Arlington campus

Mason/Amazon hackathon is a win for Mason students

Colleen Rich — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 17:44:39 +0000

Mason/Amazon hackathon is a win for Mason students Colleen Rich Mon, 11/07/2022 - 12:44

Nervousness, shock, disbelief, exhaustion. Those were among the emotions George Mason �鶹�� freshmen Pranay Yella and Pranav Reddippali said they experienced at the 2022 Bring Down Counterfeiting Public Policy Hackathon.

In the end, though, it was worth it—$15,000 to be exact.

Team Nimbus—Pranav Reddippali, Srivatsa Krishnamurthy, Pranay Yella—took second place at the Mason/Amazon Bring Down Counterfeiting Public Policy Hackathon. Photo by Blue Clarity

That is how much Team Nimbus—which included Yella, an information technology major; Reddippali, a computer science major; and their friend from the �鶹�� of Virginia, Srivatsa Krishnamurthy—were awarded as the event’s second-place finisher.

Their proposal: Develop a Google Chrome extension that can prevent the consumption of counterfeit medicine by focusing on exposing counterfeit pharmacies.

Louise Shelley, founder and director of Mason's TraCCC. Photo by John Boal Photography

Team Hypercube earned the $20,000 first prize for its concept of a national counterfeiting index through an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered blockchain that would allow federal, state and local law enforcement to share information, and consumers to verify the authenticity of a product through their phones.

“Opportunities like this are definitely something to be taken seriously,” Yella said. “An idea is a free thing, but once you implement it, it can revolutionize the world.”

[Mason and the Bring Down Counterfeiting Public Policy Hackathon are featured in Amazon's 2023 Brand Protection Report, which was part of this Good Morning America report.]

The hackathon, co-hosted by Mason’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) and Amazon, was held Nov. 5 at the Homeland Security Investigations Lab in Arlington, Virginia.

TraaCCC is located at Mason Square (formerly Arlington Campus), where the 345,000-square -oot Fuse building is under construction, scheduled to open in 2025. Fuse will serve as a technological hub in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, connecting students, faculty, industry, and government.

Saturday's hackathon, administered by Blue Clarity, challenged teams from U.S. and international academic institutions, companies, and other affiliations to develop innovative ideas to improve public–private collaborations against the industry-wide global challenge of counterfeiting. More than 280 individuals registered for the hackathon. More than 30 teams submitted proposals by the deadline, 11 of which made the finals.

An panel of judges scored the submissions based on potential impact, scalability, creativity and design.

In developing the submissions, participants had access to experts and mentors from Amazon, law enforcement, tech and retail industries, academia, and government.

From Mason, those included the Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis Center (CINA), the College of Science, the School of Computing, and the Antonin Scalia Law School.

“Only effective public–private collaboration and a relentless pursuit of solutions can solve this problem,” Mason President Gregory Washington said. “This important event is a step in that direction because this hackathon involves policy. We’re not just pursuing greater understanding of counterfeiting, we’re trying to improve the response to the problem. We appreciate Amazon’s commitment to work with Mason to find innovative solutions and to provide opportunities for Mason students to take part in these challenging hands-on experiences.”

Added Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit: “We’re excited to be, as Amazon, part of this hackathon with Mason and TraCCC and the other partners that participated in this first hackathon, to really think about ways that we can fight counterfeiters and the scourge of counterfeiting. This partnership is key to us moving forward and going after counterfeiters and beating them at this threat.”

Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, spoke with the media following the hackathon. Photo by Blue Clarity

Which brings us back to Yella and Reddippali, the Mason students who finished second in the competition with their friend from UVA.

Asked why they decided to focus on counterfeit medicine and pharmacies, Reddippali said, “Because we felt it had the most impact on people with lives at stake. With other counterfeit goods, it is the stealing of intellectual property. But we felt this was more urgent.”

Yella, Reddippali, and Krishnamurthy, all from Ashburn, Virginia, met in high school. Reddippali said Yella came up with the idea of the Chrome extension, but they all collaborated on the details that include checking the legitimacy of online pharmacies and creating a forum where users can provide feedback that can be accessed by local, state and federal authorities.

“They were so thoughtful in thinking about counterfeiting as a health and safety issue,” said Louise Shelley, TraCCC’s founder and director. “And they were so incredibly clever in thinking about solutions.”

They are also thinking about the future of their project.

“We’re definitely going to go on with this project in a more serious way,” Yella said. “We feel this product can revolutionize the medicine industry. We definitely want to use our funds to make it successful in the future.”

In the moment, though, “They were so excited,” Shelley said, “they were shaking.”

Other awards:

Mason’s Criminal Investigations Network and Analysis Center sponsored a special $10,000 prize to fund follow-up research by A-CAPP Team #1, which proposed producing a central database to help law enforcement and private businesses track individuals and factories that manufacture or sell counterfeit items.

The $5,000 student prize went to The Spartan Solution, which demonstrated a cipher-based solution to combat counterfeit listings on e-commerce sites before the listings reach consumers.

The crowdsource prize of $2,000 went to Team G.I.N., which detailed creation of a network, accessible by a QR code, that will allow everyone the ability to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit goods.

Topics

Campus News

Students

Amazon

Schar School of Policy and Government Terrorism Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC)

Arlington campus

Information Sciences and Technology Department

Mason Exhibitions Arlington presents "Pressure, Movement, Effect" by Syrian Artist Abdulrahman Naanseh

Kirstin Franko — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 22:02:00 +0000

Mason Exhibitions Arlington presents "Pressure, Movement, Effect" by Syrian Artist Abdulrahman Naanseh Kirstin Franko Mon, 06/13/2022 - 18:02

In This Story

Donald Russell

Syrian artist Abdulrahman Naanseh is the 2022 Artist-in-Residence at Mason’s School of Art.

Mason Exhibitions is honored to present Abdulrahman Naanseh: Pressure, Movement, Effect, a solo exhibition of the artist’s recent Arabic calligraphy on paper and canvas, on view June 17 through August 6, 2022. The opening reception for Pressure, Movement, Effectwill kick off with the Arlington Collective Art Walk the evening of June 17, featuring self-guided art experiences open to the public that connects seven local galleries.

Syrian artist Abdulrahman Naanseh (b.1991) is an Artist Protection Fund Fellow (IIE-APF) and the 2022 Artist-in-Residence at George Mason �鶹��’s School of Art. Naanseh’s calligraphy is a personal response to the tangled narratives of religion and politics that characterize life in his native Syria, which Naanseh sees as essential to understanding the Middle East or the Arab region.

“With today’s online culture and the proliferation of graffiti and street art, calligraphy is more visible and influential today than ever before," shares George Mason �鶹�� Curator, Don Russell. "Naanseh is a great example of an artist who is extending and freeing this ancient form.”

Naanseh learned Arabic calligraphy with the support of his father, a self-taught calligrapher. Naanseh has excelled in this field with exhibitions at the Arneli Art Gallery during the Beit Misk Festival in Beirut, murals at Damascus �鶹��, solo exhibitions in Syria in 2002 and 2005, and national Arabic calligraphy competitions. The practice of Arabic calligraphy spans nearly 2,000 years and is strongly influenced by Islamic culture and design. Naanseh’s analytical approach involves research and readings of modern and ancient Arabic poetry, linguistic analysis of Arabic words and sounds, as well as direct experience of the social pressures engrained in religion and politics.

"All Distances are Dangerous," 2022.
Photo Credit: Sophie Bae

Naanseh’s recent work focuses on three specific words and concepts and their expression in Arabic script: pressure, movement, and effect. Pressure is force signaling a pen or brush on paper; a mental, physical, and social constraint; it pushes back. Movement is a path; a strategy; and a cadence that gives shape, substance, and emotional resonance to poetry, music, or storytelling. Effect is the external impact and change.

In each artwork or sequence of works, Naanseh starts with one of these three simple words and by repeating and altering their forms in a variety of styles, scales, layers, and colors, he builds visual structures and motifs which compound and refract their potential readings. Like concrete poetry, the resulting images can be appreciated on multiple levels, as poetic formal abstractions and conceptually driven commentary on the social circumstances of the artist’s native region.

An initiative of Institute of International Education, the Artist Protection Fund (IIE-APF) fills a critical unmet need by protecting threatened artists and placing them at welcoming host institutions in safe countries where they can continue their work and plan for their futures. IIE-APF places these artists in safe havens for a full year and provides fellowship funding, mentoring, and inclusion in a comprehensive network of artistic and social support.

Arlington Collective Art Walk
The opening reception for Pressure, Movement, Effect will kick off with the Arlington Collective Art Walk, a self-guided art experience that connects seven local galleries.

Friday, June 17, 2022
5-7 p.m. participants will walk between venues independently
7-9 p.m. participants will culminate at WHINO for an Arlington Collective Art community engagement opportunity

Pressure, Movement, Effect is on view June 17 through August 6, 2022. For more information visit the Mason Exhibitions website.

Topics

School of Art

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Mason Exhibitions

Mason Exhibitions Arlington

Mason Square

Arlington campus

‘Breaking ground on Virginia’s future’ at Mason Square

Colleen Rich — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 21:56:51 +0000

‘Breaking ground on Virginia’s future’ at Mason Square Colleen Rich Wed, 04/06/2022 - 17:56

The new 345,000-square-foot facility will serve as a technological hub in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor connecting students, faculty, industry and government. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

George Mason �鶹�� officially welcomed a new era in Arlington with Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for Fuse at Mason Square, which will serve as a technological hub in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor connecting students, faculty, industry and government.

Mason President Gregory Washington joined a slew of elected, industry and university officials in celebrating the start of construction of the new 345,000-square-foot facility that will embody Mason’s commitment to Northern Virginia’s next-generation workforce.

“We are not just breaking ground on a building—we are truly breaking ground on Virginia’s future,” said Mason President Gregory Washington. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

The building is slated to open in 2025.

“We are not just breaking ground on a building—we are truly breaking ground on Virginia’s future,” Washington said.

The first-of-its-kind building will bring together the public and private sectors in a collaborative alliance to address the world’s grand challenges.

“We’re all looking forward very much to see the institutional growth here, the people who will gather and collide here, and the innovations that will emanate from here,” said Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president for global innovation policy and communications, and a Mason law school alum. “If this were a book, I’d love to turn the pages ahead a few chapters and see where all this is going, but I’m confident that you are all on the right trajectory.”

Other speakers in the roughly 90-minute program included state Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera; Mason Rector Jimmy Hazel; Mason Board of Visitors member and President’s Innovation Advisory Council member Dolly Oberoi; Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol; Mason students Maya Chatterjee and Jared Ponmakha; Clark Construction Group Senior Vice President Dave Tacchetti; Mason Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Carol Kissal; and Jamie Martin of Mason Innovation Partners. Trishana Bowden, Mason’s vice president of advancement and alumni relations, served as the program’s host.

Mason students Maya Chatterjee and Jared Ponmakha spoke as part of the groundbreaking. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

Fuse at Mason Square will serve as the home to faculty and students working with the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) and its partners, as well as graduate programs within Mason’s new School of Computing.

The collaborative effort is designed to promote digital innovation, active learning and cutting-edge research in the presence of business entrepreneurs, tech incubators, and education and policy makers.

Developed in partnership with Mason Innovation Partners, led by Edgemoor Infrastructure and Real Estate, Fuse at Mason Square will be a LEED Platinum, smart, net-zero-ready building with Fitwell 2-star and RELi resiliency. It will feature a green roof for energy-efficient heating and cooling, an agile floor design to enable responsive team or project growth, and specialized labs for robotics, virtual reality, simulation, security and data visualization.

Other amenities will include community seating in a double-height atrium, a 750-seat theater-style multipurpose room, retail, a public plaza and a below-grade parking garage, making it a natural gathering place for the campus and nearby community.

This Arlington expansion supports the state of Virginia’s Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), a 20-year program designed to produce more than 25,000 additional graduates in computer science, computer engineering and software engineering.

“Fuse at Mason Square will rise into the Arlington skyline,” Washington said, “and one day, it will actually greet the 22nd century.”

Topics

Campus News

Masonat50

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Arlington campus

Campus Improvements (Construction)

Construction

Mason Square

Fuse at Mason Square

Celebrating Mason in Arlington with trivia, a concert, and a groundbreaking

Lauren Reuscher — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 19:14:04 +0000

Celebrating Mason in Arlington with trivia, a concert, and a groundbreaking Lauren Reuscher Tue, 03/29/2022 - 15:14

Arlington Campus, George Mason �鶹��. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

The Arlington Campus will celebrate George Mason �鶹��'s 50th anniversary with a series of events from April 4–8 and a new name. Festivities include a trivia competition, the debut of a new gallery exhibit, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new digital innovation development, and a retro-themed concert on the plaza.

Mason’s 50th anniversary arrives as the Arlington Campus, now called Mason Square, turns a new page in its own unique story. Fuse at Mason Square will add 350,000 square feet of space to the campus. Plans are also underway to bring vibrant new programming to the plaza, making it an lively gathering place for the campus and nearby community.

“The Arlington Campus is here because visionaries like Til Hazel and George Johnson saw the potential for Mason’s growth in this location,” said Una Murphy, director of administration and operations for the Arlington Campus. “We are building upon the programs developed over the past half-century and pushing ourselves further with the development of Mason Square and the surrounding innovation district.”

The “So You Think You Know Mason?” trivia contest on April 4 kicks off the week with a spirited round of questions based on the history of Mason and Arlington County. Participants may sign up as teams or individuals, with prizes awarded to the winners and a complimentary lunch for all. Here’s a sample question:

“The Mason law school in Arlington changed its name in 2016 to the Antonin Scalia Law School. Before that, it was the George Mason �鶹�� School of Law. What was it called before it was acquired by Mason?”

Think you know the answer? Attend the event and find out.

Next on the itinerary is “Profiles in Arlington,” a new exhibit in Founders Gallery. The campus will celebrate its honorees with a reception on April 5.

“The exhibit showcases the incredible work currently being done by Arlington faculty, students, and staff, as well as our alumni in the field,” said Sara Hawes, Arlington Campus administrative officer. "This is a living project and will showcase new honorees annually.”

Wednesday’s groundbreaking highlights the unique combination of education, research, business incubation and urban amenities at Mason Square, a new model to serve the digital economy.

The celebrations will cap off on Friday, April 8, with a Decades Rewind Concert on the plaza. This family-friendly evening will include Arlington food and beverage vendors, outdoor yard games, and a live band.

The 50th anniversary events mark the start of a new era for the campus as a centerpiece of the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor.

“I am most excited about the opportunities to bring members of the community onto the campus in a more intentional way, through the unique design of the [new] building, the innovative partnerships evolving with industry and our academic units, and the robust programming on the plaza—the front door of our campus," said Murphy.

Topics

Mason Square will be Arlington’s economic development epicenter

Colleen Rich — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 21:51:19 +0000

Mason Square will be Arlington’s economic development epicenter Colleen Rich Fri, 03/25/2022 - 17:51

Concept rendering by Mason Innovation Partners/EYP

To reflect its stature as the new centerpiece of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, George Mason �鶹��’s Arlington Campus is being renamed Mason Square, an urban destination of learning, collaboration, and economic development.

Also being announced is Fuse at Mason Square, the name of the new technology-forward building that is the heart of Mason’s commitment to growing Northern Virginia’s next-generation workforce. A groundbreaking ceremony for Fuse at Mason Square will take place Wednesday, April 6.

“As the largest producer of computing graduates in Virginia, George Mason �鶹�� is building a new model for education’s role in economic development,” said Mason President Gregory Washington. “Mason Square brings scholars, students, industry and the region together at a destination—unlike any other—that takes ideas and research to market faster, and drives policy and technology solutions forward for decades to come.”

Fuse at Mason Square is a first-of-its-kind facility bringing together the public and private sectors in a collaborative alliance to solve grand challenges. Fuse will house faculty and students working with the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) and their partners, and graduate programs from Mason’s new School of Computing. Designed to support digital innovation, active learning, cutting-edge research, business entrepreneurs, and tech incubators alongside education and policymakers, the new space offers nearly 350,000 square feet designed for the needs of the next generation of Northern Virginia’s technology workforce.

Developed in partnership with Mason Innovation Partners, led by Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, Fuse at Mason Square will be a LEED Platinum, smart, net-zero-ready building with Fitwel 2-star and RELi resiliency certifications. It will feature a green roof for energy-efficient heating and cooling, an agile floor design to enable responsive team or project growth, and specialized labs for robotics, virtual reality (VR), simulation, security, and data visualization.

Fuse at Mason Square also features community seating in a double-height atrium, a 750-seat theater-style multipurpose room, retail, a public plaza, and a below-grade parking garage. Estimated completion for the building is summer 2025.

“Fuse at Mason Square blends Mason’s best-in-class programs and the Institute for Digital Innovation with the expansion of connected industry partnerships and research endeavors on the Arlington Campus,” said Jamie Martin, vice president at Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate. “Fuse will ignite Mason Square as a destination for tech talent development and industry-directed research and will become the center of digital innovation in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C., region.”

Mason Square, in Arlington’s Virginia Square neighborhood, will support a multidisciplinary ecosystem to enable rapid incubation and scale of new ideas and inventions. In addition to the new building, Mason Square includes the integrated capacities of the Antonin Scalia Law School, the Schar School of Policy and Government, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, programs in Arts Management and the School of Business, Mason Enterprise, and Continuing and Professional Education, as well as state-of-the-art meeting and conference facilities. This onsite combination of education, research, business incubation and urban amenities is a new model to serve the digital economy.

“We look forward to this new building and program, Fuse at Mason Square, attracting start-ups, investors and community organizations to Arlington in order to work alongside Mason innovators,” said Katie Cristol, Arlington County Board chair. “This proximity will spark innovation and new partnerships, and the research, programs and talent that will thrive here will be a cutting-edge asset for the regional economy for decades to come.”

The Arlington expansion at Mason Square supports the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), a 20-year program designed to produce 25,000 additional graduates in computer science, computer engineering and software engineering.

Topics

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Mason Exhibitions Arlington is a gem for the neighborhood

Colleen Rich — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 17:12:08 +0000

Mason Exhibitions Arlington is a gem for the neighborhood Colleen Rich Thu, 02/17/2022 - 12:12

Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

Art is essential to a university's learning environment and invites research partnerships across all disciplines, said George Mason �鶹�� Curator Don Russell. A new arts space in Arlington—Mason Exhibitions Arlington at 3601 Fairfax Drive—is one such partnership that is already generating a buzz.

“It’s great to have a really prominent artistic footprint for Mason in Arlington,” said College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) Dean Rick Davis. “Arlington County has a well-deserved national reputation for having a thriving arts community and a welcome commitment to arts and cultural facilities and programs.”

Mason Exhibitions Arlington was conceived of seven years ago as a jointly operated, jointly funded space that would be appropriate for visual arts, small performances, and meetings, but intentionally not as a classroom. The space is a partnership between Mason Exhibition, and the Film and Video Studies and Arts Management Programs, all with guidance from Davis.

“We’re not trying to build out the Arlington Campus a block away,” said Davis. “We created something that’s distinctive and necessary for the neighborhood.”

Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

After many years of collaboration between Arlington County, the Latitude Building developers, and Mason, Russell said it’s an honor to join the community. The 2,300-square-feet space complements Mason’s existing art gallery in Van Metre Hall on the Arlington Campus and the four galleries that serve the Fairfax and Science and Technology Campuses.

Russell said the space will feature exhibitions, murals, screenings, lectures, readings, and events. Film and Video Studies classes will also use the space occasionally.

“It’s just an ideal addition to our portfolio, and one of our most visible,” said Davis.

Walking together: for them and for us, the first exhibit at Mason Exhibitions Arlington, is a collaboration with Rofa Projects and curator Gabriela Rosso, who Russell said has exceptional access to contemporary Latin American artists as well as a distinctive curatorial perspective. The exhibit features the work of 15 artists, mostly women but not exclusively, who live in or are linked to Latin America.

“We wanted to bring these artists' voices to the community to more deeply consider violence against women,” said Russell. “Gallery attendance has been hampered by COVID, but visitor response has been very favorable, including excellent visits from Latin American embassies of the artists on view.” The exhibition was also reviewed in The Washington Post.

Davis said the exhibit is very powerful. “It’s a difficult subject, but one of the things that art can do is provide a bridge for us to encounter difficult themes in ways that are more engaging than just rhetoric,” he said.

“Art at its best can transform the deepest darkest moments of human experience in a way that allows us to approach it,” said Davis. “Great poetry, drama, music does that, and certainly great visual art does that, because we can stand in front of it—it invites us in.”

Russell said he and gallery manager Alissa Maru are planning upcoming exhibitions, including a group exhibition about motherhood curated with Laurel Nakadate and Lily Siegel. Future exhibit themes will include environmental photography and art and divination.

Russell also said art projects will be commissioned for a large outdoor electronic sign board, which is adjacent to the gallery.

“We view this as a great laboratory for our arts management students as well, many of whom come to us with a visual arts background,” said Davis.

The current exhibit runs through March 12. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday

Topics

Campus News

Arlington campus

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Construction kick-off on Arlington Campus the ‘start of something big’

Colleen Rich — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 19:12:52 +0000

Construction kick-off on Arlington Campus the ‘start of something big’ Colleen Rich Mon, 01/03/2022 - 14:12

Concept rendering by Mason Innovation Partners / EYP

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

“This is the start of something big for Mason,” Carol Kissal, Mason’s senior vice president for administration and finance. “And when it’s done, it will have fundamentally changed our campus, as well as the broader Arlington community.”

The action won’t be dramatic at first, said Cathy Pinskey, program director at Mason Facilities, but will ramp up over time, given that the scope of the $235 million renovation includes construction of an approximately 400,000-square-foot building on the site of the old Kann’s department store that will support Mason’s School of Computing and other innovative ecosystems.

Construction fencing will be reconfigured, primarily by the driveway of the FDIC building. There will also be some excavation for sheeting and shoring, and preparation of the site for the new building with relocation of an existing underground storm pipe.

A water line and electric line will be relocated, and drilling for “soldier beams” to support the sheeting and shoring will begin, perhaps later in the month, Pinskey said.

“There may be some noise. You may feel some vibrations,” Pinskey said. “But it’s all safe and done in compliance with rules and requirements. The reality is, the end result will be worth it.”

Topics

CCI NoVa Node shows off new spaces and shares plans

Martha Bushong — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 17:27:48 +0000

CCI NoVa Node shows off new spaces and shares plans Martha Bushong Tue, 12/14/2021 - 12:27

In This Story

Liza Wilson Durant

Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost, strategic initiatives and community engagement (on left) meets with Megan Healy, Virginia Secretary of Labor in the CCI NoVa Node’s Living Innovation Lab on the Arlington Campus.

Virginia Secretary of Labor Megan Healy joined Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) NoVa Node Director Liza Wilson Durant on a walking tour of the construction site that will soon be transformed into a hub for the Innovation District in Arlington. They also toured the innovation pilot space in Vernon Smith Hall on George Mason �鶹��’s Arlington, VA campus.

The Digital Innovation Pilot space is home to the CCI NoVa Node’s Living Innovation Lab which includes a 5 G testbed and robotic platforms to evaluate 5G performance and security vulnerabilities. Its research teams study the impact of 5G on industry, internet of things or Industry 4.0, and smart manufacturing, as well as the vulnerability of the supporting power grid and building automation systems. The lab includes work to understand autonomous vehicle safety and security vulnerabilities through platforms that support LIDAR, radar, stereo, and night-vision cameras that are deployed on the NoVa Node’s fleet of vehicles that simulate autonomous driving.

Healy, whose primary role is to work closely with the state’s labor and business communities to identify and fill vacant jobs in high-demand sectors, said it was great to discuss hiring challenges and talent development and see the lab space.

Wilson Durant says she welcomed the opportunity to share the details about the innovative changes ahead for the Arlington Campus and the CCI NoVa Node with Healy and others.

“It was a great opportunity to connect with the Secretary of Labor and get her perspective on what we’re doing, in the CCI NoVa Node for workforce development, innovation and commercialization of technologies, and ensuring that we’re meeting the commonwealth’s needs,” Wilson Durant says.

Topics

Arlington campus

Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI)

George Mason �鶹�� Arlington Campus Expansion Virtual Subcontractor Outreach Event

Lauren Reuscher — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 15:51:56 +0000

George Mason �鶹�� Arlington Campus Expansion Virtual Subcontractor Outreach Event Lauren Reuscher Mon, 12/06/2021 - 10:51

Join us for a virtual outreach event to learn more about professional services and construction subcontracting opportunities on the Arlington Campus Expansion project.

December 16, 2021 from 2–3 p.m.
Virtual Meeting Link (Bluejeans)

We encourage SWaM-certified businesses or businesses that are interested in becoming SWaM certified to attend.

Register for the event.

Edgemoor and Clark will be bidding the following trades and services:

Air Barriers
Bituminous Paving
Blinds and Shades
Building Operations and Maintenance
Carpet
Caulking and Sealants
Concrete
Construction Cleaning
Construction Hoist
Decorative Metal Railings
Doors, Frames and Hardware
Drywall
Electrical
Electrical Ductbanks
Elevators
Entrance Mats
Fences and Gates
Final Cleaning
Fire Extinguishers
Fire Protection
Fireproofing
Glass and Glazing
Lawns and Plantings
Loading Dock Equipment
Lockers
Louvers
Masonry
Mechanical/Plumbing
Metal Panels
Millwork
Miscellaneous Metals
Ornamental Metals
Overhead Doors
Painting
Precast Architectural Concrete
Resilient Flooring
Roofing
Rough Carpentry
Signage
Site Concrete
Site Utilities
Skylights
Striping
Terrazzo Flooring
Tile
Toilet Accessories
Toilet Compartments
Unit Pavers
Waterproofing

Topics

Campus Improvements (Construction)

Construction

Arlington campus

Arlington Expansion Project

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Accelerate 2022 Innovation Competition announces finalists and winners

Colleen Rich — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 17:52:22 +0000

Accelerate 2022 Innovation Competition announces finalists and winners Colleen Rich Fri, 11/12/2021 - 12:52

Mason President Gregory Washington addressed Accelerate 2022 conference participants at a closing gala. Photo by Max Taylor/Max Taylor Photography

George Mason �鶹��’s inaugural Accelerate 2022 conference attracted 300 attendees and awarded cash prizes to pitch competition winners and finalists.

Accelerate 2022, held on Mason’s Arlington Campus on Oct. 19-20, focused on showcasing up-and-coming startups throughout the greater Washington, D.C., region. Four panels explored trends in investment and future technology development, with an overlay of global policy and national health, security, and infrastructure needs.

The pitch competition drew attendees from across the country and received applications from startups offering solutions in biohealth, software and sustainability. Winners were awarded cash prizes at a gala featuring keynote speakers Paul Misener, Amazon’s vice president of global innovation policy and communications and a Mason alum, and Bobby Franklin, president of the National Venture Capital Association.

The pitch winners are:

Cyber winner, sponsored by 22nd Century: Blue Vigil of Herndon, Virginia, $10,000
Software winner, sponsored by Maan Ventures: Humanitru of Richmond, Virginia, $10,000

In addition, the Cameron Rian Hays “Out of the Box” competition, which focused on Smart Cities technologies, had student teams from six universities competing. The competition is named for Mason alum Cameron Rian Hays, BA Sociology and Anthropology ’03 and MPP ’11. When Hays passed away unexpectedly in 2011, the family sought a way to honor his memory and created the competition.

The Georgetown �鶹�� team, led by Neal Singal, took top honors in the student pitch competition at Accelerate 2022. Photo by Max Taylor/Max Taylor Photography

First prize and $5,000 went to Neal Singal and his team at Georgetown �鶹�� for Globally Unified Air Quality, a low-cost air quality monitor. See more about his team’s project here.

Second place and $2,000 went to Mason systems engineering major Mahati Malladi and her team for Optimus. The team has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) decision algorithm to support the process of optimizing storage and staffing for autonomous and unmanned aerial vehicles in commercial and military industries. See their presentation here.

Third place and $1,000 went to Mason systems engineering major Reed Lawrence and his team for Aircraft Predictive Maintenance. They are machine learning algorithms, in conjunction with digital twins, to develop predictive maintenance plans for facilities and transportation systems that could save companies millions of dollars. See their presentation here.

“Despite the shadow of the 18 months of pandemic, investors, companies, and corporations were eager to engage, discuss financial opportunities, and generally enjoy each other’s company,” said conference organizer Paula Sorrell, Mason’s associate vice president of innovation and economic development. “We’re thrilled to see the response in the ecosystem and can’t wait to build on this year’s success.”

“Accelerate 2022 was the right entrepreneurship conference at the right time,” said Sean Mallon, vice president of commercialization at the Center for Innovative Technology, Virginia’s state-sponsored entrepreneurial support organization. “It brought together founders, investors, economic development leaders and other stakeholders, allowing entrepreneurial magic to happen at the tail end of a long COVID-19-driven hiatus.”

Accelerate 2022 was designed to fuel innovation-based business growth by showcasing the best and brightest new tech startups to potential investors to foster their development within the Washington, D.C, metropolitan area, while shining a spotlight on the region for innovation and investment potential. In addition to Mason, sponsors included Arlington Economic Development, Belcan, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, Gryphon Technologies, and Pangiam.

Accelerate 2023 in planned for Nov. 2-3, 2022.