Notre Dame Science
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The College of Science at the University of Notre Dame—building upon our past to build a better future for all.
07/08/2026
"It’s dusk on the Monday evening after commencement, and campus is unusually quiet — except near the Hesburgh Library’s reflecting pool, where a moonlight serenade is just getting underway. Loud, high-pitched, musical trills come from nearby trees and shrubs. Br-r-r-r-r-r-it! Br-r-r-r-r-r-r-it! As the night sky appears, the calls become louder and more frequent.
Amid this cacophony, tiny visitors about the size of a half-dollar coin appear one by one on the pool’s smooth granite ledge. Some hop down to its inner copper edge just above the waterline. They inflate their vocal sacs with air, creating a vibration across their vocal cords that can carry for a mile.
This sound is the mating call of the gray tree frog. The library reflecting pool is the local gathering spot for their singles mixer. Under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus, a whole amphibian world unfolds around and beneath the water’s glassy surface."
— Margaret Fosmoe ’85 | Notre Dame Magazine
Read more: https://bit.ly/4p8fF0x
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Two in five amphibian species are now at risk of extinction, and chytrid, their leading killer, has spread almost everywhere. See what doctoral student Gracie Hedgpeth is doing about it right on campus: https://magazine.nd.edu/stories/leaping-into-action/
Red, white, and BOOM 🎆 We’re lighting up the chemistry behind fireworks!
When certain metal salts are heated, their electrons absorb energy and jump to higher energy levels. As those electrons return to their normal state, they release that energy as light. Because every element has a unique arrangement of electrons, each one emits its own signature color:
strontium = red
copper = blue-green
barium or boron = green
sodium = yellow-orange
potassium = lilac
lithium = pink
In this demonstration, our chemistry lab manager James Clark uses methanol as a fuel combined with different metal salts to create bursts of color when ignited—the same chemistry that gives fireworks their vibrant hues in the sky on the Fourth of July!
What about sparklers? Those are made from raw metals, like iron filings.
Bright white fireworks? Magnesium.
And those excessively loud booms that kick you in the chest? Those are made with aluminum powder.
🛑 This demonstration was performed by a professional chemist following lab safety guidelines. Do not perform these experiments at home!
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