URSP Student Richard Peyton Researches Injuries among early adolescents in Oman

The world’s population is living longer than ever before. Because of that, ensuring the health of our youngest populations is vital. If we can guarantee that a country’s population is healthy while young, they will be able to enjoy a more fulfilling life as they age. The Middle East is rife with conflict, and as such ensuring the health of their young is imperative to building a safer Middle East for tomorrow. Studying injuries in Oman will allow me to correlate data from a high income country, and through future research, investigate whether interventions used can be applied to low- and middle- income countries in the Middle East. This area shares a rich and storied past. Most of the countries in this area share very similar social and spiritual backgrounds, which could allow for easy policy application across the region.

Working on health issues in the Middle East presents particular challenges because of access. Without the ability to reach certain populations, it is necessary to sample similar populations and use the data for research. My long-term goal is to work in maternal and child health, concentrating on issues in the Middle East. Because of the lack of information available, I will need to correlate information for related communities to supplement my research. Having the opportunity from George Mason to do intensive research has helped me understand the intricacies of data analysis.

My research entails poring over data collected through the Global School-based student health survey (GSHS). Using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), I re-coded the collected data and ran statistical models in an effort to analyze and discover trends. Through this research, I have been able to carefully represent how the youth of Oman understand and discuss injures. Over the past week, I was able to finish coding all of my data and began creating tables that represent a story of how, why, and when young people in Oman are injured. Initially, my plan was to solely investigate whether students were injured and whether those injuries were caused by certain at-risk behaviors. However, after further analysis, I realized that there was a better story to tell. Through looking at the student’s exposure to certain behaviors, I found a way to figure out the likelihood of a student’s chance of being injured, if other behaviors presented.

URSP Student Justin Kurz Uses Graphite Nanomaterials as Concrete Reinforcing

My OSCAR research is the result of my continued involvement with Concrete Canoe at GMU. Concrete Canoe is a design, build, and race competition hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers in which groups of students have to design, engineer, build, and race a canoe made out of concrete that can hold up to 4 people at a time. While researching possible additives to make our canoe lighter and stronger I came across some research suggesting that the addition of carbon nanomaterials would be an effective way to reduce weight while increasing the tensile strength of the concrete. My goal is to find a way to reap the potential benefits of these high tech materials in a concrete mix that doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment.

I have worked around concrete for the better part of the last 7 years, working for a contractor in DC helping to build a tunnel at Dulles Airport, offices, apartments, and most recently the newest Smithsonian Museum. Since becoming involved in the industry I have always been amazed at the versatility concrete has despite being one of the oldest known building materials. Through doing research with OSCAR I have gained a lot of insight into the relationships between the constituent elements of concrete which has made me a much better informed engineer. My research will not only benefit me but the data I am gathering now in the lab on concrete mix design will also benefit George Mason’s Concrete Canoe Team for years to come.

Because there is no materials science lab for concrete at GMU I conduct my research at the ABET certified lab of Vulcan Ready Mix Materials in Springfield, VA. I visit there once a week and bring a small group of civil engineering students with me to learn about mix design. We develop small batches of concrete to be cured and tested. Having the opportunity to work in Vulcan’s lab has also benefited me professionally by seeing what goes on behind the scenes when a commercial concrete mix is being developed. Currently, my mentors at Vulcan, Teck Chua and Sean Murnane, are working on designing all of the concrete which is being poured on the second phase of Metro’s Silver Line extension.

URSP Student Lindsey Cundra Researches Summer Residential Governor’s School Curriculum Development

My current project encompasses the design, curriculum and syllabus of a summer research experience for high school juniors and seniors at George Mason University. The summer program focuses on bacteriophage evolution in soil environments in response to climate change. The project is part of a large collaboration with my undergraduate colleague Caroline Benzel and mentor Dr. James Schwebach. Dr. Schwebach taught a similar curriculum, called the Phagefinders program, at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM). Caroline Benzel is focusing on designing a George Mason course to be integrated with the high school experience I am outlining.

Although I am currently seeking a concentration in microbiology, I did not take the course until the spring of my senior year. I quickly discovered my powerful fascination of the subject– everything from epidemiology to virology to immunology was enthralling to me.  Luckily, my undergraduate collaborator Caroline introduced me to Dr. Schwebach, who received his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology. Once I understood his ideas to continue the Phagefinders program at George Mason University, I knew I had to be a part of it. As an aspiring physician, this project is not only important to me because it provides invaluable mentorship and research opportunities to high school and college students, but it also expands our knowledge of phage evolution, which can be applied to countless trajectories in medicine (phage therapy, biotechnology and microbiome research to name a few).

On a weekly basis, I spend the majority of my time reading and reviewing countless journal articles related to phage ecology, phage evolution, evolutionary biology and phagefinder program conclusions. I prioritize the rest of my time to writing summary reviews, outlining my curriculum, brainstorming with my mentor and emailing my collaborators. Although I spend most of my time keeping up to date on the latest research, it always amazes me that I run across something new every day. Just this week, I discovered how viral metagenomics was used to identify phage in our gut microbiome, a new frontier in personalized medicine.

URSP Student Miranda Carver Researches Parent Affiliation and Involvement with D.C. Public Charter Schools

Over the past week, I have traveled to Washington, D.C. on three separate trips; once to attend a PTA meeting for parents of a D.C. public charter school, once to interview one of those parents, and once to observe a school event. On trips like these, I take field notes on moments and interactions that catch my attention. During my metro and bus transit home, I reflect on what this data might reveal about, for instance, negotiations of social roles among school community members, conceptualizations of commonly used or important terms, and logistical aspects of being a part of the school community. These activities are largely what comprise the data collection phase of a case study I am conducting with my research partner Beverly Auman on parent affiliation and involvement with Washington, D.C. public charter schools.

I have been interested in education since before I came to George Mason and began studying anthropology. As I delved deeper into my major coursework, I realized that 1) there is more than one way to study education; and 2) what I want to pursue long-term is applied anthropology, or using anthropological theories and methods to generate solutions to practical problems. My partner Beverly and I recognized our common interest in anthropology and education, and we came into contact with our faculty mentor, Dr. Jenice L. View. Working alongside Dr. View, Beverly and I designed a research study and proposed our project to several different schools. We now work with one school that expressed interest in a research partnership.

This project is essentially an interdisciplinary and mixed-methods study. We are collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, using survey, interview, and site observation techniques. Analyzing our data will involve qualitative data coding as well as statistical analyses, and the final products will be a comprehensive research report as well as a presentation of results for the school. Our overarching goal is that many different people – parents, students, faculty, staff, and administrators – will have the opportunity to be included in and benefit from this project.

URSP Student Andrea Fraser Researches Streambed Microbial Responses to Produced Water from Hydraulic Fracturing Operations

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to advance knowledge in environmental infrastructure. I am currently finishing my B.S. in Civil Engineering and will continue with graduate work in Environmental Health Engineering. I hope to work on sustainable infrastructure related projects and conduct research on ways to reduce negative environmental health impacts of infrastructure and civilization.

My current work is on streambed microbial responses to produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations. Large volumes of water are mixed with sand and chemicals before they are injected underground to extract natural gas during the hydraulic fracturing process. The mixture then returns to the surface as produced water that must be treated, managed, and disposed of.  In the event of a produced water spill, understanding microbial responses is important to further explore the potential for bioremediation of this contaminant.

I am fortunate to conduct my study with the Reston Microbiology Lab at U.S. Geological Survey to understand these impacts.  We set up microcosms containing sediments, microbes, stream water, and hydraulic fracturing fluid additives and have been monitoring the microbial responses over time. On a weekly basis I measure the headspace gas on the microcosms to understand if the microbes are operating under oxic or anoxic conditions, as seen in my photo. I also read articles on hydraulic fracturing and produced water to guide my research. We will continue to analyze the data we are collecting on various other biological parameters to understand how these chemicals could affect the crucial microbial communities in sediments. 

I learn something new every day with this project. This week I discovered better ways to use the headspace gas analysis software so that the data is more accurate.