Students

To Kimberly Foecke, studying the past doesn’t need to be a passive experience.  The George Mason University assistant professor of anthropology believes in the importance of hands-on learning so much that she created the ANTH 599 Contemporary Issues in Anthropology course on experimental archaeology to help bridge theory and practice. 

Xia Parkes did not arrive at George Mason University certain she wanted to be a scientist. Originally, she envisioned a future in dermatology after shadowing a physician in her hometown of Chesapeake, Virginia. But once she began college-level coursework, lab experiences opened new interests for her. 

Launched in the spring 2026 semester, the Innovation and Design Lab for Business and Government (MBA 797) is a new experiential MBA course offered at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University.

Many accessibility surveys depend on manual measurements, handwritten notes, and extensive walkthroughs with compliance checklists. A team of George Mason University engineering students wondered if a robot could do it faster. Nine months later, they created one. 

Undergraduate George Mason cyber security engineering students uncovered how subtle timing-based attacks can manipulate a robot’s perception and behavior and presented their research at a premier conference.

With their capstone project, four George Mason mechanical engineering students explored how to make airport travel less stressful for people with mobility challenges?

Aayush Yadav co-authored a paper that received a Distinguished Paper Award from the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, one of the industry’s premier conferences in the security field.

Honors College student Avery Shippen earned degrees in conflict analysis and resolution and art and visual technology while receiving multiple prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and international study opportunities. Her interdisciplinary work blending graphic design and peacebuilding, along with internships in global affairs and national security, has prepared her to pursue a career in education policy and curriculum development.

During her final semester at George Mason University, Sophia Colby put her environmental policy training into action. Colby traveled to Capitol Hill as part of the Rachel Carson Council’s National Environmental Advocacy Day, where she met with federal lawmakers to discuss climate legislation and community resilience.

Poojya Bommannan, MHA ’25, is applying the operational and analytical skills she developed in the Master of Health Administration program at George Mason University in her current role as a Patient Services Coordinator at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Texas.