Podcast Episodes

  1. Two United States Postal Service mail trucks are parked side by side on a paved street at dusk.

    What’s going on with the mail?

    For the better part of a year, the mail has been increasingly slow…and COVID is only partly to blame. To find out what’s behind this we spoke with James O’Rourke, professor of management in the Mendoza…

  2. A healthcare worker in a blue surgical mask draws liquid from a vial into a syringe.

    Developing a COVID-19 Vaccine

    As most of the country awaits their turn in line to receive a coronavirus vaccine, some have questions about its safety, how it was developed, and what it means for life…after the vaccination. Today we talk with Dr. Mark Mulligan '80, an infectious disease expert and head of NYU’s Langone Vaccine…

  3. A woman on a phone call works on a laptop at a table with three children and a small dog.

    “Mom guilt” and the pandemic

    For most of us these days, “office hours” take place…almost anywhere but the office. The dining room, bedroom, basement…they’ve all become the places we work, not just where we live. The pandemic has profoundly altered the work-life balance of Americans, and new research is uncovering how we’re…

  4. A man with glasses and a red t-shirt stands on a green lawn in front of a small light yellow house with a dark gray roof.

    Gentle giant finally free

    Andy Royer confessed in 2003 to strangling a 94-year-old woman who lived in his apartment building in Elkhart, Indiana. But Royer, who has mental challenges that make him seem childlike despite his huge size, then asked if he could just go home. Confessions are convincing to juries. Most people…

  5. A middle-aged man with a goatee and a silver cross necklace sits outside in front of a house.

    Tall, Thin and Black

    In Episode Two, we hear the story of Keith Cooper’s 20-year odyssey to clear his name of a crime he didn’t commit in a town he hardly knew. Cooper tells the story in his words, starting with his arrest in 1997 based on a description of a crime by someone tall, thin and black. Mistaken witness…

  6. A professor in a suit, tie, and face mask gestures toward a whiteboard while teaching students in a classroom.

    A Club Becomes a Class

    Episode One traces the origins of the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic’s rapid growth over the last four years. It began as a student volunteer club in 2016 with some awareness and advocacy events. The students launched into action after a visit from Keith Cooper, the only person in Indiana…

  7. A row of modern, multi-story houses with different facades and a variety of textures and colors line a street.

    Finding the “Just Right Home”

    As the real estate market rebounds, more people are thinking about what makes a perfect home. Architecture professor Marianne Cusato is one an industry leader in the home building industry. She’s been named one of the top women in real estate by Fortune Magazine, to list just one of her many accolades.…

  8. The golden dome and statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the Main Building at the University of Notre Dame are silhouetted against a sunset.

    Equity in Policing

    As the national conversation about race and policing took shape over the summer, questions began surfacing about how police departments would respond. At Notre Dame, they were already working on an answer. Guests: Keri Kei Shibata, Chief, Notre Dame Police DepartmentMike Seamon, Vice…

  9. A close-up of a decorative arch above a window on a brick building with the number '1879' in the center.

    Lessons from the past, hope for the future

    As the University prepares to confer degrees on the Class of 2020, we speak with the class valedictorian, Brady Stiller, about this unique moment in Notre Dame history. …

  10. A vibrant, painted image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is mounted in a hollow of a tree beside a walking path.

    Connection in the time of pandemic

    In this episode, we examine two connections shown in dramatic ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the connection between humankind and the planet: We speak with a climate scientist on how the economic shutdown is impacting the planet, and how coronavirus could be a template for the fight against…