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This information sciences and technology instructor is a Patriot through and through

Shayla Brown — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:42:15 +0000

This information sciences and technology instructor is a Patriot through and through  Shayla Brown Mon, 09/15/2025 - 14:42

When Hussna Azamy arrived on �鶹��Ƶ’s Fairfax Campus for her first advising session as a Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) transfer student, she had no idea it would be the beginning of a lifelong calling.

“Dr. [Irene] Bruno shaped me into the professor I am today,” said Azamy, recalling that 2013 meeting with the advisor who became her mentor. “Her guidance, her kindness, her belief in students—it inspired me to rise to my best self.” 

Hussna Azamy. Photo provided.

Azamy’s path to teaching wasn’t linear. After earning her BS in cyber security engineering in 2015, she ventured into the corporate world, working with Accenture, Fannie Mae, Fortune 500 companies, and Amazon Web Services. She led teams and projects, built secure systems, and navigated high-stakes environments—experiences she now brings into the classroom in the College of Engineering and Computing. 

“I always tell my students, the theories we learn are powerful—but seeing them in action is what makes them real,” she said. “When I share stories from my time in industry, I see their eyes light up. It connects the dots.” 

Even as she climbed the tech ladder, she was simultaneously pursuing her master’s through �鶹��Ƶ’s Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s Program. That led her back to Bruno—this time as a graduate teaching assistant in the Information Systems and Technology (IST) Department. 

“I was thriving professionally, but mentally drained,” Azamy admitted. “Then I’d walk into class, see my students’ energy, and suddenly I felt alive.” 

By 2017, she had earned her master’s in applied information technology—and clarity. Teaching wasn’t just a job. It was her purpose.   

Just as she realized this, a full-time faculty position opened in the IST department. It felt like fate. 

“I was scared to make such a big leap,” she said. “But since becoming full-time faculty, I’ve never looked back. The students, the colleagues, the energy—it feels like home.” 

Azamy brings that energy into her classroom with a twist: gamification. 

“I turn lessons into team competitions,” she said. “It sparks excitement and keeps students engaged.”   

She uses buzzers for trivia contests inspired by “Jeopardy!” and tracks team points across sessions. Winners earn fun prizes like assignment extensions or chocolates.  

“The students love it,” she said with a smile.

Azamy, who currently teaches the courses IT 372 Applied Generative AI and IT 429 Security Accreditation of Information Systems, recently expanded the games to include artificial intelligence (AI) tools, helping students explore how technology can boost their learning.   

While Azamy credits many mentors, her bond with Irene Bruno remains special. Bruno, now retired, was her undergraduate advisor and a guiding force at George �鶹��Ƶ. 

“She’s brilliant and a phenomenal problem solver,” Bruno said. “Hussna stood out in class—sharp, detail-oriented, and dependable.”   

Azamy even helped edit Bruno’s Discrete Mathematics textbook for IT 102, catching everything from math errors to grammar slips. 

“She was my go-to,” said Bruno, who hired Azamy as an adjunct in 2017. They worked side by side until Bruno’s retirement in 2022. 

“I’d sit in on her classes often,” Bruno said. “She had a gift, explaining complex ideas in ways students could grasp. That’s what makes her exceptional not just in cybersecurity, but in teaching.” 

Now, as a full-time faculty member, Azamy continues to bridge real-world experience with academic insight, creating a classroom environment where students feel seen, challenged, and inspired. Her journey from student to industry professional to educator is a powerful reminder that believing in others can spark transformation. And for every student she mentors, Azamy hopes to be the kind of guide who helps them discover not just what they can learn—but who they can become. 

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From Marvel to George �鶹��Ƶ: Meet the new modern and classical languages chair

Shayla Brown — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:33:12 +0000

From Marvel to George �鶹��Ƶ: Meet the new modern and classical languages chair Shayla Brown Mon, 09/15/2025 - 10:33

When Liang Luo steps into a classroom—or works on a film, for that matter—she brings with her a rare blend of scholarship, creativity, and cultural sensitivity. This fall, Luo begins her role as chair of �鶹��Ƶ’s Department of Modern and Classical Languages, a position that recognizes her academic leadership as well as her global perspective. 

But it’s often another of her accomplishments that sparks the most curiosity: her work as a language and culture consultant for Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. 

Luo, who grew up in Chongqing, China, and later earned a degree in East Asian languages and civilizations from Harvard University, was tapped by Marvel for her expertise on Chinese folklore and mythology, especially the legend of the White Snake—a story that inspired many elements of the film. While advising the studio, she was also completing her second book, The Global White Snake (University of Michigan Press, 2021). 

“I really had to educate myself when I was assigned this consulting job,” Luo recalled. She traveled to Burbank, California, to deliver presentations to Marvel’s creative team, advocating strongly for two elements: Mandarin dialogue and dynamic female characters, such as Awkwafina’s Katy and Michelle Yeoh’s Ying Nan. 

For Luo, cultural consultation is about more than authenticity—it’s about amplifying voices that might otherwise be left out.  

“There’s a lot of controversy surrounding cultural appropriation, but my view is that cultures are always appropriated,” she said. “If you think you have ownership toward a culture and other people are appropriating it, I don't think that's a very healthy starting point for dynamic cultural changes and transformations.” 

Her curiosity has always fueled her work. “Discovering new languages leads to a different worldview that’s not available to you as a monolingual person,” Luo said. “That’s really the foundation of my passion.” 

Luo’s expertise has since led her to another consulting project, this time for Netflix’s animated film Over the Moon, which reimagines the Mid-Autumn Festival while exploring mother-daughter bonds. 

At George �鶹��Ƶ, she is eager to spotlight the breadth and depth of the department she now leads. “Our faculty are amazing—multi-talented, multilingual, and exceptional researchers and teachers winning international fellowships,” she said. “I’m very excited to get to know more of them.” 

Ann Ardis, dean of �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, praised Luo’s arrival. 

“Her scholarship and creative work in global Asian studies and on transhistorical and cross-cultural translations and interpretations of Chinese folklore and mythology, together with her interests in capaciously cross-disciplinary collaborations in both teaching and research, will elevate our George �鶹��Ƶ faculty and students,” Ardis said. 

A slide from Luo's presention. Photo provided.

As Luo takes on her new role, she sees accessibility and support as central to her leadership. “It’s very important for me as a new chair to be really accessible and to support my faculty so they can excel in their job to serve our students,” she said. 

Whether guiding students through the complexities of language and literature or shaping global narratives for the big screen, Luo continues to bridge worlds—academic, cultural, and creative.

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Disruptors Welcome in the Virtual Reality and Simulation Lab

mthomp7 — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 18:42:36 +0000

Disruptors Welcome in the Virtual Reality and Simulation Lab mthomp7 Fri, 09/24/2021 - 14:42

In This Story

Cheryl Oetjen, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

Bethany Cieslowski, DNP

Simulation Lab Coordinator Bethany Cieslowski harnesses technology to enhance interprofessional clinical education.

“The learning really comes from the pre- and post-simulation briefings where students receive feedback and learn from the actions that result from critical thinking processes,” says Cieslowski, simulation and VR coordinator.

Bethany Cieslowski joined the College in July 2021 as the Simulation and VR Coordinator, with the mission to re-envision the College’s approach to virtual, augmented, and simulated learning for the interprofessional student body. “Preparing our students for the future of healthcare requires completely new ways of defining a “classroom,” says Cieslowski. “Virtual and augmented reality allow us to bring the learning experience to our students across all our degree programs – delivering hands-on learning in an immersive environment conducive to applying and acquiring skills.”

Cieslowski received a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Duke University, but she considers simulation and informatics as her passion. She seeks to integrate both into every aspect of nursing to improve the quality of care, provide students with high-quality clinical experiences, and deliver career-ready graduates to the workforce. Her most recent experience prior to joining �鶹��Ƶ includes integrating training for virtual health visits and using telehealth technology in the BSN and MSN curriculum – a much-needed skillset for today’s clinicians, given the mainstream adoption of telehealth during the pandemic.

When observing Cieslowski in action, her experience in leading VR and simulation training and debrief is evident. She easily navigates various scenarios—such as teaching students how to triage mass casualties in a ‘low-frequency high consequence’ event, such as a simulated mass shooting, and helping a high school student avert hypoglycemia by assessing the situation and providing adequate carbohydrates to elevate his blood sugar – all in a virtual space.

The simulation technology fits into a backpack – making it logistically and financially possible to prepare students for scenarios that were previously difficult to access. “For example, obstetric and pediatric clinical opportunities are often limited for students– but with simulations, every student can participate in delivering a baby. The technology is not only cool but can help students complete their clinical requirements more efficiently,” says Cheryl Oetjen, interim department chair for the School of Nursing at �鶹��Ƶ.

“The technology is not the innovation—the technology enables the innovation,” says Cieslowski. “The learning really comes from the pre- and post-simulation briefings where students receive feedback and learn from the actions that result from critical thinking processes.” She is eager to work with the faculty, staff, and students to bring the full potential of VR and simulation to the College. She looks forward to publicly launching the Virtual Reality and Simulation Lab in the upcoming months and is currently training students, faculty, and staff on the new simulation platform SimX which will be deployed to students throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.