World-class research

Mason expands forensic science training in rural areas with $2 million grant

Colleen Rich — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:06:25 +0000

Mason expands forensic science training in rural areas with $2 million grant Colleen Rich Fri, 12/04/2020 - 13:06

Anthony Falsetti and Mary Ellen O'Toole of Mason's growing Forensic Science Program at the site of the new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory. Photo by Ian Shiff/Creative Services.

The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has awarded a $2 million grant to ��AV to further the advancement of forensic science.

The funding from the NIJ will create a National Center on Forensics at Mason to provide medical and legal learning opportunities for medical students training as deputy medical examiners/ coroners in rural areas while also offering forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges and law enforcement officials. The award, which was announced by the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, is expected to also develop other opportunities as appropriate among designated partners that will benefit current and future practitioners in the field.

Mary Ellen O’Toole, the former FBI profiler who is the director of the Forensic Science Program within Mason’s College of Science, said the grant will allow her program to collaborate with partners to ensure that all victims and their families receive justice.

“Too often victims and their families and the professionals investigating the crimes who reside in rural areas don’t have access to the same resources as those from urban, metropolitan areas,” O’Toole said. “This gap can be significant and stand between case resolution and years of never knowing what happened. This grant will allow us and our partners to work to increase the number of much-needed forensic experts like medical examiners and coroners and to provide state-of-the-art training for them and other professionals.”

Joseph DiZinno, an associate professor and a former FBI forensics expert, will serve as the project’s principal investigator, while Anthony Falsetti, an associate professor and forensic anthropologist, will serve as the co-PI.

Mason will partner with the National Institute of Justice, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the National Association of Attorneys General, the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Law, and the Montana Forensic Science Division to serve as a national resource to raise awareness about and address the shortage of medical examiners and coroners, particularly in rural areas, DiZinno said.

“By increasing the number of forensic pathologists and by training the medical examiner, coroner and legal communities, the National Center on Forensics will directly impact the criminal justice system’s ability to determine if crimes have been committed and ensure that the guilty are held accountable and the innocent are not unfairly charged or convicted,” DiZinno said.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

“In spite of geography, every case and every victim should be afforded the same commitment and range of resources for a thorough and comprehensive investigation and resolution within our criminal justice system,” O’Toole said. “This unique grant will allow us to bring these resources to the communities and people who need it the most.”

The grant is part of the continued expansion of the Mason program, which recently unveiled its new Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory that is slated to open next semester on the Science and Technology Campus in Manassas. The five-acre facility will be just the eighth in the world capable of transformative outdoor research in forensic science using human remains.

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Forensic Science Program

Department of Justice

National Center for Forensics

World-class research

Justice

Research

Thanksgiving Day lore filled with some accuracy and even more inaccuracy, Mason professor says

Colleen Rich — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 18:52:57 +0000

Thanksgiving Day lore filled with some accuracy and even more inaccuracy, Mason professor says Colleen Rich Mon, 11/23/2020 - 13:52

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thanksgiving

World-class research

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

religious studies

Tip Sheet

Mason expands urine-based test for Lyme disease

John Hollis — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Mason expands urine-based test for Lyme disease John Hollis Thu, 10/29/2020 - 05:00

A urine-based Lyme disease test created by a team of ��AV researchers could soon become available statewide after a recent clinical validation study confirmed that it meets sensitivity and absolute molecular specificity standards.

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Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM)

Tackling the world’s grand challenges

Colleen Rich — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 09:00:20 +0000

Tackling the world’s grand challenges Colleen Rich Wed, 10/21/2020 - 05:00

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World-class research

Office of the President

Research

Sustainability Research

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Gregory Washington

Press Releases

Mason research on target to surpass $200 million for a record-breaking year

Colleen Rich — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 09:00:36 +0000

Mason research on target to surpass $200 million for a record-breaking year Colleen Rich Thu, 10/15/2020 - 05:00

Illustration by Joan Dall'Acqua/Creative Services

��AV anticipates reporting more than $200 million in sponsored research expenditures for fiscal year 2020, which would be an all-time high for the university and shows significant progress toward the university’s strategic goal of $225 million by 2024.

This is a 10% increase over 2019 when the university reported $186 million in sponsored research expenditures to the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey.

The final numbers, which will be available in November, include funds provided by federal and state government entities, industry, nonprofit organizations and the university itself.

“Great research universities tackle the grand-challenge problems of our time. We call it research of consequence for a reason—we face serious consequences as a planet if we cannot solve our most pressing global challenges,” said Mason President Gregory Washington. “We have grown our research portfolio significantly in recent years as more entities seek out productive partnerships with the largest and most diverse public university in Virginia.”

“Mason has strategically pursued the goal of elevating research through supporting our community while they engage in high-impact research, scholarship and creative activities across all of our disciplines,” said Aurali Dade, interim vice president for research, innovation and economic impact. “The continued growth in expenditures—more than doubling since setting the goal in 2014—is very impressive and reflects the deep commitment and expertise of our faculty and their willingness to engage in new partnerships on emerging topics.”

Among the prestigious grants Mason has been awarded in fiscal year 2020 are:

Mason was awarded $15 million in grant funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to establish a Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Coordinating and Translation Center. Mason joins 11 research institutions named to the JCOIN, which is part of the National Institutes of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, an aggressive, trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. The center, led by University Professor Faye Taxman, will be responsible for the management of logistics, engagement with practitioners and other key stakeholders in the justice and behavioral health fields, and dissemination of products and key research findings.

A multidisciplinary team of Mason researchers is part of a groundbreaking approach funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that could change the face of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate education in the future. Mason bioengineering professor Siddhartha Sikdar leads the team that has received a nearly $3 million NSF Research Traineeship grant to train more than 100 PhD students, including some with disabilities, to use state-of-the-art data analytic methods and wearable computing technologies based on novel transdisciplinary competencies, applications and practice curriculum.

The Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the planet, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the changes to come. With the support of a $3 million NSF grant, Mason engineering professors Elise Miller-Hooks and Celso Ferriera, Carter School professor Sara Cobb, and a team of multi-institutional researchers are diving into how melting ice in the Arctic will affect the people, habitats and social fabric of this remote region.

Mason researchers have also been on the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus. More than 100 Mason faculty and student researchers are doing their parts to help thwart the COVID-19 pandemic, inventing new diagnostic tools, as well as exploring promising therapies and vaccine delivery systems. The university received seven NSF Rapid Response Research grants designed to get researchers into the field and lab quicker than the traditional grant process.

Learn more about Mason research.

Mason creates new center to support research in the humanities

Colleen Rich — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 09:00:10 +0000

Mason creates new center to support research in the humanities Colleen Rich Thu, 10/01/2020 - 05:00

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College of Humanities and Social Sciences

World-class research

Center for Humanities Research

Research

TV weathercasters, supported by Mason research, are increasing Americans' understanding of climate change

Colleen Rich — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 20:17:02 +0000

TV weathercasters, supported by Mason research, are increasing Americans' understanding of climate change Colleen Rich Fri, 07/24/2020 - 16:17

Topics

Center for Climate Change Communication

World-class research

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Research

Mason awarded seven RAPID NSF grants for research related to COVID-19

Colleen Rich — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 09:00:11 +0000

Mason awarded seven RAPID NSF grants for research related to COVID-19 Colleen Rich Fri, 07/24/2020 - 05:00

GMU-TV wins six Tellys for videos showcasing research, student programs

Colleen Rich — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 09:00:49 +0000

GMU-TV wins six Tellys for videos showcasing research, student programs Colleen Rich Tue, 07/07/2020 - 05:00

��AV’s GMU-TV was awarded six Tellys this year—two Golds, two Silvers, and two Bronzes—for excellence in the nonbroadcast/educational institution category for videos promoting the university’s research endeavors and programs. This is the most awards Mason’s television studio has won in one year.

Three of the awards went to Mason Research videos, which are part of a series GMU-TV created in collaboration with the Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Impact and the schools/colleges.

“We are very excited to be brought in to partner on the research videos and are very happy with how they turned out,” said Richard Wood, general manager and executive producer of GMU-TV. “This kind of collaboration is a perfect fit. There are so many brilliant and talented people at Mason making real impact on our world, the opportunity to share their story to a wider audience is a privilege.”

A variety of GMU-TV staffers worked on the videos.

“Often we assign a lead producer and then other staff members serve as crew and in various roles from director of photography to editor,” said Wood, who has a BA in communication from Mason.

“The Mason Impact,” one of the videos winning a Gold Telly, was created by GMU-TV for the 2019 New Student Convocation in collaboration with the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR). The team working on this video was Mike Kurec, Wood, Stacey Rathbun, Andy Riddle, and Jessica Riddle.

Also receiving a Gold Telly was “Concussion Biomarkers,” which is one of a series of videos that GMU-TV created for the Mason Research series. This video focuses on the work of Mason researchers Emanuel “Chip” Petricoin and Shane Caswell on diagnosing and monitoring concussions. Kurec, Wood, and Rathbun worked on this project.

Winner of a Silver Telly was another video in the Mason Research series, “The Enslaved Peoples of George Mason,” which focuses on the historical research being conducted by Mason students on the men, women and children enslaved at Gunston Hall. Wood, Rathbun, and Mike Aitken worked on this video.

A profile of Mason chemistry major Mosufa Zainab, “Mosufa: Fighting Superbugs,” also won a Silver Telly. Zainab, an OSCAR undergraduate researcher who was also featured in the "The Mason Impact” video, discusses how her experiences in her native Pakistan drive her research into better antibiotics. It was produced by the same team as “The Mason Impact” video.

Another video in the Mason Research series, “Prosthetics Research,” won a Bronze Telly. This video focuses on the work being done by Mason bioengineering professor Siddhartha Sikdar and his team at the Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions to improve the function and quality of life of individuals with physical and psychosocial disabilities. Kurec worked on this video with Gloriana Wills.

“The Education Leadership Program,” a student recruitment video for the graduate program in the College of Education and Human Development, also won a Bronze Telly. The team on this project was Wills, Andy Riddle and Jessica Riddle.

“At its core, video is a storytelling medium and because of its ability to engage with an audience, video allows us to effectively communicate the implications of a Mason researcher's work well beyond the world of academia,” said Wood. “It also allows our team at GMU-TV to flex their creativity muscles while getting unfettered access to some of Mason’s greatest minds.”

Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards honors video and television made for all screens and is judged by the Telly Award Judging Council; a group of leading video and television experts from some of the most prestigious companies in entertainment, publishing, advertising, and emerging technology.

Mason hosts NASA-sponsored program to improve understanding of global water cycle

John Hollis — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Mason hosts NASA-sponsored program to improve understanding of global water cycle John Hollis Mon, 07/06/2020 - 05:00

Topics

Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA)

College of Science

World-class research

Research