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Doctoral student brings teacher well-being to the front of the class with dissertation research

Sarah Holland — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:42:07 +0000

Doctoral student brings teacher well-being to the front of the class with dissertation research Sarah Holland Tue, 03/24/2026 - 11:42

Teacher well-being has been a persistent issue in education, and the COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant turning point, intensifying existing challenges and highlighting the need for greater support. A 2025 RAND report on the State of American Teachers found that teachers were more likely to report experiencing poor well-being across all indicators than their peers in other fields, with 53% reporting feeling burned out. And as teacher and administrator resignation rates remain above pre-pandemic levels, education is reaching a critical juncture.

Megan Sharkey. Photo provided.

Megan Sharkey, a doctoral student in educational psychology in the College of Education and Human Development at �鶹��Ƶ, is hoping her research on teacher well-being will give districts and divisions the insights needed to get teachers the support they need.

Prior to coming to George �鶹��Ƶ, Sharkey taught elementary, special education, and early childhood education for almost 20 years. Across public, charter, and private schools from the Bronx in New York City to New Orleans and Northern Virginia, Sharkey's experiences teaching across varied geographical settings, demographics, and school systems shaped her approach to research.

“She’s unique in that not only does she have the knowledge of where we are and where we’re headed from a research perspective, but she also has the practical, firsthand understanding of how teacher well-being implicates the lives of many educators across different settings and systems,” said Betsy Levine-Brown, associate professor of education and Sharkey’s dissertation chair.

As the COVID-19 pandemic wore on, Sharkey’s experiences teaching under increasingly challenging conditions helped narrow her research interests to teacher well-being.

“I just felt like our story [as teachers] during COVID-19 wasn’t being told,” she said. “We value education. We work hard for the best outcomes for our students and families. At times, that goes unnoticed, and I wish our world valued the work of educators more.”

Now, she’s hoping her dissertation research will help educators, administrators, and schools better understand where wellness support is needed. With funding from the American Education Research Association (AERA) Stress, Coping, and Resilience Special Interest Group (SIG), Sharkey is working with a large school division in Northern Virginia to examine teacher, school, and organizational well-being efforts with a focus on elevating teachers’ voices to better understand and address comprehensive educator well-being resources and supports.

Sharkey’s research aims to answer two main questions: how are teachers’ well-being perceptions shaped by organizational policies and supports, and in what ways do teachers explain their well-being in relation to their daily work experiences? This includes looking at district- and administrative-level supports for educators, as well as surveying and interviewing teachers to understand how they experience and interpret their well-being across personal, professional, and organizational domains. It’s an approach that allows Sharkey to look at the layers of impact, from the macro level of administration to the micro level of one-on-one teacher/student interaction.

“Administrators want to build the workforce, and they want teaching to be a sustainable career path. Turnover is hard, and turnover is expensive,” said Sharkey. “And retaining teachers begins with understanding working conditions and why teachers leave the profession.”

Sharkey noted that recent research on teacher well-being shows how it can have a big impact on school culture and student achievement. Like with any job, employee satisfaction improves workplace climate. In schools, these effects can extend into the classroom, as a more positive school climate has been associated with a range of student outcomes, including engagement, attendance, and academic performance. When teachers are supported with the conditions they need to show up as their best selves, students benefit.

“This type of research is at the intersection of scholarship, policy, and applied practice and will have a real contribution to the daily lives of education professionals and the organizational structures of our school divisions,” said Levine-Brown.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the research practice partnerships I’ve built during this process,” said Sharkey. “Through them, there’s real opportunity for this research to have direct impacts on Northern Virginia educators.”

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�鶹��Ƶ engineering professor awarded Office of Naval Research grant to launch 'NEXT' mechatronics workforce program

Martha Bushong — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:45:35 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ engineering professor awarded Office of Naval Research grant to launch 'NEXT' mechatronics workforce program Martha Bushong Fri, 03/20/2026 - 08:45

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Ningshi Yao

�鶹��Ƶ faculty member Ningshi Yao received a $750k grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to establish a hands-on mechatronics training program aimed at building the next generation of high-tech engineering technologists.

The three-year funding will support the creation of the Natural EXTension (NEXT) program. As emerging technologies like autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing continue to expand, the NEXT program will serve the national interest by providing students with rigorous, experiential learning opportunities directly aligned with defense and industry workforce needs.

Ningshi Yao. Photo provided.

"Traditional classroom learning is essential, but engineering is ultimately about building systems that work reliably in the real world," said Yao, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, director of the Control, Intelligent Autonomy, and Optimization Lab, and the sole principal investigator on the project. "With the NEXT program, we are implementing a 'flipped classroom' model. Students will review video lectures and technical instructions as their homework, allowing us to dedicate our entire class time to building and testing the mechatronic vehicles. This highly dynamic 'learning-by-doing' approach prepares students for the complex problem-solving required in today's high-tech workforce."

The program, which will welcome its pilot class in fall 2026, moves beyond standard laboratory exercises. A centerpiece of the NEXT curriculum is a high-stakes endurance mechatronics competition. Student teams will be challenged to design, build, and deploy autonomous mechatronic vehicles during a 72-hour rapid prototyping sprint, followed by a live, 90-minute competitive match on an outdoor field.

This intense environment forces participants to manage limited resources, modify hardware, program the systems on the fly, and ensure their systems can handle unpredictable real-world elements like uneven terrain and weather.

"We want to push students' engineering creativity and strategic thinking to the absolute limit," said Yao. "By bridging the gap between academic theory and rigorous physical deployment, we are ensuring our graduates are job-ready for defense and tech industry roles from day one."

George �鶹��Ƶ is already known as one of the commonwealth's largest producers of tech talent. The NEXT program will further support the university’s efforts in building Virginia’s high-tech workforce by creating a regional talent pipeline.

"Relationships between universities and industry are common, but integrating direct, hands-on challenges that mirror the complexities of defense operations makes this initiative unique," Yao added.

This project is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research under award number N00014-26-1-2153.

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George �鶹��Ƶ makes the National Academy of Inventors Top 100

ckearney — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:04:53 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ makes the National Academy of Inventors Top 100 ckearney Thu, 03/19/2026 - 14:04

�鶹��Ƶ, a university that has been recognized consistently for its innovation and entrepreneurship, has been named to the top 100 U.S. universities for patents. This spring, the National Academy of Inventors ranked George �鶹��Ƶ No. 92 on its list for patents granted during 2025.

Utility patents cover the creation of a new or improved product, process, or machine. In 2025, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued 14 utility patents to George �鶹��Ƶ inventors for methods to improve virtual reality (VR) navigation, traffic congestion, and wound healing.

Craig Yu with VP Andre Marshall. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

“This recognition from the National Academy of Inventors signals more than a ranking—it reflects George �鶹��Ƶ’s vision for how research can shape the future,” said Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact. “Each of the 14 patents granted in 2025 represents an idea with the potential to improve lives, strengthen industries, and fuel economic growth. Our place among the nation’s top 100 universities affirms our commitment to turning bold research into meaningful solutions, expanding our global impact, and creating an environment where innovation thrives and talent is drawn to make a difference.”

Scene-aware teleportation, developed by George �鶹��Ƶ researcher Craig Yu of the College of Engineering and Computing and his former doctoral student Changyang Li, PhD Computer Science ’24, gives VR users a significantly smoother navigation experience in virtual environments. The technique improves the navigation through teleportation by determining the most suitable teleport positions for the user. This invention may be used in a wide range of applications, such as gaming, virtual touring, and VR-assisted navigation of hazardous and military environments.

Brian Mark of the College of Engineering and Computing and Melvin Friedman, a retired physicist from the Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, developed a method for coordinating traffic lights and reducing traffic congestion. In 2023, Mark worked with three senior design teams on the traffic light control methodology, road geometry design, and hardware, which enables motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to make every traffic light with a suitable road geometry. This invention can eliminate or minimize traffic congestion by substantially reducing red light wait time while maximizing traffic flow.

Monique van Hoek (right) in her lab on the Science and Technology Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

George �鶹��Ƶ researchers Monique L. van Hoek and Barney M. Bishop of the College of Science were awarded an additional patent for their work with antimicrobial peptides inspired by the Komodo dragon’s natural defenses. The duo has been collaborating since 2009 to study the peptides and their activity against important bacterial pathogens. These synthetic peptides represent a breakthrough in the fight against drug-resistant infections.

Also among the patents awarded in 2025 was the GMU Dynamic Low Visibility Pneumatic Cofferdam, invented by George L. Donohue, professor emeritus and founding director of the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research at the College of Engineering and Computing, and a team of students, now alumni. The coastal resilience system designed to protect against flooding was licensed by serial entrepreneur Anthony Fung and his company Valorlox LLC earlier this year and is the first commercial product to move forward under the state’s new Lab-to-Launch initiative, marking an early milestone in the commonwealth’s push to accelerate university research into the market.

“We are incredibly proud of the innovative work coming out of George �鶹��Ƶ’s research community,” said David Grossman, senior director of technology transfer and industry collaboration. “Our role is to help move these ideas beyond the lab and into real‑world applications. By working closely with industry partners, we reaffirm our commitment to translating research into solutions that benefit society.”

The academy’s Top 100 lists are created using data provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The last time George �鶹��Ƶ made the list was in 2022. Other Virginia universities in the top 100 included University of Virginia ranked at 38 and Virginia Commonwealth University at 88.

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Online ad fraud is a feature, not a bug

Katelynn C Hipolito — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:26:46 +0000

Online ad fraud is a feature, not a bug Katelynn C Hipolito Tue, 03/17/2026 - 13:26

Technological advancements and the dynamics of the platform economy make rooting out fraud more complicated than it may seem.

With print media circulation and broadcast television viewership in free fall, a lot is riding on the online advertising space being able to take up the slack. The good news is, digital ad spend is booming: The global total for 2025 is expected to surpass $678 billion, at an annual growth rate of nearly eight percent.

The bad news? A good chunk of that money is chasing a mirage.

Online ad fraud—where ad publishers falsely inflate engagement metrics (impressions, clicks, etc.) to boost revenues—is a growing problem that eats upwards of 20 percent of global ad spend.

Min Chen. Photo provided

Min Chen and Abhishek Ray, both professors in the information systems and operations management area at Costello College of Business at �鶹��Ƶ, are researching how online ad networks, such as Google Ads, can improve upon existing anti-fraud methods. Their recently published paper in Management Science explores deep-rooted dynamics of the online ad ecosystem that make eliminating fraud even more complicated than it may seem at first glance. The paper was co-authored by Subodha Kumar of Temple University.

The researchers used a game-theoretic model to replicate the interconnected decision-making of the three players involved: advertisers, publishers, and the networks that serve as go-between.

“The way the ecosystem works is that the platforms in the middle, the ad networks, shares the benefit from the transaction,” Chen explains. “People have been arguing whether the network is incentivized to put their best efforts behind deterring fraud, since the fraudulent traffic benefits the networks too. So we tried to create a model to capture this.”

“If the advertisers rely solely on the reports from the ad networks, they may be at risk. They should use third-party tools to audit the performance better.”

—Min Chen, information systems and operations management professor at the Costello College of Business at �鶹��Ƶ

In addition, the model incorporates the two main fraud deterrents that networks routinely use. One is technological—platforms can adopt tougher standards for fraud detection, widening the scope of suspicious activity that gets flagged. The other is economic—lowering payments to all publishers so as to disincentivize large-scale fraud.

Surprisingly, the researchers find that the online ad economy works best when the two approaches seem to be working at cross-purposes. A tightening in fraud detection technology, paired with high payments for publishers, may sometimes produce the best outcomes for advertisers, publishers, and networks, as the market evolves.

The reason is rooted in the imperfect nature of fraud detection. To be sure, detection systems are improving all the time, especially with the advent of AI. But fraudsters do their best to blend in and adapt, using technological tools that often outpace those of their pursuers. “You cannot catch all the fraud, and if you try, you are going to mis-detect a lot of non-fraud,” Chen says.

Tougher fraud detection, then, will always mean more false positives, no matter how good the technology gets. To counter this inherent unfairness that penalizes good and bad actors alike, the ad network’s payment to publishers need to go up. Otherwise, publishers may take their business elsewhere—especially those most valuable to the system, i.e. those that are trustworthy— thereby decreasing the advertisers’ valuation on ad traffic.

Abhishek Ray. Photo by Jeffrey Porovich/Costello College of Business

“These ad networks are kind of a unique system where you can be monetarily rewarded for being honest, or punished for being dishonest,” Ray says. “What we discover for this system is there can be a way in which we can give carrots to people, not just sticks.”

On a similar note, the researchers find that an attempt to purge “bad apple” advertisers from the system can backfire due to false positives. In fact, fraud can sharply increase if networks, believing they have solved the problem, relax their fraud detection standards and raise incentives for the remaining advertisers. “Since the publishers who produce the fraudulent traffic are fewer now, the ad network may no longer need to maintain a strict detection policy. This can encourage the remaining ones to commit much more fraud,” Chen explains.

To Ray and Chen, online ad fraud is, in at least one sense, no different from older forms of malfeasance that are found in all free societies. “We need to have some kind of mechanism for managing the level of fraud, because the fraud detection method is never going to be perfect, whether it’s financial fraud, accounting fraud, etc.,” Chen says.

But as an example of the contemporary platform economy, the online advertising ecosystem is also distinctive, in that its de facto regulatory authority has skin in the game. The ad networks’ mixed incentives—as both beneficiaries and inhibitors of fraud—can undermine integrity and trust within an already-compromised system.

“If the advertisers rely solely on the reports from the ad networks, they may be at risk,” Chen says. “They should use third-party tools to audit the performance better.”

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George �鶹��Ƶ establishes C5I Center Korea: Leading the AI-driven defense transformation

Katarina Benson — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 20:21:45 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ establishes C5I Center Korea: Leading the AI-driven defense transformation Katarina Benson Mon, 03/16/2026 - 16:21

New C51 center will spearhead South Korea's defense AI transformation and bolster the Republic of Korea-U.S. tech alliance.

It began in 1989 with a small but ambitious research center founded by Harry L. Van Trees at �鶹��Ƶ in Fairfax, Virginia. A West Point valedictorian and former principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for C3I, Van Trees built what would become one of the most consequential defense research institutions in the United States. More than three decades later, that legacy has crossed the Pacific.

What started as the C3I Center has since evolved into a C5I powerhouse, steering mission-critical research and development (R&D) for the U.S. Department of War and NATO, including NORAD early warning systems and MILSTAR satellite programs. Now, that same expertise is being brought to bear on Korea's emerging command and control architecture.

This March, George �鶹��Ƶ's Center of Excellence in Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Cyber and Intelligence (the C5I Center) officially inaugurated the C5I Center Korea at its Songdo campus in Incheon. The expansion is more than a geographical footprint. It is a deliberate strategic alignment between the U.S. and Korea campuses, aimed at driving artificial intelligence (AI) transformation across increasingly volatile and complex modern battlefield environments.

From left, Soyoung Kwon, director of the Industry-University Collaboration Foundation at �鶹��Ƶ Korea; Insub Shin, director of C5I Center Korea; Vice Provost Janette Muir; and Dean Joshua Park. Photo provided

Paulo Costa, director of the C5I Center in Fairfax, framed it plainly: "Integrating South Korea's premier IT infrastructure with George �鶹��Ƶ's systems engineering expertise creates a transformative synergy, one poised to redefine the future of intelligent defense capabilities."

On the ground in Songdo, the director of C5I Center Korea, Insub Shin, sees the urgency firsthand. Hyper-connected intelligence, he noted, has emerged as the definitive edge in contemporary warfare, a trend underscored by recent global operations.

"C5I Center Korea is currently anchoring a robust collaborative framework across military, industrial, and academic sectors to ensure tactical needs," Shin said. "Furthermore, the center intends to establish a flexible R&D model that recognizes the evaporating boundaries between civil and military applications in AI and cyber technology.”

Janette Muir, George �鶹��Ƶ’s vice provost for academic affairs, underscored the center's significance. “The C5I Center Korea serves as a cornerstone of the ROK–U.S. defense R&D partnership,” she said. “Expanded technical collaboration with NATO and regional partners supports the university’s vision of �鶹��Ƶ Korea as a hub for impactful research and teaching in Asia, and this center positions George �鶹��Ƶ at the forefront of next-generation C5I innovation.”

The C5I Center Korea is designed to function as the "core engine" driving the practical implementation of South Korea's Defense AX. Researchers are focusing on AI-integrated command architectures and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), where physical assets and digital networks operate as a single, organic entity, ensuring disparate weapon systems achieve peak effectiveness.

By adapting the Fairfax center's proven research milestones, including multisensor data fusion and ontology-based methodologies, for the Korean security environment, the center provides substantial technical backing for major national defense programs.

The impact, however, is not confined to the battlefield. Dual-use R&D initiatives are designed to transfer military innovations, from situational awareness systems to unmanned platform controls, into the civilian sector. This could include smart city disaster management, autonomous drones, and maritime traffic control. Defense research, in this vision, becomes a catalyst for national industrial competitiveness.

To sustain this momentum, C5I Center Korea is investing in the next generation of defense leaders. An executive program tailored for military leadership and defense researchers will leverage George �鶹��Ƶ's academic rigor to cultivate the talent essential for South Korea's rise as an AI powerhouse.

Looking ahead, C5I Center Korea will make its international debut at KADEX 2026, anchoring a dedicated Defense C5I·AI Convergence Pavilion alongside a high-level international seminar, and begin propelling domestic information and computer technology and cybersecurity firms onto the global stage.

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George �鶹��Ƶ collaborating with National Park Service to examine Revolutionary War from tribal nations' perspective

Katarina Benson — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:18:12 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ collaborating with National Park Service to examine Revolutionary War from tribal nations' perspective Katarina Benson Thu, 03/12/2026 - 17:18

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, �鶹��Ƶ is collaborating with the National Park Service (NPS) to make sure the contributions of all Americans are being recognized.

Gabrielle Tayac, an associate professor in the Department of History and Art History in the College of Humanities of Social Sciences, has received a grant from NPS to lead Phase Two of Tribal Nations and the Revolutionary War, a community-driven research project that will examine the Revolutionary War and its aftermath from the perspectives of tribal nations.

Tayac serves as the principal investigator and will assist the NPS in facilitating educational and interpretive strategies that will be implemented in sites around the Mid-Atlantic region and throughout the Northeast.

Gabrielle Tayac has received a grant NPS to lead Phase Two of Tribal Nations and the Revolutionary War. Photo provided

“My hope is that it will help everyone get a sense of deep connection and relationship to the lands we live on now, to the people who are still here and maybe who are not here and wonder what happened to them,” Tayac said. “To be better caretakers of our communities and places.”

The NPS grant runs through 2027 and coincides with America’s semiquincentennial celebration. Tayac is working with fellow Department of History and Art History professors C. Joseph Genatin-Pilawa and George Oberle, BA History ’96, MA ’98, PhD ’16, who also serves as a history librarian and the director of the Center for �鶹��Ƶ Legacies (CML). Digital Humanities Librarian Alyssa Fahringer, who collaborates with Oberle in the CML, will also contribute to the project.

Tayac, who served as the inaugural curator historian at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and New York, will set up workshops in the Northeast region from the Chesapeake Bay up to Maine. These seminars will provide insight from historians, NPS park rangers, and Indigenous community scholars. Tayac and her George �鶹��Ƶ colleagues will then produce digital work for historic sites and visitor centers.

Tayac, who collaborated on the 400th anniversary of Jamestown in 2007, hopes the project and the 250th celebration will serve as a focal point to “deepen those histories so that people can see them for a long time.”

“It is really critical it is done in a way that Native communities want their stories to be told,” said Tayac, who is an enrolled citizen of the Piscataway Indian Nation. “We also know that it has to be done in a way where the American public can really understand it, relate to it, and find the information relevant and intriguing to open up those conversations.”

George �鶹��Ƶ alum and NPS regional cultural anthropologist Noel Lopez, PhD Cultural Studies ’18, serves as a tribal liaison officer for the National Capital Region. He said previous interactions with George �鶹��Ƶ, such as collaborations on ecological study units with tribal communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, have made the transition into the project easier.

“A lot of the work all of us do, whether it is anthropology or tribal liaison, a lot of it is around connections with people and connections with networks,” Lopez said. “All of this work we’re doing on both sides is relationship building. It is building trust with people.”

George �鶹��Ƶ students will also play a role. Tayac will offer training and hands-on opportunities, including through an undergraduate course, History 397 Public History in Action, which she will teach in spring 2027. Students will pull from the tribal communities’ stories and transform those into projects for museums, historic sites, a cultural center, or a website.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity for this project to not only workshop in the relationships with Native tribal community representatives but also to bring it back into �鶹��Ƶ,” Tayac said. “In real-time, my students can also have a hand in it. I think that’s really important, and it tends to make them really excited about history work, too.”

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Cross-college collaboration helps George �鶹��Ƶ dancers stay ready for the stage

Sarah Holland — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:44:40 +0000

Cross-college collaboration helps George �鶹��Ƶ dancers stay ready for the stage Sarah Holland Thu, 03/12/2026 - 13:44

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

As the athletic trainer for the George �鶹��Ƶ School of Dance, Jena Hansen-Honeycutt is one of the first to notice when something’s not quite right. So when she started seeing an influx in injuries among dance students, she approached College of Education and Human Development professor of athletic training Jatin Ambegaonkar and then-student Kelley Wiese, PhD Kinesiology ’25, hoping to find a solution.

Dancers are “aesthetic athletes,” meaning they have the high workloads and high injury rates like traditional athletes. “They dance for at least three hours a day in classroom practice alone,” said Hansen-Honeycutt. “And that doesn’t account for their extracurricular work: rehearsals, choreography, or additional practice.”

And like athletes, the dancers are also trying to balance heavy physical demands with their classes, sleep schedules, dietary needs, and social lives.

Despite this, dancers are often medically underserved.

“The blend of artistry and athleticism separates them from traditional athletes, yet they have the same physical demands often without a dedicated medical team to support them,” explained Ambegaonkar.

In exploring data collection opportunities to help answer Hansen-Honeycutt's inquiry, Wiese found that workload monitoring—common for traditional athletes—was underutilized in dance. And because fatigue is the number one self-reported cause of injury in dancers, she thought this would be the best place to start.

“We can recognize there’s a correlation between fatigue and injury, but you need data in order to make a stronger case for implementing cultural and systemic changes,” said Wiese. Wiese, a trained dancer and now an assistant professor of athletic training at Shenandoah University, worked with Ambegaonkar during her doctoral program at George �鶹��Ƶ on various studies at the intersection of kinesiology and dance.

Dancers were given wrist-worn biosensors to wear 24 hours a day for seven days. They repeated the study four times throughout the semester. “We wanted to understand the cycles of the body breaking down and recovering as workload increased and decreased throughout their semester,” explained Ambegaonkar.

Participating students were also given surveys to provide subjective perceptions of their workload, sleep habits, and energy levels.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Reviewing the data, Wiese found that at peak times throughout the semester, students were spending more than seven hours a day completing moderate to vigorous physical activity between class, rehearsals, practice, and choreographing. As a result, energy levels decreased and fatigue increased, indicating a need for integrated recovery times and programs.

Another key finding from this study was the dissonance between students’ perceived sleep and the biosensor data. While students self-reported great and sufficient sleep, the biosensors reported insufficient sleep.

“Over time, insufficient sleep can lead to difficulty recovering and therefore higher rates of injury,” said Wiese. “Particularly when they’re already struggling to recover.”

As a result, the research team worked together to develop what Ambegaonkar calls “micro-interventions” through improved sleep health education programs to help students become aware of the issue and develop better sleep habits. Hansen-Honeycutt has created sleep health resources for students around the impacts of good sleep on their academic and physical performance and is working with the faculty to incorporate this messaging into their classrooms.

“It’s so important to have this collaborative, teamwork approach with dance faculty, because they’re setting the culture in their program or in their studio. They will be the ones imparting these changes,” said Wiese.

“This study proved to me that us dance majors are extremely active, more than I often realize!” said senior dance major Sanaa Fairley. “I learned that I could develop a much more consistent sleep schedule to set up my space and therefore my mind, in a healthy way each day to prepare for rest.” Fairley has implemented other recovery techniques, such as cold showers, into her routine as well because of the study.

Senior dance major T’aja Williams also reported improved sleep hygiene through a consistent bedtime, as well as making her more aware of how academic, socio-emotional, and physical activities impact her schedule and technology use. “This study allowed me to see where potential pockets of homework, rest, social media engagement, and phone calls can take place and making active decisions regarding where and when is healthiest for each activity,” she said.

Building good habits now will help George �鶹��Ƶ dance students have long and fulfilling careers in dance. And Ambegaonkar and Wiese think this study might help pave the way for further research into the physical demands and impacts of dance.

“I think George �鶹��Ƶ is a pioneer in the field of dance medicine,” said Ambegaonkar. “We’re broadening the scope of what kinesiology is in the public health domain and what it can do in the public health domain.”

Jena Hansen-Honeycutt (top left), Kelley Wiese (top center), and Jatin Ambegaonkar (top left) with dance students. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

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George �鶹��Ƶ researchers put firefighter fitness to the test

Katarina Benson — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:25:07 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ researchers put firefighter fitness to the test Katarina Benson Thu, 03/12/2026 - 12:25

With a new grant from Prince William County, �鶹��Ƶ kinesiology professor Joel Martin is leading a comprehensive yearlong study to uncover whether the Fire and Rescue Department’s Work Performance Exam (WPE) truly mirrors the grueling realities of firefighting. By tracking everything from metabolic strain to air consumption, the project aims to refine the test and strengthen the scientific foundation behind firefighter readiness standards.

The WPE is an occupational test to evaluate the fitness of an individual to the level required in firefighting. These functions include donning and securing a complete set of personal protective equipment; carrying, lifting, and extending a ladder; forcibly entering a structure with a sledgehammer; moving and lifting heavy loads from one location to another; and performing other essential occupational tasks in firefighting.

Firefighting tasks will be re-evaluated with the WPE study. Photo provided

The goal of the study is to determine whether the WPE accurately reflects the demands of real-world firefighting. Martin’s team also wants to see if they can predict the aerobic capacity of firefighters performing each task. They will generate evidence-based recommendations to refine the WPE while preserving its operational authenticity.

“We hope to support firefighter health and ensure that fitness standards are scientifically defensible and aligned with job demands,” said Martin, an associate professor in the Kinesiology Program of George �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Education and Human Development.

The WPE’s tasks are administered in a certain order and must be completed within specific time limits. These requirements were adopted as part of a previous validation based on interviews, conducted by a third-party research group, and an assessment of their test performance to determine acceptable time limits.

Martin’s project will expand on this work and evaluate the intensity of the physiological and metabolic requirements involved in performing each task to determine if the test accurately reflects demands.

Joel Martin leads the study. Photo provided

“While physical fitness does play a major factor in the time it takes to complete the test, it is not a physical fitness test per se,” Martin said. “There is a skill component to performing many of the tasks on the WPE.”

Also, while performing the WPE, firefighters are in full firefighting gear and breathing through a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), a specialized respirator worn in hazardous environments. “This adds additional challenges,” he said.

Approximately 100 medically cleared career firefighters will participate in the project, during which they will complete the tasks of the WPE and undergo laboratory-based fitness testing. These include calculating VO2max (amount of oxygen consumed), and strength and power assessments. During the administration of the test, wearable technology will be used to quantify the physiological responses of the firefighters, such as heart rate and estimated metabolic demand. In addition, VO2max levels will be assessed based on the amount of air firefighters consume wearing their SCBA.

The project team is also exploring a metric called “work efficiency,” which is computed based on the time needed to complete the WPE and how much air is consumed from the SCBA. Martin says this will provide further insight as to how capable firefighters are at their occupational duties.

“Understanding the overall levels of physical fitness that support safe and effective performance of firefighter tasks is essential,” Martin said. “Often the role of physical fitness components is studied from the perspective of individual fitness components. We are taking a more holistic approach in terms of considering all components of fitness in our analyses.”

Funding for this project is supporting the participation of Ramsey Zaytoun, a graduate student working with Martin who is pursuing a master of science in kinesiology through George �鶹��Ƶ’s accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program. Zaytoun will be using the data collected in this project as part of his MS thesis.

“This experience really helped me grow because it gave me hands-on exposure to the entire research process,” said Zaytoun.

This project will build upon the university’s prior collaborations with PWC Fire and Rescue and facilitate the implementation of an embedded research model in the future to support firefighter health and safety.

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Tip Sheet: How proper nutrition fuels hoop dreams during March Madness

Taylor Thomas — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:56:15 +0000

Tip Sheet: How proper nutrition fuels hoop dreams during March Madness Taylor Thomas Thu, 03/12/2026 - 09:56

Sports enthusiasts are gearing up for the largest college basketball tournament in the nation: March Madness. As fans finalize their brackets and get gameday snacks ready, athletes are also fueling for prolonged and fast-paced competition. Registered sports dietitian Allison McKay and �鶹��Ƶ Athletics sports dietitian Quinten Patterson, who is also the preceptor for dietetics students completing supervised practice hours in the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, explain what keeps college basketball players energized through the final buzzer.

Allison McKay (left) and Quentin Patterson (right) share professional perspective into collegiate athletes' nutritional needs. Photo by Mary Cunningham.

For fans’ March Madness watch party menus, Patterson and McKay recommend a balanced blend of carbs, proteins, healthy fats, and plant-based foods. Nuts, fruits, vegetables, and chips and dips are great snacks to help you cheer your favorite team through to the finals.

But how can student athletes fuel their Sweet 16 dreams? Learn more from Patterson and McKay about how nutrition impacts college athletes:

How does nutrition support student-athletes' demanding schedules?

Patterson: Between classes, travel, training, and competition, student-athletes’ busy schedules burn a lot of calories, up to over 4,000 calories in a single day. Enjoying nutrient-dense snacks sourced from whole foods helps give our athletes the bump in energy to get through their busy day. Nuts, fruits, yogurt, and granola are a few examples of whole foods that are delicious, nutrient-dense, and easy to carry around.

What role do nutrition and rest play during long tournaments like March Madness?

McKay: Athletes experience both mental and physical stress during prolonged competitions and tournaments, so sleep, rest, and proper nutrition are critical elements. Not having enough energy during these times can increase possible irritability, anxiety, and can reduce concentration, which can increase the risk of injury. Recovery and nutrition can support resilience and help athletes perform their best in repeated efforts, like March Madness.

What do college basketball players eat on game day to maximize energy and focus?

Patterson: Game day meals have three main components: High-quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, and nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Players start their game day with a balanced breakfast in the morning and a pre-game meal a couple of hours before game time. It’s important to avoid fried or other high-fat foods in the hours before tip-off. These foods take a while to digest and can slow down our players on the court.

How can athletes reduce the stress of high-stakes tournaments and games?

McKay: Ensuring adequate fueling, especially carbohydrates, can help reduce stress during heavy training or competitions. Micronutrients such as magnesium, iron (if deficient), zinc, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and B vitamins can support the muscles and nervous system. Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in foods like salmon and chia seeds, can reduce inflammation and support joint health. Student athletes can require up to two or three times more protein than the average person. Most people need between 0.36 - 0.45 grams of protein per pound of body weight. However, collegiate athletes typically need almost double that—between 0.54 - 0.91 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

How do nutrition needs change when teams play multiple games in a short time span, like the March Madness Tournament?

Patterson: Nutrient timing is important to ensure athletes are ready to go for the next round. Players’ bodies respond better to ingested carbohydrates and proteins in the couple of hours after the game to shuttle those nutrients to their proper places. Post-game meals look similar to pre-game meals in that they are full of high-quality proteins and complex carbohydrates. Healthy fats are a great inclusion here to top off energy stores.

What foods help athletes stay focused during high-pressure games?

McKay: Mental acuity in athletes starts with stable blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates are critical for focus and quick decision-making, as the brain relies heavily on glucose for fuel. Before a high-pressure game, eating easily digestible carbohydrates, like oatmeal, rice, pasta, toast, a bagel, yogurt, or even a smoothie can help to ensure a constant energy source for the competition. During a prolonged event, the athlete may need to have additional carbohydrates from sports drinks or gels to sustain energy levels and prevent fatigue.

How important is hydration during March Madness?

McKay: Ensuring proper hydration is highly important. Even a mild level of dehydration can negatively impact concentration and performance. Starting the game fully hydrated is necessary, and replenishing fluid and electrolytes lost through sweat can make all the difference.

MEDIA INQUIRIES: For reporters who wish to speak to Allison McKay or Quentin Patterson about collegiate athlete nutrition or sports dietetics, please email media contact Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu.

Allison McKay, MS, RDN, CSSD, has been a registered dietitian for more than 25 years and has experience providing nutrition education and Medical Nutrition Therapy in hospitals, long-term care facilities and has been a research dietitian in several longitudinal research studies. Prior to working at George �鶹��Ƶ, she worked at the Cancer Research Center at the University of Hawaii and was a consulting dietitian with Dietitian Consulting Services LLC in Seattle, Washington. She holds an MS in Exercise, Fitness and Health Promotion from �鶹��Ƶ and is a Board-Certified Sports Dietitian.

Quinten Patterson is the George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics Sports Dietitian. Patterson's experience in sports nutrition includes serving as a Seasonal Sports Dietitian for the Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls, during the 2024 season, as well as assisting NCAA athletes prepare for the NFL combine with EXOS Sports Performance Center in Plano, Texas. Prior to joining George �鶹��Ƶ, Patterson was a registered dietitian at VIDA Fitness, where he provided nutrition counseling and support to clients as part of the organization's health and wellness initiatives. Patterson joined George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics in February 2026 and will serve as preceptor for dietetics students completing supervised practice hours in the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics.

Patterson previously served as a Renal Dietitian with DaVita, focusing on patient-centered care in a dialysis clinic environment. He also worked as a Clinical Dietitian with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, supporting psychiatric patient care. Early in his career, Patterson held a role at UT Southwestern Medical Center as a Research Assistant, contributing to biomedical and clinical research efforts in developmental nephrology.

�鶹��Ƶ �鶹��Ƶ

�鶹��Ƶ is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., �鶹��Ƶ enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. �鶹��Ƶ has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched �鶹��Ƶ Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.

�鶹��Ƶ College of Public Health at �鶹��Ƶ

The College of Public Health at �鶹��Ƶ is the first College of Public Health in Virginia and a national leader in inclusive, interprofessional, public health research, education, and practice. The college comprises public health disciplines, health administration and policy, informatics, nursing, nutrition, and social work. The college offers a distinct array of degrees to support research and training of professionals dedicated to ensuring health and well-being for all. The college’s transdisciplinary research seeks to understand the many factors that influence the public’s health and well-being throughout the lifespan.

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Allison McKay MS, RD, CSSD

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Nutrition and March Madness for athletes and fans

Learn more about how College of Public Health and the Athletics Department are partnering to support George �鶹��Ƶ athletes.

Key Takeaways:

Sports dietitians Quentin Patterson and Allison McKay answer what college basketball players need to succeed in strenuous competitions like the March Madness tournament.
Collegiate athletes require a balanced and energy-dense diet, as well as adequate rest and hydration, to support them through schedules packed with classes, travel, training, and competition.
Foods like nuts, fruits, yogurt, oatmeal, rice, pasta, toast, and smoothies help athletes maintain the energy needed to compete in back-to-back competitions.

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CONTRA: Schar School Announces New Center Focusing on Transnational Crime, Corruption, and the Networks That Sustain Them

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:49:49 +0000

CONTRA: Schar School Announces New Center Focusing on Transnational Crime, Corruption, and the Networks That Sustain Them Andrew J Schappert Mon, 03/09/2026 - 14:49

In This Story

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

Janine R. Wedel

Naoru Koizumi

Louise I. Shelley

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Learn more about the Schar School

The Schar School of Policy and Government at �鶹��Ƶ announces the launch of the Corruption, Networks, and Transnational Crime Research Center—CONTRA—a research hub dedicated to advancing the study of one of today’s most urgent global challenges—transnational crime.

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera

Building on the Schar School’s longstanding strengths, CONTRA brings together the faculty’s broad, interdisciplinary, and highly regarded expertise to investigate the complex dynamics of transnational crime and its far-reaching impacts on global order.

CONTRA’s cutting-edge scholarship underscores the Schar School’s role as a leader in the study of transnational crime. Led by codirectors Professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Professor and Omer L. and Nancy Hirst Endowed Chair Naoru Koizumi, and Distinguished University Professor Janine Wedel, the center draws on each of their landmark contributions to their fields:

Wedel’s seminal analyses of corruption and informal power networks reveal how elites operate across blurred public–private boundaries, reshaping governance and accountability worldwide.
Koizumi’s highly innovative quantitative methods and network modeling approaches illuminate illicit organ trafficking and other hidden economies, offering powerful and practical tools to understand and disrupt criminal markets.
Correa-Cabrera’s research on migration, borderlands, networks, and criminal organizations has significantly advanced understanding of the intersections between human smuggling, organized crime, and state power.

Naoru Koizumi

Together, their pathbreaking scholarship pushes the boundaries of how transnational crime can be understood and studied, combining deep empirical insights with sophisticated and diverse methodological approaches.

The team leads a seasoned staff of researchers and academics who are well-regarded in their respective fields and bring their knowledge and expertise to George �鶹��Ƶ classrooms.

“CONTRA presents a great opportunity to nurture cutting-edge scholarship on topics of crucial import to the future of democracy and security,” said Wedel, a pioneer of applying anthropological insights to corruption.

“This is such a great opportunity to contribute to the study of different forms of transnational crime and illicit networks from an interdisciplinary perspective and using complex methodologies in the areas of data analysis and machine learning,” said Correa-Cabrera, an internationally recognized expert on immigration and border security. “Working with Janine and Naoru, this will be possible.”

Janine Wedel

For her part, Koizumi is looking forward to “learning from each other, collaborating with more faculty, and furthering this important area of international security research.”

CONTRA builds on the storied legacy of the Schar School’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime, and Corruption Center (TraCCC) founded by Louise I. Shelley, now Distinguished University Professor Emerita, as the first academic center in the United States devoted to exploring the links among terrorism, transnational crime, and corruption. TraCCC’s trailblazing work in research, policy engagement, and training provides the strong foundation on which CONTRA now stands.

The center will launch its public programming with “From Cartels to Combatants: The Intense Militarization of America’s Drug War” on Monday, March 23, from 1 to 6 p.m. at FUSE 1311 at �鶹��Ƶ Square. The conference will examine the impacts of the designation of transnational criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and assess the legal, diplomatic, operational, and strategic consequences of that shift.

The event is free and open to the public; registration is required. For questions, contact contra@gmu.edu.

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Tip Sheet: How proper nutrition fuels hoop dreams during March Madness

How does nutrition support student-athletes' demanding schedules?

What role do nutrition and rest play during long tournaments like March Madness?

What do college basketball players eat on game day to maximize energy and focus?

How can athletes reduce the stress of high-stakes tournaments and games?

How do nutrition needs change when teams play multiple games in a short time span, like the March Madness Tournament?

What foods help athletes stay focused during high-pressure games?

How important is hydration during March Madness?

In This Story

Nutrition and March Madness for athletes and fans

Key Takeaways:

Topics

CONTRA: Schar School Announces New Center Focusing on Transnational Crime, Corruption, and the Networks That Sustain Them

In This Story

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