Schar School News for August 2023

Registration Open: Mason’s TraCCC Launches Second Annual Hackathon to Fight Counterfeiters

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 15:07:37 +0000

Registration Open: Mason’s TraCCC Launches Second Annual Hackathon to Fight Counterfeiters Andrew J Schappert Wed, 08/30/2023 - 11:07

Registration is open for the second annual Bring Down Counterfeiting Hackathon, an event that brings together individuals and teams from around the country in a competition with a vital mission—to interrupt illicit counterfeiting and trafficking—and for a chance to win $50,000 in awards.

The Schar School of Policy and Government’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at ��AV is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center to challenge teams from academic institutions, companies, and other affiliations to design and propose novel technical and policy solutions that prevent counterfeit and pirated goods from entering the stream of commerce and reaching the hands of consumers. Strategy and analytic firm Blue Clarity returns to administer the competition.

Contestants will also be encouraged to create tools that help recognize the spoofing of official U.S. government websites, trademarks, and other services. The winning entry will win the grand prize of $20,000 for the solution a panel of expert judges select as the most effective, scalable, and creative. Other cash prizes will be awarded in a number of categories.

“Counterfeiting is a crime that affects us all. This hackathon will bring students together with policymakers, academic institutions, domain and private sector experts, and other professionals to raise awareness of the threats and generate powerful new ideas to stop this criminal activity,” said University Professor Louise Shelley, founding director of the TraCCC. “The results will also be used to inform our ongoing research on counterfeit and other criminal supply chain networks.”

This year, challenge organizers are looking for novel technical solutions, such as new technology to advance counterfeited product identification devices or advanced algorithms to secure supply chains and identify counterfeit goods. Solutions offered in the competition should have direct applicability to stated challenges that government agencies like the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and others are actively working to overcome. Last year’s winning entry, chosen from 11 finalists of 30 entries, was a search engine extension that exposed fraudulent pharmacies and disrupted the flow of counterfeit medicine in the U.S.

The contest is important—counterfeiting remains a persistent retail-industry problem around the world. Counterfeiters deprive brand owners of the value of their intellectual property, compete unfairly with honest entrepreneurs, and may place the health and safety of consumers at risk. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that pirated and counterfeit products make up 2.5 percent of world trade or roughly $464 billion a year.

This 2023 hackathon challenge launched in August and is open to anyone. Registration for the event is free.

See the Bring Down Counterfeiting 2023 Hackathon registration form for event for competition details and to register. Teams will have several weeks to learn more from an array of public and private-sector experts and stakeholders about the global scope of the counterfeiting challenge, the societal and economic risks, industry best practices, and more. Full hackathon rules, submission guidelines, and judging criteria can be found on the Bring Down Counterfeiting 2023 Hackathon registration form.

Interested in joining as a sponsor or getting involved? Please contact expeditionhacks@blueclarity.io. Stay informed via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

Read Mason/Amazon hackathon is a win for Mason students for last year’s inaugural hackathon results.

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A Summer Internship in Spain Creates Lasting Friendships While Assisting Women in Need

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 17:20:36 +0000

A Summer Internship in Spain Creates Lasting Friendships While Assisting Women in Need Andrew J Schappert Wed, 08/09/2023 - 13:20

Gabriela Manzanares: ‘I never expected us to connect so well, and it's reassuring to know that we will maintain contact even after the internship.’

Gabriela Manzanares spent two months of her summer break visiting a facility where pregnant women and single mothers, many of them immigrants, came to acquire food and clothing for their children. The ��AV rising senior’s job several days a week was to assist Maria Victoria Calle Rodriguez, a lawyer for a nonprofit, as she helped the women navigate the sometimes-confusing legalities and customs they would encounter in establishing new lives in a new country with their young families.

The country was Spain.

Manzanares, a student in the Schar School of Policy and Government’s government and international politics program, spent June and July in Madrid, as an intern at the nonprofit Fundación Madrina—the Godmother Foundation.

It was the Stafford, Virginia, native’s first visit to Europe, and she found the internship rewarding and enriching in more ways than one.

“A lot of the women come from different countries, like Peru and Venezuela, and they’re seeking asylum,” she said. “They need help with bringing their children from another country and really don’t know how. [Lawyer] Victoria will read documents to them to help them understand their legal rights.”

While the work was meaningful to her and the women they helped, Manzanares found herself overcoming her initial shyness around strangers in a foreign country and learning to speak “Spanish Spanish and not the Central American Spanish that I speak,” she said, noting that her parents are from El Salvador. It wasn’t long before she was comfortable in her new surroundings with new friends.

“Victoria helped me open up,” she said. Soon, she said, was “close with everybody….I was most surprised by the excellent rapport I developed with my boss, Victoria. I never expected us to connect so well, and it's reassuring to know that we will maintain contact even after the internship.”

The work she performed for the foundation—for which she earned six credits toward her degree—increased her interest in joining the legal profession, with a serious eye on law school and/or in a law aspect of an intelligence agency after earning her BA with the Schar School. “The best thing about the internship was the hands-on experience I gained in the legal field while immersing myself in a new culture,” she said.

Mason and the Schar School are uniquely positioned to place students in significant internship roles throughout the year at institutions around the region, the country, and the world. Internships are important opportunities to experience “the real world” of the workplace beyond the classroom and they increase job prospects and earning potential with future employers. Manzanares’ experience in Madrid no doubt will contribute to her gaining acceptance to the law school of her choice.

And while she was gone for two months interning in Spain, did she miss anything from home? The food? Her family? Her classmates?

“My dog,” she said with a laugh. “I miss my dog so much, I’m not even kidding. His name is Lion. He’s a mastiff.”

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New Regional Pricing Policy for Incoming Master’s and Certificate Students Domiciled in D.C. or Maryland

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 17:47:53 +0000

New Regional Pricing Policy for Incoming Master’s and Certificate Students Domiciled in D.C. or Maryland Andrew J Schappert Mon, 08/07/2023 - 13:47

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Mark J. Rozell

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I am pleased to share an exciting announcement that marks a significant stride forward for our master’s and certificate programs at the Schar School of Policy and Government, as well as a reaffirmation of our commitment to public service, regional collaboration, and access to quality education.

Starting fall 2023, we are extending in-state equivalent tuition rates to incoming master’s and certificate students domiciled in the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland. This decision has been carefully considered and reflects our strong belief that our graduate educational opportunities should be accessible and affordable to our neighbors who play a crucial role in our shared federal and regional governance systems.

This initiative is designed as a profound investment in the regional workforce. We believe it will provide a platform for future leaders in government and policy to gain the skills, knowledge, and perspectives they need to serve effectively and innovatively. We envisage this policy will encourage more professionals from D.C. and Maryland to join our community, promoting diversity, cross-pollination of ideas, and strengthening our alumni network across the DMV area.

We are immensely proud of this new initiative and look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on our school and the broader region. We believe that this new policy reflects the essence of our institution: to serve the community, foster leadership, and promote collaboration in our increasingly interconnected world.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we navigate these exciting changes together. We look forward to welcoming our future cohorts of graduate students from D.C. and Maryland and witnessing the contributions they will make to our school and the world of policy and government.

Mark J. Rozell
Founding Dean
Schar School of Policy and Government
��AV

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MPA, Not MLB: Adjunct Professor Craig Fifer’s First Pitch at the Nationals Game

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:32:49 +0000

MPA, Not MLB: Adjunct Professor Craig Fifer’s First Pitch at the Nationals Game Andrew J Schappert Wed, 08/02/2023 - 14:32

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Schar School graduate and adjunct professor Craig Fifer is flanked by National’s pitcher Joe La Sorsa and mascot Screech after delivering his ceremonial first-pitch. Photo by Alex Perry.

Fifer poses next to a sign indicating his approximate first-pitch speed. Maybe. Photo by Yael Krigman.

Craig Fifer has been a season ticket holder for Washington Nationals games for 19 consecutive years, since 2005 when the team relocated from Montreal. Remember Vinnie Castilla and Brad Wilkerson? Fifer does. He was in his seat in rickety RFK Stadium for those early seasons when those were the top players, before the advent of palatial-by-comparison Nationals Park and the emergence of MLB all-stars Bryce Harper and Juan Soto.

As a reward for his continued indulgence, the Nationals invited him to take part in the time-honored tradition of throwing the ceremonial first pitch of the game. The call came on the Thursday before a Tuesday game as he was headed out of town—not a lot of time to hone his splitter, but Fifer said yes.

Fifer is a 2008 graduate of the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Master of Public Administration Fellows program, a degree program designed for mid-career professionals employed by regional governments. At the time, Fifer was four years into a position with the City of Alexandria, beginning as a manager and working up to director of communications and public information.

In 2021, Fifer was loaned to Governor Ralph Northam’s administration to serve as director of intergovernmental affairs for the Commonwealth during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. He is now special advisor to the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services, an agency of some 1,600 employees overseeing 11,000 human service workers throughout the state.

“I think it certainly helped,” he said. “I sometimes think the purpose of a graduate degree is to demonstrate a commitment to a profession. Mid-career public servants with the drive to pursue MPAs are also likely to distinguish themselves at work in other ways that earn promotions, so it all fits together.”

After graduating from the fellows program, Fifer was repeatedly invited by faculty members to give guest lectures to MPA courses. That led to his appointment as an adjunct professor in 2019. He’s preparing now to teach his eighth semester in a class called Ethics for Public Administrators. “I love teaching and I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back after a great experience as an MPA student,” he said.

Back to baseball: With limited time to get his curveball to groove, Fifer “read every article on the internet about how to throw out a ceremonial first pitch,” he said. He managed to practice a little with friends and by July 25, the day the Nats were to face down the Colorado Rockies, he was good to go. Sort of.

Nationals’ player Joe La Sorsa played the role of catcher, Screech the bald eagle mascot served as umpire, and Fifer took the field in front of the pitcher’s mound, which was still covered with a tarp from the 90-minute rain delay that preceded his pitch.

“I had been practicing a high arc [throw], because everybody tells you don’t pitch in a straight line or you’ll hit the dirt,” he said. “My goal was that the catcher did not move his feet.”

And?

“I blew it. I pitched very straight. It hit the dirt. But the catcher was super nice and made me seem like Babe Ruth. He signed the ball and was very gracious. It almost makes it worse that’s he’s actually a pitcher.”

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Learning from each other: Pakistani officials meet with Mason energy experts

Colleen Rich — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:29:56 +0000

Learning from each other: Pakistani officials meet with Mason energy experts Colleen Rich Wed, 08/02/2023 - 13:29

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Richard Kauzlarich

Jean-Pierre Auffret

Paul Houser

According to the World Bank, some 40% of Pakistanis—about 96 million people—do not have access to dependable electricity, and the demand for power continues to grow. The nation’s declining natural gas supply, lack of investment in new power generation, and corporate and political instability in the energy sector present a continuing, and extremely expensive, existential crisis.

Pakistani energy officials met with CESP leaders, front row from left, Paul Houser, Richard Kauzlarich, and J.P. Auffret. Photo by Mississippi Consortium for International Development.

In late July, ��AV’s Center for Energy Science Policy (CESP) hosted 10 national and provincial energy and science officials from Pakistan in a meeting sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The officials’ mission: To learn about U.S. renewable energy and climate policy, in the hopes of improving energy infrastructure in their home country.

During the two-hour meeting held at Mason Square, the officials met with CESP codirectors Ambassador (ret.) and Schar School Distinguished Visiting Professor Richard Kauzlarich, director of research partnerships for the School of Business J.P. Auffret, and College of Science professor Paul Houser.

The request to host the delegation originated with the Mississippi Consortium for International Development, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that works with the State Department in building international partnerships.

The center is part of the Schar School of Policy and Government, and given Mason’s location and the reputation of the CESP for energy policy studies, “in a sense, we were the natural academic institution in the region to host these officials,” Kauzlarich said.

The CESP multidisciplinary team—representing the Schar School, the School of Business, College of Science, College of Engineering and Computing, and Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth, provided a comprehensive picture of Mason’s capabilities. The CESP codirectors detailed Mason's distinctive experience with public–private partnerships in energy infrastructure.

The varied backgrounds of the CESP participants “enabled us to explain what ��AV is doing as far as research and teaching in energy and water infrastructure activities, including energy-efficiency projects on the Mason campuses,” said Kauzlarich. “We also highlighted efforts at public–private partnerships in renewable energy.”

The Pakistani representatives were impressive, he added, and provided an overview of Pakistan's renewable energy opportunities and challenges and Pakistan's needs. That may lead to expanded cooperation opportunities for Mason in Pakistan.”

In short, “we established good contacts that may prove helpful in strengthening the Mason’s research efforts in climate and renewable energy,” said Kauzlarich.