Mason Spirit Fall 2023

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A M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E G E O R G E M A S O N U N I V E R S I T Y CO M M U N I T Y

LI VI N G L AB | A WI N N I NG C OMBINATION | BASKE TBAL L REUNION

Powering the Future

The Mason community gathered on September 28 to celebrate the launch of Mason Now: Power the Possible, the university’s biggest, boldest campaign ever.

MASON SPIRIT about the cover

FALL 2023

Mason’s police dogs are so popular they even have their own swag. Meet Bunji on page 17.

Men’s basketball coach Tony Skinn, Mason athletic director Marvin Lewis, and women’s basketball coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis share their thoughts about Mason Athletics. See story on page 30.

Photo by Ron Aira

CONNECT WITH GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY @georgemason

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Scan the QR codes you’ll find throughout the magazine with your smartphone’s camera app for associated websites with more details.

FEATURES

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With dynamic new leadership and some Final Four nostalgia, Mason Nation looks forward to another basketball season. In this feature, we chat with new athletic director Marvin Lewis and basketball coaches Tony Skinn, BA ‘06, and Vanessa Blair-Lewis.

MASON AS A LIVING LAB

From the tree canopies in our accredited arboretum to the stormwater running into Mason Pond, the university’s environment is subject to careful scrutiny and informed by research.

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A WINNING COMBINATION

WHERE ARE THEY NOW, MASON BASKETBALL EDITION

Did you know three members of the 2006 Final Four basketball team now work on campus? And their presence is drawing more basketball alumni back to Fairfax.

DEPARTMENTS 2 First Words 3 From Our Readers 4 @Mason 40 Inquiring Minds 44 Shelf Life 46 Alumni in Print 47 Patriot Profile

48 Class Notes 50 From the Alumni Association President ALUMNI PROFILES 48 Liza Burrell-Aldana, MEd Education Leadership ’13

51 Alex Hussein, BS Information Systems and Operations Management ’21

53 Eman Pahlavani, BS Political Science ’09 56 Retro Mason

MORE ON THE WEB When you see this graphic, follow it to the magazine’s website for more: spirit.gmu.edu.

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 1

FIRST WORDS

MASON SPIRIT A MAGAZINE FOR THE GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

spirit.gmu.edu

MEASURING OUR IMPACT When I interviewed to become Mason’s president, I was asked how Mason could position itself to be more like some of our peer universities in Virginia.

I told them I thought they had it backward—other universities should position themselves to look more like Mason. That’s because you should measure impact by how many doors of opportunity you open for students, not by how many students you lock out.

That realization is catching on as evidenced by the evolving methodologies major media outlets are using to rank U.S. colleges and universities. This overdue course correction is one of many reasons why Mason is now a consensus top-50 public university nationally: No. 33 in the Wall Street Journal (up from No. 95), No. 40 in Forbes, and No. 51 in U.S. News & World Report (up from No. 64).

These rankings are unprecedented in Mason history. But the fact is, Mason has been winning the game for years. It’s only now that the scoreboard is more accurately reflecting it.

U.S. News, the Wall Street Journal, and Washington Monthly all rank Mason No. 1 among Virginia public universities for advancing social mobility, and the New York Times rates Mason as No. 1 among Virginia publics in its new economic diversity index.

Could there be a greater measure of societal impact than what Mason is achieving in Virginia?

At the same time, Mason is in the top tier of U.S. research universities (54 percent research expenditure growth in the past five years), a leader in innovation (ranked 20th nationally in U.S. News), a tremendous value (the second lowest in-state undergraduate tuition among the six doctoral universities in the commonwealth), and has graduation rates that greatly exceed national averages.

Within six months of graduating, 87 percent of Class of 2022 survey respondents were either employed full-time or continuing their education, and 86 percent were employed in Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia, filling critical roles in our region’s workforce.

This fall, with freshman applications up 12.9 percent, we welcomed our largest and most diverse freshman class to become the first public university in the history of the state to surpass an enrollment of 40,000. This incoming freshman class also is Mason’s most academically impressive—28 percent enter with a 4.0 GPA or higher, and 71 percent enter with a 3.5 GPA or higher.

George Mason University is delivering on its promise to transform lives and prepare students to reach their academic and professional goals. We appreciate, and celebrate, the rise in the rankings. But it’s the student success stories that best validate our work.

Gregory Washington President, George Mason University

Find out more about the rankings on page 20.

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M A N AG I N G E D I TO R Colleen Kearney Rich, MFA ’95 A R T D I R E C TO R Joan Dall’Acqua A S S O C I AT E E D I TO R S Melanie Balog Priyanka Champaneri, BA ’05, MFA ’10 Anne Reynolds E D I TO R I A L A S S I S TA N T Janelle Applewhite CO N T R I B U TO R S Jennifer Anzaldi Benjamin Auger Shayla Brown Damian Cristodero Mary Cunningham Sarah Holland John Hollis Nathan Kahl Lisa Karim Rebecca Kobayashi Kristen Koehler Amanda Milewski Genamarie McCant Tiffany Peden Laura Powers Colleen Regan Lauren Clark Reuscher, MA ‘12 Conner Roy Corey Jenkins Schaut, MPA ’07 Preston Williams GRAPHIC DESIGN Claire Brandt Jeeun Lee Namgoong Michaela Reilly, BA ‘21 Azriel Towner, BFA ‘19 P H OTO G R A P H Y A N D M U LT I M E D I A Ron Aira Melissa Cannarozzi, MA ‘22 Evan Cantwell, MA ’10 Cristian Torres P R O D U C T I O N M A N AG E R Brian Edlinski E D I TO R I A L B O A R D Stephanie Aaronson, BA ‘94 Deputy Vice President for Communications and Mason Media Paul G. Allvin Vice President for University Branding and Chief Brand Officer Trishana E. Bowden Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Kathleen Diemer Associate Vice President for Advancement Relations Robin Rose Parker Assistant Vice President for Communications Jennifer W. Robinson, JM ‘02 Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Mason Spirit is published three times a year by the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations and the Office of University Branding. George Mason University is an equal opportunity employer that encourages diversity.

FROM OUR READERS

I am the father of two Mason graduates, and both had successful athletic careers for all four years at Mason. I was saddened to see your publication emphasized a “hat trick for athletics” in your summer 2023 issue, referring to three athletic administrators being hired, yet you failed to mention the Mason women’s track and field team winning the A-10 Conference Championships. Mentioning the conference champions for men’s baseball and women’s softball was noteworthy, but the more significant “hat trick” would’ve been adding the women’s track and field team. Those three teams were a more appropriate “hat trick,” keeping in mind student achievement, character, and excellence as priorities for higher education.

Steven Ikenberry

You are right! The three championships happened near press time for the magazine, and we totally missed it.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

PHOTO BY ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE

ONE MORE BIG WIN

In May, the Patriot women finished first overall with 161 points at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Massachusetts. This is the team’s fifth time winning the outdoor championship and their first since 2019. The Mason women earned gold in three events and recorded a total of 16 medals across 12 different events.

Letters to the editor are welcomed.

Send correspondence to Colleen Kearney Rich, Managing Editor, Mason Spirit, 4400 University Drive, MS 2F7, Fairfax, Virginia 22030.

Need to change your address or update contact information with us? Or prefer not to receive the magazine in the mail any longer? Just let us know via email at development@gmu.edu.

Or send an email to spirit@gmu.edu.

George Mason University’s Alumni Association hosts events for the Mason Nation throughout the year, creating innovative and memorable experiences for the entire university community.

Check out the QR code for a complete list of upcoming events.

Join us!

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 3

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Students tackle a risotto recipe in CHEM 460 Chemistry in the Kitchen.

Keep updated on what’s going on

A TASTY SPIN ON CHEMISTRY The aroma of garlic and onions hits instantly as you walk into the classroom. Five pairs of students shuffle around their assigned stovetops—one in each pair looking intently at a sheet of paper and calling out directions while the other handles a pan of sizzling ingredients.

As they work, Mason chemistry professor Rebecca Jones moves among stations to check in. She created the recipe for the risotto they are all cooking for the lab and wants to be sure the students not only think through the steps but also pay close attention to what is chemically happening to each ingredient.

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CHEM 460 Chemistry in the Kitchen is a new course that uses everyday recipes to demonstrate chemical concepts. After the idea came to Jones a year ago, she developed the course and worked closely with the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies to secure the Nutrition Kitchen in Peterson Hall for the lab component.

“Every kitchen is a lab when you think about it,” says Jones. “This class is designed to help students learn what molecules and chemical changes are associated with the food they’re eating.”

PHOTOS BY EVAN CANTWELL

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The class session covering molecular extraction was quickly followed by a lab with students making pour-over coffee to tangibly see this chemical concept take place as the hot water poured onto coffee beans created a brown liquid.

“The cooking experiments really reinforce your understanding of the topics you learn in class,” says biology major Wilson Plummer. “You’ll touch on a topic, and then get to see it in action.”

Plummer says he likes the interactive nature of the class most, learning about caramelization one day and making caramels the next, or listening to information on starch hydration and then baking bread.

While students fulfill their lab assignment, they routinely take out their phones to capture images of the recipe’s current state from several angles.

Instead of the traditional lab report, Jones requires students to publish a blog post that incorporates photos throughout the cooking process so classmates can see differences and comment on each other’s work.

“Sometimes everyone does a slightly different thing while cooking, so they can benefit from seeing those differences in photos,” Jones says.

Students also design and execute their own food experiment, and they did not hold back on creativity. One student tested how sugar interacted with

different gelling agents to make the best gummy bears; another measured fermentation’s effect on homemade hot sauces.

Juliana Primavera, a senior chemistry major, says the class combined her love for both cooking and chemistry and that she didn’t want to pass on an opportunity to learn from Jones. “Chemistry majors welcome such opportunities to be creative in our classes,” she says. “The cooking element not only gives us the hands-on experience that allows us to truly understand what’s going on, [but] it also makes it engaging, memorable, and fun.”

Mason chemistry professor Rebecca Jones (above) created a course that uses cooking to demonstrate chemistry concepts.

Inspired by a lab where they made caramel sauce earlier in the semester, Plummer decided to focus his final experiment on soft caramels—more specifically how fat (e.g., dairy milk versus coconut milk) impacts the crystal structure of caramel.

After a few weeks of experimentation, students presented their findings to the class and showcased their work at a public poster session in May. Primavera’s final project focused on the effect of varying lye concentrations on pretzel texture. “I wanted to find a recipe that would be complicated chemically. And because I love soft pretzels so much, I figured it would be a perfect learning opportunity.”

—Laura Powers

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PHD STUDENT NAMED VIRGINIA TEACHER OF THE YEAR

PHOTO PROVIDED

Mason doctoral student Jeffery W. Keller, MA History ’12, is the 2024 Virginia Teacher of the Year.

Keller is a history teacher at John Handley High School in Winchester, Virginia, and is currently pursuing his PhD in education with a primary specialization in teaching and teacher education.

“It’s exciting, and it’s validation for hard work and long hours,” says Keller. “I am thankful for my students too—they’re what it’s all about.”

“Jeffery encourages each of his students to set high goals and creates pathways for them to achieve excellence,” says Lisa Coons, Virginia superintendent of public instruction.

Keller will now be representing Virginia on the national stage as a nominee for the 2024 National Teacher of the Year. The winner of the national competition will be announced next spring during a ceremony to be held at the White House.

The number of Mason students studying abroad has jumped from 667 in 2019–20 to 1,383 in 2022–23.

The most popular countries this academic year were Korea, Japan, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom.

Biology major and aspiring physician Andrea Johnson received a prestigious Gilman Scholarship for her summer abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, where she interned with the Perinatal Mental Health Project.

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PHOTO PROVIDED

Many Mason-funded grants and scholarships are available to help students cover the cost of the courses and travel—a total of $43,000 was awarded last year.

Fuse at Mason Square is currently under construction in the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

CONCEPT RENDERING BY MASON INNOVATION PARTNERS / EYP

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DESIGN THAT FUSES INNOVATION WITH SUSTAINABILITY When it opens its doors in 2024, Fuse at Mason Square will house research and development labs, classrooms, offices, corporate innovation centers, incubators, accelerators, convening spaces, and retail units. It is also designed to be a LEED Platinum building. We talked to architect Rob McClure from the building’s design firm Page about Fuse’s innovative design.

Sustainability is one of Mason’s core missions.

How did you incorporate that into the building?

We’re looking at a path to net zero energy. The way we approached the design of the project was to start the sustainability conversation with the basics, the things you would do as a good global citizen.

But then we said, “What can we do further than that?” First off, we’re using triple-glazed glass. That’s super insulated glass. It’s something you don’t see on most buildings.

My personal favorite is one of the features that I still can’t believe we’re going to do. Basically, when you look at the building, most people are going to ask, “Well, why is it angled?” We looked at the sun, the optimal radiation, the angle, and we tilted these photovoltaic fins that generate electricity. It’s a striking statement. It is literally a symbol of Mason’s commitment to sustainability.

Since COVID-19, air filtration in buildings has become a big issue. How did you handle that?

We looked at all these different smart building technologies, such as the ability to take the HVAC, the cooling and heating, and fine-tune it based on the occupancy of the room. It even looks at the carbon dioxide that’s in a room and starts to adjust the flow of air, which also contributes to the wellness of people. You basically have a building that’s a lot smarter than most buildings.

WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT FUSE

go.gmu.edu/ fuseatmason

Any other sustainability efforts to highlight?

There’s so many. It’s really about being a good steward of the environment. There are shower facilities that will allow people to ride their bikes to the building. Electric charging stations—there’s a ton. This project has a lot of green roofs. We’re choosing native [plant] species and some pollinator favorites. There’s a ton of research that says access to nature helps in terms of wellness. And it retains water, so it reduces the amount of water we’re putting back into the system, which is a great thing for the environment.

—Damian Cristodero

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PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

Workshop teachers Martin Mitchell, Victoria Mendoza, and Nicholas Ritter making chapbooks of the students’ poems.

POETRY IS THRIVING AT THE FAIRFAX COUNTY JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER Mason graduate students are conducting poetry workshops for residents of the Fairfax Juvenile Detention Center as part of a yearlong therapeutic program for male residents aged 14 to 17.

Called Poetry Alive!, the project was initiated by Mason alum Nicole Tong, MFA ’07, in her role as Fairfax’s first poet laureate and is supported by Fairfax County’s ArtsFairfax.

Now in its second year, Poetry Alive! brings Mason poetry students into the lives of young people who want to find language for their own stories, says Mason English professor Peter Streckfus, MFA ’00,

codirector of Mason’s Poetry Daily website and one of Tong’s original collaborators on the project.

For MFA poetry student Nicholas Ritter, the idea of Poetry Alive! was what drew him to Mason.

“I really wanted to teach incarcerated folks if I got the opportunity to do so,” says Ritter. “Having the balance between the pedagogy and the poetry lessons allows me to find different ways to get at the heart of what we’re trying to do, which is to give a space for the students to feel safe expressing themselves in different ways.”

—Shayla Brown

POINT OF PRIDE

Mason won the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Commuter Connections 2023 Employer Recognition Award for the Incentives category.

Since last winning an Employer Recognition Award in 2006, Mason has enhanced its incentives program, which is centered around a robust bicycle commuting program, a network of shuttles to connect employees to transit options, teleworking, and a flexible work schedule environment.

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

Of those employed on campus, 822 use alternative transportation methods, an additional 1,764 staff members telework at least part time, and 1,467 faculty members telework informally based on class schedules. In 2022, the incentives program led to a savings of approximately 9,876,600 employee vehicle miles traveled and about 448,900 gallons of gas.

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AND THE BAND PLAYED ON Just weeks after a massive tornado destroyed their high school and half of their town, music students in Wynne, Arkansas, were able to continue their music education and even keep some performance dates, thanks to Mason’s Instruments in the Attic (IiA) program.

Instruments in the Attic, part of the Mason Community Arts Academy, recycles donated instruments and gets them in the hands of students in need. In April, the program provided more than 100 instruments and accessories to middle and high school students in Wynne.

Matthew Cooper, a middle school music teacher in Wynne, reached out to IiA coordinator Samantha Clarke, DMA ’23, earlier this year seeking instruments for the program. Cooper had learned about the program when he was teaching in Maryland and had received instruments from IiA previously.

They were in the midst of coordinating the details of the instrument pick-up when the tornado struck. A few weeks later, Cooper and a colleague drove from Wynne to Fairfax with a trailer in tow. The donation included band and orchestra instruments, guitars, percussion equipment, and various accessories, all of which made it possible for music education to continue for the students in Wynne despite the hardships they are facing.

Since 2008, Instruments in the Attic has provided hundreds of instruments to teachers and students throughout Virginia, with a focus on donations to Title I schools. In addition to helping local school band and orchestra programs, the program has also supplied instruments to music students throughout the United States and internationally (through special arrangements) to students in African nations, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, and El Salvador. The program also assists Mason students in the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music who are training to become music educators by providing instruments to help them build their skills.

Instruments in the Attic is always seeking instrument donations to help those in need. If you would like to make a donation or to find out more, contact academy@gmu.edu

“At the heart of what we do in the College of Visual and Performing Arts is the core belief that ‘The Arts Create Community,’ and the Instruments in the Attic program is one of the most tangible examples of this that we have,” says Mary Lechter, executive director of the Mason Community Arts Academy.

“Whether we are putting a single instrument into the hands of a deserving student so that they may join their school music program or supplying enough instruments to create a community orchestra in Costa Rica, the reach and impact are significant and truly fulfill this important mission.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHEW COOPER

Donated instruments kept the Wynne Guitar Ensemble strumming this year.

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MORE THAN JUST A GOOD MEAL When diners came to lunch at George Mason University dining halls this past spring, they found little tent cards by each food item. In addition to noting what the food was, each card was color-coded green, yellow, or red to indicate the food’s carbon impact.

Mason Dining turned existing salad bars at Southside and Ike’s dining halls into Future 50 Food Stations, and the carbon impact indicators are a part of efforts to encourage students to eat sustainably. The Future 50 Foods are based on 50 foods identified by the World Wildlife Fund and food and beverage company Knorr in 2019 as being nutritious and having a lower environmental impact.

All food has a carbon impact that reflects the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by creating that food, whether it’s from growing, transporting, processing, cooking, or disposal.

Green cards noted foods with the lowest carbon impact, such as beans, seasonal fruits, and vegetables. Red cards reflected foods with high carbon impact, such as meats, cheeses, and eggs.

“These indicators invited guests to reflect on the process of how food gets to our plates,” says Sophia Nelson, a marketing specialist with Mason Dining.

“With more than 75 percent of our options having a low carbon impact, we invited students to opt for a sustainable diet.”

Before the launch of the Future 50 Food Stations, Mason Dining conducted a survey of more than 7,000 students on their overall satisfaction with meal options. The results identified the need for healthier, more nutrient-rich meals, as well as allergen-free and religious-friendly options. Seventy-nine percent of students reported choosing to go meatless one or more days a week, and 65 percent indicated a preference for a more plant-forward diet.

“The whole program aims to provide students with a better understanding of where their food comes from, the impact of their dietary choices on the environment, how they can support local farmers, and how to eat healthier without sacrificing the taste,” says Sofya Vetrova, BS Tourism and Events Management ’19, Mason Dining’s marketing director.

—Tiffany Peden

PHOTO BY JASON KIRICHOK

The Future 50 Food Stations’ carbon impact indicators are a part of efforts to help students eat sustainably.

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PHOTO BY RON AIRA

PHOTO BY RON AIRA

Associate Professor, College of Science, and NASA Panelist and Mentor

In fall 2022, NASA selected Anamaria Berea, PhD Computational Social Science ’12, to participate in its independent study team on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). An expert in data and computational science, Berea has been working closely with the panel to carefully express the possibilities— as well as the limits—of open-source data from NASA, FAA, NOAA, and other government agencies when studying these phenomena.

Challenges Accepted: This is not the first time Berea, an associate professor in Mason’s Computational and Data Sciences Department, has shared her skills with NASA. Berea, the first woman to earn a doctorate in computational social science at Mason, was hired as a data scientist for Frontier Development Lab, an artificial intelligence research accelerator that has partnered with NASA and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute. The lab brings together data scientists and subject matter experts in space and earth sciences to apply machine learning and deep learning methods to space science problems. Berea has worked on such challenges as forecasting solar flares and winds and simulating exoplanetary atmospheres.

She also oversaw the design of a semi-supervised

algorithm for sorting petabytes of unlabeled Earth observation images. “The challenge was to create an algorithm that will automatically identify types of phenomena—such as a hurricane or sandstorm— in these satellite pictures,” she says.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life: According to Berea, who is a SETI affiliate, there are two signatures of potential life to look for: biosignatures (present or past signatures of microbial or cellular life) and technosignatures (present or past signatures of life that developed technology in some form). However, she says a common misconception is that a discovery happens at a specific point in time. She uses as an example a meteorite discovered during the Clinton administration that some scientists believe shows traces of past microbial life on Mars. It’s been two decades, and scientists are still debating.

The Odds Are... ?: Berea acknowledges that many are inclined to believe there is life out there, but it’s complicated. “If you’re thinking just in probabilistic terms, the probability should be really high,” she says, “but the sheer vastness of the universe is the biggest barrier to actually finding something.”

—Colleen Kearney Rich, MFA ‘95

BE THE DIFFERENCE

ANAMARIA BEREA

Mason Delivers All Together Different Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 11

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MOVE OVER SHARK TANK, PATRIOT PITCH HAS ARRIVED

PHO TO BY JOHN BOAL

Fifteen teams competed in this year’s Patriot Pitch Competition.

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This spring, 15 teams competed for $40,000 in prizes at the George Mason University School of Business Patriot Pitch Competition. With the Patriot handing out checks to the top winners of the day, nine teams of Mason entrepreneurs came a step closer to realizing their dreams of launching or growing their own startup businesses.

In the first round, a committee from the School of Business, consisting of faculty and local entrepreneurs, reviewed the applications. Four teams from each track were then selected and invited to the final round, where they pitched their ideas before an audience of nearly 200 students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members.

“We take great pride in being ranked as Virginia’s most innovative university,” says Patrick Soleymani, associate dean for outreach and strategic engagement at the School of Business. “The Patriot Pitch Competition is just one example of the business school’s investment in the next wave of regional entrepreneurs and our commitment to growing this ecosystem nationwide.”

Judges selected first and second place teams in four different tracks: Public Engagement; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Social Impact; and General Entrepreneurship. Audience members used the Poll Everywhere app to vote for their favorite pitches to bestow the Mason’s Choice Award for each track.

Now in its 22nd year, the Patriot Pitch Competition (formerly the Dean’s Business Plan Competition) was open to Mason students and recent alumni from all majors and fields of study and brought nearly 50 applicant teams from across the university. The event, led by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, held two rounds of competition.

For the Public Engagement track, both first place and Mason’s Choice Award went to By Easy AI, a no-code tool that allows low-tech enterprises to mine data for actionable insights and to optimize their business analytics. Muse Management, an event management company focused on increasing art visibility in the community through immersive experiences, came in second place.

PHOTO BY JOHN BOAL

PHOTO BY JOHN BOAL

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Applied computer science major Jacob Sheikh pitches his translation service Legal Language Simplied.

For the STEM track, first place and Mason’s Choice Award were both presented to Designer Contrast Agent Platform, an economical and biofriendly contrast agent platform that targets deep tumor tissue to create high-contrast, high-resolution images of cancerous tumors. Second place went to NaviSleeve, an unobtrusive, wearable controller for virtual and augmented reality.

For the Social Impact track, first place and Mason’s Choice Award went to Legal Language Simplified, which provides accurate, human-certified translations for non-English-fluent, at-risk populations using a proprietary deep learning technology.

Second place went to Chelonii, an activewear and lifestyle brand with products made from organic and recycled materials.

For the General Entrepreneurship track, first place went to UKIE Candles, maker of hand-poured pillar candles made of 100 percent organic-sustainable soy wax. “Ukie” is a colloquial term for Ukrainians living in America, and 25 percent of all sales revenues are donated to Ukrainian families impacted by the ongoing war. Second place went to Senior FitLife, which offers in-home personal fitness training

Daryna Maguson, BS Business ’23, uses proceeds from UKIE candles to support families in her native Ukraine.

services for seniors. Mason’s Choice Award went to PyroSound.studio, producing temperatureregulated pyroboards with dancing flames that move to the sound of music.

Powering the success of the student and alumni pitch teams were 13 mentors who are CEOs, consultants, entrepreneurs, startup coaches, Mason faculty members, and alumni. Mentors were a critical source of value to the teams, providing real-world experience in starting and managing startups. The judging panels boasted 16 local business leaders whose professional experience includes consulting, derivatives exchange, energy consulting, food technology, nonprofits, and venture capital.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PATRIOT PITCH

business. gmu.edu/ patriotpitch

Additionally, I-Corps program manager Kuzeyhan Ozdemir, Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX) mentorin-residence George Siragusa, and Lisa Shapiro, assistant director of entrepreneurship programs in Mason’s Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact, organized two intensive training sessions and weekly pitch practices at the MIX to help the finalists prepare for the big day.

—Jennifer Anzaldi

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AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION FOR TEACHER RETENTION part of, and even impacting the school’s culture, help teacher candidates feel welcome and supported—and therefore more likely to stay.

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

“School-based teacher educators are our partners in teacher preparation,” says Mason professor Audra Parker, academic program coordinator for elementary education. “They keep us current in what’s happening in the classrooms, and we maintain currency in research and best practices. Together we bridge theory and practice as we support teacher candidates’ professional growth.”

Centreville Elementary School teacher candidate Katya Pocasangre in her classroom.

Over the past year, headlines from across the United States have warned of the impending educator exodus, with the New York Times calling it the “Great Teacher Resignation.” A 2022 study on behalf of the Virginia General Assembly reported that nearly all school divisions in Virginia indicated increasing difficulty in both recruiting and retaining teachers.

For Northern Virginia, the award-winning Professional Development School (PDS) program in Mason’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is a beacon of hope.

PDS programs offer an innovative alternative to the traditional method of internships, in which a teacher candidate (a student who is working toward an education degree) is placed into a school with limited collaboration between the university and school divisions.

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Joshua Douds, MEd Education Leadership ’05, principal of Centreville Elementary School (CES) and one of Mason’s PDS partners, says having teacher candidates in the school is like having a yearlong interview with a future job candidate. “And that candidate is learning our school culture, the expectations of the job, and building relationships with our faculty and staff.”

This year Douds’s school and Mason were recognized with an Exemplary PDS Award from the National Association of Professional Development Schools.

Almost 15 of CES’s current teachers were once teacher candidates at the school.

“This award validates the work we’ve done and gives national recognition to the PDS program, how important it is, and how much better it is for teachers, schools, and districts,” Douds says.

Teacher candidates from Mason aren’t just improving the day-to-day management of classrooms and teaching. Their impact extends to the systems and structures of the schools themselves. One recent community-mapping project led by CES teacher candidates resulted in the development of schoolwide daily mindfulness practices to improve wellness among teachers, students, and staff. And the teacher candidate who took the lead on that project now works full time at CES.

Instead, PDS programs are developed through a partnership between universities and school divisions, in which staff and faculty on both sides work to create an immersive teaching experience for aspiring educators. CEHD has used the PDS model with school divisions throughout Northern Virginia for 20 years.

“Teacher candidates from Mason bring in the newest ideas around education and their diverse perspectives, which forces us to reflect on our practices and makes us stronger educators,” Douds says. “And that, in turn, benefits the students.”

The program’s emphasis on practical classroom experience, along with understanding, becoming

—Sarah Holland

PHOTO BY CRISTIAN TORRES

@MASON

“Is Water the New Oil?” College of Science dean Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm talks about the water crisis.

NEW YOUTUBE SERIES ADDRESSES GLOBAL CHALLENGES This spring, Visiting Robinson Professor Hakeem Oluseyi and Mason president Gregory Washington spent an hour discussing how fusion energy might transform the way we live, and how the Artemis moon project is a stepping stone to technological advances that will help us on Earth.

After the formal presentation, the audience of Honors College students peppered the famous astrophysicist with questions.

The students were participating in the recording of two episodes of a new six-part YouTube series titled “Our Future, Transformed: Mason Spotlights the World’s Grand Challenges.”

Hosted by Washington, the series features Mason experts speaking about the key issues, implications, and solutions facing some of the most debated and

significant topics of the day, including water policies in the West, police reform, and problems at the U.S. southern border.

The conversations are envisioned as a showcase for Mason’s multidisciplinary intellectual community and another example of how Mason creates and offers an environment for student engagement and dialogue with experts who can prepare them to tackle the world’s grand challenges.

Full versions of the episodes are available on Mason’s YouTube channel.

LEARN MORE

gmu.edu/ our-futuretransformed

“It’s just been an amazing opportunity to be able to hear from someone who is an expert in their field to get more information and to be able to ask questions about weirdly specific things that we might not have time to cover in class,” says S. Fagiano, a senior majoring in physics and math.

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 15

@MASON

ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH AQUAPONICS The Presidents Park Greenhouse on the Fairfax Campus, which grows approximately 1,000 pounds of fresh produce for the university annually, has a new aquaponics food system and some new staff members to go with it—goldfish.

The system includes a 200-gallon fish tank and three grow beds for the plants. In the aquaponics system, the fish produce waste that nitrifying bacteria then convert into nutrients for the plants. The plant roots absorb these nutrients, and in doing so filter the water so it can be safely recirculated back to the fish, all while creating an environment to grow plants organically, without the use of soil.

The Greenhouse and Gardens Program has partnered with the Patriot Pantry and is helping to fill a gap by providing free fresh produce for pantry patrons. The produce has included tomatoes, lettuce, kale, bok choy, and strawberries.

“Our greenhouse is an incredible asset to the campus community,” says Greg Farley, director of University Sustainability. “It is very unusual for a university to

MEET THE GOLDFISH

PHOTO BY SIERRA GUARD

go.gmu.edu/ masonaquaponics

16 | SPI RIT.GMU.EDU

grow—and serve—fresh produce to a campus. We work hard to contribute to student food security, and to teach Patriots how to grow and prepare fresh, nutritious foods. That makes Mason unique.”

In order to grow and harvest the produce, the greenhouse relies heavily on its volunteers. Anyone can gain hands-on experience with both hydroponic and aquaponic systems while volunteering.

Inside the greenhouse, participants can learn how to compost indoors with worms, harvest crops, sow and transplant seedlings, solve pest issues using natural organic methods, and support a thriving farm-to-table sustainable food operation.

The Greenhouse and Gardens Program also maintains two outdoor sites that produce vegetables and fruit organically for donation, such as figs and passion fruit. They offer tours and educational activities for groups of all ages. To get involved, check out green.gmu.edu.

—Genamarie McCant

MASON NATION PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

MEET THE

Police Corporal and K9 Officer, Department of Police OFFICER ASHANTI MUMIN AND BUNJI Job: and Public Safety

Members of Mason’s Police and Public Safety Department maintain a presence on the university’s campuses and are a visible part of Mason Nation. One of the “officers” that students are always happy to see is Bunji. His partner, Ashanti Mumin, is pretty special, too.

A Dog’s Life: Mumin, who joined Mason in February 2022, recently transferred to Mason’s Police Crisis Response Unit, which handles calls for mental health service. Bunji, an Aussiedoodle therapy dog, accompanies Mumin during his calls. “Bunji has been a great addition to the team,” says Mumin. Bunji and Mumin respond to calls for students who are in emotional distress, but Bunji is also there to support his fellow officers. “There’s a stigma when it comes to police canines, so we’re changing the title of his job from [therapy dog] to comfort dog. He serves a purpose, and he has been fulfilling that purpose 100 percent.”

Supporting the Campus Community: Exam periods can be a source of stress for many students. When the stress becomes too much and students reach out for help, it’s Mumin who gets that call. Many of the calls the duo responds to involve first-year students. “It can get overwhelming. It’s their first time away from home, and they haven’t been exposed to a lot of things that

campus life brings,” says Mumin, who has a background in responding to mental health crises.

Answering the Call: While Mumin is dedicated to improving the mental health of Mason students, he is also looking out for his fellow officers. After noticing that officers assisting community members in crisis didn’t have a strong support system of their own, Mumin formed the Peer Support Team. “Officers’ mental health is very important, because when they’re on the scene of a call, they need to be 100-percent focused,” says Mumin, who began overseeing the unit’s wellness program in May 2023. “We needed something for our officers to speak freely about whatever they’re feeling.” All information shared with the support team is kept confidential.

Doing the Right Thing: Because of his work on the Peer Support Team, Mumin was recently honored with a university Outstanding Achievement Award, but he says he’s not an awards kind of guy. “I don’t do things for the awards, but I do things because it’s right,” says Mumin. “We need the public to understand that officers do sometimes need support.”

—Shayla Brown

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 17

@MASON

MASON KOREA EMPOWERS SCHOOL PRINCIPALS In collaboration with the Incheon Office of Education’s East Asia International Education Institute, Mason Korea recently hosted the inaugural Global Education Leadership Academy, which brought together 19 principals and vice principals from elementary, middle, and high schools across Incheon.

The inaugural Global Education Leadership Academy brought together 19 principals and vice principals from schools across Incheon.

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Throughout the weeklong program, Mason Korea faculty taught comprehensive courses such as Internationalization and Globalization in Education and Technology and the Future. Participants also had the opportunity to interact with native English-speaking Mason Korea students and attend English lectures, providing them with an immersive learning experience similar to studying abroad.

“We need a shift in educational culture, where questioning is encouraged, and students are exposed to diverse experiences to broaden their horizons, actively engage in global changes, and develop innovative abilities,” says Jae-hee Kim, principal of Jungsan High School.

“Mason Korea is committed to delivering world-class education aligned with Incheon’s status as a global city,” says Mason Korea professor Eunmee Lee, who led the training program, expressing her hopes that the academy would help participants develop a global mindset. Lee is also spearheading Mason Korea’s participation in the Incheon Citizen Life College, the first “citizens’ university” in the country geared toward providing free lectures with campus experts and lifelong learning opportunities for Incheon citizens.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Mason Korea is expanding its global education initiatives and strengthening community engagement, this time empowering public school leaders in Incheon, South Korea.

PHOTO BY RON AIRA

PHOTO BY IAN SHIFF

PHOTO PROVIDED

PHOTO PROVIDED

PHOTO PROVIDED

@MASON

CELEBRATING ALUMNI LEADERS The George Mason University Alumni Association’s annual Celebration of Distinction recognizes outstanding alumni, faculty members, and students. Here are this year’s five honorees: Shaza L. Andersen, BA Area Studies ’89, is Alumna of the Year. She is the founder and CEO of Trustar Bank. In 2018 as CEO of WashingtonFirst Bank, Andersen completed the largest banking deal in the Mid-Atlantic region with the company’s $489 million sale to Sandy Spring Bancorp. She has been named among the Top 25 Women to Watch by American Banker and is a two-time Top Banker honoree by SmartCEO magazine. She has been named twice to the Top 100 Powerful Women list by Washingtonian magazine, designated as one of the Power 100 by the Washington Business Journal, and chosen as a March of Dimes Corporate Heroine.

Brandon O. Thompson, BS Administration of Justice ’08, received the Alumni Service Award. He is the executive officer in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, where he is an advisor to executives overseeing more than 1,100 employees across 60 divisions. A dedicated volunteer, Thompson has provided students with career advice through Mason’s University Career Services since 2016. He also mentors College of Humanities and Social Sciences students through LinkUp, professional networking events that connect students with alumni.

Cordelia Cranshaw Skeete, BSW ’14, received the Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award. Skeete is a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of the nonprofit Acts of Random Kindness, which provides resources for children and families facing such

challenges as incarcerated parents, housing insecurity, and foster care. A former foster care youth herself, she practices cognitive behavioral therapy with clients who have experienced trauma, anxiety, or depression. She is a motivational speaker and has created the guide Survivor to Thriver to help others overcome trauma through healing and relationship building.

Keith Renshaw is Faculty Member of the Year. In August, he was appointed associate provost of undergraduate education. He was previously chair of the Psychology Department and director of Mason’s Military, Veterans, and Families Initiative, which he founded in 2020. The winner of multiple teaching and mentorship awards, he was named a fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in 2021. Renshaw has also served as Faculty Senate chair and as the faculty representative to the Board of Visitors.

FOR THE FULL LIST, PLEASE VISIT

go.gmu.edu/ masoncod23

Hannah Adamson, BA Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’23, is Senior of the Year. She is currently a student in the accelerated master’s program in conflict analysis and resolution. As treasurer of the Student Environmental Justice Alliance, Adamson cocreated the first Virginia Environmental Justice Summit in 2020. She works at the Carter School’s Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation and is also a program manager at the Think Peace Learning and Support Hub. Adamson has completed fieldwork in Finland and Kenya and plans to pursue a career focused on community-led environmental and social healing programs.

In addition to the five honorees, 16 alumni received Distinguished Alumni Awards from their school, college, or affinity alumni chapter at this year’s October event.

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 19

@MASON

GE O RGE MASON UNIVERSI T Y I S A TO P 5 0 PU B L I C U N I V E R S IT Y AND VIR G INIA’ S L E AD I N G U N I V ERSI T Y F O R INNOVATION, SOCIA L M O BI L I T Y, AN D I N CL U SI V I T Y.

MASON IS RANKED IN THE

TOP 50

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IN V IR GI N I A

VISIONARY

RESEARCH It’s not science fiction— zombie crabs are lurking in the Chesapeake Bay. Mason researcher Amy Fowler is studying these tiny hosts to help prepare us for the next parasitic invasion.

GMU.EDU/DIFFERENT

ALL TOGETHER

DIFFERENT Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 21

BEST FOR VETERANS

Idyllic stream or hardworking stormwater management?

At Mason, it’s both.

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MASON AS A

LIVING LAB

With nearly 1,000 acres of land, waterways, forests, and buildings, George Mason University’s campuses are a dynamic, living learning environment of hands-on applied research.

B Y CO L L E E N K E A R N E Y R I C H , M FA ’95

In many ways, George Mason University is a small town with a population of about 48,000. That’s a little bit bigger than Charlottesville, Virginia, which clocks in at 45,000.

Mason Pond, from our Green Leaf courses to serving as home to the commonwealth’s Virginia Climate Center, our experts are conducting research locally that can and will have an impact globally.

Of course, this population isn’t all in one place.

In Virginia, Mason has campuses in Fairfax City, Arlington County, and Prince William County, and sites in Loudoun County and on Belmont Bay in Woodbridge. There’s a contingent of students and researchers in Front Royal. On the other side of the globe, Mason Korea is about to celebrate its 10th year in Songdo, South Korea.

In 2011, Mason began reporting its sustainability progress to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and earned a Silver rating. By 2014, we were the first university in Virginia to achieve a Gold STARS rating.

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

Our award-winning faculty is dedicated to tackling the grand challenges of our time, which include issues surrounding sustainability. That dedication can be seen anywhere you set foot on a Mason campus, with our nearly 1,000 acres of land, waterways, forests, and buildings being used as a dynamic Living Lab for hands-on applied environmental research.

In 2012, Mason committed to supporting the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals also drive much of the work coming out of the university’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE).

And still, Mason aspires to do more.

From the canopies of the trees in our accredited Level II Arboretum to the stormwater running into

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 23

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

A weather monitoring station and trail cameras help track the condition of the cherry trees by Mason Pond.

PUTTING RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE

Part of what’s driving the Living Lab research, according to Andre Marshall, Mason’s vice president of research, innovation, and economic impact, is the desire to integrate Mason’s research and academic strengths in sustainability with campus operations to mitigate Mason’s impact on the environment and be good stewards of the resources we have.

He sees the value of the campuses serving as a test bed and “demonstration avenue” to test the effectiveness of these solutions so that “they can become realized beyond just the ideation stage.” In fact, as Virginia’s largest public research university, such experimentation is a responsibility.

For Leah Nichols, executive director of ISE, the Campus as a Living Lab concept “puts Mason research into practice here at home and helps launch solutions that can have global impact.”

As a Living Lab, Mason aims to stimulate and support the development of new research and scholarship that use the campuses and their physical and socio-ecological structures for experimentation and education to develop and advance sustainability solutions.

The success of a Living Lab is not just in the testing but also in the approach and collaboration. There are many campus partners involved in this work, from Mason Facilities, the 10 schools and colleges, and 600 faculty members, to the University Libraries and a universitywide Sustainability Council.

Frank Strike, vice president of Mason Facilities and Campus Operations, says the vision to see our

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campuses as a Living Lab sprouted years ago, when teams recognized Mason had the internal expertise to find solutions to the university’s challenges right here, and that could additionally have an impact on the student experience.

“This benefits students who get another opportunity for a hands-on approach to their learning experiences by approaching the work across disciplines, which is a priority for Mason, and by sharing teaching models across programs and operations,” says Strike.

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

Mason Pond is a popular place to hang out and the backdrop of countless graduation photos, but not many people realize that it is a critical part of Mason’s stormwater management.

“The stormwater channels that look like streams are the actual stormwater system,” says Mason researcher Jennifer Sklarew, PhD Public Policy ’15, a professor in Mason’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy. “The pipes outflow into those streams, and then everything goes into the p‹ond.”

Sklarew is currently working with students on a hydropower project, supported by the Patriot Green Fund, that will attempt to use that stormwater as a source of cleaner electricity by installing microturbines with battery storage at two sites on the Fairfax Campus.

The university just completed a stream restoration project that not only improved the flow of the waterways but also added asphalt sidewalks and some lighting so the campus community can enjoy the paths.

Project manager Deniz Callahan of Facilities says Mason faculty members were involved in planning early on and provided some advice and expertise. This included a list of native plants that could improve the health of the riparian buffer without introducing invasive species. There are also plans for a “foragers’ forest” to be established along the path.

But that is just the beginning when it comes to how Mason handles water resources on our campuses by using research and technologies that can be applied to the broader community.

At Mason Square, Mason Innovation Partners encountered a serious infrastructure issue that posed a frequent stormwater challenge for the area surrounding the new Fuse building. The existing county culvert was undersized and couldn’t handle the amount of stormwater that regularly comes through Arlington.

Replacing the culvert required precise coordination with the future building’s foundation design and intricate sequencing to control the constant flow of stormwater as it was diverted from the old culvert pipes to a new 12’ by 6’ box culvert.

Facilities also has an extensive list of mitigation protocols it applies, including illicit discharge detection and elimination and runoff control for the construction site and storms.

PONDERING THE POND

Earlier this year, Mason graduate student Jamie Roth worked with the Patriot Green Fund and Facilities to purchase and install a weather monitoring station and trail cameras by Mason Pond.

Working with students in two statistics classes, Roth and others have been gathering data about the Yoshino cherry trees and the environmental conditions by the pond. Mason statistics students have collected and analyzed data on the bloom date of the cherry trees as a part of their coursework in STAT 490 Capstone in Statistics and STAT 634 Case Studies in Data Analysis and have integrated it with Mason’s local meteorological data. As a result of their work, the variations can be tracked over time to build a more accurate model for the bloom date of the cherry trees at Mason.

This research builds on the international Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition, which Department of Statistics professors Jonathan Auerbach and David Kepplinger help organize annually. This competition assembles data on the peak bloom date of cherry trees all around the world from Kyoto, Japan, to Vancouver, British Columbia.

“We hope to use the long-term data on Mason’s cherry trees to raise awareness and bring the concept of climate change closer to home,” says Roth.

BUZZING WITH ACTIVITY

Since the Honey Bee Initiative was launched in 2013, the project has led to a large number of innovative teaching and research projects and public-private partnerships.

A multidisciplinary team of Mason researchers has been working on a project at the Science and Technology Campus to see if the honey produced by bees can help locate missing persons. Perennials featuring some of the honey bees’ favorite flowers have been planted at

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

The streams that run throughout campus are a critical part of the university’s stormwater management system.

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 25

monitor carbon dioxide and temperature in real time to track and predict the health of hives located by Presidents Park on the Fairfax Campus.

GETTING SMART ABOUT IT

PHOTO BY SIERRA GUARD

Green Assessment and Decision Guidance Tool (GADGET) is probably the least visible Living Lab project, but it’s among the most comprehensive and complex. College of Engineering and Computing professor Alex Brodsky and his team are working to develop a tool that will help Mason reduce our carbon footprint and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 in the most cost-effective way.

the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory in support of ongoing research to determine if chemical traces of human remains can be identified in the plants or in the honey produced by the pollinators.

Engineering students are also working to make the campus apiaries into smart hives. A team of electrical and computer engineering students, mentored by Mason engineering professor Nathalia Peixoto, used the smart hive implementation as their senior capstone project.

Over the course of an academic year, the team designed and installed an internet-of-things-enabled sensor array, which is powered by solar panels, to

Brodsky and his team are gathering data on things like heating and cooling efficiency, energy costs and storage, and contractual agreements to create an algorithm and a computer model that university leadership will be able to use to project costs and savings and make sound decisions regarding Mason’s space and energy needs.

Having smart buildings like Mason’s Horizon Hall is also affecting the way Mason teaches data science.

With funding from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, engineering associate professor David Lattanzi is working with a team to improve the educational experience for students by integrating data science into Mason’s engineering curriculum and providing hands-on experiences with Mason’s own smart buildings.

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PHOTO BY SHELBY BURGESS

Volunteers plant perennials at the Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory on Mason’s Science and Technology Campus.

SUPPORTING RESEARCHERS

Mason’s Living Labs have a dedicated webpage and other resources, thanks in part to the work done by Judit Ungvári, ISE’s research and innovation officer, and Sarah D’Alexander, MBA ’23, sustainability program manager for University Sustainability.

Ungvári and D’Alexander can help researchers obtain the necessary approvals and permissions to do their research on one of Mason’s campuses. Other resources available to the campus community to assist with research include funding, such as the Patriot Green Fund and ISE’s seed funding for Living Lab research projects, and infrastructure, like the Living Lab Data­ Verse, an accessible online archive of campus datasets provided by researchers that was created in partnership with University Libraries.

“Whenever I talk about sustainability work at Mason, I always emphasize that we really rely on collaborations, partnerships, and support from the entire Mason community in order to do this work,” says D’Alexander. “And I’m so excited to be able to say that Living Labs have had so much support.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Coming online this fall is the Smart Grid Lab at Mason Square, which will enable students and researchers to conduct various hands-on experiments, work with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations, and analyze simulation data related to the campus’s power and energy systems.

“We can start observing the campus energy flow and collect data,” says Mason engineering professor Liling Huang, who directs the lab. “That can support our future research in data analytics, machine learning, digital twins, computing, or cybersecurity of the smart grid and smart cities.”

A student-led project to convert the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse to solar energy is also coming to fruition this fall with the installation of solar panels.

Funded by the Patriot Green Fund and Facilities, the ground-mounted solar installation, a first at the Fairfax Campus, will provide a utility cost savings to power the greenhouse in the long term and decrease the university’s carbon footprint.

Shayla Brown, Sarah D’Alexander, and John Hollis contributed to this story.

GO GREEN! GO GOLD! GO ZERO WASTE! With the help of 21 volunteers, Mason’s 2023 Green Game—Patriots women’s basketball vs. University of Rhode Island on January 25— successfully achieved an 84.2 percent diversion rate in the postgame waste audit. Tracking the diversion rate, which is the portion of waste not sent to the incinerator, is a great way to measure the effectiveness of reuse, recycling, and composting programs.

Each Green Game aims to achieve a “zero waste” basketball game, which means 90 percent or more of all the waste produced during the game is diverted from arena trash bins through green purchasing, composting, or recycling. For this year’s Green Game, 41.6 percent of the waste went to compost and 42.6 percent to recycling.

The Green Game serves as Mason’s annual official entry into the nationwide Campus Race to Zero Waste GameDay Basketball competition, which is run by the National Wildlife Federation and RecycleMania. Mason placed fourth in the Waste Diversion category and 11th in Per Capita Recycling (0.078 lbs. per person) out of the 23 competitors in the Large Campus category.

This year, the program reached 3.4 million students, faculty, and staff at 200 colleges and universities from 40 U.S. states and Canada.

Through the competition, 29.4 million pounds of waste were donated, composted, and recycled, and 205 million single-use plastics were kept out of the landfill.

Since 2014, Mason’s Green Game has diverted 10,899 pounds of waste from incineration, supported experiential learning opportunities for more than 330 volunteers, engaged at least 37,475 basketball game attendees in zero-waste practices, and achieved a top 10 ranking in the competition 11 times.

“We had volunteers at almost every waste station, resulting in more correct sorting behavior before we collected waste, and more efficient use of our time during the post-collection sorting process,” says Greg Farley, director of University Sustainability.

The postgame audit produces real-time data about waste behaviors, helping University Sustainability and Mason Facilities make operational and logistical decisions to improve Mason’s overall waste diversion rate and campus recycling system.

Nearly every food service item offered by EagleBank Arena’s concessions during the Green Game was recyclable or compostable. During the Green Game, compost bins were organized around the arena in colocated stations with recycling and trash bins to support the arena’s transition to green purchasing and promote access to these new waste streams.

—Benjamin Auger and Colleen Regan

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 27

GREENING THE CLASSROOM Green isn’t just a school color at Mason; “green” is also a way of life.

“Sustainability is one of Mason’s core values and, in order to be a leader in the green movement, we are taking a holistic approach by integrating sustainability across research, education, and operations,” says former Mason provost Mark Ginsberg. “By infusing sustainability into the curriculum, we provide our students with the knowledge and skills they need to become eco-citizens who will actively seek ways to reduce their environmental footprints.”

One of the ways Mason is doing this work is with Green Leaf courses, which are designed to help to raise environmental awareness while providing students with a comprehensive knowledge of their local and global environment. Mason has more than 125 of these classes across 25 academic programs, covering topics from AVT 385 EcoArt in the School of Art to TOUR 340 Sustainable Tourism in the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management.

caption

The courses also contribute to Mason’s Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, which the university joined in 2010 as a charter member.

Many of the courses have a workforce component that help students explore career options in their field of study. Students in Mason environmental science and policy professor Changwoo Ahn’s BIOL 379/EVPP 378 Ecological Sustainability class found a lot of value in a field trip to environmental consultants Wetland Studies and Solutions and were excited to hear from guest speakers in the research-focused class.

28 | SPI RIT.GMU.EDU

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

“[The field trip] was great because it helps you get ideas about other opportunities available in the field,” says environmental science major Erin MacMonigle. “Dr. Ahn also brought in some great speakers. I wish more classes were like this one.”

Students in the Sustainability in Action course complete 40 hours of service learning on and off campus, including helping with tree plantings.

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

In the Ecological Sustainability class, students analyzed soil samples at the Wetland Mesocosm Compound on the Fairfax Campus.

Mason alum and College of Science adjunct professor Michelle Ryan, PhD Environmental Science and Public Policy ’15, brings her experience as a consultant for a global telecommunication company to the Green Leaf classes she teaches.

In EVPP 322 Business and Sustainability, Ryan has the students analyze how businesses have interacted with the environment—both negatively and positively—as well as the pivotal role businesses play in developing solutions to address environmental concerns. The students work in teams and get to pick a real company to analyze, then share their findings and presentations with the class. Last semester the students chose Starbucks, Nike, National Geographic, and Dominion Energy.

“I like to bring a lot of reality to course discussion and have them tackle real-world problem sets,” says Ryan.

Some Green Leaf courses also offer hands-on experiences. Students in EVPP 480 Sustainability in Action can literally get their hands dirty and make a difference on and off campus. In this class, with sections taught by faculty members and Mason alumni Jennifer Sklarew, PhD Public Policy ’15, and Cynthia Smith, PhD Environmental Science and Policy ’05, of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, students commit to 40 hours of service learning. This semester one of their community-based service projects included picking up trash at Occoquan Regional Park.

—Colleen Kearney Rich, MFA ’95

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 29

With dynamic new leadership and some Final Four nostalgia, Mason Nation looks forward to another basketball season.

S

omething caught Marvin Lewis’s eye during a visit to George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus.

With plenty to learn and do, Mason’s new assistant vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics was on campus well before his official start date of July 1. One of his errands included a stop by Human Resources.

One of the items Lewis saw while in Merten Hall was a photo from the Mason men’s basketball 2006 NCAA Final Four appearance. Another was a poster with a simple message: “Wear your Mason gear— We’re all in.”

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It was just one of many reminders Lewis has encountered on campus that reassures him he’s found the right place.

“It’s those types of things, starting with the president to the overall support from the university, that gets me excited,” Lewis says.

There is a lot for the Patriots to be excited about as Lewis begins his tenure as the school’s sixth athletic director. He grew up across the Potomac River in Germantown, Maryland, and knows the area well.

He possesses a high-profile athletic background, which includes starting for four years with Georgia

PHOTO BY RON AIRA

A Winning Combination

Tech ‘s men’s basketball team and capping his career with a Final Four appearance with the university’s Yellow Jackets.

Lewis knows both the advantages and challenges of working at schools in a major metropolitan area, since he has made stops at Georgia State University, University of Maryland, and Georgia Tech over the past 15 years.

He had major responsibilities for the last two years at Brown University, where he served as the school’s assistant vice president and chief operating officer for athletics and recreation. He’s also earned a reputation as an exceptional communicator who has firm command of the demands of college sports during a tumultuous era.

As Lewis was preparing to join Mason, three of Mason’s 22 NCAA Division I sports teams brought home Atlantic 10 Conference trophies: baseball, softball, and women’s outdoor track and field.

“Of course, you want to win championships, retain really good coaches and staff, and continue to build on our momentum,” Lewis says.

And there is a lot of momentum around basketball.

Women’s basketball head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis’s contract has been extended through the 2027–28 season. The extension comes after the Patriots’ rapid improvement under Blair-Lewis’s leadership during her first two seasons at Mason.

Two years ago, Blair-Lewis inherited a team that had finished 3-19 overall and 0-14 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. But today, the Patriots are on the rise.

They finished 16-15 last season, with eight conference victories, and they won a conference tournament game in both years of Blair-Lewis’s tenure.

“In a short period of time, we have built an amazing family environment and a strong culture in which everyone is loved, valued, and respected,” says BlairLewis. “I am proud to serve this great university and will continue to make Mason Nation proud. In all we do, excellence is our standard.”

The selection of Mason alum Tony Skinn, BA Communication ’06, as the 12th head coach in the Mason men’s basketball program has generated excitement with alumni. A key starter on Mason’s 2006 Final Four team and one of the best all-around guards in program history, Skinn returns to Mason after nearly a decade of collegiate coaching.

FACTS ABOUT MASON ATHLETICS NCAA Division I Teams: 22 Athletic Conference: Atlantic 10 Conference MEN’S SPORTS Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Volleyball, Wrestling

WOMEN’S SPORTS Basketball, Cross Country, Lacrosse, Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Tennis, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Volleyball

1 OF 4 NATIONALLY In spring 2021, Mason was named one of only 10 Division I athletic departments to post a perfect score of 100 on Athlete Ally’s Athletic Equality Index (AEI). Mason also holds a perfect score of five on the Campus Pride Index (CPI). That makes Mason one of just four Division I schools in the nation to boast a perfect 100 on the AEI and a five on the CPI.

During that decorated coaching career, Skinn has guided three different programs, including University of Maryland, to the NCAA Tournament; been a part of six 20+ win campaigns; and established himself as a stout recruiter both within the talent-rich Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and across the country.

“It is with great excitement that I return home to Mason,” Skinn says. “I’ve had some of my greatest memories here and I’m looking forward to making new ones with our fans and our community. Our best days are ahead!”

Patrick Stevens contributed to this article.

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MARVIN PHOTO BY RON AIRA

LEWIS

President Gregory Washington has said he believes you are the right person to take Mason Athletics to the next level. What does that look like to you?

It’s three things. One, it’s transformational experiences for all of our student-athletes. It’s developing a championship culture throughout our department, and it’s telling our story and getting our message out there. We’re a young university, a little over 50 years old. There are a lot of great things happening here, and we’ve got to get the word out, not just locally but nationally and internationally.

Mason Athletics had a lot of success in the spring 2023 semester, with Atlantic 10 championships in women’s track and field, softball, and baseball.

How does an athletic director help continue and expand that success?

My job is to make sure our student-athletes have the resources to not only compete at a high level but to make sure they graduate. It takes fundraising and being creative with resource generation, as well as optimizing how we use our resources. My goal is to make sure the resources we provide allow us to sustain success, so all programs feel really confident with the direction they are headed.

What mentor in your career taught you the most?

I start with my father, a high school history teacher and a basketball coach. He’s my first true mentor.

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But I’ve been truly blessed to have had a number of athletic directors who have really impacted my leadership, specifically [former University of Maryland athletic director (AD)] Kevin Anderson, [former Georgia State University AD] Cheryl Levick, and [North Carolina State University deputy AD] Todd Stansbury.

Is there a common thread that runs through all of their advice that has become a core value for you?

I would say teamwork. I’ve told multiple individuals that I don’t have all the answers. It’s going to take a team effort. All of those leaders relied on their senior leadership teams, campus university leadership, donors, and, more importantly, students to understand how to better [the student] experience.

What is the most important thing you take from being a player that you can apply to your job now?

I remember what it’s like to play in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship while having a final and needing to study in the hotel. Because of that, I truly respect what [student-athletes] do and appreciate how challenging it is. Having that experience gives me compassion, empathy, but also an intensity to make sure they have the resources to be successful.

—Damian Cristodero

VANESSA BLAIR-LEWIS How have you been able to make such dramatic progress in a short time?

One of your primary strengths as a coach is relationship building. How do you create and maintain a consistent culture when players come and go every year, including transfers from other college programs?

The summer is our time. It’s our “intimate moment,” as we call it. That’s when we get a chance to find out who these student-athletes are as people and then that trajectory takes us into the season. We have Fun Fridays [where] we pick out something that’s not basketball or weightlifting, like rope climbing or hot yoga. We talk about controversial issues, political issues so we can get things on the table and know more about who our sisters are, what they struggle with. It may not be what you struggle with. But how can we lean into each other? We want to build their bodies, minds, and spirits.

You have international players and players from across the country, as well as players who grew up locally. How much of a recruiting advantage is Mason’s location?

We live in a corridor right now where our students graduate and get six-figure salaries. And the whole time you’re being prepared. We want to make sure they’re not just women who play basketball, but women who can do anything they want to do in the world. There are internships. There are alumni who want to hire athletes because they know what comes with that—a hard-working, stay-up-late, and getthere-early kind of mentality.

PHOTO BY RON AIRA

Usually when you get hired, you have to wait for four classes to leave before you start bringing in all “your people.” We didn’t start with that mindset. [The existing team was] my people when I got the job. What the girls felt and what I leaned into is that you’re welcome here. And that was just our motto: With who you are right now, you’re welcome. So whatever we all have here, it’s enough for us to bring it together and try to do something great. We were believing big for moments that we knew were going to happen.

You recently signed a contract extension through the 2027–28 season. What does that say about your commitment to Mason and Mason’s commitment to you?

I really think [university leadership] saw the vision and what we were producing, not just on the court but [with] our young women holistically. It made me feel really great because I didn’t want to be anywhere else. This is home for me. When you’re in a relationship and the other person feels the same way about you that you feel about them, it’s definitely a happy place to be.

Six different schools have won the past six Atlantic 10 women’s basketball tournament titles. Mason could make it seven…

It’s wide open. We told our girls, “The journey is 20-plus wins, and the tourney.” That’s our nifty little slogan. That’s what we want to go get this year. The hunger is there.

—Preston Williams

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PHOTO BY RON AIRA

TONY

How does it feel to be back on the campus where it all began for you and where you became a key part of school lore with that improbable 2006 Final Four run?

It’s still surreal. I don’t think a moment is going to come when I settle down from my thoughts and my initial happiness from just being here. It’s definitely become a little bit easier just with managing a team and putting a team together. When I got the job, I had nine scholarships [to fill]. I only had four returners, so there was a lot—a lot of work to do. So as excited as I was, right after that press conference [in April], there was a lot of anxiety. It’s a little nerveracking just trying to get your staff together, then find your players, and [I was] trying to do a little bit of both. Now it’s about getting after it and getting acclimated to our guys.

What are the biggest obstacles in cherishing the past while looking to move forward, and how do you overcome them?

I told myself when I left Mason that—as a good of a feeling as that run was—I wanted to make sure that I was always evolving. As a pro, I had that same mindset.

Even when I finished playing and got into coaching, I didn’t allow the Final Four to define me—I always wanted to reinvent myself. So, when I hear the Final Four—as happy as I am to have been a part of it—the

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SKINN one thing I haven’t done through my career is use that as a crutch. And I think that’s helped put me in this position because I wouldn’t be here as a basketball coach just because of the Final Four. I put myself in the position where I learned from a lot of great coaches along the way. [The Final Four] is definitely a part of who I am, but at the same time, the sky’s the limit to where I want to take this program.

With the promise of immediate gratification so readily available in the form of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, how do you convince student-athletes to be patient and that their time will come if they’re willing to put in the work?

I think that’s all part of the recruitment process. You have to navigate who you think fits the culture. At the end of the day, you have a roster to fill and a team to manage. Some guys’ expectations are different than others, and it’s a battle of how to keep everybody happy. It’s not easy, and it’s definitely become more difficult with [the advent of the transfer portal and NIL deals]. But I think having a really good coaching staff that understands that it’s not just about bringing in any kid, but bringing in the right kid. [That] makes a difference.

—John Hollis

©JOE MILMOE

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: MASON BASKETBALL EDITION

The saying “Once a Patriot, Always a Patriot” is especially true when it comes to Mason student-athletes.

Now that George Mason University alum Tony Skinn, BA Communication ’06, is the men’s basketball team’s head coach, not only is there nostalgia for the Final Four squad, but we’ve also been seeing a lot of basketball alumni on campus.

In fact, three members of that 2006 Cinderella team now work on campus. Folarin Campbell, BA Communication ’08, was the first player to return to his alma mater when he joined the Patriot Club as its assistant director in January 2022. This spring Lamar Butler, BA Communication ’06, came on board as the men’s basketball program’s director of player development.

In late June, Coach Skinn and the men’s basketball program invited Mason basketball alumni back for a special practice at EagleBank Arena. Many familiar faces showed up, including George Evans, a three-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year who played for Mason from 1997 to 2001, and Jay Marsh, BA ’73, retired senior associate athletic director.

Photos from that day show the camaraderie and team spirit of these Patriots are still alive and well.

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PHOTOS BY ART PITTMAN/MASON ATHLETICS

The 2023–24 Mason men’s basketball team with the program’s alumni at the June 30 event.

Three-time CAA Player of the Year George Evans (1997-2001)* shares a moment with Assistant Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marvin Lewis and Assistant Director of the Patriot Club Folarin Campbell (2004–08)

* Parenthesis indicate years on the team.

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From left, Jai Lewis (2002–06), Head Coach Tony Skinn (2002–06), Gabe Norwood (2003–07), Ahmad Dorsett (1996–2000), and Patriot Club Assistant Director Folarin Campbell (2004–08)

From left, Shevon Thompson (2014–16), Myles Tate (2013–17), and AJ Wilson (2016–21)

From left, Tremaine Price (1997–2001), Terrance Nixon (1998–2002), and George Evans (1997–2001)

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HORSE

SENSE “Horses very much discern who you are and how you are based on how your inside and your outside match,” says Mason professor Vicki Kirsch.

Each semester Kirsch takes students in her ad­vanced Trauma and Recovery course to Project Horse Empowerment Center in Purcellville, Virginia, to learn about the emerging field of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP).

As a therapist, Kirsch specializes in working with individuals who have experienced trauma. A fan of horses for most of her life, Kirsch incorporates horses to enhance evidence-based interventions with clients in her private practice. Interventions can include brushing, petting, and rhythmic breathing with the horses.

Kirsch, an associate professor of social work in Mason’s College of Public Health, is able to help those who suffered horse-related trauma such as a fall or being trampled, but EAP can be beneficial for overcoming other types of traumas as well.

“People have used horses for a long time for therapeutic riding, [such as while] working with autistic kids and people with developmental and physical disabilities. But in the field of psychotherapy, which is what I do, it’s new,” says Kirsch.

In addition to working with horses, students in the class get to explore other approaches, including working with the campus therapy dogs who visit their classroom during the semester.

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PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

—Shayla Brown

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INQUIRING MINDS

Mason and Fairfax County Police Join Forces for Groundbreaking Study At a time when policing in the United States is facing major challenges, George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy is beginning a first-of-its-kind multimethod longitudinal study of a cohort of police officers to understand how officers progress through their law enforcement careers.

leadership want to understand what success looks like for law enforcement officers.

“It’s not just [achieving] a certain rank or assignment,” says Davis. “It is the ability to serve a community and maintain your physical and mental wellness— and the ability to have a life outside of your work.”

PHOTO BY FCPD

Lum, who has personal experience as a law enforcement officer, says that this study will help researchers and agencies understand the various stages of officer careers, from their initial motivations to apply to their decisions to stay in the profession. The team also hopes to understand what changes police agencies can make to ensure officers are the most successful in serving their communities throughout their careers.

FCPD police chief Kevin Davis, Cynthia Lum, Jim Burch, and Maj. Greg Fried at the press conference announcing the study.

The center is partnering with the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) and the National Policing Institute to conduct the study, which they anticipate will be conducted over two decades.

The study is led by University Professor Cynthia Lum, director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, and Beidi Dong, an associate professor in Mason’s Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

The recruitment and retention of officers have been longstanding concerns in policing, as are the officers’ higher than national average rates of divorce and suicide. FCPD chief Kevin Davis says police

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Jim Burch of the National Policing Institute says the importance of this study cannot be overstated, as police departments across the nation struggle with current and future staffing levels. Agencies around the country have indicated that, in addition to losing officers and being understaffed, they are also finding it difficult to interest people in joining the policing profession at all. In turn, understaffing has impacted the ability of some agencies to provide public safety services to their communities.

“The reality is that policing is a profession, not a vocation,” says Burch. “And that’s a significant change for us as we think about how we bring new people into this profession [and] how we support them to drive that excellence and policing that everyone wants.”

Burch emphasizes that while the study is the first of its kind, those involved don’t want it to be one of a kind. The institute would like to see this study replicated across the United States.

“We would love to see a network of organizations like ours working together to learn about these challenges,” says Burch. “What we learn here in Fairfax County will inform and improve policing across the United States.”

—Kristen Koehler and Colleen Kearney Rich, MFA ’95

RESEARCH

NEH Grant Helps Mason and Partners Create Digital Archive of Civil War Graffiti When Civil War soldiers were stationed in Northern Virginia, they left behind drawings, written passages, and other graffiti that serve as a historical record.

Now those markings at two historic Virginia sites are being preserved thanks to a partnership between Mason’s award-winning Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM), the City of Fairfax’s Office of Historic Resources, and the Brandy Station Foundation. The partnership recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access to support the project.

Kelly stressed the collaborative nature of the work. “As a research center at a public research university, we are pleased to be collaborating with our community partners. We see this project as an important first step toward building stronger linkages between our organizations that will benefit our students and the communities we serve.”

—Shayla Brown

The graffiti varies and includes poems, drawings, and even simple strategy games that resemble Chinese checkers. “The graffiti gives you an insight into the lived experience of an individual soldier who was struggling to deal with an incredibly brutal war,” says Mills Kelly, director of RRCHNM and the project manager.

R. B. Toth Associates provides digitization services and application of new technologies for cultural heritage preservation and research around the globe.

They conducted multispectral imaging of both Civil War houses as part of a National Park Service technology development grant.

Also working on the project is Mason history graduate student Stephanie Martinez, who has been researching the murals and organizing the metadata for the signatures, images, texts, and cartoons left behind by the soldiers.

After the 2011 earthquake in the region, there was damage to the Blenheim house, says Martinez. “It’s very clear that these inscribed signatures and stories are not going to be there for forever, so this project is especially important.”

PHOTO PROVIDED

Working with R. B. Toth Associates of Oakton, this grant will use a range of digital imaging technology and work processes to capture the graffiti on the walls of Historic Blenheim in Fairfax and the Graffiti House at Brandy Station in Culpeper, as well as develop a metadata schema that will allow for the digitization and contextualization of the graffiti.

This schema will serve as a model for future digitization projects of images on vertical surfaces.

THE GRAFFITI GIVES YOU AN INSIGHT INTO THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF AN INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER WHO WAS STRUGGLING TO DEAL WITH AN INCREDIBLY BRUTAL WAR. —Mills Kelly

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INQUIRING MINDS

Virtual Reality-Trained Nurses Perform Better In search of novel tactics to accommodate a larger student body and fulfill workforce demands, Mason’s School of Nursing is developing new approaches to optimize learning, engage students, and provide methods to ensure competency in future nursing graduates.

“The use of VR continues to grow in clinical nursing practice; however, the existing body of evidence on VR, especially immersive VR, is limited,” says Cieslowski. “These preliminary results offer promise and demonstrate the potential of immersive VR in the future of nursing education and preparing the workforce of the future.”

PHOTO BY SHELBY BURGESS

The mixed-methods nonrandomized pilot study examined the effectiveness of an immersive VR simulation training program to replace pediatric clinical practice for a convenience sample of junior-level prelicensure nursing students.

A recent study by Mason nursing professor Bethany Cieslowski and colleagues found that immersive virtual reality (VR) training can be as effective or, in some instances, better than inpatient training for students learning to provide care for acute care pediatric patients.

The mean scores for students in the immersive VR training group were higher for all performance domains, with particularly notable improvements in the subdomains of infection control, initial assessment, and oxygen therapy compared to the clinic-trained group. There were no significant differences between the groups in focused assessment, medication administration, and evaluation. Total performance scores were significantly higher for the VR group.

The Medical Team Endowment for Innovations in Nursing Education Fund provided funding for part of the research, which was published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing.

—Mary Cunningham

With support from the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator, a Mason team is designing a CropSmart Digital Twin—a public-facing decision support system that provides the crop farming industry with real-time data and optimal decision advice.

The team’s goal is to help increase U.S. agricultural production by 40 percent while also cutting the country’s environmental footprint in half by 2050.

Liping Di, director of Mason’s Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems, leads the

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multi­disci­plinary research team building scientific data modeling tools to take the guesswork out of crop management decisions. Di will work with researchers from the University of Nebraska– Lincoln, Kansas State University, Purdue University, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and Mississippi State University, as well as end users from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and farms in the Midwest.

—Laura Powers

ILLUSTRATION BY STEPANYDA/GETTY IMAGES

Mason-Led System Supports Crops and Environment

PHOTO BY FIZKES/GETTY IMAGES

RESEARCH

Dealing with Anger in the Workplace Whether it is pressing deadlines, overwork, or employees feeling they are not being supported, anger in a work environment can be unavoidable. Over time, the anger and frustration can compound, causing anger to spread through the entire team or organization, creating what George Mason University expert Mandy O’Neill calls a “culture of anger.”

In her research, O’Neill, an associate professor of management at Mason’s School of Business, found that a culture of anger not only leads to problems for individuals, such as increased alcohol consumption, work-family conflict, and high-risk behaviors, but it also presents problems for teams as a whole.

In a study of a large retail organization, O’Neill found that employee anger stemmed from a culture in which employees did not feel supported by their managers, leading to more employee absences and higher turnover. Additionally, individual high-risk behaviors can lead to a decrease in overall workplace safety, including safety violations, accidents, and injuries.

Recognizing a Culture of Anger O’Neill explains that when dealing with anger in a team environment, whether it’s a workplace, group project, or sports team, it’s important to draw a line between a team experiencing occasional anger and a team defined by a culture of anger.

“All emotions have a social functional purpose,” says O’Neill.

“Anger can serve important purposes around, for example, moral outrage against social injustice, or action tendencies that cause a person to rise up against obstacles thrown in their way.”

However, O’Neill explains, in a culture of anger, “it’s not just one incident, one time that made everybody angry. Rather, it’s when anger is kind of everybody’s default emotion.”

Dos and Don’ts O’Neill highlights two common methods of fighting anger that can actually make matters worse. “Emotion suppression, which is essentially to put the lid on an emotion and not let it be expressed, is very destructive,” says O’Neill. “Even if you think you’re not expressing [anger], it leaks out in ways that you may not necessarily be aware of or able to control.”

Additionally, O’Neill found that allowing members of a team to vent their anger without restraint can serve to intensify the anger.

Paradoxically, venting can reactivate and spread anger rather than resolving or calming the feeling.

So, what can be done to help improve an angry team culture?

Through interviewing emergency responders at fire stations in the southeastern United States, O’Neill found that the most effective teams were those who supplemented feelings of anger with joviality.

“Expression of joviality and humor is a way of channeling anger in ways that actually can promote group bonding,” says O’Neill.

She also found that companionate love, “the connection felt between people whose lives are closely intertwined,” also helps fight anger. Affection and caring, for example, create a sense of familiarity between members of a team that helps to resolve issues, and can make a jovial culture easier to foster as members of the team know how and when to use humor without going too far.

O’Neill believes that introducing joviality and companionate love to a team can help team members work with anger to turn it into a positive, productive emotion. “Anger paired with positive emotions lends itself to a very different scenario than if you have anger without these emotions,” she says.

—Conner Roy Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 43

SHELF LIFE Recently published works by Mason faculty Religious Freedom after the Sexual Revolution: A Catholic Guide Helen M. Alvare, associate dean, Scalia Law School The Catholic University of America Press, September 2022 Alvare responds to newly created laws in the United States that she believes threaten the religious freedom of Catholic institutions. The book helps explain the connection between the U.S. Constitution and the Catholic faith through tradition, scripture, history, and empirical evidence that helps readers better understand the nature of Catholic schools, social services, and hospitals.

Technology and Public Management Alan R. Shark, associate professor, Schar School of Policy and Government Routledge, December 2022 This volume analyzes the latest trends in technology, using real-world examples on policies and procedures protecting technology infrastructures. In the age of artificial intelligence, Shark aims to explain new material and practices regarding data management, analytics, and cybersecurity, among many other ideas.

Literary Variety and the Writing of History in Britain’s Long Twelfth Century Jacqueline M. Burek, assistant professor, English Department Boydell & Brewer, January 2023 Drawing on theories of literary variety found in classical and medieval rhetoric, this book traces how British writers came to believe that varietas could help them construct comprehensive, continuous accounts of Britain’s past and provides a new framework for interpreting the stylistic and organizational choices of medieval historians.

State Tax Policy David Brunori, visiting professor, Schar School of Policy and Government Rowman & Littlefield, January 2023 This volume evaluates current challenges that state governments face in regard to the complexity of state tax policies and provides a detailed overview.

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Black Mercuries: African American Athletes, Race, and the Modern Olympic Games David K. Wiggins, professor emeritus, Sport and Recreation Studies, with Kevin B. Witherspoon and Mark Dyreson Rowman & Littlefield, February 2023 This is the first book to fully chronicle the struggles and triumphs of African American athletes in the modern Olympic summer games and tells the stories of Jesse Owens, Simone Biles, Florence Griffith-Joyner, and many more.

Rethinking American Disasters Cynthia A. Kierner, professor, History and Art History Department, with Matthew Mulcahy and Liz Skilton Louisiana State University Press, April 2023 This collection of essays on hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and other calamities in the United States and British colonial America over four centuries asks readers to consider disasters and their aftermaths as artifacts of and vantage points on their historical contexts.

Loot Tania James, associate professor, English Department Knopf, June 2023 Set in the 18th century, this novel offers a hero’s quest, a love story, the story of a young artist coming of age, and an exuberant heist adventure that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across two continents and 50 years.

Childfree and Happy: Transforming the Rhetoric of Women’s Reproductive Choices Courtney Adams Wooten, assistant professor, English Department Utah State University Press, June 2023 Through interviews with 34 child-free women and analysis of child-free rhetoric circulating in historical and contemporary texts and events, this book demonstrates how childfree women individually and collectively try to speak back to common beliefs about their reproductive experiences.

Springer, July 2023 Langevin examines the conflict between two agricultural superpowers and offers a comprehensive examination of the bilateral relations and negotiations that culminated with the October 2014 mutual solution to one of the most important trade conflicts since the establishment of the World Trade Organization.

The Lure of Economic Nationalism: Beyond Zero Sum Kenneth A. Reinert, professor, Schar School of Policy and Government Anthem Press, August 2023 This book responds to economic nationalism amidst current issues that stem from the pandemic and the rise of ethnonationalism.

Reinert educates readers on alternatives such as a multilateral trading system, arguing that going beyond zero-sum outcomes could be the solution to address modern day urgencies.

The New Dominion: The TwentiethCentury Elections That Shaped Modern Virginia John G. Milliken, and Mark J. Rozell, Eds., Schar School of Policy and Government University of Virginia Press, August 2023 Countering the common narrative that the shifting politics of Virginia is a recent phenomenon driven by population growth in the urban corridor, the contributors to this volume consider the antecedents to the rise of Virginia as a two-party competitive state in the critical elections of the 20th century that they profile.

PHOTO BY CREATIVE SERVICES

The Political Economy of Brazil’s WTO Case Against the United States: Inside the Cotton Dispute Mark S. Langevin, adjunct professor, Schar School of Policy and Government

COVERING INEQUITY IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

In her new book, Inclusion in Tourism: Understanding Institutional Discrimination and Bias (Routledge, April 2023), Sue Slocum, an associate professor in Mason’s School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management, has gathered essays from experts to provide global examples of overcoming discrimination within tourism institutions around the world.

What inspired you to do this book?

Tourism is often assumed to be an inclusive activity where anyone with money or interest can participate. In reality, the travel and tourism industry is rife with structural barriers that prevent or discourage participation for people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people. Moreover, the industry has historically privileged white males in senior management positions. For example, there are more than 650 destination marketing organizations in the United States, which promote a locale for recreational travel and/or business travel, and only 10 of those are managed by a person of color or a woman. In order to address these disparities, I felt a book of this nature could draw attention to these inequalities as a first step to remedying them.

How did you decide what topics to cover?

Edited books often rely on authors to submit their ideas for a book chapter. It is often dependent on what research is being conducted at the time you begin a project. As the chapters were submitted, I did reach out to well-known scholars to help fill the gaps. I also cowrote a chapter to ensure the topics in the book cover a variety of populations, as well as different types of structural discrimination.

Was there anything that surprised you in the research for this book?

I was surprised by chapters that discussed immigration policies that limit opportunities for marginalized groups. For example, there is a chapter on immigration policies in Canada, where academic or experience qualifications from certain countries (mostly developing countries where migrants are non-white) are not recognized, resulting in highly qualified people working in low-paying hospitality jobs, even if they have managed properties in their home country.

What are you working on now?

I am engaged with Airbnb hosts to assess stakeholder perceptions of Airbnb diversity policies. Many of these policies are a result of lawsuits filed against Airbnb. The challenge is that Airbnb hosts are not actually employees of the company, but private business entities, so that brings in elements of personal property rights versus diversity and inclusion.

—Colleen Kearney Rich, MFA ’95 Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 45

ALUMNI IN PRINT Recently published works by Mason alumni The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity Bobby Azarian, PhD Neuroscience ’15 Our version of reality stems from our understanding that the world functions through laws without intentional plans or purpose.

These interpretations have challenged researchers and scientists for decades, as we try to make sense of the world we live in.

Azarian, in The Romance of Reality (BenBella Books, June 2022), gives his explanation of his newfound reality and the common misunderstandings involving thermodynamics and evolution that can help us come to a new cosmic narrative.

Azarian is an accomplished neuroscientist with publications showcased on his blog, Mind in the Machine, as well as in the New York Times, Huffington Post, and The Atlantic, among others. He has worked closely with the YouTube series Mind Field as a researcher and consultant. He resides in Arlington, Virginia.

Innocence Michael Joseph Walsh, MFA Creative Writing ’13 Walsh’s debut poetry collection Innocence (Cleveland State University Poetry Center, October 2022) won the 2021 CSU Poetry Center’s Lighthouse Poetry Series competition. The book is about the unknowability of the political, cultural, and technological future.

Walsh is a Korean American poet and the editor of Apartment Poetry. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

Claymore Confidential Jane Garfinkel, BA Sociology ’15 In this novel (Wends Books, December 2022), two unlikely friends intend to discover the secrets of a small Vermont college while being targeted by the school’s gossip blogger.

Garfinkel has been published in The Rum­pus, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Reductress, and Thrillist. She also cohosts a teen content podcast called Under the Bleachers. She resides in Jersey City, New Jersey.

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Social Media Victimization: Theories and Impacts of Cyberpunishment Jessica Emami, PhD Sociology ’11 In this book (Lexington Books, December 2022), Emami looks at how social media and technology have damaged people’s social understanding of one another.

Emami is a lecturer in Mason’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology and a graduate research fellow at the Institute for Immigration Research. She was a coinvestigator for the National Survey of Iranian Americans sponsored by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans.

No Home for Killers E. A. Aymar, BA Creative Writing ’97 This Anthony Award-nominated thriller (Thomas & Mercer, February 2023) explores the conflicts that tear families apart and the tragedies that force them back together as two sisters unravel the truth of their jazz musician brother’s murder.

Aymar’s essays have appeared in publications such as the Washington Post and Washington City Paper. His book They’re Gone received rave reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews (starred) and was named one of the best books of 2020 by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Charm City Rocks: A Love Story Matthew Norman, MFA Creative Writing ’06 In Charm City Rocks (Dell, June 2023), Norman takes readers through a tale of comedic romance between a single dad and his childhood crush, who returns to the spotlight after a documentary about her rockstar days comes to the forefront. Their connection transforms into an unlikely relationship at the hands of his son.

Norman has written novels such as All Together Now, Last Couple Standing, We’re All Damaged, and Domestic Violets. He resides in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife and two children.

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

PAT R I O T P R O F I L E

ARION LILLARD-GREEN T

he thought of hospice care can stir up many emotions, including grief, fear, or dread. But what about peace, comfort, or courage? As a former hospice chaplain, Arion Lillard-Green, MHA Health Systems Management ’21, has probably seen–and felt—all of these. When she started her doctoral program at Mason, Lillard-Green brought experience from a unique combination of disciplines: journalism, theology, and health administration. Her goal of earning a doctorate in health services research comes from a desire to bring these disciplines together to ask important questions that impact health policy.

Asking Deeper Questions: Lillard-Green studied journalism as an undergraduate because she enjoyed investigating issues and bringing truths to light. She then completed a master’s degree in theology, which pushed her to think more deeply about issues based on theological and philosophical principles. During seminary, LillardGreen worked as a private caregiver for aging adults alongside hospice clinicians. This inspired her to complete a hospice chaplain residency program, where she spent a year learning the art of spiritual counseling in the hospital setting.

Providing Comfort: Lillard-Green spent 17 years working as a hospice chaplain. This sparked her interest in the health care field.

“Although a career in health care wasn’t my initial goal, it somehow

YEAR: Doctoral Student MAJOR: Health Services Research HOMETOWN: Lexington, Kentucky

found its way into my work,” she says. She gained insight into the issues people face at the end of life: their spiritual and emotional needs and the physical realities of hospice and palliative care.

Facing Difficult Realities: Working in rural West Virginia and in Northern Virginia, she observed disparities in access to and quality of care. She counseled patients who were financially secure and who lived paycheck to paycheck. “The most significant lesson I learned during my time as a clinician is the reality that socioeconomic status determines the way we live, and it determines how we die,” Lillard-Green says.

Rethinking the End-of-Life Journey: Lillard-Green hopes that her research will help capture the degree to which hospice and palliative care providers are meeting the needs of patients and families, along with barriers to access. “We need to find ways to collect better, meaningful data to gain a well-rounded understanding of social risk factors,” she says. “The end-of-life journey should not start at the end of life. Unfortunately, aging and dying well is a privilege that needs to be extended to all persons earlier in the health care continuum.”

—Lauren Clark Reuscher, MA ’12

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 47

CLASS NOTES

Helping Students Succeed

For the past six years, she has served as principal of Mount Vernon Community School (MVCS)— Alexandria City Public Schools’ only English-Spanish

structural concerns as Burrell-Aldana stepped into the role of principal—including mold, asbestos, HVAC issues, and an ancient playground.

“If you can think of a building maintenance problem, we had it in this school,” says Burrell-Aldana, who received a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages from Universidad del Valle in her native Colombia before going on to earn her first master’s degree from the School of International Training in Vermont.

Burrell-Aldana faced these problems head on. During her tenure, renovations have transformed the building into a safer, cleaner, and vastly improved environment for students—one, Burrell-Aldana emphasizes, they can be proud of and excited to come to every day.

“Fifty-three percent of our student population is Hispanic, many of them living in one of the poorest communities in Alexandria,” she says. “Having their school be a healthy, healing space conducive to learning is necessary for their success. And our teachers can do their best work now that they feel physically safe in the space.”

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

The renovations are only part of a long list of BurrellAldana’s achievements as an administrator, which includes guiding her faculty and students through COVID disruptions, redesigning curricula, and increasing the number of referrals of Latinx and Black students into gifted and talented programs.

dual-language school. This year Burrell-Aldana joins a legacy of Mason alumni honored for their exceptional leadership as the Washington Post’s 2023 Principal of the Year.

“It’s humbling and rewarding to have our work recognized,” she says.

MVCS is the oldest school building in Alexandria, which comes with unique challenges. Years of deferred maintenance led to a series of health and

48 | SPI RIT.GMU.EDU

Burrell-Aldana attributes much of her success to the foundation built at Mason. The hands-on experience gained through the MEd program allows her to approach the challenges of school administration with confidence and courage.

“Every time I’m in the decision-making process, I remember those lessons and conversations with Mason professors,” she says. “I truly believe that what Mason does for school administrators is so meaningful and foundational because it gives us a wealth of practical experience we can apply daily.”

—Sarah Holland

PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL

A

job opportunity brought Liza BurrellAldana, MEd Education Leadership ’13, to Northern Virginia, where her career aspirations led to her selection for a cohort in Mason’s master of education program.

CLASS NOTES

1970s Susan Coleman Santos, BA Biology ’70, relocated from Virginia to California in 1997. In 2005, she moved to Las Vegas and retired from Dillard’s in 2019. She was widowed in 2020.

Jay Jarvis, BS Business Administration and Man­ agement ’74, has retired for a third time, most recently as a community manager at Desert Shores Resort. He is studying for his pilot’s license, which he plans to earn by the end of the year.

He and his wife reside in Palm Desert, California, and enjoy RV travel. They also took a cruise to Alaska over the summer.

Christine Fox, BS Math­ ematics ’76, MS ’80, received the College of Science Dis­ tinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. She served as acting deputy secretary of defense during the Obama administration and is currently a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

1980s

Sheryl Miglio, BA Government and Politics ’80, MEd ’01, retired from the U.S. Army while working at Fort Belvoir with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Tim Cooper, BS Computer Science ’82, MS Computer Engineering ’86, published Hard Real-Time Embedded Software Development in February. The book is a resource for developers and

addresses interrupts, realtime operating systems, synchronization primitives and instructions, debug methods, and other issues. He is president and owner of EDJ Inc., which specializes in realtime software development.

Kathryn K. Abdul-Baki, BA English ’85, is the author of Dancing into the Light: An Arab American Girlhood in the Middle East, published in September by She Writes Press. The memoir reflects on love, loss, renewal, and overcoming devastating early trauma through music, dancing, and the devotion of the strong American and Arab women in her life.

Luellen Hoffman Maskeny, BIS ’87, is a candidate for Virginia’s House of Delegates, representing District 7. She is running to “share my experience, strength, and hope by serving the Reston community at the state level.”

She is director of sales at SOFX, an information technology company, based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Shaza L. Andersen, BA Area Studies ’89, is the George Mason University Alumni Association’s Alumna of the Year. She is the founder and CEO of Trustar Bank.

Andersen received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during Mason’s 2021 Winter Grad­ uation, where she was the featured speaker.

1990s

Maruf Ahmed, BS Electrical Engineering ’90, MS ’95, received the College of Engineering and Computing Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration

of Distinction. He is CEO of Dexian, which provides staffing, IT, and workforce solutions.

Elma Levy, BSN ’91, received the College of Public Health Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. She is the co­­founder of Dovel Tech­ nologies, a government IT company.

Matthew Hassan, BA Phil­ osophy ’93, BA Russian Studies ’96, is director of program management for Chooch AI, a global AI and computer vision integrator. He leads and manages global development, operations, and project teams in delivering computer vision solutions across many sectors of international industries and government public services.

Elaine Marion, BS Account­ ing ’95, received the School of Business Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction.

She is the chief financial officer of ePlus, a technology solutions provider.

Laura Drewry, JD ’96, was appointed in April by the city council as Richmond, Virginia’s city attorney. She serves as the city’s chief legal advisor and oversees the Richmond Office of City Attorney, which provides legal representation for the legislative and administrative branches of the city government. Prior to

her appointment, she was deputy city attorney in the division of civil litigation since 2006. She also served as the primary contact for fire and emergency services, the GRTC Transit System, human resources, and the boards of the Richmond Library, Richmond Personnel, and Richmond Retirement.

Pamela Baker Koehle Wilson, BA Music ’96, completed a two-year term as president of the Fairfax General Music Educators Association. She is a teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools and a facilitator, speaker, and author with Harmony Enterprises. Her book, Say “Yes!” to the Universe: Create a Life You Love, was published in 2013

by AudioInk Publishing.

Jerod Parker, BS Electrical Engineering ‘97, received the Honors College Distin­ guished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. He has worked for MITRE for 24 years and is preparing for his next phase: retirement.

Vernon Carter, BIS ’99, with his wife, Yvonne Johnson Carter, wrote A Man Inspired by God: The Art, Music and Ministry of Elder Anderson Johnson, published in February 2020 by J. C. Publishing. The biography traces Johnson’s life as a childhood survivor of a lightning strike, to his vocation as a pastor with the United House of Prayer, to

his creation of Faith Mission later in life. The Carters were personal friends of Johnson, who also was an artist, and have loaned some 25 of his paintings to display at the Anderson Johnson Gallery in the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia.

2000s

Joel Custer, MS Software Systems Engineering ’00, wrote The Speed of Air: The Story of Willard Custer and His Channel Wing Aircraft, published in May by Four-Thirty Press. The book chronicles the 40-year effort of a high school dropout to revolutionize the aviation industry after he invents and patents a device that uses the “speed of air” to shorten an aircraft’s takeoff and landing.

Christina Villafaña Dalcher, MA Linguistics ’00, published her fourth novel, The Sentence, in August with HarperCollins UK. Her first novel, VOX (Berkley, 2018), was translated into more than 25 languages and was a Sunday Times bestseller in the United Kingdom.

Tiffany Bronson Watson, BA Govern­ment and Politics ’00, is the executive aide to the dean of Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University. (continued on page 50)

What’s New with You? We are interested in what you’ve been doing since you graduated. Moved?

Gotten married? Had a baby? Landed a new job? Received an award? Submit your class notes to alumni.gmu.edu/whatsnew. In your note, be sure to include your graduation year and degree.

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 49

C LCAL SASS SN ON TOETSE S William S. Consovoy, JD ‘01, was posthumously honored with the Antonin Scalia Law School Dis­ti­n­­ guished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. Consovoy was a founding partner of Consovoy McCarthy. He passed away on January 9, 2023.

Dear Fellow Patriots,

A

s our newest and largest class of graduates in Mason and Virginia history navigate their first fall in the wider world, I encourage them—and all of you—to keep in mind the critical role Mason had and continues to have in your development as a professional and a person.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Though career paths and personal lives may change course, always remember what you lived and learned at Mason and that you are always welcome “home.”

Former Mason basketball standout and the new men’s basket­ ball director of player development Lamar Butler, BA Com­ munication ’06, personifies that sentiment. “When I arrived at Mason, I was a teenager. Mason shaped me and taught me many life lessons. It feels surreal to come full circle and be able to work here. I’m excited to show our players how to be successful on and off the court,” he says.

Jimmie Foster, BA Government and Politics ’01, is the vice president of enrollment planning at the College of Charleston. He previously served in leadership roles at the college, including as director of freshman admissions, assistant vice president of enrollment management, and director of enrollment management.

Most recently, he was vice president of enrollment management at Franklin and Marshall College.

Bronwyn Berger-Hughes Longchamp, BA English ’01, BA Communication ’01, is the executive director of digital content and distribution in Mason’s Office of University Branding. She focuses on digital content, strategy, and user experience. Previously, she worked for AOL, Gannett, the College Board, the NFL Players Association, and Sodexo.

Sarah Godlewski, BA Inte­grative Studies ‘04, received the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Distin­guished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. She is Wisconsin’s Secretary of State.

Although his career as a professional basketball player in Europe has taken him far and wide, Butler has continued to influence and benefits from an enduring connection to Mason. Through networking and engagement, he has been successful in life. Now, he has come full circle and will positively impact the basketball program and its athletes, just as others did when he was a student-athlete.

Isaac W. K. Thweatt, BM ‘05, received the Black Alumni Chapter Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. He is chief advancement officer for the New York Botanical Garden.

Butler is an exemplary Mason success story. Our quest is to find and celebrate them all.

A number of alumni were recognized at the annual Celebration of Distinction in October (see story on page 19). Read their stories and maybe see a reflection of yourself in their journeys.

Shannon Baccaglini, MM ’06, MA Arts Management ’09, is director of data integrity and quality at Children’s National Hospital Foundation. Prior to accepting her new position in October 2022, she was assistant director of membership for 12 years at Wolf Trap.

We are eager to hear where your Mason experience has taken you. Please share your story with us and your fellow alumni by submitting a class note for a future issue of Mason Spirit.

You may inspire and motivate others or foster connections among like-minded graduates.

Your Mason experience doesn’t end when you graduate, as Butler’s journey demonstrates.

Maintaining a strong connection to Mason will be rewarding to the university’s ecosystem and will contribute significantly to the diversity and dynamism of our Patriot alumni—and it might change a life.

As always, I hope to connect with you on campus or at a Mason event and hear your story.

Until then, feel free to reach out to me at alumpres@gmu.edu.

With Patriot Pride, Christine Landoll, BS ’89, MS ’92 President, George Mason University Alumni Association

50 | SPI RIT.GMU.EDU

Josh Morrison, BA Government and International Politics ’06, a firefighter in Fairfax, Virginia, spent several weeks working on a search and rescue team in Turkey after the earthquake there in February.

Keith David Reeves, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’06, is an administrator at Skyline High School in Warren County, Virginia. He received the American Educational Research Association Outstanding Dissertation Award for his doctoral work, “Predictivity of Standards-Based Report Card Models for Standardized Test (continued on page 52)

PHOTO BY RON AIRA

CLASS NOTES

Eating with an Entrepreneur

I

n the sea of social media, perhaps you’ve stumbled upon the videos of @DCSpot and been introduced to a new hangout in the Washington, D.C., area. Only at the end do you sometimes see the person behind @DCSpot’s more than 200,000 Instagram followers: Mason alum Alex Hussein, BS Information Systems and Operations Management ’21, who was featured in a February 2023 Washingtonian article about food influencers.

“I wouldn’t have gotten the start I did if I didn’t go to Mason and make the connections I did,” he says. “I was able to network with people—that’s how the opportunity came.”

When a fellow student suggested he make a video for a Mason sorority, Hussein found his passion and realized he could parlay his skill into a business.

He took a two-year break from school to focus on his business, often cold-calling or emailing potential clients and offering his services for free. That initiative paid off, and his community circle began to

ALL IN THE FAMILY Hussein comes from a Mason family, and with @DCSpot he’s continuing to pay it forward to Patriots. His sister Manal Hussein, BS Administration of Justice ’08, is an alum, and brother Nader Hussein, BS Biology ’11, is an alum and has taught as an adjunct faculty member in the Honors College.

And two more Mason alumni are on @DCSpot’s payroll—Emmy Hamed, BA Environmental and Sustainability Studies ’18, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’20, and Emily Compton, BA Sociology ’20.

include more individuals paying for his work. But Mason always lingered in the back of his mind, and in spring 2020 he decided to return and finish his degree.

All the while, he continued growing @DCSpot into what it is today—a content creation company five employees strong. While many social media accounts focus solely on the trendiest new restaurants, Hussein highlights family-owned institutions. With his large audience, such videos can have a real positive impact on a business owner’s future prospects. “I like storytelling [about] local small businesses who could use the support…it’s not just me making the impact, but all the people who go out there and support it too.”

Giving back is a major driver for Hussein. His most-watched videos show him walking around various city hot spots and randomly handing out gift cards and positive notes to people he encounters.

“It makes for a fun video. I feel good giving back, too,” he says. “I just like to have a good connection with people.”

It’s a different approach, but it’s one that speaks to Hussein’s motivations. “Doing your passion—you can make more of an impact that way in the world.”

As for other Patriots wondering how they can forge their own entrepreneurial paths, he has some advice. “Figure out what you’re passionate about and how you can provide value to people,” he says.

“The number one step is to just start.”

—Priyanka Champaneri, BA ’05, MFA ’10

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 51

CLASS NOTES

Are you an alum who owns a business?

List it in our alumniowned business directory.

Go to go.gmu.edu/ alumnibusiness to find out more.

Scores: A Taxonomic Mixed Methods Study.” He earned a doctoral degree at Lamar University, where he was the university’s first nominee for the Council of Graduate Schools/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation in the Social Sciences.

Ryan Touhill, BA Govern­ ment and Inter­national Politics ‘06, re­ceived the Schar School of Policy and Government Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction.

He is the director of economic development for Arlington County, Virginia.

Andres G. Maldonado, BS Management ‘07, MAIS ‘12, received the Latino Alumni Chapter Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction.

He is the associate director for the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success program, a pathway program between Montgomery

County Public Schools, Montgomery College, and the Universities at Shady Grove in Maryland.

Rose Previte, MPP ’07, was named Restaurateur of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Her awardwinning Compass Rose and Maydan restaurants will be joined this year by Kirby Club in Clarendon, offering Middle Eastern fare not far from Mason Square.

Brandon O. Thompson, BS Administration of Justice ‘08, received the Alumni Service Award from Mason’s Alumni Association. He is the executive officer in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General and a dedicated volunteer who has been providing career advice to Mason students since 2016.

2010s

LuLu Géza Kelemen, BA Integrative Studies ‘11, MA Sociology ‘15, received the Lambda Alumni Chapter Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction.

They are the associate director of the LGBTQ+ Resources Center at Mason.

Jason Smith, MA Sociology ’11, PhD Sociology ’19, co-edited Racializing Media Policy, published by Emerald Publishing in February. He is a consultant with Kaiser Permanente and a research affiliate faculty member in the Center for Social Science Research at Mason.

Jeffrey Keller, MA History ’12, is the 2024 Virginia Teacher of the Year and will represent the state as

a nominee for the 2024 National Teacher of the Year award (see page 6 for more).

He teaches history at John Handley High School in Winchester, Virginia, and is pursuing a doctoral degree in education with a primary specialization in teaching and teacher education at Mason.

Philip Wilkerson, MEd ’12, received the Margaret C. Howell Award from Mason in 2023. The award recognizes those whose efforts demonstrate Howell’s character and continue her legacy of positive change in regard to respect, diversity, and individual dignity. Wilkerson, who is the employer engagement consultant in University Career Services, established a Black male faculty and staff employee resource group at Mason during the COVID-19 pandemic. (continued on page 54)

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023–24 Christine Landoll, BS ’89, MS ’92, President Scott Hine, BS ’85, President-Elect Darcy Kipp Kim, BS ’02, MPA ’20, Vice President, Alumni Engagement Melissa Lewis, BA ’04, MA ’09, Vice President, Student Engagement Janay Phillips, BA ’09, Vice President, Volunteerism Ailsa Ware Burnett, BS ’93, MA ’96, MPA ’08, Vice President, Partnerships and Sponsorships Cathy Lemmon, BA ’86, MA ’93, Historian

Suehaila Nabulsi, BA ’00, Director-at-Large (2023–25)

Laydy Reyes, BA ’08, President, Early Identification Program Alumni Chapter

Lisa Rosser, BA ’89, Director-at-Large (2023–25)

Sawyer Dullaghan, BS ’15, President, Green Machine Ensembles Alumni Chapter

Deion Maith, BA ’20, President, Black Alumni Chapter Charles Davidson, PhD ’16, President, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution Alumni Chapter Thomas Ammazzalorso, MA ’04, CERG ’05, MEd ’10, College of Education and Human Development

Keith Callahan, BS ’86, Treasurer

David P. Brown, PhD ’04, President, College of Engineering and Computing Alumni Chapter

Halleh Seyson, BS ’00, Director-at-Large (2022–24)

Cheryl Rice, BA ’88, JD ’91, President, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Alumni Chapter

Kristen Taylor, BA ’88, Director-at-Large (2022–24)

Kathi Huddleston, PhD ’08, President, College of Public Health Alumni Chapter

Michael D. Marino, BA ’11, Director-at-Large (2023–24)

Mark Monson, BS ’74, President, College of Science Alumni Chapter

Chaimaa Fekkak, BA ’13, Director-at-Large (2023–25)

Vacant, President, College of Visual and Performing Arts Alumni Chapter

Melissa Alberto, BA ’19, President, Honors College Alumni Chapter Xavier Clark, MPA ’18, PhD ’23, President, Lambda Alumni Chapter Nely Garcia, BS ’21, President, Latino Alumni Chapter Vacant, President, Scalia Law School Alumni Chapter Brennan Georgianni, MPP ’16, President, Schar School of Policy and Government Alumni Chapter Pamela Maines, MBA ’09, President, School of Business Alumni Chapter Chris Jones, MA ’99, President, Veterans Alumni Chapter

If you would like to become involved in the Alumni Association, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@gmu.edu.

52 | SPI RIT.GMU.EDU

CLASS NOTES

Building Businesses

E

ntrepreneur Eman Pahlavani, BS Political Science ’09, says he found his time at Mason transformational and the social networking skills he developed as a student have been instrumental in his success as an entrepreneur.

“Attending Mason was a crash course in how to think, talk, and connect with other people,” says Pahlavani.

“I was a shy person when I arrived, and I really blossomed in that environment.”

Born and raised in Loudoun County, Pahlavani attended Northern Virginia Community College before transferring to Mason. After graduating, he earned a juris doctor from the University of New Hampshire Law School in 2012.

One of his first entrepreneurial endeavors was founding LiveSafe, a personal safety mobile application that has since become a global enterprise. LiveSafe was acquired by Vector Solutions in 2020.

“I am a business builder at heart,” says Pahlavani, founder and chief operating officer of HUNGRY. “I identify a problem and find a business solution to solve it.”

Launched in 2017, HUNGRY has experienced exponential growth and now serves more than 15 major markets. In response to the pandemic and the changing office landscape, HUNGRY continues to innovate and has added a number of new options, including meal delivery and virtual chef experiences.

This type of growth has earned them a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies two years in a row.

For Pahlavani, it’s not just about growth, it’s also about doing good. HUNGRY donates one meal for

PHOTO BY RON AIRA

During development of LiveSafe, Pahlavani noticed the office staff didn’t have a lot of choices for workplace lunches. With that observation, a new venture was born—HUNGRY, a tech-enabled platform for office and event catering, connecting corporate clients to talented local independent chefs.

every two meals sold to help end hunger in the United States and, working with its partner Feeding America, has contributed more than half a million meals to date.

“HUNGRY is a purpose-driven company dedicated to improving the lives of everyone we touch,” he says.

“Every business should have a component of good.”

—Lisa Karim

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 53

CLASS NOTES

Paul Bernfeld, BA History ‘14, received the Green Machine Ensembles Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. He is a freelance musician who regularly performs with the Washington Commanders Marching Band and the Washington Wizards District Drummers.

He also teaches percussion to area students, including as an adjunct faculty member at Mason.

Kyle Bishop, BFA Computer Game Design ‘14, received the College of Visual and Performing Arts Thomas W. Iszard IV Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction.

He is the cofounder of Little Arms Studios, a software development company.

Cordelia Cranshaw Skeete, BSW ‘14, received the Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award from Mason’s Alumni Association.

Skeete is a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of the nonprofit Acts of Random Kindness, which provides resources for children and families facing such challenges as incarcerated parents, housing insecurity, and foster care.

Joseph J. Yarsiah, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution ‘14, received the

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction.

He is the country director for Give Directly Liberia, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to providing cash assistance to the impoverished.

Crystal Johnson, BA Psychology ’15, MA Crim­ inology, Law and Society ’17, is the founder and chief executive writer of Johnson Consulting Services, a resume writing service. She is a member of the National Resume Writers Association, the Society of Elite Resume Writers and Coaches, and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. Her previous professional experience includes positions at nonprofit organizations and in local and federal government.

Troy Lowery, BA Environ­ mental and Sustainability Studies ’15, MAIS ’18, received the Veterans Alumni Chapter Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction.

A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he is currently an academic advisor in Mason’s College of Public Health Office of Student Affairs.

Alexander Colorado, BA Economics ’16, is a senior management analyst at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health. He leads NIDA’s risk management, emergency management, and contingency operations.

Aurelia Berisha, BS Biology ’17, MS Biodefense ’21, is a program and management analyst at the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Presidential Management Fellowship Program (PMF). PMF is the federal government leadership development program for advanced degree holders, which recruits and develops a cohort of future government leaders from all segments of society. From the 3,000 PMF applicants, only 250 were selected. Of those 250, 120 were selected as fellows for two-year terms.

Katie Rose, BA Government and International Politics ’18, won the crown as the 70th Miss Virginia. Rose, who competed as Miss Loudoun County, performed a ballet routine during the talent competition. She was awarded a $20,000 scholarship and will represent Virginia at the Miss America pageant this year.

Janet Marroquin Pineda, MS Biodefense ’19, received

the 2022 David S. C. Chu Award for Excellence in Research at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). The award is presented annually to a research associate who has made “outstanding analytic contributions in support of IDA’s mission to answer the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis.” Pineda is a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear subject matter expert and thought leader at IDA, where her research focuses on emerging threats and biotechnology.

2020s

Maya Godambe, BS Neuro­ science ’21, graduated in May with a master’s degree in public health (epidemiology/biostatistics) from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a research assistant on the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study site at the Washington University School of Medi­ cine in St. Louis and a research assistant at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, analyzing alcohol use disorders and eating disorders among college students. Additionally,

she is certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

Ramsha Ashraf, BS Accounting ’22, is a contract staff auditor with KPMG. Colonel Pratt, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’22, is executive director of the Richmond Peace Education Center since November 2022.

Gabe Segal, MEd Education Leadership ‘22, received the College of Education and Human Development Distinguished Alumni Award at this year’s Celebration of Distinction. He is a science and special education teacher at Herndon Middle School.

Hannah Adamson, BA Conflict Analysis and Reso­ lution ’23, received the Senior of the Year Award from Mason’s Alumni Association. She is currently a student in the accelerated master’s program in conflict analysis and resolution. She works at the Carter School’s Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation and is also a program manager at the Think Peace Learning and Support Hub.

Obituaries A LU M N I A N D F R I E N D S Grace F. Garrett, BA History ’68, d. May 8, 2023

Rose M. Atkinson, BA History ’74, d. May 7, 2023

Linda S. Holden, BA English ’76, d. May 1, 2023

Phyllis A. Maloy, BA History ’71, d. November 11, 2022

Michael J. Underwood, BS Business Administration ’74, d. March 24, 2023

Nancy J. Dietrich, BA French ’77, d. May 12, 2023

Elaine C. Benen, MEd Elementary Education ’73, d. April 5, 2023 Carol A. Marshall, BA English ’73, MEd School Administration and Supervision ’83, d. May 1, 2023

54 | SPI RIT.GMU.EDU

Victor B. Elstad Jr., BA Psychology ’75, d. April 8, 2023 Charles H. Rider, BS Business Administration ’75, MBA ’78, d. March 29, 2023

Bernadette L. Grigonis, BA English ’77, d. April 29, 2023 Constance LaFerriere, MEd Counseling and Development ’77, d. May 30, 2023 William J. Virgulak, JD ’77, d. April 3, 2023

Beverly H. Morgan, BA Psychology ’79, MA ’91, d. March 5, 2023 Jacqueline Berkman, BS Biology ’80, d. April 26, 2023

Patricia W. Drain, JD ’81, d. March 15, 2023 Ronald L. Page, MPA ’81, d. April 8, 2023

Joan M. Howerton, BSN ’80, d. March 15, 2023

Richard K. Petrie, BS Chemistry ’81, d. February 19, 2023

Marvin P. Cross, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’81, d. February 19, 2023

Mark J. Breidenstein, BS Social Work ’82, d. May 14, 2023

CLASS NOTES

Beverly S. Carey, BS Marketing ’82, d. June 27, 2023

Rose P. Rodriguez, JD ’86, d. February 5, 2023

Charlotte Strauss, MEd Counseling and Development ’82, d. June 14, 2023

Robert M. Sherman, BA History ’86, d. April 3, 2023

Dorothy P. Turner, BM ’82, d. February 17, 2023

Joseph T. Farrell, MBA ’87, d. April 17, 2023

Linda L. Henesy, BSN ’83, MSN ’93, d. May 15, 2023

Marjorie E. Kehler, BS Accounting ’87, d. June 6, 2023

Nelson S. Kibler, JD ’83, d. June 8, 2023

Reyes R. Ponce, BA History ’87, d. April 23, 2023

Kay Reid, CERG ’83, d.

March 29, 2023

Donald P. Fanelli, MS Biology ’88, d. May 11, 2023

Stephen T. Valentini, BS Business Administration ’83, d. March 11, 2023

Robert K. Reed, MS Conflict Management ’88, d. March 1, 2023

Sheila M. Barrows, BA Psychology ’84, CERB ’84, d. April 2, 2023

Jeffery L. Nuckolls, JD ’89, d. April 26, 2023

Connie S. Dineen, BSEd Elementary Education ’84, d. May 20, 2023 Fred D. Sisk, MS Geographic and Cartographic Sciences ’84, d. March 13, 2023 Susan V. Cable, MPA ’85, d. March 16, 2023 David W. Noel, MBA ’85, d. May 8, 2023

Mark W. Riddell, BA English ’91, d. February 12, 2023 Cameron L. Gray, BA Speech Communication ’92, MA Telecommunications ’99, d. April 1, 2023 Eric E. Smith, BS Mathematics ’93, MS Operations Research and Management Science ’95, PhD Information Technology ’00, d. February 22, 2023

Lisa M. Zuchelli, BA Speech Communication ’93, MS Biology ’95, d. February 24, 2023 Charles M. Hutton, BS Business Administration ’94, d. May 4, 2023 LaRita B. Jacobs, MAIS ’94, d. April 23, 2023 John J. Lopynski, EMBA ’94, d. June 20, 2023 Hugh Kemper Davis, BS Computer Science ’95, d.

April 6, 2023 Terry D. Hill, MA English ’95, d. March 9, 2023 Robert L. Padgett, PhD Information Technology ’96, d. May 22, 2023 Thomas A. Sonley, JD ’96, d. March 13, 2023 Amy Takayama-Perez, BA Sociology ’96, MEd Counseling and Development ’02, d.

July 18, 2023 Roland B. Ninomiya, JD ’97, d. April 16, 2023 Janice M. Thompson, BA Government and Politics ’97, d. March 8, 2023

Raissa Kushnir, MEd Education Leadership ’98, d.

March 21, 2023

Edward R. Gadsby, BS Systems Engineering ’06, d. May 12, 2023

Mary Frances Moriarty, MAIS ’98, d. May 6, 2023

Laura E. Harris, MPP ’07, d. May 1, 2023

James A. Porter, MA History ’98, d. April 9, 2023

Valerie G. Jones-Washington, BA English ’08, MAIS ’12, CERG ’12, d. May 1, 2023

Joseph A. Wintz III, JD ’98, d. April 15, 2023 Karl R. Phillips, BIS ’01, d. May 9, 2023 Vincent I. Perez, JD ’02, d. April 20, 2023 Richard E. Schneider, PhD Mathematics ’02, d. February 26, 2023 Sheila M. Hearne, PhD Public Policy ’03, d. April 30, 2023 Susan M. Riley, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’03, d. March 14, 2023 Rhiannon M. Duck, BA English and Communication ’04, d. February 17, 2023 Marilyn K. Handy, BIS ’05, d. February 4, 2023

Margaret S. McKenzie, MA New Professional Studies ’08, d. May 13, 2023 Michael T. Moss, MS In­formation Systems ’10, d. March 2, 2023 Nathan A. Payan, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’10, d. May 10, 2023 Stephen A. Smith, BSN ’10, d. June 24, 2023 Caitlin S. Roche, BA Psychology ’11, d. April 9, 2023 Joseph A. Caggianelli, BS Civil and Infrastructure Engineering ’13, d. February 5, 2023 Jonathan S. Honey, MS Systems Engineering ’16, d. March 31, 2023

FAC U LT Y, S TA F F, A N D F R I E N D S Maria Dworzecka, professor emerita of physics, died on January 17, 2023, at the age of 81. She came to Mason as an associate professor in 1982. While at Mason, Dworzecka helped lead the Comprehensive Undergraduate Physics Software project, a National Science Foundation-funded collaboration of 30 scientists to develop software and the accompanying texts for upper-level physics courses. She then traveled the world sharing these curriculum materials. She was named a fellow of the American Physical Society in 1996. She led the Physics and Astronomy Department through significant growth in the early 2000s and served as a senior associate dean and twice as chair. In her retirement, Dworzecka, a Holocaust survivor, volunteered at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Her story is available at bit.ly/GMUMariaD. She is survived by her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter.

Ambassador C. Boyden Gray, distinguished adjunct professor at Antonin Scalia Law School, died on May 21, 2023, at his home in Georgetown. He was 80. Gray was the founding partner of firm Boyden Gray & Associates. For 12 years, he worked in the White House as coun-

sel during the Reagan and Bush administrations. In this capacity, he was counsel to the Presidential Task Force on Regulatory Relief and was instrumental in the enactment of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and the Energy Policy Act of 1992. Under President George W. Bush, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and U.S. Special Envoy to Europe for Eurasian Energy. The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State at Scalia Law is a leading hub of academic research and debate on legal and policy issues regarding the federal separation of powers and the administrative state.

Zita Tyer, professor emerita of psychology, passed away on March 7, 2023, at 86, following a short illness. Tyer began her teaching career at Mason in 1972. She later transitioned into administration and served as the senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (now the College of Humanities and Social Sciences) until her retirement in 2001.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Tyer had a deep love for golf. She achieved several first-place victories in the Virginia Golf Senior Games and continued playing the sport well into her 80s. She is survived by her niece and great nieces and their families.

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 55

PHOTO BY JI KANG

RETRO MASON

MASON KOREA LAUNCHES IN 2014 Mason Korea is getting ready to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Mason launched its Songdo, South Korea, location on March 3, 2014, as part of the Incheon Global Campus. This national project was established by the Korean government and Incheon Metropolitan City to innovate the Korean education system and nurture the next generation of global leaders. Mason Korea offers degrees in six undergraduate disciplines and encourages Korea-based students to experience one year of their college studies in the United States. More than 900 students, representing more than 20 countries, are currently studying at Mason Korea.

Learn more about Mason Korea.

56 | SPI RIT.GMU.EDU

In April, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a $1 billion comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and a sustainable future. As with all things Mason, this campaign is about—and will depend on— our distinctive Mason community.

At Mason, we are All Together Different. And what makes us different is not just who we are or what we do, but what we believe. We believe that present progress matters more than past pedigree. That talent needs opportunity, not permission. That the future is something we create, not something that happens to us. That when all voices are invited to shape what’s next, the future is closer than you think, and what’s possible is transformed into what is.

The Mason Now campaign is ambitious.

It’s audacious. And, it will require determination and grit. That’s what makes it Mason.

Support Mason Now gmu.edu/masonnow

Fall 2023 M A S O N S P I R I T | 3

CONNECT WITH US #MasonNation

gmu.edu

@georgemason

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@georgemasonu @georgemasonuniversity @georgemasonu

SEEING THE SIGHTS—Incoming students have the opportunity to attend Quill Camp, an extended orientation experience that brings together new and current students. Quill Camp: Republic included trips to nearby Washington, D.C., and a tour of the monuments. Photo by Ron Aira