George Mason’s STEM Accelerator continues to strengthen STEM education and career pathways
George Mason’s STEM Accelerator strengthens undergraduate STEM education through interdisciplinary collaboration, focusing on increasing enrollment, improving retention, reducing time to degree, and preparing students for careers or graduate study.
“Working in a collaborative, interdisciplinary manner is the most effective way to tackle complex challenges in STEM education,” said Interim Director of the STEM Accelerator and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rebecca Jones. “We want to make a difference in the lives of STEM students. Their growth takes priority in everything we do.”
This spring, that mission continued through a range of initiatives, from scholarships supporting future STEM educators to an innovative course that blend scientific rigor with the creativity of the culinary arts.
Expanding STEM Engagement Across K–12
In February, the Chesapeake Bay Bowl brought 200+ high school students and faculty to George Mason’s SciTech Campus for a regional science quiz competition organized in coordinator with the University of Delaware. George Mason efforts were led by Biology Associate Professor, Tina Bell.
Forensic Science Professor Kelly Knight hosted 100+ K–12 students through multiple outreach programs, including Girl Scouts, the Marstellar Middle School 8th Grade Gifted Education Program,Jack and Jill of America National Harbor Chapter, and Amazon Girls’ Tech Day, and co-led a Student Academy program bringing high school students and teachers from eight different schools in Louisiana to learn more about forensic science with hands-on activities.
Supporting Learning and Building Pathways to Teaching
Education and instructional support continued through the Learning Assistant (LA) Program, coordinated by Physics and Astronomy Professor Ben Dreyfus. This spring, the program included 108 learning assistants (51 new and 57 returning) supporting 38 courses across seven departments.
Dreyfus also recruited several students for the inaugural Mason Physics Teaching Cohort as part of the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) Network Cohorts project. The initiative aims to create clearer pathways for undergraduates in physics and related fields to enter the teaching profession.
The NSF-funded Noyce Scholars Program, supporting STEM majors pursuing secondary education careers, reached its highest enrollment to date. Scholars receive at least $10,000 annually plus mentoring, professional development, and early-career teaching support. Bell serves as the PI for this National Science Foundation (NSF) funded program.
Fostering Professional Exposure and Experiential Learning
This year’s Noyce scholars and learning assistants traveled with Mathematical Sciences Senior Instructor Mike Coleson to the 2026 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, D.C., a four-day conference featuring presentations, workshops, and expositions. George Mason faculty served as session leads and speakers, while undergraduate learning assistants and graduate students presented posters, gaining exposure to broader professional audiences.
Similarly, fifteen George Mason students accompanied Knight to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual meeting, extending their classroom learning into a national professional setting.
Bridging Classroom Learning to Science in Action
The College of Science’s Chemistry in the Kitchen (CHEM 460), led by Jones, will soon finish its third cycle. The course uses everyday recipes to illustrate core chemical principles taught in the classroom, turning cooking into an applied laboratory for scientific exploration.
Jones also continued her work in chemistry education research, collaborating with undergraduate Grace Juwon Lee to publish “Shielding through Time: Bridging the History and Teaching of Slater’s Rules” in the Journal of Chemical Education. The paper explores the historical development of Slater’s rules for estimating electron shielding and effective nuclear charge and examines how these ideas have been simplified in modern textbooks. It also introduces an active-learning classroom activity grounded in this history.
Excelling in Teaching and Impact
Knight was named the 2026 recipient of the Sojourner Truth Award, presented by George Mason’s Women and Gender Studies program to an instructional faculty member whose scholarship, teaching, and activism intersect race and gender.
Geography and Geoinformation Associate Professor Christine Rosenfeld received the Stearn Center’s 2026 Teaching Excellence Award given to in acknowledgment of the significant work that faculty members devote to course planning and preparation; curriculum development; and innovative teaching, advising, and undergraduate and graduate mentoring.
