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Graduate student uses the healing power of art to help other veterans

Katarina Benson — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:59:31 +0000

Graduate student uses the healing power of art to help other veterans Katarina Benson Mon, 04/28/2025 - 11:59

Death has been the constant companion in Steven Luu’s life—from war-torn Vietnam to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. But through art, Luu, now a master of fine arts (MFA) student at George Mason �鶹��’s School of Art, within the College of Visual and Performing Arts, has discovered peace, purpose, and a path to healing.

“All of my artwork is about revisiting,” said Luu. “Art is not to forget, but to express.”

Luu wasn’t yet born when his unlikely odyssey began 50 years ago this month, following the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975. Nearly a year later, he came into the world as his family’s life was upended by war and political upheaval. His father, a South Vietnamese government official, along with his grandfather and uncle, were lost in the war, and the family home was confiscated. When Luu was just a year old, he and his family were sent to a re-education camp, where they endured harsh poverty and uncertainty.

When he was 7, Luu and his family managed to escape Vietnam by sea, in search of freedom in a small boat packed with refugees. Their harrowing journey lasted more than two months; by the time of their rescue by the British Royal Navy, nearly half of the passengers perished from starvation. Luu was just shy of his 8th birthday when he was forced to help push lifeless bodies overboard—a memory that has haunted him since.

After years of adversity in trying conditions in refugee camps in Hong Kong, Luu and his family made their way to the United States in 1991. Following his high school graduation in 1995, he enlisted with the U.S. Air Force and became a medic, driven by a desire to save lives after witnessing so much suffering, and determined to do everything he could to prevent others from enduring the same fate. His 20-year career in the U.S. military included deployments to the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, often alongside special operations units.

Luu with one of his works. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of �鶹�� Branding

“I have seen the worst part of humanity,” said Luu, who will turn 48 later this year. “And it stays with you.”

In 2012, while serving in Afghanistan, Luu was severely wounded. His lengthy convalescence at Walter Reed Medical Center, then located in Washington, D.C., marked a turning point. There, a hospital official introduced him to the healing power of art by providing him a canvas and drawing utensils.

“In that moment, I saw art as a way to let something inside me out, without having to say it,” said Luu, who while working on his degree also serves as documentarian for Mason Exhibitions.

He found making art incredibly therapeutic. Sculpture, especially using raw and rigid materials like concrete and epoxy resin, has become a personal healing ritual.

Although he had no formal art background, Luu knew he had found his voice. After earning a BA in theology from Catholic Distance �鶹�� in 2010, he applied to George Mason’s School of Art, earning his BFA in sculpture in 2022. He recognized that art was more than a way to help himself, it also allowed him reach other veterans grappling with the same guilt and isolation he felt after leaving the military. He’s on track to complete his MFA in 2026.

All of his sculptures are made with recycled materials. “Like me, these materials have been given a second chance at life,” Luu said.

Artist Peter Winant was the director of George Mason’s School of Art when he first saw Luu’s early drawings in 2017.

“There was something really deep in them,” Winant said. “Some form of truth that few of us could approach.”

That truth now fuels Luu’s mission to help other veterans navigate their own trauma—a mission he pursues with deep purpose and gratitude for the opportunity. He creates art with a focus on mental health and uses his story to encourage others to find their own form of expression.

In 2024, the U.S. Air Force invited Luu to work with Wounded Warriors, teaching recovering airmen about the healing power of art, and how to channel their experiences into creative expression. He’ll do the same this November, during a weeklong George Mason conference for 400 recovering veterans spanning all military branches. The week will conclude with a public art exhibit featuring the veterans’ creations.

His solo exhibition Steven Luu: A Path to Healing & Transformation is on display through May at the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago. It is a powerful testament to one man’s journey through unimaginable pain and his unwavering pursuit of peace.

“Art is the one universal language—it’s always been the language of humanity,” said Luu. “I cannot physically fix what happened in the past, but at least I have closure. Like life as a whole, you adapt in art to survive.”

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From Vietnam to Virginia: Duy Vu’s Remarkable Journey to the Commencement Stage

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:38:56 +0000

From Vietnam to Virginia: Duy Vu’s Remarkable Journey to the Commencement Stage Andrew J Schappert Mon, 04/28/2025 - 11:38

As the rows of soon-to-be graduates fill EagleBank Arena in a sea of green and gold at the May 15 Commencement ceremony, all eyes will turn to senior Duy Vu, who will take the podium as the student commencement speaker. For Duy, the honor to represent the graduating George Mason �鶹�� student body is the culmination of a seven-year journey that began half a world away.

Student Commencement speaker Duy Vu: ‘During my studies I learned about looking at things from different perspectives, how to think about decision-making, beliefs, and ideologies.’ Photo by Ron Aira/Office of �鶹�� Branding

His story—and his advice to his graduating classmates—is worth listening to.

Duy came to the United States as a 15-year-old high school student, following his father, a deputy defense attaché for the Vietnamese government, to Washington, D.C. The transition, Duy admitted, wasn’t easy and his command of English was rudimentary.

“My grammar was strong,” Duy said of his language training in Vietnam, “but I could barely communicate when I first got here.”

He resolved to come to George Mason with a new attitude and develop the confidence to make the most of his time as a college student.

“I told myself I would make college a worthwhile experience,” he said. “I’d try everything. I’d step out of my comfort zone.”

The start was slow—Duy and his undergraduate classmates are likely the last cohort to have endured the COVID-19 campus shutdown—and by his junior year, Duy realized time was running short.

“That’s when it hit me: I have two years left. If I don’t do something now, I might not get another chance,” he said.

Duy transformed his campus experience. He dove into extracurricular student life by joining campus organizations, including serving as treasurer of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) and vice president of finance for Beta Theta Pi, before starting his own Registered Student Organization (RSO), George Mason’s first-ever Pool Club. Pool, as in billiards.

“I just started enjoying the game,” he said. “There wasn’t a club, so I made one.”

The Pool Club quickly evolved into more than a casual hangout, with the team meeting at the tables at the Hub’s Corner Pocket game room, hosting tournaments, and traveling to other schools for competitions.

Joining organizations, besides being fun, expanded Duy’s world view. As treasurer for ALPFA, he learned the ropes of networking and professionalism. “It helped me understand the etiquette and skills needed in the business world,” he said. “And I got to learn from peers who were already finding success.”

Duy Vu majored in two bachelor of science programs, public administration and finance. Photo by Julia Conway/Schar School of Policy and Government

On top of his nonclassroom activities, Duy is a double major graduating from two bachelor of science degree programs: The Schar School of Policy and Government’s comprehensive public administration program and the Costello College of Business’s robust finance program.

He signed on to public administration thanks to his father’s suggestion.

“I wasn’t sure about it at first,” he said of the public administration major. “But during my studies I learned about looking at things from different perspectives, how to think about the way beliefs and ideologies play into a government’s decision-making.”

The Schar School professors also revealed to him a new-found fascination with “the financial and economic side of things,” he said, which is vital to creating successful public policy. “And that’s when I declared a second major in finance.”

Throughout his time at George Mason, Duy balanced a double-major’s-worth of classes—and all the reading, writing, and exams that go along with two majors—with organizational leadership activities with classmates and a part-time job at the Schar School’s Aquia headquarters on George Mason’s Fairfax Campus, where he supported students for nearly four years as an office assistant.

“I’ve worked with Ms. Colette since my sophomore year,” he said of K. Collette Lawson, the longtime Schar School administrative and technical coordinator. “It was my first ‘real’ experience outside of school. It’s going to be hard to leave.”

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Student athlete brings passion for teaching to the mat

Sarah Holland — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 14:23:10 +0000

Student athlete brings passion for teaching to the mat Sarah Holland Mon, 04/28/2025 - 10:23

Red-shirting—when an athlete is withdrawn from college sporting events for a year to develop their skills and extend their period of eligibility by an additional year—is particularly common for student athletes from the early 2020s. With many of their careers put on pause due to COVID-19, most student athletes have the chance to keep competing while pursuing graduate degrees.

Photo by Rafael Suanes/Athletics

For Tyler Kocak, BA Integrative Studies ’24, that extra year of eligibility gave him the chance to pursue a second degree: an MEd in secondary education.

Kocak, who received the John R. Linn Memorial Award for Outstanding Student Athlete from the College of Education and Human Development, plans to cross the stage at the Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremony.

What inspired you to go into teaching?

My brother got me into it initially. He’s a teacher, and he said he liked it, so I thought I might like it, too. I have a passion for changing the future and impacting kids. In secondary education, I can build relationships with the students and support them along their journey to shape their futures. And I chose history and social science as my focus because I’m a big history junkie.

What brought you to George Mason?

I’m from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and I was recruited for wrestling at George Mason. That was a big factor, but I also liked the area a lot, and I liked the academics.

What’s something you learned from wrestling that translated to your teaching?

Working hard is number one. If you don’t work hard, you’re not going to get where you want to be. You have to roll with the punches: If something doesn't go well or doesn’t go your way, you have to keep going forward, keep moving. Wrestling is a lot about mindset and mentality. I’m a pretty optimistic person, so I always try to look on the bright side of things and work toward improving myself, improving my teaching, and improving my wrestling. Improvement is all about consistency, too, so I learned to take those little steps forward each time to get better and reach my goals.

Photo by Rafael Suanes/Athletics

What is your greatest accomplishment from your time at George Mason?

I’ve competed nationally a lot. I placed 6th at the Mid-American Conference (MAC); I won a tournament; I made it to round 12 at Midlands Championship, which is a big tournament; and others. And I was on the MAC Honor Roll and was a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American.

What advice would you give to a first-year student at George Mason?

Never give up. Work hard and manage your time well. Stay ahead of the course, and plan ahead instead of falling behind. If you do fall behind, contact your professors. And if you’re an athlete coming in, try to build a good relationship with your coaches and teammates.

What are your current plans for post-graduation?

I want to teach history and social science somewhere in Fairfax County. Maybe I’ll end up doing special education. And I want to coach high school wrestling.

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Criminology student interns at an adult detention center

Shayla Brown — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 20:28:26 +0000

Criminology student interns at an adult detention center  Shayla Brown Thu, 04/24/2025 - 16:28

When George Mason �鶹�� junior Megan Miller toured the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center as part of her coursework, she didn’t realize she was being interviewed for an internship position. 

“It was a tour group of about eight of us, and we went into it very excited. For once, I wasn’t shy; I was talkative and outgoing, which is good because they were essentially evaluating us to see if we’d be a good fit for the environment,” said Miller, who is a criminology, law, and society (CLS) student in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.  

Megan Miller (back right) at a session in the detention center. Photo provided.

“No resumes were required. It was simply based on how we spoke and acted during the tour. I had never toured a jail before, but it was something that I was interested in because I do plan to work professionally in a prison or correctional facility one day,” she explained. 

 Miller interned from August to December 2024 in the center’s classification department and worked with inmate visitation and reentry programs, such as the center’s GED courses.  

 “They have different tiers in the adult detention center. [For example] orange is [maximum] custody, blue is middle custody, and green is lower-level crime. The classification department ranks where inmates should be placed based on their crime and prior offenses,” explained Miller. “It’s one of the most important jobs in the center, because if someone is classified wrong there could incidents that lead to injury or death because of it,” she said. 

Megan Miller. Photo provided.

 As someone who hopes to work with inmates on their reintegration into society after incarceration, Miller said she was fascinated by the center’s mental health facility. 

“I think that having a mental health unit in any type of correctional facility is extremely beneficial,” said Miller. “I hope to one day work with mentally ill inmates, evaluating their mental state and trying my best to understand mental illness and its correlation to crime.”

 Miller obtained this internship as a result of CLS professor Catherine Dobson’s CRIM 479 Introduction to Internship and CRIM 480 Internship courses. 

 Dobson is also director of the department’s internship program.  

 “Students are much more likely to have jobs after graduation if they do an internship, and many times the internship itself turns into a full-time job. [In the course] we do all the foundational work of putting together strong resumes with transferable skills and working closely with George Mason’s Career Services because they've got lots of great resources for the students,” said Dobson. 

 “Students will have a fixed idea of what they want to do, so I introduce them to different local, state, and federal options, and also nonprofit and private sector options. George Mason has a lot of great partners throughout the community for our students to reach out to,” Dobson said. 

Megan Miller (left) and her roommate, Sophia Figler. Photo provided.

Miller said they attended the internship expo as a class and were given the opportunity to speak to different organizations including the Fairfax and Loudoun County sheriff' departments.  

“I took the most interest in the adult detention center because of the sergeants who were there speaking that day. My roommate and I gave them our names, and we actually did the internship together,” said Miller. 

After she graduates, Miller hopes to continue her education at George Mason, earning her master’s degree in criminology, and become a full-time officer at the center.

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George Mason entrepreneurs win big at the 2025 Patriot Pitch Competition

Greg Johnson — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:34:46 +0000

George Mason entrepreneurs win big at the 2025 Patriot Pitch Competition Greg Johnson Wed, 04/23/2025 - 11:34

“Let me be clear, innovation has always been, and will always be, the solution to the world’s challenges,” said Patriot Pitch emcee Patrick Soleymani, associate dean for outreach and strategic engagement at George Mason �鶹��'s Costello College of Business. “Innovation transforms potential into power and drives us forward as an institution, community, and ultimately a civilization.”

Patriot Pitch emcee Patrick Soleymani addresses packed house in the Johnson Center Bistro. Photo by John Boal Photography

As emcee of the 2025 Patriot Pitch Competition, presented by 22nd Century Technologies Inc., Soleymani addressed the packed house. Eight final teams—two from each track—had been refining their business models with their mentors and practicing their pitches for several weeks in preparation for the afternoon’s competition.

Housed within the Costello College of Business, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) led the programming efforts and organized the final pitch event on Thursday, April 10. Ajay Vinzé, dean of the Costello College of Business, reiterated the importance of entrepreneurship and what it meant to the college’s namesake.

“In 1976, Donald and a partner founded Century Stair Company, which grew to become one of the largest stair manufacturers on the East Coast,” he said. “His passion for entrepreneurship is here with us, in spirit. Today, we are honored to have his trusted former business partners, Joe and Peg Contrucci, with us in the room.”

George Mason �鶹�� President Gregory Washington was also in attendance, along key stakeholders from the George Mason entrepreneurial ecosystem.

After Ava Uppal, BS Marketing ‘19, interviewed technology founder and executive Sid Banerjee (founded Clarabridge that was acquired by Qualtrics in 2021 for over $1 billion) in an illuminating keynote discussion, the competition commenced—this time with a record amount of prize money.

Mason's Choice Award winners. Photo by John Boal Photography

One by one, finalist teams in the STEM, Social Impact, General Entrepreneurship for Undergraduate Students, and General Entrepreneurship for Graduate Students and Recent Alumni tracks took the stage to make their pitches to four judges—subject matter experts chosen for each track—and to the audience of George Mason community members. Following each 5-minute pitch, the presenting team fielded questions from the judges. Students in between classes quickly filled the back of the Johnson Center Bistro as they cheered on their classmates and friends.

Anticipation filled the air as another Costello alumnus and community leader, Jason Howell, BS Accounting ‘97, took the stage to announce the winners:

STEM

First place: Barty AI (Sahil Jagtap)
Second place: Q Haven (Caden Green)

Social Impact

First place: CarbonSecure (Maddie Gray, Maha Raja, Ryland Plodpluang, Juan Zambrano-Lozano)
Second place: The Allocated at Delia’s House (Marisela Zelaya Delcid, David Osorto)

General Entrepreneurship Undergraduate

First place: Valor (Caleb Fink)
Second place: NOVAFoam (Ethan Ford, Trevor Geissler, Mikhail Ivanov, Stephano Barra)

General Entrepreneurship for Graduate Students and Recent Alumni

First place: Viralbite (Emmanuel Nwokeabia)
Second place: EchoPods (Raghu Manjunatha, Pooja Manjunatha Swamy)

George Mason Emmanuel Nwokeabia presenting Viralbite. Photo by John Boal Photography

Following each track of presentations, audience members scanned a QR code on the screen to vote for the separate Mason’s Choice Awardees. The winners were The Allocated at Delia’s House and Viralbite.

Emmanuel Nwokeabia, a 2024 graduate of the Costello College of Business, received the most prize money—$13,000 between his two awards. “This was more than a win—it was a powerful encouragement to pursue my vision. I encourage anyone with an idea to take that bold step, and see how the world responds,” said Nwokeabia.

The 2025 Patriot Pitch Competition showcased the entrepreneurial spirit of the Costello College of Business and George Mason �鶹��. Approximately 250 audience members attended to watch the innovative concepts and products being pitched.

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George Mason bioengineering team’s start-up is the next wave of athletic rehabilitation and performance

Shayla Brown — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:09:36 +0000

George Mason bioengineering team’s start-up is the next wave of athletic rehabilitation and performance Shayla Brown Tue, 04/22/2025 - 17:09

Based on their years of research studying how student-athletes move, George Mason �鶹�� bioengineering professors Parag Chitnis and Siddhartha Sikdar have created a start-up called Myokinetics LLC with the goal of providing personalized rehabilitation programs for injured athletes that can help them recover faster and prevent them from getting injured in the future.

Erica King (left) and researcher testing the Myokinetics device. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of �鶹�� Branding.

This effort builds on more than $5 million in funding from the Department of Defense for developing wearable ultrasound technologies that help rehabilitate musculoskeletal injuries through a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs grant, and two Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium awards, which is a funding mechanism that supports fast translation and development of new technologies relevant for military health.

For the past 10 years, Chitnis and Sikdar have been developing the Myokinetics device “to understand not only when musculoskeletal injuries occur, but to help track the recovery process from the injury as well as prevent re-injury,” said Chitnis, who along with Sikdar, co-directs George Mason’s Center for Advancing Systems Science and Bioengineering Innovation (CASSBI), formerly the Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions.

Their device personalizes the treatments and rehabilitation that's provided so that users can recover in the most optimal manner. Chitnis and Sikdar are also working with multiple collaborators including George Mason PhD students, George Mason Athletics, and the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

Margaret T. Jones is the director of the Patriot Performance Lab within CEHD’s Center for Sport Management. The lab conducts research and provides services that focus on athlete health and performance.

Margaret T. Jones (center right) with student athletes. Photo provided.

“The wearable ultrasound allows you to look at what the muscles are doing underneath the skin when they contract and what the contraction looks like,” said Jones, who has been working with the George Mason men’s and women’s volleyball teams since August 2024.

“The research methods vary based on the sport, but [the volleyball players] wear the ultrasound device and we go to their practice facility once a week. Since the sport involves a lot of jumping, we have them jump on what's called a force plate, which is sort of a fancy scale, and collect data to share with the bioengineering team that way,” she said.

In addition, Jones and the team monitor the athletes during their practices and games via the wearable microsensor, which assist in the interpretation of their findings from the weekly jumps and ultrasound tests.

As the team’s research scientist, fourth-year PhD bioengineering student Erica King, BS Bioengineering ’21, works closely with Jones and the Patriot Performance Lab.

“I’m using the device for specific applications and testing and validating against other gold standards that are currently in the market,” said King, who spent all four years of her undergrad on George Mason’s women’s swim and dive team.

“I've seen my fair share of injuries as an athlete, either my own or my friends, and it’s a continuous cycle. You'll rehabilitate the injury, feel better, and then when you go back to your sport or activity, you'll get injured again,” said King, who was in the Honors College.

“Being able to have a device to help understand what's going on at the muscle level during your rehabilitation to ensure that you're doing the exercises correctly to get the desired results and perform your sport while mitigating the risk of reinjury is so beneficial,” she said.

Partner collaborators include North Carolina State �鶹��, Cephasonics Ultrasound, and Infinite Biomedical Technologies (IBT). IBT CEO Rahul Kaliki is also a co-founder of Myokinetics LLC.

A close up of the device. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of �鶹�� Branding.

“At CASSBI, different people and resources are pulled in to work on multidisciplinary projects like this one. This collaboration enables a lot of iterative prototyping efforts, which would not have been possible without the center,” said Abhishek Aher, MS Bioengineering ’24.

“I would like to see the Myokinetics device being used nationwide on the fields of major sports leagues. This should enable more metrics for the players,” said Aher, who is the Myokinetics team’s research engineer.

“For example, metrics such as how many points a player scored or how many minutes they ran are discussed pregame or postgame, but with our device, Myokinetic metrics can become an essential conversation point. That’s where I would like to see this go in the next five years,” he said.

King hopes to continue researching human performance after injury and focus on the most safe and effective ways that athletes can get back to their optimal performance.

“I hope to stick with Myokinetics and implement the devices and the metrics that we're currently developing into the rehabilitation setting. This is for the general population, but athletes will always have a special place in my heart,” said King.

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Carter School students attend the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights

Katarina Benson — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 17:08:27 +0000

Carter School students attend the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights Katarina Benson Mon, 04/21/2025 - 13:08

Four George Mason �鶹�� students from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution traveled to Oxford �鶹��’s Magdalen College in the United Kingdom with Carter School dean Alpaslan Özerdem for the 2025 Oxford Consortium for Human Rights (OCHR). 

Billy Agwanda Nyadera, Anulina Sen, Hyoin Kim, and Avery Shippen attended the 2025 workshop “Human Rights in War and Climate Emergency” March 24 – 30, which explored the nature of modern warfare and the legal protections afforded to civilians, combatants, and detainees, as well as the science of climate change and its impact on humanity. 

Carter School students with Dean Özerdem. Photo provided

The workshop also examined the intersection of climate change and modern warfare, spotlighting the ramifications of combat on local environments. During the week-long event, the four students attended seminars on artificial intelligence (AI) and the impact of new technology, the use of religion in resolution tactics, mobilizing responses to build compassionate and just communities, and other topics.

“By joining this consortium, the Carter School offers its students a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not only do they get to collaborate with peers from other leading U.S. universities, but they also engage in a transformative learning experience guided by distinguished scholars from the �鶹�� of Oxford,” Özerdem said. “Studying and living in Oxford—even for just one week—provides students with a unique and inspiring environment that fosters intellectual growth, enhances self-confidence, and broadens their academic horizons.”

“This immersive experience also significantly strengthens their professional development and employability prospects after graduation, equipping them with the global perspective and collaborative skills sought after in today’s competitive world,” he added.

Sen, a master’s student at the Carter School, found the setting and the dialogue inspiring. “The Oxford Consortium has clarified my research, showed me possibilities in this field and led to unexpected conversations that challenged my views.”

"Attending the Oxford Consortium deepened my understanding of the intersection between war, climate emergencies, and human rights, said Kim, a conflict resolution student at the Mason Korea campus who put what she learned into practice upon returning to campus. “I immediately turned my insights into action by organizing a campus event where students could share actions for peace through storytelling."

The students found the seminars to be of immense value to their own research as well as to their understanding of the modern conflict, the threat of climate change, and the crossover of the two areas of research and their impact on human rights. 

"I saw and experienced the fusion of minds and hearts in pursuit of solutions to some of the most pertinent issues facing our societies today,” said Nyadera, a Carter School doctoral student. “I feel profoundly grateful for the opportunity to participate and contribute to this pioneering program to connect Carter School student community with global conversations and networks. OCHR has been a true catalyst for my own work."

Shippen, an undergraduate student at the Carter School and the Honors College, also appreciated the opportunity the conference provided. “It helped me better understand the connection of human rights, war, and climate emergencies, as well as how I can help address these topics as a student,” Shippen said. “As someone passionate about global education, it was inspiring to learn from professionals and faculty who care deeply about human rights and the way they intersect with global challenges."

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4-VA team studies wastewater treatment systems

Katarina Benson — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:17:50 +0000

4-VA team studies wastewater treatment systems Katarina Benson Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:17

Editor’s note: This story references a grant awarded in 2023. Furst is now at 4Va partner school Virginia Tech.

One of the most pressing issues in human and ecological health is the abundance of poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalate esters (PAEs) in our ecosystem—two classes of synthetic chemicals known as “forever chemicals.” In addition to their destructive nature affecting wildlife, soil, and agriculture, they are also responsible for causing human health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues, and cancer.

While scientists worldwide are racing to learn more about how to combat PFAS and PAEs in a variety of settings, George Mason �鶹�� researcher Kirin Emlet Furst has been focused on PFAS AND PAEs in water treatment and wastewater reuse.

Working at the site. Photo provided

Furst, an assistant professor in George Mason’s Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering Department, reasoned that wastewater treatment facilities are a major avenue through which PFAS and PAEs can contaminate drinking water and air, as many of these compounds are insufficiently removed by typical treatment processes. Furst specifically wanted to explore the air-water interface. PFAS have a high surface activity, which results in their attraction to the air-water interface. And while PAEs have a lower surface activity, they might be attracted to other materials that accumulate at the air-water interface. Research in full-scale treatment systems was needed to understand these interactions.

The 4-VA@George Mason Advisory Board recognized the importance of this research and awarded Furst’s 4-VA proposal, “The role of the air-water interface in breakthrough of PFAS and phthalate esters during wastewater treatment.”

Joining Furst in the research was 4-VA partner Zhiwu (Drew) Wang, a specialist in wastewater treatment and biological processes at Virginia Tech. Furst also tapped Mason graduate student Meghana Kuppa who was already developing analytical methods to measure PFAS and PAEs. Ethan Gasper, an undergraduate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, assisted Kuppa with much of the bench work on the project.

Meghana Kuppa using the sink. Photo provided

Kuppa collected water samples and scum, which is the material that accumulates at the air-water interface, from process unit tanks at a wastewater treatment plant to measure the target contaminants and water quality parameters known to impact partitioning behavior. Their goal? Quantify the role of the air-water interface in enabling breakthrough of PFAS and PAEs in wastewater treatment facilities and identify potential engineering solutions.

Although developing the complex methodologies for the project was a challenge, several important outcomes were realized. First, high levels of multiple PFAS were found in the scum from both the primary and secondary treatment processes. The team concluded that the PFAS levels in the primary scum samples were much higher than they could accurately measure due to interference from particulates and oily substances in the water. However, analysis of the secondary treatment determined any PFAS present are more likely to be found in the treated water and may also contaminate the facility air.

While fewer PAEs were found in the scum samples, Kuppa’s experiments show that phthalates can bind to organic material in the scum. This may contribute to the difficulty in removing phthalates during wastewater treatment.

“The 4-VA award empowered my group to pursue this new line of research and helped to support Kuppa’s innovative thesis projects,” said Furst.

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Professor, students travel to Rwanda for peace-building mission

Shayla Brown — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:14:32 +0000

Professor, students travel to Rwanda for peace-building mission Shayla Brown Wed, 04/16/2025 - 10:14

This spring, George Mason �鶹�� Professor Al Fuertes traveled to Rwanda to facilitate workshops for former victims and perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan mass genocide.

“These are people who have extended forgiveness and reconciliation, something many of us might think is surreal or impossible,” said Fuertes, who teaches in the School of Integrative Studies in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “But this is proof that even against the backdrop of genocide, it’s possible.”

Al Fuertes (bottom center) at a peace-building workshop in Rwanda. Photo provided.

Fuertes, who has a background in conflict analysis and resolution and specializes in trauma healing, has previously traveled to Rwanda in March and November 2024, and has taken students with him on some of his excursions as part of a study-abroad program for which he is the faculty director.

His most recent trip was in collaboration with the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Protestant �鶹�� of Rwanda (PUR) located in Huye District. Fuertes also connected and collaborated with the grassroots organization, "Light Group" in Remera, and the Aegis Trust, a program component of the Rwanda Genocidal Memorial.

Al Fuertes conducting a peace-building workshop. Photo provided.

“It's a different level of learning when students have the opportunity to meet firsthand those who were involved or impacted and are now sharing their stories,” said Fuertes.

“It is an extremely freeing and life-changing thing for students to experience, especially those who don't necessarily believe in forgiveness or who struggle to forgive.”

Each semester, Fuertes hosts a panel presentation of Rwandan survivors as part of the learning activities in my graduate courses CONF 695 Praxis of Forgiveness and Reconciliation amid Polarization and CONF 695 Psychosocial Trauma Healing. This spring semester’s panel resulted in increased participation from George Mason students.

“Knowing that one of the challenges to reconciliation in Rwanda is poverty, students from my trauma-informed and resilience-oriented practice class decided to donate 15 goats to families of both former perpetrators and former victims, now survivors,” said Fuertes.

Dianne Rambo, BIS in Peacebuilding and Well-Being Studies ’24, has been a federal contractor in the intelligence world for more than 20 years. She came back to George Mason to study the process of healing childhood trauma in adults in hopes of becoming a mental health counselor.

“I took [CONF 695 the Praxis of Forgiveness and Reconciliation] with Al, and the course material and experiential learning have really changed the course of my life and career goals,” said Rambo, who met Fuertes at an online workshop for forgiveness and reconciliation.

Rambo, who is currently a non-degree graduate student in George Mason’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and part of George Mason's Working Group on Forgiveness and Reconciliation along with Fuertes, traveled to Rwanda with Fuertes for the 14-day winter study-abroad program focusing on genocide, healing, and reconciliation.

A healing circle. Photo by Al Fuertes.

“I met the Rwandans via Zoom panels while in Al’s class. We learned about their stories and it just blew my mind how they were facilitating this reconciliation as a nation and how it transformed their nation from this mass atrocity that happened just a couple decades ago,” said Rambo, who has also traveled to Northern Ireland, Scandanavia, and the Philippines for peace-building missions.

“�鶹�� program partners facilitated visits to the genocide memorials, and we were able to build a space that felt safe and comfortable. We'd debrief afterward where you can share the intense feelings that you may have experienced. We're seeing really hard things, but we're able to process our emotions,” said Rambo.

Rambo has been accepted into George Mason's CEHD Counseling degree program and will begin the cohort program this fall.

Rambo, Fuertes, and their program partners also have participants journal and conduct community-building activities.

“I thought of bringing healing through peace-building because it's not enough just to resolve the conflict,” said Fuertes. “If victimization is not healed, most likely, people may start embracing the victim narrative and eventually become the new perpetrator.”

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Chemistry PhD receives U.S. Department of Defense SMART Scholarship

Katarina Benson — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:23:09 +0000

Chemistry PhD receives U.S. Department of Defense SMART Scholarship Katarina Benson Mon, 04/14/2025 - 12:23

A'Laura C. Hines, a physical chemistry PhD candidate at George Mason �鶹��, has been awarded the prestigious U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) SMART Scholarship. The Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program provides full tuition, an annual stipend, and a summer internship at a DoD facility.

The program emphasizes hands-on learning and mentorship to prepare scholars for careers in defense technologies after graduation, supporting them with financial resources while they study and gain practical experience.

"It is incredibly humbling to be recognized for my hard work," said Hines, reflecting on the honor. “The offer for full funding allows me to focus on accelerating my research progress.”

For Hines, the comprehensive support offered by the DoD SMART Scholarship was a major draw. In addition to funding her graduate degree, the scholarship guarantees a government civil servant job upon graduation, providing both job security and an exciting career path in the defense sector.

Hines's journey in science began at George Mason, where she earned her BA in chemistry in 2013. As an undergraduate, Hines spent time researching synthesized cooking oils as an alternative to diesel fuel using mass spectroscopy. She also studied the mechanism of methanol ice formation using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to simulate ice formation in interstellar environments.

Hines in the lab. Photo provided

Currently, as a PhD candidate, Hines is actively involved in George Mason’s Clayborne Research Group where her graduate research initially focused on nanoscale aluminum clusters using density functional theory (DFT). Inspired by her participation in NASA’s Dragonfly Guest Investigator Program, her current work explores computational studies of molecular co-crystals in astrophysics and astrochemistry.

The Dragonfly Guest Investigator Program facilitated Hines's collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she participated in a Planetary Science Summer Internship. This program pairs students with NASA scientists to bolster early career opportunities in STEM fields. During her internship, Hines investigated the behavior of complex mixtures of organic and aqueous ices pertinent to Titan's conditions, directly contributing to NASA's exploration objectives.

"The program has been transformative, providing me with hands-on experience and expanding my scientific horizons," said Hines.

Hines said that her George Mason mentors, including Gerald Weatherspoon, College of Science’s associate dean for undergraduate and graduate student affairs, have been a source of encouragement and inspiration. Her research advisor, acting associate dean of faculty affairs in the college and chemistry professor Andre Clayborne, introduced her to computational chemistry and has been instrumental in helping her understand and explore new areas of research.

Hines offers this advice to aspiring STEM students: "Believe in yourself and follow your dreams. Build connections and seek research opportunities early." She encourages all eligible students to consider applying for the DoD SMART Scholarship.

Looking ahead, she envisions a career as a research scientist, leveraging her experience to continue making discoveries and collaborating with top scientists in her field.

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