Our college motto includes an elusive word whose definition is individualized to mean different things to different people. Success. It’s a quest to which we all aspire. And as scientists, there is so much at stake as our successes may hold great promise for society. Yet to fully achieve it, one must encourage and even embrace its antithesis, failure.

Baseball fans know the often-quoted stat, George Herman “Babe” Ruth, was the first player in major league history to hit 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 homeruns. Yet, over his 22-year career, he also managed to be walked 2,062 times and strike out 1,330 times while attaining the 714 homeruns milestone. Although he was known as a home run king, we all can agree Babe Ruth also had his fair share of disappointing at bats.

Same holds true from a century ago to modern day. Consider the NY Yankees’ home run slugger now, Aaron Judge, who has 315 homeruns in nine seasons along with 1,209 strikeouts. We face the same in science as well-- if one wants to swing for the fences, there’s a good chance of missing the ball completely a good percentage of the time. Yet a quick look at the numbers tells us something else; today’s stars have a greater tolerance for, and are willing to take a higher rate of, failure to accelerate success.

According to Albert Einstein, “Failure is success in progress.” 

George Mason Space Day attracted nearly 1,000 attendees from the local community for an exciting day filled with lectures on the latest advancements in space exploration, captivating planetarium shows, engaging NASA astronaut and engineer meet and greets, and solar telescope viewings. Participants of all ages had the opportunity to dive deep into the wonders of the universe. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible speakers and dedicated volunteers who made this event possible. If you weren’t able to join us or missed any of the fantastic lectures, be sure to catch the replay on YouTube.

This past week's #FacultyFriday highlighted the newly appointed chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Gad Perry. Perry's general research interests center on ecology, with a large emphasis on conservation issues and the increasingly profound impacts of humans on the environment, especially in urban ecosystems, in the U.S. and abroad. Much of his work is carried out on reptiles and amphibians, with invasive species as a common focus. View original Instagram post. 

The performance mid-cycle check-in launched on October 1 for A/P Faculty and Classified Staff hired on or before June 30, 2024. This check-in is intended to review and reflect on the performance period of April 1 – September 30, 2024. It is a perfect time for supervisors to recognize their team’s work and, if appropriate, submit the

Sign up to participate in the upcoming Faculty Success Workshop Series: Navigating Politics in Academia on Tuesday, October 8 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The Faculty Workshop Series is designed to address key issues central to faculty development and success. 

by Elizabeth Grisham 

Fatah Kashanchi, a professor in the School of Systems Biology and director of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology, received funding for the study: “Parasite-Derived Vesicles in Babesia virulence and Vaccine Development.” Kashanchi will isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs) and utilize them to treat primary monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) or dendritic cells (DCs). He aims to determine inflammatory cytokine responses. Cytokines are proteins that affect the immune system.

by Elizabeth Grisham 

Ferah Munshi, assistant professor, Physics and Astronomy, is studying the formation of Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxies. Galaxies are observed to come in many sizes and luminosities. Of particular interest are galaxies that, for their mass, are large and dim, called Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxies. These galaxies are everywhere, making up nearly 50 percent of the universe and scientists still do not understand why they are as dim and as large as they are. 

by Eric Lagatta

USA Today spoke to Physics and Astronomy associate professor, Peter Plavchan, about the $19.5 million NASA-funded mission hosted at George Mason University. Plavchan serves as the PI of the project. 

George Mason University is Virginia’s leading university for value and upward mobility, and ranked in the top 25 nationally for innovation according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2025 released today. Additionally, the university ranks as a top 50 public university nationally in the Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges in the U.S.

The 2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is now available online.

As a reminder, campus safety is a shared responsibility. Promptly report all suspicious activity, crimes, and emergencies to Mason Police at 703-993-2810 (non-emergencies) or 9-1-1 (emergencies). You can also report threatening or concerning behavior and access violence awareness and prevention training and other support resources at stopviolence.gmu.edu

Explore Mars Challenge
Ongoing
Ready to take your walking routine to interstellar heights? Download StepUp and register to join our College of Science team to track the miles you walk and see how your distance, and our team's distance, compares to the vast expanses of Mars. Tell us how you're doing using #MasonToMars on Instagram or X. Register to participate.  

Inclusive Teaching and Pedagogy Needs Assessment Survey
Deadline: October 7, 2024
The College of Science and the AJEDI Advisory Committee (AAC), are committed to promoting inclusive teaching practices. These practices and pedagogic approaches recognize and address the diverse needs of students by creating a supportive, inclusive and accessible learning environment that values and leverages diversity as an asset. To better support our faculty in engaging in these practices, they are conducting a brief survey to understand your thoughts regarding inclusive STEM pedagogy. Your feedback will help design a professional development program that is accessible, relevant, and effective.

Student Loan Repayment Session for faculty/staff
October 9, 2024 | 1 p.m. | Virtual
Human Resources and the Student Support and Advocacy Center will host an information session for faculty and staff on the repayment of student loans. The session will include an overview of repayment plans, recent updates, and information on Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Learn more and register. 

Faculty Grant Writing Support Program Application Submission 
Deadline: October 10, 2024
Two opportunities: Proposal Editing – receive feedback on nearly final or previously reviewed application in terms of proposal solicitation requirements. Strategic RFP Analysis – Assessment of fit of your next proposal with your desired RFP’s. You provide a previous unfunded proposal or your published work on which your proposal would be based. Provide application by by October 10 for feedback by December 16. Participating faculty must be eligible to serve as Mason Principle Investigators on a sponsored research project

NSF Research Funding Lunch and Learn Webinar
October 10, 2024 | Noon to 1 p.m. | Virtual
The Office of Research Integrity and Assurance (ORIA) invites faculty with NSF funding to an NSF webinar regarding new U.S. Government research security initiatives. Attendees can ask NSF policymakers questions you might have regarding the new requirements that the federal government is implementing to protect U.S. research and technology. Rebecca Keiser, Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy, at NSF will host the lunch and learn webinar for faculty with NSF funding from George Mason, UVA, Virginia Tech, and ODU.  Use this link to access the webinar.  If you have any questions that you would like our moderators to ask Keiser regarding how these new mandates will impact you, your disclosures, or your research, please send them to George Mason’s Melissa Perez, J.D. by October 4, 2024.

Meet Provost Jim Antony
October 10, 2024 | 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. | Exploratory Hall 3301
College of Science faculty and staff are invited to meet George Mason provost Jim Antony. 

Nanotechnology Day
October 14, 2024 | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Katherine Johnson Hall, SciTech Campus
Hosted by the Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research, this family-friendly event invites students of all ages to explore the fascinating world of nanotechnology through hands-on activities, engaging demonstrations, and enlightening talks by researchers. Register to attend.

Learning Assistant course proposal - faculty application deadline
October 22, 2024 |  student applications will open around November 4, 2024
We are now accepting course proposals to work with Learning Assistants (LAs) in Spring 2025.  LAs are undergraduates who work in College of Science courses to facilitate student learning in a variety of settings.  All first-time LAs participate in a weekly pedagogy seminar, and all LAs meet regularly with course faculty to prepare for the upcoming content in the course and discuss how everything is going with the students. Check the intranet for details.

The deadline for faculty to apply to have LAs in their courses is Tuesday, October 22, 2024. After that, if your proposal is approved, students will be able to apply directly to your course, and you can interview and select the LAs for your course.  Funded course proposals will be decided, and the student application will open, on or around November 4.