Spirit Summer 2024

Mason Korea Marks a Decade of Success

Colleen Rich — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:43:08 +0000

Mason Korea Marks a Decade of Success Colleen Rich Thu, 08/29/2024 - 16:43

In March 2014, ��AV took a nearly 7,000-mile step in its commitment to becoming a university for the world when it opened its campus in Songdo, Korea. This June, the university took a moment to celebrate a successful 10 years with a week of festivities.

What began with 20 students as part of the Incheon Global Campus, a national project established by the Korean government and Incheon Metropolitan City to innovate the Korean education system and nurture the next generation of global leaders, now boasts more than 900 students who represent 18 countries.

The new campus is a key source of educational, research, and internship opportunities for George Mason students in both the United States and Korea. As then-provost Peter Stearns, who played a pivotal role in establishing Mason Korea, said, “Preparing students for their future lives and careers has to involve a serious global component because they’re living in a world where global interactions are increasingly going to be part of the fabric of their lives.”

Mason Korea offers six undergraduate and two graduate degrees and encourages Korea-based students to experience one year of their college studies in the United States. About 100 students travel to Virginia each semester.

Virginia-based administrators, faculty, staff, and students traveled to South Korea to take part in the celebration and begin planning for the next decade. They even brought along their own band.

Making Beautiful Music Together

Part of the group traveling to Mason Korea from Virginia was music professor and director of the Green Machine Ensembles Michael “Doc Nix” Nickens and a small group from the Green Machine.

The Mason Korea anniversary opening event featured a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Green Machine pep band and Mason Korea's student band, Crescent. The bands’ synergy filled the banquet hall with a mix of English and Korean pop music hits.

“It was really interesting interacting with musicians from Mason Korea,” says Green Machine drummer Dylan Story. “It goes to show how music is a universal language that we all share regardless of who we are, where we come from.”

Meeting with the Mayor of Incheon

A landmark meeting between George Mason president Gregory Washington and Incheon mayor Jeong-bok Yoo helped mark a decade of successful collaboration and solidified a commitment to the future of Mason Korea.

Washington expressed his gratitude for Incheon’s unwavering support over the past decade. Discussions focused on Mason Korea's future, including expanding the campus and establishing new research institutes.

“This meeting with Mayor Yoo provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on Mason Korea's remarkable journey,” says Washington. “We look forward to sharing our vision for the future and further strengthening our partnership with Incheon City for mutual growth.”

Yoo echoed the sentiment, extending congratulations on Mason Korea's anniversary and acknowledging their contributions to the Incheon Global Campus (IGC). He specifically highlighted the university's role in cultivating global talent, citing the significant increase in IGC student enrollment this year.

Yoo also commended Mason Korea's commitment to the region through initiatives like the new master of laws degree program, which fosters local talent development and competitiveness.

“We are grateful for Mason Korea’s dedication to raising the profile of the IGC,” says Yoo. “Their success aligns perfectly with our vision for the Incheon Global Campus. We look forward to their continued contributions.”

Continued Alliance with the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority

George Mason and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZA) also solidified their partnership with a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Washington and IFEZA commissioner Wonsok Yun led the signing ceremony, paving the way for expanded collaboration on industry–academia projects between Mason Korea, located in the Songdo International Business District of the Incheon free economic zone, and IFEZA.

The agreement focuses on fostering joint educational and research initiatives in critical areas like bioengineering, biomanufacturing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, information and communication technologies, and start-up incubation. This collaboration has the potential to create exciting new opportunities for students and researchers in both Korea and the United States.

“This MOU marks a significant step forward for Mason Korea,” says Washington. “By expanding our cooperation with IFEZA, we aim to equip students with valuable educational experiences and further support the development of the Incheon region.”

“We are thrilled to solidify our existing partnership with Mason Korea and extend it to encompass George Mason’s U.S. campus," says Yun. “This MOU has the potential to propel both ��AV and the Incheon region toward a brighter future.”

An Anniversary Gala

As part of the celebration, Mason Korea hosted a gala at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul, during which Washington and Mason Korea dean Robert Matz reflected on Mason Korea's history and outlined plans for the future. A video message from Stearns, now provost emeritus, was part of the program.

“A lot of people have put in tremendous amounts of time and constructive energy, so [Mason Korea is] a real achievement that all sorts of people have contributed to, including the students,” says Stearns, who was provost from 2000 to 2015. “It's just really good to see the campus succeeding to this extent, and it's a source of real pleasure to me that we've done so well.”

Mason Korea supporters who made this milestone possible—including deans, senior leadership, current and former leadership, and advisory board members—were also recognized.

A highlight of the evening was a generous $60,000 pledge by Mason Korea advisory board member Sam Machour, bringing his total commitment to student scholarships since 2022 to $120,000. Goeun Baek, a scholarship recipient, delivered an emotional speech expressing gratitude to Machour for his transformative impact on her academic journey.

Class of 2024

The week of festivities culminated with Mason Korea faculty, staff, students, and proud families gathering to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2024. Guests also had the opportunity to witness two Mason Korea firsts as Vice Provost Janette Muir hooded its first doctoral graduate, Eric W. Ross, PhD Cultural Studies ’24, and Washington recognized its first Presidential Faculty Excellence Award recipient Eunmee Lee.

Ross and Lee are both Mason Korea faculty members. Ross teaches in the School of Integrative Studies. Lee joined Mason as a faculty member for INTO Mason in 2015. In 2016, she transferred to the Mason Korea faculty in Incheon, where she is currently an instructional associate professor and teaches English for academic purposes. Lee is also the founder and director of Mason Korea’s Academic Resource Center.

Graduating senior Se Na Julsdorf, BA Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’24, delivered a moving speech on behalf of the student body, and George Mason alum Gunsu Kim, BS Tourism and Events Management ’12, CEO of ALLWorks, had the honor of pinning the newest graduates.

In his congratulatory remarks, Washington highlighted the campus’s unique role, stating, “Mason Korea exemplifies how George Mason is 'All Together Different' and how our university offers students the experiences necessary to chart their own path, but at the same time prepares them for success in the global economy.”

Meet Some Mason Korea Alumni
As students who have studied in both Korea and the United States, Mason Korea students have a world of options on where to start their careers.
Learn about a few alumni who chose to start their careers in the United States >

Learn more about Mason Korea

Meet Some Mason Korea Alumni

Colleen Rich — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:32:56 +0000

Meet Some Mason Korea Alumni Colleen Rich Thu, 08/29/2024 - 16:32

Almost 100 students a year travel from Mason Korea to spend time taking classes on George Mason’s Virginia campuses. Here are some alumni who have chosen to kick off their careers in the United States.

Nara Lee, BA Global Affairs ’20, is the program manager at the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington for the Centers for Disease Control's national Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program. While at Mason Korea, Lee was an active teaching and research assistant in conflict analysis and resolution, computational and data sciences, and climate change programming, all while being an avid student leader. She earned a master's degree in global health economy from Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2023.

Haseung (Madeline) Joung, BA Global Affairs ’20, is the manager for public relations and social media at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. Joung started her career in journalism as a reporting intern for Voice of America in Washington, D.C., at the height of the pandemic. Her passion for media led her to be the public relations officer and staff writer for the Korean Culture and Information Service in Seoul, South Korea, the government institution that brought her back to her current role at one of the 32 cultural centers worldwide.

Eun Seok (Peter) Jang, BS Accounting ’22, is a tax consultant for business tax services at Deloitte in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Da Jung (Michelle) Jung, BA Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’20, is a policy research analyst for the Political Affairs Division of the Republic of Korea Embassy in Washington, D.C. Jung interned at Fairfax County’s workplace conflict awareness program and George Mason’s Early Identification Program as an undergraduate and worked for several international organizations in South Korea before coming back to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. In 2023 she graduated from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies with an MA in international relations.

Seulki (Michaela) Kim, BS Information Technology ’20, is an associate for forensic services at Charles River Associates in Washington, D.C. As a student, Kim worked with various offices on the Fairfax Campus, including in the Office of University Branding, INTO Mason, the Department of Computer Science, and the Facilities Help Desk. Kim expects to graduate this winter with a master’s degree in digital forensics from George Mason.

Saeyeon Kwon, BA Global Affairs ’22, is an incoming environmental, social, and governance (ESG) intern for the stewardship team at Sands Capital in Arlington, Virginia, following several internships in ESG impact investment. Kwon recently graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in environment and sustainability management.

Learn more about Mason Korea

Building a Bridge

Colleen Rich — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:48:47 +0000

Building a Bridge Colleen Rich Thu, 08/29/2024 - 15:48

Since 2014, INTO ��AV has offered classes to more than 3,000 international students from 70 countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

INTO students at move in. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

A collaboration between George Mason and INTO University Partnerships, INTO Mason offers both undergraduate and graduate pathway programs for international students who want to study at George Mason.

“Our programs are designed to help students improve their English skills, understand the U.S. academic world, and provide them with wrap-around support so they succeed once they are fully immersed in their academic studies at George Mason,” says Todd Rose, executive director of INTO Mason.

Students who have gone through the INTO Mason programs are typically successful in their chosen studies, says Aimee Weinstein, DA Higher Education ’06, INTO Mason term assistant professor. For example, 82 percent of students who start in an INTO Mason graduate pathway program go on to graduate with a master’s degree.

“At INTO Mason, everyone—from professors to enrollment specialists—is really focused on student success,” says Weinstein. “That translates into students who feel confident that they can succeed and are encouraged every step of the way.”

Learn more about INTO Mason

Next Stop, the World

Colleen Rich — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:50:53 +0000

Next Stop, the World Colleen Rich Thu, 08/29/2024 - 14:50

At this moment, there is a member of the Mason Nation on just about every continent of the globe: conducting research, mastering a language, learning a new skill, and acquiring new knowledge.

For decades, ��AV has advanced global learning opportunities and fostered international research. We have leveraged partnerships like INTO ��AV to bring thousands of international students to George Mason from more than 130 countries and speaking 80 languages, while providing courses in nearly two dozen countries each year through the Global Education Office (GEO) for those who wish to study abroad.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the university’s campus and operations in South Korea. Mason Korea launched in Songdo in March 2014 as part of the Incheon Global Campus, a national project established by the Korean government and Incheon Metropolitan City to innovate the Korean education system and nurture the next generation of global leaders.

More than 1,000 students, representing more than 18 countries, are currently studying at Mason Korea, and that success has led to conversations exploring similar partnerships.

“I’ve always appreciated that Mason’s U.S. campuses are so international. So when students from our U.S. campuses go to Mason Korea, they are not encountering an international campus for the first time, but different kinds of internationalism,” says Robert Matz, the former dean of Mason Korea. “This shared—but different— internationalism in one reason I think Mason Korea has been so successful.”

It is all part of preparing students for success in an increasingly international and interconnected world. Expanding and enriching George Mason’s global footprint is a priority—making it critical for the university to reimagine and redesign George Mason’s global vision and establish a path forward.

Enter Chrishon Blackwell, an organizational development leader with a deep understanding of international education, as the senior international officer and executive director of the Global Education Office (GEO).

Since arriving at George Mason in 2023, Blackwell has been identifying how to leverage the university’s resources in ways that will further enhance students’ experiences while simultaneously exploring ways for the university to maintain global competitiveness and strengthen relationships with its global partners.

“The goal is to create stronger global citizens and to do that it is critically important to identify, help facilitate, and advance what’s already happening on campus,” says Blackwell. “If GEO is to provide students opportunities to immerse themselves in holistic activities that result in individuals who can compete on [an] international scale, we need to think more intentionally about what impacts them across the disciplines.”

GEO offers a variety of study-abroad program options, ranging from short-term to semester-long experiences. The programs are organized into four distinct categories.

George Mason-led Programs

These are the traditional study-abroad experiences that many George Mason alumni remember. As the name suggests, these programs are led by George Mason faculty and usually run over winter break, spring break, and during the summer. A few programs are offered for an entire semester, and there is often course credit attached.

During the 2023-24 academic year, 670 students traveled to 29 locations on short-term programs and 25 students went on semester-long experiences.

In March 2023, two different groups of Schar School of Policy and Government students traveled to the southern border of the United States and Mexico to experience firsthand the policy debates on both sides of the immigration issue.

Other trips included studying criminal justice in the United Kingdom and Ireland and a trip to the Balkans to look at reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction.

Schar School graduate students at the Mexican senate in Mexico City. Not only did the Schar School students receive a shout out from the Senate floor, they were invited to a briefing in a committee room and to sit at Senate desks. Photo provided.

Global Gateway

In this program, first-year students can spend their fall semester at George Mason and their spring semester at one of 10 different locations in such countries as Costa Rica, Morocco, or Greece.

Global Gateway is specifically designed for first-year students with a curriculum that allows students to satisfy many core requirements while taking advantage of local expertise. During the fall semester, students enroll in GEOC 108 Mason Transitions on the Fairfax Campus with fellow Global Gateway participants. In the spring, they travel with a cohort to another country. According to Jon May, GEO’s assistant director for Global Gateway, the program hosted 108 first-year students in 11 cohorts—two in Korea—during the spring 2024 semester.

Global Internships

The university’s Global Internships Program allows undergraduate and graduate students to learn more about their chosen field of study and earn course credits with travel, virtual, and hybrid internships during winter break and the summer, fall, and spring semesters. Students are placed with companies that align with their field of study and spend the term absorbing knowledge and the country’s culture, whether in person or virtually.

“Our existing programs cover 35 different career fields with many crossovers,” said Kelly McNulty, experiential programs manager for GEO. “Students also have the opportunity to create their own internship by finding and applying to an internship and working with our team to set it up for course credit.”

In 2023-24, 103 students from George Mason interned across the globe with companies in 21 countries. The top travel destinations were Japan, Argentina, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Korea, India, Italy, Czech Republic, Morocco, Germany, and Australia.

Hiking glaciers in New Zealand. Photo provided by Global Education Office

Partner Schools

George Mason works with dozens of partners worldwide and was able to send 89 students to more than 16 locations during the 2023–24 academic year. While most students enrolled in semester-long programs, some enrolled in an international summer school.

One of the most popular study-abroad programs in this category is also George Mason’s most prestigious—the Oxford Semester, which launched in 1995. Each semester, a small group of high-achieving George Mason undergraduate and graduate students is selected to study in the United Kingdom as affiliated students at one of the 39 Oxford colleges.

Other partner schools include a number of universities in Australia, France, and Japan; Ghent University in Belgium; and Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

Global Residencies

Outside GEO, there are additional opportunities to study abroad and even some programs that require it.

In the mid-1990s, George Mason’s Costello College of Business began requiring its graduate students to participate in a global residency. These residencies offer firsthand experience on how business is conducted outside of the United States and highlight the importance of acknowledging the cultural differences that exist between countries.

Global residencies are typically 10-day travel and business experiences where students are immersed in educational programming including company visits, discussions with industry leaders, meetings with executives, and cultural excursions. Faculty play an integral leadership and mentoring role before, during, and after the residency.

For students, these trips are typically the most memorable class of their graduate program. Since the program’s inception, students have participated in more than 100 residencies around the globe. This summer, seven groups traveled to Dubai, Japan, Greece, South Africa, Brazil, Ireland, and France.

Travel Fellowships and International Exchanges

The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center, part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, offers travel fellowships to graduate students in George Mason’s Creative Writing Program. These awards are designed to help students pursue an international writing project.

Since the program began in 2017, fellowships have taken George Mason students to the Philippines to learn more about World War II Filipino resistance fighters and to Germany to research the life of 12th-century abbess Hildegard of Bingen, who was one of the few female authors of medieval Europe.

The Cheuse Center also hosts established and emerging international writers for a residency in Northern Virginia. These visiting writers continue their creative work, teach classes, and take part in events that highlight international literature. This residency seeks to strengthen the bonds between George Mason, Washington, D.C., and international literary communities. In 2023, the center hosted award-winning novelist Juan Gómez Bárcena from Madrid, Spain.

Students visited Strasbourg Cathedral in France on one Winter 2023 trip. Photo provided by Global Education Office

Reimagining George Mason’s Global Footprint

Following a thorough review of George Mason’s current international offerings, Blackwell recently identified a series of priorities in research, teaching, and engagement to expand the university’s global footprint. These priorities include initiatives such as exploring ways to support George Mason’s global research activities and collaborations, examining strategies to globalize the student learning experience, and conducting a comprehensive review of George Mason’s international partnerships.

George Mason’s revamped global engagement and emphasis on global learning signifies a deep commitment to advancing the university’s internationalization efforts. Not only will it elevate the student experience and provide valuable opportunities for faculty to engage globally, but it will also include perspectives from alumni and partners who can assist in establishing new initiatives.

Looking forward, Blackwell says this new centralized direction will allow the university to “think creatively and boldly about ways to expand international capacity” and will “make George Mason a rich and diverse tapestry that will ensure the university is competitive around the world while meeting the community’s needs.”

Jennifer Anzaldi, Achim Loch, Ryley McGinnis, Colleen Kearney Rich, and Pam Shepherd contributed to this story.

Building a Bridge
Discover how INTO Mason offers pathways for international students who want to study at George Mason

Connect with the Global Education Office

Exploring the Complexity of the U.S.–Mexico Border

Colleen Rich — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:41:29 +0000

Exploring the Complexity of the U.S.–Mexico Border Colleen Rich Thu, 08/29/2024 - 14:41

This March, during spring break, two groups of ��AV students headed to the southern border.

Michal McElwain Malur, BA International Studies ’96, MA ’97, director of external programs at the Schar School of Policy and Government, helped plan the trips in coordination with the university’s Global Education Office.

Photo courtesy of the Schar School.

Malur says Schar School students have been taking study-abroad trips to Mexico annually for the past 20 years. The Mexico study-abroad experience is one of about five trips a year that Malur plans for the school. “Since the inception of its study-abroad program, the Schar School has prioritized providing students with opportunities to explore consequential policy problems facing the United States today,” says Malur, who assembled the itinerary and has helped lead a trip to the border for the past two years.

Each spring, a different professor teaches the three-credit course POGO 550 Topics in Policy and Government, which includes a weeklong trip to the border, and focuses on related current events such as trade, immigration, and security. This semester Schar School professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a foremost expert on border and immigration policy, taught the class.

The other border trip was part of a one-credit course offered to members of the Schar School’s International Relations Policy Task Force (IRTF) to witness the causes and consequences of competing narratives surrounding border dynamics. Led by Schar School professor Eric McGlinchey, the task force invites upper-level students to engage with pressing global challenges by pursuing a research topic of interest, networking with subject area experts, and working collaboratively to propose policy solutions.

“The fact that the trips were both at the border is a testament to the Schar School commitment of offering our students the opportunity to experience firsthand policy debates and see the consequences of the most important policies of the time,” says Malur.

Brownsville and Mexico City

Following President Biden’s highly publicized visit to Brownsville, Texas, graduate students in POGO 550 traveled to the U.S.–Mexico border town.

“We spent one whole day at the border, specifically at the border wall, and we spoke at length with a local editor about border security,” says Correa-Cabrera. “It was important to see this issue through the eyes of someone who covers it for newspapers for a population that relies on accurate information.”

Along the way, the group met with top industry and government leaders on both sides of the border, with whom they discussed the ongoing issues at the top of international headlines.

“Putting a face to the border was fascinating,” says Davis Kaderli, who is working on a master of public policy degree. “It is much more complex than the majority of Americans understand. What I actually saw isn’t what the mass media often portrays.”

For instance, while in Brownsville, the students heard harrowing stories of inadequate services provided to Americans in need along the border. In nearby Boca Chica, during a visit to the SpaceX complex, students met with residents in government partnerships and discussed how SpaceX impacts their community.

Students then visited Mexico City and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where they had the opportunity to engage in conversations with decision-makers and attend lectures.

“Mexico was having elections in June this year,” Correa-Cabrera says. “The United States is having them in November. We put these elections in context for the students.”

Upon arriving in Mexico City, the students received a briefing from Miguel Siliceo, the senior economic advisor to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The students were officially welcomed during a federal senate session followed by a meeting with the Vice President of the Senate, Mexican senator Sergio Perez Flores. The students say they gained insights from Mexican officials and policymakers on mutual challenges, as well as new avenues for cooperation and engagement.

“We had ridiculous access on this [trip], from [Obrador’s] senior economic advisor to a legislative briefing at the Mexican federal senate by the vice president of the senate,” says Chris Williams, who is working on a master’s degree in global commerce and policy.

Students also met with senior diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and received a briefing on the challenges in current U.S.–Mexico relations. “[That] was my favorite session,” says Anduela Johnson, who is working on a master’s degree in international security. “It was interesting to hear how they are managing security issues and balancing economic implications. They see the relationship with the United States and our shared border differently.”

“I really valued the range of perspectives we heard,” says government and international politics major Gabe Dole.

El Paso and Juárez

This was the second year that the task force took students to El Paso and Juárez, says McGlinchey, who also led the trip. This year’s theme focused on competing narratives about migration at the border.

“This was an ideal location to learn, firsthand, how government action and inaction on questions of migration directly affect communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border,” says McGlinchey.

Abara, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering peace through educational programs around immigration and border realities, hosted the IRTF students. Working with the nonprofit and engaging with local community members and activists helped the George Mason students cultivate a deeper comprehension of border dynamics and the individuals affected.

Abara provided the students with volunteer experiences in some of the 32 shelters they work with both in El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico. The objective of these experiences was to allow students to engage with those directly impacted by the border issues, particularly migrants, through community service activities, such as assisting in the kitchen and garden.

“Being able to directly interact with migrants facing challenges at the border and putting faces to the topics often discussed in political discourse was incredible and provided me with an experience I will never forget,” says government and international politics major Kaylee Fernandez.

“The media often shape public opinion on immigration yet fail to capture the perspectives of the migrants themselves,” Fernandez says. “That is why volunteering in the shelters was an unforgettable experience for me.”

As an intern on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, Fernandez says the trip will continue to shape her perspective for years to come. “This experience has forever changed how I will approach drafting memos and understanding legislation related to immigration.”

Students visited the border in Juárez. Photo courtesy of the Schar School.

Beyond volunteering in shelters, students had the opportunity to explore historical and political landmarks, engage with governmental and nongovernmental representatives, and connect with faculty and students from institutions in Juárez. One of the speakers was George Mason alum Sophia Wozniak, BA History; Government and International Politics ’19, who works as a project and data evaluator at the Emergence Health Network, a local mental health authority for the El Paso community.

Wozniak had taken the spring break border trip during her time at George Mason and says it influenced her career choices. “The Schar School was such a huge catalyst in the dominos of me ending up where I am now,” she says. “If it were not for the spring break trip to Mexico, I would have never discovered my deep interest in immigration issues and policy work.”

Public administration major William Barker, who was on their second trip to the border, had a similar experience. “The trip encouraged openness, dialogue, and connection, and the scenic overlook of El Paso and Juárez served as a poignant reminder of the diverse narratives and shared humanity that transcend borders,” they say.

“[This trip] reaffirmed my passion for international relations and helped me confirm what I want to do after graduation.”

Mariem El Gazzah, Aidan Jacobs, and Colleen Kearney Rich contributed to this article.

Find your own Opportunities

Studying abroad offers a wide range of benefits, including immersion in a new culture, broadening your perspectives, and creating lifelong memories.

See what Schar has planned for 2025 >

View all global education opportunities at George Mason >

Five Things to Know about George Mason’s First Space Mission

Colleen Rich — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:11:44 +0000

Five Things to Know about George Mason’s First Space Mission Colleen Rich Thu, 08/29/2024 - 14:11

Scientists know the universe is expanding, which is measured by calculating the brightness of numerous stars and by the number of photons-per-second they emit. But the next breakthroughs will require more accurate measurements, and that’s where George Mason is stepping in. The university is leading Landolt, a $19.5 million NASA space mission that will put an artificial “star” in orbit around Earth.

Here’s what’s to come:

Led by astronomy professor Peter Plavchan, faculty members and students from the College of Science and the College of Engineering and Computing will work together with staff from NASA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and nine other organizations on a first-of-its-kind project for a university in the Washington, D.C., area.
The artificial star will allow scientists to calibrate telescopes and more accurately measure the brightness of a wide range of stars—from those nearby to the distant explosions of supernovae in far-off galaxies. By establishing absolute flux calibration, the mission will begin to address several open challenges in astrophysics including the speed and acceleration of the universe’s expansion.
The mission is named for late astronomer Arlo Landolt, who compiled the widely used catalogs of stellar brightness through the 1990s.
The payload, which is the size of a proverbial bread box, will be built in partnership with NIST, a world leader in measuring photon emissions. “This calibration under known laser wavelength and power will remove effects of atmosphere filtration of light and allow scientists to significantly improve measurements,” says electrical engineering professor Piotr Pachowicz, who is leading this component of the mission.
The artificial star, expected to launch in 2029, will orbit 22,236 miles above Earth, far enough away to look like a real star to telescopes back on the ground. This orbit also allows the star to move at the same speed as the Earth’s rotation, keeping it in place over the United States during its first year in space. “This is what is considered an infrastructure mission for NASA, supporting the science in a way that we’ve known we needed to do but with a transformative change in how we do it,” says Plavchan.

"This mission marks another first for George Mason, a milestone that proves our impact as a major public research university that truly knows no bounds,” says President Gregory Washington.

Visit the mission's website

Faur paves the way for exchange student-athletes

Colleen Rich — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:44:39 +0000

Faur paves the way for exchange student-athletes Colleen Rich Tue, 04/23/2024 - 15:44

When ��AV tennis coach Steve Curtis got an email from Maïlys Faur asking to join his team as an exchange student, he didn't think it was possible but he was eager to check into it with our academic and compliance offices.

Maïlys Faur is an exchange student from Toulouse, France, here at George Mason for just one year. Photo by Rafael Suanes/Mason Athletics

"The initial thought was she may not be eligible because she's not working toward a degree at Mason, and there are all these complex NCAA rules," said Curtis. "Deputy Athletic Directors Nena Rogers and Malcolm Grace started looking into it because we hadn't had this situation before. But then we figured out that it was possible because she is working toward a degree at her university [in France] so it applied."

Faur is an exchange student from Toulouse, France, here for just one year as she finishes her degrees at her home university. She's currently finishing up two degrees, in political science and literature, and will return to France to graduate in May.

Her love of tennis started by accident, confusing badminton and tennis at a young age. "When I was little, I played a lot of badminton with my family in the garden," said Faur, who attends Sorbonne Université in Paris. "So when my mom asked if I wanted to play a sport, I said 'yes I want to play tennis,' but I meant badminton. I ended up on the tennis courts, and I just never quit after that."

She played with the same tennis club through high school, but there are no collegiate tennis programs outside of the United States. So when she went to school in Paris, she found a tennis club where she could play casually, but couldn't compete the same way she used to. One of the requirements at her college is an exchange year at another school, so when Faur was picking where she wanted to go, she knew she wanted it to be in the United States so she could play tennis.

Faur says her favorite memory this season was their trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for PTR Springfest where they beat Saint Francis University, 4-3: "That was our first big win against a D1 team and so the energy on the court was nice,” said Faur. “We were screaming during all the points. That was the point where we really came together as a team."

Since joining, Curtis says Faur's been nothing but a positive impact. "She's one of those people that you can't not like. Everyone on the team thinks she's wonderful. She's been a great addition to the team."

Faur has paved a new path with her addition to Mason's women's tennis team: never before has there been an exchange student on a varsity team at George Mason. With this new knowledge of the possibilities, Faur's advice to future exchange student-athletes is: "Try to do it. It was such a great experience, I loved it. If I wasn't on the tennis team, my whole year would have been very different so I'm very grateful. I'm going to miss it so much."

Faur and team travel to Orlando, Florida, to compete at the 2024 Atlantic 10 Tennis Championships, April 24-27.

"I just want to thank Coach Curtis and all my teammates who were so welcoming.," said Faur. "I have so many good memories, and I'm really grateful for everything that happened to me."

Check out George Mason's Women's Tennis Team

Interested in becoming an exchange student?

Mason's new MARC focuses on autonomy, robotics, and responsible AI

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:30:37 +0000

Mason's new MARC focuses on autonomy, robotics, and responsible AI Nathan Kahl Tue, 04/16/2024 - 10:30

Industry executives, campus leaders, faculty, donors and alumni attended the official opening of ��AV’s College of Engineering and Computing’s Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC), but the star of the show was a Boston Dynamics quadruped. As the bright yellow doglike robot held one end of the green ribbon, ��AV President Gregory Washington, MARC co-directors Professors Missy Cummings and Jesse Kirkpatrick cut. Afterward, the quadruped roamed the event, opening doors for attendees and demonstrating its capabilities.

The event showcased Mason’s strength in important, emerging fields. In his welcoming remarks, Dean Ken Ball said, “MARC is the focal point for our research in autonomy, robotics, and AI. Mason truly is a pace-setter in these areas.”

Attendees explored the new facility in Mason’s Research Hall on the Fairfax Campus. The space includes a 1,649-square-foot, two-story aviary for testing drones, areas for lab experiments, faculty offices, collaboration and study areas, and a student lounge.

Mason President Gregory Washington and MARC co-directors Missy Cummings and Jesse Kirkpatrick are aided by a Boston Dynamics "dog" in cutting the ribbon to open the center officially. Photo by John Boal Photography.

During her remarks, Cummings addressed the evolving role of robots in society. “People don’t want autonomy to do their creative jobs,” she said. “They want to do their art, they want to write their stories…what they want is the robot maid. Once we hit world peak population in 55 years, we won’t have enough people to do the jobs we need. The dull, dirty, dangerous jobs are a great place for robots.”

Both Ball and Washington noted that in addition to being a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), the university is focusing on responsible AI, with a graduate certificate in that field launching in fall 2024.

“We’ve been at the forefront of a whole host of outcomes and technologies that have benefited this state and this region," said Washington. "Right here in engineering, we established the first-in-the-country cybersecurity engineering program, so there’s a real lineage of innovation here. Mason will be the only Virginia university to join more than 200 of the nation’s leading AI stakeholders to participate in the Department of Commerce’s initiative to support the development of trustworthy and safe AI.”

“We do autonomy, we robotics, we do AI…but we do it responsibly and that’s in our core,” said Kirkpatrick. “It’s in our principles, policies, practice, and people. It’s across the research enterprise, and it’s in our teaching. The leaders of today, tomorrow, and the day after have to get this right because it’s so absolutely critical.”

Students demonstrate their claw game-like device, named Skygripper, to be used in the upcoming Defend the Republic competition. Photo by John Boal Photography.

Attendees explored the facility and talked to students about projects. Filling the MARC aviary for the event were student-designed “blimps.” These lighter-than-air creations will soon compete in Defend the Republic, an annual event in EagleBank Arena where the autonomous flying devices compete in a Harry Potter quidditch-like game to move a ball into a target hanging from the ceiling.

"Not just for engineering, MARC will be used by numerous colleges and departments across the university for many multidisciplinary projects. This is a collaborative space for our students to work,” said Ball. “And it’s really important they have the opportunity to work in close proximity to our faculty.”

MARC’s opening is another demonstration of Mason’s strength in STEM, which attracts numerous corporate partners. Venkat Potapragada of 22nd Century Technologies attended the event and said, “I’m here because this is a strategic relationship for us and a key component of our overall growth strategy. We depend on talent, and Mason will help us achieve our growth goals. In the D.C. region, Mason is a name to be reckoned with.”

Enroll in the Certificate for Responsible AI

Learn More About the MARC

A native food forest takes root on Mason’s Fairfax Campus

Colleen Rich — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 16:16:51 +0000

A native food forest takes root on Mason’s Fairfax Campus Colleen Rich Mon, 04/15/2024 - 12:16

There is a Chinese proverb that says “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” But what about a forest? Last fall, volunteers planted the beginnings of a “food forest” on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus.

Mason graduate student Sarah Roth gives a tour of the Foragers' Forest. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

In November 2023, Mason students, faculty, and staff gathered to help transplant 1,700 plants of more than 50 native species into two groves near the stream behind Student Union Building I between Aquia Creek Lane and Patriot Circle, on what used to be the site of the Student Apartments, which were razed in 2018.

“We are planting America’s first campus-based native food forest dedicated to feeding both human and animal foragers,” said Mason professor Dann Sklarew of what has been aptly named the Foragers’ Forest.

And like most things in the university’s Living Lab, science helped drive many of the decisions, according to Mason graduate student and lead forest maker Sarah Roth.

Roth, who will graduate in May with an MS in environmental science and policy, is leading the project with Sklarew, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, and University Sustainability Program Manager Doni Nolan, and with administrative support from Mason’s College of Science, Mason Facilities, and University Sustainability. The forest was also made possible with a grant from Amazon Web Services, which the university matched.

An artist's rendering of the Foragers' Forest. Image provided

Roth’s designs for the Foragers’ Forest are based on the work of Japanese botanist and forest ecologist Akira Miyawaki. Designed to create forest cover quickly on degraded land that has been used for such purposes as construction, Miyawaki’s method emphasizes using native plants and trying to reconstruct natural plant communities.

Roth said the Miyawaki method also emphasizes mixing the species in the planting and planting very densely—around three trees/shrubs per square meter—to mimic natural patterns of forest regeneration. The Foragers' Forest adheres to these principles by having a high diversity of plant species and mixed dense planting.

“We were surprised to see how many edible or food-producing plants are native to Fairfax County—strawberries, blueberries, black raspberries, hazelnuts, persimmons, oaks, hickories, and even American chestnuts,” said Roth. “We surrounded our tree clusters with a native meadow that will support pollinators and other meadow-dependent wildlife.”

Sklarew said the site also will serve as a new Living Lab space where students can experiment and “act local” to promote food security, wildlife conservation, climate resilience, and other opportunities to advance sustainability.

Faculty from the College of Science and other colleges are collaborating to identify both curricular and Mason Impact projects to use the space.

Pathways, seating, and signage will lead visitors to forage, learn about the site’s principles and propagation, and enjoy the scenery.

“We're excited to highlight Virginia's natural heritage and indigenous foods in this space,” said Roth, who saw Miyawaki’s forests firsthand during a recent trip to Japan.

The Foragers’ Forest joins a prestigious group: More than 3,000 Miyawaki forests have been successfully planted globally.

“What I love about this project is that it blends everything I’m passionate about: native plants, ecological restoration, and bringing people closer to nature,” said Roth. “Our future depends on us building spaces that serve people and wildlife, and we hope this offers a blueprint others can take and improve on.”

Roth began working as a landscape architect for Fairfax County's stormwater planning division this year. “I’m working to restore healthy forests as part of stream restoration projects. The Foragers' Forest project was integral to me making those connections with county staff.”

Laura Powers and Tracy Mason contributed to this story.

Did you know?

Sarah Roth received a Dean's Award from the College of Science for her efforts in building the food forest.

Get involved with the Forager's Forest

Mason Vision Day: More than a million!

Colleen Rich — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 16:57:34 +0000

Mason Vision Day: More than a million! Colleen Rich Wed, 04/10/2024 - 12:57

Mason Vision Day nets a record wave of support for the university.

Once a year, ��AV invites its community—alumni, faculty, staff, students, and their families–to unite in philanthropy on Mason Vision Day. This year, on April 4, they did so enthusiastically, raising $1,309,345 for the university’s students, research, and programs.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“Mason Vision Day broke the record!” said Trishana Bowden, president of the ��AV Foundation and Mason’s vice president for advancement and alumni relations. “Mason Nation came together, and the impact of the generosity of alumni and donors is truly inspirational.”

For 2024, Mason’s Office of Annual Giving announced that Mason Vision Day would be structured to encourage donors to support the causes that mattered most to them at Mason. This empowered the community to connect with the causes that resonated with their own priorities, from academic disciplines to student scholarship, from athletics to the arts.

On the day of the event, Mason’s University Life division was thrilled to announce an exceptional gift. A longtime friend of the university gave $500,000 to support Mason’s Early Identification Program, or EIP, which supports access to higher education for first-generation students.

“This gift is a game-changer,” said Rose Pascarell, MA ’92, vice president for University Life. “One of the university’s goals is to double the number of students served by EIP, and this incredible gift truly sets us on our way.

“EIP has been serving students in the seven school districts surrounding Mason since 1987, and this gift is a recognition of the work we are doing. It’s a real vote of confidence that this donor believes in our students and our efforts to support their success,” Pascarell added.

Participation in Mason Vision Day was particularly strong among Mason alumni, who accounted for 34% of the gifts. Jenn Robinson, JM ’02, associate vice president for alumni relations, was pleased with the way alumni engaged with the event.

“Our alumni are a very special group,” she said. “They show their Patriot Pride from coast to coast, and around the world, and this enthusiastic support is what we see everywhere we have traveled this year with our Mason Nation Tour.”

“It's the engagement that is absolutely vital,” said Bowden. “It’s that coming together that allows us to make a huge difference. Every individual who joined in to give on Mason Vision Day played a role in creating a wave of support that will be felt now and into the future. We are so very grateful.”

2024 Statistics

1678 total donors
509 new donors
188 students and parents
46 states represented
40% alumni donors
30% community partner donors
16% faculty and staff donors
$1.3 million total raised
$115,000 in challenge gifts
228 funds supported
No. 1 Area Supported: Community/Engagement Programs*

_{*Includes the ��AV Alumni Association and alumni chapters, ADVANCE, and EIP programs}

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