Students

George Mason University students are finalizing their plans for the Virginia Environmental Justice Summit, a conference intended to engage students from Virginia and beyond on issues pertaining to the intersection of sustainability, the environment, race and social justice. The conference will be held virtually on March 27.

Louie Al-Hashimi is driven by service. It started in high school, he said, when his history teacher encouraged him to get involved in community service and he began volunteering at a local food pantry, supporting road cleanup projects, and organizing school concerts for charity.

“That, coupled with my studies, encouraged me to pursue public service,” said Al-Hashimi, who earned his master’s in public administration from George Mason University in 2020. “Having the opportunity to build or facilitate a connection with other people—that’s what I’m drawn to.”

Honors College student Brenda Henriquez has been named an Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholar, a program that recognizes outstanding undergraduate female students studying computer science.

Smialek, a single mother of one daughter, has been juggling parenting, teaching or going to school and her work as an Air National Guard medic for a while.

George Mason University announced today a grant from Break Through Tech to propel more students who identify as women and non-binary into tech education—and ultimately tech careers—through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building. The goal of the grant is to increase the number of these students graduating with a tech degree at Mason by 12.5 percentage points by 2026.

The Greenhouse and Gardens Program—which runs the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse, the Innovation Food Forest and the Potomac Heights Organic Vegetable Garden—is building off a successful fall semester that provided students with a hands-on learning experience.

A team of George Mason University students are among the brains behind a satellite that launched into space this weekend as part of a collaboration with Northrop Grumman and Virginia Space that includes being part of a resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Electrical engineering student Jazzmin Robinson knows the value public speaking skills hold for a career in engineering.

Mason doctoral student Sarah Giff is examining the connection between parents with PTSD and their children’s emotional functioning, looking specifically at military families.