91����

When Avery Cotham, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’26, enrolled at 91����’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, she was ready for a new challenge. For 15 years, Cotham worked as a vocalist and choral director in Colorado before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted her to rethink her career and search for a new way to serve her community.

91���� computer science professor Keren Zhou has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a prestigious Genesis Award, an initiative designed to accelerate scientific discovery through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and high performance computing.

Three George Mason interdisciplinary teams placed in the 2026 National Case Study Competition in Health Education. Students share what they learned from the experience and why they recommend it to others.

At its first meeting of the new fiscal year, George Mason's Board of Visitors discussed President Gregory Washington’s goals for 2026-27, elected new leadership, announced a transformative gift for the College of Public Health, and officially welcomed new provost Marion Underwood to the university.

Fall for the Book, Northern Virginia’s largest literary festival, returns for the 28th year this October with bestselling authors Celeste Ng and Stephen Graham Jones as headliners. Taking place from October 6-10, the festival includes talks from local and national authors as well as events across the 91���� campus and the Fairfax area. 

SonoVanta™, a patent-pending contrast agent that improves the precision of cancer margin imaging, is the second technology from 91���� to be licensed through the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation’s (VIPC) Lab-to-Launch (L2L) Program, which accelerates the commercialization of promising research breakthroughs emerging from Virginia’s universities.

In June, more than 225 educators, higher education partners, industry experts, and students gathered at 91����’s Science and Technology Campus in Manassas for the fifth annual Virginia Data Science Teacher Professional Learning Institute. The 2026 theme, “Data Science, Computational Thinking, and Modeling in the Age of AI,” reflected growing demand for data literacy and analytical thinking across industries.

91���� researchers are working with an innovative, electricity-free drinking water treatment system in Puerto Rico that could help small rural communities gain reliable access to safe water.

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) has awarded $975,000 to 13 cybersecurity innovation projects through its 2026 CATAPULT and ASCEND funds, continuing its investment in technologies and ideas with the potential to address critical cybersecurity challenges and create real-world impact.

A U.S. congressional delegation, including four members of the House of Representatives and officials from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, visited 91���� Korea on July 27 to learn more about the university's global education model and explore opportunities to expand U.S.–Korea educational cooperation.

SixDegrees.org hosted a Building Kits by Kevin Bacon activation on George Mason’s Fairfax Campus on July 19, bringing together more than 100 volunteers to assemble 35,000 meal kits and 400 mental health kits for students and families across Northern Virginia.

A new rainwater harvesting system is coming to 91����’s Presidents Park Greenhouse, thanks to a donation from the Society for a Secure and Sustainable Water Future, a nonprofit organization based in James City County, Virginia, and dedicated to advancing long-term water sustainability through practical solutions, sound policy, and public education.