Shayla Brown

When Liang Luo steps into a classroom—or works on a film, for that matter—she brings with her a rare blend of scholarship, creativity, and cultural sensitivity. This fall, Luo begins her role as chair of George Mason University’s Department of Modern and Classical Languages, a position that recognizes her academic leadership as well as her global perspective. 

Scientists, nurses, and researchers in George Mason University’s College of Public Health (CPH) have successfully progressed to the third phase of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program studying a broad range of early life exposures on child health.

When cyber security engineering major Connor Wadlin learned about ransomware attacks on organizations, such as the one on the Health Service Executive in Ireland, in his CYSE 445 System Security and Resilience class, it confirmed his commitment to dedicating his educational and professional career to protecting and preserving human lives.

For George Mason University sophomore Nathan Ferraro, summer hasn’t been about taking a break—it’s been about chasing his dream job.

George Mason University’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) summer camps, programs, and workshops are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of scientists and researchers with STEM-focused curriculum and hands-on learning experiences. 

There are currently more than 80,000 unaccounted-for service members from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, and other conflicts. George Mason University’s ongoing collaboration with the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is exploring new ways of locating the missing remains of those American service members and bringing closure to their families. 

George Mason University alum Dave Alpern is the president of the organization Joe Gibbs Racing and recently made a cameo appearance in the Netflix series, NASCAR: Full Speed, which documents NASCAR teams as work as they race to win the NASCAR Cup Series.

Federico Frum, BA Art and Visual Technology ’05, believes in the power of art to bring people together. Known professionally as MasPaz—Spanish for “more peace”—Frum has spent his career fusing activism and creativity, using bold street murals, community engagement, and cultural storytelling to spread a message of unity.

George Mason music professor June Huang sees connections between musical collaboration and peacebuilding, and she and her students demonstrate those connections with The Spheres Project, a strings faculty and student collaborative space established in 2021.

Historical dramas may be nothing new to the theater, but an original opera based on a landmark Supreme Court Civil Rights case? Rick Davis knew this was something different. After learning that Virginia Opera was planning to stage their new opera, Loving v. Virgina—based on the historic Supreme Court case striking down a Virginia law that banned interracial marriage—Davis seized the unique opportunity for his students.