College of Science

Life is filled with unexpected twists and turns. In the case of George Mason University lacrosse twins Kaitlyn and Regan Bestick, that road has split and come back together several times. Now, as they compete in their final season together and prepare to separate again, they reflect on their time in the Mason Nation.

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.

As a professor in George Mason’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, Paul So is a theoretical physicist who specializes in dynamical systems analysis and its application to neuroscience. Outside his role as a physics professor, So is an artist. An avid painter, he also supports developing artists as a co-founder of Hamiltonian Artists, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art incubator based in Washington, D.C.

Tabitha King is a recent graduate from the George Mason University College of Science who obtained her PhD in Environmental Science and Public Policy in December 2025.

In January, George Mason University senior Angela Victoria Rojas Rivera represented the university at the National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC). Led and hosted by Harvard University, NCRC is the largest student-run research conference in the United States. Only 200 students are selected to attend. 

Benjamin Cash, research professor in George Mason University’s Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences, is leading a $1 million project funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve seasonal precipitation forecasts in Virginia.

Jessye Gassel has always been fascinated with spinning bodies. Gassel found herself looking forward to her high school physics class every day and knew, by junior year, that she would pursue it in college. A senior-year astronomy class honed that direction toward astrophysics.

Connected DMV has announced that George Mason University, one of the nation’s most innovative and fastest-growing public research universities, will serve as the Lead Academic Partner for spaceNEXT, the inaugural global convening focused on the commercialization of space and a flagship program of Connected DMV’s Potomac Center for the New Space Economy. 

George Mason University will launch the Space Forward Frontiers Seminar Series in spring 2026, a one-credit, in-person course developed with Northrop Grumman and the College of Engineering and Computing that is open to students of all majors interested in the space industry.

Environmental science and policy professor Cynthia Smith organizes outdoor education programs for seventh graders across the county, diving into the importance of hands-on research and environmental conservation.