Mason Media Blog

Could the end of the smallpox epidemic have contributed to the spread of HIV years later? One Mason researcher has spent the last several years investigating this possibility.

Raymond Weinstein

Raymond Weinstein, research professor in the Public and International Affairs Biodefense Program, recently concluded a study that suggests that the eradication of smallpox and the end of smallpox vaccination in the mid-20th century may have caused a loss of protection that contributed to the rapid spread of HIV in the 21st century.

The results of the investigation – conducted in collaboration with researchers from George Washington University, the University of California at Los Angeles and AFG Biosolutions – were published on May 18 in the open source journal BMC Immunology.

According to Weinstein, who was the study’s principal investigator, the relatively sudden appearance and explosive spread of HIV throughout Africa and around the world beginning in the 1950s has never been adequately explained.

“There have been several proposed explanations for the rapid spread of HIV in Africa, including wars, the reuse of unsterilized needles and the contamination of early batches of polio vaccine. However, all of these have been either disproved or do not sufficiently explain the behavior of the HIV pandemic,” says Weinstein.

To learn more, visit http://news.gmu.edu/articles/2952.

Mason professor and physician Lynn Gerber works with a patient in the new Functional Assessment Laboratory located at Inova Health System’s Center for Integrated Research, an outgrowth of the Mason-Inova partnership. Photo by Evan Cantwell

What do you get when you mix a world-class health system with an innovative, entrepreneurial university? A very successful research collaboration.

For more than a decade, researchers at Northern Virginia’s Inova Health System and George Mason University have been collaborating on groundbreaking research on obesity, liver disease and cancer. In 2009, the two took the relationship one step further with the establishment of the Inova Life Sciences Research Collaboration Fund – George Mason University in which Inova Health System provided Mason with $1 million to stimulate and enhance collaborative research in the life sciences.

This trailblazing joint venture is funding 16 research teams as they investigate chronic disease management, obesity, heart disease, stroke, end-of-life provisions, genomics, proteomics, ethical issues and patient experience.

The second installment of the fund was presented by Zobair Younossi, vice president of research at Inova Health System, to Roger Stough, vice president for research and economic development at Mason, on May 13. The 2010 funding program is now open and accepting applications until July 1. To view this year’s guidelines, visit http://research.gmu.edu/grants_studyleaves.html.
 
“The hope of this fund is to encourage additional areas of research collaboration between investigators at Mason and Inova and it has been very successful so far in doing so,” says Younossi. “Our research results will be used to implement discoveries in new disease biomarkers and develop individualized treatment protocols and outcomes research projects that we hope will help our patients in the long term.”

For an update on the research collaboration between George Mason University and Inova Health System, visit http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/822/.

Most people know the safe speed to drive when the weather is sunny and clear, but when you throw rain or snow or loose gravel roads into the mix, things get more complicated.

That’s why psychology students in George Mason University’s Human Factors and Applied Cognition Program developed the Speed Limit for Inclement Conditions (SLIC) system, an augmented speedometer that could be incorporated into automobile dashboards and activates when road conditions worsen due to bad weather.

“Most people base their driving speed on their experience, the posted speed limit, and traffic flow,” says Kidd. “But when things get nasty outside, what are you supposed base your speed on? Our device helps to provide a more objective speed limit for drivers when conditions are bad.”

This safety technology uses a suite of vehicle-based sensors to determine when poor roadway conditions necessitate that drivers adopt a speed below the posted speed limit. The SLIC device was one of three North American finalists at a design competition sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at the 21st International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles.

The students—David Cades, Jane Barrow, David Kidd, Erik Nelson and Dan Roberts, along with faculty advisor Christopher Monk—concentrated on the design of the device, which they tested to make sure was as user-friendly as possible. “We needed a simple design that wouldn’t overwhelm people,” says Cades. “There are so many bells and whistles in cars that our design needed to be minimal but effective.”

The speedometer is designed to turn on when car sensors detect unsafe road conditions. A gradation of yellow and red marks easily shows the driver a recommended speed limit for safe driving. The students submitted their idea for the SLIC to Mason’s Intellectual Property Office, and the office filed a patent application on their behalf.

Preliminary testing of the device showed that participants, naïve to SLIC’s purpose, reduced speeds dramatically when the SLIC system was activated. This suggests that the system is both effective and easy for the driver to understand.

How many middle school students have had a chance to examine their own DNA? Not many. However, on the afternoon of Monday, May 17, 18 eighth graders from middle schools across Prince William County, Manassas Park, and Manassas City will get a chance to do just that when they participate in National Lab Day at George Mason University’s Prince William Campus. These students will discover how molecular science is applied in the laboratory by working with university scientists to extract and examine their own DNA.

National Lab Day is a nationwide initiative endorsed by President Obama to build local communities of support that will foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators, and will inspire students to pursue careers in science and math.

As first reported on the Mason Spirit blog, psychology major Daniel Brooks will be graduating this year from George Mason University with both a bachelor’s degree and a 100-year-old tradition in tow. Brooks will be wearing a 100-year-old gown first worn by his great-grandmother at her graduation from Wellesley College in 1910.

The story also appeared in The Washington Post this week. Brooks, along with nearly 8,000 other Mason students, will collect a diploma tomorrow, May 15, at the university’s 43rd Commencement ceremony.

Congratulations to all the graduates!

Jack Hadley, professor and senior health services researcher in the College of Health and Human Services. Creative Services photo

A study conducted by researchers from George Mason University and the Urban Institute that was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine found that variations in Medicare beneficiaries’ health across geographic areas account for a significant share of Medicare costs that vary widely by region.

“A substantial body of prior research has identified variation across geographic areas in how much Medicare spends per beneficiary—in the highest cost areas Medicare spends about 50 percent more per beneficiary than in the lowest cost areas, even after adjusting for basic demographics such as age, gender and race, and differences in medical care practices,” says Jack Hadley, professor in the College of Health and Human Services’ Department of Health Administration and Policy at Mason and senior author of the study.

To learn more, visit http://eagle.gmu.edu/newsroom/821/.

Paul Posner, director of the Master’s in Public Administration program at Mason participates in a Q and A with the IBM Center for the Business of Government on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the stimulus plan. Posner contrasts the current public perception of the plan with the perception of the New Deal back in the 1930s.

Before joining Mason in 2005, Posner served as managing director for federal budget and intergovernmental issues at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). While at GAO, he led the agency’s work on long-term federal budget prospects and future challenges for public sector finances at federal, state and local government levels.

Media outlets interested in interviewing Dr. Posner on this topic can contact James Greif at 703-993-9118 or jgreif(at)gmu.edu.

As the newest landmark on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus, the Hylton Performing Arts Center prepares to make a grand entrance that proves art and culture are alive and thriving in the region.

The $46 million, 85,000-square-foot facility was born of a unique partnership among Prince William County, Mason, the City of Manassas, the Commonwealth of Virginia and individuals and businesses in the private sector. The center provides two unparalleled venues for a growing list of local arts groups and international touring artists, as well as university-related activities.

When the curtain finally rises, the Hylton Performing Arts Center will open its doors in style with grand opening events from Friday, May 21, through Sunday, May 23. The following grand opening events are sponsored by Novant Health:

- A performance by Leahy will kick off the weekend events on Friday, May 21, at 8 p.m. in Merchant Hall. This Canadian octet of brothers and sisters celebrate their Irish and Scottish roots with fiddle-driven music, meticulous step dancing and captivating vocals. The performance will be followed by a reception for the entire audience. Tickets are $34, $42 and $50.

- On Saturday, May 22, at 8 p.m., the American Festival Pops Orchestra will perform in Merchant Hall. Under the baton of Anthony Maiello, professor of conducting in Mason’s School of Music, the concert features Lisa Vroman, a Broadway sensation who starred in “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables,” as well as Thomas Pandolfi, piano virtuoso. The performance will be followed by a reception for the entire audience. Tickets are $75 and $125.

- The entire community is invited to experience the Hylton Center’s resident arts groups at Hylton Family Day on Sunday, May 23, from 1 to 5 p.m. Families can enjoy performances by local theater, dance and music ensembles such as VpStart Crow Productions, Manassas Ballet and the Woodbridge Flute Choir. Tickets are $10 for adults; children through high school age are admitted free. Picnic fare will be available for purchase beginning at noon.

For more information about the Hylton Performing Arts Center, click here.

Is it really possible to go from geek to gazillionaire? The graduate students in IT 495/MBA 752 certainly hope so. The class, titled From Geeks to Gazillionaires: Turning Ideas into Successful Companies, provides these students with the knowledge necessary to hypothesize a new business, research and test their hypothesis and develop a comprehensive written business plan.

This Friday students will get the chance to share a semester’s worth of work when they present their business plans to an esteemed group of judges. One lucky team will even walk away with $5,000 in seed money to start their business.

Skip West, president of MAXSA Innovations and one of the instructors of the class is also the brainchild behind the course. West explained that he took a class at Stanford Business School in 1980 that was half MBA students and half engineering students. Through that class he met an engineer who became his business partner five years later. Knowing that making that connection never would have happened if not for that class, West wanted to find a way to give back and give others the opportunity to make the same connections.

Since its inception in 2005, the course has led to the creation of at least six start-up companies. Business plans being presented on Friday include: eMenu (electronic restaurant ordering and delivery); eParking (a StubHub type of company for parking); gConnect (all things Green); a geothermal company; PantryCookbook (a web site with information on expiration dates and ideas to use up your food) and Stratus App (a cloud computing company).

Presentations will be Friday, May 7, from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at IMC, Inc. located at 11480 Commerce Park Drive in Reston, Va. Any media outlets that are interested in attending should contact Jennifer Edgerly at jedgerly@gmu.edu or 703-993-8699 by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 7.

Earlier today, during the course of an unrelated law enforcement investigation of possible criminal activity by a student, a small amount of an unknown chemical substance was found in the student’s room on the fifth floor of Tidewater Hall on the Fairfax Campus of George Mason University. Fairfax County Hazardous Materials personnel responded to the scene and determined that the chemical—potassium nitrate—was not a threat. The substance has been removed from the area, the situation has been resolved and no charges have been filed. During the incident, Mason officials communicated with campus residents, and took necessary steps to ensure the safety of Mason’s students, faculty and staff. Out of an abundance of caution, public safety officials did clear the fourth and fifth floors of the residence hall for several hours but residents have been allowed to return to their rooms.

For more information, please contact Dan Walsch, Mason Press Secretary, at 703-629-3303.