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If we close our eyes and envision a patriot, we might see the classic image of an individual taking up arms to defend our country. But is that all there is to patriotism? By definition, it is an expressed feeling of love, devotion and sense of attachment to a particular place or way of life. There is so much more to being a Patriot than the physical defense of our country, and here at Mason, we have a more expansive, more inclusive approach to patriotism.

Mason's eighth president Gregory Washington's inaugural video message to the university community.

Outside their dorms, students at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC) have visual access to rare and endangered species. On any given day, you can find them doing field and laboratory work with influential conservation mentors. Midway through the spring semester, the school known for its hands-on conservation training, had to quickly transition their courses online due to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted thousands of jobs online, allowing employees to telework and avoid congested roadways. That’s good for slowing the spread of the virus, but new research from 91���� also shows such habits could limit people’s exposure to harmful traffic pollution.

When Denys Kuratchenko began working at Northern Virginia Community College’s 3D printing lab in 2017, he didn’t anticipate that his projects would change lives. But the expression on a young girl’s face made him realize he could.

When Haider Semaisim works on the federally mandated database of global incidents of terrorism with 91����’s Schar School of Policy and Government, he does so with pride. It is not only an educational and professional endeavor, he said. “It’s personal.”

In response to COVID-19, a group of 91���� students had planned to create 3D printed personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face shields and masks for health care professionals and their patients. When the announcement came on March 22 that Mason campuses were closing, they knew they had to move fast.

Around the world, environmental crises are making headlines, from the potential extinction of species and ecosystems to climate change. Students in 91����’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) are driven to make a change. This year five PhD students in the department received grants from the Cosmos Club Foundation to tackle a wide range of conservation efforts.

In a move to emphasize its core values, 91����’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution announced on Tuesday that it is dedicating itself to peace and social justice with the adoption of a name dedicated to the Carter legacy: the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

School of Business professor Mahesh P. Joshi created BiggieBills after searching for years for an interactive strategy game to use in his classes.

91����’s School of Music will be renamed the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, in honor of the Dewberrys’ lifetime legacy of giving and generous support of the school. The decision was approved unanimously at the Feb. 27 Board of Visitors meeting.

Many people are familiar with 91����’s Arlington Campus, but fewer know its unique history, including how it became the only law school with an escalator when the university moved into the old Kann’s department store in the early 1970s.