Craig Esherick

Robert Baker

Two Mason faculty members are currently traveling in India as part of a U.S. Department of State cultural exchange program meant to develop awareness of basketball in the country.

Victor Lena completed the Career Switchers Program and left his job as an electrical engineer to teach middle school. Photo by Lori A. Wilson

This fall is sure to be full of challenges and surprises for Victor Lena. After 37 years, Lena is trading in a lucrative career as an electrical engineer to fulfill a lifelong dream of teaching. Having thought about teaching at various times during his engineering career, Lena felt it was never quite economically feasible, since he has three children.

"When my middle son entered his fourth year of medical school, I was confident there was indeed a light at the end of the 'tuition tunnel'," says Lena. "I began to explore post-engineering alternatives in earnest, and it didn't take long for the idea of teaching to reassert itself."

Having completed Mason's Career Switchers Program in May, Lena now teaches math, algebra and life science to middle school students at the Philip Michael Pennington School in Manassas, Va.

This presentation will describe how research with exceptional populations can advance our understanding of all human learning and cognition and may contribute to the development of a theory of learning and instruction. In this view, research on individuals with special learning needs can help uncover processes or skills overlooked by a solitary focus on more efficient learners. Mastropieri will discuss what her research has provided and how it informs us about learning. She will examine the future research directions to narrow the difference between what we have learned and what we could learn.

Robert G. Smith, superintendent of Arlington (Va.) Public Schools (APS), will join the Mason faculty this fall as an associate professor of education in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project led by George Mason University, College of Education and Human Development faculty, Kevin Clark and Kim Sheridan, is featured on the George Lucas Foundation's Edutopia website as part of the Digital Generations project.

When Christopher Johnston attends the Graduate School of Education's convocation next week, he'll be wearing 47-year-old regalia — the cap and gown his grandfather wore when he was getting an honorary doctorate as president of Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University) in River Forest, Ill.

An online game might be the secret weapon for winning the war against childhood obesity. Researchers at Mason have designed and tested a nutrition education program called “Color My Pyramid” to teach students how to evaluate their dietary intake and activity level.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has announced that two Mason faculty members are among the 12 being honored in the commonwealth's annual award program.

Down Syndrome Generation First to Outlive Parents

Like many people her age, Jennifer Holden wants to be on her own. But for the 20-year-old Springfield woman, crossing streets can be frightening. Keeping track of money is difficult. And fending for herself is challenging at times for a person who loves to read but has difficulty with novels above a fifth-grade level.

For many college students, watching ESPN is the closest they’ll ever get to sporting giants such as the Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Pirates and NFL Players Association. However, for students in Mason’s Sport Management Program, interning with organizations like these is a required part of their curriculum.

In a weekly series running from now until the election, the Mason Gazette will present the views of expert Mason faculty on various important campaign issues. This week's focus is on immigration policy.

When Fred Bemak and Rita Chi-Ying Chung arrived in Yangon, Burma, on May 1, they had no idea that Cyclone Nargis had shifted in the Bay of Bengal and was now headed directly for the impoverished country.

According to a report published earlier this year by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, a sharp falloff in mathematics achievement in the United States begins when students reach middle school and algebra course work commences.

A professor in the College of Education and Human Development, David Brazer has made an effort to encourage sustainability in his courses.

Brazer currently teaches a class called “Using Research to Lead School Improvement” for students in the Education Leadership Program.

Early Childhood Education faculty, Drs. Monimalika Day, Eva Thorp, Julie Kidd, and Susan Burns, have been awarded a U.S. Department of Education grant from 2007 to 2011 to provide tuition and stipend support for students pursuing their Master’s degree and Virginia licensure in Early Childhood Special Education.