Now that the diplomas are in hand and summer courses are kicking in, we have a few minutes to catch up on a recent events that ended the spring semester at the Schar School of Policy and Government. All photos by Abigail Danfora (MA Biodefense ’24).
During an early evening ceremony on the increasingly popular Mason Square plaza in Arlington, 10 Schar School students were inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the esteemed global honor society for public affairs and administration. The presentation featured remarks by professor James N. Burroughs, third from right in the back row, who directs the Master of Public Administration cohort partnership with regional governments.
For decades, Jonna Mendez, second from right, lived undercover around the world as an asset of the CIA and later became chief of disguise. As technical operations officer, she created disguises, tactics, and covert equipment—think spy cameras—for other operatives who often were stationed in hostile environments. She took the Van Metre Auditorium stage for a conversation with David Priess, former CIA officer and intelligence briefer for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, about her new book, In True Face. You can see the recording of the conversation on this page at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security website. From left, Schar School Dean Mark J. Rozell, Priess, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, Mendez, and Hayden Center Director Larry Pfeiffer.
In late April, the Schar School cohosted the NCAC-USAEE 27th annual Conference Ensuring Reliability: The Right Energy in the Right Places at the Right Times. The daylong seminar presented experts from various fields who examined the potential supply-demand gaps across energy systems around the world. George Mason University College of Engineering and Computing associate professor Liling Huang delivered information about the university’s Smart Grid Lab workstations, a state-of-the-art facility that provides hands-on experience to students and practitioners in the field of power engineering.
