|
|
|
|
Check Out These Upcoming Faculty Development Programs for Spring 2026
2026 ORIEI NSF CAREER Cohort: February to June 2026
The NSF CAREER Writing Program is designed to strengthen faculty competitiveness for the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program through a structured writing process, targeted mentorship, and access to grant writing resources. Open to Assistant Professors who meet NSF CAREER eligibility, this cohort-based initiative runs from February to June 2026 and supports participants with 4–6 hours of monthly engagement. Activities include interactive workshops, monthly cohort breakout discussions, mentor meetings, and dedicated writing time to help faculty refine their proposals and position themselves for success. Register by January 26 here.
Spring 2026 Faculty Success Workshop Series
The Faculty Affairs and the Office of Research Innovation and Economic Impact (ORIEI) Research Development Services is pleased to collaborate on this workshop series. Workshops are designed to address key issues central to faculty development and success. For more information please see: Faculty Success Workshop Series.
| |
Promote Your Organization/Department/Program at the KidWind Student Expo
The Institute for a Sustainable Earth is partnering with James Madison University's Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy (CASE) to host this year's KidWind Student Expo on January 31st! The KidWind Expo is designed to provide K-12 student teams with a comprehensive preparation experience for the KidWind Regional Challenges, which are taking place at the Potomac Science Center in March and at Nauticus in Norfolk this year. This pre-event aims to empower students to explore advanced topics in wind and solar energy while offering valuable insights from industry experts while teams prepare their projects for the upcoming competitions. The Student Expo promises to be a valuable experience for student teams preparing for the KidWind Regional Challenges. We look forward to your support in promoting this initiative.
In the meantime, we are looking to help promote YOUR work. The KidWind Expo offers an important opportunity for friends and partners of the ISE to promote your organizations, departments, programs, and K-12 branded activities ahead of the competition. If interested, please reach out to Alice Fox (afox30@gmu.edu) by January 26th to coordinate material collection and display options.
| |
DC Climate Week (DCCW) is a community-organized week of events, exhibitions, tours, screenings, and gatherings across Washington, DC. Together, we will explore the challenges of the climate crisis and discover the solutions that give us hope. Learn more about DCCW at https://www.dcclimateweek.com/.
The Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) is leading the coordination efforts for GMU contributions to and engagement in DCCW. If you are interested in or have plans to get involved in DCCW in some way, we would like to hear from you. Please reach out to ISE Associate Director, Julianna Gwiszcz (jgwiszcz@gmu.edu), by February 9th.
| |
Spring 2026 Peace Week is almost here This year’s theme—SDG 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions—asks us to imagine what truly sustainable peace looks like when communities, governments, and peacebuilders work together.
| |
Wednesday, February 4 | 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | via Zoom
External funding is often essential for faculty research, scholarship and creative activity. Private foundations have always served as important sources of support, especially for topic areas outside federal funding agency priorities. Writing a foundation grant application often involves more than a straightforward project description; these applications must also be strategically targeted and tailored to foundation priorities. In this session successful George Mason foundation grant awardees, along with our GMU Director of Foundation Relations, will share their experiences and tips for submitting foundation applications. Attendees will also learn about university rules of engagement with foundations and gain insight on best practices for foundation grant writing. Join Faculty Affairs and Development, along with the Office of Research for this workshop and others in the series.
| |
Thursday, February 5 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | via Zoom | AIEM-Teach Level 2
Facilitator: Rachel Yoho
Teaching is difficult and often an isolating experience. There are many mental health issues in academia, particularly related to the situation and the work. Yet, only student mental health is well studied and discussed. In this workshop, we explore faculty mental health, strategies for improving the environment, and address barriers to addressing concerns. Please note that this is not a self-help or “yoga your way out of stress” workshop and does have discussions of mental health issues and self-harm. While university resources are shared, this is an academic and professional development workshop, not medical or mental health advice. Join us to create community and talk about one of the most prevalent, but under-discussed, issues in academia!
Please reach out to Dr. Rachel Yoho (ryoho@gmu.edu) with any questions.
| |
The 2026 Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held March 16 – 17th at the Hilton Knoxville Airport. The theme is Building a Collaborative Framework for Disaster Resilience and a Culture of Preparedness. Advance registration is required. There is no registration fee to attend, and no limit on the number of university representatives wishing to attend.**
Speakers will reflect on the last 25 years and lessons and challenges as we look ahead to the next 25 years. You won’t want to miss the panels on Food Security, Emerging Technologies, Community Resilience, and a real-life example of how universities collaborate with ORAU. Plus, this year we’re giving our universities the opportunity to participate with lightning talks and poster sessions!
As planning continues, we are happy to announce two of our confirmed keynote speakers. Jeffrey Schlegelmilch’s presentation will focus on Reflecting on the Past 25 Years of Disaster Preparedness and Resilience and Dr. Jeffery Freeman’s will focus on Looking Ahead to the Next 25 Years of Disaster Preparedness and Resilience.
**Registration is free to representatives from all ORAU Council Sponsoring Institutions,
which includes George Mason University.
| |
AY 26-27 Applications close on February 13, 2026 | 5 PM ET
The 4-VA mission is to promote inter-university collaborations that leverage the strengths of each partner university in order to accomplish more than any individual university could achieve alone. The legislation creating 4-VA explains that the collaborative was established “to utilize emerging technologies to promote collaboration and resource sharing to increase access, reduce time to graduation and reduce unit cost while maintaining and enhancing quality.
The Collaborative Research Grants (CRG) program is intended to improve research competitiveness at Mason and within the Commonwealth.
4-VA@Mason encourages:
- Collaboration with faculty from at least one of the other 4-VA partner institutions
- Engaging undergraduate and graduate student research, providing opportunities for real-world experience and growth
- Dissemination of research findings to raise visibility of the project
- Supporting pilot research focused on 4-VA goal areas that could be used as a springboard for subsequent, major federal grants.
Research proposals could also support course redesign.
Funding amounts typically range from $5,000 to $20,000 per grant. The lead PI at Mason is encouraged to work with co-PIs in at least one other partner institution (in some cases co-PIs can apply for complementary funding through the 4-VA office on their campus).
Grants are available only to full-time faculty or administrative faculty.
Faculty who have received previous 4-VA@Mason grants may be eligible for additional funds, but preference will be given to researchers new to the 4-VA@Mason system.
For additional information, please visit their website.
Questions about 4-VA@Mason should be directed to: 4-VA@Mason Faculty and Community Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth Gillooly (egillool@gmu.edu).
| |
Applications close on February 26, 2026 | 5 PM ET
The Gulf Research Program’s Science Policy Fellowship helps scientists gain first-hand experience applying science to policy as they spend one year on the staff of federal, state, local, or non-governmental agencies in the Gulf region.
With the guidance of a mentor, fellows delve into activities like policy development, evaluation, restoration planning, grants management, and stakeholder outreach and learn what it takes to make scientific information not just useful but useable. Meanwhile, host offices get a talented technical expert with a fresh perspective and a new network of contacts across the Gulf region.
Fellows who have completed a MA, MS, or MPH/MSPH degree or who are currently enrolled in a doctoral program will receive an annual stipend of $63,800. Fellows who have completed a PhD, ScD, EngD, MD, DrPH, or DVM will receive an annual stipend of $69,300.
For additional information and to apply, please visit their website.
| |
The application period is open until Jan 25, 2026 for the Spring 2026 Freshwater and Community Conservation Externship.
This program is an initiative of the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy and provides training, mentoring and research experience for people ages 18-25. During this program, externs explore the knowledge, tools, and relationships they need to seek solutions and take action for nature.
Key details about this program:
• 10 hours per week for 8 weeks (February 9 – April 6, 2026)
• Fully remote
• Open to applicants worldwide
• Prior work experience or coursework in conservation or environmental topics is not required
• $500 stipend upon program completion.
| |
The Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) aims to connect members of the Mason community with others across the Mason community–and with other communities, policy-makers, businesses and organizations–so that, together, we can more effectively address the world’s pressing sustainability and resilience challenges.
The ISE Newsletter provides up-to-date information on conferences, funding opportunities, and research pertaining to environmental science and sustainability. The biweekly newsletter aims to facilitate information sharing among researchers, practitioners, and relevant local, national, and international organization.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
