Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

College of Public Health

bachelor of science in community health

Art history senior curates exhibit on women artists and their perspectives on aging

Katarina Benson — Fri, 15 May 2026 15:33:36 +0000

Art history senior curates exhibit on women artists and their perspectives on aging Katarina Benson Fri, 05/15/2026 - 11:33

91�� senior Silas Fransen plans to pursue a career as a museum curator.

And thanks to the university’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR), the art history major already has one exhibit to his name.

Fransen at the opening of his exhibit. Photo by the Hylton Center.

This past spring, Fransen curated the “Fountain of Truth: Women Artists and Their Perspectives on Aging” exhibit in collaboration with Mason Exhibitions at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in the Buchanan Partners Gallery on the Science and Technology Campus.

Fransen, who graduated in May, received funding through the OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, and was guided by George Mason faculty mentor LaNitra Berger, an associate professor of history and art history and the director of the African and African American Studies Program.

“It was certainly the most challenging thing I’ve done at George Mason, but I definitely want t o do more projects like these,” Fransen said.

“Fountain of Truth” featured artwork from five Washington, D.C. area female artists—Cheryl D. Edwards, Britnee Scott, Eliza Tebo, Angela Hiebert, and George Mason alum Marie Guagenti, BFA ’24—and culminated in a panel discussion moderated by Fransen in April at the Hylton Center.

The artists, ranging in age from 37 to 87, produced a variety of styles, including oil paintings, graffiti art, and metal, to share their experiences with aging. The panel discussion also included a performance from Tebo, who performed her debut single, “Fountain of Youth,” as Gemma Sky.

“They were all very inspiring,” Fransen said. “They each pulled out unique topics, and they each had their own takeaway from it. There is so much to be learned in just aging, and it is just a very beautiful thing to be able to get to age.”

The idea for the exhibit stemmed from a paper one of Fransen’s professors referenced in a Northern Baroque Art class. The piece examined why female saints were often depicted in a more youthful state whereas their male counterparts were shown in their older age.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about this paper,” Fransen said. “I wanted to see how contemporary artists were interacting with this history or how they felt about their own aging. I was trying to place this history that had been dominated by men for a very long time back into the hands of women artists.”

Fransen moderating the discussion at the exhibit. Photo by the Hylton Center.

Fransen, who worked on the exhibit for almost a year, put out a call for art, reviewed applications, and coordinated with the selected artists. Working with Mason Exhibitions, Fransen strategically placed the artwork throughout the gallery space on the second floor of the Hylton Center.

“Professor Berger said something early on that really altered how I was thinking about this project: ‘Curators are creating something out of nothing,’” said Fransen. “We [curators] work alongside artists. There is just blank space before we walk in and turn the space into this phenomenal exhibit that is life-changing for some.”

“Silas had the vision, the knowledge, and the drive to organize the exhibition from start to finish, and he brought together a dynamic, diverse, and thoughtful group of women artists to have an important artistic conversation about aging,” Berger said.

A native of Front Royal, Virginia, Fransen plans to take a gap year before starting graduate school for art history. He said the breadth of courses he took at George Mason in art history—from the Black Renaissance in America, Art of the Islamic World, Arts of the United States, and Arts of Medieval England—helped him see the overlap of different cultures.

“I love how George Mason’s Department of History and Art History is so varied,” he said. “I think it has prepared me for the next step, especially after taking on this large project on top of my classes.”

He says this knowledge will influence his future aspirations, which include being a museum curator or working as a college professor and helping with museum exhibits.

More on History and Art History at George Mason

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Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Goldwater Scholar Sofie Strompf is finding art in science

sholla4 — Wed, 06 May 2026 14:29:15 +0000

Goldwater Scholar Sofie Strompf is finding art in science sholla4 Wed, 05/06/2026 - 10:29

Left brained vs right brained, analytical vs creative: Art and science are often placed on opposite ends of the spectrum, two disciplines at war with one another. But for Sofie Strompf, Honors College student, neuroscience major, and recipient of a prestigious 2026 Goldwater Scholarship, the divide between the two is more a matter of perspective.

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Strompf was a member of the Mason Nation long before beginning her undergraduate career. As a regular student, and then assistant administrator, at Acting for Young People through Mason Community Arts Academy, she developed a deep passion for theatre.

Strompf entered George Mason ready to take the stage. Initially a technical theater major, she was inspired by a literature review project in HNRS 110 Principles of Research and Inquiry to consider a different path.

“Because of my experiences with my dynamic disability [hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome], I was really interested in familial dysautonomia, a rare genetic condition that causes severe, degenerative dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, so I chose that as my topic,” she said. “I had never had a chance to research like this before. My literature review was way over the top for anything I needed to write, because I was so interested in the topic.”

Strompf reached out to Ali Andalibi, previous senior associate dean for research for the College of Science, for mentorship as she explored the possibilities in more research-focused pathways. During her second year at Mason, she completed research with Andalibi with the support of an Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) grant from George Mason’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) and interned at the Medical University of South Carolina. These experiences affirmed her love of science and research, and she transitioned to the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience.

“Research is just identifying a problem and coming up with a way to look at that problem from a bunch of different angles to understand it better and thinking outside the box to solve it. That in itself is a creative process,” she said. “So I think that having this background in creative arts and humanities has actually made me a better researcher from the start.”

With her love of research, Strompf’s academic career has developed as much in the lab as in the classroom. Under the guidance of Professor Lance Liotta and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Marissa Howard, she’s been supporting and developing research projects in the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) for the past four years. Last year, her work in the lab was supported by an National Institutes of Health Diversity Supplemental research grant. This grant bolstered her experiences in the lab, leading her to develop her own hypothesis regarding secretory mitophagy (a new process of cellular mitochondrial recycling discovered by CAPMM researchers) as it relates to neurodegenerative disease. She hopes to continue research related to this hypothesis as a PhD student after graduating in 2027.

Strompf delivering a presentation. Photo provided.

There’s another angle to Strompf’s work as well: advocacy and policy. “I’m trying to be part of this movement of young, early career scientists and researchers who really want to share all these cool new discoveries with the public and the world,” she said.

For her, that includes outreach work as part of the Nexus234 Innovation District, teaching local elementary, middle, and high school students about cells during Nanotechnology Day and other community events; serving as a mentor for the Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP); and mentoring other undergraduate students as an OSCAR Peer Leader.

She also actively advocates through her positions on the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) Disabilities Access to Higher Education Advisory Committee, Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR), and the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP).

“I’ve worked closely with a lot of SCHEV staff to talk about disability policy and draft policy recommendations, as well as lobbying and meeting state representatives to share why inclusion and accessibility matter,” she said.

Receiving a Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes students with the potential to be the next generation of research leaders, is a true testament to her dedication and perseverance.

Megan Bruening, director of the Office of Fellowship, said, “it has been our pleasure to work with Sofie and watch her grow over the course of her undergraduate career at Mason. Her intellectual curiosity, impressive work ethic, and determination to serve others makes her stand out as a promising STEM researcher.”

“Often, there is hardly any representation in science for students with disabilities, and it can be hard not to feel alone or unwelcome,” Strompf said. “Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship is especially meaningful in this context, as I feel like it validates both my place in science and that of other students with disabilities. Despite the challenges I have faced, a team of accomplished, established scientists believes in me and my potential to contribute meaningfully to my field.”

Learn more about the College of Science

Learn more about the Honors College

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Honors College

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Office of Fellowships

Goldwater Scholarship

Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine

Neuroscience

Mason Community Arts Academy

Patriot Performance Lab helps athletes stay in the game

sholla4 — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 17:52:28 +0000

Patriot Performance Lab helps athletes stay in the game sholla4 Tue, 03/03/2026 - 12:52

To be an NCAA Division 1 student-athlete, you need a village. From dieticians to strength trainers to physical therapists, developing and maintaining fitness for elite competition is a collaborative effort. One way that 91�� Intercollegiate Athletics and the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) keep our athletes in top form is through evidence-based practices and science. That's where the Patriot Performance Lab comes in.

Erica King, right, works with a student-athlete. Photo by John Boal Photography.

The Patriot Performance Lab’s role is twofold: They monitor and measure athletes’ health as well as conduct research studies on athlete performance. Over the years, they’ve conducted numerous studies with various D1 teams—such as testing vitamin D levels in basketball players and knee joint adaptations in volleyball players—while providing athletes with critical data on their health metrics like body composition, VO2 Max, strength measurements, and more.

Margaret Jones. Photo by John Boal Photography.

“We’re not just a research lab,” emphasized Margaret Jones, professor in CEHD’s Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management Division and director of the Patriot Performance Lab. “Providing health services to athletes is also critical. It’s what makes the partnership work.”

Strong science communication skills are essential in this field. Researchers need to be able to translate data and results to coaches and student-athletes so they can adjust and improve. Chris Green, professor of sport management and director of the Center for Sport Management, works with the lab to help staff develop research communication skills.

“It’s relatively new to consider sports management in sports science,” she said. “The field as a whole is starting to ask how we can make good management decisions around athlete health and performance data. But the Patriot Performance Lab is already doing this work. It’s one of the things that makes us unique, and it’s what makes our work impactful.”

Green has been essential, Jones said, in helping lab members develop their communication skills and better understand how information is being shared from researchers to coaches to athletes.

“When they understand why I’m asking them to wear or do something and understand how this will benefit them, they’re more likely to perform at the level required in order for us to get good data,” said Noelle Saine, BS Kinesiology ’22, MS Kinesiology ’23, and a third-year PhD student. Saine, who was herself a student-athlete in track and field, understands the importance of strong communication between sport scientists and athletes.

“It’s establishing trust that what we’re doing will improve their health and performance,” said Jones.

Noelle Saine, right, runs a strength test with a student-athlete. Photo by John Boal Photography.

Collaboration with the coaches and athletic trainers is also critical. “We couldn’t do what we do without them,” said Saine. “They see the benefits and importance of what we do.”

Postdoctoral research fellow Erica King, BS in Bioengineering ’21, PhD Bioengineering ’25 and a former student athlete in swim and dive, has been leading the work on knee joint adaptations since she was a graduate student. She led a recent 9-month study using wearable sensors for tracking load during practice, counter-movement jump testing, wearable and clinical ultrasound, MRIs, and surveys to assess the load demands on volleyball players’ knees.

“At the end of the season, we were able to show the coaching staff the average number of jumps athletes complete in a 15-16 week period and the direct effects of that from a joint adaptation standpoint,” she said. “They found that data really helpful, and now they can tailor practice sessions to better support the players and help alleviate strain that could lead to injury.”

Athletes, coaches, and athletic trainers often come to the lab with questions for study and ideas. A blood lactate study with the swim team last spring was requested by the swimmers, who applied for and received an Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) grant to fund the study. The team collected data from blood draws, heart-rate monitors, DEXA scans, and jump testing. Early review suggests athlete stroke specialization and maximal power generation capabilities significantly impact accumulation in blood lactate levels during all-out swim bouts.

Noelle Saine leads a VO2 Max test on a student-athlete. Photo by John Boal Photography.

And as Saine and King can attest, the Patriot Performance Lab offers George Mason students the opportunity to do hands-on research in a wide range of fields. There are opportunities for all levels of research, from postdocs like King to high school students interested in exploring this world of research for the first time.

“Having that R1 designation really gives us the extra push to be able to dive deep into research,” said Saine. “Faculty have always encouraged me to find what I’m passionate about and pursue it. And my experience has been that instead of being competitive, everyone wants to work together to push forward and improve.”

Green noted that Jones’ experience as both researcher and practitioner is also an important piece of the puzzle that makes the Patriot Performance Lab work. “[Jones’] capacity to connect all these parts and have both credibility and an understanding of what the needs are sets us apart,” she said.

Jones said she appreciates the openness and willingness of people at George Mason to work together.“We’re supported on both sides by CEHD and Athletics.”

“The Patriot Performance Lab reflects what George Mason does best, bringing research and practice together in service of people,” said Ingrid Guerra-López, dean of CEHD. “Our student-athletes are performing at the highest levels, and they deserve evidence-based support that protects their health and enhances their performance. This partnership between CEHD and Athletics ensures that science goes beyond the lab, to directly improve lives.”

Explore the possibilities in the College of Education and Human Development

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College of Education and Human Development

Athletics

Mason Athletics

Patriot Performance Lab

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Bioengineering

School of Kinesiology

Alumni

Meet the George Mason senior changing breast cancer research

Katarina Benson — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:40:18 +0000

Meet the George Mason senior changing breast cancer research Katarina Benson Tue, 03/03/2026 - 11:40

In January, 91�� senior Angela Victoria Rojas Rivera, Medical Laboratory Science major, represented the university at the National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC). Led and hosted by Harvard University, NCRC is the largest student-run research conference in the United States. Only 200 students are selected to attend.

Rojas Rivera’s project “Extracellular Vesicle–Driven Immune Programming at the Sentinel Lymph Node in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer” found a new immunotherapy approach that helps the body recognize breast cancer cells as a threat, allowing the immune system to respond faster.

Rojas Rivera at the NCRC. Photo provided

“By changing the cancer’s messages, this localized immunotherapy helps the immune system respond earlier and more effectively, offering a promising strategy to prevent cancer from spreading while reducing side effects,” she explained.

After presenting her earlier findings at the Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa) poster event last year, Rojas Rivera has continued to work on her research at George Mason's Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) with her mentors Lance Liotta and Marissa Howard. After graduation, Rojas Rivera plans to pursue a PhD in biomedicine or proteomics.

“I am deeply committed to developing this research into a real, effective treatment,” she said.

From a student with no prior research experience to a confident scholar with deep expertise, Angela has become a force within George Mason’s research community,” said Liotta, who is co-director of CAPMM. “Her excellence extends far beyond the lab. By representing the university at the NCRC, Angela elevated not only her own voice but also the visibility of George Mason and the College of Science.”

Rojas Rivera is also one of only four students admitted to the highly selective histology program at Inova Hospital, a full-time, 10-month (40-week) training program designed to prepare current university students for careers as certified histotechnologists. She credits her mentors and Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) for allowing her to stand out as a candidate.

“George Mason offers strong access to research opportunities, particularly through funding programs like OSCAR and faculty mentorship, which make it easier for undergraduates to become involved in meaningful research,” she said. “That kind of support plays an important role in helping students take research seriously and pursue it beyond the classroom.”

Asked about her advice for undergraduates who’d like to take the next step in their research career, Rojas Rivera said: "Don’t overthink it—just do it. Even as undergraduates, our work has value and taking that first step can shape not only our careers, but the future of science itself.”

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Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine - CAPMM

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

George Mason researchers lead statewide study on ethical use of AI in higher education

sbrown79 — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:07:37 +0000

George Mason researchers lead statewide study on ethical use of AI in higher education sbrown79 Tue, 02/17/2026 - 11:07

91��’s leadership in advancing 21st-century education took another leap forward this month when several university researchers were named to a statewide project exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on teaching and learning in higher education classrooms.  

Funded by a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Fund for Excellence and Innovation grant, the cross-disciplinary, cross-institutional project aims to promote ethical integration of AI into educational settings. 

The initiative, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Teaching and Learning,” involves 80 faculty, graduate students, and staff from multiple Virginia institutions including University of Virginia, James Madison University, Roanoke College, Bridgewater State University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Amanda Bryan, an assistant professor in George Mason’s Department of English and co-lead on the study, said it is “designed to test onboarding activities in increasing students’ ethical and responsible use of AI tools.”

Amanda Bryan. Photo provided.

 The study is an example of a Mega Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, or SoTL, project. It’s one of 11 projects George Mason is involved in, generating evidence of learning from multiple institutions.

“The research team designed the activities, which we then make available to other professors to adapt to their own disciplines and provide us data on how effective the activities were in increasing ethical use of AI tools for the students,” said Bryan.

The team also considered different levels of activities to accommodate students who were inexperienced with AI versus those who had advanced skills. 

“We took the task on ourselves that we’re asking students to do because we actually used AI to revise the activities in the ethical, responsible way that we would want students to be able to do,” said Bryan, who is conducting this project with data from students in her ENGH 302 Advanced Composition course. 

“We asked students open-ended questions, including whether they think they’re over-reliant or under-reliant on generative AI tools. That feeds directly into the next activity, which is all about under-reliance, over-reliance, and the harm of being either. We want students to find a cushy middle,” she said. 

The team got their first round of data from students in spring 2025, which showed that just providing these discussion spaces has increased students’ ethical thinking about AI use in college by more than 60%, explained Bryan. 

“We went to the institutional review boards at all the different institutions to get permission to do the research,” said Breana Bayraktar, an educational developer with George Mason and one of the projects primary investigators.  

Students working on their laptops in class. Photo by Getty Images.

Bayraktar said thanks to the support of the SCHEV grant, they've been able to hire graduate research assistants and get undergraduates involved in organizing the collected data. 

“We support each of the institutional teams for their research objectives and collect data from students,” said Bayraktar. “There's a number of teams that have done presentations or have written projects that are either published or on the track to publication that have come out of the different research projects. With this data, we were able to make one coherent project with one survey.” 

Students in George Mason’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP), and OSCAR Research Assistant (OSCAR-RA) Program also helped in the research. 

“The students really gain professional experience and exposure to real-world research practices. It’s very much a mentoring role with the students,” Bayraktar said. 

There is an Open Educational Resources (OER) portion of the study, “so even after this study is complete, all of the research methods and activities we’re using are being compiled into OERs for future use under a creative commons license,” said Bryan.  

Under this SCHEV grant, George Mason is hosting three conferences on AI, the last of which will be in May 2026. The grant funding goes through summer 2026. 

Learn more about AI at George Mason

In This Story

Amanda Leigh Bryan

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George Mason students present at the second annual Undergraduate Research Showcase in Richmond

Katarina Benson — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:37:39 +0000

George Mason students present at the second annual Undergraduate Research Showcase in Richmond Katarina Benson Wed, 02/11/2026 - 12:37

At the end of January, three 91�� students presented their research at the Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa) Undergraduate Research Showcase at the Capitol in Richmond. Now in its second year, the event gives undergraduates from each of NURVa’s member universities an opportunity to present their research to state legislators and fellow researchers alike. Students worked with faculty through George Mason’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) to refine their work and apply to the selective event.

“Having my work accepted into the showcase affirmed that my research is relevant and meaningful, and I was eager to share both the project itself and its broader impact,” said Honors College student Alexia De Costa, a junior applied computer science major studying social robotics.

From left, George Mason students Emily Keung, Sofie Strompf, and Alexia De Costa presented at the second NURVa Undergraduate Research Showcase at the Capitol. Photo by Karen T. Lee/OSCAR

De Costa’s project, “A Robotic Cat for Examining Camera Clarity and Privacy in Human–Robot Interaction,” focuses on a robotic cat called BARC (the Bioinspired Automated Robotic Cat). BARC is equipped with camera-based facial detection, expressive behaviors, and pre-recorded sounds meant to simulate a household cat. The project studied conceptions of privacy, finding that equipping BARC with a lower quality camera lessened how surveilled the participants felt, without compromising sociability or engagement.

De Costa worked on her project as a member of George Mason’s Human-Agent Collaboration Lab, led by psychology professor Eileen Roesler, which studies human-robot and human-AI interaction. De Costa is very focused on maintaining privacy while keeping the benefits of human-robot collaboration.

“Robotics is advancing at an extraordinary pace, often without full consideration of the people who ultimately interact with these technologies. Being given the opportunity to raise important questions about human autonomy, privacy, and ethics in a government space, particularly at the Capitol in Richmond, was incredibly meaningful to me,” she said.

Senior Emily Keung, a chemistry major with a biochemistry concentration and member of George Mason's Nanoelectronics Research Group, presented her project “2D Diselenide Nanomaterials as Emerging VOC-Adsorbing Platforms for Low-Emission Cosmetic Technologies.” The project found that certain 2D materials could reduce Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in consumer goods such as hair spray or dry shampoo.

VOCs contribute to air pollution and may irritate sensitive groups. Long-term exposure to certain VOCs can also cause serious health issues, making Keung’s research particularly important.

“It was especially meaningful to discuss my research with attendees from outside the university, including policymakers and researchers, and to see genuine interest in how undergraduate research can intersect with public health and materials science,” she said.

She credits her experience at the Nanoelectronics Research Lab, under the guidance of Ethan Ahn, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with teaching her the skills needed to present her work confidently.

Honors College student and neuroscience major Sofie Strompf’s research, under her mentors Lance Liotta and Marissa Howard at George Mason's Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, focused on cancer cells’ survivability tactics.

Her project, titled “Extracellular Vesicle Export of Activated Tumor Suppressor Proteins Following Mitophagy Induction,” found that cancer cells remove damaged organelles and an essential tumor suppressor protein called p53, which allows the cells to evade the body's cancer-suppression mechanisms.

As a senior, Strompf has had several opportunities to present her research over the past four years, including at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2024 and 2025, with grants from OSCAR’s Undergraduate Student Travel Fund. She said attending NURVa was particularly meaningful for her this year, as her state delegate, Gretchen Bulova, was able to attend and see her work.

“I was honored to have the opportunity to present to my delegate, especially as a representative of Mason," Strompf said. “I think I nearly cried when she told me that she was impressed with my work and complimented my research communication skills.”

After she graduates, Strompf plans on pursuing a PhD in neurodegenerative diseases.

Learn more about the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research

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College of Engineering and Computing

Collaboration with Children’s National Hospital aims to reduce child mortality rates caused by Sickle Cell kidney failure

Katarina Benson — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 22:12:42 +0000

Collaboration with Children’s National Hospital aims to reduce child mortality rates caused by Sickle Cell kidney failure  Katarina Benson Tue, 01/20/2026 - 17:12

Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), a genetic disorder affecting red blood cells, experience terrible bouts of pain when the blood cells contort into a sickle shape and block small blood vessels, hindering oxygen delivery to critical organs. Whenever these bouts occur in the kidneys, the filtration system of the kidneys can be irreversibly damaged. Kidney failure is associated with a 30% death rate in SCD patients. 

In partnership with Children’s National Hospital, scientists at 91�� have discovered a new way to detect early signs of kidney damage in childhood patients with SCD. A recently awarded two-year $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth Health Research Board will support a team led by George Mason systems biologist and research fellow Marissa Howard; Children’s National Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Program Director Andrew Campbell, MD; and urinary biomarker expert Oliver John Semmes, of Old Dominion University.

Marissa Howard with collaborator Andrew Campbell, MD, at Children's National Hospital. Photo provided

The multi-institutional trial leverages unique proteomic expertise blended within the Children’s National SCD Program’s ongoing clinical study of the progress of SCD within pediatric patients over time and will transform kidney disease detection in these SCD patients.

According to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, SCD is a global health problem that affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States, with about 2,000 babies annually being diagnosed with the disease at birth. With each SCD crisis, kidney damage accumulates, increasing the risk of total kidney failure mortality for SCD patients. Early detection of kidney damage, especially in childhood, allows for rapid treatment and prevention of long-term kidney damage-related effects.

“Our team will analyze the actual damaged mitochondria, the power houses of the cell, that are crippled by lack of oxygen that occurs during each sickle-cell crisis,” said Howard, who first reported this pathway and methodology to rescue mitochondrially damaged cells in her prior National Institutes of Health-supported and published research.  

“We measure these damaged mitochondria shed by the kidney in a few milliliters of urine so we can develop an early warning system for the onset of kidney damage,” said Howard, an expert in isolation of extracellular vesicles (EVs), small packages of cellular information shed into the urine, and the methods required to complete this analysis. “Our partners at Children’s National are known for identifying innovative approaches to treat SCD. This exciting collaboration is collectively motivated by our ultimate goal of reducing the high mortality rate caused by Sickle Cell kidney failure in children affected by this disease.”   

 Children’s National Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Program, among the largest in the country, follows more than 1,500 patients from birth through age 21 and is one of the few centers offering gene therapy treatments for SCD. The program has amassed a large base of patient samples, some of which will be analyzed in this project.  

Campbell, a physician-scientist caring for SCD patients at Children’s National, will oversee the recruitment, consenting, and collection of biological samples throughout the study's duration, as well as coordinate the delivery of these samples to George Mason’s CAP/CLIA certified laboratory facilities for analysis. 

While current screening methods rely on established urine tests for albumin, this groundbreaking research will use advanced proteomic analysis to detect kidney injury at its earliest stages—before conventional tests show abnormalities.

“We've watched as silent kidney damage progresses year after year, often going undetected until significant harm has occurred,” said Campbell. “By identifying kidney disease earlier, we can intervene sooner with more effective disease-modifying therapies and curative treatments, potentially preventing or slowing progression to kidney failure.”

According to Campbell, this grant is more than funding—it's a commitment to SCD patients and their families, a collaboration to build the next generation of diagnostics, which can fundamentally change how to manage SCD and protect the health of children and young adults living with this debilitating disease.

“This partnership leverages our collective strengths to address a compelling global challenge that might have a multitude of applications,” shared Lance Liotta, MD, codirector of George Mason’s Center for Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM), who will certify that all work performed is under CAP/CLIA compliance for the data to be presented to the FDA for future clinical application.  

George Mason is highly regarded for offering real world, hands-on learning experiences for its science students, and this medical research project is no exception. As part of George Mason’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, Honors College student Naureen Zahra, who had interned the previous summer at the National Institutes of Health on a project focused on curing SCD with bone marrow transplants, performed portions of this experimental study over the summer.  

 Naureen Zahra interned at the National Institutes of Health. Photo provided

“One of my educational goals was to become an expert in performing key molecular biology techniques such as western blots to analyze the presence of proteins like PINK1, which plays a key role in regulating mitochondrial health,” said Zahra, a neuroscience major. The team worked to isolate EVs from Children’s National patient urine samples and analyze protein data. “Working with these scientists on actual patient samples connected me to real-world outcomes, expanding my sense of empathy for what these children are going through.” 

In addition to its potential to improve the lives of those affected by SCD, this research effort may also have even wider impact.   

“These findings could also serve as a new marker for mitochondrial damage for a variety of diseases including Parkinson’s, heart disease, and diabetic kidney disease,” said Howard. “In addition, urinary biomarkers could offer a predictive tool to guide SCD therapy management and therapy effectiveness more holistically.”

Learn more about Research at George Mason

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Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine - CAPMM

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

partnerships

College of Engineering and Computing

Honors College

George Mason and UVA researchers look into the future of hydrogen sensors

Katarina Benson — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:50:07 +0000

George Mason and UVA researchers look into the future of hydrogen sensors Katarina Benson Thu, 12/11/2025 - 09:50

As the use of underwater, aerial, and unmanned ground vehicles continues to grow, it is critical that the fuel cells necessary to power these systems operate safely, while providing durable and optimal performance. High-performance hydrogen sensors, which monitor leakage, energy efficiency, and durability under a wide range of operating conditions, are key to this function.

Pilgyu Kang. Photo provided

Currently, palladium-based electrochemical hydrogen sensors are primarily used; however, they often exhibit low sensitivity, a slow response rate, and mechanical instability. Hybrid materials are emerging as a better solution, but questions remain regarding their efficacy.

That was the crux of the request for 4-VA funding from 91��’s Pilgyu Kang and Stephen Baek of the University of Virginia. Kang saw an opportunity to explore this new avenue in hydrogen sensing, but also saw the need to integrate Baek’s expertise in scientific machine learning to identify optimal design parameters—including nanoparticle size, distribution, surface coverage, and porosity—that govern the sensor’s sensitivity, response time, and long-term stability. 4-VA funding is designed to support these kinds of collaborations.

Kang, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is pleased with the results. After months of wide-ranging study, the team can now predict with the help of machine learning how changes in material design affect sensor performance. This helps the team quickly test many design possibilities and find the best combinations—something that would take much longer with experiments alone.

“Our research team has made exciting progress in developing advanced materials for next-generation gas sensors,” said Kang, who has a lab on George Mason’s Science and Technology Campus. “We’ve created and tested nanocomposites made from laser-induced graphene and metal nanoparticles to improve how sensors respond to light and detect gases like hydrogen and methane. The materials we’ve developed show promising photo response behavior, which is a key step toward building compact, highly sensitive sensors for environmental and industrial use.”

Since the initial proposal, Kang has added outside collaborators NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and N5 Sensors, both providing important platforms to explore potential commercialization paths.

NASA GSFC researchers Peter Snapp and Mahmooda Sultana collaborated with the team on the development of a methane gas sensor. They provided expertise in space-relevant sensing technologies and contributed guidance on performance requirements, testing protocols, and potential integration pathways for aerospace applications.

Diego Enrique Colmenarez received the Outstanding Project Award at the College of Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Research Celebration for his work on the 4-VA project. Photo provided

“This collaboration strengthens the translational potential of the 4-VA-supported laser-induced graphene nanocomposite sensing platform for real-world and extreme environment use cases,” said Kang.

N5 Sensors offered industry insight into the commercialization potential of the laser-induced graphene-based sensor platform. Their involvement included feedback on sensor integration strategies, performance metrics relevant to the market, and potential pathways for transitioning the research from lab-scale prototypes to scalable, deployable systems.

Peter Cho of the Department of Mechanical Engineering also worked with the team, volunteering his time to evaluate the hydrogen sensing performance of the developed materials and providing advice on sensors relevant to fuel cell applications.

Kang said the 4-VA funding also helped create valuable hands-on research opportunities for undergraduates. He credits four mechanical engineering majors who made significant contributions to the project:

Philip Acatrinei shared key material and device integration techniques—particularly in the use of laser-induced graphene and nanocomposite fabrication for advanced sensor platforms.
Graham Harper studied laser-induced graphene and nanocomposite materials for optoelectronic sensing applications.
Noemi Lily Umanzor helped to validate the broader versatility and cross-disciplinary potential of the materials and manufacturing approaches developed in the project.
Diego Enrique Colmenarez performed experimental tasks involving the laser manufacturing and characterization of graphene-based nanocomposites. For his work, Colmenarez received the “Outstanding Project Award” at the College of Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Research Celebration. He also presented on the subject at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Undergraduate Research Symposium on Dynamics, Vibration and Acoustics.

The team has already had two published papers on the project in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C and Advanced Science, but Kang sees the 4-VA project as a launching pad for much more.

“The funding provided the essential support needed to launch a high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary research project that might not have been possible through traditional funding channels alone,” he said. “Beyond advancing the technical goals, the support from 4-VA has helped position our team for larger external funding, fostered long-term partnerships, and demonstrated how collaborative, cross-institutional work can drive real innovation.”

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Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

4-VA at Mason

Student researchers show their work at OSCAR Celebration of Research and Impact

ckearney — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:44:28 +0000

Student researchers show their work at OSCAR Celebration of Research and Impact ckearney Mon, 09/15/2025 - 14:44

Foreign languages major Yamileth Hernandez-Becerra and community health major Melody Campos received a Best Poster award for their research, “Community Roots, Linguistic Equity: The Power of Outreach in Dual Language Immersion,” during the Summer 2025 Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) Celebration of Student Research and Impact in August.

Yamileth Hernandez-Becerra with the award-winning poster she created with Melody Campos. Photo provided

Their research was conducted as part of a George Mason Summer Team Impact Project (STIP) that was led by Ellen Serafini and Jihye Moon, associate professors in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS).

The symposium, held at Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center, offered undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to showcase their research to 91�� community.

For the STIP program, faculty make a proposal to the Office of Undergraduate Education in the Provost’s Office. Projects are then selected for funding. Serafini and Moon’s summer project focused on language, educational access, and social equity in local bilingual schools.

The team observed teachers at dual language immersion programs at two Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) elementary schools—Laurel Ridge Elementary School (Spanish) and Colin Powell Elementary School (Korean)—and interviewed teachers, school administrators, parents, FCPS board members, and state administrators.

George Mason students Sarah Choudary and Sukyoung Yoon presented their Summer Impact project research on language immersion programs at the OSCAR Celebration. Photo provided

“This is a student-led project,” Moon said. “The students started from scratch coming up with the research questions and designing the research. They identified who the major stakeholders were in this program and interviewed them.”

Graduate teaching assistant Teo Rogers Mendizabal, who is working on a degree in Cultural Studies, worked on the project with eight undergraduates: Campos, Hernandez-Becerra, English and foreign languages major Sarah Choudhary, global affairs Sukyoung Yoon, foreign languages major Chloe Davis, global affairs and foreign languages major Avery Rhoden, mathematics and foreign languages major Giselle Concepcion, and foreign languages major Roslyn Brown.

“It has been an eye-opening experience for me to learn about these programs.… I’ve learned a lot,” said Hernandez-Becerra, who attended nearby Robinson High School. “It feels great to give back to my community and see what I can do to help them.”

In addition to the STIP research, a handful of CHSS students also presented at the symposium as part of research conducted through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) from OSCAR.

English major Amaiyah-monet Parker presented on “Multi-generational Experiences of Structural Racism and the Denial of Innocence in the Lives of Black Girls in Philadelphia.”
Psychology majors Mehmood Shajih and Minasi H. Kaluappuwa presented research titled “Parents’ Beliefs About Child Development and Child Executive Functioning.”
Psychology major Keyanna Jackson presented a study on “Researching Self Actualization: How Queer POC Integrate their Intersectional Identities.”
Aileen Fezzie, a psychology and criminology, law, and society double major, researched “Differential Susceptibility to Social Influence Across Cultural Orientations.
Integrative studies major Alessaundra Shallal conducted an oral history study titled “Living Between Labels: An Oral History on Race, Religion, and Recognition Among MENA Students at GMU (1960 to 2025)."

“I’m so honored to have received this funding and this platform to share something that I believe deserves more visibility,” Shallal said. “The fact George Mason offers this is incredibly telling of its values.”

Check out more research from OSCAR

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