College of Science

In 1998, Brennan Collier, nee Snyder, graduated from George Mason University—and used it as a springboard for everything that came next. She walked off campus with two BA degrees: one in geology, a tried-and-true science path, and the other in environmental science, a program she built herself when the existing offerings didn’t quite match her ambitions.

George Mason’s Virginia Climate Center (VCC) has unveiled the commonwealth’s first comprehensive, peer-reviewed climate assessment—a landmark report that provides science-based insights into Virginia’s changing climate and its impacts on communities, infrastructure, and the economy.

In George Mason University’s College of Science—where nearly 16% of students are connected to the military—Air Force veteran Rylee Ledoux is using her public health experience and passion for the environment to support fellow veterans and pursue a future in environmental science. A former Air Force public health technician, she now serves as the senior military transition coordinator in Mason’s Office of Military Services while completing her bachelor of science in environmental science and policy.

Amanda Haymond Still is director of Undergraduate Student Research Initiatives and Internships, College of Science.

Through an NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, 10 students from around the country will take part in field-based conservation projects at Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Front Royal, Virginia, in the summer of 2026.

Research Interests: Quantum computing

George Mason University Environmental Science and Policy major Melanie Medrano has long aspired to work in the federal government, ideally on the front lines of creating meaningful environmental change. She took a major step toward that goal by starting an internship with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS, where she will assist in their communication efforts through December 2025.

Faculty across George Mason University are leading or participating in innovative new projects to further research and education this academic year, thanks to grants recently awarded by 4-VA, a statewide consortium of nine higher education institutions in Virginia.

When Trish Jarvis, BS Biology ’10, tells people what she does for a living, their eyes usually light up. As an employee at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., Jarvis has one of the most coveted—and adorable—jobs around: She’s a panda keeper.

This summer, George Mason University hosted the Pathways to Quantum Immersion Program, preparing high school students for careers in the rapidly emerging field of quantum science.