School Establishes Exchange Program with Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
In fall 2015, the Universidad Carlos III(UC3) de Madrid sent its first exchange students to the Department of Bioengineering at George Mason University. Collaborations between UC3, the Mason Global Center, assistant professor Vasiliki Ikonomidou, and former bioengineeringacademic advisor Anya Sailey were established in February 2015. Within a short time, a transferrable curriculum was set up to match the needs of both institutions.
The exchange programs with UC3 not only offers bioengineering students a unique cultural opportuity to spend a semester or whole year abroad while seamlessly integrating with their study plan, it also offers an improtant educational opportunity. Bioengineering is a very wide subject, making it difficult, if not impossible, for a single department to cover all aspects of it. By combining the offerings of both universities, students from both sides have a wider range of choices to pursue the parts of bioengineering they are most interested in. Learn more about the program with UC3
Future Engineers Fix Equipment in Guatemalan Hospitals
The Roosevelt and San Juan de Dios Hospitals in Guatemala have no shortage of medical equipment. What the hospitals need is qualified people who can repair or maintain it.
To help, five George Mason University College of Engineering and Computing students partnered with Engineering World Health to offer assistance. The team spent three weeks at Guatemalan hospitals repairing donated medical devices and supplies.
Some were as simple as an electric fan; others were as complicated as an autoclave. The team made Antigua its home for the month, dividing accommodations between two large homestays on the edge of town. In the first week, the students jumped into intensive Spanish lessons and work at the hospitals. Read more about the Guatemala project
CEIE Hosts Nine Foreign Students for Summer Research
CEIE launched its scaled-up Summer Research for Foreign University Students program in July 2014. Nine civil engineering students from targeted universities in China, Italy, Pakistan, Taiwan and Turkey were selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 50 applicants for the three week summer program. Students conducted research joining existing research teams in the department to determine their interest in and fit with graduate studies and research in civil engineering at Mason starting. Student interests and skills were matched beforehand with research opportunities, which included research on 3D printing of structures; on travel demand modelling and traffic management using GPS; on residual strength of soil; and on modeling sustainable watersheds. CEIE faculty were impressed with the students' civil engineering backgrounds, with their ability to adapt to their new environment, and their focused, hard work to contribute meaningfully in such a short period. Read more about the exchange student program
Mason Team Helps Maijuna with Clean Water Project in the Peruvian Amazon
An interdisciplinary group of nine members of the George Mason University community traveled deep into the Amazon rainforest to work with the Maijuna indigenous village of Sucusari, a remote and heavily forested area in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon. The team, led by New Century College (now the School for Integrative Studies) professor Michael Gilmore and included four undergraduate students, one graduate student and three alums. For the past few years, they have worked with the Maijuna to bring clean water as well as hygiene and sanitation education to the community. The project, Amazon WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene), focuses on the design and implementation of sustainable community-based development projects that are culturally sensitive and ethically responsible. Read more about the Peru project
Off to Nicaragua
The college's Engineers for International Development (EfID) chapter has been awarded a travel grant from the GMU Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research. EfID's members have worked on a water supply and distribution project in the community of Sabana Grande located in Estili, Nicaragua. On previous trips, they installed a water pump and pressure switch control powered by a solar array of three solar panels, a water distribution system consisting of 1,500 feet of PVC pipelines, a pressure tank, several isolation valves, security fencing, and six water stations throughout the community. Read more about the Nicaragua project