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Jessye Gassel has always been fascinated with spinning bodies. Gassel found herself looking forward to her high school physics class every day and knew, by junior year, that she would pursue it in college. A senior-year astronomy class honed that direction toward astrophysics.

At the end of January, three ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ students presented their research at the Network for Undergraduate Research in Virginia (NURVa) Undergraduate Research Showcase at the Capitol in Richmond. Now in its second year, the event gives undergraduates from each of NURVa’s 13 member universities an opportunity to present their research to state legislators and fellow researchers alike. Students worked with faculty through George Mason’s Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) to refine their work and apply to the selective event.

George Mason doctoral student Caroline Toth looks at how adolescents’ social media use is associated with the structure of their in-person friendship networks. Her research shows that friendships were more likely among youth with similar levels of problematic social media use and digital status seeking.

With new evidence from home service workers, ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ researchers found that paid sick leave can function as a public health intervention.

George Mason researchers are leading a Department of Energy–funded project to make AI more energy-efficient and private by using brain-inspired computing and novel spintronic devices.

In partnership with Children’s National Hospital, ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ scientists have discovered a new way to detect early signs of kidney damage in childhood patients with Sickle Cell Disease. Atwo-year $200,000 grant from the Commonwealth Health Research Board will support this work.

Wildfires are notoriously difficult to predict. One George Mason professor is hoping to change that.

Researchers are attempting to 3D print inexpensive prosthetic lower limbs for children, allowing them to run and play with their friends.

¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ will establish Virginia’s first grid-interactive AI data center research lab, addressing emerging challenges at the intersection of data centers and the power grid. The lab will advance clean energy integration, grid resilience, and sustainable data center operations while preparing the next generation of digital infrastructure professionals.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ research team $2.1 million to create a nanosensor and imaging technique that could revolutionize the study of seizures.

A study published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences validates a decades-old hypothesis by Nobel laureate Francis Crick, with key computational work performed by researchers at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ.

The third in a three-part series about George Mason's participation in the CCI NoVa Node. This entry is on research.