September 4, 2026

The Office of Research publishes this weekly media report to assist with keeping up with news relevant to research at George Mason. It includes news items about recent research of consequence by current George Mason faculty. Items and topics are identified using Google alerts, scientific email newsletters, the media tracker Talkwalker and by monitoring George Mason departmental social media accounts. Stories are sorted by academic unit and, if available, by topic. If stories about George Mason research are not captured by the report, email Elizabeth Grisham. 

Antonin Scalia Law School

Small Banks Are Both Stalking Horse & Prey In The Clarity Act Drama 

AMERICAN BANKER 

8/25/26 – J.W. Verret, Associate Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, is the author of this piece. more 

Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Shai Naides – Advocating For The Voices Of Young People

JIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER SCHOOL FOR PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

9/2/26 – The author of this piece writes, "Shai Naides, Policy Manager for Intergenerational Governance and Participation, UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti, graduated from the Carter School with a Master of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in 2021, during the height of COVID. However, his journey began over a decade prior." more

College of Education and Human Development

Education Policy: Shaping Every Decision That Affects School Operations

George Mason CEHD (via YouTube)

8/17/26 – David Houston, Associate Professor, Education Policy, College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), discusses the impact of education policy on school funding, student opportunities, educational equity, and access to resources. more 

College of Engineering and Computing

What Happens When Robotaxies Meet Motorcades In DC? The Mother Of All Traffic Jams, Says AI Expert 

Washington Examiner 

8/31/26 – Mary L. (Missy) Cummings, Professor and Director of Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC); First American Bank Chair, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), comments in this piece.  

 

Cummings said, “I’m not sure that people have thought through all the national security issues that go along with having remote operators looking at real-time footage of everything going on in D.C.” more 

George Mason Researcher Brings Critical AI Literacy Program To Prince George’s County 

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTING 

8/31/26 – Read about work by Thema Monroe-White, Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Policy, Schar School of Policy and Government and Computer Science, and College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). more

[Future of War] Striking Gets Easier, Winning Gets Harder: Experts On What Comes Next 

newscj.com 

9/1/26 – Mary L. (Missy) Cummings, Professor and Director of Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC); First American Bank Chair, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), comments in this piece. 

 

In part, she said, “Humans will be needed to make significant targeting decisions — AI routinely shows it cannot be trusted in this area.” more 

I Spent $4,000 On A Robot Dog From China 

Understanding AI 

8/31/26 – Xuesu Xiao, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), comments in this story.  

 

In part, he said, “Ten years ago, only a very small set of research groups were working on quadruped locomotion because they were the only people on the planet who could build a quadruped.”  

 

He said, further, “Then Unitree came onto the market. And it basically democratized the entire world of quadruped locomotion research.” more 

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

What Do Global Warming’s Six Americas Think About Data Centers? 

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication 

8/25/26 – Neha Gour, Doctoral Candidate, Science Communication, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS); Teresa Myers, Research Associate Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, CHSS; John Kotcher, Executive Director, Center for Climate Change Communication and Research Associate Professor, Communication, CHSS, and Edward Maibach, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus and Founding Director Emeritus, Center for Climate Change Communication, are the George Mason researchers among the authors of this study. more  

College of Public Health

Men Need Help 
SPLICE TODAY 
8/31/26 – The author of this piece writes, “A recent study from George Mason University details why so many men are terrified to seek help. Researchers pointed directly to intense shame, fear of false counter-accusations, and the reality that law enforcement often arrests the male victim upon arrival.”  

 

George Mason researchers Lyric N. Russo, Enochs Endowed Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Work, College of Public Health, and Denise A. Hines, Elisabeth Shirley Enochs Endowed Professor of Social Work, College of Public Health, are among the authors of this study. They write with Jennifer Mezzapelle, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Haverford College; Chiara Sabina of Rutgers University; Kerry A. Lee of Bryn Mawr College, and Emily M. Douglas of Montclair State University. more 

Nakkash Is New Chair Of Department Of Global & Community Health 

The NATION’S HEALTH 

September 2026 – The author of this piece writes, “Rima Nakkash, DrPH, MPH, was appointed chair of the Department of Global and Community Health at George Mason University's College of Public Health in June. Nakkash, a professor and tobacco control researcher, had served as the department's interim chair since 2024 and previously was a tenured associate professor at the American University of Beirut. She joined the George Mason faculty in 2021.” more 

College of Science

George Mason Partners With Oxford-Based TreQ To Bring The First Open-Architecture Quantum Computing System To Virginia 

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE 

9/2/26 – The author of this piece writes, “George Mason University and Oxford-based frontier computing company TreQ announced a groundbreaking partnership this week to bring open-architecture quantum infrastructure to the Commonwealth of Virginia beginning with the first open-architecture quantum computing system in the state and National Capital Region.” more 

When Expressive Humanoid Robots Are Awkward, People Become Wary – New Brain Study 
Robohub, diariobitcoin (translation might be needed) 

8/31/26 – The author of this piece highlights research by Frank Krueger, Professor of Systems Social Neuroscience, School of Systems Biology, College of Science, and co-authors. 
News story: more Study: more 

George Mason’s Quantum Leap 

virginiaBUSINESS 

8/30/26 – The author of this piece highlights George Mason’s new master’s degree in quantum science—the first such degree in Virginia. more 

Luxembourg Experts Learn To Reconstruct Faces To Identify Victims 

RTL TODAY 

8/30/26 – Joe Mullins, Adjunct Professor, Forensic Science, College of Science, comments in this story. more 

The Road To The Stars 

American Association of Colleges & Universities 

Spring 2026 – The author of this piece highlights George Mason’s observatory. more 

Sustainability In Action: How George Mason Students Use Art To Communicate Environmental Solutions 

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE 

8/20/26 – Read about how George Mason College of Science students use art to advance sustainability efforts. more 

Costello College of Business

Blowing The Whistle On ‘Feel-Good’ Finance 

PRINCETON ALUMNI WEEKLY

3/11/26 – Brad Swanson is an adjunct finance professor in Costello College of Business. He is also the author of: “Profit vs. Progress: Why Socially Responsible Investment Doesn’t Work and How to Fix It” (MIT Press, April 7, 2026). more 

Schar School of Policy and Government

Virginia Dems Resist A Progressive Trend, But Moderation Will Pay Off In November | Guest Column  

richmond.com 

8/7/26 – Mark J. Rozell, Dean, Schar School of Policy and Government, is the author of this piece. Subscription might be required to access full content. more 

George Mason Researcher Brings Critical AI Literacy Program To Prince George’s County 

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTING 

8/31/26 – Read about work by Thema Monroe-White, Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Policy, Schar School of Policy and Government and Computer Science, and College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). more 

Will Public Backlash Kill Virginia’s Data Center Boom? 

virginiaBUSINESS 

8/31/26 – The author of this piece highlights a recent poll by researchers with George Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government and “The Washington Post.” Subscription might be needed to access full content. more 

Rethinking The De-Skilling Narrative In AI & Biological Weapons Policy 

Georgetown Journal of International Affairs 

8/27/26 – Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Associate Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, is the author of this piece. more  

SCO May Be A Pro-China Club But India Still Needs To Be There  

The Federal 

9/1/26 – Ali Mammadov is a doctoral candidate in George Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government.  

 

Mammadov said, “I would distinguish between the SCO contributing to a more multipolar international order and actually emerging as a coherent rival to the Western-led system. Its geopolitical weight is certainly growing, but its expansion also makes internal consensus more difficult.” more 

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