Debra Notestine, 46, a member of the Department of Physics staff, lost her courageous battle with cancer on Monday, Oct. 21, surrounded by her family at home in South Bend.
An administrative assistant with the Nuclear Science Laboratory for four years, Notestine dedicated a significant amount of her time to the educational outreach inititatives of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA), a National Science Foundation-funded physics frontier center established to expedite discoveries in and between the areas of astronomy, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.
Notestine revitalized JINA's Art 2 Science summer camp. During the weeklong camp, instructors utilize a multidisciplinary approach to learning by integrating reading, writing and a variety of art forms with math and the physical sciences to children ages 8-12.
Notestine also organized the JINA Art Gallery, a display of artwork at the South Bend Regional Airport since 2011.
The Notestine Endowment has been established to provide support for the camp. Those interested in contributing to the endowment can contact JINA Outreach at jinaout@nd.edu.