Cybersecurity

Researchers from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative take on projects that expand the contributions of social scientists to cyber security challenges through funding of multidisciplinary projects.

Patricia Tran became interested in health informatics while working as a nurse. She is now pursuing a Master of Health Informatics degree at Mason, where she obtained an internship with Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) over the summer to research how 5G-enabled technology can transform telehealth care.

The Department of Health Administration and Policy partnered with Health Technology Network and Arlington Forward to create a cybersecurity event that informed attendees on the top concerns in federal, state, and private sectors as well as provided networking opportunities for local cybersecurity and healthcare professionals.

George Mason University is the most diverse and most innovative institution in Virginia according to the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report for its 2022 Best Colleges List, reflecting the university’s mission of providing access to excellence. Six programs made the top 100, including engineering, which rose 16 spots in the past year.

Illegal goods can have deadly consequences. Whether it’s a counterfeit face mask that doesn’t provide a frontline worker adequate protection from COVID-19, or a counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl (a synthetic painkiller 50-100 times more potent than morphine), millions of lives can be at risk.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers and students at George Mason University is working to stop such criminal activity. Thanks to a nearly $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)—and a $16,000 grant supplement awarded to two undergraduates on the team—they will be investigating how to disrupt illicit supply chains, influence policy, and ultimately save lives.

Cybersecurity experts from Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing are playing an important role in protecting American manufacturing automation and supply chains from cyber threats and designing better security into advanced manufacturing plants.