Robin Rose Parker

Stanley and Rosemary Hayes Jones invest $1.4M in George Mason for STEM education and research

Colleen Rich — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 16:19:45 +0000

Stanley and Rosemary Hayes Jones invest $1.4M in George Mason for STEM education and research Colleen Rich Wed, 12/04/2024 - 11:19

Stanley and Rosemary Hayes Jones continue their legacy of philanthropy at ��AV with a transformative $1 million gift to establish the Stanley and Rosemary Hayes Jones Networking Testbed Lab within the Fuse at Mason Square building.

Photo by William Gallagher

The Stanley and Rosemary Hayes Jones Networking Testbed Lab will be dedicated to network applications including secure communications, advanced antennae systems, next-G and O-RAN innovations, with applications in air transportation, high-speed and autonomous vehicles, smart power grids, intelligent buildings, manufacturing, technology and national defense. Expected to open by June 2025, the lab will support both faculty and student research efforts.

"��AV is deeply grateful for the Jones family's generous investment in our students and faculty and in empowering innovators from across our region," George Mason President Gregory Washington said. "Their support of the testbed lab reflects a commitment to advancing critical research in rapidly developing technologies and fostering a diverse, well-prepared workforce that will serve Northern Virginia employers for decades to come."

The investment qualifies as part of George Mason’s contribution to the commonwealth’s Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), a statewide initiative aimed at increasing degrees in computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing by 2039. The gift also activates a match from the commonwealth through TTIP, increasing the impact to bolster Northern Virginia’s tech talent pipeline. Through TTIP, higher education institutions, private donors, and corporate partners will collectively contribute more than $2 billion to expand Virginia’s tech workforce, starting from early education and extending through college, internships, and employment.

Stanley Jones, a former a surveillance and communications engineer and first-generation college graduate, is dedicated to providing opportunities for future generations.

“Throughout my career in engineering, I saw the power of access to advanced research and technology. I’m excited about the possibilities this new testbed lab will bring, providing George Mason students with hands-on experiences in a cutting-edge field,” he said. Rosemary Hayes Jones, who served the Northern Virginia community as a real estate agent for more than 35 years, shares this commitment to advancing education and community impact. “We believe that investing in education and innovation is essential to fostering a thriving community and a strong workforce.”

This gift follows a $400,000 commitment to the Early Identification Program (EIP) given to George Mason in 2023. The EIP funding supports two program initiatives: the EIP STEM Fusion Expansion, a K-12 program to increase the number of first-generation students pursuing STEM fields, and the Stanley and Rosemary Jones STEM Scholars Program, which provides direct support to EIP students pursuing STEM majors.

“Stanley Jones exemplifies the potential of first-generation students. When given opportunities, these students excel,” said Rose Pascarell, vice president of University Life for George Mason. “This investment in EIP will expand access to STEM fields, and the impact will extend beyond ��AV to benefit the Northern Virginia community."

Established in 1987, EIP provides critical resources to first-generation middle and high school students in partnership with seven Virginia school districts. The program serves more than 900 students annually, providing them and their families with the resources and guidance needed to navigate postsecondary education.

The Joneses’ gift to EIP accelerates George Mason’s efforts to close the achievement gap for first-generation college students in STEM and supports the STEM Fusion program, which offers students supplemental STEM coursework and expands the program’s reach to serve more students in neighboring counties.

Additionally, the Stanley and Rosemary Jones STEM Scholars initiative will support a cohort of 10 EIP graduates attending George Mason as STEM majors. With professional mentoring, cultural and career programming, and internship opportunities—including placements at MITRE, Jones's former employer—the program is designed to strengthen retention and career readiness for these students.

“As a first-generation student, I worked my way through undergraduate school and then received a fellowship to attend graduate school. The fellowship made all the difference—it allowed me to pursue a successful career as an engineer,” said Stanley Jones. “Through our support for the ��AV Early Identification Program and the internship and mentorship support from MITRE, we are hoping to give a similar opportunity to other deserving students.”

The Joneses' gifts are part of Mason Now: Power the Possible, George Mason’s historic billion-dollar campaign to advance student success, research, innovation, stewardship, and community engagement—laying the foundation for a transformative legacy that will shape the future of the university and uplift the entire region for generations.

Learn more about Fuse at Mason Square

Topics

Early Identification Program (EIP)

College of Engineering and Computing

Annie Yu was able to turn internship into a career in a top 10 market

Colleen Rich — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 16:36:30 +0000

Annie Yu was able to turn internship into a career in a top 10 market Colleen Rich Wed, 10/09/2024 - 12:36

Annie Yu always wanted a career in television, and she knew that earning a degree would be the first step on her path.

Annie Yu. Photo provided

Immigrating to the United States from South Korea in 1985, Yu would have to overcome obstacles like tuition costs and navigating through an unknown higher education environment. She was also concerned about leaving home and not being available to work with her parents in their Washington, D.C., carryout restaurant.

"We were very close. The thought of going away to college frightened me because my parents relied on me," Yu said. "I'm the child of immigrants, and their English wasn't great. They needed my help."

Yu's solution came in the form of a scholarship to ��AV, alleviating tuition costs and allowing Yu to commute to campus from her family’s home in Virginia. "Having such a great university in our backyard was the best option for someone like me. It all worked out," she said. "I landed at George Mason, and I have zero regrets."

Today, Yu anchors WUSA9's weekday morning show, Get Up DC, and she'll return to the university community to honor its successful alumni on October 17 when she emcees the 2024 Celebration of Distinction, the university's longest-running event highlighting alumni achievements.

Yu is a proud Patriot with fond memories of her college days. As a student, she stacked her classes, immersed herself in campus culture, and found her community. She also believes that George Mason's diverse student body helped lessen her fears about the college environment.

"The diversity was significant. You walk into a room, and you want to feel like part of the room and not an outsider," said Yu. "It was like the United Nations: every race, every background represented. It made me feel comfortable."

Acceptance was important for Yu. As a student pursuing a newscasting career, she was frequently warned that she was choosing a difficult road. But Yu was undeterred. "I knew that I wanted to do it, and I was so dang determined," she said. "I put my blinders up and kept focusing on it."

At George Mason, Yu not only earned an excellent education, but she also benefited from the university's proximity to Washington, D.C., one of the nation's top 10 media markets. Taught by professors with strong ties to the region’s media, George Mason communication students often have a direct connection into newsrooms in the nation’s capital. Yu was initially introduced to Wisdom Martin, her Get Up DC co-host, when he visited her George Mason classroom as a guest speaker.

Annie Yu (right) with her George Mason mentor Rodger Smith. Photo provided

College of Humanities and Social Sciences professor Rodger Smith was one of Yu's instructors and has stayed in contact with her over the years. As a senior instructor and an academic and faculty advisor for WGMU Radio, Smith encourages his journalism students to take advantage of the George Mason-Washington, D.C., connection. "I've been advising students, if you're considering journalism, get that internship while you are here. Hopefully, an internship will expose you to creating B-roll or shadowing a reporter. Maybe even working in the studio and as a producer," said Smith. "There are no entry-level positions in the professional world because the professional world expects you to know something."

Yu credits Smith's advice for helping to propel her to where she is today. "That was the message: Get out there and get that hands-on, real-world experience," she said.

And Yu made the most of the Fox 5 internship she held as an undergraduate. "I worked very hard. I poured my heart into it," she said. "I got to know every single person in that building from top to bottom. And I made sure that they knew my name before I left."

Yu's hustle turned her internship into a permanent position. "The day before graduation the news director said, 'I don't know what I want to do with you, but I want to offer you a position here.' And I told her, 'Thank you. Can I just have a day to think about it?'”

After sharing the news at home, Yu's mother said, "You don't have a job, and you graduate tomorrow. You better go back in there and accept that job."

And she did. Yu began in the Fox 5 newsroom and hasn't left the Washington, D.C., market since. It's an unusual career journey for any TV journalist, as the typical path leads through small markets before offering an opportunity to work in a major city. But not for Yu.

"I am so grateful to George Mason because it allowed me to achieve my dream. Twenty-one years in a top 10 market," Yu said. "Right out of George Mason."

Find your own internship through George Mason

Connect with the Alumni Association

Topics

Alumni

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Communication

internships

Mason launches TTIP Thematic Initiative to grow multidisciplinary teams of diverse faculty

Colleen Rich — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 15:56:39 +0000

Mason launches TTIP Thematic Initiative to grow multidisciplinary teams of diverse faculty Colleen Rich Mon, 04/12/2021 - 11:56

In This Story

Siddhartha Sikdar

Christopher A. Carr

Sanmay Das

When Christopher Carr learned about ��AV’s initiative to hire clusters of faculty around a singular theme, he saw an opportunity to take on a social justice challenge from an unexpected position.

Carr, the College of Engineering and Computing’s chief diversity officer, had an idea for a Social Justice, Engineering, and Computing proposal centered on technology’s impact on historically marginalized communities—a decidedly political focus for a team that would work closely with engineers.

Christopher Carr

“Many times engineers will say, ‘We're not political; we're not involved in social issues. We solve infrastructural and technical and mechanical problems,’” said Carr. “But when we’re looking at the impact of technology and who it may be harming, these infrastructural and technical and mechanical problems are political and social.”

Challenging traditional ways of thinking is exactly the point of the TTIP Faculty Thematic Hiring Initiative—Mason’s new action to promote multidisciplinary education, research and collaboration in computing. The initiative is part of the university’s effort to support Virginia’s Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), the plan to ensure that Amazon and the state’s tech sector have a strong and sustainable talent pipeline. As Virginia’s largest and most diverse public university, and its largest producer of tech talent, Mason figures prominently in the performance-based plan, which calls for 25,000 additional graduates in computer science, computer engineering and software engineering over the next 20 years.

“The TTIP program has provided a great opportunity for Mason to increase faculty diversity and focus them on critical national issues.” said Provost Mark Ginsberg. “The initiative is a creative way to support Virginia’s TTIP program’s charge. It will help to bring down barriers as it relates to the faculty and the selected themes. It’s a bold move designed to make a big impact.”

Last fall, faculty teams were invited to submit proposals describing thematic hiring opportunities. The decision committee evaluated 14 proposals for innovation and timeliness, alignment with Mason strengths, recruiting plans and hiring strategies.

Three proposals emerged as the top selections—the Computational Systems Biomedicine theme, led by Bioengineering’s Siddhartha Sikdar and Juan Cebral; Carr’s Social Justice, Engineering and Computing proposal; and Computer Science professor Sanmay Das’s AI, Society, and Public Policy proposal, which eventually merged with the Social Justice proposal to form an even more powerful unified theme of AI, Social Justice, and Public Policy.

Proposal teams comprise Computer Science, Statistics and Information Science and Technology faculty from the proposed School of Computing who teamed up with faculty colleagues in other academic departments, colleges and schools.

“We had many ideas with great potential, but the committee agreed that the themes selected have the potential to focus and advance research in critical areas of national importance,” said Aurali Dade, interim vice president of research and the decision committee chair.

Sanmay Das

For the AI, Social Justice, and Public Policy proposal team, the multidisciplinary focus will give Mason an entree into the national discussions around artificial intelligence (AI) and technology. Algorithms are wielding increasing power, often without safeguards or government regulations. The proposal reflects the growing concern that unconscious bias may be creeping into systems that affect areas such as mortgage approval, credit scores and hiring practices, often with destructive outcomes for affected communities.

For Das, this cluster hire will focus on interrupting systemic bias and will also identify ways to use AI to embed “fairness, accountability and transparency” into algorithmic decision making.

“We want to approach this from a broader perspective and go beyond technical definitions of fairness and really think about how algorithms can contribute to justice,” said Das.

The Computational Systems Biomedicine team is focused on the opportunities of data integration.

“Our health care system is very fragmented,” said Sikdar. “We have specialists who care for patients, and there is a lot of data and knowledge that is available, not only about these individual patients and their underlying conditions, but also the environment where they live, their communities and their socio-economic status.”

Sikdar says the goal is to utilize this broad knowledge base to deliver “precision medicine.”

“Everyone now recognizes that you can’t just treat the symptoms,” said Sikdar. “You have to take a more holistic view so that we can personalize treatments and care coordination for the individual.”

Recruited faculty will use computational methods to leverage Mason’s strengths to engage with medical, industrial and federal collaborators in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region.

“Mason already has significant strengths in computing, systems biology, bioengineering, epidemiology and health informatics,” Sikdar said. “What we are missing is what we call ‘system integrators,’ people who have the methodological expertise to bridge these gaps.”

Siddhartha Sikdar

Each team will recruit up to four tenure-line faculty over the next three years, and the allocated funds will be dedicated to faculty salaries, start-up packages and other infrastructure needs. Faculty recruited under this program may start their appointments at Mason in spring 2022 or fall 2023.

Sikdar’s team will hire four tenured/tenure-track faculty who will form a cluster between five participating departments/schools: Bioengineering, Systems Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Statistics.

The AI cluster will hire four faculty specializing in fairness, accountability and transparency in AI (Departments of Computer Science and Computational and Data Sciences); social justice, and the governance of AI and big data (Schar School of Policy and Government); the intersection of technology with historically marginalized communities (Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution), and the ethics of AI (Department of Philosophy in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences).

For Sikdar, diverse perspectives will be a critical part of the new team’s approach.

“We want many different ways to think about the problems. Disciplinary diversity is critical, and it is also important to recruit from underrepresented groups,” said Sikdar. “We know there are significant disparities in health that need to be factored into a systems medicine model. We need people with lived experiences who are not only motivated to address those gaps, but also have the right expertise to do it.”

Topics

Campus News

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Faculty and Staff News

Artificial Intelligence

diversity

Mason’s Continuing and Professional Education repositions for better college-to-career alignment

Colleen Rich — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 15:14:12 +0000

Mason’s Continuing and Professional Education repositions for better college-to-career alignment Colleen Rich Wed, 01/06/2021 - 10:14

Continuing and Professional Education Executive Director Marc Austin presenting to regional employers pre-COVID. Photo by John Boal

When Marc Austin assumed leadership of ��AV’s Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) in 2019, the higher education “skills gap” was a trending topic nationally. Universities like Mason were recognizing the advantage of stronger relationships with industries as tech companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Facebook were directly engaging colleges to specifically design academic programs focused on the skills that aligned with their new technologies.

This year, that trending topic has become a national imperative as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the nation’s shift toward a digital economy, exposing and widening the gap between the skills employees have and the skills employers actually need.

Austin’s time at Mason has been largely focused on this specific challenge—first as the executive director of new ventures and now in his expanded role as the executive director of CPE.

“In CPE, our number one job is to support Mason colleges in developing and delivering typically noncredit professional certification for entry-level and middle managers looking to advance their careers,” Austin said. “And we’re increasingly focused on serving dislocated workers with degrees. Our aim is to help them fill a skill gap that improves their eligibility for a career switch. The demand for Mason to provide this kind of ‘upskilling’ is definitely on the rise.”

For more than 35 years, CPE’s objective has been to bring the university to professionals seeking to advance in their careers, and it’s a goal that fits squarely within Mason’s mission.

CPE engages nearly 3,000 students each year. Mason’s schools and colleges deliver the academic content, and CPE manages enrollment and fiscal management, marketing and communications—and now digital credentialing.

“Providing access to excellence is an important Mason value that is promoted through continuing professional education programs that are offered at a low cost and provide recognition with industry-valued microcredentials,” said Provost Mark Ginsberg. “CPE provides a valuable benefit by supporting area professionals as they propel forward their careers while also facilitating the continued upskilling of our region’s workforce.”

CPE is helping Mason address the skills gap from multiple perspectives.

“One way to do this is to have employers be clear about what they are looking for, but we can also be more transparent about what we do,” Austin said. “Mason does a great job of getting our students prepared for their careers, but we need to make sure that employers understand what skills are embedded within our programs—and we can do that through credentialing.”

In Spring 2019, the Volgenau School of Engineering launched a digital technology credential designed to help liberal arts and nontechnical students build in-demand “digital” skills, based on input from regional employers like Northrop Grumman, Capital One and others.

CPE is finalizing a second credential with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Department of English. The new credential is backed by the Center for Public Safety Excellence, one of the nation’s largest public safety industry associations, and will offer technical writing skills for frontline emergency workers.

In summer 2020, Austin led a working group that explored how to introduce micro-credentials to Mason, resulting in the new Micro-Credentials at Mason program that was introduced to the university community starting in the fall.

Micro-credentials are smaller units of learning that reflect a student’s skill development and achievement embedded in one or more courses. They have the added benefit of highlighting the less transparent skills mastered within a course, and offer Mason faculty an opportunity to innovate and augment their curricula with applied skills.

“Mason’s micro-credentialing effort brings our faculty closer to our industry partners and opportunities to engage and incorporate emerging industry use cases and applications for the principles and theories they are teaching,” says Liza Wilson Durant, associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement at the Volgenau School. “This industry engagement also leads to connections between industry technology needs and our faculty expertise, which may fuel new research endeavors for both students and faculty.”

The micro-credential working group is planning a series of webinars and small group discussions designed to help the university community understand how to create micro-credentials in alignment with curricular and professional needs.

“In a digital economy, learning has to extend beyond the traditional bachelor’s degree program,” said Austin. “Our core ambition is to continue to make higher education accessible to people who already have degrees. We want to extend Mason excellence across a lifetime of learning.”

Topics

Campus News

Continuing and Professional Education CPE

digital skills

Micro-credentialing

Mason AVP appointed to Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority

Colleen Rich — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 15:49:29 +0000

Mason AVP appointed to Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority Colleen Rich Thu, 08/06/2020 - 11:49

Paula Sorrell, ��AV’s associate vice president for innovation and economic development, has been selected by Gov. Ralph Northam to serve on the new Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA). The founding members of the partnership were announced on July 31.

Sorrell (photo provided)

Established in the bipartisan Commonwealth of Virginia Innovation Partnership Act, the newly formed authority was founded to advance technology-based economic development across the state. From research to seed funding, commercialization to job and business growth, VIPA is designed to grow the tech sector within Virginia.

“Paula Sorrell’s appointment to the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority is a tremendous opportunity for Mason and the commonwealth,” said President Gregory Washington. “Paula brings a wealth of experience in the world of innovation and economic development, from research to business development to job creation. We are proud to have her represent Mason on this new authority and advance our efforts to deliver a strong return on investment for our students and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Before coming to Mason, Sorrell was the director of the Economic Growth Institute at the University of Michigan. She also served as vice president of entrepreneurship, innovation and venture capital for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, overseeing $1 billion under management and $110 million in new investments to build Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including new university lab-to-market programs, seed-funding programs, and portfolio investments. She also developed a series of programs to increase lab-to-market success—resulting in a significant expansion of tech start-ups—and attracted funding that resulted in a 32:1 return on investment for public dollars.

As Mason’s associate vice president of innovation and economic development, Sorrell oversees the Office of Technology Transfer; the Virginia Small Business Development Center state program; the Procurement Technical Assistance Center; business incubators in Fairfax, Warrenton, and Loudoun; and entrepreneurial programming for the innovation development in Arlington and on other Mason campuses.

The newly formed authority consists of representatives from the investor, tech and entrepreneurial communities, including Monique Adams of 757 Angels, Barbara D. Boyan of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richard Hall of Orion Capital, Chiedo John of GitHub and Generate Impact, and Kurt John of Siemens USA.

“This type of state involvement will be increasingly important as we navigate through the current economic environment,” said Sorrell. “It represents a diversified approach to economic development and leveraging universities’ strengths will make all the difference. It’s an honor for Mason to be at the table as part of this solution.”