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Electrical engineer powers back to the pool after a rocky start

Nathan Kahl — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:49:29 +0000

Electrical engineer powers back to the pool after a rocky start Nathan Kahl Thu, 03/12/2026 - 07:49

When Ryan Serbia arrived at 91��, he had already done something most students never consider, finishing high school at 16. Arriving on campus on a swimming scholarship, the electrical engineering major was ready to get his swimming career started, but two weeks after coming to Fairfax, a scooter had other ideas for him. He hit a patch of gravel, went down, and broke his right arm, requiring surgery. “I tell people to stay away from those things,” he said sardonically.

Ryan Serbia. Photo by Raphael Suanes/George Mason Athletics

His parents had to drive 1,500 miles from his hometown of Lawton, Oklahoma, to sign the paperwork authorizing medical attention, since he was still a minor. For a freshman recruited to swim Division I, it was a tough start. He redshirted the entire season, keeping his scholarship but watching meets from the pool deck. “It was a good experience being there,” he said. “But it stung. I wanted to be competing.”

Swimming has shaped much of his life, though it did not begin in the typical way. He grew up in a military family and switched to online homeschooling in sixth grade after moving from North Carolina to Oklahoma. The online program allowed him to advance quickly and after a placement test, he skipped ahead to eighth grade and then went back to public schools.

He started swimming at 11, later than many elite competitors. At first, he struggled; at his first tryout, coaches told him to come back a week later because he was too slow for the team. By the time he was 14, however, something shifted. At a state meet, he earned a qualifying time for a regional championship by one one hundredth of a second.

“That kind of started my journey,” he said. From there, his times began to drop. He switched club programs after disagreements about training and saw major improvements. By 16, he had earned Futures and Junior National cuts and was competing against swimmers several years older.

Serbia did not let a broken arm hold him back. Photo by Raphael Suanes/George Mason Athletics

He chose George Mason because the East Coast location appealed to him, along with the university’s strong engineering reputation and proximity to Washington, D.C. His father, now a systems engineer with Boeing after 20 years in the Army, encouraged him to look at schools with strong research connections.

He chose electrical engineering as his major, knowing it would be demanding alongside Division I athletics. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done besides swimming,” he said. “But when it clicks, it’s really satisfying.”

During the season, his schedule includes early morning weightlifting, afternoon practices, classes, and study sessions. Managing time is the biggest challenge. “You get to the end of the day and it’s six o’clock, and that’s when you can study, but your body’s exhausted,” he said. Even so, he has earned a spot on the Provost’s Student-Athlete List with a GPA above 3.8.

Now healthy and competing, he has balance in his routine. Outside the pool and classroom, he appreciates the university’s walkable campus and the cooler Mid-Atlantic climate compared to Oklahoma’s heat.

Looking ahead, he is considering graduate study, possibly in quantum information or another research-intensive field. For now, he is focused on continuing to improve in the 200 breaststroke and building the foundation for both an engineering career and the next stage of competition.

For students considering the same path, his advice is simple: “Be ready to manage your time.”

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Electrical Engineering

Student Athlete

Patriot Profile

Students use AI to solve everyday challenges at recent Fail-a-Thon

sbrown79 — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:35:24 +0000

Students use AI to solve everyday challenges at recent Fail-a-Thon  sbrown79 Mon, 01/12/2026 - 12:35

91�� is preparing students to transform setbacks into stepping stones with a “Fail-a-Thon," a hackathon event where failing forward is the goal.

The event, hosted by the College of Engineering and Computing, encouraged students to explore bold ideas under two themes: artificial intelligence (AI) for everyday challenges and tech for well-being and creativity.

Junior computer science major Oluwatomisin Badmus and his partner, junior applied computer science major Chesney Noye, working under the team name “AfroHacks,” took first place. 

Chesney Noye (center) and Oluwatomisin Badmus presenting at the Fail-a-thon. Photo provided.

Badmus and Noye are international students and wanted to emphasize the importance of checking in with one another within their community. The duo used an AI coding tool to build an application that allows users to log their current mood over the course of the day, and the system then uses the logged mood when responding to questions.

“You might describe it as a mood-aware AI chatbot,” explained Badmus.

They were able to complete a working version of the application to present to the judges. The team 808s won 2nd place and the Three Musketeers won 3rd. 

“I'm very passionate about AI, so I make sure to take advantage of every educational opportunity regarding AI. I hope to apply that knowledge in my work to make an impact both in and out of school,” said Badmus, an Honors College student. 

Badmus said he has participated in other George Mason hackathons and competitions at other institutions such as Morgan State, John Hopkins University, and online. Badmus encouraged Noye to participate in the event with him in hopes that he would also find the experience rewarding. 

“I’ve always wanted to participate in a hackathon, so when I saw the flyer for the Fail-a-thon, I knew it would be a great opportunity to gain experience in a relatively low-stakes environment,” said Noye, who has a concentration in software engineering.

Noye said hackathons always seemed too intimidating, but he was encouraged by the fail-a-thon's easygoing approach.

“Having an event centered around failing gave people room to go out there with their ideas, and getting to see all the projects everyone else came up with was great,” he said.

“Getting to share stories with the other participants there on where our projects failed, what weird bugs we had, and how different our initial ideas and final products ended up was a great bonding moment and really helped normalize the idea that failing is okay,” said Noye.

The students had two hours to build real-world practical projects using provided AI tools. Many of the project features were built and working, and judges and attendees could see them live during the presentations. 

Humaira Akhtari (left) with Christi Cartwright Wilcox, director, Office of Outreach Student Success and Engagement. Photo provided.

“Watching students turn ideas into functional solutions in just two hours was genuinely exciting and inspiring,” said Humaira Akhtari, a term instructor in the Department of Information Science and Technology and one of three faculty judges at the event.

Other judges included professors Socrates Dimitriadis and Maha Shamseddine from the Department of Computer Science.

“I kept telling the teams, ‘I would be the first person to use your app’ because their ideas were genuinely useful. Seeing students build practical solutions, collaborate across disciplines, and confidently present their work made the experience incredibly rewarding,” said Akhtari. “It brings me so much joy seeing my students grow beyond the classroom. Whether it’s capstone presentations, Fail-a-Thon, or Engineering Week, I love seeing how my students are thriving.” 

Students from electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, IST, and cyber security engineering participated. The mix of backgrounds really elevated the ideas and discussions, said Akhtari. 

When evaluating projects, judges looked at creativity, risk-taking, learning through failure, and how well teams communicated their ideas.  

“Rather than penalizing mistakes, we looked for evidence of iteration, reflection, and growth. The goal was to celebrate experimentation and meaningful learning,” said Akhtari. 

“Events like Fail-a-Thon create a safe space where students learn that failure is not something to avoid—it’s part of the process. This mindset is essential not only in academics, but also in entrepreneurship and real-world problem solving,” said Akhtari.

One team built a study management tool where students could upload their course syllabus, and the app would automatically generate a personalized study plan based on upcoming assignments and deadlines.

Another team designed a nutrition app that helps users track dietary preferences like Halal, vegan, and other restrictions.  

There were also projects focused on productivity, motivation, and wellness—apps that help users stay on track with their schedules, motivate them to stay consistent at the gym, or even guide users while grocery shopping based on their calorie goals.  

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Applied computer science

computer science

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Humaira Akhtari

Socrates Dimitriadis

Maha Shamseddine

Artificial Intelligence at George Mason

George Mason hackathon team turns heads online with award-winning cat robot

tdonnel — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:22:27 +0000

George Mason hackathon team turns heads online with award-winning cat robot tdonnel Mon, 11/17/2025 - 09:22

91��’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) made a splash on an online stage when students from four different departments joined forces to compete at Saucethon 2025, a hardware-focused hackathon hosted by Open Sauce and the National Havoc Robot League. Their second-place finish didn’t just earn bragging rights—it highlighted the CEC’s breadth of expertise and collaborative spirit for thousands of viewers following the event online.

From left to right: Alexia Marie De Costa, Irene Hossain, Meah Chambers, and Luis Anchundia. Photo provided.

The challenge began with a $500 combat robot kit and a mission: modify the base design to complete a rescue scenario in an apocalyptic setting. YouTubers Michael Reeves and William Osman participated, filmed, and commentated throughout the event, amplifying the competition to thousands of viewers.

“Usually hackathons are software focused, so building a robot was so much fun,” said computer science major and Honors College student Alexia Marie De Costa. “The challenges were really fun as well.”

Majoring in computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and information technology, respectively, the team joined forces with two other participants, a virtual reality specialist and a programming expert, to develop a cat-themed design.

“I decided that I wanted to add cat ears just because I thought it’d be cute,” said information technology major Irene Ashma Hossain. Those playful touches evolved into practical enhancements: static paws for herding, a pan-tilt tail for maneuverability, and modified wheels for stability.

The team's robot. Photo provided.

“It ended up being really effective,” said De Costa.

The 24-hour event tested endurance and ingenuity. Against a backdrop of camera crews and livestreams, George Mason’s team stood out for its creativity and adaptability. Even after a late-night power outage forced participants to improvise, the team completed two rescue runs, performing “emergency surgery” with duct tape between rounds. Their determination paid off: second place, ahead of the prominent YouTubers’ team.

“We were really just having a lot of fun building, so seeing it succeed was exciting,” said De Costa.

By blending creativity, technical skill, and resilience, the team demonstrated George Mason’s interdisciplinary strength, innovative mindset, and ambition.

“This experience was really, really fun,” De Costa reflected. “We’re definitely planning to attend the next one—and maybe even host it closer to Mason.”

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Hackathon

Cyber security engineering student excels at his internship for the second time

sbrown79 — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:15:06 +0000

Cyber security engineering student excels at his internship for the second time  sbrown79 Mon, 10/06/2025 - 10:15

When 91�� cyber security engineering student Noah Hinger interned at Surefire Cyber in summer 2023, his managers were so impressed with his work that they invited him back. Thanks to his previous experience, the Honors College student was able to take on more responsibility this summer at the computer security company and contribute to more projects.

“The experience from my first summer here let me understand what was happening and contribute across the company,” said Hinger, who is a sophomore in the College of Engineering and Computing. “Surefire Cyber has an amazing internship program. They're investing in us by having professional development meetings and providing us with the opportunity to talk to experts from different fields.” said Hinger.

“I think it’s helped me a lot to be able to practice my independence and accountability,” said Hinger, who also competes in George Mason’s Chess and Competitive Cyber Clubs. “I've had the chance to do projects on my own without necessarily needing to report to someone, and I've also learned so much from all the smart people at Surefire Cyber.”

Noah Hinger. Photo provided.

What made you choose Surefire Cyber for your internships? 

Surefire Cyber is a digital forensics and incident response company. When an organization gets hacked, they call Surefire Cyber to conduct an investigation and restore systems so that everything's OK. As a technology intern, I am helping develop the code that our forensic analysts use to figure out what's happened and retrieve all the essential data. Surefire Cyber is really exceptional at using a lot of automation tools so that the forensic analysts can focus more on the big picture and the data they’re working with. 

What does a typical day interning at Surefire Cyber look like for you? 

I work under two groups: software development and information operations, or DevOps, and security engineering. For DevOps, I help to manage company infrastructure and work on a lot of coding assignments. 

Traditionally, there are software developers, and there are operations, which maintain it. DevOps is kind of a hybrid role, which means it entails coding, setting up servers, and being responsible for maintaining the infrastructure. 

How would you say George Mason has helped prepare you for this role? 

I definitely think more critically when problem-solving this time around, and I think that's in part due to George Mason, especially the Honors College research and literature classes that I’ve taken. I'm learning about a lot of new technologies in real time, so I have to be able to research and read about them and then apply that knowledge to my work. The courses have definitely helped me when it comes absorbing the information I’m reading about and then transferring it to my assignments at Surefire Cyber. 

Another thing about the Honors College is that I get to meet different people from different disciplines, and that's really helped me at Surefire Cyber when connecting and networking with colleagues. I think that's been really rewarding and something that George Mason's helped prepare me for. 

I've also gotten a lot of experience in my systems engineering and digital systems engineering classes, and getting to see what goes into a lot of security minded decisions is very similar to what I’m doing in this internship. 

What’s your favorite thing about interning at Surefire Cyber? 

My favorite thing about the company is that it’s always driving innovation and new discoveries within cybersecurity and digital forensics. They're always pushing for the best and trying to help people. That's the whole point of digital forensics is to be there for and helping them out on the worst day of their life. 

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Mason Competitive Cyber

Department of Cyber Security Engineering

A one-woman team puts many eyes in the skies

Nathan Kahl — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:37:27 +0000

A one-woman team puts many eyes in the skies Nathan Kahl Wed, 10/01/2025 - 15:37

Fatima Majid, a 91�� senior majoring in cyber security engineering, was not just the only one-person team in the top 10 award winners at a recent National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) cyber competition, she was the only student team. Majid placed ninth out of 51 teams, most of them comprising industry experts.

“I went in, and they were all professional teams, like from Lockheed Martin. I thought, ‘I want to go home,’” said Majid with a laugh, describing her initial cold feet. “But I told myself I could do it. It helped that it was hosted at George Mason, and I had professors there giving me support.”

Her project focused on how the Department of Defense (DoD) can protect critical U.S. infrastructure against low-cost drone attacks at scale, informed by Ukraine’s “Operation Spiderweb,” which used 117 drones to attack Russian air bases in June 2025.

Majid spent the summer in Richmond during a public policy internship. Photo provided

Majid’s lightbulb moment came with a flash as bright as a Virginia speed camera catching a lead-footed driver. Considering the significant network of traffic cameras in the commonwealth, she conceived SkyEyes. This applies an artificial intelligence (AI) model to the live feed of the Virginia 511 camera network, which provides real-time traffic information to citizens and transportation officials. SkyEyes demonstrated how a low-cost, AI-enabled surveillance layer could differentiate threats from non-threats, employing geofencing logic to define safe versus threat zones around sensitive sites.

“I understand how drones work because of what I’ve done at George Mason’s MIX lab—and since I know how to build it, I also know how to jam it. I trained the AI model on a data set provided from a contest sponsor, and that data set had drone imaging and drone prototyping,” she said. “The camera feeds can find objects flying, but what if it’s an Amazon drone, for example? Then I added geofencing and threat analysis to observe the behavior of the drone—if it's a drone at 2 a.m., for example, maybe that's sketchy. So, the model gets smarter.”

Majid said that to access the cameras, all she had to do was make a phone call to the right person and explain her project. She cited time spent this summer at the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine in the Undergraduate Policy Program (VASEM UPP) in Richmond as giving her confidence and exposure to how government works.

K. L. Akerlof, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason, said, “The VASEM UPP is a unique opportunity for undergraduates to learn about opportunities in science policy at the state level. The immersive experience of spending a week in Richmond visiting the General Assembly and state agencies, while getting a crash course in how research evidence relates to public policy, can open new doors and career pathways.”

Majid said the strong showing gave her tremendous exposure to influential professional contacts. She fielded several questions about her simulation and future professional plans from a man she only later realized was Retired Brigadier General and NDIA Executive Vice President Guy Walsh.

“Because he showed interest, after he walked away, a crowd of people gathered around to ask me questions. It was very validating.”

She also had a long conversation about her project with Harley Stout, acting chief digital and AI officer at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Majid is still pleasantly shocked by her top-10 finish. She is working with Mohamed Gebril, an associate professor in Cyber Security Engineering, on expanding the research. She is confident that such a cost-efficient solution for critical infrastructure protection against drone attacks will attract more funding opportunities.

She credited the supportive culture at Mason—and her family—for keeping her grounded and encouraging her throughout, saying their support made the accomplishment even more meaningful.

In This Story

Mohamed Gebril

Topics

Cyber Security Research

competitions

Drones

Artificial Intelligence

The MIX

Defense and Security

U.S. Department of Defense

91�� students ran with the big dogs at defense hackathon

Jennifer Pocock — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:22:00 +0000

91�� students ran with the big dogs at defense hackathon Jennifer Pocock Thu, 09/11/2025 - 12:22

When the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) convened the first round of its high-tech competition at Fuse at Mason Square, they should have known it would end with a strong George Mason showing.

From left to right: Ricardo Vega, Chris Martin, Noah Kabiri, Van Tran, Phuoc Nguyen, and NDIA judge. Photo provided.

The NDIA Hackathon is an internationally renowned competition that welcomes teams from every sector—not just colleges. That means that some of the country’s greatest minds in professional national defense industries and the military line up against ambitious young students to see who has the best vision for securing our future.

In this case, that project came from a team of George Mason students led by Noah Kabiri, a newly minted sophomore in computer science, with an idea for context-based visualization. How the team came together was kismet.

Kabiri met Chris Martin, a senior in cybersecurity engineering, when looking for someone to join him. The two happened to be working at the same table as Ricardo Vega, a George Mason PhD student in electrical engineering, who had teamed up with Major Phuoc Nguyen from the Department of Defense (DoD) and Van Tran, CEO of Advanced Cambridge Technologies.

“Halfway through the competition we realized that we were all doing similar things and using similar platforms. We decided that we would be a more competitive team if we combined,” Karbiri said. “We got together and swept the competition.”

Each team in the hackathon had to come up with a product that would be marketable and meet some need for the DoD. They then had to market, present, and sell the product to a panel of non-technical judges from the industry and military. Kabiri’s team, SpecDOps Force, addressed a need in the ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) category.

Their product was an SaaS (software as a service) that takes footage and video feeds from anywhere—drone surveillance video, infrared, geospatial satellite images, security cameras, body cams, and more—and analyzes the environment.

“We had machine learning detection models pick up objects like vehicles, weapons, and faces,” Kabiri said. Their software is important because it can determine threat levels based on environmental contexts. “For example, if you were deploying it on a mission in the desert, detecting firearms would be normal because everyone has firearms in war. If you put it in an airport, however, seeing firearms would be bad.”

Out of the 683 registered participants, the George Mason-led team took third place. They were separated from second place by hundredths of a point—it was extremely close. This is gratifying, considering that first place went to a well-established corporate team from a major tech company and second place went to a mix of government contractors. Compared to that, an ad-hoc team headed by George Mason undergrads is nothing short of incredible.

Kabiri hopes that there is a future for their innovation. While the competition only looks for proof of concept over the 72-hour project period, he thinks that he can take it forward. “I don’t see any other products out there that are context-driven. It’s also really adaptable,” he said. “Right now I’m researching how to add walking gaits onto it, where you can determine who someone is based on how they move.”

Though Kabiri is still deciding exactly where to specialize his studies or whether he should pick up a second major in math (it’s only the beginning of his second year, after all), he seems to be headed in a productive direction.

Topics

Hackathon

competitions

Military

Artificial Intelligence

invention

Cybersecurity student hopes to use his powers for good

sbrown79 — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 15:49:25 +0000

Cybersecurity student hopes to use his powers for good sbrown79 Fri, 08/29/2025 - 11:49

When 91�� cyber security engineering major Connor Wadlin learned about ransomware attacks on organizations, such as the one on the Health Service Executive in Ireland, in his CYSE 445 System Security and Resilience class, it confirmed his commitment to dedicating his educational and professional career to protecting and preserving human lives.

“There’s nothing more important than protecting and defending others. As an engineer, I’m driven to get important work done by thinking about complex problems and finding suitable solutions,” said Wadlin, who is from Leesburg, Virginia.

Since winter 2024, the Honors College student has been interning at the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) Northern Virginia Node, George Mason’s branch of the statewide network dedicated of excellence in cybersecurity research. CCI’s mission includes workforce development through training the next generation of cybersecurity experts.

CEC student and Commonwealth Cyber Initiative intern Connor Wadlin. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding.

“It’s a super exciting job because I get to work with AprilTags, which are on objects that the drone's camera then sees and scans. Instead of sharing data, the tags utilize location information for navigation, tracking objects, or pathing purposes,” he said.

Wadlin is also simulating drone flight with the Microsoft tool Air Sim, a project he presented at the CCI Symposium in April. “I created a model with a 98% accuracy, really high F1 score—higher than what we could find on the market—detecting collisions so the drones would be able to respond to anomalous factors such as objects that get too close, environmental variables, cyber-attacks, and more,” he explained.

Wadlin learned about many of the tools he’s currently using for CCI in his classes with College of Engineering and Computing professors, such as his mentor Mohamed Gebril, an associate professor in the Department of Cyber Security Engineering.

“George Mason supports people where they are to get them where they want to be,” Wadlin said.

The skills Wadlin has acquired during his time at George Mason and in his work with CCI have enable him to help other students in their studies.

“Connor is a very skilled student and has been able to develop different programs, as well as 12 labs for sophomore- and freshman-level students at George Mason. He even assists the students during our workshops,” said Gebril.

Wadlin is participating in George Mason’s Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program and will to pursuing a master’s degree also in cyber security. Gebril said he’s looking forward to having Wadlin in his classes again as a graduate student.

“It will be a smooth transition from the undergraduate to the graduate level because the curriculum aligns well with the CCI mission, which is to equip our students with the tools to conduct research activity and develop cutting-edge technology,” said Gebril.

Wadlin’s team is also working to develop a first-of-its-kind cyber drone race that incorporates cybersecurity challenges and artificial intelligence for undergraduate students.

Wadlin was diagnosed with autism at 19 and sees this diagnosis as working to his advantage by allowing him to see things from different perspectives and approach problems with his own unique ideas.

“As an engineer, you have to ask yourself ‘how is this making the world a better place?’ That's always got to be the end goal,” said Wadlin.

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