Mason Media Blog

The story of the Northwest pilots who overshot their destination because they were paying more attention to their laptops than to their flying brings up many questions about the way humans interact with automated systems. If the pilots didn’t have an auto-pilot setting, would this mistake have happened?

Raja Parasuraman

Raja Parasuraman, professor of psychology at George Mason University, has been studying human performance in human-machine systems, particularly the role of human attention, memory and vigilance in automated and robotic systems. His research lab has been investigating pilot and air-traffic controller performance with advanced automation.

“There have been many automation-related incidents lately,” says Parasuraman. “It can be dangerous when people tune out when using these systems.”

Parasuraman was quoted by the Washington Post earlier this year after a Metro car accident that killed nine and injured more than 80 people. He believes that automated systems should be designed to enhance the performance of human operators, and not supplement their tasks and duties.

Parasuraman is director of the Graduate Program in Human Factors and Applied Cognition. He served as a member of the National Research Council’s Panel on Human Factors in Air-Traffic Control Automation from 1994 to 1998. He is on the editorial board of several journals, including Ergonomics, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied and Human Factors.

If you are interested in speaking with Dr. Parasuraman, please contact Tara Laskowski at 703-993-8815 or tlaskows@gmu.edu.

Often considered the deadliest conflict in modern history, World War II raged on for six long years. After it ended, the world realized that some of the greatest atrocities in its history had been committed.

As a significant piece of history dies with the last remaining veterans of WWII, the Mason University Scholars Program continues its “Never Forget” focus with events that celebrate WWII veterans.

Megan Fowler

Megan Fowler, a history and theater major, is spearheading the planning. After the success of the Holocaust Remembrance events that she helped organize in spring 2008, Fowler began planning for a reprise of the “Never Forget” program. This year the event will encourage individuals to reach out to WWII veterans to better understand the war and how it continues to influence society today.

“After last year’s event, I received so many positive responses from members of the community who wanted to learn more and were interested in the topic for the next event,” says Fowler.

“Deciding on an event that focused on WWII veterans was a personal choice for me because I had a family friend who served in the Pacific theater. When he passed away, I realized I had missed the opportunity to learn from him about some of the most crucial battles during the war that helped shape the future.”

More information about the “Never Forget” program and a full schedule of events can be found here.

According to the new Poets & Writers issue (November/December), George Mason University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program is ranked #37 in the Top 50 programs in the country.

Though the complete list is only available in the print edition of the magazine, you can read about some of the rationale behind the rankings here.

Mason’s MFA in Creative Writing program, started in 1980, offers three concentrations. Each concentration—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—requires 48 semester hours and takes at least three years to complete. Course work blends writing workshops with craft seminars and the study of literature. Each concentration also requires completion of a thesis (a book-length manuscript). Faculty publications total more than 65 books, and alumni and students publish with both small and major presses.

For more information about Mason’s MFA program, visit their web site.

With baby boomers starting to turn 65 in only two years, the U.S. Census Bureau projects the nation’s older population will double to 71.5 million by 2030. Created in response to this population shift, the new Partnership for Education in Gerontology (PEG) at Mason will prepare the nursing faculty to train students to manage the unique needs of older adults.

Robin Remsburg, associate dean of the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Services, notes that older patients who are hospitalized are much more likely to develop conditions such as delirium, hospital-acquired infections and adverse reactions to medication that can prolong their hospitalization and exacerbate the original medical issues for which they were being treated.

“As we join forces with community stakeholders and partners, the School of Nursing will do our part to fend off a potential public health crisis in Northern Virginia by helping older patients in hospitals or nursing homes receive the best possible care. Ultimately, patients will benefit, and that’s what this is all about,” says Remsburg.

Prior to joining Mason, Remsburg  served as the long-term care statistics branch chief and the deputy director of the Division of Health Care Statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics. As a nationally certified gerontological clinical nurse specialist, a past president of the National Gerontological Nursing Association, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a member of the editorial board of Geriatric Nursing, and a member of numerous advisory groups for nursing and long-term care, Remsburg is available to comment on the looming nursing shortage and other gerontological issues.

Edward Maibach

Earlier this year, Ed Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, published a study with researchers at Yale University about the different attitudes Americans have about global warming.

The report, “Global Warming’s Six Americas,”  divides the American public into six unique segments that engage with the issue of global warming in their own distinct way: Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful and Dismissive.

Based on these Six Americas, KQED Public Broadcasting created a Climate Survey application on Facebook. The application asks 15 questions in order to determine which segment of the population the participant falls into. The results are shown in a chart graph and compared to the national study’s results.

What are your beliefs about climate change? How do these thoughts affect your behaviors and policy opinions? Take this survey to find out what your answers say about you, your relationship to climate change, and your lifestyle. See where you fall on the spectrum of American attitudes about climate change, and compare your results with other survey-takers.

November is National Adoption Month and here at Mason we have a professor of anthropology who has been researching transnational and transracial adoption.

Linda Seligmann

Linda J. Seligmann is interested in the way adopted families fit into and change American culture. Specifically, she has been looking at families that adopt children from other countries such as China and Russia and nonblack families that adopt black children within the United States.

“I became aware of the kinds of assumptions that people in the U.S. carry around with them about family formation and adoption processes,” she says. “I wanted to explore these attitudes and also look at the different ways people form connections and cross-cultural boundaries.”

Seligmann is also interested in the ways that adoption allows for new kinds of families to be formed. With the rise of the Internet, the availability of information and social networking related to the adoption process is greater than ever.

Dr. Seligmann is available to talk to the media about these aspects of adoption. More information on her research can be found here.

Wu with members of the "Puget Sound raiders" from Seattle during a stop on their trip. Photo courtesy of Yuntao Wu

Yuntao Wu, professor of molecular and microbiology in the College of Science, has worked around the clock in his fight against AIDS. Two weeks ago, he went even further, bicycling 330 miles to raise money to fund his research: http://news.gmu.edu/articles/835.

Dr. Wu has been profiled by the Washington Post, the News & Messenger, Science Magazine and Metro Weekly.