Mason Science Series
Mason Science Series
The College of Science hosts the Mason Science Series once/twice a quarter. Hosted by Cody W. Edwards, Interim Dean of the College of Science, this intimate conversation with the College of Science faculty and esteemed guests focuses on the hottest topics of science and research. The event is free and open to the public with limited seating, a pre and post-discussion reception, and complimentary parking. Registration is required.
Explore space and uncover the secrets of dark energy with the Landolt Space MissionSeptember 17, 2024
Dr. Cody W. Edwards, Interim Dean, College of Science
Dr. Peter Plavchan, Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy and Executive Director of George Mason Observatories
Discussion with Plavchan. principal investigator of the Landolt Mission, on the mysteries of space and dark energy that will be discovered with the Landolt Mission. George Mason University will be the home of the $19.5 million recently approved NASA Landolt Space Mission that will put an artificial “star” in orbit around the Earth.
Treating the Next Pandemic Using our Own Immune Systems ToolkitApril 24, 2024
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Dean, College of Science
Dr. Ramin Hakami, Professor, School of Systems Biology
Discussion with Hakami on his with a team from SaluGenics led by Dr. Wayne Jonas, with support by grants from the Samueli Foundation and the Klopp Trust. The work centers around the characterization and development of a technology platform named NESTED that generates nanoparticles with bioactive components derived from patient samples. The approach showed strong efficacy against COVID-19 in a 2,388-person human trial against SARS-CoV-2 infection that was conducted in 2021-22. Another part of the effort by Dr. Hakami’s group is focuses on naturally derived nanovesicles (called extracellular vesicles) that mediate the exchange of potent bio-cargo between cells. Dr. Hakami’s laboratory was among the very first to study the molecular mechanisms by which these host-derived vesicles regulate immune response to infection with highly pathogenic agents, demonstrating their ability to activate the immune system against infection and blunt infectious spread.
Forensic Science at George Mason University: The Intersection of Science and JusticeMarch 12, 2024
Tracking serial killers. Training Law Enforcement. Crime Scene House. Body Farm.
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Dean, College of Science
Dr. Mary Ellen O'Toole, Director, Forensic Science
Discussion with O'Toole and her colleagues from our Forensic Science Department about the cutting-edge science behind criminal investigation. Dr. O'Toole worked as one of the most senior profilers within the FBI before she came to Mason to join our world-renowned Forensic Science Program.
Internet ApocalypseNovember 8, 2023
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Dean, College of Science
Dr. Peter Becker, Professor, Physics and Astronomy Department
Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, Professor, Physics and Astronomy Department
Peter Beker discusses his work to better understand the increased solar activity that could potentially cause “an internet apocalypse” disrupting all electronic communications on Earth, including satellite communications. solar activity that could potentially cause “an internet apocalypse” disrupting all electronic communications on Earth, including satellite communications. Violent solar storms are expected to become more frequent and more severe over the next 10 years, and they possess the potential to severely interfere with radio transmitters, navigation and GPS, satellite operations and communications, and the electric power grid. Being able to more effectively warn of their occurrences will help better protect the public and our infrastructure.
Preparing for a New Normal: Making Mason and the Commonwealth of Virginia More Resilient to the Impacts of Climate ChangeJune 28, 2023
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Dean, College of Science
Rep. Gerry Connolly, U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th District
Dr. Jim Kinter, Director of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA) and Virginia Climate Center
Discussion on the newly established Virginia Climate Center and how it will help communities in the commonwealth increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. The Virginia Climate Center was established in 2022 with funding from NOAA, made possible by the efforts of Rep. Connolly, who sponsored and shepherded the funding through the U.S. House of Representatives. This pilot project will establish the Center in partnership with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, the City of Fairfax, and other jurisdictions in northern Virginia. The Center will co-produce assessments and planning solutions with Virginia municipalities and firms to adopt risk prevention and mitigation strategies for wise resource management and sustainable entrepreneurship.
Archival Mason Science Series Recordings
Applied Proteomics: What do Lyme Disease, Cancer drug development & honeybees have in common? - Featuring Alessandra Luchini
Discussion with Luchini on her research and the role of Mason's Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine. Most recently, Luchini contributed to the fight against Lyme disease by helping lead a team of CAPMM researchers that was named one of 10 Phase 1 winner of the LymeX Diagnostic Prize by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
The Romance of Reality - Featuring Bobby Azarian
Why do we exist? And can science help find the answer? That's what journalist, cognitive neuroscientist, and Mason Science alumnus, Bobby Azarian addresses in his new book "The Romance of Reality: How the universe organizes itself to create life consciousness, and cosmic complexity." Enjoy this very special event featuring Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Dean of the College of Science, as he discusses life as we know it with Bobby Azarian.
Science and the Arts Unite: The Drama of Water - Featuring Dean Rick Davis
Based on “The 100th Meridian Project,” a multi-media project developed by Dean Rick Davis, to illustrate historical roots of the western water crisis using a collaborative research protocol that can be applied in an ongoing process to critical issues in the contemporary world. Following a compelling dramatic reading of excerpts from "The 100th Meridian Project" directed by Dean Davis, College of Science Dean Miralles-Wilhelm will lead a discussion on the science of water that informs the project.
A Quantum Life - Featuring Hakeem Oluseyi
Hakeem Oluseyi. Dean Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm and Oluseyi will discuss his recent book, The future of STEM Education, and...the Universe.
Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Sustaining the Planet for our Children and Grandchildren: A conversation with two Mason Distinguished Professors featuring Tom Lovejoy and Ed Maibach
Conservation biologist and ISE Scientific Director Tom Lovejoy and communication scientist Ed Maibach are at the forefront of Mason’s efforts to help protect the land, ecosystems, and climate on which all life depends—including ours.
Lovejoy and Maibach share their views on what must happen, worldwide, to prevent catastrophic declines in earth’s life-sustaining capacity—so that our progeny share the blessings that were bestowed on us and our parents—and they speak about activities currently underway at Mason that are helping to usher in the necessary solutions.
Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Seeking the Invisible: Detecting Supermassive Black Holes in Space - Featuring Shobita Satyapal
We know that monstrous black holes, one million to several billion times the mass of the sun, lurk in the centers of almost every large galaxy in the universe. They can have a profound effect on those galaxies and are capable of giving rise to the loudest gravitation signals in the universe when they merge.
Shobita Satyapal, a physics and astronomy professor at George Mason University, discusses her group's recent research results in addition to several significant recent events in black hole astrophysics: the imaging of the event horizon of the M87 galaxy’s black hole; detection of colliding black holes from the LIGO interferometer; and the awarding of the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics to Andrea Ghez and Reinhard Genzel for identifying the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2021
At the Scene of the Crime: Modern Scientific Approaches for Studying the Time Since Death
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be at the scene of a crime? How forensic scientists can uncover clues about a case? This Halloween, hear first-hand from former FBI agents and Mason experts in the College of Science Forensic Science Program! Learn how Mason Science is creating the most experiential and innovative programs for the next generation of forensic scientists. The talk will feature an exploration of the Mason's Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory, a 5-acre outdoor, protected facility that is dedicated to studying the processes of human decomposition in various topographical and climatic conditions, environmental changes, soil composition, animal scavenging, floral diversity, identify insect species variation specifically for medical-legal applications, and developing new remote sensing methodologies and instrumentation. Students and faculty will also partner with federal agencies and US military organizations, unlike any other university. Moreover, this facility promotes collegial collaborations with regional institutions, and public and private laboratories, and facilitates community partnerships by providing a focal point for the training of local, state, and federal investigators, highlighting George Mason’s commitment to be at the forefront of the advancement of forensic science.