College of Science

George Mason scientists partner to create genetic markers for endangered species

Katarina Benson — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 15:37:16 +0000

George Mason scientists partner to create genetic markers for endangered species Katarina Benson Wed, 01/29/2025 - 10:37

Scientists have long recognized that both wild and captive populations of endangered species are at a high risk for loss of genetic diversity due to their rarity. With small or isolated populations, genetic diversity can be lost through stochastic or random genetic drift, or through breeding between close relatives. Therefore, proper management of captive populations is critical to ensure long-term sustainability.

Haw Chuan Lim. Photo provided

The struggle, however, is how to efficiently and economically collect and analyze high-resolution genetic data that can fill the knowledge information gaps in effective breeding practices.

Haw Chuan Lim, associate professor in ��AV’s Department of Biology, saw an opportunity to combine the experience and knowledge of other experts in the field to develop a novel genomic tool to address this issue.

Lim’s proposal, “Development of a novel genotyping panel for powerful and cost-effective evaluations of population structure and kinship in the critically endangered mountain bongo,” was approved for funding by the 4-VA @ Mason Advisory Board.

Lim and his PhD student Karen Holm assembled their team — Aakrosh Ratan, assistant professor, University of Virginia; Klaus-Peter Koepfli, senior research scientist, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation; and Budhan Pukazhenthi, research physiologist, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. 4VA funding was used to purchase the necessary supplies, reagents, and equipment, including DNA tests and probe sets.

The team reasoned that a study conducted on one animal could provide a platform for application to other endangered species. The Eastern mountain bongo, or antelope, a critically endangered native to Kenya, was chosen as a test species. Although fewer than 140 bongos remain in the wild, there are approximately 160 bongos in U.S. zoos and several hundred more on private ranches. As such, breeding and transfer strategies that increase genetic diversity and reduce inbreeding of captive animals are critical for the survival of the species.

Eastern mountain bongo. Photo courtesy of the Lim Lab

The researchers created and validated the application of a novel genetic probe-set that was used to generate data from different types of genetic markers, such as ease of genotyping, presence throughout the genome, and high information content.

Researchers collected four types of samples—whole blood, fecal swabs, tissues, and extracted DNA—from 39 North American conservation centers and zoos to begin the project. This resulted in a total of 207 samples from both current and historical ex situ populations (populations outside of the native ranges).

Lim and his team evaluated the effectiveness of the probe-set in generating high-quality genetic data from different sample types and for different genetic marker types. The data obtained are now being accessed for their ability to produce accurate information on animal kinship, genetic diversity, and population structure, which will ultimately be used to guide precise captive breeding programs.

Some preliminary data, as well as a chromosome-level genome assembly, have already been published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information and online at DNA Zoo, a conservation consortium website.

A high-quality genome serves as an invaluable resource for species conservation because it can be used for many types of research such as those focused on detecting deleterious mutations. The results from this study will contribute to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for the species.

“The 4-VA@Mason funding got us started, and now we have obtained external funding to move the research even further,” said Lim.

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Physics PhD student is using machine learning techniques to unlock the key to predicting solar flares

Katarina Benson — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:44:24 +0000

Physics PhD student is using machine learning techniques to unlock the key to predicting solar flares Katarina Benson Mon, 01/27/2025 - 09:44

João Felipe Sousa Pereira’s research on solar flares could one day help us safeguard astronauts and technology in space and even prevent widespread blackouts here on Earth. Pereira, a second-year Physics PhD student at ��AV, is studying solar physics with the goal of uncovering the precise triggers of solar flares.

João Felipe Sousa Pereira. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Pereira said solar flare prediction is key because really intense solar flares are often associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which in turn can cause geomagnetic storms, carry radiation, and significantly contribute to space weather.

“CMEs, geomagnetic storms, and solar radiation can affect our satellites if we are unprepared. These events can also knock out our GPS or power grids on rare occasions,” he said. “What we really want is to figure out what is causing solar flares. We have some suspicions, but maybe machine learning techniques can find something we didn’t.”

There are already some prediction models in place now, but Pereira’s research is trying to push past the current “bottleneck” in the research. His work is not only trying to confirm previous techniques but also testing out a new one.

Pereira is the recipient of a Graduate Inclusion and Access scholarship, which works to enhance the diversity of the graduate student community at George Mason by providing scholarships for first-generation doctoral students who have been historically underrepresented within their doctoral field of study. The scholarship provides funding and an opportunities to become involved in the graduate community through special events each semester.

“The grade requirements [for the scholarship] are a little higher than those of my fellow grad students, but I think the hard work is rewarding and will help me stay on track to finish within the five years.”

João Felipe Sousa Pereira outside the Mason Observatory. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Pereira came to George Mason after completing his undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy at University of Maryland (UMD), College Park. He initially became interested in space weather his freshman year at UMD. “I had an introductory electricity and magnetism course. It seemed interesting to me to learn about solar wind, the types of phenomena that occur in space, and how the physics of it all actually impacts us on Earth.”

In his junior and senior years, Pereira worked on space weather research with his then-advisor Surjalal Sharma and became interested in continuing that research in his graduate studies. He then visited George Mason, where he met with his current advisor Jie Zhang of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “[Zhang] helped me set up the possibilities for what can be done in this field, and he had the idea for the project that I'm working on now,” Pereira said.

On the same visit, Pereira had the opportunity to meet with graduate students who let him know that the PhD program wasn’t easy, but he would have the support he needed. He was able to see the graduate student culture with his own eyes, which helped him feel like he could belong at George Mason.

Pereira offers advice to other students considering PhD programs. “You should talk to as many people as possible—that can help guide your decision process. Some people have good experiences, some people have bad experiences, and they’re all valid. Everyone’s on their own path.”

“Pereira’s passion to research and commitment to his doctoral program are inspiring,” said Laurence Bray, senior associate provost for graduate education. “He represents the Mason Nation at heart by designing his own path to success with strength and resilience.”

Pereira’s enthusiasm for his research continues. “The reason I do physics is because I like figuring out how things work. And it's not necessarily easy, but in the end, when you have that ‘aha moment,’ it really is rewarding,” he said.

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Breaking down the composting process

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 14:46:23 +0000

Breaking down the composting process Lauren Reuscher Thu, 01/23/2025 - 09:46

Cindy Smith, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, took her EVPP 302 Biomes and Human Dimensions students to a composting facility last fall to give them a front-row seat for food and yard waste recycling.

Photo by Cindy Smith/College of Science

In the course, students examine human impacts on ecosystems. Because human activities often have a harmful effect on ecosystems, Smith also aims to show students positive, real-world examples of how humans can help mitigate these impacts.

“I want students to experience successful programs that are doing positive work, like keeping yard and food waste out of our landfills where the breakdown would produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas,” said Smith.

The field trip also offers insight into a career path for those interested in sustainability.

The Convertus composting facility, located in Manassas, Virginia, produces certified compost, mulch, and soil amendment products in bulk. The facility can process 80,000–100,000 tons of organic waste per year. This includes yard waste, tree branches, and food and restaurant waste.

A milk hauler dumps excess or expired milk products, which Convertus uses in the composting process. The students noted that it made the area smell like vanilla creamer. Photo by Cindy Smith/College of Science

During the field trip, students watched stages of the composting process, from the delivery of waste to the grinding, mixing, aerating, screening, and composting. They observed the different effects of various materials.

“The students were surprised to see a red tint in the leachate pond [during our visit], which resulted from red wine waste being processed,” said Smith.

��AV sends compostable scraps from multiple sources to the Convertus facility. Food waste is collected from campus dining and retail locations and Bigbelly Solar Zero Waste Stations. Two pilot programs collect compost materials in the form of paper towels from restrooms at the Facilities complex at Fairfax, and food waste from Katherine Johnson Hall at the Science and Technology Campus.

“It's great to see all this organic waste getting recycled into an economically viable product, rather than buried in a landfill or sent to a waste water treatment plant,” said Smith.

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George Mason scientist Anamaria Berea leads team to design lunar cultural archive for the ‘Pioneers of Tomorrow’

Colleen Rich — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:02:59 +0000

George Mason scientist Anamaria Berea leads team to design lunar cultural archive for the ‘Pioneers of Tomorrow’ Colleen Rich Thu, 01/16/2025 - 16:02

The ASPIRE ONE Lunar Record launched early on January 15 as part of the Ghost Riders in the Sky Lunar mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a goal of establishing a new theoretical framework for planetary-scale archival communication.

Note from team on ASPIRE ONE. Photo provided

Anamaria Berea, an associate professor of computational sciences at ��AV, led an interdisciplinary team that designed a part of the LifeShip payload—an archive to preserve our Earth’s cultural and scientific heritage. It will be placed on the Moon through Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lander.

Firefly missions are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative in the Artemis program.

The digital portion of the LifeShip payload, similar to the Voyager Golden Records, contains diverse content including videos, global aspirations, scientific materials, historical records, and cultural artifacts intended for future humans to access. Highlights include Daily Life video capturing global snapshots of contemporary life, an Aspirations video featuring individuals sharing hopes for the future in their native languages, and collections of images from UNESCO and World Heritage archives. A Getty images documentation of the recent COVID-19 pandemic is also included.

Firefly Blue Ghost will deliver the lunar record to the Moon's surface. Photo courtesy of NASA

“We basically created an archive that is housed on a 1GB microchip encoded with diverse content,” said Berea, who also has a PhD is computational social sciences from George Mason. “It is also engraved with NanoFiche, including Berea’s name and affiliation with ��AV.

If it lands successfully, the payload will be placed on the Moon after 45 days [early March] and live there for posterity.

“This portion of the payload includes the Apollo 11 launch code, various works of art and music, information about the Moon, Earth Constitutions, and more,” Berea shared. “Not only my face, voice, name, and work will be on the Moon for future generations, but ��AV’s legacy too.”

Learn more about Anamaria Berea’s work on George Mason’s Access to Excellence podcast.

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George Mason and Virginia Tech collaborate to build science policy connections

Katarina Benson — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:50:00 +0000

George Mason and Virginia Tech collaborate to build science policy connections Katarina Benson Mon, 01/13/2025 - 13:50

Today, Virginia is one step closer to bridging the gap between science and policy—a critical relationship necessary to navigate a range of socio-technical issues including climate change, biodiversity loss, pandemics, and poverty. This connection was the result of a yearlong research project to identify U.S. and Virginia-based science policy programs that engage STEM-H scientists and engineers in science policy, with the goal of helping both elected officials and others access technical information to assist in decision making.

Adriana Bankston and K.L. Akerlof. Photo provided

This work was completed thanks to a coalition of faculty and students supported though a 4-VA@Mason grant. The team was led by K.L. Akerlof in ��AV’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy and Todd Schenk, chair and associate professor in the Urban Affairs and Planning Program of the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech and director of the Science, Technology and Engineering in Policy Program.

“This funding supported our cross-institutional collaboration and ability to conduct baseline research and networking that have been fundamental to understanding how the landscape of science policy training programs is evolving across the United States,” Akerlof said.

The team created a database of U.S. science policy programs and conducted a case study of those in Virginia through surveys and interviews with their leaders, with the goal of advancing best practices for professional mentorship of early career researchers and building capacity for training researchers to engage in public policy. Akerlof and Schenk were assisted in the study by science policy expert Adriana Bankston; George Mason students Kelsey Mitchell, Kate Saylor and Aniyah Syl; and Kenneth Dewberry at Virginia Tech.

Following the yearlong collaboration, the results of their research have been developed and are featured on a new website—along with program blogs and a listserv—created to support this emerging network of science policy programs.

The results showed that the majority—57%—of U.S. science policy programs are state based. These programs include student organizations, government placements and fellowships, academic certificates, degrees, and other training. However, it was recognized that there is a limited ability to implement evidence-based approaches within these programs.

The team compared program outcomes from Virginia’s science policy programs with those described in academic literature. Academic and professional scholarship in science communication and public affairs suggests that curricula for engaging scientists and engineers should broadly cover communication and policy processes, which could be improved.

In addition, they found that training programs would benefit from evaluation models and measures, although the lack of consistent theoretical foundations across this highly multidisciplinary scholarship reduces their utility. It was concluded that a common framework, which includes shared terms and relationships, is needed to promote the growth of the field.

With the results of their analysis in hand, the team, including George Mason undergraduate student Aniyah Syl and PhD student Kelsey Mitchell, helped lead a state webinar on science policy programs featuring Virginia program leaders. Syl co-presented on the project at a Virginia Sea Grant Symposium which was also the topic of an American Geophysical Union e-lightning talk.

Master’s student Kate Saylor successfully defended her thesis on the Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Policy Fellowship and subsequently presented her results to James Aylor, president of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

The first of two research articles based on the project has just been accepted by the journal Evidence & Policy. A second article has also been submitted for publication. Syl and Mitchell participated as co-authors on the publications.

The team is also in conversation with the leadership of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine about the development of a new weeklong science policy program for undergraduate students from across the commonwealth’s public universities.

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George Mason scientist identifies 1,000-year-old seedling linked to biblical myrrh

Katarina Benson — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 19:50:37 +0000

George Mason scientist identifies 1,000-year-old seedling linked to biblical myrrh Katarina Benson Wed, 01/08/2025 - 14:50

��AV researcher Andrea Weeks played a key role in identifying an ancient seedling linked to the biblical myrrh. The seed, a yellow and fragrant resin from the Commiphora tree, was discovered in the Judean desert and revived by a team of researchers.

The ancient seedling. Photo provided.

Weeks was invited to join the project, led by Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, because of her expertise in the evolutionary biology of Commiphora. Her extensive DNA sequence database played an instrumental role in analyzing the genetic makeup of the ancient specimen. Morgan Gostel, Weeks’ former PhD student and current research botanist at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, also played a critical role in this research.

While the team confirmed the seedling’s genus, they have yet to pinpoint its precise species. “Its exact species remains unclear, highlighting the need for further biodiversity research. No lab has yet tested every species of Commiphora,” said Weeks, who is an associate professor in the Department of Biology in the College of Science and the director of George Mason’s Ted R. Bradley Herbarium.

One of the most puzzling aspects of the discovery is the seed’s location. Found in a Levantine cave, the seed had been preserved for centuries in an area far outside the modern range of Commiphora.

Andrea Weeks. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“Radiocarbon dating reveals that this seed formed long after biblical times, but that doesn’t explain how or why it ended up in a cave in the Judean desert 800 to 1,000 years ago,” said Weeks.

Funding from previous grants awarded to Weeks by the National Science Foundation (NSF) helped lay the groundwork for her involvement and impact in this discovery of the ancient seed, which the researchers selected to call “Sheba.” “The use of NSF-funded data in identifying Sheba shows how foundational research can have lasting, unexpected benefits,” she said.

The study’s findings could significantly influence future research on biodiversity by enhancing our understanding of historical flora and their evolution within current ecosystems.

The interdisciplinary nature of the research, combining archaeology, ethnobotany, chemistry, and plant taxonomy, contributed to the team’s success. Moving forward, Weeks and her lab plan to deepen their exploration of Commiphora diversity. “Like most scientific inquiries, this project leaves us with more questions than answers,” Weeks said. “It sheds light on the complexity of biodiversity and also serves as a reminder of life’s interconnectedness across time.”

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Turning skeletal remains into hope as forensic art professor and students help to solve a 50-year-old cold case

Colleen Rich — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 18:54:15 +0000

Turning skeletal remains into hope as forensic art professor and students help to solve a 50-year-old cold case Colleen Rich Wed, 12/18/2024 - 13:54

��AV’s Joe Mullins thinks he has the coolest job in the world, and calls what he does ‘art with a purpose.’

The field of forensic art is no longer limited to sketches—it has evolved into a powerful tool that helps bring closure to unsolved cases and missing persons investigations. Combining cutting-edge technology with artistic skill, forensic artists can reconstruct faces and features from skeletal remains, often providing vital clues law enforcement needs to solve cold cases.

Mullins (center) with Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Mullins, a forensic artist and adjunct professor, exemplifies this new era of forensic art. Most recently, detectives from nearby Loudoun County, Virginia, turned to him to help on one of their oldest cold cases. He collaborated with students in his AVT 496 Forensic Figure Sculpture class, in the School of Art within George Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, to create a lifelike, three-dimensional clay reconstruction of a woman known only as “Jane Doe,” whose remains were discovered on May 28, 1973. Advancements in forensic science and technology reopened the case after decades without a lead.

Using a 3D scan of the victim’s skull and DNA data, revealing traits such as eye color, hair type, and body composition, Mullins and his students sculpted a bust that depicts the features of an African American woman believed to have been in her 20s or 30s. She had been shot, carried no identification, and local law enforcement had no reports of anyone missing who fit that description at the time. Loudoun County detectives hope that this lifelike construction will lead to someone finally recognizing her.

“Forensic artists are often the last hope for these cases,” he said. “So, with that comes a lot of responsibility to get it right. The only way these reconstructions work is if the right person sees it. With nearly 8 billion people on the planet, we just need one, and one person to say, ‘I think I know who that is.’”

That happened in 2015, when a clay bust he created helped identify a John Doe in New York City when a family member recognized the face. He hopes for a similar outcome with Jane Doe.

Mullins, who also serves as a senior forensic imaging specialist at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), incorporates real cases into his teaching.

“Watching a face come to life gives students a deeper connection to their work,” he said. “They became just as emotionally invested in this case as I did.”  

George Mason’s Forensic Science Program within the College of Science played a critical role in reopening the investigation. Assistant professor Steven Burmeister used on ground-penetrating radar to guide Loudoun County investigators to locate Jane Doe’s remains in 2023, which were exhumed from an unmarked grave in Lincoln, Virginia. The remains were analyzed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where a DNA profile was created.

For students like senior communication major Marie Elizabeth Seagraves, the class was transformative.

“I originally took this class because it seemed fun and super-interesting, as I’ve never done sculpture work before,” Seagraves said. “But learning how this work can help so many people find closure made it so much more meaningful.”

The work has already garnered significant media attention, and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office hopes the renewed interest will lead to a breakthrough of this case and at long last bring some measure of peace to Jane Doe’s family.

According to Mullins, there are more than 2,000 unidentified sets of remains in offices of local medical examiners across the country. Having grown up in Loudoun County, he was moved by the opportunity to contribute to a case so close to home.

“I’ve never been able to fully articulate the feeling when one of these reconstructions is successful,” he said. “Helping these families get the answers they have been searching for is all the satisfaction I need.”

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Honors College alum spearheads professional development program

Sarah Holland — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 16:11:36 +0000

Honors College alum spearheads professional development program Sarah Holland Mon, 12/09/2024 - 11:11

When preparing for college, prospective students and parents often ask about career readiness. How is the university preparing its students for the workforce? What’s the rate of job placement? Do the students succeed in their respective careers?

��AV has a strong track record of preparing students for careers. And the Honors College is working to make sure Honors students are ready to shine in a competitive job market.

Jeff Shen provides opening remarks at the roundtable. Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

“These are incredibly motivated students. I am beyond impressed with their enthusiasm and intellect. And they’re ready. They have all the tools to succeed in the workforce, they just need the knowledge of how to find the right opportunity,” said Jeff Shen.

Shen, who graduated from what was then known as the Presidential Scholars Program in 1996 with a degree in decision sciences, is president of Red Team Consulting and a member of the Honors College Advisory Board. Last year, he came to Dean Zofia Burr with an idea for how to prepare Honors College students for their careers: a roundtable for students to meet with professionals in government contracting, supported by the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting.

“I spoke with some students during graduation,” Shen said, “and in asking them about their post-graduation plans and job opportunities, I realized that these really bright and promising students were missing some of the foundations for approaching the job market: how to network, where to look for opportunities, and so on. So I thought, there must be some way we can address that gap.”

The idea for the roundtable coincided with plans to develop the Honors College Professional Development Fellows program. As part of the program, the roundtable was one of a series of workshops that help students in the program craft their resumes, build their LinkedIn profiles, practice interviewing, and otherwise prepare for internship and career opportunities.

The first roundtable event in Spring 2024 featured 12 George Mason alumni, all of whom are major executives at government contracting companies. The first was such a success that Shen and the Honors College decided to host a second event in Fall 2024.

“In government contracting, you can be a writer, a clinical researcher, a health care professional, you can be in sales: It does not matter the background, there’s going to be a position in government contracting for that person,” Shen said. “I wanted students to see the world of possibilities in terms of what they could do with their degrees.”

Students had the opportunity to speak with each executive in small groups, gaining valuable insights and advice on how to prepare for their career.

Jessica Taylor, studying music technology with a minor in computer science, was one of the fellows in the spring. “As a music major who wants to go into software engineering, I have an untraditional background that needs to be particularly explained and presented when I’m introducing myself to potential employers,” she said. “The fellows program taught me that my variety of creative experience is actually one of the things that makes me stand out.”

Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

“We received [the mentors’] personal emails, offering the opportunity to follow up on potential career opportunities and further discussions,” said Monica Amaya, a management information systems major with a minor in computational and data sciences. Amaya attended the roundtable in Fall 2024. “The entirety of the Professional Development Fellows program has given us valuable networking opportunities to build meaningful relationships with successful government contracting leaders in the area.”

“I learned a lot about what it takes to build a business,” said cyber security engineering student Cameron Portis. “Hearing some of the stories about how these leaders overcame difficulties and changed their plans really inspired me to keep pushing toward my goals no matter what.”

The program continues to grow. In Spring 2025, the roundtable opportunities will expand to two new fields: Health administration and leadership, organized by Inova Health System’s Loren Rufino, BS Health Services ’12, and arts/performing arts nonprofit leadership, organized by Deb Gandy. Both are members of the Honors College Advisory Board.

And for Shen, opening doors for students is only part of the mission. “This is a great way for alumni and community members to get involved with George Mason,” he said. “I’m hoping this opens the door for them as well."

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Research using AI to track Amazon rainforest species produces landmark results

Colleen Rich — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 13:47:06 +0000

Research using AI to track Amazon rainforest species produces landmark results Colleen Rich Mon, 11/25/2024 - 08:47

Thanks to the tenacity of a ��AV biology professor, animals in the Amazon have a lot less privacy these days, but that’s good for scientists who to want know what’s going on in the Brazilian rainforests.

David Luther recognizes the importance of playing the long game in research, but even he couldn’t have imagined the hurdles and roadblocks ahead of him following the approval of his 2019 4-VA Collaborative Research Grant proposal, “Species richness resilience to habitat fragmentation and restoration in tropical rainforests.”

His plan was to install recording equipment at 50 sites as part of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. These audio and video devices were meant to document and measure differences in animal community composition and the rate of animal recovery in secondary forest and forest fragments.

The proposed budget was devoted entirely to purchasing the wide array of materials necessary for the effort — cameras, acoustic recorders, and batteries—along with the international travel needed to bring the project to fruition.

In March 2020, all of Luther’s efforts came to a halt due to the pandemic. Additionally, one of the key members of the planning team, Tom Lovejoy, passed away in December 2021. Lovejoy was recognized as one the world’s leading conservation biologists and often referred to as the “godfather of biodiversity.” With Lovejoy’s passing, Luther lost a mentor and a critical member of the team.

Tens of thousands of animal images, such as this ocelot, have been collected for the project from camera traps. Photo provided

However, Luther stayed the course, revamping his team and rewriting the schedule. Finally, in June 2022, he received the green light to move ahead. Between June and October 2022, 136 cameras and 81 acoustic devices were installed across 50 sites at BDFFP.

Today, to Luther’s great delight, the results have proved far more successful than he could have ever anticipated. Tens of thousands of animal images from camera traps and audio recordings have already been collected.

To analyze the data, Luther built a team of 15 George Mason undergraduate researchers, artificial intelligence (AI) experts, and members of Arbimon, a nonprofit organization that specializes in analyzing acoustic recordings from the tropics to identify animals.

The student volunteers on this project included Alexis Lembke, Amanda Jones, Adriana Em, Madison Cheung, Morgan Ellingsworth, and Grace Carriero. Aline Medeiros, a PhD student in environmental science and policy, helped manage the undergraduate researchers working on the audio files. Medeiros will also use the captured data as the basis of her PhD research.

Another set of students helped identify animals in the camera images and entered that information into a large database. Hibo Hassan, Jordan Seidmeyer, Katie Russell, Carolian Sanabria, Adrian Em, Alix Upchurch, Piper Robinson, Tristan Silva-Montoya, and Estefany Umana spent hours creating this treasure trove of records. Emilia Roberts, a master’s student in environmental science and policy, managed these undergraduate researchers.

Discussing the project, Luther explained that, for the acoustic recordings, they built templates for 250 bird species and trained AI models to automatically detect and classify songs for each.

Channel-billed toucan. Photo provided

“The model performed very well in our evaluations. We have already detected 201 of the 250 species,” said Luther, who teaches in the Biology Department of George Mason’s College of Science. “Thanks to our model, new recordings can be passed through it to automatically detect species calls, facilitating long-term monitoring and efficient analyses moving forward. We are now working with local experts in Manaus, Brazil, to apply the same platform for frogs at our study sites in the Amazon rainforest.”

The biodiversity data is being used to assess how each species responds to variations in forest structure and recovery from forest fragmentation. Luther brought on Konrad Wessels from George Mason’s Geography and Geoinformation Science Department to assist with satellite information from the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation instrument, which uses high-resolution lasers to provide detail in three-dimensional forest structure. These results will build predictive models to study how the forest structure can forecast mammal and bird diversity and individual species occurrence in tropical rainforests.

In an important finding, the team has determined that the three-dimensional complexity of the forest structure, as measured by foliage height diversity, is the biggest predictor of mammal and bird diversity at this research site, and potentially others, in the Amazon rainforest.

The project continues to gain traction. The team has created a website featuring the results of the acoustic portion of the research, which has been very well received. Some of the acoustic training models have been used by teams competing for the X-Prize, a competition designed to encourage technological developments supporting “radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.”

Building on the 4-VA funded study, Luther also received a $200,000 National Science Foundation grant to continue both the camera and acoustic research. Luther and Wessels recently submitted a grant to NASA to expand on the research findings and apply them to the entirety of the Amazon basin.

“Through 4-VA@Mason, this project is up, running, and delivering fantastic information that will help scientists worldwide better design monitoring schemes for biodiversity in remote tropical forests, as well as those interested the relationship between habitat structure and degradation and species resilience to disturbance,” said Luther.

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Podcast — EP 62: What are the chances of intelligent life beyond Earth?

Sarah Holland — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 14:49:37 +0000

Podcast — EP 62: What are the chances of intelligent life beyond Earth? Sarah Holland Mon, 11/18/2024 - 09:49

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Since putting the first man on the Moon in 1969, scientists have continued to push our knowledge and understanding of life and existence in vast unknown frontiers of space. Whether through Mars colonies or alien life forms, we're all wondering what and who can survive beyond Earth's atmospheres.

In this episode of Access to Excellence, associate professor of computational and data sciences Anamaria Berea discusses her research on Mars settlements and Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon as she and President Gregory Washington debate the question on everyone’s mind: is there life beyond Earth?

^{"So we have an unidentified phenomenon, so it might be a new physical or atmospheric phenomenon that we haven't discovered yet, right? Because we don't know everything in science right now. Until we can actually scientifically analyze these, it's really difficult for us to say: what are these things? And we cannot say that only based on public opinion or allegations. We do need rigorous scientific studies so that we can turn that unidentified into identified."}

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Intro:

President Gregory Washington: Trailblazers in research, innovators in technology, and those who simply have a good story: all make up the fabric that is ��AV. We're taking on the grand challenges that face our students, graduates, and higher education is our mission and our passion. Hosted by Mason President Gregory Washington, this is the Access to Excellence podcast.

President Gregory Washington: President Gregory Washington:

Anamaria Berea: Since putting the first man on the Moon in 1969, scientists have continued to push our knowledge and understanding of life and existence in vast unknown frontiers of space. Whether through Mars colonies or alien life forms, we're all wondering what and who can survive beyond Earth's atmospheres. Joining me today is someone who's working to unravel the mysteries of life beyond Earth, both human and otherwise. Anamaria Berea is an associate professor of computational and data sciences, researching the emergence of communications and fundamental patterns of communication in both living and non-living systems. Anamaria has worked with NASA and others to help humanity boldly go where no man or woman has gone before. Anamaria, welcome to the show.