July 10, 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

2026 Supreme Court Review: Key Decisions, Executive Power, Civil Discourse 

National Constitution Center 

7/7/26 – Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, comments in this piece. Somin starts at 1:04:22. more 

Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Ankara NATO Zirvesi: Güvenlik Vardı, Peki Barış?

Yetkin REPORT

7/9/26 – Alpaslan Özerdem, Dean, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution; Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, is the author of this piece. Translation might be needed. more

Fuertes Appointed To Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (via LinkedIn)

7/8/26 – The author of this post writes, "We are incredibly proud to announce that Dr. Al Fuertes has been appointed to the Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)!" 

 

Fuertes is a professor in George Mason's School of Integrative Studies in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). more

College of Engineering and Computing

George Mason Researcher Is Using CAREER Award To Build Brain-Inspired AI That Is More Adaptive 

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING

7/7/26 – The author of this piece writes, “Maryam Parsa, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), received a five-year, $655,000 National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for developing a new framework for brain-inspired AI. The project seeks to make AI systems more efficient, adaptable, resilient, and transparent by borrowing principles from biological nervous systems.” more 

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Do Data Centers Impact Our Physical Health? Studies Are Few & Far Between. 

HENRICO CITIZEN, Pennsylvania Capital-Star 

7/7/26 – Neha Gour, Ph.D. Candidate, Communication, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS); Affiliated Researcher, Center for Climate Communication (4C), comments in this story. Gour is one of the authors of: “Health implications of the rapid rise of data centers in Virginia: an exploratory assessment.” She writes with Luis Ortiz, Assistant Professor, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences (AOES), College of Science, and Edward Maibach, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Communication, and Founding Director Emeritus, 4C, CHSS. more 

Fuertes Appointed To Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (via LinkedIn)

7/8/26 – The author of this post writes, "We are incredibly proud to announce that Dr. Al Fuertes has been appointed to the Philippine Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)!" 

 

Fuertes is a professor in George Mason's School of Integrative Studies in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). more

DNA Study Traces Ancient Maya Links To Corozal Families 

lovefm.com 

7/7/26 – Read about research by Rick Smith, Director of Graduate Programs in Anthropology, Associate Professor, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). more 

This Spanish Officer Besieged The British During The American Revolution, Giving George Washington Time To Plan a Pivotal Attack 
Smithsonian magazine 

7/7/26 – Larrie D. Ferreiro, Adjunct Faculty, History and Art History, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), comments in this piece. more 

Making Stuff: Silas Fransen & LaNitra Berger Discuss The Art Of Making An Exhibit 

Making Stuff Podcast (via YouTube) 

4/8/26 – Silas Fransen is a 2026 graduate of the art history program in George Mason's College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). LaNitra Berger is an Associate Professor of History and Art History, CHSS, and Director of African and African American Studies, CHSS, at George Mason. In this podcast, they talk about their work crafting exhibits. more 

College of Public Health

Bird Flu’s Spread From Poultry To Cattle To Humans Provokes Worry Among Feds, States  
North Dakota Monitor 

6/4/26 – Amira Roess, Professor, Global Health and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, comments in this story. more 

Sutter & Beasley Receive Funding For Suicide Risk Screening Training  

EurekAlert! 

7/7/26 – Caroline Sutter, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, is a Professor in the School of Nursing, College of Public Health at George Mason University and Co-Director of the Center for Health Workforce. She is joined by Michael Beasley, Senior Program Manager with the Center for Health Workforce at George Mason. The Center supports initiatives that advance Virginia’s health workforce through strategic partnerships, workforce data, program development, and innovative solutions to address current and future healthcare workforce needs. more 

George Mason University: Maternal Obesity Linked To 64 Percent Increase In Childhood Obesity Risk 

Patch.com 

7/2/26 – The author of this piece writes, “New research led by the George Mason University College of Public Health found that children whose mothers entered pregnancy with obesity were 64% more likely to become overweight or obese by age 3. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy was associated with a 39% increase in that risk.” more 

Basiri Studying Effects Of Organic, Whole-Food-Based Magnesium 

EurekAlert! 

7/7/26 – Raedeh Basiri, Assistant Professor, Nutrition, College of Public Health, is investigating the effects of magnesium supplementation on key health outcomes in adults with elevated blood glucose. more 

Li Receives 2026 ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award 

EurekAlert! 

7/7/26 – Yikuan Li, Assistant Professor, Health Administration and Policy, College of Public Health, received a 2026 ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. more 

AI Summit: AI In Public Health 

publichealth.gmu.edu 

6/2/26 – Watch presentations by George Mason researchers who participated in this recent event. more 

College of Science

Virginia Creates State Climate Office At George Mason University 

The Daily Progress, Roanoke Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond News Today, The News Virginian, Lynchburg News and Advance 

7/5/26 – George Mason’s College of Science will be home to Virginia’s new State Climate Office, expanding the university’s role in providing climate data, research, and expertise to communities across the Commonwealth. more 

Help Map Northern Virginia's Urban Heat Island This Summer 

CAPITAL WEATHER, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

7/7/26 – The author of this piece writes, “To better understand the urban heat island in Fairfax County, Arlington and the City of Alexandria and identify ways to reduce impacts, the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions and George Mason University's Virginia Climate Center are partnering on a new initiative called the Urban Heat Island Mapping Project.” more 

Interview: From T. Rex To Birds With Steve Brusatte 

Particles of Thought (via YouTube) 

7/2/26 – Hakeem Oluseyi, Affiliate Faculty, Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, talks to paleontologist Steve Brusatte. more 

George Mason University & Phase Inc. Receive NSF Grant To Advance 3D-Printed Microfluidic Technology 

science.gmu.edu 

7/7/26 – The author of this piece writes, “The project combines the expertise of College of Science Professor Ramin M. Hakami’s group in extracellular vesicle (EV) biology, and that of College of Engineering and Computing Associate Professor Remi Veneziano’s group in bioengineering and materials characterization, at George Mason University with Phase’s vision to create an end-to-end, automated microfluidic platform that brings together custom device design, scalable 3D-printed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chip manufacturing, and automated fluid handling. Specifically, this project leverages the microfluidic EV platform jointly developed and published by the Veneziano and Hakami groups.” more 

Stakeholder Perspectives Inform Cascading Hazard Resilience 

natural hazards 
7/7/26 – Cailin Leahy, Research Assistant, College of Science, and Alireza Ermagun, Associate Professor, Geography and Geoinformation Science, College of Science, are the authors of this research. more 

Do Data Centers Impact Our Physical Health? Studies Are Few & Far Between. 

HENRICO CITIZEN, Pennsylvania Capital-Star 

7/7/26 – Neha Gour, Ph.D. Candidate, Communication, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS); Affiliated Researcher, Center for Climate Communication (4C), comments in this story. Gour is one of the authors of: “Health implications of the rapid rise of data centers in Virginia: an exploratory assessment.” She writes with Luis Ortiz, Assistant Professor, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences (AOES), College of Science, and Edward Maibach, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Communication, and Founding Director Emeritus, 4C, CHSS. more 

Costello College of Business

Job Ads Leaking Trade Secrets?  Outsmarting AI's Legal Insights: How Can Companies Ensure Effective Information Disclosure?

Harvard Business Review (Taiwan) 

7/3/26 – Long Chen, Accounting Area Chair and Associate Professor of Accounting, Costello College of Business, and Yi Cao, Assistant Professor, Accounting, Costello College of Business, are the authors of this piece. Translation might be needed. more

Are The ‘MANGOS’ Stocks Already Turning Soft?

The New York Times

7/4/26 – Derek Horstmeyer, Professor, Finance, Costello College of Business, discusses the rise and possible future fall of "MANGOS" (Meta, Anthropic, Nvidia, Google, OpenAI and SpaceX) on financial markets. more

Online Sports Betting & Addiction

The Last Show with David Cooper

7/7/26 – In this podcast, Brad Greenwood⁠, Professor of Information Systems and Operations Management and a Costello Distinguished Professor at George Mason, warns that ⁠legalized online sports betting is fueling addiction⁠. more

Schar School of Policy and Government

Frontline Watch: Global Terrorism Trends Reveal Expanding Threats Across Multiple Regions 

hstoday.us 

7/7/26 – Schar School of Policy and Government international security and law student majors Sean Dilallo, Floyd Alex Cross, Brian Cortes, and alums Mahmoud Khalil, MA in International Security, and Chris Dayton, BA in International Politics ’26 are among the authors of this piece. more 

National Intelligence Status With General Michael Hayden, Mark Zaid, & Larry Pfeiffer 

Schar School of Policy and Government (via YouTube)

7/6/26 – David Ramadan, Professor of Practice, Schar School of Policy and Government, and guest co-host Larry Pfeiffer, Executive Director, Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy and National Security, Schar School of Policy and Government, sit down with General Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, and Mark Zaid, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who specializes in crisis management. Together, they take a deep dive into the current state of national intelligence: are we still safe, or should we be on red alert? They also discuss the potential dangers of politicizing government intelligence agencies, as well as how democratic societies can protect themselves without losing themselves. more 

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