in chemistry and you
Sarah Cate Baker s cience is Golden
on Wednesday, the nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to three scientists for — according to the official nobel press release — “developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution.” If that means nothing to you, you’re not alone.
c ryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-em, is a technology that was actually first developed in the ’70s and ’80s. The theory is pretty simple: You shoot electrons at a sample that has been frozen in place, and use the way the electrons scatter around the sample to figure out what it looks like. That second part is the complicated one, as the electrons have to pass through a magnifying lens before hitting the detector, which is the software that actually works out the structure of the sample.
c ryo-em has been incredibly useful tool for scientists trying to figure out what cells and proteins actually look like. Think about how that important that is — how can we stop diseases if we don’t know what it looks like, or understand the basic processes of life without knowing the structure of the proteins that guide them? These all-important images are now being provided by cryo-em, the technology that brought science its best pictures of the Zika virus, revealed the structure of the amyloid-producing enzyme that characterizes Alzheimer’s and provided images of the proteins that guide circadian rhythms. That last one won this year’s nobel Prize in medicine, in case you’re keeping track.
of course, cryo-em isn’t the first technology to take pictures of tiny things — it’s just the shiniest. X-ray crystallography, confocal microscopy and various
kinds of scanning microscopy can all be used to produce the kind of three-dimensional images cryo-em gets. but cryo-em is innovative on two counts: First, because it can take pictures of molecules that aren’t easily imaged by older microscope techniques, and second, because the images it does take are at a much higher resolution, allowing scientists to see more of the details of whatever it is they’re looking at. The development of cryo-em is really the story of three scientists who were working on independent projects and found themselves unable to get good pictures of their samples. Frustrated by the limitations of the current technology, they decided to try something new — and the result of their efforts brought science a powerful technique, and them a nobel Prize.
Which one of those is more valuable is hard to say. science and the nobel have enjoyed an increasingly complicated relationship over the past few decades. A common criticism is that the nobel prizes for science can be split between a maximum of three people — but modern scientific breakthroughs are rarely the result of so few researchers. science is necessarily collaborative. It often takes multiple labs, each with its own specialty, to fully nail down a scientific issue. beyond that, the discovery that is ultimately attached to a single professor’s name is often built by the work of numerous students, post-docs and lab techs. The 2017 nobel Prize in physics illustrates the problem excellently: The Prize was awarded to three physicists who helped discover gravitational waves, a huge breakthrough that has already revolutionized astrophysics and undoubtedly deserves recognition. And yet, the author-list for the paper that describes this finding was three pages long. so why are those three honored, while the rest are left anonymous?
other criticisms include the time it can take to receive a nobel Prize — the research that led to cryo-em
was conducted in the ’70s and ’80s, so why receive a prize in 2017? The timing matters because nobel Prizes cannot be awarded posthumously; how many excellent and field-defining scientists have passed away before the committee could get around to recognizing them?
Finally, the issue of representation. Women have won 18 out of 593 nobel Prizes awarded in science since the award’s inception: Twelve of 214 in medicine, four of 175 in chemistry and two of 204 in physics. The problem isn’t limited to science — the nobel Prizes have an equally sexist distribution in Peace, Literature, e conomics — but in a field that is currently fighting to recruit women and reverse historic inequality, the fact that 0.01 percent of nobel Prize winners in physics are female feels a bit like kicking someone who’s already down.
regardless of how you feel about the nobel Prizes and their legitimacy, the scientists who won in chemistry truly do deserve recognition. The applications of cryo-em are still being explored, and there is no doubt that it will revolutionize biochemistry. being able to see the details of virtually any protein has enormous implications for how we fight disease, how we study the origins of life and how we visualize the natural processes of our daily world. If a picture is worth a thousand words, these scientists have won a lot more than a noble Prize.
Sarah Cate is a senior at Notre Dame studying biology and English. As such, she enjoys writing essays about Salinger and studying viruses in her research lab. Her favorite books are very much like her science experiments — long, complicated and ultimately inconclusive. She can be reached sbaker6@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Happy Birthday: Consider the best way to make improvements to how you live. happiness will require honesty and the willingness to discuss what you want to pursue. Planning your actions and showing responsibility and integrity will help you sway others to see things your way and help your cause. Impulsive actions will be met with opposition. Choose your words and your actions carefully. your numbers are 8, 11, 19, 25, 31, 36, 43.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Check out your professional options and consider what suits you best. Choosing to focus on doing something that you find satisfying will make a difference to your emotional, physical and mental health. use intelligence and common sense to guide you.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Channel your energy into something you enjoy. A creative project that requires stamina and physical strength will help you explore your skills and talents. Enjoying a fun activity with someone you love is encouraged.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): l end a helping hand, volunteer your services and keep doing what you do best. The less time spent worrying about situations you cannot change, the better. g et out with friends, do something with youngsters and enjoy the moment.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take a step back to reevaluate your situation. Don’t confront anyone if you don’t have enough information or evidence. Caution and moderate gestures will help you avoid mistakes and loss.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Mixing business with pleasure will backfire. Emotional issues will surface that could put you in a precarious position regarding both your home and your professional life. Travel and communication will result in delays and confusion.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Expect someone to lean on you. Be ready to offer suggestions, but don’t take on someone else’s burden. focus on your life and the personal growth you want to achieve in order to raise your standard of living. r omance is highlighted.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): k eep personal information and passwords secret. l isten carefully, but don’t share information. Expect to face emotional manipulation when dealing with authority figures, colleagues or listening to a sales pitch. g et the facts and make your own decisions.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t settle for anything less than what you want. Work hard, play hard and do your best to encourage others. Collaborating with people who share your vision will bring you closer to your goals. l ove will enhance your life.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Think matters through before you make a decision or take action. Preparation and knowing exactly what you want to see transpire will help you choose the best route possible to get where you want to go.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): k eep the love flowing. you’ll get much farther using kindness than you will if you are pushy or make demands. l ove and romance are highlighted and will make a difference to a relationship that’s important to you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t focus on an emotional incident that you cannot change. l et go of the past and plunge into the future with renewed optimism and a good handle on what you want to accomplish and the best way to move forward.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Channel your emotional energy into building a strong relationship with someone you work with. Whether trying to get ahead professionally or personally, taking care of small but important details will be the difference between success and failure.
Birthday Baby: you are curious, inventive and determined. you are expressive and proactive.
Jumble | DAvID hOyT AND JEff kNurEk
sudoku | ThE MEPhAM grOuP
wINGIN’ It | BAIlEE EgAN & OlIvIA WANg
WOrk Ar EA
s wimming
and breaststroke relays in addition to the 400-yard individual medley relay and the 1500-yard relay. divers will compete in a diving relay and will compete in a synchronized event where men and women will alternate performing dives.
The dual meet against the cardinals on saturday will feature a traditional format of events for both swimmers and divers. While competing against the cardinals this weekend, the i rish will be looking for some retribution, as Louisville beat out notre dame by one point to finish second at the acc championships last season.
The i rish will compete in the dennis stark relays on Friday starting at 5 p.m. before facing Louisville on saturday morning at 11 a.m., with both events set to take place in rolf’s aquatic center.
five conference contests — including three straight on the road to end the regular season.
While notre dame still has to play no. 5 north carolina and no. 16 Florida state, romagnolo spoke confidently about her team, saying its mission is to win the remainder of the games on the schedule by thriving on defense and avoiding mistakes late in the game.
“our goal for the second half of conference play is to win every game,” she said. “We want to beat virginia tomorrow, and then we want to continue to win games by defending well. i think it is important for us to finish halves strong — capitalizing on mistakes by opponents late in the game and not making dumb mistakes as time is
running out.”
romagnolo said the little things will ultimately be the difference maker when it comes to beating opponents of the caliber that acc teams exhibit, such as not granting the other team any easy opportunities to score.
“We need to keep paying attention to the little things that win us games,” she said. “The little things that i am talking about are: not turning the ball over, making sure that we stay compact on defense and clearing balls away well. also, not giving the other team any easy chances and making them earn every single opportunity they see offensively.”
notre dame faces virginia on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Klockner stadium.
Contact Brenna Moxley at bmoxley@nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
ZACHARY YIM | The Observer
Irish sophomore forward Jennifer Westendorf pushes up the field during Duke’s 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 21 at Alumni Stadium. Westendorf is second on the team with the most points at five goals.
ZACHARY YIM | The Observer
Irish junior defender Rachel Heard takes the ball upfield during Duke’s 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 21 at Alumni Stadium. Heard has started all 12 games this year.
Volleyball
we’ll try to take those away, but it’s all part of our system. We will keep getting better at what we’re doing.”
on an individual level, mcLaughlin praised irish junior outside hitter rebecca nunge, senior middle blocker sam Fry and junior middle blocker meg morningstar for their performances in the last several games. against the seminoles (8-4, 2-2), both Fry and nunge had 10 kills, while morningstar led the team with 11 blocks, tying her career-high.
mcLaughlin said these players were influential to the things notre dame did successfully last weekend.
“They had good discipline and good eye work,” mcLaughlin said. “They were in good spots and stayed focused on the things that tell them what to do. We’re starting to meet some standards individually.”
The irish have struggled on the road this season, with three of their four losses coming away from Purcell Pavilion. earlier this season, notre dame lost at ohio state, at Louisville and at north carolina state.
mcLaughlin said that the key to being successful on this road trip will be staying focused offensively.
“We have to win the serve and
pass and have good composure as attackers,” mcLaughlin said. “We have to be aggressive as we hit the court and hit our shots. [senior setter caroline] holt’s got to be able to move the ball around a bit and keep them off balance.
“[We are focusing on] making sure our rhythm is good, getting good swings, hitting good targets and taking care of the ball. We are trying to keep the game in front of us with our serve and pass. There’s no magic — it’s just getting better at what we do.”
in addition to offensive rhythm, mcLaughlin emphasized the importance of discipline and mental toughness when facing opponents on the road.
“We have to learn how to prepare to go on the road and make it a business trip,” he said. “We have to prepare emotionally to win two tough matches. Last time i don’t think we were collectively prepared. That could be part of what we did as coaches, but i think we were more worried about making the traveling team than winning matches. i think we’ll be better this week.”
The irish take on virginia at 7 p.m. on Friday in charlottesville at memorial Gymnasium followed by a matchup against virginia Tech at cassell coliseum in blacksburg on sunday at noon.
Contact Darcy Dehais at ddehais@nd.edu
Paid a dverT isemen T
MICHELE MEHELAS | The Observer
Irish junior middle blocker Meg Morningstar goes up to block during Notre Dame’s 3-0 win over MSU on Sept. 15 at Purcell Pavilion. Morningstar, along with four other players, had three or more blocks.
Nd WomeN’s soccer
ND takes on No. 13 Virginia in ACC matchup
By BRENNA MOXLEY sports Writer
on Thursday, notre dame takes on no. 13 v irginia at Klockner stadium in charlottesville, v irginia, looking to get back to above .500 in conference play.
The Irish (6-4-2, 2-2-0 Acc ) recently fell to no. 15 Wake Forest and subsequently dropped out of the top-25. The late 2-1 loss against the demon deacons (9-2-1, 3-1-0) set the Irish back after they beat north carolina state 4-0 in their previous game. now, with a week off to prepare for the cavaliers (7-3-2, 2-1-1), the Irish will look to get back on track in the Acc.
v irginia is the fifth consecutive top-25 opponent notre dame has faced in Acc competition. The cavaliers are coming off a 7-0 shutout win over Pittsburgh. The squad has allowed just nine goals defensively this season compared to its 21 goals scored. The cavaliers are also leading the Acc in shots taken with 202 while limiting their opponents to 71 shots on the season.
Freshman midfielder Taryn
Torres leads v irginia with five goals, including two gamewinners. sophomore forward
Taylor Ziemer has scored the most points for the cavaliers, as she sits at 12 with four goals and four assists.
For the Irish, the sophomore forward duo of natalie Jacobs and Jennifer Westendorf carry much of the offensive load for the team. Jacobs leads the team in goals with eight on the season, and Westendorf has the most assists with seven and sits third in goals with five.
If notre dame wants to beat the cavaliers, Irish head coach Theresa romagnolo said her team will have to be strong defensively, something that has been an emphasis in practice.
“This past week, we were mainly working on our defensive organization,” romagnolo said. “We focused on working together as one team and taking care of the ball.”
The Irish are at the midpoint of their Acc season, with the v irginia game landing after their first four conference matchups, and before their final
Irish hit the road for two conference matches
By DARCY DEHAIS sports Writer
notre dame will hit the road for two conference games this weekend, as the Irish (11-4, 1-3 Acc) will face virginia on Friday and virginia Tech on sunday.
After snapping a three-game losing streak in the Acc by beating no. 21 Florida state at home in a five-match set this past sunday, the Irish will try to maintain the momentum to get back to .500 in the conference.
notre dame head coach Jim mcLaughlin said while they are just beginning the process of scouting their opponents, the team will primarily focus on playing their game and continuing to improve on both sides of the ball.
“We’re just starting the reports on them and figuring out their tendencies and percentages, but most of it is being good on our side of the net and improving in the areas we need to improve in,” mcLaughlin said. “That’s the most important thing. We’ll have some percentages about what they like to do, and see voLLeYbALL PaGe 11
squad opens season with meet
Observer Sports Staff
The Irish will look to start their 2017-18 campaign strong when they host the annual dennis stark relays and their first dual meet against no. 10 Louisville this weekend.
overall, the 2016-2017 campaign was a successful one for both the men’s and women’s programs. The men finished 25th in the nc AA championships with a program-record 29 points, notre dame’s best placing at nc AAs in program history and a bronze medal finish in the Acc championships. The women’s team concluded last season with a seventh place finish at the Acc championships and sent a program record 10 participants to the nc AA championships. heading into this season, the Irish are returning a number of key swimmers from last year. on the men’s side, notre dame returns senior captains rob Whitacre and Justin Plaschka. Whitacre is the program record-holder in the 100and 200-yard backstrokes and was a part of the record-setting
400-yard medley at nc AAs this past spring. Plaschka, the school record-holder in the 50- and 100yard freestyle and the 100-yard fly, competed in the FInA World championships in hungary for Team Jamaica, finishing 41st overall in the 50-yard butterfly. other key returners for the men’s team include juniors Tabahn Afrik and matt Grauslys, in addition to sophomores Jack montesi and Aaron schultz — all of whom were nc AA qualifiers.
The women’s team returns senior captains molly Treble and Annie crea. Key returners for the women’s program include nc AA qualifiers in juniors meaghan o’donnell and Kyra sarazen as well as sophomores reilly Lanigan and erin sheehan.
The dennis stark relays combines a mixture of conventional and unconventional events. Traditional events featured in the meets will be: 200-, 400and 800-yard freestyles and the 400-yard medley relays. The unconventional events will be the 300-yard butterfly, backstroke
ANNA MASON | The Observer
Irish sophomore forward Natalie Jacobs shields the ball from an opponent during Duke’s 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 21 at Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame suffered their first ACC loss of the season.
Nd sWimmiNG & diviNG
MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer
Irish junior outside hitter Rebecca Nunge goes up for a hit during Notre Dame’s 3-0 win over MSU on Sept. 15 at Purcell Pavilion.
