Martha Bushong

Siddhartha Sikdar honored as Distinguished University Professor

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:41:29 +0000

Siddhartha Sikdar honored as Distinguished University Professor 4429684e-ae8d-… Tue, 07/09/2024 - 15:41

In This Story

George Mason University’s Board of Visitors voted in May to elevate College of Engineering and Computing professor Siddhartha Sikdar to the position of Distinguished University Professor. The title is the highest academic rank bestowed on George Mason University faculty members.

“This is a great honor that recognizes Siddhartha’s national and international reputation in research scholarship as well as his commitment to the success of our students, department, university, and the community,” said Ketul Popat, chair of the Department of Bioengineering.

Professor Siddhartha Sikdar with students in classroom. Photo by Office of University Branding

Sikdar is currently a professor in the Department of Bioengineering in the College of Engineering and Computing. He is also the Director of the Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions (CASBBI). This transdisciplinary center includes faculty with engineering, neuroscience, and rehabilitation expertise.

Sikdar’s research group within CASBBI conducts translational research using imaging to investigate brain-body interactions in many clinical conditions of major public health significance, such as chronic pain, stroke, spinal cord injury, and amputation. The group uses state-of-the-art ultrasound and laser instrumentation for developing new ultrasound, optical, and hybrid imaging techniques, and assistive technologies. The group is currently investigating the novel use of wearable ultrasound sensors for sensing muscle activity and controlling external devices such as multi-articulated prosthetic hands and exoskeletons.

Sikdar earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2005. He received a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association. He has received the NSF CAREER Award, the Volgenau School of Engineering Rising Star Award, Mason’s Emerging Researcher/Scholar/Creator Award, and was nominated for the Rising Star Faculty Award of the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. His current research is funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Defense.

Topics

CEC Faculty Awards

Bioengineering

Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions

George Mason University professor honored by Buddy Beck Family Foundation

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 17:46:07 +0000

George Mason University professor honored by Buddy Beck Family Foundation 4429684e-ae8d-… Wed, 03/29/2023 - 13:46

In This Story

Giorgio Ascoli

Giorgio Ascoli's work with the NeuroMorpho.org database has grown to 240,000 reconstructions.

Giorgio Ascoli, University Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, will receive the Beck Family Medal at the Faculty Awards Reception on May 11 at 4:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Lobby. The Beck Family Medal is presented to faculty members whose contributions represent groundbreaking advances in their fields.

“This honor means a great deal to me, and I would like to dedicate it to the memory of Mike Buschmann. Mike was an inspiring role model in his incessant pursuit of scholarly excellence while tirelessly challenging everyone around him to embrace a constant mindset of intellectual growth,” says Ascoli.

Ascoli has dedicated his career to advancements in biochemistry and neuroscience. He investigates the relationship between brain structure, activity, and function from the cellular to the circuit level. In the long term, he seeks to create large-scale, anatomically plausible neural networks to model entire portions of a mammalian brain, such as the hippocampus. Ascoli’s interests also involve human memory and consciousness.

“Dr. Ascoli is best known for his NeuroMorpho.Org database of neuron shapes, which has global impact and is being used by students and scientists around the world,” said Professor Avrama Blackwell, interim department chair in the Department of Bioengineering. Ascoli created NeuroMorpho.Org in 2006 to store the large amounts of data needed to make computational models of neurons. It has grown from 932 reconstructions to more than 240,000. These reconstructions have been used to investigate the pathways of Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and memory capacity.

“Giorgio’s recognition reflects his many years of impactful research contributions that have transformed and accelerated the field of neuroscience and created mechanisms to more effectively translate knowledge into innovative solutions by engineers and scientists around the world,” says Executive Director of Mason’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation Amy Adams. “I was very proud to see him recognized for this prestigious award.”

As part of this award, an account will be established in the George Mason University Foundation with $10,000 in discretionary funds to support Ascoli’s professional work. He plans to use the funds to advance Mason research, especially by leveraging high-risk opportunities with the potential to alter the life course of trainees.

Topics

Bioengineering

biochemistry

Neuroscience

Empowering people with assistive technology

Tama Moni — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 18:57:24 +0000

Empowering people with assistive technology Tama Moni Mon, 11/28/2022 - 13:57

In This Story

Quentin Sanders

Healthy individuals can often take simple movements for granted, but after a neurological event such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury, simple motions like grasping an object or flexing an ankle can become quite difficult and even frustrating.

George Mason University Assistant Professor Quentin Sanders and his team of researchers at the ImPoWer Lab in the College of Engineering and Computing are finding ways to make these activities easier by inventing and improving rehabilitative and assistive technologies.

Quentin Sanders, assistant professor in bioengineering and mechanical engineering
Photo by Ron Aira / Creative Services / George Mason University

The lab’s research team seeks to develop innovative and globally relevant rehabilitation, robotic, and prosthetic devices to enhance the quality of life of individuals who have experienced a neurological injury or amputation. But more than that, Sanders hopes to empower researchers and students to see themselves as scientists and scholars.

Two new members of the team have promising ideas. The first is post-doctoral researcher Nelson Glover who earned his PhD from The Ohio State University in 2022. Glover is funded by the eFellows Post-doctoral Fellowship, sponsored by the American Society for Engineering Education and the National Science Foundation. He seeks to develop wearable, portable, and economical solutions for gait retraining for people who have experienced neurological injuries.

According to Sanders, most current solutions require bulky and expensive equipment, but Glover has a different idea. Glover’s device uses small, inexpensive sensors to measure the muscle movements and forces of the ankle.

He says, “This type of training is called biofeedback. Usually, you're giving a person feedback based on some type of biological signal that you're measuring to induce some type of behavioral change. In our approach, we are providing people feedback based on forces that we're measuring with these sensors and seeing if they can alter ankle propulsion forces.”

Sanders’ second new team member is PhD student, Mohammad Shams who is developing a standardized framework for evaluating rehabilitative devices outside the clinical setting.

The study begins with a very, very large data set from a thousand users who use a device that Sanders’ previous PhD advisor created. The device, a wearable sensor, is one that people use for hand therapy.

Sanders says, “What's nice about this large data set is that we can start to get a sense of how they're adapting different parameters when they're in the wild when they're not in the clinic when the therapist isn't there. We can find out why they aren’t using this device, or what they like about the device.”

Sanders compares it to the kind of user reports that makers of smartphones use all the time. Companies use them to improve features and functions and make them more appealing to consumers. He says, “We don't have that for a lot of devices. So, a lot of times you'll try a device on in this very controlled setting but it often isn’t very realistic.”

The research aims to leverage Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to develop algorithms in this project as well. For example, if you see, someone trending towards abandoning the use of the technology, the researchers could program an algorithm that sends a reminder and tells the user to try something different.

“I really like this project a lot, it's answering a lot of fundamental questions about rehabilitation device usage that we don't really have the answers to yet,” says Sanders.

Topics

Mason’s Michael Buschmann and team at start-up AexeRNA Therapeutics Inc. pursue patents for improved COVID-19 vaccines

John Hollis — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 19:18:20 +0000

Mason’s Michael Buschmann and team at start-up AexeRNA Therapeutics Inc. pursue patents for improved COVID-19 vaccines John Hollis Wed, 07/28/2021 - 15:18

In This Story

Caroline Hoemann

Michael Buschmann (seated) and his team that includes (l to r) Aarthi Narayanan, Mikell Paige and Caroline Hoemann have developed improved technology that could help make COVID-19 vaccines better and more readily available. Not pictured: Pat Gillevet. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

George Mason University bioengineering professor Michael Buschmann and a team of scientific collaborators have devised improved lipid nanoparticle technologies to deliver mRNA that could make mRNA vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccines less costly, with fewer side-effects and more available worldwide.

Vaccines with mRNA use lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to protect the mRNA and facilitate the immune system’s response to protect people against infection by viruses. This technology has flattened the COVID-19 curve in Western industrialized nations, but the vaccine will need to evolve to reduce side effects and permit worldwide vaccination to eradicate the disease.

Working with George Mason University’s Office of Tech Transfer (OTT) to form the start-up AexeRNA Therapeutics Inc., Buschmann and his team have licensed the commercial rights of four patent applications to the company. The patents address two major LNP technology issues related to novel lipid molecules and novel methods of LNP manufacturing.

“Our solutions seek to make the vaccine more efficient, less costly, and decrease its adverse effects,” said Buschmann, the chair of the Bioengineering Department within Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing.

By modifying the structure and composition of the LNPs, the researchers were able to make the vaccine more efficient, less toxic and easier to make, handle and distribute.

They look forward to now sharing their discovery and helping in the fight against a global pandemic that has killed more than four million people around the world, including more than 600,000 Americans. The current success of mRNA vaccines also paves the way for their use in many other infectious diseases.

“OTT ensures the protection of the intellectual property and works with start-ups like AexeRNA to bring the scientific discoveries to the marketplace,” said Hina Mehta, director of the Office of Technology Transfer.

Buschmann and his partners see tremendous potential for mRNA and vaccines as they may hold the keys to unlocking the technology to fight variants of COVID, influenza, HIV and many other viral pathogens.

Buschmann, Mikell Page from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry within Mason’s College of Science and Drew Weissman, Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are the scientific founders of the Mason/University of Pennsylvania spin-off. The group also includes Mason postdoctoral research associate Suman Alishetty and PhD student Manuel Carrasco, University of Pennsylvania postdoctoral research associate Mohamad Alameh and venture capitalist and intellectual property lawyer Thomas Axel Haag.

“We’re excited to move this technology into further preclinical development and scale-up so that mRNA vaccines can be more widely and effectively used in pandemic and non-pandemic settings,” Buschmann said.

Topics

College of Engineering and Computing academic advisors recognized

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 14:58:00 +0000

College of Engineering and Computing academic advisors recognized 4429684e-ae8d-… Mon, 04/05/2021 - 10:58

At last week’s V. Ann Lewis Academic Advisor of the Year Awards, College of Engineering and Computing advisors represented three of the top ten awardees. The nominations committee received nearly 800 student nominations for 130 unique advisors. The committee reviews comments and selects the top ten advisors and the advisor of the year. Our academic advisors represent a vital aspect of student success at the college. This award recognizes excellence in advising across the Mason community and demonstrates our appreciation of the academic advising community. 

Congratulations to our awardees:

Krystal Dains - BAS coordinator, information sciences and technology 

Claudia Borke - Academic advisor, bioengineering 

Tom Winston - Faculty advisor in cybersecurity engineering

What the students said about the advisors:

Krystal Daines

“I have transferred from NOVA to Mason, and Mrs. Dains has been the guiding beacon of my Mason degree completion. I am now one semester away from graduation, and Mrs. Dains has advised and provided resources that have made anxiety of 'what to do next,' 'am I filling out everything I need' very low. When I first met her, I was greeted with a friendly and enthusiastic attitude which she has continued to maintain throughout the 2020 uncertainties and changes up to this day..."

Claudia Borke

“Ever since I’ve been accepted into Mason, and even before that when I was inquiring, Ms. Borke was always there for me. She has managed to go above and beyond in getting close to her students, as she makes sure to understand them. For example, Ms. Borke knows about how I limit my credits per semester so that I don’t feel pressured. Ever since then, she made sure to adjust my entire schedule and even makes sure to contact me to schedule a meeting if It’s been too long. Although these things might simply just fall into the advisor’s job, Ms. Borke also makes sure that her students are okay and that they’re doing well with their personal lives. I really needed that last semester due to the pressures of school and being away from my family, and I’m glad somebody was making sure I was doing okay. Ms. Borke is quite honestly a guardian angel for all bioengineering students at Mason, and we’re lucky to have her as an advisor.”

Thomas Winston

"Professor Winston is TRULY passionate about helping students succeed. He goes above and beyond for those who he is assigned to advise and even for those who he is not assigned (He is the GOAT, therefore many students seek him for advising). He TRULY cares about students and helps us with a positive attitude, always! He works extremely hard; he is available any time and is very responsive to students. In conclusion, Winston is irreplaceable. I've never seen anyone with such commitment and who loves advising and helping students succeed as much as he does.”

Topics

Academic Advising

College of Engineering and Computing

Volgenau School of Engineering

Engineers Week Kicks Off February 21

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 20:15:14 +0000

Engineers Week Kicks Off February 21 4429684e-ae8d-… Tue, 01/19/2021 - 15:15

Topics

Volgenau School of Engineering

National Engineers Week

Social Media Contest

COVID-19 has laid bare the critical work of engineers in creating a world safe from pandemics, climate change, cyber-attacks, and other daunting global challenges. Engineers Week is a time to celebrate this important work and engage with other innovators. Even with social distancing, you can participate and share in the excitement. This year Mason students will take the lead to organize events that capture the spirit and excitement of the fields of engineering and technology.

Organizers will track student participation for the Engineer's Cup. Be sure to check this page often and keep up-to-date on announcements, events, competitions, and prizes.

Thank you

Thank you to the George Mason Engineer's Week Organizing Leadership Team:

Hayes Makinano, Saira Amjad, Hajrah Choudhry, Rezia Mahmud, Giselle Aparicio, Roozah Sughran Khan, Likhitha Addagatia, Zainab Syed, Keil Eggers, and Said Ahmed

Schedule of Events

Saturday, February 20

11:00 a.m. — ThinSat Virtual Launch Party

The NG-15 ThinSat Virtual Launch Party organized by Virginia Space begins at 11:00 a.m. This event will include presentations from program representatives, a live stream of the launch, and Space Data Dashboard live data monitoring after deployment of ThinSats. Watch as the rocket carrying George Mason University's ThinSats starts its journey to space.

Join here.

Monday, February 22

4:00 - 5:00 p.m. — So You Think You Want to Be an Engineer: Stories and Advice from Current Engineering Students

Engineers have many career paths to explore, and we want to inspire the next generation to choose the path that is right for their interests. In honor of this year’s Engineers Week theme, Imagining Tomorrow, join a student panel to learn more about engineering degrees at the Volgenau School of Engineering. This event is perfect for prospective engineering students who want to hear firsthand from students about their experiences and how they chose their path to an engineering degree.

7:00- 8:00 p.m. — Women in Engineering Panel

Join us to hear about experiences, challenges, highlights, and advice from women working in various engineering fields including electrical, cyber, aeronautical, and systems engineering. Interact with our panelists through a Q&A session.

Tuesday, February 23

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. — Diversity and Equal Opportunity in the Tech Industry

As the tech industry becomes more distinguished and prominent, matters of diversity and equal opportunity are commonly discussed in hopes of promoting inclusion. Join us to learn about the importance of diversity and equal opportunity, along with how the tech industry is addressing these critical topics from our panelists. The discussion will be followed by an opportunity to interact with the panelists through a Q&A session.

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. — CoStar Day in the Life of a Security Engineer

Join to learn about a day in the life of a security engineer with CoStar and learn about employment opportunities.

5:00 - 6:00 p.m. — Cleared Careers in Technology and Engineering

Have questions about working in the cleared space as a career? Join us for a 1-hour interactive panel to hear advice for navigating the clearance process, tips for advancing in the cleared space, the job market and much more.

Wednesday, February 24

12:00- 1:00 p.m. — Supporting Community Resilience by Closing the Digital Divide

George Mason’s Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC) supports communities in creating life-changing social and economic opportunities through locally-led resilience and sustainability initiatives. One of C-RASC’s major thrusts is helping communities close the digital divide. Closing the digital divide is a fundamental enabler for greater equity as underserved communities are able to capitalize on the benefits of “smart” internet-enabled technologies. Achieving this objective involves addressing many engineering challenges, as well as important human challenges in effective implementation in communities. This workshop introduces C-RASC, and poses a socio-technical challenge in bringing digital connectivity to an underserved community. Participants break into groups to work on solutions and reconvene to share.

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. — Introduction to Peace Engineering

Peace Engineering is an exciting new field of study that has emerged to empower engineers to actively support conditions for peace. The Carter School Peace Engineering Lab was recently founded as an experimental space for the Mason community to develop peace engineering approaches. The panel will introduce the Peace Engineering Lab and lab members will share their research and opportunities to get involved.

7:00 - 8:00 p.m. — Cyber in Industry Panel

The need for cybersecurity in the technology sector continues to grow. Join us as guest speakers from Northrop Grumman’s Cyber Team, Verizon Media, and The Media Trust discuss security concepts. Topics will include major security issues such as identifying and remediating security threats, as well as privacy and quality control within an organization. The panel would assist students in discovering experiences, jobs, internships, recommendations, challenges of the cyber industry. The session will include a Q&A portion at the end.

Thursday, February 25

10:30 -11:30 a.m. — Managing for Uncertainty: A Peace Engineering Approach

Peace Engineering seeks to discover how engineering principles can support conditions for peace. Engineers often find themselves on the frontlines of conflict, whether in reconstruction post-conflict or in developing systems and technology that can improve people’s lives. In many contexts, engineers can plan far ahead and feel confident that their work will produce the desired results. Unfortunately, the same conditions don’t apply in a rapidly moving conflict. This presentation will explore how peace engineers can manage uncertainty with the Cynefin Framework and play a role in strengthening anticipatory governance mechanisms through tools like SenseMaker that are being developed by the Carter School Peace Engineering Lab.

1:00 - 4:00 p.m. — Splunk4Rookies

Splunk4Rookies is an opportunity to discover the value of Splunk, hands-on, in a matter of hours. Attendees get an introduction to Splunk, along with live experience creating a Splunk app and dashboard based on multiple use cases. The workshop is designed to take between 2.5 – 3 hours and will guide attendees through creating an App in the Splunk platform, adding data, and performing search, analysis, and dashboarding exercises.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, February 26

12:00 - 12:15 p.m. — Engineers Week Cup

The Volgeanu School of Engineering Department with the most student participants in Engineer’s Week events will be announced and awarded the coveted Engineer’s Week Cup! Winners of the VSE Engineer’s Week Social Media Contest will also be announced.

Mason to lead regional hub for national cybersecurity advanced manufacturing innovation partnership

Melanie Balog — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 10:05:05 +0000

Mason to lead regional hub for national cybersecurity advanced manufacturing innovation partnership Melanie Balog Fri, 11/20/2020 - 05:05

George Mason University is poised to be named a managing member in the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), a $111 million public-private partnership led by the University of Texas at San Antonio. CyManII will have a five-year corporative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a consortium of 59 proposed member institutions in introducing a cybersecure energy-ROI that drives American manufacturers and supply chains.

“CyManII represents a great step forward for U.S. and Virginia’s leadership in cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing,” says Volgenau School of Engineering Dean Ken Ball. “Mason’s well-recognized strength in cybersecurity research and its offering one of the largest cybersecurity engineering academic programs in the nation position it incredibly well to support CyManII’s ambitious five-year goals.”

As part of its national strategy, CyManII will focus on four high priority areas where collaborative research and development can help U.S. manufacturers: securing automation, securing the supply chain network, improving energy efficiency, and building a national program for education and workforce development. CyManII’s research objectives will focus on understanding the evolving cybersecurity threats to manufacturing industries, developing new cybersecurity and energy-conserving technologies and methods, and sharing information and knowledge with the broader community of U.S. manufacturers.

Mason anticipates managing and operating CyManII’s East Coast headquarters on its Arlington Campus. The headquarters will house CyManII’s primary offices, meeting space, and training facilities in the National Capital Region.

It will contain lab space and equipment to demonstrate, test, and validate CyManII’s emerging cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing technologies and products. The 13,000-square-foot facility will support robotic platforms to evaluate security vulnerabilities, especially the impact of 5G on autonomous vehicles, the power grid, and smart manufacturing. The space will also host a robotic smart manufacturing testbed.

Mason researchers from the Volgenau School of Engineering will play key roles in CyManII’s first-year projects, including finding ways to protect manufacturing supply chains from cyber threats and designing better security into advanced manufacturing plants.

“CyManII is another step forward in Mason’s rapidly expanding leadership in the National Capital Region,” said Interim Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact Aurali Dade. “We expect to leverage our many partnerships with the area’s technology leaders to grow advanced manufacturing here.”

CyManII is funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) and co-managed with the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER).

Mason announces College of Engineering and Computing

Colleen Rich — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:40:00 +0000

Mason announces College of Engineering and Computing Colleen Rich Fri, 10/02/2020 - 08:40

Did you know?

Mason has nearly 5,000 undergraduate students majoring in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, information systems and operations management, cybersecurity and systems engineering—substantially more than Virginia’s other public universities. Mason also leads in master’s students with more than 1,100 enrolled in those disciplines. Including other computing-intensive fields, such as data sciences and game design, pushes the number up even higher.

Learn more

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

The George Mason University Board of Visitors voted Thursday, Oct. 1, to house the new School of Computing and the existing Volgenau School of Engineering in a newly formed College of Engineering and Computing led by Ken Ball, the current dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering.

These organizational changes next need to be reviewed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The School of Computing and the Volgenau School will be led by two interim divisional deans until the search for permanent divisional deans is completed.

The School of Computing will provide a wide array of computing and related courses to students from all backgrounds and at all levels. Beginning with Computer Science, Information Sciences and Technology, and Statistics, the school will eventually include multidisciplinary programs created in collaboration with faculty in Mason’s other colleges who have an interest in teaching and conducting research related to computing.

“The Volgenau School of Engineering has greatly benefited over its history from its strong ties to computing,” said Dean Ken Ball. “The visionaries who founded the engineering school at Mason grounded in computing and information technology would be proud of its evolution and growth as it becomes the new College of Engineering and Computing.”

Many see computing and digital fluency as central to every other discipline and every aspect of business and society, and envision endless opportunities for collaboration with experts in the humanities, health care and business.

The launch of the School of Computing leverages investments from the Commonwealth of Virginia that were driven by Amazon’s decision to locate its East Coast headquarters in nearby Crystal City. With these investments, the university has an unprecedented opportunity to play a leadership role in shaping the future of computing regionally, nationally, and globally while also enhancing economic prosperity and the quality of life for residents in the region and beyond.

“Interdisciplinary collaboration in research and education is a key component of our vision and strategic plan for the future,” said Sanjeev Setia, professor and associate dean for computing programs and initiatives in the Volgenau School of Engineering. “The creation of the School of Computing will elevate the profile of computing both within Mason as well as externally. The School of Computing provides an opportunity to strengthen our rich portfolio of computing programs.”

In memory of Charlie Joyce: Volgenau School friend and advocate

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 14:04:57 +0000

In memory of Charlie Joyce: Volgenau School friend and advocate 4429684e-ae8d-… Thu, 12/05/2019 - 09:04

Charlie Joyce served as chair of the Dean's Advisory Board from 2009 to 2018.

The Volgenau School of Engineering lost a great friend, supporter, and advocate when Charles C. Joyce passed away on Monday, November 25. Joyce’s contributions to George Mason University, the Northern Virginia community, and the nation were immeasurable. His advocacy and friendship spanned decades and affected many.

"Charlie’s unique combination of boundless technical knowledge, lifetime leadership experience, and laser-focused commitment to our success had a significant impact on important VSE initiatives during a time of extraordinary growth," said Dean Ken Ball. "His gracious mentorship and sage counsel will be missed."

Joyce was one of a distinguished group of senior executives who serve on the Dean's Advisory Board, most recently acting as the board's chair. He also served Mason for four years as president of what is now the Friends of the Center for the Arts at George Mason University, followed by four years as chairman of the Arts at Mason Board, the advisory board to the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1934, Joyce spent his early years in Manhasset, NY and entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1952 as a Grumman Scholar, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. A Distinguished Military Graduate of the ROTC program, he served as a Signal Officer in the Army Reserves for eight years reaching the rank of Captain. In 1961 he was selected for a scholarship program by the Mitre Corporation and in 1963 was awarded a master’s degree in industrial management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Joyce played leadership roles in high technology from the very earliest stages of online computing and communications. He began his career at the Mitre Corporation in Bedford, Mass., planning for the application of integrated computer-communications technologies to military command and control functions. During the following decades, he held leading positions in industry and government. In 1979, Joyce co-founded and became president of Network Strategies Incorporated, a consulting firm established to assist corporations and governments at all levels to plan for the adoption of new and rapidly evolving technologies supporting data communications, where Joyce served as a lead partner until 1991.

Visitation of the family will be held at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home on Braddock Road in Fairfax, December 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. A funeral service will be at Church of the Good Shepard on Braddock Road in Fairfax at 10 a.m. December 7. Donations to the Charlie Joyce Scholarship Fund may be made in his honor. Please contact Michele Brumsey (mbrumsey@gmu.edu) for details.

Students win cash prizes for their work at Undergraduate Research Celebration

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 23:20:36 +0000

Students win cash prizes for their work at Undergraduate Research Celebration 4429684e-ae8d-… Tue, 04/16/2019 - 19:20

Alex Mourao, Brandon Goodrich, and Esteban Perez, members of a senior design team called Asteria, are working on a new thermal battery shield to protect a lithium polymer battery.

The Volgenau School of Engineering Undergraduate Research Celebration took place on Tuesday, April 16. Students presented about 40 different projects before the Mason community.

The competition encourages all types of research, design, and scholarly work including individual or group projects, research projects with a faculty mentor, course projects at any level, student organization activities, or research from an outside internship.

Many engineering undergraduates work in teams on senior design projects, tackling complex research ideas that often are sponsored by companies and government agencies.

Industry representatives served as judges for the competition, and the grand prizes included $1,000 cash awards from Dean Ken Ball.

The award winners were:

Opportunity to present to the Dean’s Advisory Board

Project R.A.N.G.E.R.
Luca Estinto, Kevin Verhaalen, Brenda Cheng, Eric Werner, Troy Acuff

Design of a Frozen Shoulder Expert Rehabilitation System
Farzad Nikpanjeh, Blaine Lacey, William Calaman, Faisal Alharbi, Emmanuel Kwakye-Dompreh

Keynote Presentations

Operation Asteria – Mason’s First Small Satellite Launch

Hina Fatima, Brandon Goodrich, Gabe Haddad, Jay Deorukhkar, Jeremiah Terrie, Reagan Gillette

An Automated Dilation System for Minimally Invasive Brain and Spine Surgery

Paige Epler, Laura Carter, Tyra Bookhart, Andrew Ryan

People’s Choice Award

Mason Baja
Natalie Schwarzkopf, Sophia Upshaw, Mubeen Farukh

Outstanding Project Awards

Micron Technology Outstanding Project Award

Proposal to Transition the Annapolis Government to Carbon Neutrality
Caroline Wagner, Daniel Corcoran, Charles Coffey, Raniah Al-Amili

Harris Corporation Outstanding Project Award

Evolving Cryptographic Sponge Functions Using Genetic Algorithms

Zaine Wilson

Northrop Grumman Corporation Outstanding Project Award

Project R.A.N.G.E.R.
Luca Estinto, Kevin Verhaalen, Brenda Cheng, Eric Werner, Troy Acuff

Accenture Federal Services Outstanding Project Award

Design of a Frozen Shoulder Expert Rehabilitation System
Farzad Nikpanjeh, Blaine Lacey, William Calaman, Faisal Alharbi, Emmanuel Kwakye-Dompreh

Noblis Inc. Outstanding Project Award

Deep Learning for Signal to Noise Enhancement of Fluorescence Microscopy Images
Tram-Anh Nguyen

A special thank you to our judges who help make this possible by volunteering their time.
Fabien Armogathe, SES Satellites; Ebrima Ceesay, Noblis Inc.; Dave Gaucher, Accenture Federal Services; Andy Goldin, Advanced Systems Development, Inc.; Malika Grayson, Northrop Grumman Corp.; Deepak Hathiramani, Vistronix; Kevin Hicks, Micron; Alan Kobran, Harris Corp.; Sean Mallon, George Mason University; Andrea Norris, National Institutes of Health; Michael Papay, Northrop Grumman Corp.