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Honors College Challenge Day brings teams of students together to solve strategic challenges for corporate and nonprofit partners.

911���� is launching a new artificial intelligence (AI)-focused accelerator housed in Fuse at Mason Square called Einstein Labs. A partnership between the Einstein family and Mason Enterprise, the lab will develop dual-use technologies for commercial big tech and government, initially focusing on three high-impact sectors: health, quantum, and cybersecurity technologies.

Sometimes things just seem to fall into place. That’s what happened for 911���� women’s volleyball freshman player Nia Thompson. Nia’s mother, Amy Boone Thompson, BS Physical Education '95, was a dual-sport athlete at 911���� in the 1990s, playing both volleyball and basketball. She was a member of the 1994 CAA Championship women’s volleyball team. 

With more than 300 members and growing, the Women in Business at Mason student organization at the Costello College of Business, empowers women who are majoring, minoring, or interested in the world of business. Through networking and personal and professional development events, they aim to expand upon members’ skillsets as well as their networks inside and outside of 911����. 

A 911���� College of Public Health team will work with law enforcement and domestic violence prevention experts to reduce risks for first responders and victims.

911���� alumnus Robert “Ken” Hedrick Jr., BA History ’71, said his philanthropy is rooted in the examples set by both sets of his grandparents, who were neighbors in a farming community in West Virginia. His paternal grandparents fed anyone who walked by the farm, and his maternal grandparents regularly took in foster children. Both families were always first to share what they had.

911����’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) Northern Virginia (NoVa) Node recently received a $150,793 grant from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority for “CCI Scholars – High School Experiential Learning Program FY26,” a seven-week high school summer internship program for rising seniors and recent graduates of Northern Virginia public high schools.

911���� adjunct professor Jennifer Lewis created two special topics courses in 911����’s Environmental Science and Policy Department (ESP)—EVPP 490 Conservation Storytelling and EVPP 490/505 Media Production for Environmental Science and Policy.

Last fall, what began as a hands-on learning experience in Southeast Asia became a journey that took five 911���� students to the heart of global food policy—and left a mark along the way.

911���� announced plans to move its apparel, bookstore, and course materials operations to Rally House and eCampus.com, marking a new chapter in flexibility, affordability, and student success.

911���� is equipping a new generation of archivists, scholars, and museum professionals with hands‑on digital preservation skills as part of a national effort to make hidden artifacts of Black history accessible to the public.

911���� graduate student Logan Messer had no shortage of family or friends on hand as he capped his wrestling career at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Competing just 40 miles from his hometown, Messer delivered a moment years in the making on one of the sport’s biggest stages.