Writing Center

Student and faculty researchers team up to drive societal change

Susan Martonik — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:47:47 +0000

Student and faculty researchers team up to drive societal change Susan Martonik Wed, 10/14/2026 - 12:47

This summer, classrooms gave way to labs, field sites, and data sets as 911�� faculty and students partnered to tackle some of society's most pressing challenges. The research teams explored complex issues—many aligned with the university’s Grand Challenge Initiative—examining them from multiple perspectives and generating new insights to help shape future solutions.

These Summer Team Impact Projects, supported by grants from Mason Impact, were led by faculty members who assembled teams of undergraduate and graduate students from across disciplines. Students—who received stipends to support their participation—took part in a one-week boot camp to begin the 10-week program, along with various enrichment activities throughout the summer. The students shared their findings at the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research Summer Celebration of Student Scholarship and Impact.

Summer Team Impact Project researchers Abigail Naidoo (left) and Katelyn Mckee present at the OSCAR Summer 2026 Celebration. Photo by Susan Lawrence.

The research spanned a wide range of topics, including homelessness and climate-related challenges, using virtual reality to support health, changes in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to better understand how people move through cities, and the impact of generative AI on student writing.

Susan Lawrence and Courtney Massie, director and assistant director, respectively, of the Writing Center, led a project titled “Student Writers and Generative AI: Investigating Practices, Knowledge, and Critical Literacies.” Working with a team of six undergraduate students and one graduate mentor, their research examined how 911�� students are integrating generative AI into their writing processes in realistic academic settings. It also explored the extent to which writers saw themselves thinking critically and the ownership they felt over their work.

While Lawrence and Massie oversaw the project, their team of students led the research-- interviewing participants, coding results, and analyzing data to generate findings.

“I conducted qualitative research using in-depth interviews and coding to determine insights about how 911�� students use generative AI in their writing,” said Marisa Parikh, an Honors College student majoring in public administration in the Schar School of Policy and Government. “One of the most valuable things I learned was how new developments in technology are impacting students today. This helped me look more long term at how institutions can promote accessibility to education for all students and use this technology as a tool to increase student success outcomes.”

Lawrence spoke highly of the student researchers’ work. “Having a multidisciplinary team of student researchers was a major asset for this project,” she said. “They connected easily with participants during interviews, and their diverse perspectives on generative AI helped shape how we ultimately interpreted the data.”

The team has submitted their project for presentation at the International Writing Centers Association conference in October and are moving toward publishing a manuscript. Beyond its scholarly contributions, the project also highlighted the Writing Center as a valuable setting for research on writing and literacy.

Jenna Krall, associate professor of global and community health, and Marybeth Mitcham, assistant professor of global and community health, both in the College of Public Health, along with Fengxiu Zhang, assistant professor in the Schar School, led another Summer Team Impact Project on “Supportive Housing as Climate Resiliency: Resident, Community, and Government Perspectives.” Working with a team of nine student researchers, the project sought to understand the challenges of homelessness and environmental hazards using community health, environmental science, and policy frameworks.

“There are huge knowledge gaps in this space, so we split our researchers into three groups to gather multiple perspectives,” said Krall. “Our team meetings became a space where the students could experiment and sandbox ideas for how to analyze the data they collected. They weren’t just checking boxes; they were helping build a knowledge base to inform future research and practice.”

Professor Krall's Summer Team Impact Project members take a field trip to the Lamb Center. Photo by Jenna Krall.

The research team presented their findings to local partners, including the Lamb Center and the City of Fairfax. Efforts are also underway to publish the research.

“The project provided me with real-life experience of how it is to work on a team, in particular building my skill of patience through the research process, understanding the reason for the project, working with colleagues, and letting creative ideas flow,” said student researcher Alex Romero Valenzuela, a community health major in the College of Public Health who is pursuing a master's degree in public health through 911��'s bachelor’s-to-accelerated master's (BAM) program.

For Krall, the experience was rewarding both professionally and personally. A 911�� alum, she participated in a summer research project as an undergraduate. “I’ve wanted to apply for this grant since I started teaching at 911��,” she said. “It’s especially meaningful to come full circle and introduce current students to research as a potential career path.”

“The Summer Team Impact Projects provide valuable experience for all involved. Faculty can pursue research in areas of personal and professional interest, while students gain hands-on experience with research design, implementation, and analysis,” said Jesse Guessford, director of curriculum and initiatives in the Office of Undergraduate Education. “This program brings together two of 911��’s key priorities: supporting student success and creating opportunities for faculty scholarship and innovation.”

Explore Research at 911��

Explore summer research projects

Topics

Summer Impact

Office of the Provost

Mason Impact

Research

Students

College of Public Health

Writing Center

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Schar School

Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR)

Honors College

New lab gives students access to best practices for writing, communication

sbrown79 — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 17:24:16 +0000

New lab gives students access to best practices for writing, communication sbrown79 Tue, 11/08/2022 - 12:24

In This Story

Shelby Broberg, Susan Lawrence, Melissa Broeckelman-Post, and Heidi Lawrence Photo by John Boal

The Lab for Writing and Communication, like many other great creations, is the result of a group of dedicated people asking the question ‘what if?’

“That was the beginning of our vision,” said Susan Lawrence, director of the Writing Center and associate professor at 911��. “What if the Writing Center and the Comm Center were in one place?” she asked with Melissa Broeckelman-Post, professor and basic course director of the Communication Department.

“Very soon thereafter, Heidi [Lawrence] came along and said ‘what if we build a research engine into this?’”

The lab, on the second floor of the Johnson Center, hosted a grand opening on Nov. 2.

“The primary function of what happens here is the writing consultation and the communication consultations for the students,” said Heidi Lawrence, associate professor of English. “It’s a space for them to bring projects, questions, future goals and aspirations and for them to workshop those pieces with consultants.

The Communication Center primarily focuses on helping students with speeches and oral presentations and the Writing Center focuses on written projects.

“The ultimate goal as we grow is to serve every student in the university,” said Communication Center consultant Sarah Strunk, a senior in film and video studies.

“Sharing our space makes things more active because we’re all together,” said Alice Christensen, a junior anthropology major and Writing Center consultant.

Writing Center consultants Laura Pixley and Shelby Rothberg describe the Lab’s services to a guest at the open house Photo by John Boal

“I can talk to a communication consultant and get some strategies that I wouldn’t be able to get from another writing center consultant, because that’s not part of our bubble, but I can learn from them and they can learn from us,” Christensen said.

Susan Lawrence and Shelby Broberg work together to help the center run and to help students, whether they’re working on written or oral communication goals, said Strunk.

Broberg, director of the Communication Center, joined the program in May.

“It just makes sense to have the Writing Center and Comm Center together because the things that we do work well together,” said Broberg. “There are times when we refer people to them in the middle of a session or they refer their clients to the Comm Center.”

Clients of the Lab for Writing and Communication get 30- to 45-minute consultations. Walk-ins are also accepted if a consultant is free at the time.

All consultants have standard university trainings as well as professional development throughout the year focusing on an array of topics, such as balancing the student communicators’ individual goals and learning preferences with best practice to shape a session that works well for the student, said Christensen.

“We talk through specific scenarios to get them thinking about how to work with different types of students,” said Ivan Moore, the Lab’s accessibility specialist, who assists in consultant education.

“The big thing we want to focus on when we’re consulting is transfer of knowledge,” said Christensen. “I want this student to leave better equipped to help themselves, so they don't have to keep coming back to me for help.”

“When students talk to a knowledgeable peer about their writing project, the disciplinary learning—the learning about the subject matter—gets deeper,” Susan Lawrence remarked. “It’s about the writing, but it’s not only about the writing. In consultations, students explore and scrutinize their ideas more fully, and I wish more people knew that.”

Communication Center consultant Fadzi Sambana tells guest Raymond Davis about the Lab and its services Photo by John Boal

In addition to housing consultations with student communicators, the lab is a site for research. Heidi Lawrence noted that “We want to make research opportunities available to our student consultants, and we want to apply the knowledge we’re building here with community partners, and to bring that expertise from the community back into the lab.”

“We want to help students empower themselves through their own language use,” said Susan Lawrence. “That is what we’re about.”

To book an appointment, use the online scheduler to login or register, and gain access to the calendar to see which consultants are available at certain times. Meeting options include in-person, Zoom sessions, or written feedback. Clients have access to consultant bios in order to see who might be the best fit for their academic needs.

Topics

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Center provides Mason students with individualized help with writing assignments

ckearney — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 09:00:15 +0000

Center provides Mason students with individualized help with writing assignments ckearney Wed, 09/16/2020 - 05:00

Topics

Writing Center

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Campus News

Live tutoring and community building? That’s the Writing Center, even during COVID-19.

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 00:05:00 +0000

Live tutoring and community building? That’s the Writing Center, even during COVID-19. Mariam Aburdeineh Mon, 04/20/2020 - 20:05

Topics

coronavirus; COVID-19; News; Editorial

Campus News

Writing Center

Student and faculty researchers team up to drive societal change

Related News

Topics

New lab gives students access to best practices for writing, communication

In This Story

Topics

Center provides Mason students with individualized help with writing assignments

Topics

Live tutoring and community building? That’s the Writing Center, even during COVID-19.

Topics