Research News

Smithsonian Magazine’s editorial team was busy planning their January 2019 issue on America’s involvement in armed conflicts. They wanted to assess the current military and veteran communities’ opinions of hot-topic cultural, political and sexual issues—so they reached out to George Mason University for expertise in designing the poll and analyzing its results.

What would it take for one group in a conflict to be more compassionate toward their “enemy”? Researchers from George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) and the Department of Psychology are heading to Rondine—a two-year “laboratory for peace”—to find out.

There are a number of things you could be thinking about during your commute, from the day’s agenda to what podcast to listen to. For a few George Mason University professors and students from the College of Health and Human Services, the Volgenau School of Engineering and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, a less common topic is front of mind: the effects of traffic pollution on women’s health.

Across five continents, more than 100 Smithsonian research projects collect a continuous stream of data on wildlife using camera traps—motion-triggered cameras that clue scientists in on what’s happening when humans aren’t around. This semester, George Mason University senior Jamie Fetherolf is contributing to the network firsthand, by setting up camera traps in Washington, D.C., and analyzing the data with a Smithsonian conservation scientist at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation.

Horrified to learn about Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, George Mason University professor A. Trevor Thrall was intrigued when he met John Fuisz, cofounder of SSR Industries, and learned that his company had developed a new strategy for finding social media attacks online.

George Mason University is now ranked among the highest research institutions in the country by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Last August, George Mason University faculty and students participated in a series of virtual simulations of school shooter incidents as part of an effort to help the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and MITRE Corp. determine best practices for school safety.

Ceres Nanosciences, a Northern Virginia bioscience company spun out of George Mason University that specializes in diagnostic products and workflows, has opened a 12,000-square-foot advanced particle manufacturing plant in Prince William County’s Innovation Park.

Thomas Lovejoy was among the roughly 100 scientists serving on a Scientific Advisory Group that helped craft the U.N.’s “Making Peace with Nature” report that envisions a sustainable economy driven by renewable energy and nature-based solutions that will create new jobs, cleaner infrastructure and a more resilient future.

Children and teens who are experiencing increased anxiety and anger during the coronavirus pandemic will need guidance and validation as their lives continue to change, said Robyn Mehlenbeck, director of George Mason University’s Center for Psychological Services.

George Mason University and the Prince William County Department of Economic Development will lead the Northern Virginia BioHub, one of five clusters that will exist throughout the commonwealth by Virginia Bio-Connect.

“For some people, it will be tough to go back,” said Keith D. Renshaw, chair of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Psychology Department and director of the Military, Veterans and Families Initiative. “Many of us have spent the year with reduced human interactions. For people with anxiety, this has meant they’ve been able to turn off the technology when they needed to unplug.”