For the second year in a row, Mason was ranked as one of the top 100 North and Latin American universities by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. The analysis is conducted annually by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Institute of Higher Education.

Results can be found on the institute’s web site.

Universities are ranked by several indicators of academic or research performance. These include the number of alumni and staff members who have won Nobel Prizes or Fields Medals; the prevalence of highly cited researchers; the number of faculty articles published in the journals Nature and Science; and the frequency with which articles are indexed in major citations indices. The per capita academic performance of an institution is also considered.

“Mason is honored to be recognized for a second year in a row by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities,” says Mason Provost Peter Stearns.

“This is an illustration of how committed Mason is to strengthening its relationships and boosting its global reputation with universities in the United States and abroad.”

As an institution that has made global education a priority, Mason offers a wide range of academic programs, from undergraduate degrees in global affairs and global and environmental change to doctoral programs in climate dynamics and other fields that foster global understanding. Several programs also require global residencies in which students learn how to live and work in a global society.

The university has also established research and educational collaborations abroad that provide opportunities for students and faculty members to work outside of the United States, participate in international research initiatives and address social issues around the world.

For example, the Sino-America 1+2+1 dual degree program, which Mason joined in 2004, is an international education initiative that brings American and Chinese universities together to offer dual degrees to Chinese undergraduate students.

In the program, students spend their freshman year at a Chinese university, their sophomore and junior years at an American university and their senior year back at their original university in China. After completing the program, students receive baccalaureate degrees from both schools.

The first 15 graduates of Mason’s 1+2+1 program received undergraduate degrees at a graduation ceremony in China in summer 2008, followed by 25 more students in summer 2009. Currently, there are approximately 90 students in the program in their second and third years of study.

Mason also provides its students opportunities to study almost anywhere in the world through its Center for Global Education. The center offers short-term, semester and yearlong honors study abroad; international internships; and intensive language programs in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South America and the South Pacific.

Through Mason’s numerous centers and institutes, faculty members and students are working on some of the most pressing issues around the globe, including conflict analysis and resolution, Earth observing and space research, health policy research and international education.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, someone in the United States is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, every 9.5 minutes. In fact, of the more than one million people living with HIV, one out of five doesn’t even know they are infected.

To bring attention to this growing epidemic, Mason will display more than 100 squares from the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The display is one of many activities taking place during HIV Awareness Week from Monday, Nov. 30, through Friday, Dec. 4, on the Fairfax Campus.

The quilt will be displayed in the Johnson Center’s Dewberry Hall on the Fairfax Campus on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to commemorate World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is observed globally to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest ongoing community arts project in the world, was founded in 1987. Each “block” or section of the quilt measures approximately 12 feet square, and a typical block consists of eight individual 3-by-6-foot panels sewn together. Almost all of the 40,000 colorful panels that make up the quilt memorialize the life of a person lost to AIDS.

According to Gary Kreps, chair and professor in the Department of Communication and director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication, the goals of bringing the AIDS quilt to campus are to raise HIV and AIDS awareness among the Mason community and to demonstrate Mason’s commitment to this worldwide health issue.

“Because Mason is one of the most diverse universities in the country and because of our close proximity to Washington, D.C., which has one of the nation’s highest rates of HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality, this is an issue of particular importance to our university community,” says Kreps.

“We recognize the solemnity of this day and hope to educate people about the dangers of AIDS while also paying tribute to the millions who have died from the disease.”

The commemoration will feature two renowned AIDS advocates: Hydeia Broadbent, who contracted HIV at birth and now educates people across the country about the disease; and Darian “Big Tigger” Morgan, who founded the Street Corner Foundation and Big Tigger’s Annual Celebrity Classic.

The above images show portions of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Photos courtesy of the NAMES Foundation

Other invited speakers include AIDS scientists and researchers, public health experts and community representatives. Panel discussions, films, artworks and exhibits related to AIDS will be presented in the Johnson Center Cinema in conjunction with the quilt display.

Sponsors and partnering organizations include the Inova Juniper Program, the National Minority AIDS Council, the National Association for People Living with AIDS, the Metro D.C. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, the National Institutes of Health and the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry.

Other events taking place as part of HIV Awareness Week follow.

• Kiosks will be set up at various locations in the Johnson Center throughout the week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students can stop by to pick up a Healthy Hook-Up Kit, a red ribbon and information about HIV and AIDS.

• Free and confidential HIV testing using no needles will be available throughout the week in various locations on campus. Results are available in 20 minutes.

• On Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Patriot’s Lounge in Student Union Building I will be transformed into the Latex Lounge. Activities will provide prevention education to reduce the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

• An event titled  “Stay Strapped: Can You Bare It?” will feature a benefit concert and student performances to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. in the Johnson Center Bistro.

• Students will strut their stuff in a fashion show called “Rock the Runway: Black and White, but RED All Over” in an effort to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. The fashion show takes place on Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. in Dewberry Hall.

HIV Awareness Week is sponsored by the Office of Alcohol, Drug and Health Education, Student Health Services and University Life.

For a full schedule of events and more information about the AIDS Memorial Quilt, visit masonaidsquilt.com. For more information about HIV Awareness Week, see the online calendar.

A scene from "Open the Door, Virginia!" Photo courtesy of TFA

Theater of the First Amendment (TFA), Mason’s professional theater company, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2010. Members of the community will come together in a celebration that recognizes TFA’s rich and diverse history.

Throughout its 20-year history, TFA has brought some of the best artists from the Washington, D.C., area and beyond to its stage. It has set itself apart from other professional theater companies by placing the storyteller at its center.

Even in the face of many obstacles, TFA’s mission has always remained the same – fostering relationships and nurturing the talent of young artists; and, through its new play development program, creating and disseminating new knowledge to the world.

Making Strategic Changes

Rick Davis, TFA artistic director.

After TFA’s 2005-06 season, when the uncertain economic climate forced many professional theater companies to close their doors, its management made a difficult, but necessary decision. Rick Davis, artistic director, and Kevin Murray, managing director, in consultation with Bill Reeder, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and other leadership in the college, decided to temporarily suspend full productions.

“During this suspension, TFA continued to remain active and committed to new play development,” says Murray. “This break has allowed us to focus on making strategic changes within the organization, such as re-evaluating the artistic leadership of TFA to develop a clear vision toward the future.”

One of the biggest changes took place in early 2008 when Heather McDonald, a nationally prominent playwright and professor in the Department of Theater, joined TFA as co-artistic director. The addition of McDonald helped to focus TFA’s efforts in establishing its reputation as a major new play development center.

Kevin Murray, TFA managing director.

The success of TFA’s First Light Discovery Program, which provides playwrights an opportunity to develop new plays while working with professional directors, dramaturges and actors, has helped TFA get a few steps closer to this goal. Just last year, 10 new plays were developed in First Light and presented as staged readings for the benefit of the writers.

According to Murray, establishing relationships with playwrights on local, national and international levels and intensifying its development efforts during this suspension has created an arsenal of new work and artists from which to pull when TFA comes back with full productions in 2011.

Looking to the Future
In addition to gaining recognition as a new play development center, one of TFA’s priorities as it moves ahead is involving Mason students, faculty, staff and alumni in any project or event on which it is working. Being able to strengthen its relationship with the university and establish a dominant presence in the community is vital to TFA’s success, notes Murray.

A scene from "Open the Door, Virginia!" Photo courtesy of TFA

Establishing that dominant presence was furthered with theSPACE, which had been an empty storefront in Old Town Fairfax. The building has been converted into a performance space and art gallery and is well suited for staged reading, experimental artwork and other events. Pleased with its accessibility to both Mason and the surrounding community, TFA management has already organized several events in theSPACE and plans more.

“Because TFA lacks a private fund-raising base that many other larger theaters in the area have, we thrive on the support of the community,” says McDonald. “We’re hoping to gain as much access to theSPACE as possible to allow us to reconnect with the community and create much needed visibility.”

TFA’s staged reading of “The Rivers and Ravines” is one of its first efforts to reconnect with the community. The play, written and directed by McDonald, is set during the farm crisis of the early 1980s and celebrates hope and spirituality of a community facing economic hardship. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. at theSPACE, 3955 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, in the Old Town Plaza retail complex.

TFA has several other projects in the works that will allow artists to release their creative energy. The “Nine Months of Mondays” workshop will gather a multidisciplinary group of artists on Monday nights for nine months of creativity, shared research and creation of a public workshop-style presentation to take place in summer 2010.

In conjunction with the First Light Discovery Program, which will convene in June 2010, TFA is working with the Dramatist Guild of America to create a playwriting intensive workshop for mid-career-level playwrights. TFA plans to arrange and host a National Playwright Conference in summer 2011 that will gather playwrights of all levels in one location.

TFA’s Influence on the World
Throughout its 20 years of fostering relationships and creating new works, TFA has influenced more than just the local community. Many TFA-developed projects have made their way out into the world in the form of productions, publications and broadcasts that carry profound messages.

Dianne McIntyre’s play “Open the Door, Virginia!” is based on the real-life story of 117 African American high school students who staged a walkout at their school in Farmville, Va., in 1951. The event marked the beginning of desegregation in Virginia. Following its origination and premiere at TFA in 2005, the play was revived in August 2009 with the original cast, who performed at the same high school where the events depicted in the play took place.

“The revival of this play reinforces the idea that TFA’s work does make its way into the world,” says Davis. “This play also speaks about how TFA takes risks on unproven stories and artists, perfects them on its stage and then sends them out into the world so its impact can be felt by a larger audience.”

Other examples of new works launched “into the world” include “Nathan the Wise,” written by Paul D’Andrea, Robinson Professor of Theater and English, and “Mariela in the Desert” by Karen Zacarias. Both plays were developed and produced by TFA, and like many others the company has worked on, went on to be performed in cities across the country.

For a full schedule of events and more information about TFA, see the web site.

Many museums and organizations have begun using popular social media tools such as Facebook, You Tube and Twitter for engaging audiences and bringing people on board with their mission. These free tools reach many people easily and can allow these institutions to reach audiences in provocative and interesting ways.

However, institutions that deal with sensitive cultural topics such as violence and atrocities, human rights and disasters are often in an awkward position when using social media.

Historians such as Tom Scheinfeldt, managing director of Mason’s Center for History and New Media, are taking a look at this issue. Scheinfeldt and colleagues at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum are hosting an “unconference,” the “Conscience Un-Conference: Using Social Media for Good” on Dec. 5 at the Holocaust Museum to discuss the problems, practicalities and opportunities of using social media to further the missions of these institutions that deal with sensitive material.

“Participating in social media raises a lot of questions that include concerns about balancing accessibility of collections with control; grappling with authoritative and personal voice; and measuring impact and outcomes,” says Scheinfeldt.

“While these issues are of concern to many institutions, they need to be addressed with special tact by those who deal with sensitive subject matter and vulnerable populations, and who hold in trust the memories of victims of tyranny, human rights abuses and genocide.”

For example, while a video of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp after World War II could be used to increase awareness of genocide, placing such a video on You Tube or another social media site risks the sensitivity and privacy of victims of the Holocaust. Museums would love to use these social networking tools, but have been avoiding them until now.

The unconference is inspired in part by CHNM’s annual THATCamp series. It uses an informal setting to discuss issues and concerns and forgoes formal panel presentations. Representatives from organizations such as National Public Radio, Catholic Relief Services, Save Darfur and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will come together for a daylong series of workshops and discussion periods to try to come up with solutions to some of these issues.

“How do you use these tools in ways that are appropriate?” says Scheinfeldt. “People are just starting to think about this, and there isn’t a consensus yet. This unconference will look at these issues.”

Long and Kimmy Nguyen with Lloyd Griffiths, dean of the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, at a reception in the Nguyens' honor. Photo by Laura Sikes

Northern Virginia businessman Long Nguyen and his wife, Kimmy, have given a gift of  $5 million to the university that will officially name Mason’s new state-of-the-art engineering building the Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building.

“The new engineering building is a world-class facility for teaching and research that broadly and profoundly affects the quality of the Volgenau School of Information and Technology’s programs,” says Alan Merten, Mason president.

“This gift shows the Nguyens’ strong dedication to Northern Virginia and George Mason University. I am deeply honored that they chose our university and our remarkable new engineering building.”

Lloyd Griffiths, dean of the Volgenau School, notes, “The demand for IT professionals, computer scientists and engineers continues to grow, particularly in our area. Our school is meeting this need thanks to the cutting-edge research and educational facilities provided by our new building. The generosity of the Nguyens plays an important and valuable role in our school’s future.”

The new Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering Building. Photo by Lori A. Wilson

The gift will support the Volgenau School’s expanding programs and ensure its ability to recruit and retain world-class faculty and attract energetic, talented and creative students.

The building, which formally opened its doors in August, contains more than 180,000 square feet of classroom, research and office space. As such, it is the largest academic building on Mason’s Fairfax Campus. It is also Mason’s first LEED-certified green building.

Long Nguyen, who is originally from Vietnam, credits Northern Virginia with his success and has adopted the area as his home. In 1985, Nguyen left a teaching position at Georgetown University and established Pragmatics, an information technology solutions company headquartered in McLean, Va. Nguyen serves on Mason’s Board of Visitors.

“My family and I are extremely grateful for the opportunities and freedom we’ve been afforded since immigrating to the United States,” says Nguyen. “We believe very strongly in education and chose to bestow this gift upon George Mason University because of our commitment to its future.”

Maria Kozhevnikov

Some people say they can remember something better if they see it written down — say, a phone number or a password.

Often, when visual memory is tested, one’s capacity for recalling details of a room’s layout, a person’s clothing or a painting only goes so far. Eyewitness testimony in crimes, for example, becomes less accurate as time goes by.

Monks have long been known for their ability to meditate, and they claim to be able to keep a very complex religious image in their minds for a long time. Are their techniques super memory machines? And if so, what can we learn from them?

Recently, Mason psychology professor Maria Kozhevnikov was tasked with finding the answers to some of these questions.

Through colleague and advisor Stephen Kosslyn, professor of psychology at Harvard, Kozhevnikov was involved in carrying out an intriguing experiment first commissioned by the Dalai Lama.

At a cognitive neuroscience conference held at MIT several years ago, the Dalai Lama said that accomplished monks who meditate on religious images of a deity can keep a complex image in their mind for up to 24 hours.

The Dalai Lama asked the researchers to look at accomplished monks. If the thesis was true, it would change the way people think about visual imagery.

Kozhevnikov spent a year in Nepal, traveling to different monasteries, interviewing monks on this sacred practice that, frankly, the monks wanted to keep sacred.

“It was difficult at first to get the monks to cooperate,” Kozhevnikov says. “I really needed to know exactly what they do when they meditate, but because so much of their practices are secret, they did not want to share.”

So, to understand the techniques better, Kozhevnikov undertook some meditation training of her own. After several retreats, she began to gain a greater understanding of the practice and formulated better questions to ask.

Because there are so many different kinds of meditation practices, Kozhevnikov focused on two: the deity yoga and rig pa (open meditation).

While deity yoga emphasizes imagery and involves staring and meditating on a very complex image, rig pa involves meditating on nothingness — stopping any images that crop up in one’s mind and blocking out everything.

Kozhevnikov tested different groups — from experienced monks to people who had never meditated — before and after meditation to see how their visual memories improved.

She found that monks who practiced deity yoga more than doubled their performance on memory tests after meditating for just 20 minutes. Her results were recently published in Psychological Science.

Kozhevnikov found that monks' ability to retain a visual image after meditating was remarkable. Photo courtesy of Maria Kozhevnikov

“This is an extraordinary score, really,” she says. “Highly unusual.”

This state of extraordinary memory does not last forever. When tested without meditating first, the monks’ performance was about average — similar to people who’ve never meditated before.

“They can’t maintain this state forever,” she says. “But it does exist, and meditation seems to help them get into it.”

Depending on how experienced the monk is and how long he meditates, one can maintain this state for anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, says Kozhevnikov.

This high state of consciousness intrigues Kozhevnikov because it relates to her primary research focus of visual–spatial cognition — how people visualize and what specific brain areas are involved when they are visualizing. She is interested in particular how artists visualize in contrast to scientists.

“Artists report the same states of extended consciousness after painting,” she says. “It is the state where they paint their masterpieces; however, artists do not know how to control getting into this state the way that monks do.”

Kozhevnikov says that psychologists know little about the creative state, and she hopes this research will help her better understand how the brain works in these areas.

This article originally appeared in a slightly different form in the Mason Spirit.

Robert Knight in his current career as a sergeant in the Army. He's stationed in Iraq. Photo courtesy of Robert Knight

When Robert Knight, BA History ’85, graduated from Mason, “Top Gun” was a hit movie, so it wasn’t surprising that Knight joined the Navy and set out to “get jets.”

What is surprising is that 24 years later he would find himself stationed in Iraq with the Army’s 305th Psychological Operations Company as a noncommissioned officer.

“’Top Gun’ pushed me over the edge,” says Knight. “It took my mind out of the video game aspect and made the challenges real. It showed me that flying was a very human business.”

After joining the Navy in 1986, Knight enrolled in Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1987 and underwent flight training.

“Landing a high-performance tactical aircraft on the deck of an aircraft carrier was a bit much for me, but I was a pretty good A-6E bombardier/navigator,” he says. “Life often turns out for the best.”

Knight logged more than 1,300 hours as a bombardier/navigator of an A-6E Intruder, a carrier-based attack aircraft. When the Navy retired the Intruder in 1997, Knight left active duty because of a drawdown in forces — the talents of A-6E pilots and personnel were not interchangeable with other aircraft.

His next destination? Law school. But he realized that the preparation for this profession was vastly different from a career in aviation. So he returned to Mason as a nondegree student and took several classes, including some political science courses.

“I felt like I let myself down educationally back in the day,” Knight says of his first experience at Mason as an undergraduate. The return to Mason provided him the opportunity to apply himself academically in new ways.

“My professors were intelligent, well read and engaging. The education I received was first-rate,” says Knight. “It more than adequately prepared me to go to law school.”

Knight followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and enrolled in law school at American University. He graduated in 2002 and landed a job at a Washington, D.C., law firm.

After his years of military service, Knight found life at the law firm lacking. He needed something more fulfilling. He looked to public service, first as an Arlington County firefighter, then as a public defender in Norfolk, Va. Over time, he realized he needed to return to where the action was.

In 2007, he resigned his commission in the Naval Reserve and joined the ranks of the Army enlisted as a sergeant. Although Knight could have joined as a major, he believes he would have ended up serving as a staff officer, essentially the same role he had in the reserves. He chose to be more directly involved with military efforts.

“[Being in] the military is not the easiest job,” Knight says. “It is often difficult and dangerous, and it’s a long time away from home.”

And Knight is a long way from home. Since March, he has been in Iraq working as a contracting officer’s representative with the 305th, where he facilitates contracts between the U.S. government and Iraqi-owned companies.

“It may not sound glamorous, but ultimately the sense of purpose and service I get from wearing a uniform is something I haven’t found in any other professional pursuit,” he says.

Knight would like to complete 20 years of military service. After this deployment, he’ll have 16 years. As for his long-term goals, Knight plans to go back to practicing law and would like to become a civil and criminal appellate attorney.

“[Mason] has been a constant in my adult life,” says Knight, who still stays in touch with friends he made here more than 25 years ago. “Even now, for all I know, I may go back and get another degree.”

This article originally appeared in a slightly different form in the Mason Spirit.

On campus, rigorous physical training is a routine part of the ROTC program. Photo by Evan Cantwell

Try running a 10K through sand and mud while wearing boots and hefting a 35-pound backpack. Then, see how easy it is to smile when you’re done.

Mason’s ROTC cadets had no trouble smiling big for the camera while hoisting a First Place Overall trophy at a recent two-day Ranger Challenge competition held at Fort Bragg, N.C. Mason’s team beat out 39 other teams from major institutions from throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Each team was made up of nine cadets who participated in eight different events.

“I was so impressed with how well our team competed. They were the most complete team there,” says Army ROTC Capt. Jeff Soule, who coached Mason’s team during the competition. “By placing at or near the top in every single event, it was very apparent that they had trained incredibly hard.”

Team members were: graduate student Matt Sardo (team captain); freshmen David Hanlon and Brian Kemp; sophomores Mike Johnson, Patrick Lyons and Kevin Smith; junior Jason Seifert; and seniors Shelley McNamee and Steyer Rehorn.

Mason took home not just one, but two, first-place trophies — one for the Gold Division (the group of larger institutions) and another for coming in first overall among all 39 teams.

The first event could be considered a pretty good workout for an average Joe, but it was just a warm-up for these guys. The cadets did two minutes of pushups, then two minutes of sit-ups, followed by a two-mile run. After each team was graded and scored, 15 out of the 39 teams, including Mason, scored above the “Standard High” point total.

“That speaks to how highly trained the competition was, and about the quality of the ROTC programs we were competing against,” Soule says.

Mason's Challenge Team with their trophies at Fort Bragg. Photo courtesy of Mason ROTC

Mason then took first place in the Day/Land-Nav event. Each team was given a map to navigate to several specific locations through a wooded area using only a compass and successfully return to the starting location within a short period of time. A similar night event took place, in which Mason placed second.

The next day, the teams competed in a simulated combat zone known as the “EST 2000.” The cadets fired at targets from distances ranging between 50 to 300 meters away. Each target would only appear for two to three seconds at a time. After being graded on time and accuracy, Mason’s team took second place in the event.

Next came the Grenade Assault Course, which Soule says is as fun as it sounds. The teams strategically move through the 300-meter-long course, throwing grenades at specific targets from various positions. Mason took third place overall based on speed and accuracy.

The One Rope Bridge event required all nine cadets and all of their gear to successfully cross a stream using only one rope. It took the team just two minutes and 15 seconds from start to finish, placing them second overall (10 seconds behind the leader).

The final event that day was a 10-kilometer “Ruck Run.” During the race, each fully uniformed cadet is loaded down with a 35-pound backpack, plus a canteen, ammunition and their weapon. It took Mason’s team just one hour and 24 minutes to complete the run, finishing in first place. Only five out of all 39 teams were able to finish in less than one hour and 30 minutes.

“This was an off-road course consisting of mostly sand and mud,” Soule says. “When our cadets were training for this event, under normal weather conditions they could complete it in just under an hour. That tells you just how tough the [weather element was].”

George Mason University was recently congratulated by Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine for winning a Governor’s Technology Award. The awards are given annually to Virginia-based companies and institutions for excellence in use of information technology.

Mason received the Innovative Use of Technology in Higher Education Award for implementing the Virtual Computing Lab (VCL) .

The VCL is a time-, energy- and cost-saving initiative that enables faculty members and students to access specialized software from any computer with an Internet connection anywhere in the world, at any time. The VCL resolves many challenges associated with physical labs such as limited lab hours, limited space, travel time to campus, as well as the availability of complex tools for distance learners.

“What we’ve done is create a new computing environment,” says Sharon Pitt, executive director of the Division of Instructional Technology at Mason and director of the VCL.

“Anyone can access software such as Adobe Creative Suite, AutoCAD, Mathematica or GIS from their home, residence hall or local coffee shop any time of the day or night. The idea is that it will no longer be necessary to come to campus during lab hours to use these applications.”

The code for the VCL was developed at North Carolina State University and made openly available for other institutions to use.

In addition to being recognized for the improvements it made to the system, Mason was also praised for coordinating and hosting the other Virginia institutions using the VCL, including the College of William & Mary, James Madison University and Virginia Commonwealth University. As host, Mason provides the system management software and the technical infrastructure for those institutions.

Mason is trying to accommodate the many private and public universities across the state that have expressed interest in accessing the VCL. The system’s popularity is evident on Mason’s campus; the VCL attracted an additional 300 new student users within the past two weeks.

“Clearly the VCL has become an effective and convenient tool that focuses on students and helps faculty enhance the learning environment,” Pitt says.

“We are hopeful our success, coupled with the recognition of this award, will help us build the momentum we need to keep the system growing in size and scope.”

The Governor’s Technology Awards were presented at the 11th annual Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium in Williamsburg, Va. Honorees were determined independently by a judging panel of Virginia government information technology professionals. Judges included representatives of state, local and educational government interests.

The Chinatown Friendship Arch in Washington, D.C.

Professor Yoonmee Chang’s spring 2010 Honors seminar, ENGL 414 American Chinatowns, will offer students an opportunity not only to study ethnography, but also to practice it.

As part of their course work, students will help plan and prepare the 2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The 2010 festival, to be held on the National Mall June 24–28 and July 1–5, 2010, will focus on the lives and cultures of Asian Pacific Americans in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

“Students in this class will have the unique opportunity to roll up their sleeves and understand deeply how it is that we engage with ethnic cultures,” says Chang.

“Ethnography is literally the writing of culture, and our partnership with the Folklife Festival, a stunning event that draws visitors from across the nation, promises remarkable opportunities to examine the complex processes, often taken for granted, that we rely on to understand ethnicity.”

The accompanying classroom study will focus on the iconic American place we call “Chinatown.”

In conjunction with their fieldwork, students in this interdisciplinary course will read a wide range of fiction and nonfiction about American Chinatowns, exploring such questions as, What do we know about these places? What do we prefer not to know? How do we understand Chinatowns, ethnic enclaves and Asian American culture more generally?

Texts for the class will include Fae Myenne Ng’s “Bone,” Maxine Hong Kingston’s “The Woman Warrior,” Frank Chin’s “The Chinaman Pacific and Frisco R.R. Co.” and Frances Chung’s “Crazy Melon and Chinese Apple.”

This article originally appeared in a slightly different form in the English Department newsletter Not Just Letters.

Angie Goff. Photo courtesy of Katharine Hauschka

Capital Beltway traffic may be at a near-constant standstill, but Angie Goff, BA Communication ’01, is in motion at all times. Goff, traffic anchor, entertainment correspondent, lifestyle blogger and morning fill-in anchor for WUSA-9, joined the Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate in 2007 after working as a news anchor and reporter in Iowa and South Carolina, respectively.

While not covering the latest fender bender, Goff keeps her engine purring by updating her blog at wusa9.com, Oh My Goff! Her blog readers and viewers (she broadcasts live from it every morning) get insight on everything from local charities and party spots to money savers and stories making big buzz.

So what drives Goff? A lot more than traffic. One of the upbeat anchor’s passions is advocating for various causes. Having grown up in a military family, Goff actively engages in efforts that support U.S. troops. She volunteers for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, often participating in meet and greets at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. This summer, Goff helped out in the second annual Yellow Ribbon Fund Army/Navy Golf Classic, which raised more than $125,000 to support injured service members and their families.

Another issue about which Goff cares deeply is mental health. A member of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, she has spent much time researching the topic. Goff, who has experienced mental health matters in her own family, feels strongly about the need for families to talk openly about these issues.

“So much stigma has been attached to mental illness . . . It’s something where we’ve come so far, but we still have so far to go,” she says.

Yet another cause Goff has championed has been the fight against breast cancer, a cause that recently hit close to home. Her fellow sorority sister and Mason graduate, Jennifer Kwiatek, BA Communication ’04, was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly two years ago at age 26. Kwiatek’s diagnosis was sobering for Goff.

“It made the threat of breast cancer real in my life. It made me realize that this can really affect people my age,” says Goff. “The most important thing to know is to get checked—even if you’re a man. . . . Put it on the calendar, write it down, because if you don’t write it down, you’re not going to do it.”

This past spring, Goff joined forces with fellow “newsbabes” to raise money and awareness for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The event brought together 10 newswomen of different stations, ages and backgrounds for one night to make a difference. Thus, the Newsbabes Bash for Breast Cancer was born. The May social raised more than $4,000 at the door.

“I think when you get quality people who really believe in a cause, people are going to sign on,” says Goff. “We had people donating door prizes left and right. We had Komen volunteers who showed up to help out, survivors who showed up randomly and said, ‘What can I do?’ It was amazing to see it in action.”

Somehow even with her packed schedule, Goff finds the time to come to the Fairfax Campus regularly to serve as an alumni advisor to her fellow Alpha Omicron Pi sorority sisters. She also is active in the Asian American community. When asked about the value of volunteering, Goff says if you have the time, do it.

“I encourage people to find something they believe in, whether it’s running a 10K or supporting a cause. The feeling from giving makes you a richer person.”

Follow Goff on Twitter @ohmygoff, or e-mail her at omg@wusa9.com.

This article originally appeared in a slightly different form in the Mason Spirit.