A Future We Want: One Grand Challenge, Six Grand Solutions
George Mason University has launched its Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI), a comprehensive research framework backed by an initial five-year, $15 million investment. The initiative aligns university resources, faculty expertise, and educational programs around six interconnected solution areas addressing what George Mason President Gregory Washington describes as “humanity’s ultimate grand challenge”—securing a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous future.
At Mason
- November 10, 2025
- September 29, 2025
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- August 6, 2025
- July 15, 2025
In 1979, George Mason University acquired a building in Arlington’s Virginia Square that was once a Kann’s department store. George Mason began offering classes at the new Metro Campus in 1981. As the university expanded, the campus’s name changed to Arlington Campus and then Mason Square. In 2021, the former department store, or Original Building as it became known, was demolished to make room for Fuse, a collaborative innovation hub for faculty, students, and industry leaders.
Profiles
- November 10, 2025
- October 10, 2025
- August 21, 2025
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Inquiring Minds
- July 28, 2025
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- June 10, 2025
- June 6, 2025
- May 22, 2025
The Pixel Cube in the Imaging and Vision Lab at Mason Square comprises 90 LED panels arranged in a cube. The system allows for panoramic simulations and is perfect for applications in virtual production, such as driving simulators.
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Mason Spirit is published three times a year by the Office of University Branding and the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations. Our print edition includes features such as class notes, faculty and alumni publications, letters to the editor, and more. Print copies are mailed to alumni, donors, and other friends of the university. If you have any questions about the magazine, please email us.