MASON SPIRIT
S U M M E R 2018
A M AG 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
PR E C I S I O N MEDICINE:
MARIAELENA PIEROBON, Molecular Profiling
Developing New Technologies and and Interventions to Improve Health Care
FARROKH ALEMI, Health Informatics
HUA MIN, Machine Learning
WILLIAM ROSENBERGER, Randomization and Clinical Trials
PATRICK GILLEVET, Microbiome Analysis
S E R I O US G A M E S PE O PLE PL AY
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PE T E R S O N HALL O PE N S
IT'S A WRAP FOR THE
Class of 2018
G E O R G E M A S O N U N I V E R S I T Y: A G R E AT U N I V E R S I T Y O F A N E W A N D N E C E S S A R Y K I N D
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Medicine, Up Close and Personal Mason researchers are using sophisticated analytics, artificial intelligence, and the patient’s own genetic makeup to hone in on new diagnostics and treatments.
Games People Play 24 Serious For computer game design students interning at Mason’s Virginia Serious Game Institute, games are a matter of life or death.
Newest Academic Facility Will See You Now 28 Mason’s After much anticipation, Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall is up and running. While the exterior is certainly impressive, what you’ll discover inside is even more so.
D E PA R T M E N T S Follow us on Twitter @MasonSpirit for alumni news, events, and more. ecome a fan of the Mason Spirit on B Facebook for links to photos, videos, and stories at www.facebook.com/ MasonSpirit. Check our website for a behind-thescenes look at the Spirit, more alumni profiles, and breaking news at spirit. gmu.edu.
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FIRST WORDS FROM OUR RE ADERS A D VA N C I N G M A S O N @MASON M E E T T H E M A S O N N AT I O N INQUIRING MINDS SHELF LIFE A LU M N I I N P R I N T
MASON SPIRIT
F E AT U R E S
39 PAT R I O T P R O F I L E 4 0 C L A S S N O T E S 42 From the Alumni Association President
A L U M N I P R O F I L E S 40 Atif Qarni, MA History ’09 43 Franziska Moeckel, BS Marketing ’07 45 Rick Dunetz, BIS ’97
About the Cover Precision medicine is one of the many ways Mason is contributing to the future of health care. See story on page 16. Photos by Ron Aira and Evan Cantwell
MORE ON THE WEB When you see this graphic, follow it to the magazine’s website for more: spirit.gmu.edu. Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 1
FIRST WORDS
MASON SPIRIT A MAGAZINE FOR THE GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY
A CRUCIAL ROLE AT A CRITICAL TIME
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ybersecurity and information technology are among the fastest-growing and most important industries in the world, and George Mason University has helped make Northern Virginia a critical hub for these essential industries.
Mason is home to the largest number of cybersecurity and information technology students in the state, enrolling almost 5,000 in IT, computer science, computer engineering, and cyber security, and almost 2,500 in data science and analytics programs. Tech websites such as cyberdegrees.org and TechRepublic rate our cyber/IT programs as the best in the state and among the best in the country. Our research capabilities are also growing at the heart of a vibrant innovative ecosystem. Just last year, Mason won a competitive national process led by the Department of Home land Security to establish a Center of Excellence in Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA), one of only nine such centers in the nation and the only one in Virginia. With awards worth more than $40 million over a 10-year period, the center will develop new network analysis technologies, forensics tools, and investigative strategies to help law enforcement counter transnational criminal activities. The Commonwealth of Virginia is also investing through various programs that increase our capabilities in the rapidly changing cyber/IT field, strengthen research and innovation, and support the formation and growth of small- and medium-sized high-tech companies. These investments are also critical in persuading innovative companies to locate in our region. Because of our considerable capabilities in information technology, cybersecurity, and data analytics, Mason has been a centerpiece in several of these conversations, including the much publicized, and at the time of this letter, still undecided, Amazon HQ2 site selection process. It’s no secret that advanced industry clusters grow best around comprehensive research universities, which provide talent in cutting-edge fields and accelerate innovation through research, startups, and corporate partnerships. With research expenditures approaching $115 million annually, Mason has played a critical role in the region’s innovation ecosystem. A good example of this is the Fairfax cybersecurity startup Invincea, founded by a former faculty member. Sophos recently acquired the company for more than $100 million. Mason’s influence reaches well beyond our campus. LinkedIn lists nearly 8,000 Mason alumni currently working in the cyber/IT fields, which implies an actual number that is even higher. Some of these individuals have moved up the ranks and currently hold impressive leadership positions in business and government. Consider, for example, alumnus Christopher C. Krebs, JD ’07, who now oversees the cyber and physical infrastructure security mission for the Department of Homeland Security. Krebs returned to Mason in May to serve as keynote speaker at the DHS Centers of Excellence Summit, a gathering of more than 500 university researchers and government and industry leaders. We’re proud that our alumni—current and future—play such a crucial role in making Virginia and the National Capital Region a leading innovation hub in information technology, cybersecurity, and big data. We hope you’re proud, too. Ángel Cabrera President
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spirit.gmu.edu MANAG ING EDITOR Colleen Kearney Rich, MFA ’95 A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R S Corey Jenkins Schaut, MPA ’07 Rob Riordan C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R Sarah Metcalf Seeberg SE N I O R CO PY WR ITE R Margaret Mandell A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R Melanie Balog E D I T O R I A L A S S I S TA N T Lindsay Bernhards, BA ’18 GRAPHIC DESIGN Elliott de Luca, BA ’04 Joan Dall'Aqua CO NTR IBUTO R S Teresa D. Allen, MFA ’12 Martha Bushong Priyanka Champaneri, BA ’05, MFA ’10 Damian Cristodero Cathy Cruise, MFA ’93 Elizabeth Grisham, BA ’02, MA ’12 Danielle Hawkins Nanci Hellmich John Hollis Buzz McClain, BA ’77 Michele McDonald Preston Williams P H O T O G R A P H Y A N D M U LT I M E D I A Evan Cantwell, MA ’10, Senior University Photographer Ron Aira, University Photographer Bethany Camp, Student Photographer Melissa Cannarozzi, Image Collections Manager PRODUC TION MANAG ER Brian Edlinski EDITORIAL BOARD Janet E. Bingham Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Frank Neville Vice President for Communications and Marketing Christine Clark-Talley 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 Communications and Marketing. Please log in at alumni.gmu.edu to update your records or email spirit@gmu.edu. For the latest news about George Mason University, check out www.gmu.edu. George Mason University is an equal opportunity employer that encourages diversity.
FROM OUR READERS
KUDOS ➤Yesterday ➤ I received in the mail my copy of the spring issue of Mason Spirit. The 50th anniversary retrospective theme on Mason’s first graduating class in 1968 was great. This is what I was looking forward to seeing. I think this was the best issue Mason Spirit has ever produced. 1968—they don’t make years like 1968 anymore! I would urge you to put together something on the involvement of Mason students with the Vietnam War. As a history major, I am always focused on improving people’s historical awareness. In transient and everchanging Northern Virginia, a lot of people are not aware of GMU’s history. But George Mason College was there in the swinging 1960s! Greg Paspatis, BA History ’83
PUT ME IN, COACH ➤I➤ may be the only person in the world who would notice but the picture of the basketball team on page 16 of the latest Mason Spirit magazine is not the 1966-67 team. I know because I was on that team. We had to buy our own uniforms, and we never looked that good. Also, Coach Spuhler didn’t arrive until the next year. I suspect the picture is of the 1967-68 team. Barry Fink
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
My first year (1963-64) was at the old Bailey’s Crossroads campus, followed by moving to the Fairfax Campus (1964-65). However, when my classmates went down to Charlottesville and UVA for the 1965 fall semester, I went to the U.S. Army’s flight school and over to Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. Jeff Cawley’s mention of the dress code handed down from UVA was absolutely correct. While some of the male students did wear kilts and women wore coats and ties, we basically ignored it. The new director, Robert Reid, was not pleased—but there was nothing he could do about it. You can’t suspend an entire class, and I don’t remember a single student being asked to leave the classroom. Memories include the lack of sidewalks and wooden planks laid down as walkways between the four buildings during the rainy season, also a lunch room/ meeting place called “The Ordinary” with rather bad vending machines and a smaller room, “The Extra Ordinary,” attached to that for business meetings and such. At the Bailey’s Crossroads campus, if you wanted to find someone, you just sat on the front steps— eventually he or she would walk past. At the Fairfax Campus, you went to the Ordinary and waited for the person to show up. Your photo of Dr. Feinstein in his chemistry class reminded me of the day his PA taught me and a couple of other guys how to turn over a gallon of sweet apple cider into hard cider during a one-hour period, so my semester of chemistry wasn’t a total loss.
We want to hear from you. Letters to the editor are welcomed. Send correspondence to Colleen Kearney Rich, Managing Editor, Mason Spirit, 4400 University Drive, MS 2F7, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. Or send an email to spirit@gmu.edu.
Douglas Nehms
➤As ➤ a 1965 “graduate” of George Mason College, I thoroughly enjoyed the latest issue of the Mason Spirit magazine. It brought back a lot of memories.
New on spirit.gmu.edu Fifty Mason alumni were recognized at the Alumni Association’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on May 12. Check out their bios, and video and photos from at the event at alumni.gmu.edu/50years.
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How Small Becomes BIG
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n Thursday, April 5, thousands of people across Mason Nation joined together to prove again one important point: small can be BIG. Very big, in fact. April 5 was Mason’s second annual Giving Day. Now at Mason, we’re not bound by the past; you only have to do something twice to count it as a tradition. And our new tradition was a huge success. More than 2,000 donors made a charitable gift to Mason on a single day, each giving to the program or school that means the most to them. That includes hundreds who contributed for the first time. Thank you, new donors! And it wasn’t just alumni who gave. Every part of Mason Nation—alumni, friends, volunteers, faculty, staff, and students—made an impact on Giving Day. I’ve often felt that most people would give if they only knew how much giving matters. Here are just a few of the reasons. Giving funds student scholarships. It supports the arts and athletics, the sciences and the humanities. It keeps tuition costs lower (remember, state funds cover less than 20 percent of the university’s budget). It makes us all a little prouder. The energy and engagement from giving makes George Mason University stronger in every way. And, because small can be big, every gift counts. At any level, every gift matters (especially yours!). As a trickle becomes a stream and a stream becomes a flood, so first by the dozens, then by the hundreds, and finally by the thousands, small gifts added together create big impact. We understand that you have many worthy choices for your charitable giving. When you meet today’s Mason students and see how they are positively affecting our world, you recognize how deserving they are of your support. So I invite you to join with thousands of your fellow members of Mason Nation by investing in their present, and in our shared future. As you read on the cover of the previous issue of Spirit magazine, 2018 is the 50th anniversary of Mason’s first graduating class. Together, let’s make the next half-century at Mason even better than the first. Janet E. Bingham, PhD Vice President, Advancement and Alumni Relations President, George Mason University Foundation
Couple’s Signature Gift Will Advance S-CAR
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recent $2 million gift to Mason’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Board of Visitors mem ber Steve Cumbie and his wife, Drucie French, is one of the most important in the school’s 30-year history. Cumbie and French were early advocates for conflict resolution studies at Mason when the field was in its infancy in the 1980s. Together, the pair established an endowed professorship for conflict resolution in 1988. The School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) has since become one of the country’s leading institutions of its kind. In 2018 S-CAR was ranked number one in the country out of 57 comparable conflict resolution degree programs by Schools.com. The gift will support three major needs: establishing a graduate student fellowship, increasing funds for the existing endowed professorship, and strengthening programs at Point of View, the conference and retreat center on Mason Neck that Dean Kevin Avruch describes as “a civilian Camp David.”
“Our intent with this gift is to advance the field of con flict resolution by strengthening S-CAR as an institution,” says Cumbie, the CEO and principal of NVCommercial, NVRetail, and the Metro Realty group. “The number of graduates the school has produced is impressive—but we need even more people to go into this field. Point of View is a great asset as well, which should be fully developed.” “Mason should be very well known for conflict resolution. Its time has come, and people recognize that. If we can raise the school’s profile, I think it will be wonderful for the university.” —Rob Riordan
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PHOTO BY RON AIRA
A DVA N C I N G MA S O N
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Mason WA S H E R F O U N D AT I O N
s graduate student and PhD candidate, as alumna, and finally as benefactor, Camille Barry MSN ’86, DNSc ’89, PhD ’92, has been part of George Mason University for more than three decades. Barry arrived in Virginia in the 1980s, working as a pre- and post-surgical nurse at Alexandria Hospital. With the nursing program at Mason already considered one of the best, Barry began pursuing a master’s degree through evening classes. “We clicked immediately, Mason and I,” Barry says. “They really cared about me, and they cared about the nursing program and making sure it was top notch. It was a wonderful, supportive environment.” Degree in hand, Barry’s career trajectory moved to health policy and administration. When Mason launched its nursing PhD program, she was part of the initial cohort and became one of the first two PhD graduates in the program’s history. Barry eventually became deputy director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she oversaw a staff of 250 people and a budget of more than $1 billion. She credits Mason for laying the foundation. In the late 90s Barry left the federal government to focus on the successful real estate investment company that she and her husband founded in Reston. In 2005 she established the Camille T. Barry Nursing PhD Scholarship Endowment, which continues to support students pursuing a PhD in nursing. She currently provides generous support for the Nutrition and Food Studies Kitchen at Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall, the new home of the College of Health and Human Services, where future health leaders are trained. For Barry, the Nutrition and Food Studies Kitchen resonates with her own interest in the importance of healthy living and her affinity for students pursuing the same path she once did. “I got so much from my time at Mason. The quality of the teachers was extra ordinary. They created the pathway, the avenue— and I never felt like I was alone along that path.”
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Preparing for Natural Disasters—One Map at a Time
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ost people know that when disaster strikes, relief comes in the form of supplies, urgent medical care, and help rebuilding the affected area. However, not many consider the logistics behind these relief efforts—and that’s where Mason’s own humanitarian mapping club comes in. Mason Mappers, a special interest group within Mason’s Fuhrmann, who teaches in the Department of Geogra Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, phy and Geoinformation Science, was not surprised by the assists with humanitarian organizations’ relief efforts by event’s impressive turnout. “Our students recognize there providing updated maps of affected areas using geospatial are a lot of natural disasters happening worldwide. I think data. Geography majors Meghan Andrews and David that’s why students of all different majors wanted to help.” Lowman, along with faculty advisor Sven Fuhrmann, have The map-a-thon’s success at Mason led to subsequent helped with the team’s projects, including risk reduction map-a-thons, many of which coincide with OpenStreetMap in Haiti, supporting NGO initiatives in West Africa, and GeoWeek, a week in November dedicated to raising aware improving disaster preparedness in Indonesia. In addition ness of the importance of geography and volunteerism. to giving back to the community, Mason Mappers helps “We have been impressed by the work Mason Mappers geography students build their professional skill set. has been doing, and they have been one of the early “The organization is an excellent opportunity for geogra pioneers in this space as more mapping clubs of this kind phy majors to get work experience in a specialized field,” have sprung up around the country,” says Gertin. says Lowman, who serves as vice president of the group. In addition to updating maps, Mason Mappers has The student organization attracts mappers from all turned its skills and talents to helping the Mason community over the community and even caught the attention of and beyond with projects such as mapping fire hydrants the U.S. Department of State. Tom Gertin, geographic for quality control. The club also has been recognized by information systems specialist for the State Department’s the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for its work mapping Humanitarian Information Unit, was impressed and historical sites around the county and has taught the reached out to Mason to host their first-ever map-a-thon, importance of geospatial technology at the White House. a community-wide competition where mappers of all Going forward, Fuhrmann hopes that Mason Mappers levels have the opportunity to get involved in creating will be an inspiration for students to be proactive in their data in support of major humanitarian projects. communities—no matter the size of the task. The student response was overwhelming. From W. T. “We hope to teach students to take it upon themselves Woodson High School to Northern Virginia Community to see what is needed and take initiative,” he says. —Lindsay Bernhards, BA ’18 College to Mason, the map-a-thon united local students of varying disciplines in the local community for global causes.
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Mason’s Nursing Leadership Pipeline to Oman
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f the nine nursing institutes in Oman, Mason alumni lead four of them—three are deans and one is a director. There soon will be a fifth. “Forty years ago, Oman had one hospital and 20 beds. Now there are 60 health care facilities in Oman,” says Kevin Mallinson, assistant dean for PhD and research programs in Mason’s School of Nursing. “Mason has had a big impact on Oman wherever in the country [these alumni] serve.” The path to helping modernize public health care in Oman started at Mason in the early 1990s, when Rita Carty, then dean of the College of Health and Human Services, met with the Omani Minister of Health at a World Health Organization conference in Geneva. She convinced him to send a few high school graduates to study nursing at Mason. Those graduates, she suggested, would return equipped to lead in Oman’s academic nursing institutes. At the time, Oman was on the verge of a renaissance as the country’s leader, Sultan Qaboos Said Al Said, recognized that education was key to reducing his country’s chronic illiteracy and improving its public health care system, says Mason alumnus Khamis Al Mezeini, BSN ’96, MSN ’00, PhD Nursing ’17. The Minister of Health, Ali Mohammad Mosa, chose four students—Abdallah Al Batashi, BSN ’96, MSN ’00; Juma Al-Maskari, BSN ’96, MSN ’01; Salim Al Toubi, BSN ’96, MSN ’00; and Al Mezeini—who arrived at the Fairfax Campus to work on their bachelor of science in nursing degrees in 1992. They graduated in 1996 but later returned to Mason for their master’s degrees and nursing education certificates. “I like to call them the backbone of the nursing program in Oman,” says Mason PhD student Abdullah Al Mahrouqi. When he completes his PhD program at Mason, Mahroqui, who is also a college professor, will become the fifth
Mason graduate to lead an Omani nursing school. “Once I started loving [nursing], it changed me,” he says. “That’s why I’m pursuing my PhD here, because I love nursing and I would like to give something back to nursing—teaching and community services.” Al Mezeini, who earned his PhD at Mason in 2017, 21 years after he earned his bachelor’s degree, acknow ledges Mason’s impact on him and his country.
Mason School of Nursing
“I believe that George Mason and the School of Nursing molded us to become who we are now,” says Al Mezeini, the dean of the Al Dhahira Nursing Institute. “My country [has] developed rapidly and is now competing with developed countries in health affairs.”
assistant dean Kevin Mallinson with Omani PhD student Abdullah Al Mahrouqi.
—Buzz McClain, BA ’77
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Making Sure H E R
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VOICE IS HEARD
adison Essig says she wasn’t worried about whether or not she would be confirmed as a member of Mason’s Student Senate. As Mason LIFE’s liaison to the senate for the past year and a half, the sophomore had established herself as a valuable member, one who never missed a meeting and always raised a hand to volunteer. Still, when senate members voted 25-0 to confirm Essig in December, she couldn’t help but smile. “I want to make sure people with disabilities have a voice,” she says. “But I also want to make certain we all have a voice.” Essig, who has Down syndrome, is persistent that way. She even helped push the senate to amend its constitution to allow students such as her to be part of the studentled body.
Previously, only students with a GPA had that privilege, says Caiti Lively, speaker of the Student Senate. But a change through what became known as “Madison’s Bill” opened the senate to students, such as those in the Mason LIFE and INTO Mason programs, who are earning certificates instead of degrees. Essig graduated from high school with a 3.7 GPA and is believed to be among the first Down syndrome students to graduate from a Washington, D.C., secondary school with a standard diploma, since the District began keeping digital records in 1996. Through the Mason LIFE Program, which provides a supportive academic environ ment for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Essig has taken university courses not for credit but to build her transcript toward her certificate. Her
career ambition is to advocate for those with disabilities. “Some people don’t really know that we’re here, that there is a program here,” she says of the Mason LIFE Program. “That’s one thing I want to change, that people know that we’re here getting the same education as everyone else. Everyone wants to be heard in the same way, so let’s do that.” —Damian Cristodero
The Thrill of Victory
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ine Mason students, including seven undergraduates, took part in an intensive six-week studyabroad program that included three weeks of classes at Mason Korea in Songdo and two weeks of volunteering at the Paralympics, March 4-18. The group, which also included students from Virginia Tech, was able to attend a hockey game at the Winter Olympics before moving into the Olympic Village to work the Paralympic Games. After completing two days of training for the Paralympics, the students were assigned on-site positions at the media center, photo services, the information desk, and broadcasting support. They left with a better understanding of Olympiccaliber events after assisting at practices and practice games, and helping to broadcast the games worldwide.
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A ROBOTIC ORCHESTRA BUILT FROM DISCARDED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
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n engineering professor and an art professor have embarked on an ambitious project: They want to create an orchestra of robotic gadgets made from cast-off musical instruments that will autonomously perform an opera bearing a topical social message. “That is my dream,” says Edgar Endress, an associate professor at Mason’s School of Art. “That is what we are working toward.” The first musical fruits of their labor, titled The Narrative Machine, were on display in the foyer of the Center for the Arts Concert Hall earlier this year. As of now, the orchestra is a small band consisting of two guitar towers, a horn flower, a cello drum, a piano guitar, and a digital theremin violin. The instruments were among those donated to the Mason Community Arts Academy’s (formerly the Potomac Arts Academy) Instruments in the Attic program, in which refurbished musical instruments are loaned to community members and Mason students in need of an instrument for music studies. The instruments used in The Narrative Machine were deemed beyond repair—but not beyond their usefulness to the Mason professors.
The digital theremin violin was the first contraption created by the team in mid-December. An 1805 Seidel violin was outfitted with a wire coil, alternating pole magnets, speakers, and other electronic parts. With the push of a button, a bow is stroked over the violin’s bridge, creating a decidedly un-violin-like sound. Computer software turns it into music. No strings are plucked on the cello drum. Instead, linear actuators strike different parts of the cello’s fretboard and body, producing percussive sounds controlled by a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI). When the full orchestra is ready for its operatic debut, Mason Engineering professor Daniel Lofaro says there will be 16 guitar towers looming over the stage, playing alongside an assortment of other colorful, Dr. Seuss-like hybrid instruments. Some of the instruments were designed with the help of Mason students who participated in hack-a-thons. See Lofaro demonstrating the cello drum at bit.ly/robomusic. —Buzz McClain, BA ’77
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Mason’s Crime Scene House
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elevision shows like CSI and NCIS make it look easy. But Mason graduate student Taylor McGee says making sense out of a real crime scene isn’t quite that simple. McGee and a group of her classmates from Mason’s Forensic Science Program recently got a real look at what processing a crime scene entails when they made the trek to Mason’s new crime scene house. “Shows like [CSI and NCIS] are interesting, but they’re not in any way indicative of what really goes on,” McGee says. Located in a quiet, residential neighborhood near the Fairfax Campus, the crime scene house has eight rooms. Each has been carefully set up to recreate the details of the very real crime scenes that Forensic Science Program director Mary Ellen O’Toole and her experienced team of crime scene investigators have worked in the past. “We’ve made every effort to make this as close to real life as we can,” says O’Toole, a former FBI profiler. “The idea was to give our students the experience of entering a real home crime scene.”
That will eventually include (mannequin) bodies and (fake) blood spatter, and learning to meticulously process hair fibers, fingerprints, and everything else that goes with such a grisly scenario. An SUV is parked outside, so students can learn how to process a crime scene in a vehicle as well. Cameras set up throughout the house let O’Toole and other faculty carefully monitor and evaluate each group’s progress. Instructors teach the students to be analytical without rushing to judgment and to pay strict attention to the slightest detail and crime scene protocols. That’s essential if the students are to get to the bottom of the mystery and accurately chronicle evidence that could be critical to solving a crime. It’s the kind of hands-on experiential learning Mason forensic students will need in the field. “It was definitely a learning experience,” says graduate student Georgia Williams. “I liked that we got to do things that are practical. As we saw, it doesn’t happen in 45 minutes [like on the TV shows].” —John Hollis
“We've made every effort to make this as close to real life as we can.” —Mary Ellen O'Toole former FBI profiler
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A Honey of a Deal
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en George Mason University students gathered at a table in Enterprise Hall and in no time had filled nearly 100 boxes with K-Cups of tea infused with honey from Mason’s Honey Bee Initiative. Profits from the sale of the Patriot Pollinator Coalition tea will go back into the initiative, a joint partnership between the School of Busi ness and the College of Science. But this is more than a story about volunteer labor and entrepreneurship. It is a story about Mason’s commitment to experiential learning and how alumni give back to the university that helped launch their careers. “This is where we differentiate ourselves,” says David J. Miller, PhD Public Policy ’15, director of Mason’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Mason Innovation Lab. “This is where the real learning is done, and it’s why students decide to come here.”
Mason already has the honey thanks to the Honey Bee Initiative’s 50 hives. It also has alum nus Chris Savage, BS Electrical Engineering ’10, with the machinery to make the K-Cups, through his company True Honey Teas.
from understanding unit costs, sales, supply chains, and marketing, to even building the packaging for the product. That drive is something Savage can relate to. “I was a member of the Innovation Lab, and when I first started my company I was very involved with [the lab], fleshing out my busi ness model and helping make contacts,” says Savage, who is charging the students a small fee for the use of his machinery. “This is a great experience to showcase to students how this process actually works. Now they have to go out and start selling.” On this day, though, just getting the first —David J. Miller K-Cups into the packaging was enough. Seed money for the venture came from a “A big part of startups is being hands-on,” $25,000 donation from the Community Foun says Clark Gronek, a junior finance major. dation for Northern Virginia. All that was left “You have to be part of the process. You have was to find students who wanted to learn about to deal with every part of it.” —Damian Cristodero business from the ground up and do everything
This is where we differentiate ourselves. This is where the real learning is done, and it’s why students decide to come here.
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Dancing
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ach spring, Mason’s School of Dance fea tures extraordinary performances at the annual Dance Gala. This year’s event, which took place March 23-25, was more than three days of senior showcases—it marked the passing of the torch from professor to student. Recent BFA graduate Lauren Stucko performed the principal role of the Pink Girl in Lar Lubovitch’s “A Brahms Symphony” as a senior dance major during the 2018 Gala concert. “It’s such a dream to dance,” says her professor, School of Dance director Susan Shields, MFA ’03. “It’s got everything—love, grief, loss, and every metaphysical and existential feeling you can possibly have brought into one dance.” Shields should know. As a member of the New York City-based Lar Lubovitch Dance Company from 1988 to 1996, Shields performed as the Pink Girl in hundreds of programs around the world. Stucko was first exposed to the role her fresh man year when Lubovitch assistant choreographer Ginger Thatcher spent a weeklong residency at Mason. This year, Shields shared with Stucko her insights into the role beyond the physical move ments to what Shields calls “the art part” of dance. “She isn’t just a teacher,” says Stucko. “She’s a mentor. She’s inspirational.” Handing off the role to a student was an emo tional experience for Shields. “I almost don’t have words for it,” Shields says. “It’s a full-circle feeling to share something that has had such an impact on my life.” The Dance Gala was not Stucko’s last per formance as the Pink Girl. The Mason Dance Company had the honor of closing out the Lar Lubovitch 50th anniversary season on April 22 with a performance of “A Brahms Symphony” at the renowned Joyce Theater in New York, what Stucko considers “the Yankee Stadium of dance theaters.” “This is one of the highlights of my 21 years at Mason,” says Shields.
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PHOTO BY TOM COBURN
—Buzz McClain, BA ’77
Alumni Association 50th ANNIVERSARY Gala O H W H AT A N I G H T !
On May 12, when the Alumni Association marked its 50th anniversary with a gala celebration at EagleBank Arena attended by more than 500 alumni, university leaders, and other members of the Mason community. PHOTOS BY JOHN BOAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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See the full story at alumni.gmu.edu/50years.
@
MASON
M E E T T H E M A S O N N AT I O N
Shira Kulok PHOTO BY RON AIRA
Job: Director, Childhood Development Center
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n 2017, Mason’s Childhood Development Center earned accreditation from the National Association for the Edu cation of Young Children, and it continues to grow. Center director Shira Kulok uses her creativity and passion for early childhood education to develop programs that will benefit all children while enhancing the center.
FINDING HER PASSION: Kulok started her career as an infant teacher with Bright Horizons, an internationally recognized childcare and early education company, where she rose through the ranks. At Bright Horizons, she learned how to cultivate part nerships with parents, provide quality customer service, and develop a team—but she found her passion in research and developing her own programs. After residing in Florida for 15 years, she moved to Washington, D.C., to direct the International Monetary Fund Child Care Center. Then she found Mason. CHOOSING MASON: Kulok was initially attracted to Mason because of the opportunity to develop her own program in collaboration with the center’s team—but it was her first visit to campus during the interview process that sealed the deal for
her. Not only did she love Mason’s Fairfax Campus and its focus on sustainability, but her encounters with the center’s team, parents, and human resources personnel made her feel wel come. “Mason offers a beautiful environment with vast oppor tunities for development and professional growth,” she says. FOCUSING ON THE WHOLE CHILD: Kulok’s holistic focus on educating children is part of what drives her passion. “We believe in educating the whole child, helping each one reach their fullest potential.” Recently she added free yoga classes for participating students as part of a program to support children’s body aware ness and self-regulation skills. The center was also awarded a grant from the Patriot Green Fund to enhance its sustainability programs, which include a garden and a greenhouse. FUTURE ENDEAVORS: Kulok’s goal is to put the center on the map as one of the most innovative and effective early childhood programs in this area with an emphasis on social-emotional learning, best practices in sustainability and nutrition, and an overall focus on the well-being of participating families and staff. —Lindsay Bernhards, BA ’18 Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 15
There Is No One Right Way to Treat a Patient—
There Are Billion
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Mariaelena Pierobon was a surgeon in her native Italy before coming to the United States to learn about precision medicine.
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Mason researchers are taking a personalized approach to medicine, one patient at a time. PERSONALIZED. PRECISION. PREDICTIVE. One size doesn’t fit all, especially when it comes to health care. From personalized therapies using the patient’s own bio logical information to prescribe medications to machine learning techniques designed to improve health care analytics, Mason researchers are developing innovative new technol ogies, approaches, and interventions to promote health and enhance well-being. Mason’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation (IBI) unites fac ulty and student researchers across disciplines to enable the development of new technologies, approaches, and inter ventions to predict, prevent, treat, and eradicate disease and improve care. Our world-class research community works hand-in-hand with individuals and organizations in the region and beyond to develop and implement innova tions that have real-world impact. “Mason has a deep commitment to conducting ‘research of consequence,’ with partnership-enabled follow-through that ensures our innovations have impact in the world around us,” says Deb Crawford, Mason’s vice president for research. “Nowhere is this more evident than in our IBI activities.” Here is a closer look at some of the work being done in the areas of precision and predictive medicine at Mason.
PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL
TARGETING TREATMENTS Researchers at Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) are bringing personalized medicine to more people with metastatic breast cancer in their latest clinical trial. This third phase of breast cancer research, supported by the Side-Out Foundation (see story on page 45), involves 100 patients from 10 sites around the United States and is the center’s largest clinical trial yet.
We’re trying to find biomarkers that will tell us upfront whether a patient will benefit or not so that we can try to provide more targeted treatment for our patients and help physicians recommend the right drug.” —Mariaelena Pierobon
Mason researchers are looking for biomarkers to uncover why some patients respond to a specific treatment while others do not. Oncologists can then use that information to find the most effective treatment for their patients.
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“We’re trying to find biomarkers that will tell us upfront whether a patient will benefit or not so that we can try to provide more targeted treatment for our patients and help physicians recommend the right drug,” says Mariaelena Pierobon, MD, who is leading the work.
Rather than focusing on behavioral health and the stigma addiction carries, we have taken a very medical view of the issue. —Farrokh Alemi
The Side-Out-sponsored trials are using molecular profiling, involving DNA, RNA, and protein and phosphoprotein information to try to understand what is driving each indi vidual tumor. “So if certain genes or certain proteins were highly deregulated in a patient’s tumor, we look for drugs that block those specific alterations. So every patient receives a different treatment based on their personal biology,” says Pierobon.
will order a test that will tell them the best way to proceed, eliminating uncertainty and lost time while leading to better outcomes.
UNLOCKING KEY INFORMATION IN HEALTH RECORDS Analyzing the wealth of data available in electronic health records is a powerful new weapon driving personalized medi cine and helping improve health care delivery. It is the central focus of Mason’s highly specialized health infor matics program. The key to predicting a disease, identifying likeli hood of a hospital readmission, or determining the best drug to prescribe in a given circumstance may be found in these records.
The profiling is done using a protein array technology in “One of the main challenges in health informatics is the vented at CAPMM. As the tissue that the researchers work large amount and complexity of data in electronic health with is tiny, often collected via needle biopsy, they needed records and other sources that is beyond what is found in to find a way to amplify the proteins they were looking for. other data-driven disciplines,” says Janusz Wojtusiak, sec “We are actually way beyond a genomics-alone approach to tion chief for programs in health informatics in the College precision medicine—in some ways that has already become of Health and Human Services. “We’re looking at ways we ‘old-fashioned.’ The proteome is where the next revolution can collect, organize, and analyze these data for use at in precision medicine is—and we had to invent a whole new individual and population levels.” proteomic technique to meet the need, and that’s what we In recent studies, the college’s researchers have looked at data did,” says Emanuel Petricoin, the center’s co-director and to determine which patients will develop diabetes, establish the principal investigator of the clinical trials. “Now we patient responses to depression medications, and predict prog have a robust method that allows us to understand what nosis in several patient populations. drug targets are actually in use—like a GPS roadmap—for each patient’s tumor, and we’re using that in clinical trials.” Professor Farrokh Alemi, the principal investigator on a num ber of these projects, is currently analyzing electronic health Often, by the time patients with metastatic breast cancer records to predict who has or will develop an opioid addic come CAPMM’s way, they have exhausted a number of therapies and are running out of time. Although the re tion. His method is already more effective than existing methods and questionnaires. searchers aren’t promising a cure, the results of the first two trials were better than the researchers had anticipated. “Rather than focusing on behavioral health and the stigma addiction carries, we have taken a very medical view of the “The oncologists are getting key missing information that we are providing. That’s helping to make treatment deci issue,” Alemi says. “By looking at the physical symptoms related to substance abuse, our goal is to start a conversation sions, and those treatment decisions appear to be providing between the clinician and the patient in a way that is not clinical benefit,” says Petricoin. “Patients are actually doing confrontational.” better clinically, and that’s is very exciting.” Breast cancer is not the only disease CAPMM researchers are working on, but the long-term goal is the same: That one day, after a patient receives a diagnosis, their doctor
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Among other projects, Wojtusiak is working with GPS technology and machine learning methods, which is a way software can become more accurate in its predictions. He hopes to
PHOTO BY RON AIRA
Farrokh Alemi is a pioneer in the online management of patients and has provided congressional testimony on the role of the internet in health delivery. Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 19
We have so much medical knowledge already acquired and represented in the [records] that we want to try to reuse this knowledge and enhance it with machine learning methods.
PHOTO BY RON AIRA
—Hua Min
predict wandering patterns of adults with Alzheimer’s by asking the question, “Can we build a system to track these patients that can learn their behavior, predict wandering, and detect progression of the disease?”
and its relationship to human disease. Studies have found that an individual’s microbiome can affect many aspects of health and illness, including cognition, obesity, cirrhosis, and even autism.
Professor Hua Min also uses machine learning methods in her research, focusing on how these differing data systems can “talk” to each other, as well as the integration, extrac tion, and analysis of electronic health records data.
As part of a recent project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Gillevet and his collaborators worked to find ways to alter the microbiomes of patients with alco holic liver disease. Their goal was to control the illness enough so that the patients could become eligible for liver transplants.
“We have so much medical knowledge already acquired and represented in the [records] that we want to try to reuse this knowledge and enhance it with machine learning methods,” “It is now clear that the human microbiome [the gut flora] is says Min, who is part of a nationwide research effort that another organ, and it is intimately involved in health and works with small health care practices to apply these disease,” he says. methods and improve the quality of their care. Gillevet collaborates with researchers in a number of dis ciplines at Mason as well as with scholars from Virginia MICROORGANISMS AND HOW Com monwealth University, Rush University Hospital, THEY RELATE TO DISEASE and the University of Edmonton. These colleagues—from The average human has more than 100 trillion microbes in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, China, and and on their body, and the study of these tiny inhabitants Turkey—have included researchers from the fields of is challenging previously held ideas about good and bad environmental science and policy, biology, astronomy, and bacteria. computer science. In other projects, Gillevet and his team Mason researcher Patrick Gillevet, director of Mason’s are examining coal disease, lobster shell disease, and MicroBiome Analysis Center, studies the microbiome—the population genetics. assortment of microorganisms in a given environment—
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PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL
Hua Min (above) focuses on how machines “talk” to each other. Pat Gillevet (right) is director of Mason’s MicroBiome Analysis Center.
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In 2014, William Rosenberger received a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to Aachen, Germany, to pursue his research on randomization. While there, he conducted collaborative research at the RWTH University of
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PHOTO BY RON AIRA
Aachen Medical School.
Prior to coming to Mason, Gillevet worked on the Human Genome Project at Harvard University and NIH and developed new analytical tools and technology in molecular biology.
BEATING THE ODDS FOR BETTER CLINICAL TRIALS William Rosenberger would like to see more favorable odds for patients in clinical trials. So the University Professor and chair of Mason Engineering’s Department of Statistics is helping medical researchers apply the concepts used in personalized medicine to better design studies—and bene fit patients. In personalized medicine, patients get targeted treatments based on their genetics, specific illness or disease, and other characteristics. For years, medical researchers have conducted large-scale studies on the general population. They use statistical analyses to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of experi mental treatments, such as new medications or medical devices. Many studies have failed because the therapies didn’t work on the population at large, but they may have worked in a subgroup of patients, Rosenberger says. Instead of using the older protocol, Rosenberger and his doctoral students are developing enrichment design metho dology to help scientists pinpoint new experimental treat ments that work for some people, as is done in personalized medicine. Here’s one way it works: Researchers start out by testing several new medical thera pies on a large population. At an interim point of the study, they look at the initial results, do some statistical decisionmaking with the help of statisticians like Rosenberger, and
The methodology of CAR A enrichment designs has the potential to impact the way we think about designing clinical trials in the future. —William Rosenberger
narrow down the treatments to those that seem to be work ing the best. Adaptive designs can also identify the patients who are responding best to treatments and weight the study to favor assigning treatments that work best for the patients in the clinical trials. This is called covariate-adjusted responseadaptive (CARA) randomization, Rosenberger says. He is particularly interested in designing clinical trials for rare diseases, which led him to serve as a member of an international advisory board for a European Union con sortium on small population clinical trials. Changing the way the studies are conducted could make it easier for people to get new therapies earlier and potentially save lives. “The methodology of CARA enrichment designs has the potential to impact the way we think about designing clinical trials in the future,” he says. “It could lead to more efficient study designs that benefit patients.” Amy Adams, Elizabeth Grisham, Danielle Hawkins, Nanci Hellmich, Michele McDonald, and Colleen Kearney Rich contributed to this article.
Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 23
PHOTO BY RON AIRA
JAMES CASEY, associate director, Virginia Serious Game Institute 24 | FA S T E R FA R T H E R : T H E C A M PA I G N F O R G E O R G E M A S O N U N I V E R S I T Y
BY C
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NK LEE
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A ’9
5
LIKE A LOT OF HER CLASSMATES IN GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY’S COMPUTER GAME DESIGN PROGRAM, LISA CHHOUR HARRISON, BFA ’18, CREATED MANY GAMES DURING HER UNDERGRADUATE YEARS, . . .
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arrison was part of a team of students that created a training game for the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security High Threat Operations branch. The team was tasked with building a first-person shooter multiplayer game for 48 agent trainees with the capacity for instructors to observe. It will be used to help train diplomatic security special agents and U.S. Marines to better protect U.S. embassies with the highest threat levels.
the “flag physics” of the embassy’s American flag that flutters in the breeze on the grounds of the virtual compound. Piccone says trainees will use the game to run co-op missions and play team versus team with weapons used in the field, and the instruc tors will be able to customize the conditions of each mission to better prepare players for specific situations.
This embassy training game was actually a “The game also has an ‘after action report’ so Virginia to tour the facility and take photos. “proof of concept” project, and there are more it can give the camera perspective of the They even had the opportunity to view videos games to come. The State Department wants trainers, but also allows the students to see of actual U.S. embassy breaches. to expand the work with VSGI to include what they looked like and what they did Using 3-D modeling, Harrison “built” the West modeling other embassies so that it would wrong,” says Scott Martin, founding director Virginia facility to scale for the game. “It’s dif be possible to train personnel before they of the Computer Game Design Program and ferent than looking at a video,” says Martin. head overseas. Mason’s Virginia Serious Game Institute “You can actually walk the facility.” (VSGI). “Games can save lives. This is a serious “This project is a great opportunity for diplo training game that could prevent the next Other team members were responsible for matic security trainees to play out missions Benghazi [attack].” creating textures (making the grass look like and scenarios for a particular embassy before real grass), lighting, the characters, and weap they even set foot in that embassy in the real By a serious game, Martin means one that is ons that appeared in the game. “Everyone world,” Piccione says. “They’ll not only be developed for a purpose other than enter either had a niche or found their way into come familiar with the layout but also learn tainment. “But it is still important that they be one,” Harrison says. how to adapt their tactics to that setting fun and engaging or no one will use them,” under a variety of conditions.” he says. Game programmer Oscar Quinteros, BS Com puter Science ’17, was in charge of the light More games translate into more opportu The team, led by Computer Game Design ing, which includes both indoor and natural nities for Mason students to take part in faculty member Eric Piccione, modeled the light. He says the most challenging and fun applied research and gain real-world experi branch's training facility in West Virginia for part for him was figuring out what he calls ence for their resumes. the game. They made several trips to West 26 | FA S T E R FA R T H E R : T H E C A M PA I G N F O R G E O R G E M A S O N U N I V E R S I T Y
Mason students Conner Stern and Nathan Garner discuss studying computer game design bit.ly/gmugame
. . . BUT ONE OF THE GAMES SHE WORKED ON DURING
HER TIME AT MASON COULD ONE DAY SAVE LIVES. The State Department training game was funded research through VSGI on Mason’s Science and Technology Campus. Access to VSGI is one of the things that sets Mason’s Computer Game Design Program apart from the rest. VSGI, the only facility of its kind in the United States, supports Mason student entre pre neurship in the simulation and game-design industry. In 2017, the institute helped start 11 new companies, which generated more than 60 jobs in this emerging field. And the State Department grant isn’t the only funded research project Mason students are working on. Mason is a subcontractor to CHI Systems Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company that develops advanced technology solu tions for defense and security agencies and government research organizations, working on a U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Authority project. James Casey, associate director of VSGI, is the principal investigator on the project they are calling IMMERSE, which is an acronym for Interactive Mixed Media Augmented Reality Simulation Engine. The simulation device that Casey describes sounds very much like a tricorder on Star Trek, a handheld medical device used on the television show to scan and diagnose patients.
Designed for Army medics to use in the field or as a training refresher, the IMMERSE device, when held over a certain part of the body, show images and runs through “a medical procedure to keep the information fresh and relevant, and it will also allow [medics] to potentially train off of it, too. [The app] can watch what they’re doing, compare it, and then give them pointers,” says Casey. Computer Game Design Program interim director Sang Nam is leading the team of students working on IMMERSE. The app shows a series of demo animations that can be visu alized on top of a real surface in augmented reality (AR). A good example of AR is the game Pokémon GO, which had people of all ages chasing cartoon characters in public places using their smartphones. Computer game design major Conner Stern has had the good fortune to work on both projects. In addition to designing and ani mating the characters and weapons appear ing in the embassy simulation, Stern is also working on IMMERSE as the animator and medical modeler. “I made all the anatomical models and animated all the demo anima tions,” he says. “It’s a lot of looking at images of dissected body parts and anatomy lessons. We all work on design and user experience together, so I contributed to that as well.”
Computer game design major and IMMERSE co-designer Nathan Garner also served as lead environmental artist. “[We] all worked together on designing the application—how it looked, felt, how the user navigated the app,” he says. “This project helped me gain necessary experience working and commu nicating in a professional environment. As we were sub-contracted through the company CHI, creating a product directed by their vision and successfully delivering on that vision was crucial. Throughout the process, I was constantly receiving feedback from CHI on the product and iterating on it until they were satisfied.” Stern adds: “Of course, being able to say I did all this work for the U.S. Army while in college looks superb on a resume.” Jamie Rogers contributed to this story.
Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 27
health lives here
Mason has always been a major resource for future health professionals to the region and beyond. Now, we’re taking
things to a whole new level. Five state-of-the-art stories, to be exact. After much anticipation, Mason’s newest academic building is up and running. While the exterior is certainly impressive, what you’ll discover inside is even more so. PHOTO BY RON AIRA
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but it doesn't stop here Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 29
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aculty and staff have moved in and classes are taking place in Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall, the new home of George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services. The $71 million, 165,000-square-foot facility gathers all the college’s academic
programs under one roof for the first time.
Peterson Hall has a powerful presence on Mason’s Fairfax Campus, says Dean Germaine Louis, adding that its sleek con temporary architecture sets the stage for an exceedingly bright future.
outdoor amphitheater, and numerous labs to facilitate handson learning and research to advance health for all people. The state-of-the-art nutrition kitchen for the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies has six cooking islands, each accommodating four students, and audiovisual capabilities to enhance teaching demonstrations. This innovative teaching lab was made possible through the generous support of Camille T. Barry, MSN ’86, DNSc ’89, PhD ’92 (see page 4).
“The building is an investment in people—those who will work and learn in it, as well as the many people who will be helped by the college’s faculty and graduates,” she says. “This building signifies innovative thinking, discovery, and service, as well as ensuring students have lifelong skills to advance health for “Even though my education was in nursing, I chose to name all populations.” the nutrition kitchen because healthy eating is an integral part The building was made possible with funding from the Common of my lifestyle,” says Barry. “Studying nutrition will be wealth of Virginia, private philanthropy, and an $8 million gift beneficial to many students. I’m thrilled that my gift will be from the Peterson family, who are longtime Mason benefactors. able to impact students for generations to come.” Designed by Perkins Eastman and constructed by Whiting Turner, Peterson Hall is the largest building on the Fairfax Campus. It includes a nutrition kitchen, classrooms, offices, an 30 | FA S T E R FA R T H E R : T H E C A M PA I G N F O R G E O R G E M A S O N U N I V E R S I T Y
The School of Nursing has new state-of-the-art simulation and assessment labs, which allow for hands-on learning for students. Two cameras are stationed over the beds where the
patient simulators are located, so the students’ work can be recorded and reviewed later with each student. The Department of Rehabilitation Science’s Functional Per formance Lab features a raised platform with special plates in the floor that can detect the force used to take a step and cameras that can capture the movements when a patient is standing or walking wearing sensors. The new facility will allow researchers to conduct large clinical exercise inter vention studies on-site, adding to their current capabilities to evaluate movement and function. The Health Informatics Learning Lab, known as the HILL, is where researchers conduct data mining from health records and predictive analysis. The lab meets HIPAA requirements for data storage, providing Mason with the
This building signifies innovative thinking, discovery, and service, as well
Facing page shows students and faculty in the simulation and assessment lab. Above, the Functional Performance Lab and below, the Nutrition and Food Studies Kitchen.
as ensuring students have lifelong skills to advance health for all populations. —Germaine Louis, dean, College of Health and Human Services
ability to conduct research using electronic health records. (See story on page 17 for more information.) While the interior of Peterson Hall is a hub for research and health education, the exterior features inviting gathering spaces meant to bring together the Mason community. The expansive courtyard space features the Marcia and Anthony Di Trapani Rain Garden and an amphitheater that will be used for student and community events, gatherings, and innovative learning opportunities. “We look forward to continuing to work with our many part ners, while forging new ones, in promoting the health and well-being of the many populations we serve,” says Louis. “What also remains is our commitment to teaching excel lence and producing career-ready graduates. It is a central part of our mission, and we will bring more opportunities for innovation into the classroom.” Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 31
INQUIRING MINDS
Watching for Killer Asteroids
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ason researcher Chaowei Phil Yang stands ready to help coordinate the world’s response should a planet-killing asteroid ever threaten Earth. “The possibility is still very low,” says Yang, director of Mason’s Center of Intelligent Spatial Computing, “but we need to be prepared.” Yang and his team are constantly scanning it enough from its path to avoid hitting Earth. of the 2013 occurrence in Russia, where a 20-meter the heavens for threats large enough to do Using the Hubble Space Telescope and other asteroid smashed into the ground at 40,000 mph. significant harm. It’s Yang’s job as part of the observation capabilities, the consortium of NASA The asteroid missed hitting any large popu NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office scientists from various labs across the country lation areas and resulted in just minor injuries. to collect data and to guide efforts within the study huge asteroids that are still many light Earth might not always be as fortunate, as U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and space years away to simulate potential travel paths, as the planet is constantly pelted by asteroids, agencies from around the globe while also well as any potential impact on Earth, Yang says. Yang says. Most are small enough that they devising simulations to stave off potential Established by Congress in 2016, the Plane burn up in the atmosphere, but an extremely disaster if things ever become that dire. Yang tary Defense Coordination Office is charged big one could prove catastrophic. works in support of NASA’s Myra Bambacus of with detecting, characterizing, and mitigating Yang stresses that scientists now have the the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. any potential threats to Earth from outer space. means to locate asteroids some 10 to 20 years “Basically, we’re addressing the potential The aim is to provide the key decision-makers, before they would come within striking dis threats from outer space,” he says. scientists, and organizations all the real-time tance of the planet. Scenarios include using space-delivered information needed to deal with potentially “If they’re big enough,” he says, “we can find nuclear weapons that could potentially oblit hazardous asteroids. them soon enough.” —John Hollis erate an oncoming asteroid or at least nudge Congress acted in the wake of the viral video
Natural Language Processing Could Improve Patient Care
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Özlem Uzuner
ason Engineering professor Özlem Uzuner speaks three languages—English, French, and Turkish— but it’s her fourth language that could help
save lives. Uzuner is an expert in natural language processing, a field of computer science that involves turning human language into coded form. She is working on algorithms that translate physicians’ narratives about their patients into data that can be analyzed to find better treatments. “The algorithm’s aim is to get the computer to under stand human language the way we do,” says Uzuner, who joined Mason Engineering’s Department of Information Sciences and Technology last year. “Once we achieve a certain level of performance, we can give the algorithm all of our narrative text data, and it codifies everything for us.” Uzuner and other researchers, including her collabor ators at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), are developing natural language processing methods to find insights into the unexplained deterioration of
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patients’ health, adverse prescription drug reactions, and problems with combinations of medications. They are also extending their methods to help figure out which patients are best suited for specific clinical trials to test new therapeutic treatments. Uzuner’s other recent work involved using computer methods to remove private information from patients’ records—such as names, ages, addresses, and insurance details—so the remaining health information can be used by medical researchers who study different diseases and treatments. “Those who could not study the data before because of privacy concerns now can, which means science moves forward faster,” she says. This is a field where computer science meets medicine, and it’s the perfect career path for Cyprus-born Uzuner, who comes from a family of medical doctors. “I want to help patients get the treatment they need and get it faster,” Uzuner says. —Nanci Hellmich
RESEARCH
Giving the Obliques a Workout
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ing-Dao “Steve” Kan, director of Mason’s Center for Collision Safety and Analysis and a professor in the College of Science, received a U.S. Depart ment of Transportation grant to examine oblique auto mobile crash configurations. Along with College of Science researchers Dhafer Marzougui, Rudolf Reichert, and Fuxin Huang, Kan is studying how side impact crashes affect vehicle occu pants differently than frontal impacts. For this study, the researchers will analyze the effect of varying vehicle pulses, restraint parameters, and seating positions in the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s oblique impact configuration. They will conduct their evaluations using the publicly available THOR FE model v2.1 in the front driver and front passenger seats.
D I D YO U K N O W… Mason artist
Chawky Frenn
traveled to Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, India, as a Fulbright scholar. The Mason School of Art professor toured the country studying art and architecture and taking hundreds of photographs for future projects. He also conducted art workshops for the university's students and with a group of young cancer patients.
—Elizabeth Grisham, BA ’02, MA ’12
Human-Animal Relationships in Ancient Mexico
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hen a team of archaeologists discovered 27 golden eagles sacrificed at the pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico, more than 1,000 years before the Aztec empire, it struck Mason archaeologist Nawa Sugiyama as odd. “I said, wait, you don’t just capture 27 golden eagles over night. They must have been raising them.” That suspicion became the basis for the then-Harvard PhD candidate’s dissertation. Now a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Mason, Sugiyama proved that the Mesoamericans were raising eagles for sacrifices, and that they had developed a system of carnivore management involving pumas, jaguars, wolves, and rattlesnakes. The animals, along with humans, were sacrificed in ritual ceremonies. “It was how you negotiated with gods,” she says. Sugiyama continues her zooarchaeological work at the Teotihuacan site for more than two months each year with Mason students who gain firsthand experience working with 70 others at the historic UNESCO-protected site. “It’s an incredible site. The pyramids are mind-blowing,” says anthropology graduate student Leila Martinez-Bentley, BA
Anthropology ’17, who made her first trip with Sugiyama last summer. After taking classes with Sugiyama as an undergraduate, Martinez-Bentley helped the professor set up the Archae ological Sciences Laboratory at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study on the Fairfax Campus. That experience led to an invitation to accompany Sugiyama to Teotihuacan with a research grant from Mason’s Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research (OSCAR). There, Martinez-Bentley spent two and a half months analyzing animal bones in Mexico—and discovered her passion. With one session of research at Teotihuacan behind her and more in the offing, Martinez-Bentley is now working with Sugiyama on isotopic analysis, an advanced method that helps researchers learn what ancient animals were eating, which can lead to solving—and raising—questions regarding diet, migration, and what the animals were being used for. —Buzz McClain, BA ’77 Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 33
INQUIRING MINDS
The Next Wave in Prosthetics: Ultrasound
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here’s new hope for a better life for people who have lost an arm or a leg. Mason Engineering researchers are using cutting-edge ultrasound technology to help people get greater control of prosthetics for their arms, hands, and legs. “Our goal is to help amputees go about their daily lives with improved function,” says Siddhartha Sikdar, a professor in the Depart ment of Bioengineering. Currently, upper-body extremity prostheses (arm and hand) are usually controlled by an electrical method that senses muscle activity, he says. Electrodes on the skin surface pick up the electrical activity of muscles in the residual limb as the amputee attempts to perform movements. Amputees often get discouraged by the limitations of this method, and one study
showed about half don’t use their expensive prostheses because the artificial limbs don’t improve their quality of life, Sikdar says. “It’s really a shame because modern prosthetic hands are sophisticated systems,” he says. “The biggest challenge has been to provide users with a reliable, noninvasive, and intuitive method to control these devices.” Sikdar’s team, which includes three PhD students, a postdoctoral fellow, and two undergraduates, has been investigating a new way of operating prostheses by using ultrasound waves to sense muscle activity. The research is funded by two $1 million grants, one from the National Science Foundation and one from the Department of Defense. The team is designing and evaluating miniaturized ultrasound transducers, which
are compact devices worn as a small band on the forearm or under the prosthetic shell. This method is able to sense muscle activity deep inside the tissue, and it differentiates between different muscle groups much better than electrodes on the surface of the skin. Sikdar is currently doing a pilot feasibility study with amputees who are using this ultra sound-based system. The research is being conducted in conjunction with MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., and in collaboration with Mason researchers Wilsaan Joiner and Michelle Harris-Love in the Department of Bioengineering. —Nanci Hellmich
Rewriting the Script on the Drug Crisis
M
Cynthia Lum
ason’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy has been selected to house a portion of the multimillion-dollar Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, the largest of the 28 intelligence-driven drug enforcement and treatment programs in the country. The program will coordinate the work of 18 regional sites of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in an effort to apply innovative methods and technology in combating the region’s drug crisis. A portion of the HIDTA program’s annual budget will support Mason’s intelli gence analysts and project managers and foster new research opportunities. Center director Cynthia Lum says the program provides an incredible opportunity for the Mason and Fairfax com munity. “HIDTA will provide Mason faculty and students across various disciplines with new data and the oppor tunity to research prevention and treatment
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interventions to combat drug trafficking, addiction, and related concerns.” The center’s executive director, David Weisburd, who has collaborated with HIDTA in the past, says the partner ship will also advance scientific and policy research about key issues in criminal justice. “This is a major opportunity for the university and the nation to integrate cuttingedge practice with cutting-edge science, all in the pursuit of reducing drug use and drug trafficking in the United States.” The Office of National Drug Control Policy designated the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA in 1994. One of 28 HIDTAs across the United States, its mission is to improve interagency collaboration, promote the sharing of accurate and timely information and intelligence, and provide specialized resources to participating law enforcement and treatment/criminal justice agency partners. —Buzz McClain, BA ’77
RESEARCH
New Research Looks at Kids and the Arts
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he Mason Arts Research Center does not have a physical structure on campus, but its co-directors hope to make it a hub of research into how arts participation affects child development. It will do so with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the vision of Mason researchers Thalia Goldstein, Kim Sheridan, and Adam Winsler.
We also hope to broaden the focus and bring in other researchers, artists, and community members to understand about the arts and human development.
—Adam Winsler
The center, which focuses on theater, dance, music, and the visual arts, will partner with the Mason Community Arts Academy (formerly Potomac Arts Academy) and the Virginia Repertory Theater in Richmond. “What is most exciting is bringing the research together,” says Sheridan. “Developing a research center that not only allows the three of us to collaborate, but to reach out to the local arts community and research labs across the country, is a way to coordinate findings and methods and insights.” Sheridan’s research explores how arts classrooms support students’ sense of agency; that is, when they feel they are doing their own work and making their own decisions. Goldstein will work with children enrolled in academy camps and classes. By bringing them into a lab space in David King Hall on the Fairfax Campus—a mini theater, she called it—and having them act out monologues and talk about characters, Goldstein will examine the students’ development of empathy and emotional control. Winsler’s research, through his continuing study of 40,000 students, ages 4 through high school, in Miami-Dade County in Florida, will look at how participating in school arts classes has positive benefits for academic achievement and engagement. “We have a great assortment of different types of studies planned for the upcoming years,” says Winsler. “We also hope to broaden the focus and bring in other researchers, artists, and community members to understand about the arts and human development.” —Damian Cristodero
Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 35
SHELF LIFE
Recently published works by Mason faculty
world, representing a startling lyrical treatment of eros, melancholy, and art.
in unexpected ways as Pankey’s new poetry col lection (Milkweed Editions, September 2017) scruti nizes the physical for mean ing, and that meaning for truth.
Musicians in Transit: Argentina and the Globalization of Popular Music Matthew B. Karush, professor, History and Art History This book (Duke Univer sity Press, January 2017) examines the transnational careers of seven of the most influential Argentine musicians of the 20th cen tury. These artists interacted with musicians and audiences in the United States, Europe, and Latin America and contended with genre distinctions, marketing conventions, and ethnic stereotypes.
Augury Eric Pankey, professor, English The sensory world and the imagined one collide
Shame: A Brief History Peter Stearns, University Professor, History and Art History The book (University of Illinois Press, September 2017) discusses how shame varies as an individual experience and explores its manifestations across time and cultures. Stearns draws on his long career as a historian of emotions to provide the foundational text on shame’s history and how this history con tributes to contemporary issues around the emotion.
Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules for War Jeremy Rabkin, professor, Antonin Scalia Law School, with John Yoo
This book (SAGE Publi cations, September 2017) discusses how the United States must respond to challenges to its national security and to world stability by embracing new military technologies such as drones, autono mous robots, and cyber weapons.
Guide to the Heart Rail Heather Green (trans.), assistant professor, English Guide to the Heart Rail (Goodmorning Menagerie, 2017), written by the avantgarde poet Tristan Tzara, was originally published in 1935 as part of the Dada movement. Printed accor dion style, this new transla tion is a vital contribution to the English-speaking
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Feeding Globalization: Madagascar and the Provisioning Trade, 1600—1800 Jane Hooper, assistant professor, History and Art History In Feeding Globalization (Ohio State University, May 2017), Hooper draws on challenging and pre viously untapped sources to analyze Madagascar’s role in provisioning Euro pean trading networks within and ultimately beyond the Indian Ocean.
Reading Uncreative Writing: Conceptualism, Expression, and the Lyric David Kaufmann, profes sor, English This book (Palgrave MacMillian, October 2017) examines Uncreative Writing—the catch-all term to describe Neo-
Conceptualism, Flarf, and related avant-garde move ments in contemporary North American poetry— against a decade of contro versy. Kaufmann analyzes texts by renowned authors to demonstrate that Uncreative Writing is not a revolutionary break from lyric tradition as its proponents claim.
Student Peer Review and Response: A Critical Sourcebook Michelle LeFrance, assistant professor, English, with Stephen J. Corbett This book (Bedford/St. Martin’s, October 2017) anthologizes foundational— as well as forwardthinking—critical work on the use of peer review and response activities in writing classes.
The French Revolution and Napoleon: Crucible of the Modern World Jack R. Censer, Professor Emeritus, History and Art History, with Lynne Hunt
Q&A with Peter Leeson doesn’t dwell on leader ship theory and philosophy; rather, it shows readers how to reinvent them selves through profiles of leaders who overcame these “stalls.” The French Revolution and Napoleon (Bloomsbury, October 2017) provides a globally oriented narrative history of events from 1789 until the fall of Napoleon. It emphasizes the global origins and consequences of the French Revolution and explains why it is the formative event for modern politics.
What Happens Now?: Reinventing Yourself as a Leader Before Your Business Outruns You John Hillen, Professor of Practice, School of Business, with Mark D. Nevins Few leaders will admit it, but sometimes the growth of their organizations out runs their skills. This book (SelectBooks, May 2018)
Secession and Security: Explaining State Strategy Against Separatists Ahsan Butt, professor, Schar School of Policy and Government In this book (Cornell University Press, Novem ber 2017), Butt argues that states, rather than separa tists, determine whether a secessionist struggle will be peaceful, violent, or genocidal. He investigates the strategies, ranging from negotiated conces sions to large-scale repres sion, adopted by states in response to separatist movements.
I
n his second book, WTF?!: An Economic Tour of the Weird (Stanford University Press, 2017), Duncan Black Professor of Economics and Law Peter T. Leeson, PhD Economics ’05, shares the economic reasoning behind some of the world’s strangest practices and superstitions. It turns out that these rules were actually not so much strange as they were meticulously planned responses to critical social problems. From Italy’s criminal prosecution of cockroaches and crickets to accused criminals in Liberia choosing to drink poison to determine their fates, Leeson’s new book studies the rational thought behind irrational practices.
What can readers expect to learn from your book? How humanity’s seemingly stupidest rituals, past and present—from deciding the fate of accused criminals with trials by poison ingestion, to selling wives at public auctions, to consulting poisoned chickens to decide how to behave toward your neighbors—are in fact ingenious solutions to pressing social problems, developed by clever people and tailor-made for their time and place. What started your interest in using economics to explain bizarre practices in human history? Two things. First, curiosity: When I encounter behavior that doesn’t seem to make any sense, I wonder, “Why?” Second, realization: The key to uncovering “why” is to think in terms of incentives, rules, and constraints—in other words, to think about the crazy stuff that people do [in the way that] an economist would think about anything else. What made you want to write this book? Mostly, I thought I’d have a ton of fun writing—and illustrating!—it, and that people would have a ton of fun reading it. The book takes the reader on a literal tour of a museum of “social oddities,” guided by yours truly. Joining readers as they make their way through the museum is a host of eccentric tour-goers, whose lively interactions with me and each other propel the narrative. Regardless of what you think about economics, the tour is guaranteed to make you laugh, expose you to a slice of man kind that you won’t believe, and say, “WTF?!” Do you have any advice for economics students interested in this subject? Yes. Ignore people who’ll advise you “not to waste your time with such frivolity; there’s important work to be done!” These people are boring—and poor barometers of what’s actually important. Also, come see me. —Lindsay Bernhards, BA ’18
Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 37
ALUMNI IN PRINT
Recently published works by Mason alumni
Nobody Knows Susan Coryell, MAIS ’90 Wild Rose Press, October 2016 In the third book of Coryell’s Overhome trilogy, a South ern Gothic and cozy mystery series, successful writer Ashby Overton must use her sixth sense to sort out the real from the imagined as the souls of slaves engage in a dangerous battle destined to reveal longheld secrets of the planta tion’s past. A career educator, Coryell lives at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.
A Soldier’s Story: The Colonel Butch Cassidy Memoirs, Volume I Gary “Butch” Cassidy, DA ’02 CreateSpace, September 2016 A Soldier’s Story looks back on the author’s early army service and his time living in California and on Hunter Liggett Military Reserva tion in the early 1970s. Two more volumes, A Fisherman’s Story and An Artist’s Story draw on his 30-year U.S. Army career. Cassidy, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces colonel, served in Vietnam, the First Gulf War, Bosnia twice, and capped his career by serv ing as the chief of the Army’s
Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs Division.
Utah and the American Civil War: The Written Record Kenneth Alford, PhD Computer Science ’00 Arthur H. Clark Company, July 2017 More than 650 original government documents and records pertaining to the Utah Territory during the Civil War are complemented by research reference aids placing the records in his torical context. The book also contains wartime anecdotes, including an attempt in 1861 to courtmartial Colonel Philip St. George Cooke for treason. A retired U.S. Army colonel, Alford is currently a professor of church his tory at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Raising America’s Zoo: How Two Wild Gorillas Helped Transform the National Zoo Kara (Urbanski) Arundel, BA Communication ‘94 Mascot Books, October 2017 This book tells the story of a former Marine who ventured into the Belgian Congo to view Africa’s diverse wildlife and brought two baby gorillas to the
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National Zoo in Washing ton, D.C. The arrival of the gorillas was the beginning of changes for the National Zoo from a menagerie-type park to an internationally respected center focused on conservation. Arundel has worked as a journalist for two decades in Florida, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. To re search this book about her father-in-law Nick Arundel— who served as Mason’s first board chairman—she reviewed thousands of pages of documents at the Smithsonian Institution Archives and conducted more than two dozen interviews with those most familiar with the zoo and gorillas. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two sons.
Love and Laughter: Sexy (Meaningful) Fun for Everyone Beth Liebling, JD ’91 Darling Enterprises, January 2018 This is a book about sex— but it’s also about joy, intimacy, romance, and how a healthier, more playful attitude about sex can revitalize your relation ships and enrich your entire life. Liebling spent years working as a board-
certified divorce attorney before her own divorce— after 22 years of marriage— led her to start thinking about relationships differ ently. She is a mother of five and a grandmother of one.
Wealthfulness: Simple Steps to Financial Health and Happiness Richard (Lance) Alston, MA Economics ’99 Brown Books Publishing Group, January 2018 Wealthfulness teaches readers how to find the balance between financial and emotional satisfaction in order to live a truly meaningful life. These days, with total wealth at an all-time high, financial peace of mind and overall happiness should come easily. Instead, more people are experiencing the opposite. Alston is the founder and president of New Dimensions Wealth Management, LLC. During his 19-year career, he has helped more than 500 families create a custo mized financial plan.
PAT R I O T P R O F I L E
Donna Imadi YEAR: Senior
MAJORS: Global Affairs and PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL
Conflict Analysis and Resolution HOMETOWN: Alexandria, Virginia
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hen Mason double major Donna Imadi was still a senior in high school, her AP comparative government teacher assigned a project to address problems in the local community. Imadi came up with the idea of a centralized community-based mentorship program that could offer support for high school students facing linguistic, socioeconomic, and other challenges outside of school. A year later, as a college freshman in Mason’s Honors College, she turned her idea into the nonprofit organization InvestinYOUth. Experiencing the Disparity: Imadi knew firsthand the impact a school’s resources could have on a student, and she used that as inspiration for her project. Having moved from a rural community to Fairfax County, she was troubled by the drastic change in the quality of her education and wondered why other students did not have access to the same standards that exist in Fairfax County Public Schools. “I didn’t think it was fair that I had access to more resources, and students in other areas of the state did not,” she says.
Looking at the Data: Imadi researched the impact of demographic change and the suburbanization of poverty on local public school systems for a project in her HNRS 110
class. She discovered that social programming needs did not match the new student popu lation, as funding allocation could not suffi ciently match the needs of the population changes. She also found that students with limited proficiency in English and students facing poverty due to high living expenses were especially at risk. She started InvestinYOUth to help connect these at-risk high school students with college mentors. “I think connecting peers in college to high school students is especially impactful. It can inspire students and show them they can achieve and take hold of their destiny, just as the diverse group of our student mentors have, who come from all walks of life.”
Pitching Her Idea: Imadi pitched her idea to the Fairfax County School Board and developed it with then-Associate Super intendent Linda Burke. She lobbied for the idea at the General Assembly, and a year later, she forged a partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools and received a grant of $4,283 from Apple Federal Credit Union. InvestinYOUth officially launched at Mountain View Alternative High School in Centreville, Virginia, with more than 250 student and faculty attendees and guest speakers. “It was amazing, the impact we had, but more so the impact we have the potential of having. I was so humbled and honored to be part of it all.” —Lindsay Bernhards, BA ’18 Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 39
From Teaching History to Making History Atif Qarni, MA History ’09, has made public service a focal point of his career.
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rom serving as a U.S. Marine in Iraq in 2003, to working as a middle school teacher, to the role he has held since January as Virginia’s Secretary of Education, he has worked for the benefit of his community. In January, Qarni was sworn in as Virginia’s 19th education secretary, appointed by Governor Ralph Northam. Even among this small group, he is unique. “I did some research,” says Qarni, who also completed his teacher licensure at Mason. “The position has been around since 1972, when it was put into the code, and of the 18 folks who’ve served in this position before me—they have been university presidents or professors, one high school administrator—but this is the first time a K-12 teacher has come away from the classroom to go into the cabinet.”
He is aware of the impact of his background on his new role. “Having that fresh perspective from the classroom is very critical,” he says. “It does multiple things, but the first thing it does [is] for teacher morale. [After the appointment in December] I received many messages from hundreds of teachers across the commonwealth, who are very excited.” One of the first things Qarni initiated as education secretary was recruiting General Assembly members, the governor’s cabinet, and even Governor and First Lady Pam Northam to step into classrooms 40 | FA S T E R FA R T H E R : T H E C A M PA I G N F O R G E O R G E M A S O N U N I V E R S I T Y
across Virginia and substitute teach during Teacher Appreciation Week in May. In addition, he is travel-ing the state “to identify best practices that school divisions are already doing and share that model statewide.” In the longer term, he has broad objectives for ensuring that education across Virginia, at all levels, leads to outcomes that match Virginia workers with jobs that are available in the commonwealth. He wants students— supported by their schools—to begin to consider their futures at an earlier age. “Having that conversation that, look, everything is equally important, but what are your individual values, where do you want to go in your future? And have good planning, so you’re being as productive as possible.” As an adult learner, Qarni valued the university’s support for his career goals as well as the opportunity to exchange big ideas with his classmates and learn from their perspectives. “One of the great things about Mason was that you have a lot of varying perspectives in a classroom setting of 30 people or so,” he adds. “I was able to apply that in my teaching and in the other things I do in the community.” —Anne Reynolds
PHOTO BY EVAN CANTWELL
CLASS NOTES
class notes 1970s
Bonnie Atwood, BA Psychology ’74, is a first place winner in the 2017 National Federation of Press Women awards. She won for “Emily Couric: What Might Have Been” in the “Personality Profile: More than 500 Words” category.
1980s
Gin Kinneman, BS Mar keting ’81, became the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 2018 chair in January. Scott McGeary, JD ’82, has been inducted into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame, which honors men and women with a con nection to Arlington County who have demonstrated a long record of successful management, expertise,
and business skills, along with notable achievements and exceptional civic and community involvement. He is currently the state and public policy director of Washington Gas, a public utility and energy services retailer serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Michael McCarthy, BA History ’86, was selected as the City of Fairfax com munications director. His responsibilities include oversight of Cityscreen-12, the Cityscene, social media, city website content, Fairfax City Alert, media relations, branding, and other communications services. McCarthy has two decades of experience working in traditional and innovative communications media, including tenure at Cumulus/Modern Luxury Media and Manifest Digital.
J. S. Goldstein, BS ’89, MS Electrical Engineering ’93, is assigned in his reserve capacity as the military assistant to the comman der at 24th Air Force and Air Forces Cyber. In his civilian capacity, he is the chief strategy and technol ogy officer at ENSC Inc. Angelo Saladini Jr., BS Accounting ’89, retired in 2015. He is an avid Mason basketball fan and has held season tickets for many years.
1990s
Beth Liebling, JD ’91, is an influential love and relationship expert with a regular radio show, Love and Laughter with Beth on ESPN Houston 97.5. On the show, she interviews rela tionship gurus, religious leaders, and sex experts. (continued next page)
IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN! Alumni Weekend October 11-14
2018 alumni.gmu.edu @masonalumni #MasonAW
What’s New with You? We are interested in what you’ve been doing since you graduated. Have you moved? Gotten married? Had a baby? Landed a hot new job? Received an award? Met up with some Mason friends? Submit your class notes to alumni.gmu.edu/ whatsnew. In your note, be sure to include your graduation year and degree. Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 41
DEAR FELLOW
Patriots I
am delighted to begin my two-year term as the president of the Alumni Association. My connections to Mason over the years have enriched my life, and I look forward to serving you. As a member of the Parent Association, the Patriot Club, and an active volunteer leader with the Alumni Association, I have had the privilege of having a voice at the table. In the months ahead, I hope to engage many more alumni in the life of the university and hear about your Mason experiences and your successes.
2018 is a significant year for us. The Alumni Association celebrates 50 years, we will complete our two scholarship campaigns as the Faster Farther campaign comes to a close in December, and we will begin work on a new strategic plan for the Alumni Association. We will be reaching out to you for input into this plan as it will be a roadmap for alumni engagement for the next five years, and we want it to represent you. At our 50th Anniversary Celebration in May, we recognized current and past Alumni Association leadership, university-wide alumni service, the Class of 1968, and 50 Alumni Exemplars in an atmosphere of pride and spirit. We are continuing the celebration throughout the year, and if we haven’t heard your story, we encourage you to connect and learn more about your alma mater’s impact. Visit our website alumni.gmu.edu to see highlights of the celebration and document your Mason story. I hope to see many of you at Alumni Weekend—October 11-14, 2018. Mason alumni thrive together, Jen Shelton BS Public Administration ’94 President, George Mason University Alumni Association
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She is the owner of the luxury boutique Darling Way. Her new book, Love and Laughter: Sexy (Mean ingful) Fun for Everyone, was released in January 2018. Kirk Thor, MA Psychology ’91, PhD Psychology ‘95, accepted a new role as chief human resources officer for the Integer Holdings Corporation in Plano, Texas. Adam Miller, BA Communi cation ’92, has received the CSN Mid-Atlantic 2016 Emmy Award for Live Sporting Event for his work on the segment “Capitals— Ovechkin’s 500th Goal.” He’s currently working on his 13th season with the Washington Capitals and NBC Sports Washington. Nick Murray, BS Psychol ogy ’92, a professor in the Department of Kinesiol ogy at East Carolina Univer sity, is using virtual reality alongside his colleagues to study balance control in concussion and recovery. The two-year, approxi mately $600,000 study is just getting underway, but long-term goals include determining when it is safe to resume activity and preventing repeat concussions. Christopher Mandel, MBA ’93, was appointed to Mason’s Executive and Professional Education Chief Risk Officer Advisory
Council to advise the development of the Chief Risk Officer Executive Development Program. Fred Malik, BA Govern ment and Politics ‘93, was promoted to vice president of FORTIFIED Programs at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. Constance St. Germain, BA History ’94, is the new chief academic officer and vice president of academic affairs at Capella University. Previously, she served as executive dean for the College of Humanities and Sciences at the University of Phoenix and as vice president and dean at American Public University System’s School of Public Service and Health. She is a U.S. Army veteran, having served as a major in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Jill Weatherholt, BIS ’94, will have her second book, A Father for Bella, published in August 2018 by Harlequin Love Inspired. Lisa M. Pflaumer, MPA ’95, was selected as the first executive director for the nonprofit organization Michael’s Giving H.A.N.D. Formed in 2016 by the Donatacci family in Philadelphia, Michael’s Giving H.A.N.D. focuses on awareness and support of teens battling anxiety and depression. Plfaumer spent
CLASS NOTES
the last 10 years in senior leadership positions crafting and leading the branding and re-branding efforts of the senior living communi ties The Hill at Whitemarsh and Atria Center City, along with Dove Chocolate Dis coveries, a start-up venture of Mars Inc.
Gerald Mazur, BS Admin istration of Justice ’98, MS Telecommunications ’07, recently took command of the 123rd Cyber Protection Battalion of the Virginia Army National Guard. Tom McGinn, BS Public Administration ’98, started his own company, TM Promotional Marketing LLC, after 20 years in the business. It provides pro motional products, wear ables, and awards to companies and organiza tions locally and nationally. Constance Sayers, MA English ’98, and her sister, Loie, celebrate their one-year anniversary at Thoughtful Dog magazine. The debut issue appeared online in February 2017, and they’ve released a (continued next page)
PHOTO BY RON AIRA
Leslie Mitchell, BS Biology ’95, BSN ’97, was chosen as the student speaker for Duke University’s 2016 graduating class, receiving a master’s in nursing edu cation and the Recognition Medal from the dean of the School of Nursing.
A ROAD MAP FOR THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE Franziska Moeckel, BS Marketing ’07, came to the United States as an international student from Germany, searching for a university that would be the perfect fit for her. While she was accepted to several schools, Moeckel says Mason was her top choice because it allowed her to be part of a community. “What drew me was the Mason spirit—the accessibility to top-notch business school professors with industry experience, the growing impact of [Mason’s] students on the regional economy, and its diversity,” she says. Moeckel has always been creative, strategic, and logical in her thinking, with a strong interest in business. She decided to major in marketing to “combine left and right brain, creative and strategic/logical thinking.” These specific skill sets make her uniquely qualified for her current job. Although she didn’t expect to end up in such a scientific and technical role, she now knows that “health care is my destiny.” As the assistant vice president of Personalized Health at Inova Health System, Moeckel is the co-creator of MediMap®, Inova’s innovative pharmacogenomic testing program. She oversees the strategy development for genomic test integrations and is determining how to bridge current gaps and create a health care system of the future. The testing program combines pharmacology (the study of medications) and genomics (the study of people’s genes) to help determine how people respond differently to medications based on their DNA. The goal of MediMap is simple—to help people live longer, healthier lives. “I see this as being part of every individual’s medical record in the not too distant future. It helps clinicians and individuals alike and allows people to have this information at their fingertips, to use when it’s most impactful.” Moeckel is grateful for the career path she’s taken, having the opportunity to help serve her community and make the world a better place. “That’s really what’s at the core of why I love what I do, and it drives me every day.” Recently she was recognized as an Alumni Exemplar at the Mason Alumni Association’s Golden Anniversary Celebration. “I hold Mason near and dear to my heart. That’s where I made lasting connections and friendships. It’s where I was constantly challenged to push the boundaries and where I learned a lot about my abilities.” —Katherine Johnson Dias Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 43
CLASS NOTES
Mason alumnus Ryan Valdez, PhD Environmental Science and Policy, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy of Kenya with Sudan, the last male northern white rhino in the world. Sudan passed away on March 19, 2018, leaving two female rhinos to represent the remaining population. While working on his dissertation, Valdez took Mason students on a number of study-abroad trips to Kenya where they visited Ol Pejeta and other sites.
total of six issues with a special one-year anniver sary edition in March. Thoughtful Dog seeks to publish strong literary fic tion and nonfiction, inter views, and photography.
of corporate development. In this role, he collaborates with organizations that want to join Force Behind the Forces and welcomes any fellow Mason Patriots to reach out with partner ship ideas.
2000s
Sahar Sarshar, BA Psy chology ’01, produced the Emmy-winning segment “Jen Bricker: When ‘Can’t’ is a Four-Letter Word” on the CCTV America program Full Frame, marking the network’s first Emmy win. The story beat out CBS’s, 60 Minutes, Dateline NBC, and ESPN’s E:60.
Christina Dalcher, MA English ’00, will have her first novel, Vox, published by Berkley Books in August 2018. Christopher Fowler, BA Integrative Studies ’01, joined the USO as director
2018 -19 G E O R G E M A SO N U N I V E R S IT Y A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N LAMBDA Aléjandro Asin, BA Sociology ’11
PRESIDENT Jennifer Shelton, BS Public Administration ’94
Molly Grimsley, BA Art (Studio) ’81 Harry Hink, BS Physical Education ’85 Gleason Rowe, BA Global Affairs ’11
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Brian Jones, MA International Commerce and Policy ’06
BLACK ALUMNI Chantée Christian, BA Communication ’05
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Becky Anderson, BS Accounting ’10
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Anthony DeGregorio, BS Physical Education ’84, MS Physical Education ’89
SCHAR SCHOOL OF POLICY AND GOVERNMENT Colin Hart, MA International Transactions ’93
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT-ELECT Sumeet Shrivastava, MBA ’94 VICE PRESIDENT Tyree Carlson, BS Social Work ’96 TREASURER Jeff Fissel, BS Information Technology ’06 HISTORIAN Mariana Cruz, BS Civil and Infrastructure Engineering ’11 AT-LARGE DIRECTORS Kevin Christopher, MBA ’96 Patrick Rooney, BA Communication ’12 Phil Abbruscato, BA Government and International Politics ’15
ALUMNI CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES
COLLEGE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS Shannon Baccaglini, MM ’06, MA Arts Management ’09 COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Betty Ann Duffy, MSN Nursing Administration ’08 VOLGENAU SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Rob Walters, BS Computer Science ’88
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ANTONIN SCALIA LAW SCHOOL Jesse Binnall, BA Communication ’01, JD ’09
LATINO Adriana Bonilla, BA Government and Politics ’11 COLLEGE OF SCIENCE Tiffany Ha, BS Chemistry ’10, MS ’13 COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Ashley Phayme, BA Communication ’08 GOLDEN QUILL Kushboo Bhatia, BA Government and International Politics ’16
CLASS NOTES
Karen WalkingEagle, JD ’01, published her first book, BLESS--Inspiring Reasons and Practical Ways to Live Your Faith through Acts of Love, through Havendale Press in November 2017. The book uses true stories and powerful insights from the scriptures and every day life, skillfully demon strating why it’s impossible to love God without loving others, and why neglect ing the latter is contrary to our own self-interest.
Allison A. Krumsiek, BA Anthropology ’03, is now a published author. The books are for teens and published through Lucent Press’, Hot Topics series. She writes about everything from cyber mobs and cyber bullying to civil liberties. All the books will arrive in libraries and schools in 2018. Andre Arman, BA Commu nication ’04, is taking part in the 21st annual Gear Up Florida event in Miami.
Alongside 35 Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity members, the group aims to raise more than $80,000 for people with disabilities for the Ability Experience, a non profit organization that uses shared experience to impact the lives of people with disabilities and develop the men of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Dennis Butler, BS Admin istration of Justice ‘04, has been appointed to the
governing board of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Headquartered in Alexan dria, the IACP has more than 30,000 members from 146 countries. The organization has been launching inter nationally acclaimed pro grams, speaking on behalf of law enforcement, conducting groundbreak ing research, and providing exemplary programs and services to members
across the globe for more than 120 years. Benjamin Davis, BS Eco nomics ‘04, MS Information Systems ’06, is the informa tion technology specialist at Editorial Inspirations, a company that his wife, April Michelle Davis, started. They celebrated the birth of their little princess last October and the publicat ion of April’s YA chapter book, A Princess in Disguise. (continued next page)
GAME CHANGER
M
any alumni have one strong connection back to Mason—their degree program. Alumnus Rick Dunetz, BIS ’97, can boast three strong connections: degree, research, and recruitment.
The year Dunetz started at Mason was the year the Bachelor of Individualized Study Program was launched. He calls the BIS program a personal game-changer. Through it, he was able to transfer music credits from a prior institution and take a multitude of interesting classes in various disciplines, including business, art, and communication. He created a degree in multimedia communications and was able to finish while working three jobs. Dunetz mastered a wide range of skills in the BIS program: art, design, aesthetics, and not just “how to use a tool and technol ogy,” he says, “but methodologies and general thought processes” that helped him see the world differently. He uses these skills as the executive director of Side-Out Foundation, which funds targeted “multiomic” research studies on meta static breast cancer, a new method of combining genomic and proteomic research, creating individualized therapies for specific patients. Through Side-Out, youth volleyball players around the country host and manage local Dig Pink events that raise money for research, conduct breast cancer educa tion, and write about their experiences.
Side-Out also represents Dunetz’s second connection to Mason: The organization raises millions of dollars to fund biomarker research conducted by Mason’s own Emanuel “Chip” Petricoin and Lance A. Liotta, co-directors of the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine. To date, Side-Out has had more than 6,000 teams partici pating in Dig Pink events and has raised more than $12 million towards research. Dunetz has seen many youth grow and even change their career and education plans through Dig Pink events. And it is through these young people that he connects to Mason in a third way: He recruits Mason students and alumni from marketing, sports management, and other degrees to intern at Side-Out. “[It’s all about] giving young people an opportunity to be great,” he says, “to inspire student-athletes in our sport to use their ‘greatness’ to impact the world around them in a way that is significant and identifiable.” —Teresa D. Allen, MFA ’12 Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 45
CLASS NOTES
D I D YO U K N O W… Mason alumnus Tom LeGro, BA English ’98, MFA Creative Writing ’01, shares a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting with his colleagues at the Washington Post for their coverage of the Roy Moore senate race. LeGro is a senior producer at the newspaper and the first Mason alum to win a Pulitzer.
Rysheda McClendon, BA Interdisciplinary Studies ’05, has been appointed as county attorney of Stafford County, Virginia, effective March 2018.
Stay in Touch Update your contact information in the alumni directory to stay connected and get the latest news from Mason. Visit alumni.gmu.edu or call 703-993-8696 to learn more.
Chris Wallace, BS Manage ment ’05, and Kristi Wallace, BS Marketing ’07, welcomed their first beautiful baby, Kylie Ann Wallace, in December 2017. Andy Jacks, MEd ’06, was named the 2018 National Distinguished Principal for Virginia by the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals. Jacks is the principal of Ashland Elementary School in Manassas, Virginia. Jay Ell Alexander, BA Communication ’08, was named the new CEO and
owner of Black Girls RUN! She served for six years as the organization’s public relations and communica tions lead. Alexander is the founder and CEO of the Vaughn Strategy, a public relations strategy consult ing firm and owner of #thesocialpopup, an inter active lounge that designs a social media atmosphere for special events. Sudheendra Bhat, MS Computer Science ’09, now works as a solution archi tect at McAfee Inc. Sara Gibson, BA History ‘09, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’13, was sel ected as the 2017-18 Veterans of Foreign Wars National Teacher of the Year. She was selected from nominations from all 50 states and from military bases overseas.
2010s
Sean Barnes, MBA ’13, is chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration at United Educators, a recip rocal risk retention group dedicated to serving edu cational institutions. Barnes will be responsible for fiscal stewardship of the organi zation including account ing, legal, human resources, and facility management functions. Mr. Barnes was also nominated as an
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emerging business leader at Mason and was part of the winning team for a campus-wide business plan competition.
Williamsburg area, main taining communication with members and the public through various forms of media.
Hyunji Kim, BM ’15, was selected to compose and perform for a 2018 Pyeong Chang Olympics promo tional video. Her original composition was selected from a very competitive field of many entrants. Hyunji is currently com pleting her master’s degree in piano pedagogy at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea.
Lori Lawson, BA Govern ment and International Politics, BA Communica tion ’16, spoke with Forbes about the state depart ment’s use of social media in an article titled “How The State Department Uses Social Media To Help U.S. Citizens Traveling Overseas.” She is a digital engagement specialist at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
Breanne Saitta, BA Inte grative Studies ’15, and Stuart Kretzschmar Jr. are pleased to announce their engagement and will be getting married in fall 2018. Kelsey Fernandez, MPA ’16, and husband, Marcelo, welcomed their Little Patriot, Levi, on December 20, 2017. Kayla Kearse, BA Commu nication ’16, was hired by Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alli ance in October 2016 as a public relations and social media specialist. She works with Alliance members to promote the events hap pening in the Greater
Kenneth Thomas, MPA ’16, and Monica Nguyen, BS Information Technol ogy ‘12, got married in Clifton, Virginia, in June 2017. James Baker, BA Mathe matics ’17, is starting a new job with Altus Consulting Corporation as a Microsoft engineer. Dan Reichard, MEd Educa tional Leadership ’17, was named the Washington Post’s Teacher of the Year. Reichard teaches fifth grade at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School in Stafford, Virginia.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Class Notes are submitted by alumni and are not verified by the editors. While we welcome alumni news, Mason Spirit is not responsible for information contained in Class Notes.
CLASS NOTES
Obituaries Christopher Ward, BA English ’72, MA English ’75, d. December 7, 2017
William Mattingly, BS Accounting ’81, d. March 1, 2018
Rudolph Jones, BSEd Health Education ’75, d. January 23, 2018
Mary Wood, MEd Special Education ’81, d. March 9, 2018
Odell Young, BS Business Administration ’75, d. March 2, 2018
Carol Heeb, BS Nursing ’83, d. March 1, 2018
Rowena Bowman, MEd Elementary Education ’77, d. December 7, 2017 James Keating, BS Business Administration ’77, d. March 9, 2018 Mark Yeager, JD ’78, d. March 6, 2018 Harold Davis, BIS ’79, d. December 10, 2017 Carol O’Malley, MEd Special Education ’80, d. March 1, 2018 Patricia Gibson, BA Psychology ’81, d. February 6, 2018
Joseph Conge, BA History ’84, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’89, d. December 19, 2017
ment ’90, d. December 21, 2017 Jean Shiflet, BA Psychology ’90, d. March 17, 2016 Maria Smith, BA Psychology ’90, d. January 10, 2018 Maureen Benner, MEd Education Administration and Supervision ’91, d. January 4, 2018
Jane Mayfield, MSN Nursing Administration ’96, d. December 24, 2017
Ellen Crutchley, MA New Professional Studies ’05, d. January 18, 2018
Paul McEnrue, MS Taxation ’96, d. December 22, 2017
Anne Frommelt, BA English ’06, d. January 9, 2018
Johannes Botes, PhD Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’97, d. January 22, 2017
Bruce Powell, MEd Special Education ’07, d. November 25, 2017 Hilary Robbins, BA Theater ’07, d. October 19, 2017
Frank Herbet, JD ’93, d. June 12, 2007
Charles Holzwarth, MS Computer Science ’99, d. January 30, 2018
Ronald Purvis, BIS ’84, d. January 3, 2018
Daniel Gerrig, MBA ’94, d. March 4, 2018
Deborah Lewis, MA History ’99, d. January 10, 2018
Patricia Hatcher, BS Accounting ’85, d. February 11, 2018
Lee Briggs, BA Government and Politics ’95, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’99, d. March 19, 2017
Gary Walter, BS Electronics Engineering ’85, MS Systems Engineering ’92, d. March 12, 2018 Mary Brandt, BA History ’88, d. December 14, 2017 Debra Godwin, MEd Counseling and Develop-
Dennis Mondoro, MA Sociology ’95, d. March 18, 2018 Maria Ricker, PhD Information Technology ’95, d. November 27, 2017
Mary Mansfield, BIS ’01, d. January 27, 2018 Donna Williams, BS Administration of Justice ’02, d. December 3, 2017
Gabriel Bucher, BS Public Administration ’08, d. December 25, 2017 Abel Roasa, BIS ’10, d. July 28, 2017 Ahmed Sherif Dakrory, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’14, d. October 2016
Robert J. Bohls Sr., DA Education ’04, d. January 9, 2018
Marie Martinet, former student, BS Psychology, d. November 28, 2017
Lynn Leavitt, PhD Education ’04, d. December 14, 2017
Nazir Yama Quraishi, student, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution, d. January 11, 2017
F A C U LT Y, S TA F F, A N D F R I E N D S Yoonmee Chang, an assistant professor in the English Department and the Cultural Studies Program, passed away on January 18, 2018. She was 47. Born in Seoul, Korea, Chang grew up in the United States, where her family settled in Jericho, New York. She graduated from Tufts University in 1992 with degrees in art history and English. She received her PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, where she was instrumental in founding its Asian American Studies Program. She was the author of Writing the Ghetto: Class, Authorship, and the Asian American Ethnic Enclave (Rutgers University Press, 2010). A poet, she published both research and creative work in many journals. At the time of her death, she was working on a book on the zainichi, a group of Korean people living in Japan who had immigrated prior to 1945, and their descendants. Ken Guerrant, MEd ’97, career counselor and intern supervisor for University Career Services, passed away on November 30, 2017, at the age of 65. Before coming to Mason, Guerrant worked for Outward Bound and counseled at-risk teens in Colorado. He later returned home to Maryland and enrolled at Mason. Throughout his 20-year career, Guerrant served students struggling to find their way in the world. He was a mentor, teacher, and supervisor, and served as the supervisor
and coach for Career Services graduate student interns, many of whom credit Guerrant for helping them successfully launch their careers. Known for his passion for the outdoors, he was an expert kayaker and canoeist and regularly taught kayaking and canoeing courses during the summer. Ken will be fondly remembered for his caring and compas sionate personality and his dedication to guiding Mason students. Kitty Parker Smith, associate professor emerita of nursing, passed away on January 13, 2018. She was 97. Her nursing career began in the rural eastern shore of Maryland where she served as a midwife and teacher before becoming the first field supervisor in public health nursing in Maryland. During her career she taught nursing and was an administrator in nursing education at Catholic University, Radford University, and Mason. In 1999 the College of Health and Human Services named an award for her, the Sigma Theta Tau—Kitty Parker Smith Leadership Award, which goes to an outstanding nursing student each year. In 2003, she was honored by the Virginia Retired Teachers Association with the Lifetime Service Award. Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Summer 2018 M A S O N S P I R I T | 47
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HOLLYWOOD ON THE POTOMAC—For the final presentation of the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security’s “Truth Tellers in the Bunker” series, Mason distinguished visiting professor Michael V. Hayden, former head of the NSA and CIA, had a panel discussion with the cast and producers of the Showtime hit series Homeland. From left to right, Hayden, executive producer and co-creator Howard Gordon, stars Mandy Patinkin and Claire Danes, and director Lesli Linka Glatter. Above, Mason provost S. David Wu chats with Patinkin. PHOTOS BY RON AIRA