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Youth smoking remains a significant public health problem in the U.S. and in Virginia. Hong Xue, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, is conducting a study of youth smoking and prevention on the effects of policy and prevention strategies on the use of conventional and e-cigarettes in Virginia adolescents.

George Mason �鶹���� men’s basketball players D’Shawn Schwartz and Blake Buchanan, both School of Business graduate students, say their friendship helps keep them focused on their studies.

A panel discussion co-sponsored by the Schar School and Ms. Magazine tackles a particularly thorny subject—two of them actually: Attacks on abortion and democracy.

George Mason �鶹���� students and prospective students ineligible for federal aid, such as undocumented students or students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, now have an alternative option for financial aid.

Mason alum Alexander Hammett recently received Miami Indie Films’ Best Director Award for directing “Tale of Tarot,” a film written by fellow Mason alum Aaliyah-Janay Williams.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL-6), both two vocal critics of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing—discussed China’s ongoing human rights violations in a December webinar hosted by George Mason �鶹����’s  National Security Institute (NSI).

Farrokh Alemi, professor of Health Administration and Policy, is working on a new study to identify a connection between COVID-19 and suicide among essential workers. The study aims to offer evidence-based policy recommendations for improving mental health and preventing suicide in essential workers.

George Mason �鶹���� scholars have teamed up to create an online exhibit highlighting and acknowledging the hidden history of enslaved naturalists.

The first steps of the construction project that will reshape and reimagine George Mason’s Arlington Campus are scheduled to begin this week, weather permitting.

Mason doctoral student Tanya Boucicaut wants to explore the nexus between hip-hop culture and Black Church culture in her native Virginia Beach, and she wants to do it in a documentary that looks at two major music festivals.

We will open as planned on January 3, and the spring semester will begin as planned on January 24. We will require all faculty, staff, and students to obtain a booster shot as soon as they are able, and provide proof of the booster to Mason. And we will continue our indoor masking, testing, and Mason COVID Health Check requirements.

George Mason �鶹���� Professor Thomas Lovejoy, one of the world’s leading conservation biologists, died Saturday, December 25. He was 80 years old. Often referred to as the “godfather of biodiversity,” Lovejoy enjoyed a career that spanned more than 50 years, carrying him all over the globe as a conservation champion.