high-tech talent

Mason celebrates the Fuse at Mason Square 'topping out'

Damian Cristodero — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:13:22 +0000

Mason celebrates the Fuse at Mason Square 'topping out' Damian Cristodero Mon, 11/06/2023 - 13:13

On Nov. 3, university officials, regional economic leaders, government partners, media, and students gathered at Fuse at Mason Square to celebrate the building's "topping out," which happens when the structural frame of the building is complete.

Mason President Gregory Washington and Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community, spoke at the event, and hard-hat tours were conducted. Students and faculty demonstrated some of the novel technologies, inventions, and solutions that will flourish at Fuse.

When open—tenant occupancy is scheduled to begin in August 2024—Fuse at Mason Square, the headquarters for the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), will transform the innovation landscape in Arlington, with opportunities for students, researchers, and commercial partners to be part of an immersive atmosphere of ideation and innovation.

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Fuse Topping Out photo essay by Creative Services

Fuse at Mason Square on the rise. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The Fuse topping out celebration was a hot ticket. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Mason President Gregory Washington addresses craftworkers at the topping out ceremony.
Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Liza Wilson Durant talks about the collaborations that will be possible at Fuse at Mason Square. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

President Gregory Washington gets a tour. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Robot dog demonstration by Mason students. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Bioengineering major Gabriel Gibson participates in a demonstration of prosthetic hand.
Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Computer science graduate student Quang Vo demonstrates a work-from-home virtual reality project.
Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Bioengineering students present their capstone design project. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Fuse will open for tenants in August 2024. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

See the full plans for Fuse at Mason Square

Fuse in the Media

How George Mason's new Arlington campus will boost tech education (NBC News)

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Liza Wilson Durant

This content appears in the Spring 2024 print edition of the Mason Spirit Magazine with the title "Celebrating Digital Innovation."

Mason students build drones as part of Commonwealth Cyber Initiative

Colleen Rich — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:11:38 +0000

Mason students build drones as part of Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Colleen Rich Tue, 05/31/2022 - 10:11

In This Story

Mohamed Gebril

��AV Cybersecurity Engineering associate professor Mohamed Gebril led a team of students to the first-ever BattleDrone competition, an exercise coordinated through the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.

Learn about Mason's Cybersecurity Engineering Bachelor's

In April, Mason professor Mohamed Gebril (center in green) took a team of students to Commonwealth Cyber Initiative's BattleDrones Competition at Virginia Tech’s Drone Park. Photo by Peter Means/Virginia Tech

In April, Mohamed Gebril, an associate professor in ��AV’s Cyber Security Engineering Department, took a team of students into “battle.” The team traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia, for a BattleDrones Competition that was hosted by the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) at Virginia Tech’s Drone Park.

Gebril emphasized that the inaugural battle was not really a competition but a learning experience. CCI began working on this competition in 2020, but the pandemic halted its progress. This was the first time the event was held.

“It was not a competition per se. All the teams worked together to get this project off the ground,” said Gebril, who teaches in Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing. “CCI-VT ran into some issues with some of the computer vision tools, but overall it was a great learning experience.”

The main objective of the competition, according to Gebril, was to have student teams assemble their own drones with materials provided by CCI-VT research group, as well as promote interest in these kinds of activities among younger students.

For the competition, Gebril pulled together a team of Mason cyber security engineering majors interested in hands-on opportunities, which included senior Kylie Amison, senior Corrado Apostolakis, senior Brandon Henry, junior Casey Cho, sophomore Zaid Osta, and Mahmoud Zaghloul, an area high school student.

By all accounts, it was a successful trip.

“The team did really well,” Gebril said. “They were able to assemble the drone successfully. We are also working on continuing this project by adding cybersecurity features to enhance this learning experience.”

Will they compete again?

“Yes, indeed,” he said. “Our students love this project and how it applies concepts learned in classrooms toward this hands-on activity.”

CCI is a network of Virginia industry, higher education, and economic development partners dedicated to cybersecurity research, innovation, and workforce development. Mason leads the Northern Virginia Node of the network.

Topics

Students

Department of Cyber Security Engineering

Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI)

College of Engineering and Computing

high-tech talent

Mason Momentum

President Holton talks about tech talent at NOVA Leadership Panel

Colleen Rich — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 19:41:52 +0000

President Holton talks about tech talent at NOVA Leadership Panel Colleen Rich Wed, 10/30/2019 - 15:41

Topics

Mason ranked No. 1 nationally in Cybersecurity Talent Discovery

Melanie Balog — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 18:42:54 +0000

Mason ranked No. 1 nationally in Cybersecurity Talent Discovery Melanie Balog Mon, 07/08/2019 - 14:42

��AV has been recognized as a Cyber FastTrack National “Top Tier College” that is the best in the nation in Cybersecurity Talent Discovery.

Getty Images

Mason recently topped a nationwide Cyber FastTrack field of 5,200 U.S. colleges for the honor, with a contest-best 312 students discovering their aptitude for cybersecurity careers through a competition sponsored by the SANS Technology Institute. Cyber FastTrack is a free online program for college students and graduates that was designed by world leaders in cybersecurity and backed by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and 24 other U.S. governors in the hopes of closing the nation’s cyber skills gap with China and Russia.

Southern Arkansas University’s Main Campus, Austin Peay State University, Michigan State University and Old Dominion University rounded out the top five finishers.

“It is an honor for our university to receive this notice,” said Peggy S. Brouse, a professor within Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering and the director of the nation’s first Bachelor of Science Cyber Security Engineering program. “We have worked very hard in VSE to have superior programs and research in cybersecurity.”

Mason’s Bachelor of Science Cyber Security Engineering program launched in spring 2015, with 28 students graduating three years later. The program has since expanded to nearly 400 students, Brouse said.

“The leadership shown by ��AV is commendable,” said Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute. “Without the talent being discovered in Cyber FastTrack, shortages of elite talent will put the United States at a severe disadvantage in protecting power systems, financial systems and military systems in times of conflict and protecting businesses and personal privacy in peace time. ��AV has set a high bar for other schools in Virginia and in the nation.”

Students from all disciplines are encouraged to enroll in the Cyber FastTrack program. Through the program’s online challenges, quizzes, exams and tutorials, students learn disciplines such as forensics, intrusion detection, security operations, system and network penetration testing and application penetration testing.

The highest performing students were awarded Cyber Honors Academy Scholarships for free training at the SANS Institute. Another 200 well-performing students each received $500 in scholarships toward college tuition.

Plans are already underway at Mason to add a Master of Science in Cyber Security Engineering component to enhance the undergraduate program.

“Because of the importance of cybersecurity in our country,” Brouse said, “I don’t see any limit to the popularity and expansion of the program.”