The Mason Spirit

Mason scientists discovered recently that a phenomenon called a giant magnetic rope is the cause of solar storms. Confirming the existence of this formation is a key first step in helping to mitigate the adverse effects that solar storm eruptions can have on satellite communications on Earth. The discovery was made by Mason computational and…

Continue Reading Mason Scientists Prove Existence of ‘Magnetic Ropes’ that Cause Solar Storms

Coffee gives more than a morning pick-me-up—about two cups daily could help sufferers of liver disease, according to a new joint study by Mason and Inova Health Systems.

Continue Reading Drinking Coffee Could Help Those With Liver Disease, Study Shows

Three new corporate partners joined Mason in December to support the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA). Northrop Grumman, the Boeing Company, and the Micron Foundation united with existing partners Dominion Foundation, ExploreLearning, Google, and IBM. Partner corporations engage directly with VISTA by designating their support to specific elements of the programs, interacting with the teacher participants, and providing subject experts to serve as guest teachers.

Continue Reading New Corporate Partners Join Mason’s VISTA Program

In December, Ángel Cabrera was unanimously selected by Mason’s Board of Visitors to become the sixth president in the university’s history. Cabrera will assume the office on July 1.

Continue Reading Meet Mason’s Next President

The questions: Who is the man with the question mark suit and what is he doing spending so much time at the campus Starbucks?

The answers: He’s Matthew Lesko, the longtime grants researcher made popular by colorful late-night infomercials in which he pitches his free money books. He busies himself on his laptop at the coffee shop between Chinese language classes at the Confucius Institute at Mason.

Continue Reading Who Is That Man and Why Is He Wearing That Suit?”

Relegated to a narrow shrinking band of forest along Brazil’s Atlantic coast, the golden lion tamarins have struggled to maintain their place on Earth. But lucky for these Lilliputian-esque primates, researchers such as Jennifer Mickelberg, PhD Environmental Science ’11, are using their zoological know-how to find ways to ensure that golden lion tamarins stick around for generations to come.

Continue Reading Jennifer Mickelberg: Fighting to Save a Species

Since I announced that I was stepping down as Mason’s president, people often ask me whether I am going to miss _______. They fill in this blank with a variety of things. I refuse, at least for now, to use the word “miss” because it implies sadness. I’m trying to celebrate everything I have done and what I am going to do. There is so much to celebrate and feel good about.

Continue Reading Being There

The workplace is more diverse than ever before: men and women from different age, ethnic, educational, religious, and cultural backgrounds work together every day. Although these differences can sometimes make it challenging to communicate and coordinate efforts cohesively, diversity can also yield important benefits for organizations. Mason industrial/organizational psychology professor Eden King has developed the…

Continue Reading Top 5: Getting Along with Coworkers from Different Backgrounds

President Alan Merten recently sat down with long-time Mason supporter Milt Peterson, principal and founder of the Peterson Companies. The two talked about leadership, their careers, the region, and, of course, George Mason University.

Continue Reading Leadership, Attitude, and Success

In its short 40-year history, George Mason University has changed a great deal. Not only has the university grown in reputation and physically in terms of campuses and buildings, but the Mason student body keeps getting bigger and better.

Continue Reading You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby