cherry blossoms / en Cherry Blossom predictions are in! Will AI bloom or bust? /news/2025-03/cherry-blossom-predictions-are-will-ai-bloom-or-bust <span>Cherry Blossom predictions are in! Will AI bloom or bust?</span> <span><span>Nathan Kahl</span></span> <span>Tue, 03/11/2025 - 17:05</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="Paragraph SCXW4159875 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Students, researchers, and citizen scientists from around the world submitted predictions to George Mason 麻豆国产鈥檚 annual </span><a href="https://competition.statistics.gmu.edu/"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">International Cherry Blossom Prediction</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> contest, with one new notable entrant鈥�.AI.聽</span><span class="EOP SCXW4159875 BCX4 intro-text">聽</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW4159875 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Jonathan Auerbach, an assistant professor in the </span><a href="https://statistics.gmu.edu/"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Department of Statistics</span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> and the competition co-organizer, said, 鈥淥bviously we see AI as the calculator of the 21st century鈥攕tudents should be able to use this tool, but that raises the baseline, so students really have to up their game.鈥�</span><span class="EOP SCXW4159875 BCX4">聽</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW4159875 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">The typical competitive entries use the concept of growing degree days, looking at heat accumulated by trees as measured by local temperatures. Although Auerbach said one </span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">trend</span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> he鈥檚 seeing is contestants increasingly modeling conditions in the fall preceding the bloom.聽</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW4159875 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">鈥淲e know that springtime temperatures are important, and as climates warm, blooms are happening earlier and earlier. But fall is also important because trees create (or form) buds in the fall," said Auerbach. "You can </span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">actually saw</span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> off a branch of a cherry tree and put it in your closet and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">as long as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> it's warm enough and in water, it'll </span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">actually bloom</span><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">.鈥澛�</span><span class="EOP SCXW4159875 BCX4">聽</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2025-03/screen_shot_2025-03-11_at_5.08.13_pm.png" width="1472" height="854" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>The cherry trees at the tidal basin are expected to bloom at the end of March. Photo courtesy National Park Service.</figcaption></figure><p class="Paragraph SCXW4159875 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Auerbach gets intrigued by what he called 鈥渮any鈥� approaches, noting that people use unique data points for their predictions and that hotel prices have been used to predict bloom dates with some effectiveness. This year one entry used Google trends, and Auerbach noted there is some precedent for that鈥攆or some time Google searches for the flu predicted flu outbreaks, for example.</span><span class="EOP SCXW4159875 BCX4">聽</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW4159875 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW4159875 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">What most entrants foresee is that the Washington, D.C., cherry blossoms will reach peak bloom in late March. Even ChatGPT, which you could say is really branching out鈥攊s in agreement.</span><span class="EOP SCXW4159875 BCX4">聽</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="f8696ab2-969f-49a0-a77e-1d8f381d9e4c"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://competition.statistics.gmu.edu/"> <h4 class="cta__title">Check out the predictions <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="e65eab81-7f74-45d8-995c-728dc3af2547" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="56364276-4a93-4909-9408-9518571aca49" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="e1649149-d246-4ab3-8f7e-ea15ae61a364" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Related News</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-32d2ea4134b34d2209761055a1466e3de16ab9d51e637e18ac19442b1e84d58a"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="news-list-wrapper"> <ul class="news-list"><li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-05/trial-virtual-fire-augmented-reality-project-tailors-training-firefighters" hreflang="en">Trial by virtual fire: Augmented reality project tailors training for firefighters </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 22, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-05/george-masons-roars-lab-retains-its-ranking-leader-ai-safety-2024-international-neural" hreflang="en">George Mason鈥檚 ROARS lab retains its ranking as a leader in AI safety at the 2024 International Neural Network Verification Competition</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 19, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-03/george-mason-launches-virginias-first-public-masters-degree-ai" hreflang="en">George Mason launches Virginia鈥檚 first public master鈥檚 degree in AI</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">March 31, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-03/innovative-approaches-propel-stat-250-new-heights-george-mason-university" hreflang="en">Innovative approaches propel STAT 250 to new heights at George Mason 麻豆国产 </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">March 31, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-03/nonprofits-are-trouble-could-more-sensitive-chatbots-be-answer" hreflang="en">Nonprofits are in trouble. Could more sensitive chatbots be the answer?</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">March 18, 2025</div></div></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17721" hreflang="en">cherry blossoms</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4891" hreflang="en">Statistics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7351" hreflang="en">Department of Statistics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 11 Mar 2025 21:05:10 +0000 Nathan Kahl 116146 at Mason Pond鈥檚 first weather station is the canary in the coal mine /news/2023-03/mason-ponds-first-weather-station-canary-coal-mine <span>Mason Pond鈥檚 first weather station is the canary in the coal mine</span> <span><span>Rena Malai</span></span> <span>Fri, 03/31/2023 - 13:46</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/dkepplin" hreflang="und">David Kepplinger</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="contentpasted0"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Just like miners used to bring canaries with them deep underground to detect danger early on, cherry trees 鈥� like the ones at George Mason 麻豆国产鈥檚 Fairfax campus 鈥撀爋ffer a similar advanced warning when it comes to the atmosphere.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="contentpasted0"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Bloom date records of聽cherry聽trees go back over a thousand years,聽with the earliest recordings linked to ancient聽cherry blossom festivals in Japan.聽More聽recently, bloom dates have taken on another purpose. Because of their temperature sensitivity, cherry trees鈥� flowering times have been noted as good indicators of a changing climate.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2023-03/Jamie%20C.%20Roth.jpg?itok=di-z4dKg" width="233" height="350" alt="Jamie Roth" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Biostatistics graduate student Jamie C. Roth.<br /> Photo courtesy of Roth.</figcaption></figure><p class="contentpasted0"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Biostatistics graduate student Jamie C. Roth wanted to apply this rich knowledge to the cherry trees that surround Mason Pond. She spearheaded a project to have the first weather station installed near the pond, which will monitor the atmosphere around the cherry trees and produce helpful data.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="contentpasted0"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淭he cherry blossoms show climate change better than any other plant,鈥� said Roth. 鈥淚 wanted to look at our own cherry trees and raise awareness聽of聽climate change.鈥�</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="contentpasted0"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The weather station will be a permanent fixture and will measure components like sunlight, temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind speed and direction. The data is then transmitted to a tablet that is currently housed in the Statistics department. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="contentpasted0"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Although the聽team is working out the initial quirks of getting the system up and running, in time, Roth sees the weather station as a useful climate reporting tool for students to use in years to come.聽</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="contentpasted0">鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the future and to see how students get involved in climate change on campus,鈥� said Roth.聽聽</p> <p class="contentpasted0"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Department of Statistics Assistant Professors David Kepplinger and Jonathan Auerbach supervised the project, along with College of Science Assistant Professor Daniel Hanley, in biology.聽Sarah D'Alexander from聽麻豆国产 Sustainability and聽Nick Valadez from the聽<span>facilities department</span>聽<span>were聽</span>instrumental in getting the weather station installed and running.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7301" hreflang="en">Biostatistics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4891" hreflang="en">Statistics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/551" hreflang="en">Climate Change</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17721" hreflang="en">cherry blossoms</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 31 Mar 2023 17:46:50 +0000 Rena Malai 104866 at In the Pink: Mason鈥檚 Cherry Tree Grove turns 30 /news/2023-03/pink-masons-cherry-tree-grove-turns-30 <span>In the Pink: Mason鈥檚 Cherry Tree Grove turns 30</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Wed, 03/29/2023 - 13:09</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/extra_large_content_image/public/2023-06/cherry%20blossom%20wide%202023230329901.jpg?itok=9hOX2PJA" width="1480" height="545" alt="Cherry blossom trees beside Mason Pond" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications</figcaption></figure><p><span class="intro-text"><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN">George Mason 麻豆国产鈥檚 iconic cherry tree grove by Mason Pond turns 30 this year. </span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>Officially known as the Memorial Cherry Grove, the first trees were donated in 1993 by the members of Club Nippon, a student organization for those who shared an interest in Japanese language and culture. The students, who wanted to do something different for Mason鈥檚 annual International Week, decided to make an enduring contribution to the Fairfax Campus by giving living symbols of Eastern Asia鈥攃herry trees. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>More than 30 trees were purchased from Merrifield Garden Center, according to a 1993 news report. Other international student organizations and several campus offices contributed to the purchase. The students planted one of these trees by the pond and Cross Cottage during International Week, while the Facilities Planning Office integrated the others into long-range plans for the area.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2023-06/cherry%20trees%202023%20230328105.jpg?itok=gcmP1Edp" width="350" height="280" alt="A student walks amidst cherry blossoms in full bloom." loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>The Memorial Cherry Grove has grown from the original 30 trees to now 61. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>The collection has grown from the original 30 to now 61 specimens. Dogwood and other hardwood trees indigenous to Virginia were added to the grove later, as well as several trees donated in memory of loved ones.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>Mason certified arborist Erich Miller, the grounds program manager for Mason鈥檚 Facilities Management department, identifies the trees in the grove as Yoshino (<em>Prunus x yedoensis</em>) cherry trees, and says the grove gets a lot of interest this time of year. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淚t has been cultivated and expanded to mirror the fantastic floral show that's currently happening at the Tidal Basin downtown,鈥� said Miller, who has worked at Mason for 17 years. 鈥淲e are fortunate enough to be here in Fairfax and enjoying the same type of show.</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>鈥� </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>Miller also welcomes the cherry blossom attention because it helps raise awareness about聽 </span></span></span><a href="https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/biology/facilities-centers/arboretum"><span><span><span>Mason鈥檚 Arboretum</span></span></span></a><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>. In 2021, the university earned </span></span></span><a href="http://www.arbnet.org/morton-register/george-mason-university-arboretum" target="_blank"><span><span><span>Level II accreditation</span></span></span></a><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span> from the international accreditation program ArbNet. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>While many universities set aside a certain number of acres to dedicate to an arboretum, Mason did things differently and chose to make all of its campuses and locations, including the Point of View International Retreat and Conference Center and the Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge, Virginia, part of its collection. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2023-06/cherry%20blossoms%20pond%202023%20230330002.jpg?itok=Eo75Hd7U" width="350" height="280" alt="Cherry Blossom trees line the Mason Pond" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>The cherry trees are part of Mason's accredited Arboretum. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>Being a Level II Arboretum means the university is identifying and showcasing a collection of more than 100 native and non-native trees and shrubs in these spaces. Visitors can enjoy the Arboretum in person or online using the </span></span></span><a href="https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/biology/facilities-centers/arboretum" target="_blank"><span><span><span>interactive Arboretum map</span></span></span></a><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>, which showcases each specimen. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>As the university鈥檚 arborist, Miller is responsible for the continued health and vitality of Mason鈥檚 trees. 聽And when one goes away鈥攚hether because of illness or construction, it is replaced. In many instances, it is replaced with the same type of tree or another Virginia native species. If the new tree isn鈥檛 planted in the same spot, know that it lives in another spot in the Arboretum.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淚t鈥檚 my responsibility to make sure that the current footprint stays in place or is improved,鈥� he said. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Fun fact: There is a master tree list where Miller said they document as best they can <em>every</em> tree within the university canopy. That鈥檚 a lot of acres and a lot of trees. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Although areas like the Memorial Cherry Grove provide a beautiful spot for a picnic, a marriage proposal, or just a relaxing place to study, the true purpose of an arboretum is education. Mason鈥檚 Memorial Cherry Grove has also come to be used as one of the </span></span></span></span><a href="https://ise.gmu.edu/"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><span><span>Institute for a Sustainable Earth</span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span>鈥檚 Living Labs.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Not only have faculty members in Mason鈥檚 Department of Statistics been holding a yearly international </span></span></span></span><a href="https://competition.statistics.gmu.edu/"><span lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><span><span>Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition</span></span></span></a><span><span><span><span>, </span></span></span></span><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span>Mason statistics students have been </span></span></span><a href="/news/2023-03/budding-scientist-monitors-masons-iconic-cherry-blossoms"><span><span><span>collecting and analyzing data on the bloom date</span></span></span></a><span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><span><span> of the cherry trees at Mason Pond and integrating this information with Mason鈥檚 local meteorological data, tracking variations over time to build a more accurate model for the bloom date.聽 </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>鈥淧art of the decision-making process for categorizing the entire university as the Arboretum is that we're a public university. 聽People are welcome to come here and visit any time,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淚t's a learning opportunity for not only the students, but for anybody who visits here.鈥�</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <div class="align-center" style="min-width: 50%;"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-video-embed-field field--type-video-embed-field field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gcBYRc23PYM?autoplay=0&start=0&rel=0"></iframe> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="c8dbeef2-59d4-4aa7-b9e2-cd750badbc58"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/biology/facilities-centers/arboretum?utm_medium=cpa&utm_source=oub-spirit-magazine&utm_campaign=sum23&utm_content=article"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn more about Mason's Arboretum <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="87fbe6cf-239c-4cdc-af41-913f6ed9f307" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="bc79501b-47da-4fcd-97c5-42abcda2b176" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Read more about Mason's trees</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-2d8837002285b0853d0a2f2a5f020c69a0ebb5d153762738a48cf4a994b1380e"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="news-list-wrapper"> <ul class="news-list"><li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-03/cherry-blossom-predictions-are-will-ai-bloom-or-bust" hreflang="en">Cherry Blossom predictions are in! Will AI bloom or bust?</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">March 11, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2024-10/campus-foragers-forest-turns-1" hreflang="en">Campus Foragers鈥� Forest turns 1</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">October 23, 2024</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2023-03/mason-ponds-first-weather-station-canary-coal-mine" hreflang="en">Mason Pond鈥檚 first weather station is the canary in the coal mine</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">March 31, 2023</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2023-03/pink-masons-cherry-tree-grove-turns-30" hreflang="en">In the Pink: Mason鈥檚 Cherry Tree Grove turns 30</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">March 30, 2023</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2023-03/budding-scientist-monitors-masons-iconic-cherry-blossoms" hreflang="en">Budding scientist monitors Mason鈥檚 iconic cherry blossoms</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">March 28, 2023</div></div></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14441" hreflang="en">Masonat50</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7691" hreflang="en">Arboretum</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17721" hreflang="en">cherry blossoms</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6826" hreflang="en">Facilities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15216" hreflang="en">Mason Spirit</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18176" hreflang="en">Spirit Summer 2023</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17511" hreflang="en">At Mason</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 29 Mar 2023 17:09:47 +0000 Colleen Rich 104751 at Budding scientist monitors Mason鈥檚 iconic cherry blossoms /news/2023-03/budding-scientist-monitors-masons-iconic-cherry-blossoms <span>Budding scientist monitors Mason鈥檚 iconic cherry blossoms</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span>Mon, 03/27/2023 - 13:39</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/dkepplin" hreflang="und">David Kepplinger</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/jaurerba" hreflang="en">Jonathan L. Auerbach</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">Over the last year, George Mason 麻豆国产 graduate student Jamie Roth has been leading an interdisciplinary research project alongside faculty members in biology and statistics. </span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/medium/public/2023-03/IMG_4674.JPG?itok=W2KdbYc1" width="560" height="373" alt="cherry blossom researchers pose by the trees" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Mason's cherry blossom monitoring team (from left) includes Jonathan Auerbach, Jamie Roth, David Kepplinger, and Daniel Hanley. Photo by Genamarie McCant/Mason Facilities</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>Roth designed this project as a long-term opportunity to teach Mason students to collect, process, analyze, and communicate about data using resources available on campus. The long-term data will reflect how Mason鈥檚 local ecosystem responds to the effects of climate change and create a visible marker for an otherwise invisible impact. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>By having Mason statistics students collect and analyze data on the bloom date of the cherry blossom trees at Mason Pond, as a part of their coursework in STAT 490 Capstone in Statistics and STAT 634 Case Studies in Data Analysis, and integrating it with Mason鈥檚 local meteorological data, variations can be tracked over time to build a more accurate model for the bloom date of the cherry blossom trees at Mason. 聽</span></span></p> <p><span><span>To implement this project, Roth received funding from Office of 麻豆国产 Sustainability鈥檚 <a href="https://go.gmu.edu/pgf"><span>Patriot Green Fund</span></a>, a grant from <a href="https://facilities.gmu.edu/"><span>Mason Facilities</span></a> that allows the campus community to develop infrastructure solutions that reduce Mason鈥檚 environmental impact as well as support student research projects that explore sustainability topics in the region.聽</span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-03/IMG_4835.JPG" width="350" height="233" alt="trail cameras" loading="lazy" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Trail cameras and a weather station monitor the campus cherry blossoms over time. Photo by Genamarie McCant/Mason Facilities</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>With this support, the project team, which includes faculty members Jonathan Auerbach and David Kepplinger in the <a href="https://statistics.gmu.edu/">Department of Statistics</a> and <a href="https://science.gmu.edu/directory/daniel-hanley">Daniel Hanley</a> in the Biology Department, worked collaboratively with Mason Facilities Project Manager Nick Valadez to determine the best locations to mount trail cameras and a weather station in order to monitor the cherry blossoms over time. This was key to the project because even a minor variation in the microclimate can affect phenological events, like bloom times. Once that information was determined, Abu Monjer, a project manager in Facilities Management, supported the installations in time for the project to launch for this year鈥檚 blooms. 聽聽</span></span></p> <p><span><span>鈥淭his project has been a great opportunity for me to tie together local climate data to the flora on the Mason [Fairfax] Campus and hopefully lay groundwork for future environmental projects,鈥� said Roth, who is majoring in biostatistics.聽<br /> 聽<br /> This research builds on the international <a href="https://competition.statistics.gmu.edu/competition/">Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition</a>, which Auerbach and Kepplinger help organize. This competition assembles data on the peak bloom date of cherry trees all over the world, from Kyoto, Japan, to Vancouver, British Columbia, and this project will bring Mason into this global arena, ensuring our ecosystem is represented. 聽</span></span></p> <p><span><span>This initiative is a pilot project for the <a href="https://ise.gmu.edu/">Institute for a Sustainable Earth</a>鈥檚 Mason Living Labs Initiative, which is designed to encourage and support students, faculty, and staff to pose questions, experiment, gather data, monitor changes, and propose novel solutions to a range of sustainability challenges associated with the university鈥檚 campus environments and its socio-environmental systems. 聽Learn more about the Living Labs initiative and the Cherry Blossom Monitoring project during the <span>virtual event launch</span> on April 12, 2023, at 2 p.m. 聽</span></span></p> <p>聽</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17721" hreflang="en">cherry blossoms</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/561" hreflang="en">Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6826" hreflang="en">Facilities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/911" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17726" hreflang="en">Mason Living Labs Initiative</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/19146" hreflang="en">CEC faculty research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 27 Mar 2023 17:39:03 +0000 Colleen Rich 104706 at Early spring toys with second annual Cherry Blossom Prediction 鈥疌ompetition鈥€� /news/2023-03/early-spring-toys-second-annual-cherry-blossom-prediction-competition <span>Early spring toys with second annual Cherry Blossom Prediction 鈥疌ompetition鈥€�</span> <span><span>Rena Malai</span></span> <span>Thu, 03/09/2023 - 10:54</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/dkepplin" hreflang="und">David Kepplinger</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">Unseasonably warm temperatures in the Northern Virginia area this spring have turned blooming鈥痙ates upside down, and the鈥痓eloved鈥痗herry blossoms are no exception.鈥�</span></p> <p><a href="/news/2022-03/mason-cherry-blossom-predictions-play-statistics" target="_blank">Last year,</a>鈥痵tudents at George Mason 麻豆国产 joined contestants from around the world鈥痶o鈥痯redict the peak bloom date of cherry trees at four global locations鈥擶ashington, D.C.; Kyoto, Japan; Liestal-Weideli, Switzerland; and Vancouver, BC, Canada. The international <a href="https://competition.statistics.gmu.edu/competition/" target="_blank">Cherry Blossom Prediction Competition</a> was a huge success and is gaining traction during its second annual run.鈥�</p> <p>The competition is organized by Mason statistics professors Jonathan Auerbach and David Kepplinger, and Elizabeth Wolkovich from the <a href="https://fcs.forestry.ubc.ca/" target="_blank">Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences</a> at the 麻豆国产 of British Columbia.鈥€�</p> <p>鈥淲e鈥檙e interested to see how the competition plays out this year,鈥� Kepplinger says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way for our students to get involved in something that鈥檚 so interesting to many people.鈥疻ho doesn鈥檛 love the cherry blossoms?鈥濃€�</p> <p>Because of the warm temperatures this year, contestants predict the Washington cherry trees will reach <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/bloom-watch.htm" target="_blank">peak bloom on March 28</a>聽on average,聽a week earlier than the historic average.聽</p> <p>鈥淚f you have warm temperatures followed by a cold blast, it can really affect the bloom date,鈥� Auerbach says. 鈥淯sually in the D.C. area, peak bloom鈥痮ccurs in early April. But some trees in the Tidal Basin and here at Mason Pond already show signs that flowering is imminent so we鈥檒l have to see.鈥濃€�</p> <p>Mason statistics students Sara Alhassani and D.J. Grant provided the closest predictions last year, and Auerbach sees many competitive entries from Mason students again this year. Contestants use a variety of measures like examining weather patterns, soil moisture, past bloom rates, and area rainfall to get the best estimate of peak bloom dates.鈥犫€�</p> <p>The 2022 peak bloom date in Washington was March 21, and the earliest peak bloom date on record is March 15, 1990.聽聽</p> <p>Competition winners will be announced in May and are eligible for up to $5,000 in cash and prizes.聽</p> <p>聽</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4891" hreflang="en">Statistics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15806" hreflang="en">competitions</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17696" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17721" hreflang="en">cherry blossoms</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:54:53 +0000 Rena Malai 104646 at