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Carter School hosts activist whose organization documents war crimes in Ukraine

On February 24, the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution hosted “One Year After: Ukraine War Analysis and Prospects,” an all-day virtual event to discuss the effects of the war and potential post-war contexts. The event featured Romantsova Oleksandra, executive director of the Center for Civil Liberties, the first Ukrainian organization to win a Nobel Peace Prize. The recognition, which the human rights o
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From archaeology to artistic representations, Mason students help reveal the stories of the enslaved at Gunston Hall

In writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights, U.S. Founding Father George Mason IV took a stand for individual rights. His ardent defense would later inform the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution’s Bill of Rights—documents critical for securing liberties. But a challenging irony rests in Mason’s words versus his actions. “There’s this rather profound discomfort for us in reading about George Mason saying, we don’t want to be slaves to the British government, when he’s enslaving
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Art student Katherine Ashby brings to life the stories of the enslaved at Gunston Hall

The first time Katherine Ashby saw her artwork installed at Gunston Hall, the historic home of U.S. Founding Father George Mason IV, it was surreal. “I had never done something that felt that important or that had been installed physically,” the senior painting major from George Mason University said. “Usually, my work is put online digitally, so it was really a big moment.” The significance of Ashby’s art was both that it was installed in a museum and that it shone a light on a lesser-known n
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Carter School leads by listening, as Congolese partners construct their own peace.

It’s been a year since George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution touched base in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their goal? Accompany locals in creating their own sustainable peace—something the country has not experienced in more than 30 years. In December 2021, a unique peace accord was signed in the province of South Kivu, with representatives from armed groups, the Congolese government, military, police, intelligence services, religious leader
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Conservation students tag monarch butterflies to help save the endangered species

Many creatures migrate to warmer habitats for the winter, but no insect does so quite as uniquely and spectacularly as the monarch butterfly. From the United States and Canada, tens of millions of monarchs fly each year to a place they—and the previous butterfly generation before them—have never been before: tall trees found in a few mountain forests in central Mexico. Their tiny wings can take them on a roughly 2,500-mile transcontinental journey to these beautiful butterfly sanctuaries. In l
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24 students, a Supreme Court Justice, and national security experts walk into a piazza…

Over the summer, 24 students from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School delved deep into issues of constitutional law, separation of powers, and national security in Padua, Italy—a place of inspiration for many of these ideals. The two-week study-abroad trip was co-taught by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and National Security Institute Founder and Executive Director Jamil Jaffer. “You get a real opportunity to bond, interact and debate these hard issues,” said Jaffer, who has
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Graduate’s best advice: ‘Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can’

Emily Synoski has had an interest in the medical field since high school. She said she chose to be part of a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program, and now works in a rehabilitation center, where she also has the opportunity to shadow doctors. The Honors College student from Dover, Delaware, who graduates this month from George Mason University with a biology degree, has also participated in Georgetown University’s competitive CORE pre-med program, where she and her team pitched an idea to
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Mason researchers partner with Indigenous nations to promote environmental resilience

It’s common to think of Indigenous peoples as living in the past. We may think of them around Thanksgiving or in old films and books. But Native Americans are very much here and now, said Jeremy Campbell, and after decades of struggle, that’s starting to be recognized. In 2018, U.S. legislation granted federal recognition to six tribes in Virginia. A George Mason University team has been partnering with two of them, the Upper Mattaponi and Chickahominy nations, as they embark on being sovereign
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Incoming Patriot leaps from high school to her sophomore year of college

By the time Enayah Smith stepped on George Mason University’s campus for the first time as an enrolled student this fall, she was already more than a third done with her four-year degree. Smith, who will be studying business analytics and minoring in sociology, said she is transferring 54 college-level credits with her, thanks to an associate degree she earned while attending William Allen High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and participating in the Upward Bound college preparatory progr
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Discussing Dobbs: Scholars on both sides of abortion debate discuss new Supreme Court ruling

On the heels of the landmark Supreme Court decision involving abortion, George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School will host a webinar on the opinions in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and their legal impact on Thursday, July 21, at 7 p.m. The webinar, moderated by Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Helen Alvaré, will feature Kathryn (Kitty) Kolbert, a pro-choice attorney who argued on behalf of Planned Parenthood in the Casey case, which affirmed Roe’s holding about a c
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Richard Rubenstein attends conference in Rome on peacemaking in Ukraine

George Mason University Carter School professor Richard Rubenstein attended a workshop conference at the Pontifical Institute for Social Sciences at the Vatican on June 6-7 to discuss peacemaking in Ukraine and other global conflict sites. The conference was organized by the U.N. Development Solutions Network headed by Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs. “The purpose was to produce a statement that would be given to the pope and that might also influence the parties to the conflict in
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Bee Vision: Shedding light on a conservation challenge

When a bee sees a flower, it knows where to land thanks to its ability to see ultraviolet (UV) color patterns on the petals. Many factors have caused those colors to dull, and now a team at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), funded by a grant from the National Geographic Society, is helping reveal what pollinators see, and why it matters for the future of conservation. Honeybees help pollinate plants that produce food; they also help maintain biodiversity. That’s part of why u
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If you go to George Mason University, dream big.

Mason alumnus Jorge Andres says if you go to George Mason University, dream big. He did and it took him to a prime seat on NBC's Sunday Night Football and to #SuperBowlLVI as lead analyst for Telemundo Sports. Don’t miss a video from Mason, subscribe now: http://bit.ly/MasonYouTubeSubscribe Connect with George Mason University on social media: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/georgemason Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/georgemasonu Twitter (@GeorgeMasonU): http://www.twitter.com/georgemasonu Twitter (@GeorgeMasonNews): http://www.twitter.com/georgemasonnews #MasonNation #Mason50 #GeorgeMasonUniversity
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Mason students map the Russia-Ukraine war through personal stories

Despite being more than 5,000 miles away from the war in Ukraine, students at George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution are actively assessing the conflict dynamics, with hopes that their research could improve the situation. “A lot of students in [Solon Simmons’ Peace Engineering and Participatory Approaches to Narrative] class felt it would be important to do what we could locally with our set of methods and tools to try and help,” said Keil Eggers, Peace Engin
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Road salt gets rid of ice, snow…and ecosystems? New student research addresses community-based solutions.

Road salt has been touted as a lifesaver when it comes to combatting icy roads. Yet using this snow-melting mineral has a dark side once it enters waterways. Graduating senior Maggie Walker, through the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), is gathering data at local streams to influence change. “When excessive road salts get into streams, they can have devastating effects on the ecosystems in the streams,” said Julia Sargent, director of programs at Friends of the North Fork of the
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“We, too, have a seat at the table” — Law students reflect on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic confirmation

Of the 115 judges who have served on the U.S. Supreme Court, 108 of them have been White men. This summer, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will spark a change, as she becomes the first Black woman to serve as a justice in the court’s 233-year history. She was confirmed by the Senate on April 7. “I’m beyond thrilled that she got confirmed to serve on the Supreme Court, and I look forward to seeing the court one day becoming even more representative of what this nation looks like,” said Sally Alghaza
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George Mason University's Arlington Campus is now Mason Square

George Mason University's Arlington Campus is now "Mason Square." It will be the home of a new, cutting-edge innovation space. Opening in 2025, the campus' new Fuse building will host Mason's Institute for Digital Innovation. Don’t miss a video from Mason, subscribe now: http://bit.ly/MasonYouTubeSubscribe Connect with George Mason University on social media: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/georgemason Instagram: http://www.insagram.com/georgemasonu Twitter (@GeorgeMasonU): http://www.twitter.com/georgemasonu Twitter (@GeorgeMasonNews): http://www.twitter.com/georgemasonnews Twitter (@GMUPres): https://twitter.com/GMUPres #MasonNation #Mason50 #GeorgeMasonUniversity
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Mason has eight graduate programs in the top 25 nationally, with several leaping forward in U.S. News rankings

George Mason University has eight graduate programs listed among the top 25 nationally, according to the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report, reflecting the university’s reputation of being a top institution for advanced degrees. The list was led by Mason’s part-time law program at the Antonin Scalia Law School, which is No. 1 among public institutions, followed by industrial-organizational psychology at No. 5 nationally. Rounding out the list were Mason’s intellectual property program,
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