National Science Foundation

NSF CAREER award allows researcher to look under AI’s hood

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:30:48 +0000

NSF CAREER award allows researcher to look under AI’s hood Nathan Kahl Mon, 07/20/2026 - 12:30

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Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are now part of everyday life, writing software, tidying up your shopping list, and answering questions. While we know they sit on top of large language models (LLMs), we still understand surprisingly little about what happens inside these systems or what is helping them generate responses.

Ziyu Yao. Photo provided

91�� Department of Computer Science Assistant Professor Ziyu Yao received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award for $674,100 over five years to peel the layers back on AI. Specifically, Yao will develop new methods for understanding the internal mechanisms of LLMs. Her research aims to make these AI systems more transparent and useful.

"We use language model–powered products every day, but we have very limited understanding of how they actually work," Yao said. Most efforts to evaluate AI systems focus on their behavior. Researchers give a model a prompt and judge the quality of its response. Yao's work instead focuses on mechanistic interpretability, an emerging field that examines what happens inside a language model as it processes information.

"If we send something to the model, we want to see how it extracts features or signals from my input and gradually performs computations before producing an answer," she said.

As language models have grown dramatically in size, that task is increasingly difficult. Today's leading models contain potentially hundreds of billions of parameters. And Yao said, "The interpretability research community has not caught up. Many traditional approaches cannot be efficiently applied to today's language models."

The project focuses specifically on AI-powered code generation, in which users describe a programming task in natural language and an AI system generates software code. Code generation is an increasingly important application of LLMs, with uses including software engineering and scientific research.

Yao's team will investigate how LLMs apply programming syntax, recall semantic knowledge, and perform deliberate reasoning while writing code. The researchers will also study how training data and learning methods influence those internal mechanisms and explore how interpretability insights can be used to improve AI coding systems.

Current interpretability studies often require researchers to manually design experiments, collecting internal model signals and analyzing the results. Yao plans to develop a framework that automates much of that process using AI itself, allowing researchers to study LLMs more efficiently.

At the same time, she wants interpretability research to produce practical benefits rather than simply satisfying scientific curiosity.

"We want to build the bridge between what we discover about language models and how that knowledge can improve them," Yao said. "Can interpretability actually help us build better AI systems?"

Although commercial AI systems such as ChatGPT are proprietary, Yao and colleagues primarily study open-weight language models that are downloadable. These models are becoming increasingly competitive with commercial systems while supporting the transparency needed for scientific research.

An expectation with the award and a hallmark of the CAREER program is a plan for broader impact. Yao hopes to expand AI literacy through outreach programs, create new curricula and open-source educational resources, provide undergraduate research opportunities, and foster collaborations between researchers in artificial intelligence and software engineering.

"I think we should encourage the younger generation to embrace AI," Yao said. "But at the same time, they should be skeptical, think critically, and be careful about what they are reading from AI."

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George Mason researcher is using CAREER award to build brain-inspired AI that is more adaptive

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:49:00 +0000

George Mason researcher is using CAREER award to build brain-inspired AI that is more adaptive Nathan Kahl Tue, 07/07/2026 - 14:49

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Maryam Parsa

Though artificial intelligence (AI) is making extraordinary advances, today's AI systems still have significant limitations. They often require enormous computing power and energy (not to mention well-documented water usage), struggle to adapt when conditions change, and can make decisions in ways that are difficult for humans to interpret, validate, or trust.

Maryam Parsa. Photo provided

Maryam Parsa, assistant professor in 91��'s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, believes those shortcomings point toward a compelling source of inspiration: the human brain.

Parsa received a five-year, $655,000 National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for developing a new framework for brain-inspired AI. The project seeks to make AI systems more efficient, adaptable, resilient, and transparent by borrowing principles from biological nervous systems.

"AI was originally inspired by the brain," Parsa said. "Concepts such as neurons, synapses, and neural networks drew inspiration from how brains process information. But over time, AI has moved farther away from those biological principles.”

Parsa believes researchers now have an opportunity to reconnect AI and neuroscience. “Neuroscience advanced tremendously over the past few decades, with only a small fraction of those discoveries finding their way into AI systems.”

As computing power grew, researchers found AI systems could make major gains by scaling neural networks and training them on massive datasets. The approach, fueled by increasingly powerful computers, is leading to significant breakthroughs, particularly with the rise of large language models (LLMs).

"They are producing remarkable devices," she said. "The progress we see in LLMs and modern AI grew out of relatively simple neural-network ideas. Over time, researchers added more layers, more data, more computational power, and more sophisticated training methods, leading to powerful systems.”

The goal is not to replace today's successful AI systems with direct copies of the brain. Instead, her research focuses on areas where current AI falls short. "We know some of the key challenges AI still faces," she said. "It can be difficult to understand how these systems reach their decisions, and they do not always transfer well when conditions, data, or environments change. That is where biological intelligence can offer useful design principles.”

When today’s AI systems encounter unfamiliar environments or changing conditions, they often need to be retrained or fine-tuned. Biological intelligence, however, is remarkably adaptable and energy efficient, offering clues to how future AI systems could learn and respond more flexibly.

Her CAREER project builds a unified framework around three characteristics of biological intelligence. The first pillar, dimensionality, examines how the brain creates meaningful representations of the world rather than simply processing raw information. The second, heterogeneity, explores the brain's remarkable diversity. Rather than relying on identical neurons performing tasks, biological brains contain many neuron types with distinct behaviors. "The brain is not copy, paste, copy, paste, copy, paste,” she said.

The third pillar, nonlinearity, draws inspiration from the retina, which performs extensive processing before visual information reaches the brain. "It's not like the raw pixels go directly to our central brain," Parsa said. "The retina digests and processes the information first."

Parsa said the broader idea is combining these principles into a more biologically inspired approach to AI. “If I know how to process my input, create a better representation of my environment, and leverage this massive heterogeneity, then I can move AI a little closer to the way biological intelligence works,” she said.

Beyond advancing AI research, the project includes an educational effort to help students see how ideas from the brain can shape the future of computing and artificial intelligence. Parsa plans to bring these concepts into graduate courses, hands-on hackathons, and STEM outreach activities for K-12 students, creating new pathways for students to explore the intersection of neuroscience, engineering, and AI.

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Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty

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Research

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C-TASC

A CAREER in robot learning

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 15:15:43 +0000

A CAREER in robot learning Nathan Kahl Mon, 07/06/2026 - 11:15

What if a robot could learn from another robot's experience instead of starting from scratch every time it encountered a new task? That question is at the center of new research by 91�� assistant professor Xuan Wang, who received a five-year, $640,000 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Xuan Wang. Photo provided

The CAREER award, NSF's most prestigious honor for early-career faculty, will support Wang's efforts to develop new methods that allow robots to transfer knowledge more efficiently, reliably, and safely across different tasks, environments, and even different types of robots.

Today's learning-based robots often require enormous amounts of data and repeated trial-and-error to master new tasks. Wang's research aims to dramatically reduce that burden by helping robots determine what information from previous experiences is actually useful and how to apply it effectively.

"Robot learning is very time-consuming and computationally expensive," said Wang. "The idea is to leverage knowledge that another robot has already gained instead of learning everything from the beginning."

The project combines Wang's background in control theory, optimization, and multi-agent systems with modern machine learning techniques. Rather than treating knowledge transfer as a collection of trial-and-error, Wang will develop a mathematical framework allowing robots to determine when transferred knowledge will improve performance and when it should be ignored.

"We want robots to reason about when transfer learning is beneficial and when it is not," he said. "If there are many other robots to learn from, how can a robot quickly identify which one will provide the most useful knowledge?"

Consider a wheeled robot exploring a building and learning where rescue targets are located but being unable to access them because it can’t go up stairs. When a legged robot enters the same building, it can “learn” from the first and apply its own abilities to climb steps and find the target. Wang's research identifies what information transfers successfully despite differences in hardware.

A legged rescue robot could move through a building after learning from another robot where a rescue target is located. Photo provided.

Potential applications include teams of aerial and ground robots working together during disaster response, sharing information to search damaged buildings more efficiently. Agricultural robots could reuse knowledge gathered by other machines instead of repeatedly mapping fields from scratch. Security robots could improve patrol routes by learning from previous deployments.

Regarding his research progression, Wang said, "I saw an opportunity to combine my background in optimization and networked systems with modern robot learning. That became the foundation for this CAREER project."

The award also supports education and outreach activities. Wang will continue expanding RoboArt, a program that introduces elementary school students to robotics by inviting them to draw their own robot designs. Undergraduate researchers then use artificial intelligence tools to convert drawings into 3D-printable models before giving the finished creations to the students.

The project also will support graduate student training, undergraduate research experiences, and new educational materials that connect theoretical concepts with hands-on robotic systems.

"This project is about making robot learning more efficient, more reliable, and more explainable," Wang said. "If robots can learn from one another in a principled way, they'll be able to solve new problems much more quickly and safely."

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NSF CAREER award will support teen autonomy in age of AI

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:45:38 +0000

NSF CAREER award will support teen autonomy in age of AI Nathan Kahl Tue, 06/09/2026 - 11:45

Adolescence has always been a time of figuring out who you are. Increasingly, that process unfolds alongside social media feeds, recommendation algorithms, and AI chatbots. 91��’s Nora McDonald received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award for $748,000 to better understand how adolescents experience and are shaped by these artificial intelligence (AI) and other personalized digital environments, and how they can develop the skills and capacities necessary to maintain their sense of self, autonomy, and agency within them.

McDonald, an assistant professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology, has spent several years studying a growing reality of adolescent life, and one increasingly shaped by personalized AI technologies. Her research has found that social media recommendation systems and AI chatbots can serve as spaces where young people reflect on themselves and seek feedback about who they are.

McDonald's work will give teens tools to properly engage with digital technologies. iStock photo.

“Much of the public conversation has been about how algorithms influence what kids see and how we go down rabbit holes,” McDonald said. “I’m interested in a different question: How do algorithms shape self-understanding and how do teens make sense of themselves in environments that are increasingly personalized and shaped by algorithms and AI?”

McDonald’s previous research suggests that even while teenagers often view AI chatbots and recommendation systems as practical tools, those systems can become important spaces for self-exploration and self-presentation.

“Over time, teens might come to expect these systems to reflect aspects of who they are,” McDonald said. “They use them not just for help with homework or entertainment, but also to explore and understand themselves.”

Those findings raise broader questions about adolescent development. If recommendation systems continually influence what young people see, what feedback they receive, and what content captures their attention, how will that affect how they see themselves?

Nora McDonalds. Photo provided

McDonalds's CAREER project will investigate that question through what she calls a resilience framework that examines how adolescents recognize, interpret, and respond to algorithmic influence and how it relates to the coherence of their sense of self.

The research combines interviews, diary studies, surveys, and participatory design activities to better understand how adolescents interpret and respond to algorithmic systems. McDonald will recruit teenagers from across the country, beginning with qualitative studies and eventually expanding to a national survey designed to generate broader statistical insights.

One major outcome of the project will be the development of practical resources and activities designed with teenagers to help them navigate personalized digital environments.

The effort differs from traditional digital literacy initiatives that focus primarily on explaining how algorithms work. “It helps them reflect on algorithmic influence and develop strategies that are really rooted in managing attention and maintaining perspective on who they are outside of digital experiences,” McDonald said.

The CAREER award also supports substantial educational activities. McDonald plans to develop a new undergraduate course focused on algorithmic self-defense from a human-computer interaction perspective. The project will also support a youth summer institute for high school students helping young people to critically engage with AI personalized digital technologies that increasingly shape their everyday experiences.

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George Mason researcher receives NSF CAREER award to study how autonomous systems communicate

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:42:06 +0000

George Mason researcher receives NSF CAREER award to study how autonomous systems communicate Nathan Kahl Tue, 04/28/2026 - 08:42

For Daigo Shishika, robots are not just machines that move…they can also be experts at communication of various types. With a new CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), he is advancing a line of research that asks a deceptively simple question: what if robots could “talk” to each other—and to humans—without ever sending a signal?

Daigo Shishika. Photo provided

Shishika, an assistant professor in 91��'s Department of Mechanical Engineering, will lead a five-year, $549,000 award focused on how autonomous systems can signal intent through motion alone. The idea draws from everyday human experience, Shishika said, giving the example of how drivers read each other’s behavior on the road not just through turn signals, but also through speed, positioning, and subtle cues. Pedestrians do the same when navigating crowded sidewalks. The research aims to give robots that same intuitive layer of interaction.

“There's a lot of information that comes from pure observation of movement. So how can robots take that into account? If I move in this way, how would that be perceived?” he said. Citing the ubiquitous Starship food-delivery robots around campus, he added, “When you walk near one, you kind of have to guess what it's trying to do based on what you see it doing.”

The project builds on years of research at the intersection of robotics, control systems, and game theory. Shishika’s path to this point has been shaped by a longstanding fascination with motion. As an undergraduate at the University of Tokyo, he studied aerospace engineering, initially drawn to flight systems and small aerial vehicles. That interest led to research on bumblebee flight dynamics. Over time, his focus expanded from how individual systems move to how multiple systems interact. His graduate work at the University of Maryland involved drone swarms inspired by insect behavior.

As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, he worked on multi-agent systems in defense-related contexts, where coordination played a critical role. That experience laid the foundation for his current work, examining both cooperative and adversarial interactions among autonomous agents.

Professor Daigo Shishika working with students on blimps in the MARC aviary. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

A central concept in the project is what Shishika described as the spectrum between transparency and deception. In some cases, robots need to clearly signal their intent to build trust and operate safely alongside humans. In others, such as security or defense applications, limiting the information revealed through motion can be just as important.

“If a system moves in a certain way, it may unintentionally reveal what it’s trying to do,” he said. “So the question becomes, how much information are you giving away through your actions, and can you control that?”

The implications span a range of applications. Delivery robots, for example, could plan routes that make their destinations less predictable, improving security for sensitive shipments. In public spaces, robots that better communicate intent through motion could navigate more smoothly around people, reducing confusion and improving safety. On a larger scale, the work could inform how infrastructure and policies are designed.

The project will also integrate theoretical and experimental work through Shishika’s RoboGame Arena, a platform combining mathematical modeling with physical robot experiments. By testing how real systems behave and how humans interpret those behaviors, he aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The NSF CAREER award is reserved for the nation’s most talented up-and-coming researchers. From the NSF website: “The Faculty Early Career Development Program offers NSF’s most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”

For Shishika, the award represents both recognition and opportunity. It is his first project developed as a full lab effort, bringing together students working across theory, machine learning, and hands-on robotics.

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George Mason Scholarship for Service students commit to America’s cyber defense

tdonnel — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:08:18 +0000

George Mason Scholarship for Service students commit to America’s cyber defense tdonnel Mon, 02/16/2026 - 11:08

With the support of the National Science Foundation’s CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program, 91��'s Department of Cyber Security Engineering (CYSE) and Department of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) are training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals committed to public service.

Funded by a $3.9 million grant, the SFS program provides students who commit to working in federal, state, or local government cybersecurity roles after graduation with two or three years of full tuition. The first cohort of five students is already demonstrating how financial support, professional development opportunities, and a shared service mission can accelerate careers in the public interest.

CyberCorps Defending America's Cyberspace Scholarship for Service logo

The students receive professional development support not only through exclusive networking events and job opportunities but also through funding for certifications, conferences, and workshops.

“That kind of professional support is a big deal,” said senior DJ Strigel. “It really helps you build credentials while you’re still a student.” Strigel, a CYSE Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s (BAM) student concentrating in artificial intelligence, added that the scholarship made graduate study feasible.

Ailene (Diemmi) Dao, a CYSE BAM student specializing in digital forensics, said the scholarship allows her to focus fully on learning and skill development. “The [CYSE] program itself is really fun, including interesting, engaging, hands-on labs. This scholarship lets me concentrate on building the experience I’ll need to do this work well.”

For junior Shanti Nadimi, the program aligns with a strong sense of civic responsibility. “Without federal and Virginia state aid, I wouldn’t be able to go to college at all,” Nadimi said, “so I feel like I should give back. I want to contribute to our nation’s security.”

"I grew up liking the security and structure of government and the sense of service that comes with government work," added senior Tristan Boyd.

As the first cohort, these students are shaping the culture of the program. The group regularly shares job leads, internship advice, and guidance on navigating federal hiring and security clearance processes.

“We all send each other opportunities and teach each other about the process,” said Carlos Javier Navarro‑Montanez, a sophomore. “That camaraderie has been really important.”

Kun Sun

For George Mason, the SFS program is both a powerful student support mechanism and a mark of distinction. It reflects the university’s national leadership in cybersecurity education and its role as a trusted pipeline for public‑sector talent. Professor Kun Sun, principal investigator of the program, is excited by how well the first cohort started. “The students have already shown impressive technical skill, curiosity, and a real sense of purpose around public service and cybersecurity,” he said.

The cohort’s work is already paying off. One student has completed an internship with the Department of Homeland Security while two others will complete internships for the Department of Defense.

With strong faculty mentorship, federal investment, and students already entering public‑service cybersecurity roles, George Mason’s SFS program is helping safeguard the future by preparing those committed to serving it.

Learn more about George Mason's SFS program: https://sfs.cec.gmu.edu/prospective-students/

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Kun Sun

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Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s

Printing play: A path forward for children with prosthetics

Nathan Kahl — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:32:50 +0000

Printing play: A path forward for children with prosthetics Nathan Kahl Thu, 01/15/2026 - 08:32

A child who uses a lower-limb prosthesis faces unique challenges when it comes to activities most children take for granted, such as running and being active. Without access to a prosthetic device designed to support these movements, children may miss out not only on the simple joys of play, but also on critical opportunities for physical development during key stages of growth.

Quentin Sanders. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

91�� researcher Quentin Sanders is part of a collaborative research team working to make high-performance prosthetic limbs more affordable, accessible, and better tailored to the needs of active children. Sanders, along with Jonathon Schofield, an associate professor at the University of California, Davis, and Garrett Melenka, an associate professor at York University, received a three-year, $500K grant from the National Science Foundation to support the project, which began in September 2025.

Most standard foot or leg prostheses are built for basic walking, not for the kind of active movement that helps children develop strength, balance, and coordination, the benefits that come from running and jumping with friends.

“This limitation can be especially challenging for children,” said Sanders, who has a joint appointment in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “Kids want to run and play. When they can’t, they’re more likely to avoid physical activities, such as sports, or even stop using their prosthesis altogether.”

A 3D-printed running blade prototype, created using the technique Sanders and his colleagues are developing. Photo provided

Often seen in competitive events such as the Paralympic Games, running blades are curved, spring-like prosthetic feet made from carbon fiber that mimic the energy return of a biological foot. While these devices offer an alternative option to standard leg prostheses and can enable children to run, they are expensive and often inaccessible. A single running blade can cost several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars and is typically not covered by insurance because it is considered nonessential, rather than medically necessary.

Some charitable organizations help families access these devices, but demand far exceeds supply, and for growing children, one blade is rarely enough. “Kids grow quickly,” said Sanders. “As they get taller, they outgrow their prostheses, which means going through multiple blades over time.”

The research team has several goals, starting with identifying what children truly need from an activity-enabling prosthesis. The researchers are examining how motivation to be active, physical growth, and different types of movement influence prosthetic performance in everyday settings. “What do you use it for? What don’t you use it for? What do you wish you could do?” said Sanders.

The team is also analyzing how children move while using their current running blades, studying activities such as running, jumping, and changing direction to better understand the biomechanics and physical demands involved.

Finally, the team will take a close look at how today’s running blades perform under real-world demands. “We want to understand how stiff they are, how much load they can handle, and when they might fail,” said Sanders. “We can then combine that information with what kids tell us they want to do and use it to guide our 3D printing process—creating blades that are better suited for active play.”

Sanders and his collaborators are using an advanced additive manufacturing approach known as continuous-fiber 3D printing, in which carbon fibers are embedded within the printed plastic to reinforce the prosthetic structure. This method enables the creation of strong, lightweight devices that can be tailored to a child’s size, growth, and activity needs.

“By combining manufacturing, composite materials, prosthetics, design, and biomechanics, this project provides an innovative and holistic solution,” said Melenka.

The technique is already used to produce strong, lightweight components in the aerospace and automotive industries, but it has seen limited adoption in prosthetic design. This project represents one of the first efforts to apply it systematically to activity-enabling prostheses for children.

“What’s most exciting about this project is the collaboration across institutes, disciplines, and areas of expertise,” said Schofield. “We are bringing together researchers in movement mechanics, advanced materials manufacturing, and pediatric lower-limb prosthetic care. We are also incorporating the lived experience of children and families, along with clinicians who work with these patients every day.”

The work also has the potential for industry disruption, according to Sanders. “If we can show that a child’s physical measurements and movement needs can be translated into a digital model and then used to 3D print a customized prosthesis, existing prosthetic manufacturers would begin to integrate this approach into their production pipelines.”

For Sanders, the motivation goes beyond technical innovation. “I’ve always been interested in translating new technologies into real-world solutions,” he said. “Helping people with disabilities and impairments is why I got into this field in the first place.”

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mechanical engineering

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George Mason team earns $2.1M to study seizure dynamics

tdonnel — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:06:52 +0000

George Mason team earns $2.1M to study seizure dynamics tdonnel Tue, 01/13/2026 - 10:06

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John Cressman

Parag Chitnis

Remi Veneziano

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a 91�� research team $2.1 million to create a system that could revolutionize the study of seizures.

The project combines the expertise of Parag Chitnis and Remi Veneziano (Department of Bioengineering), and Rob Cressman (Department of Physics and Astronomy) to develop an imaging and sensing system for identifying areas of the brain with potassium ion dysregulation.

“Potassium is one of those ions that actually inhibits activation of cells. If there's a dysfunction in those ions, you get runaway signaling. A seizure is an example of that,” said Cressman, who has studied epilepsy since his postdoctoral work. “We’re trying to develop tools that help us understand that better.”

From left, Parag Chitnis, Rob Cressman, and Remi Veneziano. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

When the biocompatible nanosensors, made of DNA and light-sensitive dye, encounter a local change in potassium concentration, they change their shape resulting in a change in their near-infrared fluorescence signal.

“We want to detect even very small changes in potassium,” said Veneziano, whose work involves synthesizing new nanomaterials from DNA particles, proteins, and lipids. “The system we’ve built is modular, versatile, and highly sensitive.”

These signals can be mapped in real-time using a near-infrared imaging device to understand dynamic changes in ion concentration.

One of the most promising applications is image-guided surgical intervention for epilepsy. By pinpointing seizure foci through potassium mapping, surgeons may be able to perform precise tissue ablation, removing only the affected areas.

“If you can identify the focus and remove that part of the tissue, you can sometimes stop the seizures,” said Cressman.

The four-year NIH-funded project, previously funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), builds on years of research supported by George Mason’s Center for MedTech Innovation.

“This grant allows us to translate our NSF-funded feasibility work into real-world applications,” said Chitnis, who studies brain-body interactions using light and ultrasound. “We’re not just studying disease—we’re building tools that could guide future interventions.”

The toolkit will be tested across multiple platforms—from cell cultures to brain slices to intact mammalian models—allowing researchers to study bioelectrical activity at various scales.

The team also sees potential for assessing functional recovery after traumatic brain injury. Scar tissue can disrupt potassium regulation, and the nanosensors may help identify regions at risk of developing seizure foci. As the research progresses, the team hopes to open new pathways for understanding and treating complex brain disorders.

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Research

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College of Engineering and Computing

National Science Foundation

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The MIX: Where George Mason students turn ideas into impact

ckearney — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:41:10 +0000

The MIX: Where George Mason students turn ideas into impact ckearney Mon, 01/05/2026 - 13:41

At 91��, innovation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a culture. One of the campus spaces championing this culture is the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), a hub where creativity and entrepreneurship intersect.

Computer science student Jagan Yekturi (left) took third place in the student track at the annual Accelerate Investor Conference. Photo provided

MIX programs, such as the MIX Incubator, the Student Innovators Launchpad, and featured programs working with drones, robotics, and other technologies, help George Mason students transform their bold ideas into real-world solutions with guidance from experienced mentors, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities.

In November 2025, George Mason student innovators made waves at the annual Accelerate Investor Conference, a two-day event held at Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, which brought together investors, founders, and thought leaders. Among 50 start-ups and more than 20 student teams, four teams from the MIX Incubator and its Student Innovator Launchpad program—AccelP3 (bioinformatics and computational biology PhD students Morolake Okanlawon, Yingjie Zhang, and Hsuan Chih Kuo), Aniwear (mechanical engineering student Josh Peterson), Anvil Labs LLC. (electrical engineering students Justin Luckenbach and Chelsea Camacho-Zambrana), and EduVerse (computer science student Jagan Yekturi)—had the opportunity to pitch their ideas in the student track. These teams showcased cutting-edge solutions, from bioinformatics tools to heating and cooling wearable tech.

Yekturi’s EduVerse, earned third place and an $1,000 prize for its platform connecting students and recruiters. “The MIX Incubator strengthened my ability to define a clear Ideal Customer Profile and align my solution directly with customer pain points,” Yekturi said. “The feedback and support accelerated my learning far beyond what I expected.”

“The biggest benefit for us was getting a chance to network with people in our industry who could help us take our business to the next step,” said Luckenbach, co-founder of Anvil Labs LLC.

Doctoral student Morolake Okanlawon (with microphone) presents on behalf of the AccelP3 team at Accelerate Investors Conference. Photo provided

The MIX experience goes beyond competition. Through integration with the National Science Foundation I-Corps program, students gain exposure to lean start-up principles, customer discovery, and commercialization strategies—all essential for scaling a business.

Gisele Stolz, senior director of Entrepreneurship Programs and director and co-PI of George Mason’s I-Corps Program; Sampson Addo, program manager of the I-Corps Program; and Minjin Batzorig, the MIX’s program and operations coordinator, manage and provide support for these programs. Mentors like George Siragusa of the Virginia Small Business Development Centers, Adam Phillips of AthletesInnovate, and Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program mentors Elizabeth Pyle and William McPheat provided invaluable guidance throughout the journey.

The MIX Student Innovators Launchpad is designed to help junior and senior undergraduate, masters, and PhD students transform ideas rooted in tech and deep-science research into viable businesses. Participants learn about customer discovery, market evaluation, and commercialization strategies, emphasized through integration with the NSF I-Corps program. The program culminates in a showcase where students pitch to a panel of investors, industry professionals, and entrepreneurs, making the Accelerate Conference a natural extension of their entrepreneurial journey.

Doctoral student Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan took first place for breast cancer screening technology at the Pitch Enterpreneur competition in November. Photo provided

The MIX Launchpad concluded in November with a Pitch Entrepreneur Competition, where AeroHealth, led by civil and infrastructure engineering PhD candidate Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan, won first place for her innovative approach to breast cancer screening.

“The MIX Pitch Entrepreneur Competition showed me that success comes from stepping out of comfort, embracing challenge, and growing through failure,” Shan said.

Looking ahead, the MIX Student Innovators Launchpad is recruiting for its Spring 2026 cohort. Applications are open until mid-January, and accepted teams will kick off on February 6. This program prepares students for opportunities like Patriot Pitch and other funding opportunities. Interested? Apply here.

To learn more about entrepreneurship opportunities at George Mason, contact Batzorig at mbatzor@gmu.edu.

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Students

The MIX

entrepreneurship

National Science Foundation

Mason Enterprise

New Smithsonian-Mason opportunity offers students a pathway to conservation science

ckearney — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 18:43:54 +0000

New Smithsonian-Mason opportunity offers students a pathway to conservation science ckearney Wed, 10/29/2025 - 14:43

From cloning endangered black-footed ferrets to using drone technology to track wildlife to caring for red pandas up close, researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute are working at the forefront of conservation science. As a global leader in conservation research, the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), which is a partnership between 91�� and the Smithsonian, offers hands-on experiences to undergraduate students that few other institutions can match.

Photo by Cristian Torres/Office of University Branding

Now, students across the country can apply to take part in this kind of hands-on opportunity thanks to a ten-week summer research experience at SMSC through the National Science Foundation-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.

The 2025 REU Saving Critically Endangered Species and Habitats: Next-Generation Education, Research, and Training for Conservation Biologists is only the second REU awarded to George Mason. The program is led by College of Science dean and principal investigator Cody W. Edwards, alongside biology professor and co-principal investigator David Luther.

At the Smithsonian’s Front Royal, Virginia, site, 10 participants will take part in field-based conservation projects. These students will work on developing strategies to preserve endangered species and acquire skills applicable to careers in conservation biology.

“One of the best things about George Mason is the wide range of backgrounds and experiences our students bring, along with the access we provide to top-tier research thanks to our location and partnerships with leading institutions like the Smithsonian,” said Edwards. “Hosting an REU allows us to expand that access nationwide, reaching students who are passionate about conservation and eager to make an impact, but who may not yet be aware of the opportunities available at George Mason.”

Edwards said the REU will act as an “amplifier,” offering a launchpad for students who have the passion and potential but lack exposure to advanced training in the field.

“This learning opportunity is incredibly difficult to replicate as you get both a world-class education, along with an expanded network of top industry professionals,” said Edwards. “Many students apply to work with Smithsonian scientists and researchers at George Mason, and now this REU provides a broader pathway to do that.”

Participants will engage with researchers and mentors like Edwards and Luther in a collaborative setting that blends fieldwork and lab-based research. Through these collaborations, students will deepen their research experience, gain critical career skills, grow professional networks, and generate findings with potential to impact conservation efforts globally.

“Everyone I’ve met got their start with the help of a good mentor,” said Luther. “People can do a lot of good work on their own, but having someone to guide you early on, someone who helps shape how you approach problems, work through challenges, and make sound decisions is invaluable. That’s why I think this grant and the research experience it offers undergraduates is so special.”

Students will focus their work in one of three core areas aligned with the school’s expertise: assessing and monitoring wild populations, studying ecological resilience in the face of environmental threats, or improving the care and management of species in human care.

The SMSC is distinguished by its rich history of renowned experts and visionary faculty dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders. Over the years, the school has welcomed some of the most influential figures in environmental science. The late Jane Goodall, a global icon of wildlife conservation, visited the campus in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to share her insights and engage with students. George Mason’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy was also home to the legendary Thomas Lovejoy, often referred to as the “Godfather of Biodiversity,” who mentored some of SMSC’s current faculty.

“What excites me most about the REU is the opportunity it creates, not just for the individual students, but for the broader conservation community,” Edwards said. “Their work can spark new ideas and help drive forward conservation initiatives beyond their own project, and builds networks of individuals who can collaborate to drive big changes.”

Topics

National Science Foundation

Students

College of Science

Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Research

National Science Foundation

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New Smithsonian-Mason opportunity offers students a pathway to conservation science

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