Colleen Kearney Rich

George Mason held its first Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI) Exchange Day on Tuesday, September 15, bringing together more than 200 faculty members from across the university to talk to about the GCI-related work being done and invite collaboration as the call for proposals in second year of funding launches.

This summer, as part of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) funded by the National Science Foundation, 10 undergraduates came from around the country to spend the summer immersed in field- and laboratory-based conservation research at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s 3,200-acre campus.

Silvia Danielak, an assistant professor at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, is the author of Peace Infrastructures: How UN Peace Operations Build Roads, Bridges, and Solar Farms in the Pursuit of Sustainability (MIT Press, April 2026), the first comprehensive account of infrastructure building in United Nations peace operations. Danielak’s work focuses on sociospatial and infrastructure planning in conflict settings and as part of peace efforts, as well as its coalition with climate and environmental efforts.

Many of George Mason University’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 for participants in the Mason Autism Support Initiative (MASI) and the Executive Functioning Program (EFP).

George Mason graduate student Jose Meneses has built a remarkable early career in conservation science through hands‑on research with the Smithsonian and global fieldwork. His work—spanning salamander peptides, elephant viruses, and zombie crabs—has shaped his path toward a future in disease ecology.

Mahmut Cengiz, PhD Public Policy ’10, of George Mason's Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, is a seasoned expert in terrorism, organized crime, and illicit economies. His work focuses on the dynamics of terrorism, smuggling, and criminal networks and contributes significantly to understanding and combating these global challenges. His latest book, Typologies of Terrorist Organizations: Conceptual Lenses and Counterterrorism Measures (Carolina Academic Press, September 2025), was cowritten with Mitchel Roth and Huseyin Cinoglu.

George Mason University has been named to the top 100 U.S. universities for patents. This spring, the National Academy of Inventors ranked George Mason No. 92 on its list for patents granted during 2025.

For her efforts to ensure George Mason University is an environment where all students can succeed, Shekila Melchior, director of strategic initiatives and partnerships in George Mason University’s Office of Access, Compliance and Community, has been named February Employee of the Month.

There are few George Mason University students as busy as senior Rakibul Alam. A senior majoring in business and concentrating on management and marketing, Alam has become one of the most visible student leaders in the Costello College of Business, where he works as a marketing and communications intern. Recently he was among the speakers welcoming the community at Fuse’s grand celebration in September at Mason Square.

When George Mason University English professor Eric Gary Anderson steps into the classroom to teach ENGL 419 Popular Horror, he’s not just talking about things that go bump in the night—he and his students are exploring what makes people seek out horror in the first place.