partnerships

George �鶹��Ƶ and MetroStar launch partnership to fuel federal tech talent and innovation

Katarina Benson — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:02:54 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ and MetroStar launch partnership to fuel federal tech talent and innovation Katarina Benson Fri, 12/12/2025 - 11:02

More than two decades ago, three �鶹��Ƶ students launched a company from their dorm room with a belief that technology would drive change in the federal government.

Today, that company—MetroStar, a venture-backed leader in AI enabled services—has come full circle. The company is proud to announce a multi-year strategic partnership with George �鶹��Ƶ, solidifying a shared mission to empower the next generation of tech leaders and public servants.

Through the agreement, MetroStar will support students and programming across George �鶹��Ƶ. It will become a Costello Corporate Partner in the Donald G. Costello College of Business and an Industry Partner in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC).

Through these partnerships, MetroStar will launch a scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students with preference for those minoring in government contracting or management information systems, and a Clearance Ready Scholarship for students interested in obtaining a national security clearance.

“MetroStar’s investment in the Costello Corporate Partners program aligns closely with our strategic priorities, particularly in fostering innovative business collaboration and advancing career readiness,” said Ajay Vinzé, interim provost and Costello College of Business dean. “Their support will expand access to education in government contracting for our students and strengthen the academic offerings of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting, the first university-based center in the nation focused on the business, policy, and regulatory dimensions of this vital sector.”

MetroStar will also support academic initiatives through the Dean’s Excellence Funds in CEC and Costello, in furtherance of strategic academic initiatives. “This gift from MetroStar, which will support the education and training of our students who are interested in serving our nation as federal employees or as employees of our government contractors,” said CEC Dean Ken Ball. “The partnership will also enhance our clearance ready programs by developing additional experiential learning opportunities, including internships and applied research projects involving classified technologies that protect our nation.”

MetroStar’s CEO and co-founder Ali Reza Manouchehri, BA Philosophy '99.

The philanthropic commitment deepens MetroStar’s long-standing relationship with its co-founders’ alma mater while advancing workforce readiness and innovation aligned to national priorities.

MetroStar’s CEO and co-founder Ali Reza Manouchehri, who earned a BA in philosophy from George �鶹��Ƶ in 1999, is the 2025 Winter Commencement Speaker, a privilege that shows his enduring connection to the university and his passion for inspiring the next generation of innovators.

“This is more than a corporate partnership. It’s a personal return,” said Manouchehri. “George �鶹��Ƶ is where we built the foundation for MetroStar. We’re investing in students who will one day shape the digital future of government just like we dreamed about doing back then.”

Manouchehri started MetroStar with fellow Patriots Robert Santos, BA International Relations ’99, who became the company’s president, and Pirooz Javan, BS Systems Engineering ’02, who served as its chief operating officer from 1999 to 2006.

A Vision for the Future Federal Workforce

The three-year partnership, running through 2028, creates a new model of agile collaboration between academia and the public sector, bridging the fast-paced world of government innovation with the grounded mission of education. It reflects the growing need under the new federal administration to build talent pipelines that are not only technically skilled but clearance ready and public service minded.

Earlier this year, George �鶹��Ƶ released its plan for advancing a responsible approach to harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and driving societal impact. Through AI²Nexus, the university is building a nexus of collaboration and resources on campus, in partnerships like the one with MetroStar, and across the state.

As federal agencies embrace AI, digital transformation, and faster acquisition models, companies like MetroStar are reinforcing the importance of the human side of innovation, ensuring that the workforce of tomorrow is built on a foundation of collaboration, education, and civic commitment.

From College Campus to National Service

The partnership extends into the university’s forward-leaning spaces, places where creativity, entrepreneurship, and service intersect.

MetroStar’s partnership will fuel the �鶹��Ƶ Innovation Exchange (MIX), a hands-on incubator for student-driven ideas, and power events like PatriotHacks, the university’s high-energy hackathon that challenges students to solve real-world problems with code and courage.

“Our partnership isn’t about one-off contributions but investing in people and the future of civil servants who will protect and guide the nation,” said Manouchehri. “We’re creating deliberate pathways from campus to cleared service, from idea to implementation, and from classroom projects to real-world impact.”

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A new era of global growth: George �鶹��Ƶ and Naugen launch international innovation accelerator

Colleen Rich — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:54:56 +0000

A new era of global growth: George �鶹��Ƶ and Naugen launch international innovation accelerator Colleen Rich Tue, 11/18/2025 - 10:54

This month, a new Northern Virginia International Soft-Landing Accelerator (NISA) program, designed to help start-ups from around the globe find guidance, connections, and lab or office spaces at no cost, was launched to help develop new technologies in life sciences.

Participants in the six-month program will have access to George �鶹��Ƶ’s cutting-edge labs. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Applications are now open for the first NISA cohort. Participants in the six-month program will have access to �鶹��Ƶ’s cutting-edge labs, research, and strong business and government network across the region, propelling ideas from lab to market quickly. Selected companies can work from lab or office space at Endeavor234 and Centerfuse while drawing on support from local legal, financial, real estate, and accounting partners to ease their move into the community.

The program is led by George �鶹��Ƶ in partnership with Naugen, a global innovation accelerator recognized for helping ventures enter and grow in untapped markets, at its Science and Technology Campus, located in the heart of the new Innovation District, founded by Prince William County, the City of Manassas, and George �鶹��Ƶ. Naugen and George �鶹��Ƶ are collaborating with regional economic development groups and private-sector partners on the initiative.

“Many international start-ups bring outstanding technologies, but they often face challenges with the U.S. investment landscape and limited networks. NISA exists to bridge that gap,” said Jaehan Park, founder and CEO of Naugen. “By combining Naugen’s global expertise with Northern Virginia’s thriving ecosystem, we are building a launchpad where international innovators can put down U.S. roots and scale into true worldwide enterprises.”

NISA is also partnering with �鶹��Ƶ Korea to help South Korean founders explore opportunities in the United States. At �鶹��Ƶ Korea, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), led by the Costello College of Business, introduces early-stage start-ups to the fundamentals of building and testing their ideas through workshops, pitch events, applied projects, and one-on-one guidance. CIE also works with teams that are beginning to look abroad, helping them understand what it takes to reach the U.S. market and linking them with NISA and contacts in Northern Virginia’s start-up ecosystem.

“We meet talented founders every day in South Korea who are eager to take the next step,” said Joshua Park, campus dean of �鶹��Ƶ Korea. “CIE pushes them to think more deliberately about their idea, their timing, and the direction they want to take.”

From left, Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation at �鶹��Ƶ; Jaehan Park, founder and CEO of Naugen; and Joshua Park, campus dean of �鶹��Ƶ Korea, at the NISA launch. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“NISA, along with investments in expanding the life science ecosystem and establishing the Innovation District, is helping build a destination for next-generation companies from around the world in Northern Virginia with benefits across the state,” said Christina Winn, executive director of the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism. “Propelling this sector and bolstering the local entrepreneurial network is creating a vibrant place where industries and communities succeed together.”

Part of NISA’s funding comes from the George �鶹��Ƶ-managed Innovation District grant, a $3.9 million investment from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development that strengthens and diversifies Virginia’s economy and fosters the creation of high-wage jobs in strategic industries. Virginia plays a key leadership role as part of the Biohealth Capital Region and is home to the nation’s third-largest biopharma cluster.

“Our goal is not just to attract businesses. We want them to see Manassas as home,” said Patrick Small, economic development director for the City of Manassas. “That means matching founders with the right resources and making sure their employees have access to excellent schools, welcoming neighborhoods, and the amenities that make people want to stay and build their future.”

“NISA participants can take advantage of George �鶹��Ƶ’s world-class core facilities, including our biocontainment facility and CAP/CLIA-accredited laboratory,” said Amy Adams, executive director of the Innovation District and George �鶹��Ƶ’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation. “George �鶹��Ƶ helps innovators shorten the journey from concept to commercialization through pairing these resources with top-tier expertise.”

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Center for Community Mental Health partnership provides behavioral health training

Katarina Benson — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:33:19 +0000

Center for Community Mental Health partnership provides behavioral health training Katarina Benson Wed, 10/15/2025 - 17:33

Since 2010, the Center for Community Mental Health’s (CCMH) mission has been twofold: train �鶹��Ƶ students to become behavioral health care professionals, and provide evidence-based, accessible, and affordable mental health care to members of the Northern Virginia community.

The center’s latest partnership checks both boxes.

From left: Claude Moore Opportunities CEO Bill Hazel, George �鶹��Ƶ Center for Community Mental Health director Robyn Mehlenbeck, ConnerStrong Foundation president and founder Tom Worosz, and George �鶹��Ƶ PhD student Lucy McClellan. Photo by Jerome Boettcher/CHSS

The center, in conjunction with nonprofits Claude Moore Opportunities and the ConnerStrong Foundation, hosted a four-day training in September led by Sources of Strength, a nationally renowned, evidence-based suicide prevention program, for nearly 30 trainees, including more than 20 George �鶹��Ƶ students. The goal is for the Sources of Strength curriculum to be implemented in local schools across Virginia, to improve mental health among youth populations.

“This was an incredible opportunity to bring together impactful partners to meet both aspects of our mission,” CCMH director Robyn Mehlenbeck said, “to be an integral part of expanding the youth mental health workforce here in Virginia while also providing our George �鶹��Ƶ undergrads some really unique opportunities to both be trained and then credentialed to give them career paths.”

In addition to the Sources of Strength training, 12 Youth Mental Health Corps members through Serve Virginia, and seven Youth Mental Health AmeriCorps members—all George �鶹��Ƶ or Rappahannock Community College students—are participating in a two-semester course at George �鶹��Ƶ titled Special Topics: Supporting the Youth Mental Health Workforce. By taking the course, all 19 students will meet requirements for state certification.

George �鶹��Ƶ students receive Sources of Strength training at the Center for Community Mental Health. Photo by Jerome Boettcher/CHSS

Five of the AmeriCorps students and the 12 Youth Mental Health Corps students will seek certification as a Qualified Mental Health Professional-Trainee through George �鶹��Ƶ. Two Youth Mental Health AmeriCorps members will receive certification as a Behavioral Health Technician Assistant through Rappahannock Community College. Both certifications are through the Virginia State Board of Counseling and provide more job options for these students.

“It is an exciting opportunity through multiple lenses,” said Lucy McClellan, a George �鶹��Ƶ clinical psychology PhD candidate who is teaching the course. “There is an ongoing youth mental health crisis. Engaging these motivated and passionate students will be a step toward addressing that. It can be challenging to find mental health service experience as an undergraduate so this experience is really integral.”

Bill Hazel serves as the CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities, which, in collaboration with Danville Community College and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, sponsored the seven AmeriCorps members. Hazel was previously the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources and senior advisor for innovation and community engagement at George �鶹��Ƶ.

Since leaving his role as the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources in 2014, Hazel jokes he has been on his atonement tour to address all the areas he “couldn’t or didn’t fix” while in his post. He said lack of “meaningful support” through behavioral health care remains a growing issue, especially for younger generations.

“What is important about this group is they are a potential workforce to deliver the service,” Hazel said. “When you get to be a certain age, maybe you lose touch with the younger generation. These trainees are as near to peers as you can get to dealing with teens. Our hope is that this training will be personally beneficial, as they look at their own situations and their own goals in life and that it will provide them career opportunities they will enjoy.”

George �鶹��Ƶ students and AmeriCorps members before Sources of Strength training at the Center for Community Mental Health. Photo by Jerome Boettcher/CHSS

Tom Worosz, president and founder of the ConnerStrong Foundation, has sponsored Sources of Strength training and implementation in approximately 20 schools in Virginia. Worosz founded the ConnerStrong Foundation in 2017 after his son, Conner, died by suicide at 17. The foundation’s mission is to bring awareness to mental health issues and suicide prevention and to change the discussion about mental health, especially for teenagers and young adults. The foundation has partnered with the CCMH for the last five years.

With the ConnorStrong Foundation, Mehlenbeck and George �鶹��Ƶ clinical psychology students hold monthly virtual workshops for parents of school-aged children from K-12 that are available throughout the school year. The workshops address a variety of topics, including domestic violence, social media, artificial intelligence, and graduation.

“Through finding like-minded people in our community—[CCMH] director Robyn Mehlenbeck, her team, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences dean Ann Ardis, Dr. Hazel and his staff over at Claude Moore Opportunities—and others who want to change the way we address mental health, we cover all age groups, but especially getting to our kids early and often has been a blessing,” Worosz said.

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Powerful community partnerships help combat public health challenges

Taylor Thomas — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:06:05 +0000

Powerful community partnerships help combat public health challenges Taylor Thomas Fri, 10/10/2025 - 13:06

The �鶹��Ƶ and Partners (MAP) Clinics’ Empowered Communities program’s success is driven by dynamic partnerships between �鶹��Ƶ and community organizations that are transforming public health outcomes in underserved communities.

Initiatives convene networks of nurses, peer specialists, community health workers, and students to bring acute and chronic health care services, immunizations, school health exams, substance misuse treatment, mental health services, and more to low-income, uninsured, or refugee populations. For example, the Empowered Communities Opioid Project helps people involved with the justice system who struggle with opioid use disorders connect with health care providers and community resources.

Photo by Emily Roscher.

Empowered Communities programs exemplify how college-community alliances can directly improve highly targeted public health issues. These collaborations are foundational to delivering sustainable, person-centered care where it’s needed most. By combining academic expertise with on-the-ground community insight, these partnerships are creating scalable models for building healthier communities.

Prince William County and MAP Clinics partner on several initiatives, including the Jail Medication-Assisted Treatment Program, the Peer Internship Project, and Community MAT efforts. The collaboration is rooted in shared goals of expanding access to treatment, strengthening peer support services, and promoting recovery within justice-involved populations. Their remarkable collaboration was recognized with the Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations in the category of Partnership Initiative.

“Partnerships like these are essential for building coordinated, comprehensive responses to the opioid epidemic, substance use, and behavioral health challenges in Prince William County, City of Manassas, and Manassas Park. By working together, we can leverage collective expertise, align resources, and deliver consistent, person-centered care across systems,” said Sara Wheeler, division manager of the Adult Behavioral Health and Recovery Services in the Prince William County Government.

Harnessing Tech Partners to Improve Health

Sri Vasireddy, co-founder and CEO of REAN Foundation, leads an organization dedicated to using technology to improve access, affordability, and efficiency in health care. Together, REAN and the MAP Clinics created �鶹��Ƶ HealthLink, an AI companion that allows patients to self-manage their own care by connecting them with resources, practitioners, and updated care plans. Their partnership exemplifies the intersection of technology and health care.

“There is tremendous need for what we do and there's a lot that we need to put together. I am a technology entrepreneur, and I have little direct knowledge in health care,” said Vasireddy. "What I know comes from working with organizations and partnerships, meeting people, and learning about their communities’ needs. On the technology side, the technology people process aspects of building a platform. But we need nursing staff and community workers and volunteers to help answer is this contextualized, is this personalized? It’s not just one discipline. We need psychology, we need science, we need technology, we need business in terms of the operations."

These partnerships—between academic institutions, local governments, and technology innovators—are the foundation of Empowered Communities’ success. They demonstrate how collaboration across sectors can drive sustainable public health solutions and improve outcomes for underserved populations.

Over the past two years, the Empowered Communities has hosted a conference that served as a platform for these partners to showcase milestones and reaffirm their shared commitment to providing resources to those most in need.

“Gatherings like the Empowered Communities Conference foster connection, knowledge sharing, and inspiration across sectors. They provide a platform to highlight innovative practices, celebrate progress, and strengthen the collective commitment to recovery, equity, and community resilience,” said Wheeler.

Photo by Emily Roscher.

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George �鶹��Ƶ researchers and NASA investigate melting mountains

Martha Bushong — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 13:26:27 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ researchers and NASA investigate melting mountains Martha Bushong Wed, 07/30/2025 - 09:26

�鶹��Ƶ’s civil engineers are assessing the climate change challenges facing some of the world’s highest mountain ranges, creating better ways to measure the melting ice in high elevations where temperatures are rising faster than the average, putting pressure on the livelihoods of fragile cultures and ecosystems.

Viviana Maggioni (on right) and colleagues from the Italian National Research Council at the headwaters of the Ganga River in Devprayag, India. Photo provided.

Funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and led by Associate Professor Viviana Maggioni, the researchers teamed up with Chile’s Universidad de la Frontera. Together, their analysis encompasses the mountain regions of Asia, which include the world's highest mountains and support drinking water and food production for nearly three billion people. Their efforts also stretch across the globe to the Andes of South America: the highest mountain range on Earth outside of Asia.

“It is essential to understand how these high mountain areas are responding to climate change, since their melting permafrost has major impacts on surrounding regions and the people living nearby,” said Maggioni.

The 'Godly Confluence’ where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi streams meet to form the holy Ganga River.
Photo provided.

To access and analyze these remote and geographically diverse locations, the researchers use advanced data assimilation algorithms, multiple satellite-based sensors, and NASA’s Glacial Melt Toolbox: a cutting-edge collection of remote sensing, digital elevation, and mapping technologies that help measure and forecast changes in ice, water, snow, and other natural phenomena.

The research aims to identify regional hotspots in the high mountain areas of Asia and the Andes where the permafrost is melting rapidly. Those hotspots are where local communities and natural cycles are most threatened, especially as climate change and the warming continue.

“The melting and permafrost loss in these areas has not been widely studied before,” Maggioni said. “This is alarming, since water availability and security are at risk.”

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George �鶹��Ƶ partners with DoD agency to bring closure to the families of lost U.S. service members

Shayla Brown — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:39:16 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ partners with DoD agency to bring closure to the families of lost U.S. service members  Shayla Brown Mon, 07/28/2025 - 13:39

There are currently more than 80,000 unaccounted-for service members from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, and other conflicts. �鶹��Ƶ’s ongoing collaboration with the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is exploring new ways of locating the missing remains of those American service members and bringing closure to their families. 

This partnership, which began December 2020, is finding success, and deeper meaning, as it extends beyond the classroom to the grieving families of prisoners of war (POWs) and missing soldiers, and it showcases George �鶹��Ƶ’s commitment to being a veteran-serving institution.   

John C. Winters, MA History ’13, is a DPAA postdoctoral research fellow at George �鶹��Ƶ’s Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) whose research includes war, diplomacy, and the 19th and 20th centuries. 

John C. Winters. Photo provided.

“I’ve previously worked on cemetery projects, and my responsibilities were to essentially help not only map the cemetery as it stood, but to identify places where people were not cataloged properly, or were forgotten over time,” said Winters, who has been a fellow at the center since January 2025.  

Winters is also working with the Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine with the goal of supporting and expanding a wide range of DPAA operations, from initial case development to field mission planning. 

“The advantage of conducting research at the Center for History and New Media is that the people there are experts in using intricate digital mapping tools. It's really wonderful to see that faculty, as well as graduate students, are so comfortable using these tools to make their research accessible,” said Winters. 

Digital mapping is a critical tool for the agency’s mission as it helps researchers visualize where someone was lost and supports investigation and excavation proposals.   

George �鶹��Ƶ has access to ArcGIS Pro, the mapping program that Winters is currently using to track missing or unidentified soldiers.  

“ArcGIS is a really dynamic program. There are a lot of facets to it including a base-level digital cemetery mapping, and the ability to create informational and visually engaging maps. They're accurate and concise, and they deliver all the information at a glance,” said Winters, who earned his PhD in history from the City University of New York in 2020. 

Jesse Stephen, chief of innovation at Defense POW/MIA accounting agency, said their mission has two goals: to search for, locate, recover, and identify missing-in-action personnel, and to communicate. 

Jesse Stephen. Photo provided.

“These projects are multidimensional and address active casework. They also tell the story of a conflict and of our missing individuals,” said Stephen. “That involves going back into archives and looking for information about a particular case or campaign. It's organizing, reviewing, and analyzing that information we find, and then putting all these different pieces together to build a case.”  

Over the course of the partnership, DPAA has learned more about more than 3,000 unaccounted-for losses. George �鶹��Ƶ Fellows have reviewed more than 1,000 deceased personnel files of people who served alongside the unaccounted-for. 

Throughout the process, DPAA staff, Service Casualty Offices, and family members meet and review the specifics of a loss. Documentation, including maps, is shared with family members, who can see where the last-known sighting of their loved one happened. 

The partnership also employs George �鶹��Ƶ students as interns and to date has given nine interns real-world experience in managing data, giving presentations, and project management. Beyond service to students, research partner fellows are encouraged to give presentations at museums and other venues on the mission and how unaccounted-for are found.  

“These were people who gave their lives while fighting to protect democracy, so I see the important work I’m doing at George �鶹��Ƶ as a public service and it’s relevant to a very large body of veterans in the Northern Virginia area,” said Winters. 

Currently, more than 150 Virginian service members are unaccounted for. 

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Fuse at �鶹��Ƶ Square welcomes three new tech industry tenants

Katarina Benson — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:54:01 +0000

Fuse at �鶹��Ƶ Square welcomes three new tech industry tenants Katarina Benson Fri, 07/18/2025 - 14:54

Three more tenants have moved into �鶹��Ƶ’s state-of-the-art Fuse building at �鶹��Ƶ Square in the Rosslyn-Ballston Innovation Corridor of Arlington, Virginia.

JSI, Corvex, and Oasis Hill strengthen Fuse as a center for collaboration between industry leaders, government, university researchers, and students. All three tenants moved into Fuse this spring.

Fuse at �鶹��Ƶ Square is a 345,000-square-foot technology-focused facility designed to be an innovation community that fosters partnerships and opportunities that accelerate research outcomes into real-world solutions. The private commercial suites, which are adjacent to George �鶹��Ƶ’s Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) and academic programs in disciplines like computer science and engineering, provide immediate access to leading-edge labs, collaboration zones, and convening spaces, as well as highly activated and curated programs, day and night, for the building’s occupants, visitors, and the wider community.

The new tenants represent diverse sectors crucial to the digital economy:

Based in Chantilly, Virginia, JSI is a trusted provider of AI-enabled digital intelligence solutions deployed in more than 40 countries. JSI’s software is used to expand awareness, surface patterns, and simplify data complexity in support of mission-critical operations. Purpose-built for the evidential requirements of law enforcement, JSI has been helping protect what matters, both domestically and abroad, for more than 45 years.

“Quality and speed matter, and Fuse will accelerate our momentum with academic partners to close today's most pressing mission-critical gaps,” said Josh McKenna, president of JSI USA. “It’s more than a collaboration space; it’s a launchpad for practical, cost-effective innovation that helps clean streets, secure borders, and protect communities.”

Corvex provides accessible computing infrastructure for the entire AI lifecycle. The Corvex AI Cloud enables innovators to train, fine-tune, and inference AI models using the latest generation of supercomputers paired with white-glove support to ensure client success.

"Fuse at �鶹��Ƶ Square is thriving with innovation. It’s not just the technology focus of the building, but the community of innovators it is attracting," said Jay Crystal, Corvex Co-CEO.

Corvex operates at the absolute cutting edge of hardware and software that powers third-party developers' AI applications. The Corvex team's background in large-scale distributed computing and enterprise-grade software development infuses our community with a unique perspective in the fastest growing segment of the technology industry.

Oasis Hill is an innovation hub that will host pitch competitions, networking events, and accelerate start-ups in the tech marketplace and healthcare AI world. Co-founder Shy Pahlevani has been recognized as one of D.C.’s Top Young Entrepreneurs and Washington Business Journals’ 40 Under 40. He is also the founder of two Arlington start-ups: LiveSafe, which crowdsources safety intelligence, and HUNGRY, an office catering service.

JSI and Oasis Hill are collaborating with George �鶹��Ƶ colleges and programs to offer mentorship to student entrepreneurs, mentorship/internship opportunities, and joint research projects.

“�鶹��Ƶ’s �鶹��Ƶ Enterprise is excited to be partnering with Oasis Hill on a series of tech accelerators focused on vertical markets, including artificial intelligence, biomedical, and more,” said Paula Sorrell, associate vice president for innovation and economic development at George �鶹��Ƶ. “�鶹��Ƶ Enterprise will bring its expertise in running effective technical field accelerators that bridges universities and the community, while Oasis Hill will bring their entrepreneurial energy and subject matter experts to deliver programs based in Fuse in Arlington at �鶹��Ƶ Square.”

“JSI's tenancy in Fuse will accelerate our ability to collaborate on existing and new research endeavors, provide a direct line of tech talent to JSI and facilitate JSI's efforts to create project-based learning opportunities for George �鶹��Ƶ students at �鶹��Ƶ Square,” said Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community engagement at George �鶹��Ƶ.

"The latest cohort of tenants will drive innovation at Fuse, and each brings unique solutions to the market,” said Brian Naumick, managing director at Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate. “Fuse allows them unparalleled opportunities and tailored amenities designed to foster greater innovation and collaboration. The experience at Fuse is different, driven by its one-of-a-kind space and unique curated events and experiences planned every day for the benefit of our collaborators."

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Partnership between George �鶹��Ƶ’s Carter School and Shinnyo-en Foundation evolves to reach more students

Katarina Benson — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 17:54:13 +0000

Partnership between George �鶹��Ƶ’s Carter School and Shinnyo-en Foundation evolves to reach more students Katarina Benson Wed, 07/09/2025 - 13:54

For the past 10 years, the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George �鶹��Ƶ has partnered with Shinnyo-en Foundation in their shared mission of developing young people as peacebuilders. The Carter School and the California-based Shinnyo-en Foundation seek to bring different groups together, honoring every voice, navigating darkness, and illuminating paths toward peace.

Conflict Resolution Youth Summit codirector Kristen Fegan. Photo by Max Taylor Photography

Shinnyo-en Foundation has generously supported a fellowship to a single Carter School undergraduate student each year, including Jessica Jeffers, who, during her 2024-25 fellowship, worked with Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services in the Fairfax County Youth Innovation Unit. Jeffers worked with this unit to support the implementation of Re-Engagement Centers across Fairfax County, which assist youth ages 14–24 in continuing their educational journey and/or beginning their career pathways.

Jeffers further strengthened her skills in coordinating career fairs, facilitating youth focus groups, and supporting the development of a restorative justice initiative that focuses on peer-to-peer practices.

Now the partnership enters a new era with the foundation supporting the Carter School’s Conflict Resolution Youth Summit (CRYS), a four-day, overnight learning experience for high school students to learn leadership and conflict resolution skills and to discuss current issues facing society. This year’s summit, held from June 15–18, welcomed the largest group yet, with 48 students participating and completing a diverse range of final projects. Topics explored included depolarization, global conflicts, human trafficking, memorialization, silence as injustice, pollution, and more.

Students work on a project at the summit. Photo by Max Taylor Photography

The summit showcases the George �鶹��Ƶ college experience and equips participants with essential peacebuilding mindsets and conflict resolution skills that will serve them long after the program ends.

As one student shared, “Each workshop was so insightful and made me think differently about the world; however, my favorite was 'Dialogue Across Differences.' I was completely fascinated by the concept. Creating a safe space for different types of people from all over the world to learn how to have meaningful and civil conversations with those who may have different opinions or beliefs is such a needed and inspiring idea. It was as if I found my people and my purpose!”

The partnership between the Carter School and Shinnyo-en Foundation represents more than shared programs or events; it embodies a commitment to the belief that peace is achievable and that young people are vital to creating it.

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�鶹��Ƶ Korea partners with Incheon City to advance K-content development

Katarina Benson — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 00:42:48 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Korea partners with Incheon City to advance K-content development Katarina Benson Fri, 06/06/2025 - 20:42

�鶹��Ƶ Korea recently hosted the inaugural iDesign Seminar: K-Content in collaboration with Incheon City. The event brought together academic, government, and industry leaders to explore strategies for strengthening Korea’s cultural content sector. It was supported by Incheon Metropolitan City, Incheon Tourism Organization, Hanwha Corporation, and SM C&C.

During the seminar, �鶹��Ƶ Korea announced plans to establish a K-Content Research Center, which will provide academic and policy support for “K-con-land,” a new Korean-content hub initiative led by the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ).

K-Content Seminar panelists. Photo provided

The event opened with a congratulatory address from Joshua Park, campus dean of �鶹��Ƶ Korea. The first session, under the theme “Decode,” featured K-pop expert Gyu Tag Lee, an associate professor of global affairs at �鶹��Ƶ Korea who presented on the growth of K-content from a discourse analysis perspective.

This was followed by the “Deploy” session, which included case presentations by four industry practitioners—Bomin Seo (Incheon City), Song Jae Lee (SM C&C), Taehyun Kim (Incheon Tourism Organization), and Beom-seok Moon (Hanwha)—who shared real-world insights on policy, branding, tourism, and content innovation.

The experts shared their thoughts on the global potential of K-content, best practice case studies, and concrete policy ideas to help position Incheon as a global content hub.

In the final session, Lee moderated a panel discussion on how Incheon can drive K-content creation. �鶹��Ƶ Korea students also contributed thoughtful questions during the Q&A session, sparking further dialogue.

“The Korean Wave, or Hallyu—which refers to the globalization of K-culture and K-content—has already spanned nearly 30 years,” said Lee. “It began with the popularity of Korean dramas in Chinese-speaking regions and has since expanded to K-pop and the broader realm of Korean media and culture. Now is the time to envision the future of K-culture and K-content. This requires not only strong central government support but also regional efforts to develop K-content.”

“�鶹��Ƶ Korea has long engaged in research and education on Hallyu, the K-pop music industry, K-games, and public diplomacy, involving experts from various fields,” said Park. “The K-Content Research Center, to be launched this year, will work closely with Incheon City to develop local content discourse, advance academic research, promote programs, and nurture future talent.”

He added, “This seminar serves as a model of university-industry-government cooperation and a meaningful starting point for shaping the future of K-content. �鶹��Ƶ Korea will continue to expand research and education collaborations with domestic institutions, businesses, and universities to play a trusted role as a global gateway contributing to the development of Korea’s K-content industry.”

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Metro’s Art in Transit Program showcases George �鶹��Ƶ students' work

Colleen Rich — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 19:33:02 +0000

Metro’s Art in Transit Program showcases George �鶹��Ƶ students' work Colleen Rich Wed, 12/04/2024 - 14:33

Four students in �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) will have original animations displayed on screens in six Metro stations as part of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Art in Transit Program, beginning the first week of December 2024.

These George �鶹��Ƶ student animations will be on rotation in the Metro stations for a full year. Photo by the Art in Transit Program

These animations will be on rotation in the stations for a full year. Additionally, through a new five-year partnership with Metro, CVPA students from the School of Art and Film and Video Studies and Computer Game Design Programs, will have ongoing opportunities to participate in this innovative learning experience.

The process began in fall 2023, when School of Art Professor Gail Scott White, Film and Video Studies Adjunct Rebekah Wingert-Jabi, and Film and Video Studies Program Director Cynthia Fuchs met with Metro’s Art in Transit team to discuss how George �鶹��Ƶ students could participate in the WMATA’s digital art initiative.

“From the very first meeting, I was drawn to the Art in Transit Program’s evolving nexus of art, culture, and community,” said White. “It seemed like the perfect experiential learning opportunity for CVPA students to work through the processes of idea generation and concept development, receive individual mentorship, and to create frame-by-frame animations of their own design that would be publicly displayed, reaching Metro viewers from all walks of life.”

In spring 2024, White reached out to current CVPA students—computer game design major Valeria Hunt and art and visual technology majors Taka Hunter, Joseph Cameron Rhodes Murdock, and Jennifer Perez—about joining a pilot program, in which each would create a 20-second animation to be displayed on screens in the Crystal City, Farragut North, NoMa–Gallaudet U, Gallery Place–Chinatown, L'Enfant Plaza, and Metro Center stations. The students began working in earnest on their projects in the summer and early fall of 2024.

Here the CVPA students talk about their work:

Valeria Hunt, Man with the Suitcase

“My stop-motion cut-out animation, Man with the Suitcase, portrays moments from everyday life that many people can relate to. I used watercolors and ink, scissors and glue, found materials, facial expressions, and physical gestures to visually engage and emotionally connect with the viewer. Inspired by personal experiences and observations of social interactions, this short film encourages viewers to reflect on their own experiences of human nonverbal communications. Man with the Suitcase is about daily struggles, with a touch of humor to help us get through the day.”

Taka Hunter, Ichi Nichi

“Ichi Nichi (One Day) is a short piece made up of day-to-day moments. Animated in Clip Studio Paint, the work features a set of characters inspired by treasured experiences and people in my life. Through my art I aim to appreciate every person’s pursuit of happiness and the inherent beauty of our mundane lives. I hope that viewers can connect with elements of the work in whatever small way. If there’s anything I want to achieve with Ichi Nichi, it’s to make someone feel seen.”

Joseph Cameron Rhodes Murdock, The Magnificent Pixie Titans and the Workshop Varmint

“In this animation, the Wessel, a small creature who loves shiny objects and getting into mischief, breaks into a magic workshop and wreaks havoc. The Magnificent Pixie Titans use their magic to outfox the Wessel and restore order. My greatest joy is to create inhabitants of worlds, not just creatures that look cool but ones that have purpose. I love weird and kooky creatures, from mythology, fantasy, sci-fi, or just reality. Encouraged by my sci-fi loving mother, I grew up reading global folklore and myths. Every creature in those tales had a narrative purpose and a natural place in the worlds they inhabited—just like the Wessel and the Pixie Titans.”

Jennifer Perez, Stardust Playground

“Stardust Playground is a fantastical, loose reimagining of a childhood memory of a family trip to a swimming pool. In this animation, the pool is outer space while the characters are animals. I am played by a penguin. I chose the other three animals—the acrobatic ferret, a high energy dog, and a cat who is cool and calm—for their exquisite movements and behavioral traits. These free-spirited animal characters joyfully play in zero gravity among the stars.”

The Art in Transit Program enhances the experience of customers, communities, and the Capital region by incorporating visual and performing arts experiences into the Metrorail system and Metro facilities. With Metrorail serving nearly half a million commuters every weekday, on average, the talents of these four CVPA students will reach an exponentially increasing number of people in the region while contributing to the program’s enriching mission.

This new partnership with Metro exemplifies the kinds of connections and opportunities uniquely offered to students as part of their educational experience within CVPA. Other examples include the Murals at �鶹��Ƶ program by �鶹��Ƶ Exhibitions, which develops and manages contracts for local artists—often CVPA students and alumni—with public art opportunities in the Washington, D.C., area; the Film and Video Studies Program’s traveling showcase of student films each fall—Best of Film at �鶹��Ƶ—with free public screenings at various locations, including a recurring fall showcase during the Washington West Film Festival; and the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music’s �鶹��Ƶ Music Productions, which manages opportunities for student musicians to be hired for private and public events. Faculty and staff throughout CVPA actively explore and create hand-on experiences for students, from supporting research and scholarly activities to curating showcases of student work in local galleries and museums and hiring students as members of production teams that travel the world.

The Art in Transit Program’s Digital Art Initiative was launched in 2018 to develop partnerships with local arts organizations and institutions to facilitate the presentation of original digital artworks for Metro's digital displays at the following stations—Crystal City, Farragut North, NoMa-Gallaudet U, Gallery Place-Chinatown, L'Enfant Plaza, and Metro Center.

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Metro’s Art in Transit Program showcases George �鶹��Ƶ students' work

Valeria Hunt, Man with the Suitcase

Taka Hunter, Ichi Nichi

Joseph Cameron Rhodes Murdock, The Magnificent Pixie Titans and the Workshop Varmint

Jennifer Perez, Stardust Playground

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