patent / en Innovation Awards recognize George Mason researchers /news/2025-06/innovation-awards-recognize-george-mason-researchers <span>Innovation Awards recognize George Mason researchers</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-06-26T11:00:11-04:00" title="Thursday, June 26, 2025 - 11:00">Thu, 06/26/2025 - 11:00</time> </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><span class="intro-text">In May, George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú celebrated its research enterprise with Innovation Awards. Hosted by the </span><a href="https://provost.gmu.edu/about/administrative-units/research-innovation-and-economic-impact"><span class="intro-text">Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact</span></a><span class="intro-text">, the event recognized researchers, a start-up, and those who received and/or licensed a patent in the past two years.</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/2025-06/250505856.jpg?itok=2IA95s8u" width="560" height="306" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>From left, George Mason researchers Lance Sherry, Mikell Paige, and Craig Yu received Innovator Awards. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of Âé¶ąąú˛ú Branding</figcaption> </figure> <p>“We're deeply committed to fostering a research environment that encourages innovation and supports discovery,” said Provost James Antony in his opening remarks. “We want to ensure that the faculty have the tools, the partnerships, and the resources that they need to take their ideas further.”</p> <p>Antony also commended the researchers for mentoring George Mason students. “You set a powerful example for emerging scholars. You show them what it's like to be both a researcher and a changemaker.”</p> <p>At the event, the university awarded its second Mason Lifetime Disclosure Award, which recognizes a researcher with the most innovation disclosures. The first recipient was Lance Liotta, codirector and cofounder of the <a href="https://capmm.science.gmu.edu/">Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine</a> (CAPMM). It was Liotta who presented this year’s award to his CAPMM cofounder and codirector Emanuel Petricoin.</p> <p>Petricoin, who joined George Mason in 2005, is a cofounder of four life science companies: Theranostics Health Inc.,&nbsp;Ceres&nbsp;Nanosciences&nbsp;Inc., C-4 Diagnostics Inc., and&nbsp;Perthera Inc. He also is a coinventor on 40+ patents and has published more than 350 peer-reviewed publications.&nbsp;</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/2025-06/250505836.jpg?itok=GnMiejzU" width="350" height="349" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>CAPMM's Kelsey Mitchell with Paula Sorrell, associate vice president of innovation and economic development. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of Âé¶ąąú˛ú Branding</figcaption> </figure> <p><span>This year’s<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Mason Start-Up of the Year went to </span><a href="/profiles/mwei2"><span>Mingkui&nbsp;Wei</span></a><span>, an associate professor in the </span><a href="https://cybersecurity.gmu.edu/"><span>Department of Cyber Security Engineering</span></a><span>, and his company </span><a href="https://cybermirage.tech/"><span>CyberMirage</span></a><span>. CyberMirage, which started as a collaborative research project involving researchers in network security with experts from both academia and industry, offers solutions to protect websites against web content theft and copyright infringement.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span>Three groups of researchers received George Mason Licensed Technology Awards, which celebrates when a protected intellectual property, such as a patent, is licensed by a company.&nbsp;</span></p> <ul> <li><span>Kathryn&nbsp;Laskey of the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and Paul&nbsp;Houser of the Geography and Geoinformation Science Department in the College of Science had their prototype system licensed by Global&nbsp;MapAid, a nonprofit working in Africa. The technology maps groundwater to help small farmers locate better wells and create soil conservation programs.&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span class="jtxda">Leading biotechnology tools provider</span><span> Targeted&nbsp;Bioscience licensed a tissue collection method patented by the CAPMM team of&nbsp;Liotta, Alessandra&nbsp;Luchini, Marissa Howard, and biosciences PhD candidate Purva&nbsp;Gade.</span></li> <li><span>Toronto-based Affinity&nbsp;Diagnostics licensed a method for sequestering and/or isolating analytes of interest from an oral fluid, also developed by a CAPMM team. Researchers Ahana Byne, Fatah&nbsp;Kashanchi, and Kelsey&nbsp;Mitchell joined Luchini, Liotta, and Howard on this award.</span></li> </ul> <p><span>The Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact also gave out Innovator Awards in the categories of sustainability, biohealth innovation, and digital innovation.</span></p> <p><span>CEC’s Lance Sherry was recognized with the Innovators Award in Sustainability for his work with contrail mitigation. His pioneering research and technologies have not only enhanced flight safety and operational efficiencies but have also addressed aviation's growing efforts to track and mitigate the environmental impacts and to quantify their CO2 equivalency.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span>The College of Science’s Mikell Paige was recognized with the Innovators Award in Biohealth Innovation for his groundbreaking work in biochemistry at the interface of synthetic organic chemistry, drug discovery, and molecular design. His work focuses on designing small molecules that target computational modeling and biochemical assays to produce drug development in meaningful and practical ways.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span>Craig Yu of the College of Engineering and Computing received the Innovators Award in Digital Innovation for developing groundbreaking systems that redefine how people interact with virtual and augmented spaces. Through his research, Yu has developed a more human-centered approach to navigation, designing digital pathways that take into account physical effort and make virtual experiences more natural and inclusive.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span>“At George Mason, we’re not just advancing research—we’re building a culture of innovation that has real-world impact,” said Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact. “These awards are about honoring the bold ideas and the committed people who move the university’s research forward—and outward—into the world. They represent the spirit of innovation that defines our university: impactful, collaborative, and driven by a desire to make a difference far beyond our campus.”</span></p> <p><span>The awards the researchers took home for patents and licensed technologies have a special design. They are Plexiglas hexagons with magnets so researchers can add to their award over the years as they receive patents/licensing.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span>The researchers and teams behind 19 George Mason patents were also recognized.&nbsp;</span></p> <ul> <li><span><strong>Compositions and methods for laser capture microdissection—</strong>Virginia Espina, Lance Liotta, and Alessandra Luchini</span></li> <li><span><strong>Collapsible fluid collection system for point-of-care diagnostics—</strong>Marissa Howard, Liotta, Luchini, and Kelsey Mitchell</span></li> <li><span><strong>Honey proteomics for honeybee disease and environmental biomonitoring—</strong>Liotta and Luchini</span></li> <li><span><strong>Antimicrobial peptides and related methods—</strong>Shravani Bobde&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span><strong>Molecularly imprinted particles—</strong>Barney Bishop, Mrinalini Ramanan, and Yaling Zhu</span></li> <li><span><strong>Systems and methods for coordinating travel through traffic lights—</strong>Melvin Friedman and Brian Mark</span></li> <li><span><strong>Impactor platform allowing freefall upon impact—</strong>David Cerri</span></li> <li><span><strong>Recombinant host cell with heterologous nucleic acids encoding SHREK proteins—</strong>Deemah Dabbagh and Yuntao Wu</span></li> <li><span><strong>Methods for breast cancer treatment—</strong>Emanuel Petricoin and Julia Wulfkuhle</span></li> <li><span><strong>Anti-fibrotic agent—</strong>Mikell Paige and Gregory Petruncio</span></li> <li><span><strong>Using Wi-Fi infrastructure to predict locations and contacts—</strong>Janusz Wojtusiak&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span><strong>Methods and systems for system call reduction—</strong>Kun Sun</span></li> <li><span><strong>Systems and methods for improved aircraft safety—</strong>Lance Sherry</span></li> <li><span><strong>Exertion-aware path generation—</strong>Lap-Fai (Craig) Yu</span></li> <li><span><strong>Complex user authentication factor integrating a sequence of fingerprints and a personal identification number—</strong>Massimiliano Albanese</span></li> <li><span><strong>Small molecule inhibitors of SLC25A1—</strong>Mikell Paige</span></li> <li><span><strong>Mining all atom simulations for diagnosing and treating disease—</strong>Mohsin Jafri</span></li> <li><span><strong>Antimicrobial peptides and related methods—</strong>Monique van Hoek</span></li> <li><span><strong>Look-up table containing processor-in-memory cluster for data-intensive applications—</strong>Sai Manoj and Sathwika Bavikadi</span></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</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="9b4173ae-bbbb-4fc4-ac33-473bca8abb78"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://gmu.edu/research"> <h4 class="cta__title">Research at George Mason <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="b703050c-8e29-4e3f-a911-dc0c64c4ac1c" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="23765e19-ee62-4d97-abdc-970b165820d3" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Related Stories</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-0954c0454a8688ff8532a68943ee35eea09cf2d78ac867622bd51de82faf4522"> <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/2025-06/innovation-awards-recognize-george-mason-researchers" hreflang="en">Innovation Awards recognize George Mason researchers</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div 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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/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18061" hreflang="en">Tech Transfer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3081" hreflang="en">patent</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:00:11 +0000 Colleen Rich 117916 at A slippery slope to safety: New material promises steady steps /news/2025-03/slippery-slope-safety-new-material-promises-steady-steps <span>A slippery slope to safety: New material promises steady steps </span> <span><span>Nathan Kahl</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-03-10T08:11:36-04:00" title="Monday, March 10, 2025 - 08:11">Mon, 03/10/2025 - 08:11</time> </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 SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US">Winter weather can be treacherous at times, especially for those trying to navigate slippery situations on foot. Fortunately, George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú materials scientist Shay Bagheri is working on better footwear to handle icy conditions.&nbsp;</span><span class="EOP SCXW245689130 BCX4 intro-text">&nbsp;</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/2025-03/shaghayegh_bagheri.jpeg?itok=Mdt9qs_P" width="350" height="350" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Shay Bagheri. Photo by Office of Âé¶ąąú˛ú Branding</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Bagheri, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and an affiliate scientist at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun intro-text" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">received a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation for her research. CCF “supports Virginia’s small business community and its colleges, universities, and nonprofit research institutes at the earliest stages of their entrepreneurial and/or commercialization journeys, seeking innovative technologies with a high potential for economic development and job creation.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW245689130 BCX4">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">In 2016, Bagheri was working at the Toronto Rehab Institute, which has numerous labs that recreate real-world environments. Bagheri was drawn to the Winter Lab, where researchers were studying shoe safety in slippery conditions.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“</span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">WinterLab</span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> is a self-contained facility with an ice-covered floor that can be tilted at different angles," Bagheri said. "Harnessed participants walk up and down the icy slope, and the steepest angle they can manage without slipping is used to measure the slip resistance of their footwear.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW245689130 BCX4">&nbsp;</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/2025-03/bagheri_graphic.png?itok=q9nx6Kbm" width="328" height="196" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>The topography of the footwear surface, magnified. Graphic provided</figcaption> </figure> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">While working at the Winter Lab, she received new generations of winter footwear based on composite technology. These shoes had excellent slip resistance when they were new, but she was surprised to learn many of the boots and shoes they tested lost a significant amount of their nonslip properties after a mere 75,000 steps—barely a week for a frequent, avid walker.&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">“And all of them cost over $200. So, we knew something had to be done </span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed" lang="EN-US">in order to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> improve the material and the manufacturing process.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW245689130 BCX4">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">The commercially available composite-based footwear </span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">have</span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> soles that get traction from tiny pieces of glass. Glass is by nature very sensitive to abrasion and the fabrication of glass is very hazardous, making it less than ideal. Bagheri said, “Instead of glass, we are adding polymeric fibers that are very resistant to wear and abrasion. They are non-hazardous, soft, and capable of withstanding significant abrasion. This material is five times more effective than what’s currently on the market.”</span><span class="EOP SCXW245689130 BCX4"> &nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">She said that instead of using the common injection molding technique to make these composite materials, she uses additive manufacturing, allowing for more uniform distribution, with a little bio inspiration. “In order to enhance friction on ice, we incorporate polymeric microfibers that protrude to the surface, triggering </span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed" lang="EN-US">the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US"> friction mechanism similar to what you would see in polar bear feet,” she said. For the second approach, she uses a 2-D material with a large surface area that triggers the friction mechanism through adhesion, similar to the way frog’s feet work.</span><span class="EOP SCXW245689130 BCX4">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="Paragraph SCXW245689130 BCX4"><span class="TextRun SCXW245689130 BCX4 NormalTextRun" lang="EN-US">Bagheri and colleagues hold a patent for the method of manufacturing these innovative composites. She and her student at George Mason have also filed a provisional patent through their work, using additive manufacturing technology to make these composites more efficiently.</span><span class="EOP SCXW245689130 BCX4">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="59dd26db-3655-433b-b0cd-ffedd1952857" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <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/sbagheri" hreflang="und">Shaghayegh Bagheri </a></div> 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href="/news/2025-05/blast-breakthroughs-brazil-bolster-international-engineering-collaboration" hreflang="en">Blast breakthroughs from Brazil bolster international engineering collaboration</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">May 21, 2025</div></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <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/20711" hreflang="en">materials</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4706" hreflang="en">mechanical engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3081" hreflang="en">patent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:11:36 +0000 Nathan Kahl 116076 at This George Mason alum can help you sleep better /news/2024-09/george-mason-alum-can-help-you-sleep-better <span>This George Mason alum can help you sleep better</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-09-26T12:16:30-04:00" title="Thursday, September 26, 2024 - 12:16">Thu, 09/26/2024 - 12:16</time> </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><span class="intro-text">In high school and as an undergraduate student, Dan Gartenberg, MA Psychology ’12, PhD ’16, would stay up late and struggle to wake early, a typical experience for many students. Early on in his graduate studies at George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú, he took a course on the neuroscience of sleep and was hooked. </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/2024-09/dan_gartenberg.jpg?itok=_ZeeT1o7" width="285" height="350" alt="Dan Gartenberg" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Dan Gartenberg. Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p><span><span><span>Gartenberg became passionate about the study of sleep, due to his own personal struggles with sleep—including delayed sleep phase syndrome and insomnia. He is now founder and CEO of <a href="https://sleepspace.com/">SleepSpace</a> and a scientific advisor to other companies in the sleep science field, including <a href="https://wesper.co/">Wesper</a>, <a href="https://biostrap.com/">Biostrap</a>, <a href="https://cpap.com/">CPAP.com</a>, <a href="https://perfectlysnug.com/?sscid=91k8_lx3tx&amp;">&nbsp;Perfectly Snug</a>, and <a href="https://mdbiowellness.superfiliate.com/STSS01">MDBiowellness</a>. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“Mason is where I learned to be a scientist, constantly question things, and where I learned the scientific method. That’s an invaluable thing,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>For his <a href="http://mars.gmu.edu/bitstream/handle/1920/10386/Gartenberg_gmu_0883E_11083.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y">dissertation</a> in psychology, Gartenberg worked with the Naval Research Laboratory to develop artificial intelligence (AI) models that could help predict when people, such as pilots, are getting fatigued doing a task for a long period of time by using eye tracking data.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“I was making models of fatigue and using different cognitive tasks to predict when errors would occur,” he said. “You don’t want a pilot to crash a $30 million aircraft, and there are ways to tell when someone is tired based on their [movements].” </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Gartenberg published several papers and released his first few sleep apps around this time. He worked closely with the late George Mason professor Raja Parasuraman, an expert in the field who developed one of the main theories of vigilance. </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/medium/public/2024-09/phone-watch.png?itok=5BA98WuZ" width="340" height="513" alt="watch illustration for app" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Photo provided</figcaption> </figure> <p><span><span><span>While at George Mason, Gartenberg received grants from the National Science Foundation to test whether playing certain sounds during sleep could encourage deeper sleep. His research team brought people into a lab and hooked them up to polysomnography—like an EEG but used to measure multiple physiological data streams. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>They played sounds on the up state of delta brainwaves and showed some evidence that it primes deeper sleep. Gartenberg and his colleagues went on to get more grant funding in that area. But he found having someone wear a device was cumbersome. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“And it wasn’t a great form factor for consumers, so I pivoted a bit toward insomnia,” he said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Then, in 2020, he received a $2.5 million grant from National Institutes of Health to develop a new digital therapeutic for insomnia. He recently ran a randomized control trial to test this novel therapy. This is the main focus of his company, SleepSpace. He also raised $1.8 million from venture capitalists to build this sleep improvement platform.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>First, Gartenberg and team created very accurate sleep trackers. Gartenberg made some algorithms on the Apple watch and using smartphone sensors to track sleep in real time for the purpose of playing sounds to augment sleep and later integrated smart lights.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Gartenberg said that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the treatment for insomnia recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and other academies. So the team built a six-week CBT course with collaborators at Penn State Âé¶ąąú˛ú and the Âé¶ąąú˛ú of Arizona. The software also integrates with sound and light devices to promote improve sleep quality, and includes meditations and interactive content driven by an AI chatbot called Dr. Snooze. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“Âé¶ąąú˛ú software allows the coach or a sleep doctor to see their client’s data from the app and wearable devices, so they can see the perception of sleep alongside what’s happening and create customized sleep programs,” he said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Gartenberg and colleagues showed that when people experience the treatment as usual plus the software, more people were able to avoid insomnia remission, and it was more effective at treating it on some metrics. Since launching, they have 30 therapists and coaches using the platform and have seen more than 100,000 downloads. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“We’re augmenting the therapist, not replacing them,” Gartenberg emphasized. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>He’s currently working on developing a comprehensive package to improve sleep and also launching a new smart topper and bedsheet called the SleepSpace Smart Sheet that will integrate with his current software and be able to control the temperature on either side of the bed. It can help with falling asleep, hot flashes, night sweats, and navigating different temperature needs of partners. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>And it all started at George Mason. Gartenberg said the university played a major role in his career as a scientist and entrepreneur. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“George Mason gave me, as a PhD, the freedom to pursue a lot of different interests that weren’t strictly in one field,” he said. “It was a combination of software development, science, and even intellectual property. I worked with Mason’s [Tech Transfer] team on some patents, and I got my first patent granted through that collaboration.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Gartenberg’s advice for Mason students is to know who you are and what you want. He took the entrepreneur route, but he admits it’s not for everyone, and it can be quite stressful. However, he thinks entrepreneur skills are more important than ever, especially creative problem solving and persistence. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“If you can creatively solve problems, that can be applied to almost anything.”</span></span></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="41329e18-8e5f-49a1-919f-8fa6adcc3f64"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://sleepspace.com/about-dr-dan-gartenberg/"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn more about Gartenberg's work <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="5208d0e4-5c42-4b98-99b9-19a72184b0ed" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" 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hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3081" hreflang="en">patent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/391" hreflang="en">College of Humanities and Social Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1161" hreflang="en">National Science Foundation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2241" hreflang="en">National Institutes of Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/20521" hreflang="en">Spirit Fall 2024</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17476" hreflang="en">Spirit Magazine</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:16:30 +0000 Colleen Rich 113996 at Mason named to top 100 list for patents awarded in 2022 /news/2023-10/mason-named-top-100-list-patents-awarded-2022 <span>Mason named to top 100 list for patents awarded in 2022</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-10-12T09:30:11-04:00" title="Thursday, October 12, 2023 - 09:30">Thu, 10/12/2023 - 09:30</time> </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><span class="intro-text">It isn’t surprising that George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú, a university that has been recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, would be among the top 100 universities in United States for patents. This fall, the National Academy of Inventors ranked Mason No. 91 in its list of the top 100 universities granted patents during 2022.</span></p> <figure role="group"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-10/190123336%20%281%29.jpg" width="1000" height="667" alt="student looking in a microscrope in a lab" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of Âé¶ąąú˛ú Branding</figcaption> </figure> <p><span><span><span>“Mason is in the business of discovery,” said Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact. “Âé¶ąąú˛ú researchers are curiosity-driven. As such, we don't always know where our research will lead or what impact it may have. I am absolutely delighted that the Mason Enterprise tech transfer team is working with our researchers on inventions and patents to transform our discoveries into impact</span><span><span><span><span>.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>In 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 15 utility patents to Mason inventors including a method to monitor physical cues for people in recovery, a wearable device for knee injuries, a system for detecting power grid states and determining appropriate actions, and therapeutics for dealing with </span><span lang="EN">human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), to name a few</span><span>. </span><span lang="EN">Utility patents cover the creation of a new or improved—and useful—product, process, or machine.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Mason professors </span><a href="https://science.gmu.edu/node/453"><span>Padmanabhan Seshaiyer</span></a><span> of the </span><a href="https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/mathematical-sciences"><span>Department of Mathematical Sciences</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://publichealth.gmu.edu/profiles/hmatto"><span>Holly Matto</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://socialwork.gmu.edu/"><span>Department of Social Work</span></a><span>, share a patent for systems and methods for biobehavioral-regulation treatments. Their invention provides recovery support for users by monitoring their biobehavioral state and strategically delivers, in real time, personalized recovery cues to treat and prevent relapse. It is the first patent for the Department of Social Work.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Researchers Marissa Howard and Lance Liotta at Mason’s </span><a href="https://capmm.science.gmu.edu/"><span>Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine</span></a><span> patented a wearable device that measures, tracks, and monitors a wearer's physical physiological conditions during a rehabilitation period. The device collects metrics, such as temperature, patellar shifting, limb circumference, and acceleration, and communicates them through a networked communication system so medical personnel and patients can stay updated with the patient’s rehabilitation progress and make adjustments.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Mason alum Eniye Tebekaemi, PhD Information Technology ’18, and </span></span></span><a href="https://volgenau.gmu.edu/profiles/dwijesek"><span><span><span>Duminda Wijesekera</span></span></span></a><span><span><span> of the </span></span></span><a href="https://cec.gmu.edu/"><span><span><span>College of Engineering and Computing</span></span></span></a><span><span><span> were awarded a patent for a secure overlay communication model for decentralized autonomous power grids. The model is a logic-based system deployed onto computing devices in power grid stations and substations. In response to detecting various power grid faults, such as line failures and over-current states, the system can automatically rearrange power line configurations.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>Researcher Yuntao Wu, a professor in Mason’s </span></span></span><a href="https://catalog.gmu.edu/archives/2017-2018/colleges-schools/science/systems-biology/#text" target="_blank"><span><span><span>School of Systems Biology</span></span></span></a><span><span><span> and the </span></span></span><a href="https://cidr.science.gmu.edu/" target="_blank"><span><span><span>Center for Infectious Disease Research</span></span></span></a><span><span><span>, was awarded two patents in 2022 for his work on HIV: “Targeting the Cofilin Pathway” and “Method and System for Inactivating Virus Infectivity for Producing Live-Attenuated Vaccines.” Wu has devoted his career to HIV research. In 2013, he founded the biotech company Virongy after licensing an HIV drug-screening technology that was developed in his Mason lab.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span>“The Office of Technology Transfer takes great pride in the quality of patented innovations brought forth by our dedicated researchers,” said David Grossman, senior director of &nbsp;Technology Transfer and Industry Collaboration at Mason. “We are honored to help these innovators transition their groundbreaking concepts from the laboratory to the marketplace. This collaboration between academia and industry underscores our unwavering commitment to harness the full potential of research for the betterment of society.”</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>The academy’s Top 100 lists are created using data provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Other Virginia universities in the top 100 included Âé¶ąąú˛ú of Virginia at 52 and Virginia Commonwealth Âé¶ąąú˛ú at 86. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>According to the National Academy of Inventors press release, “This new list was created to highlight and celebrate American innovation and to showcase the universities that play a large role in advancing the innovation ecosystem within the U.S. and beyond.”</span></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:feature_image" data-inline-block-uuid="be56daec-8d82-46e6-abdb-14fbefbd5fef" class="block block-feature-image block-layout-builder block-inline-blockfeature-image text-overlaid"> <div class="feature-image"> <div class="narrow-overlaid-image"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_medium/public/2023-06/resize%202.jpg?itok=SLw0sYVu" srcset="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_small/public/2023-06/resize%202.jpg?itok=5-C-WHn- 768w, /sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_medium/public/2023-06/resize%202.jpg?itok=SLw0sYVu 1024w, /sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_large/public/2023-06/resize%202.jpg?itok=vdomrnI5 1280w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 80vw,100vw" alt="The World Needs Mason Now. It's time to power the possible."> </div> <div class="headline-text"> <div class="feature-image-caption"> <div class="field field--name-field-feature-image-caption field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Built by grit, ability, and vision. Help make Mason's next 50 years even more impactful than it's first 50.</p></div> </div> <div class="feature-image-link"> <div class="field field--name-field-feature-image-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="/masonnow">Join the ongoing campaign</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div><div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="b0169019-0bda-4c24-9df9-c85875c05d22" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <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/awmarsh" hreflang="en">Andre Marshall, PhD</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/hmatto" hreflang="und">Holly Matto, PhD, LCSW-C</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/lliotta" hreflang="und">Lance A. Liotta</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/dwijesek" hreflang="und">Duminda Wijesekera</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="734328fa-f10f-4c61-9039-bf729760509b" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Read about more of our research</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-1c612122108bd9f5b76d97bcf4169eb555319b4766e5b32e5c2d8a4923d61a55"> <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/2025-07/using-virtual-reality-prevent-falls-older-adults" hreflang="en">Using virtual reality to prevent falls in older adults </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">July 1, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-06/watershed-year-george-mason-university-sustainability-data" hreflang="en">A watershed year for George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú sustainability data </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 30, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-06/computer-science-professor-using-ai-help-endangered-languages-be-heard" hreflang="en">Computer science professor is using AI to help endangered languages be heard </a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 27, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-06/george-mason-psychology-researcher-clocking-make-workplaces-safer-all" hreflang="en">This George Mason psychology researcher is clocking in to make workplaces safer for all</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 26, 2025</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2025-06/innovation-awards-recognize-george-mason-researchers" hreflang="en">Innovation Awards recognize George Mason researchers</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">June 26, 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/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3081" hreflang="en">patent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1661" hreflang="en">Rankings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18061" hreflang="en">Tech Transfer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/291" hreflang="en">College of Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3071" hreflang="en">College of Engineering and Computing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/286" hreflang="en">Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17226" hreflang="en">College of Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17356" hreflang="en">Strategic Direction</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:30:11 +0000 Colleen Rich 109106 at Innovation Awards celebrate Mason researchers /news/2023-06/innovation-awards-celebrate-mason-researchers <span>Innovation Awards celebrate Mason researchers</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-06-02T09:57:40-04:00" title="Friday, June 2, 2023 - 09:57">Fri, 06/02/2023 - 09:57</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </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">On May 9, George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú celebrated its research enterprise with Innovation Awards, recognizing the Innovator of the Year and a Mason start-up, and those who received and/or licensed a patent.</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/2023-06/JWB%20050923%20GMU-InnovationAwards-200-FINAL.jpg" width="400" height="267" alt="Buschman's team accepts the Innovator of the Year award" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Michael Buschmann's team accepted the Innovator of the Year award from Vice President Andre Marshall (holding plaque) on his behalf. Photo by John Boal Photography</figcaption> </figure> <p><span><span><span>According to David Grossman, senior director of technology transfer and industry collaboration in Mason’s Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact, this was the first time since 2010 that the university formally recognized researchers. Going forward it will be an annual event. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“At the Mason Innovation Awards, we were privileged to recognize the tireless pursuit of knowledge and the transformative impact of our faculty’s discoveries,” said Grossman. “Through their dedication, these researchers are helping shape the world with their groundbreaking technologies and pushing the boundaries of what is possible."</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>The Innovator of the Year Award was awarded posthumously to Michael Buschmann, </span></span><span>Eminent Scholar and the former chair of the </span><a href="https://bioengineering.gmu.edu/" target="_blank"><span>Bioengineering Department</span></a><span> within Mason’s </span><a href="https://cec.gmu.edu/" target="_blank"><span>College of Engineering and Computing</span></a><span>. Buschmann help found the start-up AexeRNA Therapeutics Inc., in partnership with the university’s Office of Technology Transfer. He and his team licensed the commercial rights of four patents to the company. The technology AexeRNA is working on will make mRNA vaccines less costly and more readily available worldwide. Members of Buschmann’s AexeRNA team were recognized at the ceremony. </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/2023-06/JWB%20050923%20GMU-InnovationAwards-249-FINAL.jpg" width="400" height="390" alt="Jafri with his award" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Saleet Jafri was awarded the Mason Start-up Award. Photo by John Boal Photography</figcaption> </figure> <p><span><span><span><span>The Mason Start-up Award was presented to Saleet Jafri,</span></span><span> director of Mason’s Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience and professor in the School of Systems Biology, <a href="https://science.gmu.edu/">College of Science</a>,<span> for his company </span></span><a href="https://pathodynamics.com/"><span>Pathodynamics</span></a><span><span>. </span></span><span><span>Pathodynamics has</span></span><span><span> l</span></span><span><span>icensed three Mason patents and is developing a technology that solves the problem of cancer drug resistance, which is responsible for more than 90% of cancer</span></span><span><span> d</span></span><span><span>eaths. Jafri has also received a </span></span><span>Small Business Innovation Research</span><span><span> award for the technology and is working with the Virginia Small Business Development </span></span><span>Center’s</span><span> Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP).</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Âé¶ąąú˛ú Professor Lance Liotta, cofounder and codirector of the <a href="https://capmm.science.gmu.edu/">Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine</a>, was recognized with a Mason Lifetime Disclosure Award. During his career, Liotta has filed more than 120 patent disclosures. Disclosures are the first step toward a patent by making a public claim about an invention or discovery. Liotta has 100 inventions to date and the prototype of one of these inventions—Laser</span><em> </em>Capture<em> </em><span>Microdissection</span>, a method to procure subpopulations of tissue cells under direct microscopic visualization<span>—is in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection.</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/2023-06/JWB%20050923%20GMU-InnovationAwards-359-FINAL.jpg" width="400" height="302" alt="Lance Liotta accepts the Disclosure Awards" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Lance Liotta (left) and David Grossman holding Liotta's Lifetime Disclosure Award. Photo by John Boal Photography</figcaption> </figure> <p><span><span><span><span>During the program, Gisele Stolz, </span></span><span>senior director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programs at Mason, was recognized for recently receiving an </span><a href="/news/2023-05/gisele-stolz-wins-cci-impact-award"><span>Impact Award from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative</span></a><span> for mentoring students. Stolz has helped place more than 150 Mason students in internships with cyber-related start-ups. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Participants of the Virginia SBDC ICAP and national I-CORPS programs and </span></span><span>Mason researchers who have patented or licensed a technology or invention were also recognized. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>The awards for patents and licensed technologies are Plexiglas hexagons with magnets so researchers can add to their award over the years as they receive patents/licensing. </span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>A list of those Mason researcher licensing technologies follows.</span></span></span></span></p> <h3><span><span><span><span>Mason Licensed Technology Awards </span></span></span></span></h3> <p><span><span><span><span>“Microscopic Particles for Target Bio-markers,” licensed to Ceres NanoSciences<br><br> <span>Lance Liotta, Emanuel Petricoin, Alessandra Luchini Kunkel, Barney Bishop, Virginia Espina, Marissa Howard, and Fatah Kashanchi</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Self-Cleaning Intrusion Tolerance” licensed to SCIT Labs<br><br> Arun Sood</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Pre-Shot Sniper Detection” licensed to First Guard Technologies<br><br> Kenneth J. Hintz</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Cauldron” licensed to Cyvision Technologies<br><br> Sushil Jajodia</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Antiretroviral Compositions” licensed to Lentx<br><br> Yuntao Wu</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Biological Materials” licensed to Kera FAST<br><br> Barney Bishop, Monique van Hoek, Robin Couch, and Yuntao Wu</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Atomic Magnetometer” licensed to Twinleaf<br><br> Karen Sauer</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Protein–Protein Interactions” licensed to EMD Millipore<br><br> Alessandra Luchini Kunkel, Lance Liotta, and Virginia Espina</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Antiretroviral Cyclonucleotides” and “Pseudovirus Platform” licensed to Virongy<br><br> Yuntao Wu and Brian Hetrick</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Packet Flow Watermarking” licensed to CyberRock Tech<br><br> Xinyuan Wang</span></span></span></span><span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Encryption IP Cores” licensed to Chaologix<br><br> Gaj Krzysztof and Panasayya Yalla</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Personalized Therapy” licensed to Avant Diagnostics<br><br> Emanuel Petricoin and Julia Wulfkuhle</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Thromboembolism Sleeve” licensed to Phase II Consulting and Staffing</span></span></span></span><br><br> <span><span><span><span>Lance Liotta and Marissa Howard</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Laser Capture Microdissection” and “Tissue Molecular Profiling” licensed to Targeted Biosciences<br><br> Lance Liotta, Alessandra Luchini Kunkel, Virginia Espina, Amanda Nicole Haymond Still, Marissa Howard, and Philip Andrew Pappalardo</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Cancer and HIV Therapeutics” licensed to Targeted Pharmaceuticals<br><br> Catherine DeMarino, Fatah Kashanchi, Lance Liotta, and Virginia Espina</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“HIV Vaccine” licensed to Viropeutics<br><br> Yuntao Wu</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Protein Painting” licensed to Monet Pharmaceuticals<br><br> Alessandra Luchini Kunkel, Amanda Nicole Haymond Still, Lance Liotta, Mikell Paige, and Virginia Espina</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Antidepressant Selection” licensed to Teahorse<br><br> Farrokh Alemi</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Honeybee Hive Therapy” licensed to Tri-State Proteomics<br><br> Alessandra Luchini Kunkel, Lance Liotta, and Rocio Solange Prisby</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“mRNA Delivery Lipids” licensed to AexeRNA Therapeutics<br><br> Michael Buschmann, Mikell Paige, Suman Alishetty, and Manuel Carrasco</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“COVID Contact Tracing” licensed to Vericord<br><br> Farrokh Alemi and Janusz Wojtusiak</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Wearable Devices for Managing Substance Abuse” licensed to LifeSpan Digital Health<br><br> Holly C. Matto and Padmanabhan Seshaiyer</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Precision Oncology” licensed to Pathodynamics</span></span></span></span><br><br> <span><span><span><span>Mohsin Saleet Jafri and Soukaina Amniouel</span></span></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</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/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3081" hreflang="en">patent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18061" hreflang="en">Tech Transfer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6691" hreflang="en">entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17356" hreflang="en">Strategic Direction</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 02 Jun 2023 13:57:40 +0000 Colleen Rich 105756 at Social Work associate professor registers U.S. patent to reduce substance use relapse, the department’s first patent /news/2023-04/social-work-associate-professor-registers-us-patent-reduce-substance-use-relapse <span>Social Work associate professor registers U.S. patent to reduce substance use relapse, the department’s first patent </span> <span><span>Mary Cunningham</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-04-26T11:20:43-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 26, 2023 - 11:20">Wed, 04/26/2023 - 11:20</time> </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/hmatto" hreflang="und">Holly Matto, PhD, LCSW-C</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/pseshaiy" hreflang="und">Padmanabhan Seshaiyer</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"><div class="align-right"> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/media_library/public/2023-04/Holly%20Matto%20-%20200.jpg?itok=VaAyZoq0" width="157" height="220" alt="Holly Matto" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <p><span><span>Substance use disorder affects more than 46 million Americans according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Recovery can be a difficult path, but an interdisciplinary team led by <a href="https://publichealth.gmu.edu/profiles/hmatto">Holly Matto</a>, associate professor in the Department of Social Work, aims to make it a little easier through a recently patented technology-based recovery support system.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Matto and College of Science Professor <a href="https://science.gmu.edu/directory/padmanabhan-seshaiyer">Padmanabhan Seshaiyer</a> received the patent for a mobile technology to help those in recovery overcome triggers that lead to relapse. The technology is a real-time, cloud-based support system that helps manage behavioral responses—for example, the desire to use opioids—by monitoring physical symptoms, such as changes to a person’s heart rate, to identify when someone needs help to overcome a triggering event. With up to 60 percent of patients experiencing relapse within one year of treatment, the support is critical. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>“The patent recognizes our unique contribution to the expanding availability of digital health technologies designed to improve access to timely support,” says Matto.&nbsp;The patent is believed to be the first received by a faculty member from the Department of Social Work.</span></span></p> <p>.&nbsp;</p> <div class="align-center"> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/medium/public/2023-04/Matto%20REMind-h%20prototype.png?itok=11bsOhbY" width="560" height="324" alt="Matto app screenshot" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <p><span><span>Known as Recovery Engaged Mind-Health (REMind-h), the technology allows individuals in recovery to identify personally meaningful recovery-affirming sensory cues, which might include positive images, sounds, or other sensory stimuli that reinforce their commitment to recovery. Some examples might include peaceful nature scenes, a soundscape, motivational quote, or a sponsor’s message. These data are stored in the system’s cloud server and are activated and delivered to the person when their physiological metrics rise above the trained threshold, cycling through the available cues until regulation is restored. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>“By using technology to monitor physiological responses, people in recovery can immediately have a personalized support system right there on their phone when they need it to help them manage the triggering moment,” says Matto. “The goal is to avoid relapse and, ultimately, to improve their quality of life.”</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Matto says the patent has allowed the research team to partner with LifeSpan Digital Health LLC, which will license the technology. The technology prototype has already been developed by <span><span>Rudra Nagalia, a graduate student in Health Administration and Policy and a member of the research team.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span>Matto began work on the idea behind the patent several years ago. She and Seshaiyer first teamed up to develop the technology after receiving a multidisciplinary grant from the provost’s office in 2015. They were selected for Mason’s National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Site Program in 2018, where they conducted interviews and gathered preliminary feedback on the concept.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Since then, Matto and Seshaiyer have also received a National Institutes of Health Small Business Technology Transfer sub-award to further test some of their recovery cue ideas. <span><span>Bryce Dunn, PhD student in bioengineering, worked with the team on the grant to examine the regulating impact of recovery cues after exposure to substance-related cues in a virtual reality simulation.&nbsp;College of Engineering and Computing faculty member </span></span><a href="https://science.gmu.edu/directory/nathalia-peixoto"><span>Nathalia Peixoto</span></a><span><span>, a member of this interdisciplinary research team, offered expertise in measuring physiological and neural responses in the VR simulation, to help test the theory that personalized recovery cues help regulate reactivity to drug-stimuli exposures.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</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/3206" hreflang="en">Public Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13351" hreflang="en">Opioid Addiction</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12006" hreflang="en">Recovery</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3031" hreflang="en">Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3081" hreflang="en">patent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14891" hreflang="en">Social Work Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/9876" hreflang="en">Social Work Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17791" hreflang="en">public health research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:20:43 +0000 Mary Cunningham 105356 at Retro Mason: Mason’s First Patent 1996 /news/2022-05/retro-mason-masons-first-patent-1996 <span>Retro Mason: Mason’s First Patent 1996</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-05-31T08:12:33-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - 08:12">Tue, 05/31/2022 - 08:12</time> </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/medium/public/2022-05/040323007.jpg?itok=h5K9k-ap" width="428" height="560" alt="Jenefir Isbister smiles at the camera wearing a lab coat in her lab. " loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services</figcaption> </figure> <p><span><span>In the 1990s, Jenefir Isbister, a research professor in the Department of Molecular and Microbiology in George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú’s then College of Arts and Sciences, was asked if it was possible to develop a quick, portable, and accurate tool to detect pathogens in liquids. Her answer produced Mason's first patent for her invention of a test for microbial contamination. The paperwork for <a href="https://patents.justia.com/patent/5935799" title="US Patent for Biological assay for microbial contamination">“Biological assay for microbial contamination”</a> was filed on May 27, 1994, and awarded August 27, 1996.</span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Isbister, now retired from Mason and a professor emerita of molecular and microbiology, followed up with additional research that led to a second patent in 1999 and the development of commercially produced biological test kits for total viable bacteria, coliforms and <em><span>Escherichia coli</span></em>. The test kit for total viable bacteria, known as Kool Kount Assayer, was manufactured and marketed by Maryland-based IME Inc.</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><a href="https://archive.spirit.gmu.edu/archives/spring04/microbes_beware.html">Find out more about her work &gt;&gt;</a> </strong></span></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</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="a53821bf-9aee-44c2-9d5a-db76e2aab26d"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://science.gmu.edu/biology-department"> <h4 class="cta__title">Check out Mason's biology programs today <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="27cade4b-5162-44de-8876-8cc5faa4e339"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://50th.gmu.edu/our-stories/retro-mason"> <h4 class="cta__title">See More Retro Mason <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-book-open" data-fa-transform data-fa-mask style></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="a1105b3b-b638-4138-a117-50d81386c4c9" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:news_list" data-inline-block-uuid="24cb568c-24b8-4117-b3c4-dd10d6092f99" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocknews-list"> <h2>Read more Retro Mason</h2> <div class="views-element-container"><div class="view view-news view-id-news view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-712eac91c6920001e3795d03780111d01d18b4f6dff7ee95f17ffc22bc0bf1ae"> <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/2024-09/retro-mason-george-mason-college-opens-fairfax-1964" hreflang="en">Retro Mason: George Mason College opens in Fairfax, 1964</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">September 14, 2024</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2024-08/retro-mason-muzzio-places-fifth-barcelona-olympics-1992" hreflang="en">Retro Mason: Muzzio places fifth at the Barcelona Olympics, 1992</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">August 5, 2024</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2024-07/retro-mason-north-campus-1972-1983" hreflang="en">Retro Mason: North Campus, 1972–1983</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">July 25, 2024</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2022-12/retro-mason-vernon-smith-wins-nobel-prize-2002" hreflang="en">Retro Mason: Vernon Smith wins Nobel Prize 2002</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">December 1, 2022</div></div></li> <li class="news-item"><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/news/2022-11/retro-mason-fairfax-campus-aerial-shot-1995" hreflang="en">Retro Mason: Fairfax Campus aerial shot 1995</a></span></div><div class="views-field views-field-field-publish-date"><div class="field-content">November 22, 2022</div></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="15990ba8-744c-49c7-a5ea-e4c6297f0424" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>This content appears in the Spring 2024 print edition of the </em><strong><a href="/spirit-magazine" target="_blank" title="Mason Spirit Magazine">Mason Spirit Magazine</a></strong> <em>with the title "Mason's First Patent: 1966."</em></p> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="cb5d579b-356a-43ae-9c6d-7d58a128c2d4"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="/spirit-magazine"> <h4 class="cta__title">More from Mason Spirit Magazine <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"></span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 31 May 2022 12:12:33 +0000 Colleen Rich 71041 at Mason professor Mahesh P. Joshi aims to license his business strategy game /news/2020-03/mason-professor-mahesh-p-joshi-aims-license-his-business-strategy-game <span>Mason professor Mahesh P. Joshi aims to license his business strategy game</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-03-03T05:00:34-05:00" title="Tuesday, March 3, 2020 - 05:00">Tue, 03/03/2020 - 05:00</time> </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/mpjoshi-arc" hreflang="en">Maheshkumar P. (Mahesh) Joshi</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>&nbsp;</p> <figure role="group" class="align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2021-11/BiggieBills_01.jpg" width="725" height="483" alt="School of Business professor Mahesh P. Joshi" loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>School of Business professor Mahesh P. Joshi created BiggieBills after searching for years for an interactive strategy game to use in his classes. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing.</figcaption> </figure> <p>The idea came to him in the middle of the night during a cruise with family and friends. He spent the next day in the cabin, writing out the rules for a novel business strategy board game.</p> <p>Despite being on vacation,&nbsp;<a href="/profiles/mpjoshi" target="_blank" title="Mahesh P. Joshi">Mahesh P. Joshi</a>, associate professor of global strategy and entrepreneurship at&nbsp;<a href="http://business.gmu.edu/" target="_blank" title="School of Business | George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú">George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú’s School of Business</a>, recruited his family and friends to test out the card game. In the middle of playing, Raj S. DavĂ©, a family friend and patent lawyer, suddenly said, “We need everyone to sign confidentiality agreements before we continue playing.”</p> <p>And that’s how Joshi knew he had invented something different. In December 2019, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office agreed and granted a patent for BiggieBills, a complex interactive strategy game designed for executive training, company retreats and business classes. BiggieBills will be available for licensing agreements in May, once the game is digitalized.</p> <p>“The idea that I should create a game to help people better understand complex business strategy had been festering in my brain for a while,” said Joshi. “But the details of what that game would be came together at once, and I had to rush to get it down.”</p> <figure role="group" class="align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2021-11/BiggieBills_02.jpg" width="400" height="267" alt="BiggieBills is a business strategy game that is played in teams. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing." loading="lazy"> </div> </div> <figcaption>BiggieBills is a business strategy game that is played in teams. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Joshi was the founding director of Mason’s&nbsp;<a href="http://business.gmu.edu/innovation/" target="_blank" title="Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship | George Mason Âé¶ąąú˛ú School of Business">Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship</a>&nbsp;and recently served as its director of research and practice. In addition to teaching Mason students and research, Joshi advises and provides consulting to the public-sector, private-sector and not-for-profit organizations about corporate entrepreneurship and strategic and cross-cultural business management.</p> <p>Joshi is introducing BiggieBills in the classes he teaches, including executive training sessions for companies and government agencies. In addition, he’s marketing the game to other business schools and executive training programs.</p> <p>BiggieBills is a “team game that is fast paced, has an explicit goal and evolves in a dynamic competitive context,” said Roy W. Hinton, former associate dean of executive education at the School of Business who encouraged Joshi to develop BiggieBills. “It generates great team discussions about appropriate moves, and players quickly see the impact of their decisions.”</p> <p>BiggieBills is played in teams, and can be adapted to include as many as 50 players. Each team takes on the role of an established business trying to gain the top position in a chosen industry. The standard game lasts about three hours, and a crucial point in the learning process occurs when the game facilitator debriefs at the end.</p> <p>The game is focused on business strategy, but can be modified to include other topics, such as entrepreneurship, new product development and sales management. The two main ways to win are to be the first team to earn a billion dollars or to be the last remaining team standing after all others have declared bankruptcy.</p> <p>DavĂ©, president of the DavĂ© Law Group in Alexandria, Virginia, said that the game is a teaching tool that is fun to play.</p> <p>“Why is it fun? It’s influenced by luck and strategy, just like life. You can win or lose, just like in life,” said DavĂ©, who helped Joshi obtain the patent on his game.</p> <p>Joshi said he created BiggieBills after searching for years for an interactive strategy game to use in his class, but not liking what he found.</p> <p>“There’s no game like this around,” said Joshi. “If there had been, I would have used it in my classes, and wouldn’t have had to invent it.”</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/1061" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3076" hreflang="en">invention</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3081" hreflang="en">patent</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/271" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/12501" hreflang="en">Costello College of Business News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:00:34 +0000 Colleen Rich 5706 at