Core Facilities and Resources

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Core Facilities and Resources

The University and Notre Dame Research support more than 30 world-class core facilities and resources that are available to on-campus researchers as well as external users. These research facilities support a vibrant research community and are fully staffed to provide expert guidance, support, and instrumentation for their users.

Use of the core facilities is typically on a fee-for-use basis; please check their websites for more details. For any questions on the core facilities at Notre Dame, please review these resources or contact ndcores@nd.edu.

Aero-Optics Core Facility

Aero-Optics Core Facility

The Aero-Optics Core Facility at Notre Dame works to investigate and improve the quality of the emitted light when passed through an aero-optics environment.

Located in Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research, the Aero-Optics Core Facility is available to both internal and external customers, including governmental institutions and industry.

Related Links:
aero-optics.nd.edu
Analytical Science and Engineering Core Facility

Analytical Science and Engineering Core Facility

The Analytical Science and Engineering at Notre Dame (ASEND) Core Facility exists to help solve current, emerging, and industry-relevant problems through the creation of new capabilities in measurement science and engineering. The facility houses state-of-the-art instruments suitable for characterization and structure elucidation of chemical, materials, and biophysical samples.

Related Links:
asend.nd.edu
Biophysics Instrumentation Core Facility

Biophysics Instrumentation Core Facility

The Biophysics Instrumentation Core (BIC) Facility provides access to trained technical staff and sophisticated instrumentation dedicated to characterizing biomolecular conformations and interactions. Instrumentation is also available for isolation and purification of macromolecules for subsequent detailed biophysical analysis.

The BIC Facility is committed to fostering biophysical research and is open to Notre Dame researchers, as well as outside academic and industry researchers.

Related Links:
bic.nd.edu
Center for Environmental Science and Technology

Center for Environmental Science and Technology

The Center for Environmental Science and Technology (CEST) is a cooperative effort between Notre Dame’s Colleges of Engineering and Science. It fosters interdisciplinary environmental research and education by providing the cutting-edge analytical technologies that are needed in order to address complex environmental issues.

CEST has instrumentation in gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, elemental analysis, stable isotope mass spectrometry, and materials characterization, which are all available to Notre Dame faculty, staff, and students without charge. All instruments are maintained by CEST technicians, who are available to train users of all levels on how to use the instruments needed for each research project.

Related Links:
cest.nd.edu
Center for Research Computing

Center for Research Computing

The Center for Research Computing (CRC) is a leader in cyberinfrastructure development and in data- and compute-intensive research. The CRC manages and provides access to supercomputers, clusters, grid networks, and storage, while lending user support services and expertise to researchers within Notre Dame and external organizations, including industry.

The CRC develops computational tools that accelerate scientific inquiry and discovery, including computational modeling, data analysis and management, geographic information systems, and visualization. Additionally, it is an approved Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) core facility with services available to all CTSI partners.

Related Links:
crc.nd.edu
Center for Social Science Research

Center for Social Science Research

The Center for Social Science Research (CSSR) improves the quality and efficiency of social research at Notre Dame by working with faculty, students, and staff across all academic disciplines.

CSSR staff assist with research design, mobile data collection, survey design and administration, data management, statistical consulting, and visualization at any point in a research project’s life cycle, from initial research design through to analyzing and visualizing data.

Related Links:
lucyinstitute.nd.edu/cssr
Chemical Synthesis and Drug Discovery Facility

Chemical Synthesis and Drug Discovery Facility

The Chemical Synthesis and Drug Discovery (CSDD) Facility supports translational biomedical research by providing expertise that enables the preparation of small molecules for use in hit verification, lead development, and midsize scale up. It supports the preparation of biological probes (affinity or fluorescently tagged), active pharmaceutical agents as experimental controls, and small chemical libraries for structure-activity relationships and the optimization of pharmacological properties. In addition, the CSDD provides organizational oversight for the Notre Dame Chemical Compound Collection, which has more than 20,000 unique chemical entities.

It is available to researchers from the Notre Dame research community, other academic institutions, and industry.

Related Links:
drugdiscovery.nd.edu
Chemistry Nitrogen Core Facility

Chemistry Nitrogen Core Facility

The Chemistry Nitrogen Core Facility, located in Stepan Chemistry Hall, provides liquid and piped gaseous nitrogen to end users for their research and instructional needs.

Related Links:
chemistry.nd.edu/stockroom
Computer Aided Molecular Design Facility

Computer Aided Molecular Design Facility

The Computer Aided Molecular Design (CAMD) Facility provides a full range of computational support, from atomistic modeling to assistance in proposal writing for drug discovery and related areas. With extensive expertise in virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulations, electronic structure calculations, and chemoinformatics modeling, the CAMD can provide valuable services for the interpretation of experimental data and further design of new experiments.

Its services are available to Notre Dame researchers, as well as external customers.

Related Links:
www3.nd.edu/~camd/
Engineering and Design Core Facility

Engineering and Design Core Facility

With the goal of enhancing the scope and pace of experimental programs across Notre Dame, the Engineering and Design Core Facility (EDCF) offers extensive experience in the development of custom hardware and equipment. From consultation to detailed design work to rapid prototyping and testing, EDCF facilitates the process of going from concept to construction by providing professional engineering support for researchers wishing to develop cutting-edge technologies. Assistance in the areas of electrical, mechanical, software, and systems engineering is currently available. The EDCF welcomes users from all campus departments, as well as other academic and industrial institutions.

Related Links:

edcf.nd.edu
Engineering Machine Shops

Engineering Machine Shops

The Engineering Machine Shops at Notre Dame specialize in close tolerance machining of large and small parts made from difficult-to-machine materials. From Notre Dame’s multi-site facilities in the Cushing Hall of Engineering and Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research, the Engineering Machine Shops are capable of performing machining operations of many different sizes.

The Engineering Machine Shops are open to the Notre Dame research community, external academic institutions, and industry.

Related Links:
sites.google.com/nd.edu/engineering-machine-shop
Environmental Research Center

Environmental Research Center

The University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center, UNDERC-East, is a 8,000-acre pristine wilderness on the Michigan-Wisconsin border. It provides the opportunity for year-round field ecology research, with a focus on forest, aquatic, insect, and vertebrate ecology research, in a location protected from human disturbance. The property has on-site modern laboratories, including a lakeside wet laboratory.

UNDERC-West is located in Western Montana with research access to the National Bison Range and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Flathead Reservation. It provides research opportunities and modules in the areas of grassland, montane, wildlife, and Native American Ecology.

Related Links:
underc.nd.edu
Fluorescence Assisted Cell Sorting Core Facility

Fluorescence Assisted Cell Sorting Core Facility

The W.M. Keck Center for Transgene Research develops and uses gene-targeting technology to investigate the role of genes in blood coagulation, anticoagulation, and hemostasis in relation to their impact on cancer, infection, and inflammation. Within the Keck Center is the Fluorescence Assisted Cell Sorting Core Facility (FACS), which is shared between the Indiana University School of Medicine in South Bend (IUSM-SB) and Notre Dame. Located in Raclin-Carmichael Hall on the IUSM-SB campus, it houses a BD Biosciences FACSAria III cell sorter, which is available to Notre Dame and IUSM-SB users, as well as other academic institutions on a case-by-case basis.

Related Links:
transgene.nd.edu/instrumentation/general-laboratory
Freimann Life Science Center

Freimann Life Science Center

The Freimann Life Science Center (FLSC) is comprised of two state-of-the-art animal facilities equipped to house a wide variety of vertebrates, including fish, with four zebrafish systems, frogs, rabbits, and rodents. In addition, more than 100 different strains of genetically altered mice are bred and maintained.

All animal care staff are certified through the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science or credentialed as Registered Veterinary Technicians who work together with the attending veterinarian to provide humane care for the research animals. The FLSC is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). Additionally, it is an approved Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) core facility with services available to all CTSI partners.

Related Links:
freimann.nd.edu
Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility

Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility

The Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility (GBCF) provides state-of-the-art genomics solutions and data analysis for a broad range of applications, including metagenomics, metagenetics, population genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics. The facility offers comprehensive support for a diverse research community that spans basic biomedical research in human disease, pathogen genomics, non-model system genomics, and environmental genomics.

The GBCF is a resource available to the Notre Dame research community, external academic institutions, and industry. Additionally, it is an approved Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) core facility with services available to all CTSI partners.

Related Links:
genomics.nd.edu
Helium Recovery and Liquefaction Facility

Helium Recovery and Liquefaction Facility

The Helium Recovery and Liquefaction Facility (HRLF) serves users in Nieuwland Science Hall and Stephan Hall of Chemistry. The objective of the HRLF is to reduce costs of liquid helium and protect users from fluctuations in availability from external vendors. To preserve the helium inventory, only users connected to the helium gas recovery system are able to obtain liquid helium through the HRLF.
Integrated Imaging Facility

Integrated Imaging Facility

The Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility (NDIIF) integrates three areas of Notre Dame imaging expertise: electron microscopy, biological imaging (in vivo imaging and optical microscopy), and histology.

The NDIIF has an integrated suite of sophisticated microscopes and imaging stations that enable users to attack the most complex modern research problems. It is open to the Notre Dame research community, external academic institutions, and industry. Additionally, it is an approved Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) core facility, with services available to all CTSI partners.

Related Links:
imaging.nd.edu
Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility

Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility

The Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility (ND-LEEF) is based in South Bend’s St. Patrick’s County Park. It hosts two replicated watersheds that each contain a linked stream, pond, and wetland that can be manipulated to test ecological hypotheses.

In addition to the aquatic resources, ND-LEEF has several shallow-groundwater monitoring wells. There are also several acres available for terrestrial research and a large gravel lay-down area for mesocosm experiments. A newly constructed pavilion offers an ideal venue for education and outreach programs.

ND-LEEF is available to Notre Dame researchers, other academic institutions, and industry.

Related Links:
environmentalchange.nd.edu/resources/nd-leef
Magnetic Resonance Research Center

Magnetic Resonance Research Center

The Magnetic Resonance Research Center (MRRC) supports Notre Dame researchers in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical engineering, and related fields by providing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analytical support. The MRRC has seven spectrometers available to Notre Dame researchers, other academic institutions, and off-campus corporations. All of the spectrometers are multinuclear and a large variety of probes are available. The spectrometers enable measurements of 1D and 2D homo- and heteronuclear spectra at various temperatures.

Related Links:
nmr.nd.edu
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility

Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility

The Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility (MSPF) provides modern instrumentation and expertise for the detection, identification, and quantification of compounds ranging from small organic molecules to large biomolecules with applications in areas including metabolomics, proteomics, and lipidomics.

With instrumentation in laboratory spaces in McCourtney Hall, the MSPF is available to both internal and external customers, including other academic institutions and industry. Additionally, MSPF is an approved Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) core facility with services available to all CTSI partners.

Related Links:
massspec.nd.edu
Materials Characterization Facility

Materials Characterization Facility

The Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) is a core research facility within ND Energy, the Center for Sustainable Energy on campus. It provides world-class equipment and instrumentation to support scientific advancements of new or improved sustainable energy technologies and systems, as well as the characterization and synthesis of any new materials.

Characterization capabilities exist for general materials, surface, crystallographic, photovoltaic, and electrochemical analysis and the MCF welcomes users from Notre Dame, other academic institutions, and industry.

Related Links:
mcf.nd.edu
McCourtney Nitrogen Core Facility

McCourtney Nitrogen Core Facility

The McCourtney Nitrogen Core Facility, operated out of McCourtney Hall, provides a variety of dry ice products to end users across campus for their research and instructional needs.
Midwest Isotope and Trace Element Research Analytical Center

Midwest Isotope and Trace Element Research Analytical Center

The Midwest Isotope and Trace Element Research Analytical Center (MITERAC) is a National Science Foundation-funded facility that represents a Notre Dame-led consortium of Midwestern universities, including Ball State University, Indiana State University, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, Indiana University-South Bend, and Western Michigan University.

MITERAC specializes in the elemental and isotopic characterization of environmental, biological, and geological materials, both at the bulk sample and micrometer scales. MITERAC is open to users from the University of Notre Dame.

Related Links:
ceees.nd.edu
Molecular Structure Facility

Molecular Structure Facility

The Molecular Structure Facility (MSF) provides structural elucidation of new compounds and materials through X-ray diffraction techniques, with two primary services offered: single crystal diffraction and powder diffraction. Single crystal studies can provide the unequivocal three-dimensional connectivity, configuration, and elemental assignment of inorganic, organic, and organometallic compounds, while powder diffraction studies provide bulk sample analysis of new materials.

The Molecular Structure Facility is a core facility within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Notre Dame and provides services for researchers at Notre Dame and the wider academic community.

Related Links:
xray.nd.edu
Nanofabrication Facility

Nanofabrication Facility

The Notre Dame Nanofabrication Facility (NDNF) is a fully equipped Class 100 cleanroom in the Stinson-Remick Hall of Engineering. This facility features a full complement of fabrication, processing, and characterization equipment, as well as the specialized infrastructure required for its proper operation. The facility enables fabrication and characterization of devices with feature sizes from the nanometer to the centimeter scale; typical applications include MEMS actuators and sensors, microfluidic devices, and many others for a wide range of end-use applications and systems

The facility is available to on campus researchers, as well as external users from industry and the academic community.

Related Links:
www3.nd.edu/~ndnf/
Nuclear Science Laboratory

Nuclear Science Laboratory

The Nuclear Science Laboratory is a mid-sized accelerator facility dedicated to low energy physics studies.

The laboratory is built around two electrostatic accelerators, which offer a wide range of beam energies providing ideal conditions for nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics experiments.

Related Links:

isnap.nd.edu
Physics Machine Shop

Physics Machine Shop

The Physics Machine Shop is a full-service design and fabrication shop that serves the entire community with precision in the scientific, medical, mechanical, and artistic disciplines. It uses CNC machine tools and CAD/CAM software to produce complex designs in a wide variety of materials in a timely and cost-effective manner. Working directly from blueprints or drawings provided by the customers, the team can take these ideas and engineer then to the user’s particular needs.

The shop welcomes users from across the University of Notre Dame.

Related Links:
physics.nd.edu/machine-shop---core-facility
Pulte Institute for Global Development

Pulte Institute for Global Development

The Pulte Institute for Global Development promotes human development and dignity among people worldwide through applied innovations, impact evaluation, education, and training that helps build just and equitable societies. Institute staff are available to assist with designing and administering global development programs, preparing education and training programs with developing country partners, and conducting research evaluations internationally, including local partner capacity building, mobile data collection, survey design, data management, data analysis, and research visualization. The Pulte Institute’s services are available to ND researchers, as well as external customers.

Related Links:
pulte.nd.edu
Radiation Laboratory Glassblowing Shop

Radiation Laboratory Glassblowing Shop

The Radiation Laboratory’s Scientific Glassblowing Shop is the region’s only scientific glassblowing shop and provides services to researchers from across the Notre Dame community, other academic institutions, and industry.

The Scientific Glassblowing Shop works with researchers in the design and fabrication of specialty scientific apparatus, as well as to repair or modify existing glassware for specific needs. Fully equipped to handle all custom glassware needs, the Shop also has the capacity to fabricate quartz and borosilicate glassware. Consultation is available on the construction, design, application, and practicalities of glass and other materials used in glass production and scientific research.

Radiation Links:
rad.nd.edu/facilities/scientific-glass-blowing-shop/
Radiation Laboratory Machine Shop

Radiation Laboratory Machine Shop

The Radiation Laboratory’s Machine Shop provides convenient and flexible services for fabrication, manufacturing, and design of precision research instruments, with specialization in the prototyping, designing, and manufacturing of custom tooling. It produces high quality parts that hold extremely tight tolerances with minimal lead-time. From exotic alloys to common 6061 aluminum, the Shop can machine all types of materials, including machinable glass, plastics, and wood.

The Shop can work from prints, sketches, or conceptual ideas to create custom parts and existing parts can be reverse-engineered or altered upon request. It is open to Notre Dame researchers, external academic institutions, or industry.

Related Links:
rad.nd.edu/facilities/machine-shop
Turbomachinery Laboratory

Turbomachinery Laboratory

The Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory (NDTL) is a 25,000 square foot facility located in Downtown South Bend’s Ignition Park. This world-class turbomachinery research and testing facility studies and tests components for the gas turbine engines that are used by commercial and military aircraft, power plants, and the oil and gas industry.

The NDTL team provides a full suite of design and procurement services, including 3D modeling and design, analysis, mechanical drawings and fabrication, supply chain management, assembly and installation, component integration, and maintenance. It is available to Notre Dame researchers, other academic institutions, government, and industry.

Related Links:
turbo.nd.edu