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Strategic Direction

George Mason team creates augmented reality campus tour for transfer students

Shayla Brown — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:03:10 +0000

George Mason team creates augmented reality campus tour for transfer students Shayla Brown Thu, 07/18/2024 - 14:03

A team from ��AV is using augmented reality (AR) to create a smartphone app that will provide first-generation ADVANCE students with a virtual tour of the Fairfax Campus as they prepare to transfer from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA).

ADVANCE is a collaborative effort between George Mason and Virginia’s community colleges to create a seamless pathway for students’ transfer to a four-year institution.

Kelly Schrum. Photo provided.

The AR project is co-directed by Kelly Schrum, a professor in George Mason’s Higher Education Program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron, an associate professor in the School of Integrative Studies.

The app, created using ARway, will provide students with interactive GPS tracking and indoor visual positioning through a geolocation feature, directing students to their location as they travel from point A to point B.

“One of the things this tool does really well is, if you say, ‘I’d like to find the gender-neutral bathroom,’ or ‘I would like to take the elevator,’ or ‘I would like to find disability services,’ you can select it from the directory, and it’ll basically hold your hand and guide you the whole way there,” said Schrum.

The team is focusing on the four floors in Student Union Building (SUB) I, which houses on-campus student support services including the Mason Student Services Center, Student Health Services, Student Success Coaching, and many more. Each floor gets a separate AR map, Pagliarulo McCarron said. After they map SUB I, Pagliarulo McCarron said they will start work on Fenwick Library and then the Johnson Center.

The app is funded by grants from George Mason’s Office of the Provost and 4-VA@Mason, which receives funding from the state to build collaborations across institutions as well as create new technologies that promote first-generation student transfer pathways to higher education.

Graziella Pagliarulo McCarron. Photo provided.

Representatives from the First-Gen+ Center and undergrad, graduate, and PhD students are researching the common challenges transfer students face, including the need to find community, to incorporate those aspects into the app.

“Kelly and I talked a lot about possible tangible resources that would help create a stronger connection to George Mason for our students,” said Janette Muir, vice provost for academic affairs.

The team conducting the technology and digital humanities-based research includes many who are first in their family to go to college.

“Throughout this process, we learned that students felt disconnected and disoriented when they didn’t know how the campus was laid out,” said Muir, who is also director of the 4-VA@Mason program. “With the work that this team is doing, we could decrease that anxiety and help students access the services that are available to them.”

ADVANCE students currently attending NOVA are testing the app and providing feedback to the team.

In addition to student testers, ADVANCE has provided the team with aggregate data of qualitative and quantitative feedback received directly from students through an Ask an ADVANCE Student Ambassador forum on the program’s Canvas course. This information helps the program identify what students are most focused on throughout through transfer journey and time in ADVANCE.

“My hope with providing that additional data is to help narrow down what should be covered in the tours and what could be helpful to incorporate into the app,” said Jason Dodge, the executive director of community college partnerships at George Mason.

Mariya Khan. Photo provided.

“The AR campus tour and ADVANCE both highlight that transfer is not the responsibility of a single office, but that it takes a collective of folks across the university in order to pull something like that off,” said Dodge.

Schrum said several students from the graduate course HE 703 Higher Education in the Digital Age are working on the project. Team instructional designer Mariya Khan gave an in-person interactive presentation on AR and gamification to the class.

“Kelly saw how the AR I used in my presentation could be infused into what she envisioned for this project,” said Khan, who works in the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning.

“I’m a first-generation American, so I understand why projects like this are important,” Khan added. “It would be super helpful to students who want to feel more engaged and like they’re part of something.”

Veronica Visser. Photo provided.

Veronica Visser, a master’s student in higher education and leadership, has been a part of the project since its inception.

“As a first-gen international student, sometimes it can feel like you just go to campus, go to your lecture, and then you go back home,” said Visser, who is from Paraguay. “But with resources like the AR app, you learn that there are people available to help you with your resume, to help you with time management, getting your Mason [ID] card, or other resources that will make you a better student and person.”

The team will conduct a second round of user testing on the app this summer.

“Although we are focusing on first-gen transfer students for now, the project has a lot of potential to expand to other underrepresented minorities, and we’re excited to explore that,” said Schrum.

Currently this augmented reality experience is only mapped for Student Union Building I. The Johnson Center and Fenwick Library are both on the list to receive a similar AR map.

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George Mason scientists explore adhesives to advance preservation of historical texts

Colleen Rich — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 18:49:44 +0000

George Mason scientists explore adhesives to advance preservation of historical texts Colleen Rich Thu, 07/11/2024 - 14:49

What does science have to do with the conservation of historical texts? Everything.

Doctoral student Rocío Prisby. Photo provided

Rocío Prisby, a biosciences doctoral student at ��AV, led the first comprehensive analysis of proteins found within wheat starch-based and flour-based pastes used in historic texts.

This study produced a working database for historians to cross-reference for their own samples that will ultimately result in greater understanding of the evolution of adhesives, while also providing a starting point to determine the best conservation practices for bookbinding and paper conservation.

Each sample tells a story—someone in the 1500s mixing flour, water, and milk in a large bowl to create a paste that binds paper; another in the 1600s hoping to improve their glue’s viscosity with a dash of egg. But each story is different, and the uncertainty in these mixtures reinforces the need for a central database to aid in historical research.

“We still don’t know when in human history people stopped mixing flour and water and shifted to starches,” said Prisby, who also has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from George Mason. “So, you can’t make any assumptions for what a book’s glue makeup might be.”

Prisby worked alongside George Mason researchers Alessandra Luchini and Lance Liotta of the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, as well as Caroline Solazzo from the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. Their study, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, involved extracting wheat proteins from three small leather cover samples obtained from the National Library of Medicine.

Photo by Getty Images

Their methodology sought to establish a protocol capable of identifying wheat proteins, along with collagen and other proteins commonly found in leather and adhesives. The results were then compared to a database containing collagen proteins from various sources like cattle, sheep, goats, and chicken eggs, as well as wheat proteins from common wheat.

Analysis of historical samples indicates a shift away from using whole wheat for glue production towards the use of starch-based glues. This transition has led to a noticeable decrease in protein content, as the starch extraction process significantly reduces the protein levels in the final product.

Consequently, samples containing starch-based glue exhibit considerably lower protein concentrations compared to those containing traditional wheat-based glue. Environmental conditions and extraction techniques also influence protein composition. Prisby said understanding the chemical changes in wheat-based adhesives is crucial for conservation and restoration practices, particularly in comprehending the degradation of samples over time.

The study’s researchers suggest that further investigation into wheat pastes and other plant-based adhesives should consider a diverse array of factors, including preparation methods, additives, aging processes, and the extensive variety and composition of the raw materials used.

A native of Argentina, Prisby (formerly Cornero) began her chemistry studies at a local university before moving to the United States. She continued her studies at Northern Virginia Community College and was in the first ADVANCE cohort to transfer to George Mason.

Prisby began researching proteins as an undergraduate in the College of Science’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP). In that early research, she studied the proteins in honey to monitor the health of the local environment while also seeking to identify a biomarker that might detect and diagnose diseases in honey bees.

It was through that project that Prisby met Luchini and became interested in her lab’s work in proteomics.

“Dr. Luchini is a great mentor. She dedicates so much time to her students,” said Prisby. “It doesn’t matter what knowledge or experience level you’re at, she meets you where you are.”

When Prisby graduated from George Mason with her undergraduate degree in chemistry, it was Luchini who encouraged her to pursue a PhD in Biosciences.

Join the Mason Nation

Topics

Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)

��AV’s College of Education and Human Development partners with NOVA and Loudoun County Public Schools on new Lab School

Colleen Rich — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:32:59 +0000

��AV’s College of Education and Human Development partners with NOVA and Loudoun County Public Schools on new Lab School Colleen Rich Mon, 04/29/2024 - 15:32

The Virginia Board of Education has approved funding for ��AV to launch the Accelerated College and Employability Skills (ACCESS) Academy, a collaborative partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS). This lab school will be based inside K-12 public schools as part of shared goals to increase pathways for students from high school to college and on to high-demand careers.

Photo provided

“George Mason is making bold steps toward creating different pathways for all students through these partnerships with K-12 and community colleges to ensure access to higher education and high-demand, well-compensated careers,” said Dean Ingrid Guerra-López of George Mason’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). “Our focus on innovative, problem-based learning and skills needed for the future workforce will ensure students have robust wrap-around supports all the way through their education and early careers to build a better future for themselves and their communities.”

Based in Loudoun County Public Schools supporting 9th-12th grades, ACCESS Academy will incorporate employability skills, innovative teaching and learning methods, and experiences co-designed with industry partners, researchers, and instructional faculty. ACCESS Academy will have direct on-ramps for 11th and 12th grade students, and phased-in lab school preparation during 9th and 10th grades.

“We’re excited to partner with George Mason and NOVA to increase access to unique learning opportunities for our students,” said LCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence. “ACCESS Academy will provide innovative educational experiences for students that will lead to certifications and two- and four-year degrees, as well as support students with access to high-demand and well-compensated jobs in the information technology fields. We have heard loud and clear from our community that our students need alternative pathways to college. And this is just one way we are getting them there."

Academy students in grades 9 and 10 will focus on completion of high school graduation requirements including English, social studies, math, and science. They will begin to develop employability skills through teaching, learning, and curriculum innovations that leverage other existing programs in students’ base schools. They also will be introduced to problem-based learning through focused activities that include guided practice and support the development of problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, systems thinking, and research skills.

ACCESS Academy is rooted in transdisciplinary collaboration harnessing a broad range of faculty expertise to design and deliver the curriculum. This learning ecosystem of faculty from George Mason’s CEHD and Information Technology Program, NOVA, and LCPS, as well as business and industry leaders, will create a replicable model for student success.

Researchers and industry partners will also work side by side with ACCESS students as part of a new Learning Innovation Lab, where teaching and learning innovations will be applied, evaluated, adapted, and disseminated. The Learning Innovation Lab will become a training ground for current and future educators as teacher candidates, in-service teachers, and faculty across a wide range of disciplines, including Information Technology. It will also expand evidence-based education research and talent development best practices for educational leaders, instructional systems designers, and policymakers, as well as industry and community partners.

NOVA Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer Eun-Woo Chang said, “NOVA is excited to join this partnership to help students develop employability skills through an innovative curriculum that leverages our extensive dual enrollment program with high schools in the Northern Virginia region, especially with LCPS. Students will be immersed in activities designed to cultivate essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and research skills.”

The expanded partnership with NOVA is part of the Mason Virginia Promise, which helps create a pathway to a bachelor’s degree for every Virginian who wants one. George Mason and NOVA’s flagship ADVANCE Program is designed to augment the transfer experience for community college students pursuing a bachelor's degree by removing common barriers and providing early support in their educational journey.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the partnership agreements with colleges and universities to establish K-12 lab schools in January 2022.

Topics

College of Education and Human Development

From public health crisis volunteer to College of Public Health graduate

Shayla Brown — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 19:22:40 +0000

From public health crisis volunteer to College of Public Health graduate Shayla Brown Mon, 04/15/2024 - 15:22

Sinoxolo “Susan” Favor was doing public health work in her native South Africa long before she enrolled in the College of Public Health at ��AV.

Susan Favor. Photo provided.

Between 2009 and 2010, HIV and AIDS infection rates were very high in South Africa, she said, so she began doing outreach and volunteer work at her school to educate others. Favor also volunteered at the South Africa Department of Health, where her mother is a nurse practitioner.

“My school would go out and work with the community,” said Favor. “I didn't really know what public health was, until I started this work [and realized] that my whole life I've been living in a public health crisis.”

Now Favor is graduating from this spring with a BS in community health from the first college of public health in Virginia.

Favor came to United States in 2014 and worked for almost 10 years, mainly in health care, before going to Northern Virginia Community College for two years and transferring into Mason through the ADVANCE Program.

What’s your best memory at Mason?

I've been working at the Office of Student Affairs [in the College of Public Health] where I meet a lot of students who call in for help. I think my best memories are getting those calls and then giving them the help that they need. I think about how, as a student, I would want to be helped. If I came into this office, I want to leave here with solutions for my problems. It’s the best thing every day when students walk in asking questions, and I'm able to give them answers.

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

Find yourself a good friend who's doing the same program and will help you through it. It's good to have somebody that can relate to you and understand what you’re going through. I have that one friend, and we are going through this process together. Also take advantage of all the opportunities presented. Mason has a lot of opportunities like scholarships to apply for; call all the offices and ask questions. There's never a dumb question, and there's a solution for every problem.

What’s next for you?

I’ll be coming back to Mason in the future. [I’m getting] a master's degree in global health through Mason’s Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program. I hope to work with USAID Project Management Specialists on HIV and AIDS treatments and preventions, especially with young girls in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and all of the southern hemisphere of Africa. I want to make sure they have the information they need about reproduction and sexual health. Education is key; it’s the best prevention.

Topics

Graduation

Bachelor’s/Acclerated Master’s Program

College of Public Health

Students

Student Spotlight

Mason pilots eight local high school partnerships for university-managed Direct Admissions Program

Colleen Rich — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 19:28:12 +0000

Mason pilots eight local high school partnerships for university-managed Direct Admissions Program Colleen Rich Mon, 10/23/2023 - 15:28

��AV announced the first series of direct admissions partnerships with eight Northern Virginia high schools. The goal of the pilot is to directly reach students who are academically eligible to Mason but may be experiencing challenges in pursuing higher education.

Wilkins Plaza on the Fairfax Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

More than 1,100 eligible (3.25 GPA or higher) students from partner high schools in Fairfax County, Alexandria, Manassas, and Manassas Park were emailed admission eligibility offers directly from Mason, waiving requirements for application fees, teacher recommendations, and essays. Mason has also offered direct admissions to thousands of students through the Common App Direct Admissions Program.

The first year Mason offered direct admission through the Common App was in January 2022 to 2,000 students. Of those offered, 232 students accepted and applied for fall 2022, 39 students submitted deposits, and 32 enrolled. Of those, 59% were underrepresented minorities, 37% were first generation, and 20% were residents of rural communities. Their collective GPA was 3.65. The top five majors for those students were computer science, engineering, biology, cybersecurity, and neuroscience.

“Mason’s longstanding commitment to achieve inclusive excellence has paved the way for more students to consider and enter college,” said David Burge, Mason’s vice president for enrollment management. “While colleges around the country are just starting their direct admissions programs to counter declining enrollments, Mason historically has eliminated barriers to higher education through partnerships and several pathway programs, like our multifaced approach to direct admissions.”

Direct admissions is one of many programs that Mason has in place to engage potential students, along with the Early Identification Program, local partnerships with K-12 schools, and the ADVANCE partnership with Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). ADVANCE had another record-breaking enrollment period, with 938 new students, a 5% increase from last year. Mason also has entered into transfer partnerships with Germanna, Tidewater, and Piedmont Virginia community colleges through the Mason Virginia Promise.

This fall, Mason became the first public university in the state to top 40,000 students. A record 16.5% of Virginia high school seniors applied to Mason, and 28% of freshmen entered with a 4.0 GPA or higher, while 71% entered with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

In This Story

David Burge, MSE

Mason, PVCC make ADVANCE partnership official

Colleen Rich — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 15:11:53 +0000

Mason, PVCC make ADVANCE partnership official Colleen Rich Fri, 10/13/2023 - 11:11

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Picture This

New Office of Community College Partnerships to support the Mason Virginia Promise

Colleen Rich — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:52:30 +0000

New Office of Community College Partnerships to support the Mason Virginia Promise Colleen Rich Mon, 04/10/2023 - 10:52

��AV is launching an Office of Community College Partnerships to expand the Mason Virginia Promise, a program that guarantees every Virginian the opportunity to earn a four-year degree or assistance to start a business.

The Office of Community College Partnerships will be home to the ADVANCE Program partnership between Mason and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)—one of the largest and most successful transfer pathways in the country—as well as budding partnerships with community colleges across the state.

“��AV is in the success business, and the Office of Community College Partnerships will help more Virginians be successful in reaching their academic and professional goals while strengthening the economic fabric of the commonwealth,” Mason President Gregory Washington said.

Featured on PBS NewsHour last year, the ADVANCE Program has been lauded nationally. ADVANCE students who come to Mason graduate two semesters faster than non-ADVANCE transfer students, and 92% of ADVANCE transfers graduate from Mason in less than two years.

There are now more than 3,600 active students in the ADVANCE Program, including 479 who joined for the spring semester. The fall-to-fall retention rate for the fall 2020 cohort at NOVA is 83% in ADVANCE, far surpassing the national average of 61%.

Northern Virginia Community College grads are welcomed at an ADVANCE event. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Since the program launched six years ago, more than 100 students have graduated from both NOVA and Mason. ADVANCE students are 60% first-generation, 68% students of color and 39% Pell Grant-eligible.

The expanded partners include Germanna Community College, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and Tidewater Community College. There are future partnerships under discussion with multiple community colleges across Virginia.

“The Office of Community College Partnerships and the strength of Mason’s ongoing partnership with NOVA will help to ensure these new programs are a success,” said Jason Dodge, ADVANCE program director and executive director of the Office of Community College Partnerships. “The mutual goal has always been to rethink transfer—and we are proud to say that has been accomplished. We are now ready to scale its success.”

Rita Snyder Furr will serve as associate director of the Office of Community College Partnerships. In this expanded role, in addition to her continued support of the NOVA partnership, Rita will also support the operations of all transfer partnerships under the purview of the office.

Topics

Office of Community College Partnerships

Mason BOV approves tuition credit, gets updates on strategic plan, upcoming events

Colleen Rich — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 18:47:51 +0000

Mason BOV approves tuition credit, gets updates on strategic plan, upcoming events Colleen Rich Mon, 10/10/2022 - 14:47

In This Story

Gregory Washington

��AV’s Board of Visitors voted on September 29 to issue credits to in-state undergraduate students in an amount equal to the 3% increase that was approved for the 2022-23 academic year, in effect returning Fiscal Year 2023 tuition levels to 2022 levels.

The total impact on Mason’s budget will be about $5.8 million for this fiscal year. But discussions with state officials during the process led to greater state awareness of the state funding challenges Mason faces compared with its commonwealth peer universities.

When state and tuition funding are combined, Mason is funded nearly $5,000 per in-state student FTE below the mean of five doctoral peer institutions.

“We’ve been told that they’re going to continue to look at the systemic issues that are affecting the campus and are going to look at ways in which they can address them over the coming months,” Mason President Gregory Washington said at the meeting. “I take that as a big win.”

Mason Rector Horace Blackman, a 1993 Mason alum and six-year BOV member, concurred.

“I think the level of engagement we had with the administration has been second to none,” Blackman said. “And I think we are in an appreciably better place today.”

Ken Walsh, Mason vice president for strategic initiatives, provided an update for the BOV on the university’s strategic plan process and said a formal presentation of the plan is scheduled for the December 1 board meeting.

Walsh shared the five priority areas of the plan at the July BOV meeting. Since then, the planning committee has conducted “road-mapping” exercises for each area, identified a series of initiatives and worked with various units across Mason campuses to “lay out a resource-loaded schedule that we’ll be able to follow over the next five years,” Walsh said.

Walsh noted that the roadmap is intended to be “a living document” that will be reviewed on an annual basis.

“We’re developing a series of key performance indicators that we’ll be dashboarding so we’ll be able to provide frequent updates on our overall progress,” Walsh said.

Other items from the BOV meeting:

BOV members saw the recent PBS NewsHour report that highlighted Mason’s ADVANCE partnership with Northern Virginia Community College.
Matt Smith, Mason’s director of accreditation, reiterated to the BOV that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges board will vote on reaffirming Mason’s accreditation in December. In April, SACSCOC found the university in compliance with all 72 standards of accreditation.
Two of the major events coming up at Mason Square: the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Conference: Vision and Action for a New Era on October 24 with keynote speakers President Washington and Gail Christopher, and the Accelerate Investor Conference on November 2-3, which includes a student start-up competition.

Topics

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Board of Visitors