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A team of �鶹��Ƶ scientists, led by principal investigator Peter Becker, has received a federal grant of more than $13 million to work with the U.S. Navy to study electronic communications disruptions caused by increased solar activity that could potentially cause an “internet apocalypse.”

There were many outstanding performers at �鶹��Ƶ this past academic year, from musicians to actors to athletes. Less celebrated but no less impressive was the virtuoso performance of a determined IT major at a job fair, a star turn that commanded the attention of University Career Services representatives.

Cathy Pinskey, capital program director at �鶹��Ƶ, has watched �鶹��Ƶ’s square footage grow a lot over the years—by the millions. As capital program director with �鶹��Ƶ Facilities, Pinskey has overseen the university’s largest and most complicated capital projects to date, including the Core Campus Project from 2016 to 2022, which revitalized the heart of the Fairfax Campus. Today, her main focus is Fuse at �鶹��Ƶ Square, a new building currently under construction.

The Baroni investment will expand opportunities for center research activities and student engagement and contribute to a new space.

Responding to the commonwealth’s public health and workforce needs, �鶹��Ƶ’s new interdisciplinary college will benefit the region and beyond.

�鶹��Ƶ welcomed three new deans and a divisional dean in 2022 who are helping shape the university’s strategic vision and shepherd �鶹��Ƶ to the next level.

When Thalia Goldstein studies children in theater, she looks at the skills they’ve gained not only in acting, but in life. She’s aiming to help them develop a heightened sense of empathy as a result of the bonding and teamwork they experience during various theater exercises and activities.

In late September, 18 undergraduates from the Smithsonian-�鶹��Ƶ School of Conservation‘s (SMSC) Wildlife Ecology and Conservation program tagged monarch butterflies on their journey south to help researchers better understand their grand migration.

�鶹��Ƶ and Starship Technologies are celebrating four years of autonomous robot deliveries on the university's Fairfax Campus.

Since May 2022, �鶹��Ƶ has invited the families of prospective Hispanic students to learn about the university in its first Spanish-language marketing campaign.

In the Feather Identification Lab at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, �鶹��Ƶ alum Carla Dove identifies the specific birds involved in collisions, with samples coming to her from various branches of the U.S. military, commercial airlines, and more

�鶹��Ƶ alum Horace Blackman was elected as rector of �鶹��Ƶ’s Board of Visitors in July, after serving as vice rector for the past two years.