ÑÇÖÞAV

Thalia Goldstein, associate professor of applied developmental psychology explains how kids benefit socially and emotionally from finding out Santa Claus isn’t real. Even so, Goldstein admits she is still disappointed about hearing the truth. A conversation with real holiday spirit.

John G. Turner explains the real history of Thanksgiving. Were the Pilgrims religious refugees who established democracy and the holiday in New England, or invaders who betrayed their native allies and even enslaved them? A fascinating story with lots to digest.

Hakeem Oluseyi explains how he went from a life of crime to being one of the world’s renowned astrophysicists. He describes what aliens might look like – think a two-foot tall Incredible Hulk – and how the pull of the classroom overcame the pull of the streets.

Lisa Gring-Pemble, co-director of Mason's Business for a Better World Center and co-founder of the Honey Bee Initiative explains how the initiative has become and international phenomenon and how the Business for a Better World Center is helping businesses drive sustainability success.

Gail C. Christopher, a senior scholar at ÑÇÖÞAV’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, has been named a winner of Independent Sector’s 2021 John W. Gardner Leadership Award, along with John A. Powell of University of California-Berkeley.

Mason's Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a nationally recognized expert on the U.S.-Mexico border, has a slightly different view of the border region than we generally see on television news. She talks about the wonders and the dangers of the region, her research into border security, social movements and human trafficking.

Mason's Cynthia Lum, a former Baltimore City cop, talk about how evidence-based policing is part of an overall strategy to fight crime that also includes police being respectful to the communities with which they work.

Spencer Crew, A Robinson Professor of U.S. history at Mason and the first African American to lead a major Smithsonian museum, talks about the evolving role museums play in society, and how the Black community in the United States, and those who work with it, are trying to be the conscience of the nation.

Shane Caswell, co-director of Mason's S.M.A.R.T. Lab, discusses his research that could change the way we diagnose and treat concussions, and what the latest science tells us about concussions and CTE.

Robyn Mehlenbeck, director of Mason's Center for Psychological Services, discusses how colleges can help students, faculty and staff cope with the well-being stresses that have resulted from the pandemic, and how her center is extending services to the broader community.