Access to Excellence Podcast

AI is a clinician’s newest diagnostic partner

Depending who you talk to, AI – artificial intelligence – is either the cutting edge of technology that can usher in a golden age of efficiency, precision, and capability that will allow humans to shake off the shackles of drudgery and guesswork, or it’s a resources-devouring shadow that’s going to strip us of our humanity, creativity, and connectedness.  

On today’s episode of Access to Excellence, College of Public Health professor of health informatics Farrokh Alemi joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the unique juncture of health care, industrial engineering, and now, artificial intelligence; specifically, what AI can do for educators and clinicians.  

The future classroom: Teaching and learning in age of AI

As society navigates rapid technological advancement and escalating challenges at home and abroad, it’s up to our educators to prepare students to meet the evolving needs of the state, the nation, and the world. We call this Advancing 21st Century Education for All: one of the key pillars of our Grand Challenge Initiative. 

On today’s episode of Access to Excellence, Ingrid Guerra-López, dean of George Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the future of education in a rapidly changing world and why the irreplaceable human elements of teaching  will define the profession's future even as technology transforms it.  

Behind the scenes of "A House of Dynamite"

The White House’s Situation Room is one of those real-life places that, because it plays such a key role in historic moments but is so rarely seen by outsiders, takes on an outsized air of mystery. And while it’s recently captured the public’s imagination again, thanks to the Netflix film A House of Dynamite, the Situation Room is just one point in a complex web of government security and intelligence operations.   

On this episode of Access to Excellence, President Gregory Washington is joined by Larry Pfeiffer—director of George Mason University's Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security, and expert consultant for A House of Dynamite—to discuss his experiences in the Situation Room: both in the White House and on the sound stage.   

Serving those who serve: A deployment of education and research

George Mason University proudly proclaims that we are All Together, Different. We are a school where non-traditional students are traditional students. And though they face unique challenges, these students bring important perspectives and experiences to our classrooms. Nowhere is this clearer than with our population of students connected to the military.  

On this episode of Access to Excellence, Senior Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Psychology Keith Renshaw joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the role George Mason plays in providing service members, veterans, and their families the means to find community, purpose, and fulfillment beyond their military service.  

The modern grid: the intersection of energy and the environment

“Infrastructure” is one of those words that can mean a lot of different things to different people. At George Mason, we’re focused on infrastructure in terms of sustainability – how can we help innovate new systems for the world’s infrastructure that will be resilient and flexible enough to support a changing world.  

On this episode of Access to Excellence, President Gregory Washington is joined by two guests working at the intersection of innovation and sustainability to develop George Mason’s capabilities as a living laboratory for students, faculty, and staff to find solutions to our grand challenges: Liling Huang, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing and the Dominion Energy Faculty Fellow in Power and Energy Systems, and Leah Nichols, executive director of the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) in the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact.    

Are Earth's oceans suffocating?

Oceans cover 71% of our Earth. Formed over 3.8 billion years ago, these vast depths could hold some of the answers to our questions about Earth’s long and mysterious history, as well as offer predictions for the future of our planet. And the key might be found in, of all places, rocks.   

On this episode of Access to Excellence, President Washington speaks with Geoffrey Gilleaudeau, associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences Department in the College of Science, about the past, present, and future of Earth’s oceans according to the physical and chemical characteristics of sedimentary rocks. 

Best of Access to Excellence

For this special "Best Of" episode, we've compiled some of our most thought-provoking and compelling conversations between President Washington and our accomplished faculty. We'll revisit discussions that are more relevant than ever—from the vast mysteries of the cosmos to the hidden power of coffee grounds—to see how George Mason is blazing a path of innovation to develop bold solutions for our world's grand challenges. 

A Small Cup with Big Impact in the Fight Against Lyme Disease

One small bite from a deer tick can lead to debilitating symptoms and a lifelong battle with Lyme disease. At George Mason University, researchers are developing innovative diagnostic technologies that are changing the landscape of Lyme disease detection. In this episode of the Access to Excellence podcast, George Mason President Gregory Washington speaks with Alessandra Luchini, professor in the School of Systems Biology in the College of Science, about the development of cancer and Lyme disease detection technologies, and the importance of international collaboration in scientific progress.  

A Future We Want: One Grand Challenge. Six Grand Solutions

Drawing on our roots as the university that overcame adversity to become the nation’s youngest-ever R1 institution—and one whose sponsored research funding has grown 64 percent since 2020—George Mason University is launching a university-wide strategy to sharpen our focus on humanity’s most pressing issues while maximizing our competitiveness for external research funding: the Grand Challenge Initiative. For this episode of Access to Excellence, Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact at George Mason, joins President Gregory Washington to discuss this new initiative and how it will shape the future of our university.  

Building community and conversation through the arts

George Mason has a long history of supporting the arts on campus and in the community. With seven academic programs, seven galleries, six community arts programs, two major venues, and the digital venue Mason Arts Amplified, Mason Arts continues to create a thriving artistic community right here in Northern Virginia. 

On this episode of Access to Excellence, President Gregory Washington is joined by Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason and the executive director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center. An accomplished director, author, professor, and George Mason baseball cap collector, Davis and President Washington discuss the history of the arts at George Mason, and the critical role the arts play in creating and maintain community.