The Mason Spirit

When the Leesons took their eight-year-old son Peter to Disney World, they could not have anticipated that his experience with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride would lead to a research project and book. In his book The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates (Princeton University Press, April 2009), Peter T. Leeson, MA, PhD…

Continue Reading Forget the Plank, Matey, and Tell Me about Your Bottom Line

David L. Weisburd, distinguished professor of administration of justice, was awarded the 2010 Stockholm Prize in Criminology for a series of experiments showing that intensified police patrol at high crime hot spots does not merely push crime around.

Continue Reading Did You Know…

With more than eight million adults incarcerated or under some form of supervision in the United States, prisons and supervising agencies are under more pressure than ever before to improve operations. Faye Taxman, a professor in the Administration of Justice Department at Mason, has focused on informing corrections decision makers about the latest evidence-based practices…

Continue Reading Novel Research Unshackles Traditional Operations Behind Bars

When the economy worsens, what happens to diversity programs and affirmative action policies in the workplace? New research by Eden King, Mason assistant professor of psychology, suggests that workplace discrimination can actually increase when people feel threatened by outside factors such as finances. A recent study by King and her coresearchers showed that people who…

Continue Reading As Economy Worsens, So Do Attitudes about Workplace Diversity

Approximately 70 percent of combat deaths in Iraq have been caused by roadside bombs, the most common form of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), making them the number one killer of U.S. troops there. U.S. Central Command indicates that the number of deaths from roadside bombs in Iraq has fallen but use of the devices in…

Continue Reading Mason Receives $7 Million Contract to Counter IEDs

Colds may not always be as harmless as they seem. Human adenovirus type-3 is known as the “uncommon cold” because the infection’s symptoms—runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever—are eerily similar to those of the common cold, which is caused by the rhinovirus. The difference is that, unlike the common cold, the symptoms of the…

Continue Reading New Vaccine Takes Aim at the Uncommon Cold

Researcher studies monks and meditation to learn more about concentration
and visual memory.

Continue Reading Mind Over Matter

How can we feel positive and devote effort toward a meaningful life in these unstable, uncertain times? How do we find solace when our budget is shrinking and stressors at home and work are growing? Many of us are finding ourselves on life paths that we never expected as cortisol surges through our veins. Many…

Continue Reading Five Tips for Creating Happiness and Fulfillment

Baseball: After 40 wins in the regular season, Mason baseball landed in first place in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), its first title since 1992. The 2009 season marked the first time in school history that the baseball team was nationally ranked. Despite two losses in the NCAA tournament, Mason baseball boasted a highly decorated…

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Commencement is a time for reflection, kudos, and celebration. Mason is helping out with the last facet by hosting a variety of Grad Week events every May, such as Bagels and Bubbles, a breakfast with some bubbly for graduating students. Other popular events include a cruise on the Potomac and a Mason Day at Six…

Continue Reading Green and Gold Grad Traditions