Students

A high-schooler's path to research, via George Mason

Heather Carroll — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:13:59 +0000

A high-schooler's path to research, via George Mason Heather Carroll Thu, 07/23/2026 - 15:13

Through a partnership between the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies and Thomas Jefferson High School, Bhavya Yendapalli conducted diabetes research, presented her findings nationally, and found a new interest in studying nutrition.

This month, Bhavya Yendapalli will stand beside her research poster at a national scientific conference, answering questions about a diabetes study she helped conduct at the 91�� College of Public Health.

Bhayva Yendapalli using the BodPod

Only weeks earlier, she graduated from high school.

The opportunity began through Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology's research practicum program, which allows seniors to spend part of their school year conducting research with professional mentors. Yendapalli chose the lab of George Mason nutrition expert Martin Binks, who chairs the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.

At first, the experience was intimidating. "I thought, 'I'm going to be with all these super smart people uncovering new things about the world,” Yendapalli said. “What can I contribute?'"

Bhayva Yendapall and Halide Aydin with the BodPod

But Binks entrusted her with meaningful research responsibilities working alongside the lab's graduate students and postdoctoral researcher Halide Aydin, from interviewing participants and collecting data to helping write the study's research protocol.

"It taught me that there's always more to learn, and you can always contribute," said Yendapalli.

A year in the lab

Yendapalli sought out Binks' lab because diabetes hit close to home. Her father and other relatives have Type 2 diabetes, and she wanted to better understand the disease.

Working alongside the research team, Yendapalli investigated whether the timing and frequency of meals—not just what people eat—are associated with measures of metabolic health, including blood sugar levels, metabolism and body composition.

At the College of Public Health’s Celebration of Student Scholarship in April, Yendapalli became the first high school student to showcase her work at the event. She had never presented a scientific poster before, so Binks spent a few minutes explaining the basics and asked her to come back for a practice run. "She returned in 45 minutes, and I haven't seen it presented so well in my life," Binks said. "It was almost flawless."

Binks has mentored dozens of high school researchers over the years, first at Texas Tech University and now at George Mason, where he works with students from Thomas Jefferson and other local high schools, including Westfield and Madison. “When students come to work with us, it exposes them to what it takes to be a researcher," he said. "It helps them understand career paths, clarify whether they do or don't like the work."

After sharing her research at the American Society for Nutrition's annual meeting this month, Yendapalli will head to Cornell University to study human biology, health, and society. She said her year in Binks' lab sparked a lasting interest in nutrition and its role in health.

"My research experience at George Mason is the reason I chose this major," she said.

Thumbnail and story photos by Evan Cantwell

In This Story

Martin Binks PhD, MBA

Key Takeaways

Thomas Jefferson High School senior Bhavya Yendapalli joined a lab in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at the George Mason College of Public Health through a year long research practicum.
Yendapalli spent her senior year working alongside nutrition expert Martin Binks and his research team, contributing to a diabetes study and presenting the findings.
The experience inspired the high schooler to study nutrition and health at Cornell University.

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Food and Nutrition

Student Research

Diabetes

College of Public Health

Students

This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities

ckearney — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:32:10 +0000

This course turns climate science into real-world impact for Virginia communities ckearney Tue, 07/21/2026 - 16:32

What difference does a tree make? That’s what 91�� researcher Luis Ortiz wanted to find out—before it was planted. Cities increasingly experience extreme heat that poses danger to anyone outside. The urban environment, even on a very small scale, can either help alleviate the problem or make it vastly worse.

Professor Luis Ortiz with his Micrometeorological Modeling class. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“We teach students the fundamentals of how the broader weather interacts with very, very local aspects of the built environment,” said Ortiz, who teaches in George Mason’s J. Shukla Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences. “By very, very local, I mean, what happens if I put a certain tree in one location, or if I apply a coating to a building’s surface to reflect the sun.”

Ortiz’s course, CLIM 759 Micrometeorological Modeling for Local Climate Action, targets “hyperlocal” community needs. It’s a way of taking research out of the lab and into the real world where it can have immediate impact. Ortiz and other professors—in collaboration with George Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth—piloted a model to create classes that work almost like nonprofit start-ups with municipalities and neighborhood groups as clients.

“We are meeting communities where they are and figuring out what their needs are related to weather hazards on heat, flooding, and air pollution. This is all based on the extensive community engagement that we've been doing with the Virginia Climate Center,” said Ortiz, who is the codirector of the VCC.

This is the second year that Ortiz is offering the graduate-level class, which is open to every major. The students work individually with community groups to study their needs and model the outcomes of various interventions. Last year, students worked with South Side ReLeaf in Richmond to model extreme heat zones around schools and shopping centers. This year, they ran individual projects with the cities of Fairfax, Alexandria, and Arlington, as well as Groundwork USA. These stakeholders were all invited to a day of final presentations at the end of the semester.

“The students are learning urban microclimate physics, as well as the software and models needed to understand them and answer real-world questions,” said Ortiz.

The course is truly interdisciplinary, attracting students majoring in fields from across the university, including GIS, civil engineering, mathematics, and fluid dynamics. They use social science methods to determine the communities’ needs.

Ivy Stempkovski, a climate dynamics PhD student who helped develop the course and is now taking it, created models to evaluate how public water features, such as splash parks, help kids cool down.

“My peers are thinking of things that never would have crossed my radar,” said Stempkovski. “That’s important because the whole goal is to make sure that we're maximizing impact for our community partner and the community themselves. If it weren't for the different perspectives, I think we could risk falling short. For instance, the engineers take a more practical perspective, and the GIS students know more about zoning laws.”

Gavin Middleton, a PhD student in earth and geoinformation sciences, took the course in its first year. His models revealed startling facts about how a lack of green spaces increased citizens’ susceptibility to heat stroke.

“The area I was looking at was an elementary school,” said Middleton. “This school was right next to a six-lane road that had no trees. We found that if kids were walking down that road in the middle of the summer heat, there was about a 5 percent chance that you got a heat stroke on any one kid.”

Other projects showed high risks of heat stroke and asthma attacks around unshaded shopping complexes with large parking lots, as well as bus stops where people would have to wait for long periods with no relief.

“I would say that it was a very important experience to actually get to know the people that my science affected,” said Middleton. “It's definitely not something you see at every university.”

Ortiz built the course as part of his work at the VCC and based it on the lean start-up model for businesses.

"Our students are both learning state-of-the-art modeling techniques and using them to answer important questions for stakeholders in the commonwealth and beyond,” he said. “With this model, students work on real-world problems, and our partners get access to science-backed data and insights to help them build stronger, more resilient communities.”

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of building a more climate-resilient society.

Discover more GCI climate research >>

Learn about other solutions >>

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Virginia Climate Center

George Mason ranks fifth in Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll

Katarina Benson — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:12:46 +0000

George Mason ranks fifth in Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll Katarina Benson Tue, 07/21/2026 - 14:12

91�� placed fifth among all Atlantic 10 institutions with 318 student-athletes named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2025-26 academic year. The 318 honorees mark the third-highest total in George Mason’s history, trailing only the 332 student-athletes recognized in 2020-21 and the 327 honored in 2023-24. The Patriots also improved upon last year's total of 315 honorees.

To earn a spot on the Commissioner's Honor Roll, student-athletes competing in an Atlantic 10-sponsored sport at a full member institution must achieve a cumulative 3.0 grade point average or higher across the fall and spring semesters. Freshmen and graduate students are eligible for the award.

Across the Atlantic 10, 3,944 student-athletes earned Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition, marking the seventh consecutive year the conference has recognized more than 3,500 student-athletes for their academic achievements.

A total of 380 Atlantic 10 student-athletes recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs during the 2025-26 academic year, while 2,677 honorees (67.8 percent) finished with GPAs of 3.5 or higher.

Fordham University led the conference with 351 Commissioner's Honor Roll selections, followed by Davidson College, Saint Joseph's University, University of Rhode Island, George Mason, St. Bonaventure University, and La Salle University.

Women's cross country and track and field led all sports with 488 honorees, followed by men's cross country and track and field and baseball.

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Serving up success: Camryn Weldon’s internship with Leidos

Katarina Benson — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:55:05 +0000

Serving up success: Camryn Weldon’s internship with Leidos Katarina Benson Wed, 07/15/2026 - 09:55

Like many 91�� students, business major Camryn Weldon is spending her summer doing an internship. Unlike many other students, Weldon is also a Division I athlete and is balancing her work at government contractor Leidos with the demands of collegiate volleyball. The George Mason setter is spending her summer preparing for the upcoming season while gaining valuable experience in business development.

Weldon, junior and business major, is also a setter on the George Mason volleyball team. Photo provided

"I spent last summer here as a business development intern, helping the business secure their current contracts and allowing them to grow and expand into other areas," Weldon said. "I'm back this year supporting federal financials—basically the pursuit of business in federal financial agencies, so like the FTC, the Treasury."

Weldon has found that her coursework directly supports her professional ambitions.

"I'm a business major and my concentration is finance," she said. "[This internship has] been really good exposure, and it's allowed me to understand what it actually looks like. It's easy to get your degree and think that you're going to be interested in something, and then it's a whole another thing to be doing it every day and know what you want in a career."

Her academic background has enhanced her understanding of the technical side of the business. "Last summer I didn't really understand what all of the different aspects of IT services meant," she said. "[But this past year] one of my operations courses talked a lot about IT infrastructure and how all that stuff works, and so that really prepared me to understand the types of services Leidos provides."

Weldon credits her experience as a student-athlete for helping her excel in the professional world. The confidence she's built on the court translates seamlessly into the workplace.

"I think being comfortable speaking to people in positions of power is a really valuable skill. Interns are usually pretty scared to talk to people, but I've had to talk to adults on the phone since I was getting recruited in high school," she said.

"I've gotten great feedback from my manager. He told me that he can tell I'm a natural leader. Being put in positions of leadership because of my past experience as a student-athlete and previous summer internship allowed me to feel comfortable enough to let my leadership skills show."

Her competitive drive also finds a home in business development. "Business development is a competitive environment—which is nothing new to me," Weldon said.

Even while interning, Weldon remains committed to volleyball—though this summer has come with its own set of challenges. "I would say that's the most difficult part of having an internship is figuring out how to do it all," she said. "I'm definitely working to stay in shape, going to physical therapy when I can and staying mobile.”

As she heads into another year balancing athletics and work, Weldon is optimistic about her future in both arenas. "I'm looking to get a job here after graduation," she said. Whether she's leading on the court or in the conference room, Weldon continues to prove that the skills she's developed as a student-athlete are preparing her for whatever comes next.

Learn about Internships at George Mason

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Costello College of Business

From no team to Nationals, meet the students who revived George Mason’s quiz bowl team

Katarina Benson — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:23:11 +0000

From no team to Nationals, meet the students who revived George Mason’s quiz bowl team Katarina Benson Thu, 07/09/2026 - 15:23

Answer: This quiz bowl team went from nonexistent to nationally placed over the span of three years. Question: What is 91��?

This year, George Mason’s intercollegiate quiz bowl team debuted on the national stage. Their A-Team won two major tournaments—the first ever won in the university’s quiz bowl history.

Quiz Bowl A-Team members (left to right) Margaret Withers, James Meek, Jeremy Katen, and Matthew Bucek show off their championship plaque for winning the 2026 Happy Hippopotamus Invitational tournament in April. Photo provided

They won the Upper Mid-Atlantic edition of ACF Fall in October 2025, hosted by Rutgers University, and the 2026 Happy Hippopotamus Invitational (HHI) put on by George Washington University.

Then they went on to nationals, placing highly in Division 2 of the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) Intercollegiate Championship Tournament (ICT), which will allow them the chance to compete for Division 1 next year.

Although 2026 was the third year of this iteration of the club, George Mason had fielded tournament competition teams from the late 1990s to 2016 before the student organization went into hibernation.

That changed when atmospheric science major Matthew Bucek, co-founder of the current quiz bowl team, arrived for his first year at George Mason. He had competed in all four years of high school and was looking forward to continuing in college.

“When I came here and saw that there was no team, I thought my quiz bowl days were over,” Bucek said. “But I learned that my dorm neighbor had competed in high school and wanted to continue too. Since you only need two people to start a club, we brought the team back to life in 2023.”

Co-founders Bucek and Almir Keating struggled to find consistent membership for the first semester, with only three people showing up at the first meeting. Things started to turn around in the fall semester of that year, when recruitment efforts started to pay off.

In that first season, they won less than half of their games: 21 out of 43.

“Our first year, we weren’t very good,” James Meek, a graduate student in social work and current member of the A-Team, said. “It was very informal at the beginning. But then we decided to take more responsibility.”

The team recruited new members, eventually coming to field three teams this year: the A-, B-, and C-level teams, where the best team is reserved for the players who were improving the most or playing the best. Each team officially competes with four players, and 20 George Mason students competed in 2026.

“We changed the culture in terms of study. Matt and I also just got way better, learning the game and knowledge base better, and gaining the ability to anticipate what they're going to ask,” said Meek.

They shifted their study strategy from having everyone try to learn everything and backstop one another, to specializing in different subjects. This year, out of the 60 games they played, they lost only 10.

The group also hosted a tournament for the first time. “We did an intercollegiate ‘Trash’ tournament, which means they ask only pop culture questions,” said Meek.

The team also created their own question sets—an arduous process—and another school is now using those sets in their own tournaments.

In addition to growing in size and skill, the team is forging friendships and study skills that will last lifetimes.

“My goal is getting promoted to B-Team,” said forensic science major Jun Chen, who has competed on the C-Team as a science specialist for two semesters. “I've gotten to bond with a lot of people. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. Even when we mess up, we get straight back to it.”

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The AI-powered classroom: tutors, avatars, and new models for learning

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:17:45 +0000

The AI-powered classroom: tutors, avatars, and new models for learning Mary Cunningham Thu, 07/09/2026 - 15:17

As health informatics expert Sanja Avramovic introduces new artificial intelligence (AI) tools into her classrooms at 91��, she's also made a point of asking students what they think, both through formal research and casual conversation.

In one early experiment, Avramovic designed AI avatars to present course material in short, on-demand videos students could watch at their own pace. Some students balked a little, finding the digital instructors monotone and robotic. They said they preferred a human.

So Avramovic asked a follow-up question: Should she remove the videos?

AI avatar created by Sanja Avramovic. Image created by AI.

"They said, 'don't you dare,'" she recalled. "'They're excellent supplemental material. Leave them. But we want you to teach.'"

That push and pull has become a central dynamic at the College of Public Health, as faculty respond and adapt to the undeniable rise of AI in higher education. The question is no longer whether AI belongs in the classroom, but how to use it in ways that actively benefit students.

“The goal isn’t AI-free learning,” Avramovic said. “It’s AI-augmented thinking.”

Learning to think with AI

Sanja Avramovic, assistant professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy

One challenge is persistent: How do you keep students learning when AI can provide answers in seconds?

Research by Avramovic, assistant professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy Abdul Hafeez, and colleagues found that students can become overly dependent on AI-generated answers, reducing their engagement, interaction, and critical thinking.

Rather than prohibiting AI use, faculty developed and tested AI tutors that function more like coaches than answer generators, walking students through assignments one step at a time. In order to build them, instructors map out common mistakes and teach the systems how to respond in ways that promote deeper learning. “It interviews students,” Hafeez said. “It compels them to think critically.”

Early findings suggest this approach can help counter passive AI use, with students showing stronger performance and engagement than their peers. In one analysis, undergraduates using the tutors improved performance by nearly 9 percentage points.

Tempering the trust

Along with the enthusiasm for AI’s potential, faculty are just as focused on teaching students where the technology falls short.

Vanessa Chee, an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, warns students against relying on it too early in the learning process, likening it to “using roller blades when you’re crawling.”

In one global health course, Chee requires students to develop a 2,500-word narrative and a presentation proposing a public health intervention entirely on their own. Afterward, they use AI to generate a version of the same project, and compare the two.

That exercise is often revealing. Many students walk away disappointed by the quality of the generated work, but with a sharper understanding of what their own thinking contributes, Chee said.

Katherine Scafide, an associate professor in the School of Nursing, introduces AI early in the research process, using it to help students scan the literature and identify possible gaps worth investigating. But she draws a line between assistance and analysis. Students are expected to verify sources, refine their own research questions, and critically test whether AI summaries actually hold up.

"I encourage AI to assist in some structural aspects of writing, like outlining and grammar, but not to author the work," she said. " AI can be a writing tool, but it cannot be an author."

For Avramovic, the biggest concern is that students will trust AI too quickly. She recalled one student who relied heavily on AI while studying, learned flawed logic, and then repeated it on an exam.

“Don’t use AI until you know enough to correct it,” she tells her students.

Rebuilding the classroom

As AI changes how students learn, faculty are also rethinking how they create and deliver their own course content.

With one undergraduate health informatics class, Avramovic and colleagues realized that much of the content felt disconnected from the clinical realities that nursing students—who are required to take the course—would eventually face. So, the instructors used AI tools to rewrite assignments around nursing-specific scenarios, like identifying problems in electronic health records. They also introduced AI-generated videos narrated by digital avatars, guiding students through technical material.

The updates made a difference. Nursing students in the AI-redesigned course showed statistically significant learning gains, more than half said AI-generated videos were more helpful than assigned readings, and nearly four out of five reported that the tools improved their overall learning experience.

Farrokh Alemi, a professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, took a similar approach in his graduate statistics course, using AI to help deliver lectures and tutor students.

For students, the change meant more access to their instructor. “Because the AI handled a lot of mechanical tasks, I used the extra time to have more interactions with students, give them career advice, call up at-risk students, just be more available,” he said.

Evolving the toolkit

Faculty at the College of Public Health compare the current moment to earlier technological shifts in education, from the arrival of calculators in math classrooms to the rise of the internet and online learning.

Students still need to learn the fundamentals, faculty said, but once they understand the underlying concepts, AI can help them explore more complex problems and apply knowledge in new ways.

“You still need the human in the loop,” Avramovic said.

The technology continues to evolve quickly. But faculty say the larger goal remains to help students build the skills they’ll need in a world where AI is already becoming part of the job.

Key Takeaways

George Mason College of Public Health faculty are using artificial intelligence tools including AI tutors and digital avatars to enhance teaching and student learning.
Instead of prohibiting tools like ChatGPT, instructors are teaching students to think critically, verify AI outputs, and use AI responsibly.
AI is helping redesign courses, personalize learning, and prepare College of Public Health students for an AI-integrated workforce.

In This Story

Sanja Avramovic, PhD

Katherine Scafide, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAAFS

Topics

Artificial Intelligence

College of Public Health

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George Mason career fair helps create accessible pathways to employment

ckearney — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:04:30 +0000

George Mason career fair helps create accessible pathways to employment ckearney Thu, 07/09/2026 - 14:04

Many of 91��’s career fairs are large multi-day events, hosting hundreds of employers and capping the number of students in attendance each day. On a Friday in April, there was a smaller version of a career fair, hosted in the Johnson Center Bistro, for participants in the Mason Autism Support Initiative (MASI) and the Executive Functioning Program (EFP). Both fee-based programs are offered through Disability Services for degree-seeking students.

Fairfax County Government was among the employers meeting with students at the MASI/EFP Career Fair. Photo by Colleen Kearney Rich/Office of University Branding

The MASI/EFP Career Fair is intentionally small—no more than 15 employers, said EFP’s Assistant Director Sharon Toda, who started the event. It is designed to create a more accessible, lower-pressure environment for neurodivergent students who may encounter barriers (e.g., social interaction, new environments) when accessing traditional career fairs.

Prior to the event, students participated in a career readiness workshop conducted in partnership with University Career Services. The workshop helped students build confidence, prepare questions, and develop strategies for navigating and communicating with employers during the fair.

What started as a small project collaborating with local employers who had neurodiversity programs has evolved into a larger event. The MASI/EFP Career Fair now brings various partner organizations to campus, enhancing student engagement and networking opportunities. Prominent organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, United States Geological Survey (USGS), and Fairfax County government are among the participants.

At the spring 2026 career fair, for the first time, participating students were provided with the opportunity to have headshots taken for professional purposes. Additionally, Fairfax County’s Community Services Board and Supported Employment program, which assists county residents with disabilities, participated by offering information and resources on health and wellness. They also provided support in accessing resources to navigate employment opportunities and job coaching support.

USGS geologist Mercer Parker talks with a student. Photo by Colleen Kearney Rich/Office of University Branding

This year 10 employers participated either in-person or virtually. One employer that has been involved from the beginning is Melwood. Elizabeth A. Foster, Melwood’s director of career exploration and development, said this event is a perfect fit for the organization. “My big thing is to try to get people who are neurodivergent, jobs or training or whatever supports they need to be successful,” said Foster. “I love that I have seen amazing growth [at George Mason]. I just saw a fantastic resume. It's the kind of resume that I would expect from somebody who's been out in the field for years.”

The USGS had a table to promote its work transition program, Secondary Transition to Employment Program (STEP-UP). “What we do is we find their skill sets and their passions, and we figure out how they fit into the USGS,” said geologist Mercer Parker. “I tell students: Whether you are a creative designer, an economist, or a musician, there's a place for you in the federal government.”

Christann Chanell, a visitor experience coordinator at the National Postal Museum who is neurodivergent herself, said participating in the career fair is a way for her to give back to this community. “It's a way to let people know that companies and organizations are aware and will support their journey and their career. For me, that’s the main inspiration.”

Her colleague MaryBeth Wagner, adult programs manager for the National Postal Museum, concurs. “The Smithsonian Institution is very passionate about accessibility,” said Wagner. “We have staff members who need a little bit more support in their roles and letting more students know that these opportunities are available is very rewarding.”

The Johnson Center Bistro was the setting for the MASI/EFP Career Fair. Photo by Colleen Kearney Rich/Office of University Branding

This was the second MASI/EFP career fair that computer game design major Danish Parvez has attended. Parvez has been involved in MASI since his sophomore year. He came with a list of questions he planned to ask the employers, such as, “What makes someone a good candidate for a job with their company?” He also said he practiced how to present himself and his experience—these skills have already served him well when looking for a summer job.

“MASI’s really helped me navigate [the university environment],” Parvez said. “It's given me more skills to adapt. I feel like I was a bit lost my first year. I've come a long way since then.”

According to Toda, the career fair is one of the initiatives that MASI/EFP aims to support and prepare students for post-graduation and their transitions into the workforce. The goal in creating a smaller scaled career fair is to provide students in the programs with a platform to build confidence and practice in networking and expand their understanding of various career opportunities.

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University Career Services

Students

Mason Korea graduates the Class of Spring 2026

Katarina Benson — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:37:24 +0000

Mason Korea graduates the Class of Spring 2026 Katarina Benson Mon, 07/06/2026 - 16:37

On June 27, Mason Korea held its Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremony at Incheon Global Campus, honoring 116 bachelor’s and master’s graduates.

The Mason Korea Spring 2026 graduate class. Photo provided

Graduates from several academic programs, including global affairs, business, economics, conflict analysis and resolution, and the master of laws (LLM), received their degrees during the ceremony. This year’s graduating class included 23 LLM graduates, following the program’s first graduating class last year.

The ceremony brought together graduating students, families, faculty, staff, and distinguished guests to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2026. Guests included David Burge, George Mason’s vice president for enrollment management, and Shaun Sutherell, associate dean for strategic initiatives at the Antonin Scalia Law School.

In his remarks, Mason Korea Dean Joshua Park emphasized the importance of knowledge, judgment, and character in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Eunjae Baek, BA in Global Affairs and undergraduate student speaker. Photo provided

“Knowledge, judgment, and character remain essential values, even in the age of AI,” he said. “I hope our graduates will build on the experiences they gained at 91�� and continue taking on new challenges across the world.”

Representing the graduating class, Youngwook Cho, an LLM graduate, reflected on the courage it takes to move forward in uncertain times.

“Meaningful change always begins with uncertainty,” he said. “I hope we will draw on the experiences and courage we gained here as we take on greater opportunities ahead.”

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George Mason students earn prestigious fellowships across disciplines

Susan Martonik — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:04:49 +0000

George Mason students earn prestigious fellowships across disciplines Susan Martonik Thu, 07/02/2026 - 11:04

This past spring, nearly a dozen 91�� students received nationally competitive fellowships and scholarships, supporting work across a wide range of fields. Addressing topics from artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom to air pollution to the history of musical instruments, these honors highlight the breadth of student achievement and underscore that funding awards are within reach for students in any field.

“This year alone, George Mason students have benefited from more than $168,000 in funding to further their education, study abroad, engage in meaningful research, and more,” said Megan Bruening, director in the Office of Fellowships. “These prestigious grants and awards open the door to unique opportunities that foster personal growth and build valuable academic and professional skills.”

Several of this year's award recipients were recognized at the May Board of Visitors meeting. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Recent fellowship recipients include:

Ashleigh Williams, Fulbright Award and Berlin Program Dissertation Fellowship
In September 2026, Williams, a historian of race, visual culture, and socialist internationalism, will travel to Germany to conduct research for her dissertation on the racial politics of the German Democratic Republic between 1961 and 1996. Williams is pursuing a doctorate in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Cora Sula, Fulbright Award
Sula, a third-year PhD student in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology in the College of Engineering and Computing, will study the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms in Estonia. As one of the few countries with a national rollout of AI-assisted classrooms, Sula will investigate how this initiative is shaping Estonian teachers’ professional practices and classroom pedagogy.

Lina Bondesson, Critical Language Scholarship
Selected from a competitive pool of more than 4,500 applicants nationwide, Bondesson, a conflict analysis and resolution major in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, will study Korean language and culture. The opportunity is part of a U.S. State Department program that provides immersive experiences in languages critical to the United States’ national security and economic prosperity.

Xavier Isaac, Boren Fellowship
An international security major in the Schar School of Policy and Government, Isaac’s fellowship will allow him to travel to Japan. The Boren award provides funding for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study critical languages abroad while committing to future public service to enhance U.S. capabilities, deterrence, and readiness.

Sofie Strompf, Goldwater Scholarship
Strompf, an Honors College student and neuroscience major in the College of Science, has received funding to continue her education at George Mason. Created to support future leaders in the STEM field, the scholarship was awarded for Strompf’s curiosity, discipline, and vision to become a research leader.

Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan, COVES Policy Fellowship
Shan, a Commonwealth of Virginia Engineering and Science (COVES) Policy Fellowship recipient, will spend her summer serving as an advisor at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. In this role, she will work on environmental justice-related initiatives, including updates to the environmental justice guidance in the permitting process and supporting community engagement efforts. Shan is a civil and infrastructure engineering major the College of Engineering and Computing.

Yingjie Zhang, COVES Policy Fellowship
A PhD candidate in bioinformatics and computational biology in the College of Science, Zhang will complete his COVES fellowship with Virginia Bio, a statewide nonprofit trade association representing the life sciences industry in the commonwealth. He will bring his research experience in AI-driven drug discovery and development to the fellowship while expanding his understanding of the intersection between science, artificial intelligence, and state-level policy.

Jayme Kurland, Smithsonian Institution Fellowship
Kurland, a PhD candidate in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will conduct research at the Smithsonian Museum of American History as part of her predoctoral fellowship. Her dissertation research investigates the roles women have played in the early history of the Fender Electric Instruments Company.

Alexandra Miller, Urban Communication Foundation Research Assistance Grant
Miller received a grant to support her project, “You Can’t Do That Here: Misuse of Space in New York at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.” A doctoral student in history in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Miller researches green spaces, most recently urban parks and playgrounds in the American Progressive Era.

Ali Kothawala, COMTO DC Scholarship
Kothawala, an earth systems and geoinformation sciences major in the College of Science, received an inaugural Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) DC scholarship in recognition of his academic achievement, leadership potential, and commitment to advancing excellence in transportation and infrastructure.

The Office of Fellowships supports current George Mason students and alumni in preparing strong applications for nationally competitive grants and scholarships. In the 2025-26 academic year, the office assisted more than 135 students.

“The fellowship application process is worthwhile, even if students or alumni don’t receive an award,” said Bruening. “Applicants strengthen their communication skills, enhance their goal-setting abilities, and expand their professional network, all while gaining clearer direction for their academic and professional path.”

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School of Music student receives Chadab Foundation Commission

Emily Schneider — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:08:49 +0000

School of Music student receives Chadab Foundation Commission Emily Schneider Wed, 07/01/2026 - 15:08

Michael DeMarco, a Dewberry School of Music doctoral student in music composition at 91��, has been selected for the Chadab Foundation Commission.

Michael G. DeMarco, Dewberry School of Music student. Photo provided.

The commission provides $2,500 in funds to support the composition of a piece, five to seven minutes in length, that will combine jazz with Persian pop and folk music influences. It's one of several scholarships that The Chadab Foundation—which provides financial assistance to promising young artists—has awarded since its creation in 2012, and it is the first time the commission has been offered at George Mason.

DeMarco said he was delighted and honored to receive the foundation's support. "The opportunity to write for large ensemble as a young composer is rare," he said. "I am also grateful for the ongoing mentorship of the George Mason music faculty. Their support and guidance are and will continue to be crucial in the composition of this work."

As part of the selection process, DeMarco, who is enrolled in the Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition program, was required to submit a portfolio and a project proposal. School of Music faculty evaluated the applications based on a variety of criteria that included the strength of the proposed works along with evidence of leadership and artistic growth by the applicants.

During his time at George Mason, DeMarco, who is a drummer as well as a composer, has heard the premiere of many new works, including Night on the North Sea for solo tuba and electronics, Resistor for the PATHOS Trio, and Stop the Motion for Pierrot ensemble and percussion, which was performed by Director of Concert Bands William L. Lake Jr. in the inaugural Mason Wind Symphony Resonare Project Call for Scores.

DeMarco's At the Foot of the Pantheon was commissioned by the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras symphony and premiered at the Music Center at Strathmore; it received a secondary performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall in June 2026 as part of the New York Symphonic Invitational.

"A deepening understanding of the rich musical traditions around the world continues to inspire me and my appreciation for music and its many forms." —Michael G. DeMarco

DeMarco says he is looking forward to a "fruitful" collaboration with School of Music faculty, including Professor and Mason Jazz Ensemble Director Jim Carroll, as he works on his project over the next several months. And he is eager to enhance his knowledge of Persian pop and folk music: "A deepening understanding of the rich musical traditions around the world continues to inspire me and my appreciation for music and its many forms."

As for the piece itself, which will be premiered by the Mason Jazz Ensemble sometime next spring, DeMarco envisions "a work intertwining the complex histories of jazz and Persian music."

"As a musician, I am excited to embark on this journey of learning, exploration, and creation," he said. "I am grateful to be entrusted with this unique opportunity."

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