On the evening of April 28, 2026, about 18 of us from the PD[N]ano Lab gathered in McCourtney Hall (West) for our annual group dinner — easily one of the highlights of the academic year. We brought in takeout from Flavors of India here in South Bend, pulled up chairs around the conference table, and let the conversation run well past dinnertime.
More Than a Meal These dinners are a tradition I look forward to every year. After months of long bench hours, manuscript pushes, grant deadlines, and conference travel, it is genuinely restorative to sit down together as a group — undergraduates, graduate students, and visiting trainees all in one room — and just enjoy each other’s company. It is a real morale booster, and a reminder of how much I value the people who make this lab what it is.
A Send-Off for Our Graduating Seniors This year’s dinner doubled as a send-off for two outstanding undergraduate researchers who will be walking across the stage this Spring:
- Jack Lyu (Biological Sciences)
- Victoria Hopkins (Neuroscience)
Both Jack and Victoria have been wonderful contributors to the lab, and it has been a privilege to watch them grow as scientists. On behalf of the entire team, I want to wish them the very best as they begin the next chapter of their journeys — wherever that may take them. We will miss having you in lab, but we know you are headed for great things.
Thank You A huge thank you to everyone who came out, ate too much butter chicken, and stayed late. These small traditions matter, and they only happen because the team shows up for each other.
Here’s to another year of good science and even better company.
#LabFamily #PDNanoLab #NotreDame #Berthiaume #Graduation2026 #FlavorsOfIndia
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