Student news

A winning weekend for Mason Homecoming 2024

Melanie Balog — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 19:19:16 +0000

A winning weekend for Mason Homecoming 2024 Melanie Balog Mon, 01/29/2024 - 14:19

Mason’s men’s and women’s basketball teams capped off Homecoming 2024 with big wins at EagleBank Arena Saturday and Sunday.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Students and alumni celebrated at the tailgate and festival on Saturday.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

President Gregory Washington poses with Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the Alumni Association Jenn Robinson, Mason Board of Visitors Rector Horace Blackman, and Assistant Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marvin Lewis.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

President Gregory Washington joined in the tailgate with Nicole Washington, alumni and cheerleaders.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

On Saturday, the men’s team beat Rhode Island 92-84.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

In front of a packed EagleBank Arena.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Senior Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a career-best 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting and made 4-of-6 3-pointers.

Photo by Mason Athletics

And graduate forward Amari Kelly had 17 points (7-10 FG) and notched game highs in rebounds (9) and blocks (4).

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Mason celebrated the 50th anniversary of its women’s’ basketball team with more than 40 team alumni on Sunday.

Photo by Rafael Suanes/��AV

And the women’s team beat the VCU Rams 60-47 to move to 7-1 in Atlantic 10 play and 16-3 overall, with sophomore Zahirah Walton being named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season and for the third-straight week.

Photo by Rafael Suanes/��AV

All of which, meant there was a lot to celebrate.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

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Homecoming 2024

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Campus News

Seeking outdoor adventures with Mason Recreation

Lauren Reuscher — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 19:48:55 +0000

Seeking outdoor adventures with Mason Recreation Lauren Reuscher Wed, 10/11/2023 - 15:48

Outdoor Adventures participants takes a break at the George Mason Memorial in Washington, D.C. after completing their bike ride along the C&O Canal to the National Mall. Photo by Hugh Bayard/Outdoor Adventures

As the weather cools off, fall is the perfect time to explore the outdoors. ��AV offers students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to get outside and form connections with others in the Mason community through the Outdoor Adventures program, part of Mason Recreation.

Options include day and overnight trips, workshops, and gear rentals. A recent 20-mile gravel bike ride in September took a group of outdoor adventurers along the C&O Canal from Great Falls, Maryland, to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. They wrapped up their expedition with a visit to the George Mason Memorial on the National Mall.

Trip registration included bike rental, transportation, and support from trip leaders during the ride. Other trip options this fall include hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing in locations within a couple hours of the Fairfax Campus. Registration fees apply.

Outdoor Adventures programs begin and end at Skyline Fitness Center on the Fairfax Campus.

In addition to trips, the program offers Wilderness First Aid training, a two-day course that certifies participants to handle medical emergencies in backcountry and wilderness settings.

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Around Mason (E-Files)

Fall Career Fair brought record number of job seekers and employers to campus

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 17:36:41 +0000

Fall Career Fair brought record number of job seekers and employers to campus Lauren Reuscher Thu, 10/05/2023 - 13:36

A record number of students and alumni attended the Fall Career Fair to meet prospective employers. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

��AV’s Fall Career Fair, hosted by University Career Services on the Fairfax Campus, connected students and alumni with prospective employers on Sept. 27–28.

Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

Nearly 4,300 job and internship seekers attended the fair, meeting with recruiters from more than 250 different employers.

Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

The first day of the fair focused on science, technology, engineering, and math, and the second day focused on business, government and nonprofits.

Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

��AV is committed and successful in producing career-ready graduates. In Mason’s Career Plans Survey for the Class of 2022, 87% of undergraduate and graduate respondents reported a positive career outcome within six months of graduation (including employment, graduate school, military, or volunteer work). Among those students employed, 89% reported being in positions related to their career goals.

Students were encouraged to prepare in advance for the Career Fair. Check out the video.

Hear more about how Mason prepares students to succeed in their dream jobs, and why recruiters want to hire Mason grads. Watch the video.

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Mason leads planning study to position Northern Virginia as a premier location for the life science industry

Melanie Balog — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 21:04:09 +0000

Mason leads planning study to position Northern Virginia as a premier location for the life science industry Melanie Balog Fri, 03/17/2023 - 17:04

In This Story

PJ Maddox, EdD, MSN, RN

Caroline Sutter, DNP

During the past several years, industry demand for a skilled life science workforce has been surging. In Virginia, while there are currently shortages in almost all health-related professions, little is known about whether there is an adequate supply of life science workers to meet the needs of employers. Now ��AV is working toward a solution.

In partnership with Phoenix Advantage, a Virginia-based economic development and business consulting firm, Caroline Sutter of Mason’s College of Public Health; Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation; and their team have received a life science talent pathway planning grant from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Microbiology students are part of the life sciences workforce pipeline.
File photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communication

With the assistance of the award, they will be assessing life science employer needs, employment trends, workforce supply, and demand projections in Northern Virginia. Provided that future funding is secured, they intend to use their findings to facilitate the expansion of the life science worker pipeline.

“A robust workforce is a vital component of a thriving life science industry,” said Susan Baker, managing director of GO Virginia. "GO Virginia is proud to support an effort to establish Northern Virginia as an area that is able to respond to the needs of a steadily growing market."

According to Adams, the first step of the project will be to create a comprehensive list of companies who hire individuals in the life science sector, such as digital health firms and biomanufacturers. From there, Phoenix Advantage will schedule interviews with the identified employers in order to better understand their priorities and what they consider to be the ideal skillset in the future workforce.

In tandem, the Mason Center for Health Workforce (MCHW), directed by Sutter and P. J. Maddox, will leverage data from the Commonwealth of Virginia to assess the future pipeline of workers, including secondary school and higher education students. Established in 2022, the MCHW plays a leading role in health workforce planning and development across Virginia. The center has collected extensive data related to health workers and will expand to include life science personnel with this project.

“The health care workforce is in flux; demand is high just as burnout, turnover, and rising labor costs are diminishing the supply of qualified staff,” said Sutter, who is also an associate professor in Mason’s School of Nursing. “The Mason Center for Health Workforce helps organizations, communities, and the commonwealth use data for decision-making to create short-term solutions and long-term strategies.”

Seeing tremendous value in the team’s effort to optimize life science workforce preparedness, the Claude Moore Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Virginia and a key funder of the MCHW, provided matching funds for the planning grant.

A VR Simulation Lab training class. File Photo by
Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

“The vibrancy and growth of the life science ecosystem in Northern Virginia depends in part on our ability to understand workforce needs and to attract and train talent,” said Bill Hazel, the senior deputy director of the Claude Moore Foundation. “This grant will allow us to inventory those needs and to strengthen our talent pipeline.”

The next step of the project will be to identify existing education and training programs so that redundancies can be avoided and potential gaps can be addressed. Finally, an analysis will be performed on how workers and employers are currently matched in the life sciences industry.

Adams said she believes the Northern Virginia region has immense potential to be the destination for life science companies to reside and prosper. She added that she hopes the team’s work will result in the formation of programs that motivate students to pursue careers in the life sciences.

“We want to reach students at early stages and show them that the life science career path is one that is extremely rewarding; you are able to touch many lives around the world by developing innovative solutions to advance health,” said Adams. “By sparking inspiration, we can also help companies in our region flourish by ensuring access to a well-prepared and sufficiently sized workforce—both are what drive us.”

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Institute for Biohealth Innovation

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Research

Yasmin Imani Alamin prepared remarks: The Invisible Four

Melanie Balog — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 17:45:42 +0000

Yasmin Imani Alamin prepared remarks: The Invisible Four Melanie Balog Fri, 12/16/2022 - 12:45

Yasmin Imani Alamin addresses the crowd at Winter Commencement at EagleBank Arena on Dec. 15, 2022. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

I didn’t have a first day of school. Or a second. Or a third. In Fall 2018 when I was to start at Mason, I was on the other side of the Atlantic in Kumasi Ghana registering for classes on questionable Wi-Fi in a hotel lobby. After graduating from Northern Virginia Community College, my plans to study in West Africa had tanked and I found myself back on a plane to DC much sooner than I anticipated.

By the time I landed back home, I’d been awake for 30 hours and, to my disbelief, the sun was coming UP. When I arrived on campus, having already missed my first class, I changed out of my sweats in the bathroom of what I now know is the fine arts building, then got lost twice on the way to my second class.

My interesting first day at Mason – which should have been my fourth day at Mason – foreshadowed the many challenges I would face on my way to graduating along with you all today.

I would like to share with you 4 lessons from my time at Mason. We all know the undergraduate experience is so much more than just taking classes. It is a knighting of sorts that takes us through the dark trenches of studying way too late and the fires of pulling all the weight on group projects. It teaches us that cup noodles won’t cut it, laundry is not free, and having our moms cook for us should never be taken for granted.

By the end of my first semester, I had failed to find a job, and in mid-December, I drove to school, freezing, in my family's van – since I had no car – for a 7 a.m. exam. I arrived valiantly at 6:35 a.m. and decided to wait in my warm car for 10 minutes. But, having studied deep into the night, I fell asleep in my warm car and woke up at 7. I sprinted across campus to arrive at my classroom 15 minutes late. I swallowed my disbelief, took a few aggressive inhales as I rummaged through my backpack and slowly opened the door. Ultimately, I did fine on the exam.

That was lesson number one: We must learn how to detach ourselves from prior disaster so we can perform the task at hand. The ability to shake off anxiety about one thing to succeed at the next is a crucial skill.

The following semester I had NO money. Does that sound familiar? I was paying my own way through school, and my family is full of ambitious people who emphasize education. So expectations felt high. I could only afford to take 3 credits and therefore financial aid was zero. By the end of that January, I landed a job at Home Depot. This was a far cry from interning at NASA under my favorite mentor as I had done for two semesters the previous year. This felt like a huge step backwards. But I ended up cashiering at Home Depot for a year in lumber and the garden center, and I learned a lot about the construction side of engineering. I also was able to save up for my sophomore classes and even received some Home Depot financial aid.

That was lesson number two: Always be humble and flexible in your approach to success. Remain focused and open-minded on getting the most out of where you are and never feel you are too good to be a part of something.

By the end of 2019, I landed a dream internship at the U.S. Department of Transportation, a position that guarantees employment upon graduation. Things were looking good, then…. PANDEMIC. Spring turned to summer turned to Fall of 2020 and six weeks into that semester I failed the first fluid dynamics I was handed. I had to get honest with myself really quick and do SOMETHING different, otherwise I was not going to become a mechanical engineer. I had no money or time to retake classes. So I studied even harder, devoured the textbook and gave up watching TV. When it hit December, I might have been the only Mason student who didn’t realize the new Star Wars movie had come out.

That was lesson number three: We must take sincere responsibility for what we want to achieve. We will have amazing teachers, coaches, and professors – and opportunities -- but none of that replaces the individual commitment to determine our own success. Only then can we effectively leverage what is around us to bring our dreams to life.

So, FINALLY; Fall 2021…senior year. We had real school again. Real school with real people who I didn’t think I missed because I’m such an independent introverted person. Real school with masks that made my glasses fog up so I couldn’t see. But it was real school. I even finally had my own car.

I then became a team lead on the mechanical engineering department's most elaborate senior project. Much like my first week at Mason, everything that could have gone wrong did. From getting roasted by professors, to staying up with my team for 20 hours straight to finish papers, to mutinies, dismissing a team member for not pulling their weight, all the way to skipping the entirety of winter and spring break to get the job done. It was all there. Our work paid off and the final lesson presented itself.

Struggle means you’re on the path to victory and the struggle is always proportional to what you’re trying to achieve. Big wins require big battles and though it hurts at the time, be confident that if you are sincere in your efforts the hard days mean you are on the right track. If everything is easy, that’s when you should be concerned.

So, 4 years and 4 lessons from my time at Mason. These beyond the classroom lessons, and others like them, are a reflection in some way the experiences of all the graduates in this room. I’m confident you all have risen to some equally challenging occasions to make it to today. Persevering through undergrad, master’s and doctorate programs breeds a special kind of toughness and builds into us a skill set that makes us into human beings capable of attacking our greatest ambitions.

That is exactly who we, graduates of the Class of 2022, have become. So congratulations…and I hope you all go forth fearlessly knowing that nothing will ever be able to stop you, even if your first day of school should have been your fourth

Thank you.

Watch Alamin deliver her speech:

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Graduation

Student news

mechanical engineering

��AV to credit in-state undergraduates for 2022 tuition increase

Melanie Balog — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 19:51:06 +0000

��AV to credit in-state undergraduates for 2022 tuition increase Melanie Balog Thu, 09/29/2022 - 15:51

FAIRFAX, Va. – The ��AV Board of Visitors on Thursday voted to issue credits to in-state undergraduate students equal to the 3 percent tuition increase the board had previously approved for the current academic year.

The decision comes despite several factors that have made Mason disproportionately impacted by the effects of such a reversion, and after extensive discussions with the Youngkin Administration.

“Mason has always championed the ideal of holding tuition for students as low as possible,” said Mason President Gregory Washington. “That is why the Board of Visitors froze undergraduate tuition for last year. And they did so despite operating in the most costly and competitive market in Virginia, and despite the fact that Mason has for years received substantially less funding per student than any of our fellow four-year doctoral universities in Virginia.”

Mason will apply the fall tuition credit in mid-November to in-state undergraduates. Fall credit balances will apply against spring charges, except for Title IV recipients or students who do not return for spring. Those students will receive refunds starting in November, through the end of January. The spring credit will post along with spring tuition charges.

“This year’s original increase was the result of a careful effort to strike a balance between maintaining a quality experience for students while limiting the economic impact on Virginia families,” said Horace Blackman, Rector of the Mason Board of Visitors. “Mason will now work to rebalance operations based on this new cut, with our commitment to minimize negative impacts to the community.”

The credits, equal to $285 for fulltime students, will be prorated for those currently enrolled in fewer than six or more than 15 credit hours. The credits will effectively bring in-state undergraduate tuition levels back to $9,510 for this year, down from the previously approved $9,768. The board-approved credit creates a total budget shortfall for Mason of about $5.8 million for the current fiscal year.

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Campus News

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Mason provides many options for students experiencing risky alcohol and substance behaviors

Melanie Balog — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:57:04 +0000

Mason provides many options for students experiencing risky alcohol and substance behaviors Melanie Balog Wed, 09/21/2022 - 09:57

College is a time of self-discovery, filled with opportunities and potential, and peppered with friendships, independence, and the experiences the world has to offer.

But for a significant number of students, the weight of expectations from parents, teachers, peers, society, and even themselves, can continually increase. In addition, students must adapt to a new lifestyle, with arguably less structure than ever before. Add curiosity, peer pressure, and stress, and the potential is there for a perfect storm that leads to risky substance behaviors.

Getty Images photo

The good news is that through services offered by ��AV’s Student Health Services (SHS) and the Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC), students can be proactive in understanding what constitutes risky substance behavior, keeping their own habits in check, getting support, and spotting potential issues in their or others’ behavior.

“It’s important to normalize the idea that students struggle with a lot of different mental health issues, and to reduce feelings of shame. The world has a lot going on with uncertainty, challenges and things to worry about,” said Ken Griffin, professor of Global and Community Health. “It’s OK to admit that you’re struggling and it’s OK to reach out for help.”

Alcohol flows quite freely on college campuses. According to a 2019 study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 54.9% of full-time college students in the survey between the ages of 18 and 22 drank alcohol in the past month. That is more than 10% higher than non-college students of the same age.

Though drinking has long been the most common form of substance abuse in college, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that the use of cannabis, as well as prescription and illicit drugs, is on the rise and used either as a way to escape from stress or to boost academic performance.

College students may use alcohol and drugs in social situations to connect with others and build a sense of belonging. They might also believe those substances can alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression, and build self-worth. But over time, Griffin said, “Substance use can escalate and exacerbate those problems and begin to interfere with social and academic functioning.”

As brain development continues into the mid-20s, the introduction of alcohol or drug use can both impair brain maturation and cause the brain to adapt to the substances in its system, said Chris Rzengota, associate director of Behavioral Health Services in Student Health Services at Mason.

“Substance use is all about taking care of a wide variety of needs,” Rzengota said, “but habitual use hijacks the brain and impacts one’s motivation, mood, and relationships.”

Alcohol and drug use can also stunt emotional and social development which can lead to an increase in academic problems. Furthermore, many reports of physical and sexual assaults are related to individuals being under influence of alcohol or drugs.

“Excessive drinking [and substance use] is not only a major health concern in the long term, it can also lead to immediate tragedies such as assault, injury, arrest, and death in the short term,” Griffin said.

Warning signs associated with substance abuse include increased isolation and social withdrawal; failed commitments; detachment from friends; acting secretively; showing less interest in activities; a decrease in academic performance; mood swings; irritability; and unexplained changes in behavior or personality.

Partnering with students on their developmental journey through education and support is one of the main underpinnings of services offered by Mason’s Student Support and Advocacy Center. According to Delishia Ashworth, SSAC’s assistant director for Substance Use and Recovery, Mason's programs help students address substance use and recovery issues with no judgment or discrimination. The center offers support spaces and can connect students to treatment options.

“What matters is that students get the compassionate, evidence-based treatment that offers the best chance at sustained recovery,” Ashworth said. “We want all of Mason to be pro recovery and OK with talking about substance use so no one feels stigmatized. That way, students feel comfortable seeking help or support. We want to remove any barriers to student success.”

SSAC provides a variety of substance use and recovery services, including educational workshops that cover substance use, risks, and harm; one-on-one education support meetings; recovery meetings; and presentations by substance peer educators.

SSAC also offers Mason’s unique program, Patriots for Recovery, an open peer-to-peer support group for students who identify as being in recovery for a substance use disorder, eating disorder, or other process addictions.

“It’s important that students know we have a spot for recovery and there is something on campus for them,” Ashworth said. “Groups provide a space to talk about common experiences, to process the impacts of day-to-day recovery, and to connect to others in recovery.”

Students also have the option to go to Student Health Services, where they are screened for risky behaviors through an initial questionnaire to ensure they receive the proper care. From there, they are referred to substance use professionals.

SHS assistance ranges from in-house meetings with therapists or counselors to medical care. That includes help finding detoxification services, intensive outpatient services or ongoing specialty treatments. SHS staff can help students learn coping skills and other life skills to help them be more successful, less triggered, and at a lower risk for negative outcomes.

“We talk about risky use with those who come into SHS because everyone benefits from early intervention,” Rzengota said. “It is important to identify potential risk factors and what can be done to help in order change behavior before it becomes a bigger issue.”

SHS substance use services are free for students and are completely confidential.

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Mason’s Early Identification Program celebrates new high school graduates headed to college

Melanie Balog — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 15:04:51 +0000

Mason’s Early Identification Program celebrates new high school graduates headed to college Melanie Balog Thu, 06/09/2022 - 11:04

Learn more about EIP

Nora Kurtishi

Nora Kurtishi, a Manassas Park High School graduate headed to ��AV in the fall, credits Mason’s Early Identification Program for her success in high school. Kurtishi, who plans to study biology, is a University Scholar and received a College of Science Promise Scholarship. She will be attending Mason’s Honors College.

“The program was really grounding to me since I was meeting like-minded students on a regular basis,” said Kurtishi. “They, along with the EIP mentors, helped me not lose sight of my goal of college.”

Kurtishi, who spoke at this year’s EIP graduation ceremony, was one of 112 graduating seniors from high schools across Northern Virginia who participated in EIP. The program has helped first-generation college bound students achieve academic success for more than 30 years.

Donovan Cloud

EIP provides access to educational resources, mentoring and programming for students from seven local public school systems, including Fairfax County, Manassas City, Prince William County, Arlington County, and Alexandria City. The program is intended to equip students with skills that will help them become lifelong learners, leaders and responsible global citizens. Mason students, many of whom are first-generation college students themselves, help with mentoring.

Last month, the students celebrated their graduations from EIP and their respective schools. Ninety-five of the 112 graduating seniors have been admitted to college. Ninety-two of EIP seniors applied to Mason, 82 were admitted, and 41 have decided to attend Mason.

Donovan Cloud, who graduated from Unity Reed High School, said EIP allowed him to gain confidence in himself. Cloud has more recently developed an interest in graphic design.

“EIP helped me blossom,” said Cloud, who will be attending Mason’s Honors College and is exploring what his major will be. “I was more insecure about myself, but EIP lifted that off of me.”

Khaseem F. Davis, EIP director, said this group of graduating seniors is special because of their awareness of social issues and determination to do something to change the world.

“Collectively, they’ve witnessed a great deal of social struggle,” Davis said. “They are more self-aware and socially aware than a lot of the students I’ve witnessed graduate from EIP. Many of them want to pursue careers that will allow them to make societal change. I see many of them doing great things in the years to come.”

Kalkidan Negussie

Kalkidan Negussie, who graduated from West Potomac High School, plans to study medical laboratory science at Mason.

Negussie said EIP’s summer academy helped her get a head start on her classes for the fall and intensified her interest in the STEM field.

“I’m interested in the medical field because I have a passion for helping others,” said Negussie, who also will be attending the Honors College. “I want to help people in dire need.”

Monica Amaya, another Manassas Park High School graduate, plans on studying information systems and operations management as an Honors College University Scholar. Amaya said that EIP mentors were inspirational.

Monica Amaya

“The mentors supported us with any questions we had about academics and colleges,” Amaya said. “They also got us emotionally. They weren’t just random people, but actual students at Mason who had gone through what we went through to get there.”

Amaya, who works part-time in a restaurant to help her family financially, says she’s looking forward to meeting new people in college and continuing her goal of finding a fulfilling career.

“It still hasn’t hit me that I’ve graduated,” Amaya said.

Topics

Early Identification Program (EIP)

Tech Talent Investment Program

TTIP

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Students in forensic figure sculpting class make portraits from the inside out

Melanie Balog — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 19:40:38 +0000

Students in forensic figure sculpting class make portraits from the inside out Melanie Balog Mon, 06/06/2022 - 15:40

Joe Mullins loves his job. In fact, he loves it so much that he has been sharing his skills as an adjunct in ��AV’s School of Art and the Forensic Science Program with the hope of inspiring the next generation of forensic artists.

For more than 22 years, Mullins has worked as a forensic imaging specialist at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). For a decade, he has been teaching a Facial Reconstruction class to graduate students in Mason’s Forensic Science Program. This spring semester, for the first time at Mason, he taught a forensic figure sculpting class.

A student works on a clay self-portrait in the class. Photo by DeRon Rockingham, Creative Services

The 15 students in the special topics course started the semester with a generic plastic skull. Week by week, they sculpted different parts of their own faces, creating a portrait of themselves in clay and learning the forensic skills needed to put a face on a skull.

“Basically, it's a portrait class,” said Mullins, “but you're doing a self-portrait from the inside out.”

Since 2007, Mullins has been teaching a more comprehensive version of this course at the New York Academy of Art. The difference is the academy students are working on an actual cold case from unidentified remains, which have been analyzed and 3D printed.

“They are active cases,” said Mullins of the New York workshop. “So those students get a sense of the pressure to get it right.”

The Mason course is meant to give interested students a chance to try out forensic art and learn more about facial structures.

“It's an opportunity for these students to broaden their horizons,” said Mullins, who has a background in fine arts and worked as a graphic designer before discovering forensic art. “One of my teachers [during my undergraduate degree] said, ‘If you're gonna be an artist, you have to know what's going on underneath the skin before you can draw or paint what's on top.”

Mullins calls his class a “crash course on what a skull is telling you.” The students are not just learning to sculpt, some for the first time, they are also getting an introduction to forensic science and anatomy. In addition to teaching the students specifics like tissue depth, Mullins also goes over some case studies with the class, bringing in skulls he has worked on during the course of his career.

“This is hands down the coolest class I have taken at Mason,” said art major Sophia Truxell-Svenson, whose concentration is in drawing. “I was nervous at the start of class because I'm definitely not a sculptor, but Professor Mullins has broken down the whole process into clear steps and is always there if we have questions.”

A student works on a clay portrait in Joe Mullins' Forensic Scuplture class. Photo by DeRon Rockingham, Creative Services

Truxell-Svenson, a junior, took the class to gain a better understanding of facial proportions and because she has had an interest in forensic art since seeing a Smithsonian Institution exhibit that showed the full process from blank skull to sculpted face.

“It was so cool to see how artists were able to give someone back their face, even hundreds of years later,” she said. “The bones had a story to tell, and the artists were able to bring those stories to life.”

Mason anthropology graduate student Veronica Hughes, who is focusing on bioarchaeology and forensics in her studies, took the class because she is interested in using her education in the forensics field.

“I have really enjoyed the systematic process required in reconstructing a face based on skeletal information,” said Hughes, who has a bachelor’s degree in studio art. “Seeing where applications from science and art join together has helped me to understand how delicate the process is toward producing an accurate reconstruction of a victim that people can identify.”

Hughes said she was also fascinated by what she learned about facial muscle placement and tissue depth in the class.

“On the bioarchaeology side, we mostly are studying skeletal remains to determine the individual's possible identification in life,” said Hughes. “Realizing how much soft tissue decomposes has been informative and will help me in my work.”

Mullins is offering the class again in the fall and also working on creating additional courses that tackle the topics such as age progression and composite drawing. The long-term goal is developing a graduate certificate in forensic arts. Right now, the only place to get this kind of training is at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Mullins believes Mason has the perfect combination of resources for such a certificate program with its well-regarded programs in forensic science, anthropology and art, and its partnership with FARO Technologies, an industry leader in high-tech 3D measurement and imaging.

“You have to be a fine artist before you can be a forensic artist,’” said Mullins, “But it is my hope that these artists taking the class might find forensic art a superpower they haven't used yet or didn’t know they had.”

Joe Mullins shows students in his Forensic Sculpture class details about facial reconstruction. Photo by DeRon Rockingham, Creative Services

Mason earns top honors from Campus Pride Index

Melanie Balog — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 13:40:00 +0000

Mason earns top honors from Campus Pride Index Melanie Balog Thu, 06/02/2022 - 09:40

Mason is one of only 29 universities in the U.S. to receive the highest distinction from the Campus Pride Index.

��AV has been recognized as a “five-star premier campus” by Campus Pride Index, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safer LGBTQ-friendly learning environments at colleges and universities.

Mason is one of only 29 U.S. institutions, out of 454 evaluated, with a five-star premier ranking, one of only three in the South, and the only one in Virginia.

Additionally, Mason is one of just 40 four-year campuses across the country, and the only public institution in Virginia, recognized by Campus Pride in its "Best of the Best" list of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities in the United States. It also is one of only four institutions nationally to score a perfect 100 on the Athletic Equity Index, which examines how NCAA Division I institutions support LGBTQ student-athletes.

“At a university like ours, which is committed to access and welcoming to all, this sends a huge signal to our existing and prospective students,” said Rose Pascarell, vice president for University Life.

An LGBTQ chalk drawing at Mason.
Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

“Particularly for the LGBTQIA community, students and parents are often looking for signs,” she added. “That ranking sends a message to students and family and friends that Mason is not just trying to create a welcoming environment, but our practices and policies reflect that.”

Mason has been a leader in creating an LGBTQ+-friendly campus.

The university’s LGBTQ+ Resources Center has operated for 20 years and provides leadership and mentoring programs, and a clothing resource for trans and non-binary students. Mason’s student-led Pride Alliance, the oldest of several LGBTQ+ student organizations on campus, is dedicated to ensuring a safe, accepting space for LGBTQ+ students to live and meet.

Mason’s Living Learning Communities, including the LGBTQ+ Living Learning Community, allow like-minded students to live in the same residence hall, fostering connections and creating access to resources. The university also has a gender-inclusive housing policy for students living outside the Learning Community.

And Mason’s long-running annual “Drag Show,” held at the end of Mason’s PRIDE Week in the spring, draws hundreds of students to a celebration of the movement toward human rights for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

“I knew the university promotes a lot of its diversity initiatives,” said William Barker, a freshman cyber security engineering major, who during the next academic year will be the chair of Mason’s Queer Student Leadership Council. “It was a factor because I wanted to make sure I was going to be comfortable at the school I was going to.”

Juniper Mortimer, a rising junior majoring in government and international politics and a peer mentor with the LGBTQ+ Resources Center, said they were bolstered during the pandemic lockdown, when the resources center and Pride Alliance held virtual events so LGBTQ+ students could interact.

“I have been able to make all of my friends and connections,” Mortimer said, “and the Pride Index is a very good indicator that there is a space for anybody on Mason’s Campus.”

��AV LGBTQ+ Resources Center staff and volunteers at the Capital Pride Festival in Washington, DC.
photo credit: University Life

Most important, said Josh Kinchen, director of the LGBTQ+ Resources Center, is not treating the LGBTQ+ community as a monolith, because it intersects with every demographic.

“We’re working with folks with all the pieces of their identity — undocumented, first-gen, veterans — instead of seeing them only in their sexuality and gender,” Kinchen said. “For an institution of our size and prestige, that is incredibly unique. But we can’t do it any other way, and that’s why we’ve had so much success.”

As for the index, “It shows that there is a true vibrancy here that we can prove.,” he said. “But it’s also a tool for us to hold ourselves accountable to say we have to live up to this now.”

So far, so good, Mortimer said.

“Mason has one of the most accepting and diverse environments I’ve been part of,” they said. “It’s been an amazing experience. If you’re looking for something like that, definitely come to Mason.”

Visit the LGBTQ Resource Center

Events

6/3/2023 Fairfax Pride

8/23/2023 Lavender Orientation

10/2/2023 LGBTQ+ History Month Kickoff

4/30/2024 Pride Week Drag Show

4/23/2024 Lavender & Women and Gender Studies Graduation

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