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The Democratic Republic of the Congo has not seen peace for more than three decades, but in November 2021, 91����’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution helped the country take a leap in a hopeful direction. In the province of South Kivu, the school gathered representatives from 21 armed groups, the Congolese government, military, police, intelligence services, religious leaders, civil society groups, and peace advocates. Not only did everyone discuss a path toward peacebuilding, but they also signed a peace accord to solidify it.

The Fast Grants program within the Mercatus Center will aid in the development of a potential pan-coronavirus vaccine.

When graduating psychology major Dorothea J. Tyree attends 91����’s Winter Graduation on Dec. 16, she will be wearing a stole that shows the flags of her native Romania and Germany, where she lived as a teen.

91���� alum Shaza Andersen, BA Area Studies ’89, is the featured speaker at the 2021 Winter Graduation ceremony.

Prioritize your health and safety. Here are a few departing reminders to help ensure that we close out this year happy and healthy!

Students in Honors 261 Bridging the Digital Divide put together an advocacy campaign as part of Digital Inclusion Week to raise awareness about the divide.

91���� has named Kimberly Davidson as University Ombudsperson, a new position within the university.

Students in OSCM 430 Design Thinking for Innovative Operations learned techniques to help them focus on the end user experience when creating corporate strategies and products.

Solving climate change is a grand challenge facing the planet. As more individuals and leaders are recognizing the need to switch to environmentally friendly practices, 91����’s Local Climate Change Planning Initiative (LCCPI) is helping make that a reality for counties across Virginia. “Our vision is to have Mason be the lead university in helping counties that lack the resources and expertise in [addressing climate change] get this done,” said Paul Bubbosh, a 1988 Mason alumnus and adjunct professor at the Schar School and College of Science.

Arturo Barrera is receiving his bachelor’s in conflict analysis and resolution. He said Mason supported him before he was a freshman.

The meeting, which followed a walking tour of the construction site that will soon be transformed into a hub for the Innovation District in Arlington and the Innovation Pilot Space in Vernon Smith Hall, focused on ways that Mason could strategically fill the growing need for tech talent in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Mason doctoral student Elizabeth Davis has received a prestigious American Educational Research Association (AERA) dissertation grant to help her research on newcomer schools in the United States.