Engineering and... News: October 2025

Dear Engineering Colleagues, 

October has been a busy and exciting month for our community! As the semester and fall weather get fully underway, we celebrate a number of impressive accomplishments, including Professor Yun Shen winning an NSF Career Award to support her virus research, Sofiia Khugaeva being awarded the Knapp Fellowship for her impactful HIV care project, and 

Professor Tianshu Li co-leading a breakthrough semiconductor study published in Science. 

I hope you’ll enjoy reading about all of the great work that our departments are doing at the school level, as well as the exciting university-level news that GW has climbed to its highest U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges ranking in eight years and earned the STARS platinum rating for sustainability performance. With the launch of the new strategic framework, we will build on these strengths to elevate GW "from a well-respected institution to one of true preeminence on the national and global stage."

You can read more about our student, faculty, alumni, department, and university news below, and stay up-to-date on our GW Engineering News & Events page.

In addition to celebrating these accomplishments, our community came together to connect at the SEAS Together Brewensday event, where we enjoyed afternoon coffee and conversation, and the Alumni and Families Weekend, where I had the pleasure of engaging with some of you and your families at the Dean’s Open House. 

Seeing our community so engaged has been great, and I look forward to continuing to connect with you all this fall! 

Raise High, 

Jason Zara

Interim Dean, GW Engineering

Prof. Shen has been awarded an NSF CAREER Award to support her proposed research on enteric viruses in wastewater. Her work will explore how enteric viruses, or viruses affecting the human digestive tract, persist in our wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove all bacteria and viruses from the wastewater, so they are often released to the environment and can pose risks to human health and the environment.

November 2-8: GW Interfaith Week 2025

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November 3 from 11am-6pm: GW Innovation Center Community Hours

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November 5 from 12pm-1:15pm: Defense Tech & Beyond: Founders in the Field

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November 5, 12, & 19: Native American Heritage Month/American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month Booth

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November 5 from 1pm-2pm: Clearance Preparedness Program 2025

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November 10 & December 8 from 10am-10:30am: Doughnuts and Discussion

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Sofiia Khugaeva Awarded Knapp Fellowship for Impactful HIV Care Project

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Professor Tianshu Li Co-Leads Breakthrough Semiconductor Study in Science

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GW Institute for Computer Graphics Renamed GW Institute for Innovation in Health Computing

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Enhancing AI through Hardware Innovation: Isaac Bilsel Receives ARCS MWC Scholar Award

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Understanding How Disaster Response Planning Differs in Theory and Practice

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Exploring AI Use in Engineering Classrooms: A Reflection by Lorena Barba

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In the article, "Anvil used to advance research on two-phase flows," Purdue University's Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC) highlights how GW Engineering researchers leveraged their Anvil supercomputer to advance scientific understanding of turbulent bubble entrainment. Led by Graduate Research Assistant Andre Calado and his advisor Professor Elias Balaras, the team used Anvil to conduct detailed simulations of fluid flows to uncover how turbulence beneath the water's surface causes air pockets to form, a process critical to naval engineering, oceanography, and environmental science.

Brooke Duncan is a member of GW Engineering’s Co-Curricular Engagement and Interdisciplinary Programs (CEIP) Team. The CEIP Team is at the heart of the Office of Undergraduate Studies and Student Success’s efforts to enhance the student experience at GW Engineering. From managing hallmark events like the New Student Experience to connecting students with mentors, research opportunities, and leadership development programs, CEIP team members like Brooke ensure the success of co-curricular initiatives.

Q: How long have you been working at GW, and what is your position?

A: I have been at GW since June 2024, and my role is Assistant Director of Co-Curricular Engagement and Interdisciplinary Programs.

Q: What led you to this career?

A: Supporting students outside of the classroom is one of my passions. I am happy that is something that I get to do daily.

Q: Why did you choose GW?

A: I wanted to move to Washington, D.C.!

Q: What is your favorite part about working at GW Engineering?

A: Benefits like tuition remission!

Q: Why would someone want to work at GW Engineering?

A: Because they want to work with students who are so innovative and do amazing work inside and outside of the classroom.

October 1 marks International Coffee Day (ICD), when people come together to celebrate the significance of coffee across communities. At GW Engineering, SEAS Together hosted Brewensday on ICD 2025 to showcase the rich variety of cultures within our community through coffee drinks from all corners of the globe and foster meaningful connections.

Alumni, family, and friends of the George Washington University stepped back in time at this year’s '90s-themed Alumni & Families Weekend while also getting a glimpse into GW’s future. As part of the weekend’s festivities, GW Engineering welcomed more than 75 alumni, current students, and their families to its annual open house on October 25. 

The GWU-PREP is a collaboration with GW in Washington, DC and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. GWU-PREP provides research opportunities at NIST to students, faculty, research staff, and postdoctoral researchers at GW as well as researchers at SURA-affiliated universities.

We support your ambitions by offering financial support to eligible GW community members, including a monthly stipend, hourly wage, or full tuition reimbursement for qualifying undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff.