Martha Bushong

Showcasing solutions to problems that matter

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 19:39:04 +0000

Showcasing solutions to problems that matter 4429684e-ae8d-… Wed, 03/23/2022 - 15:39

The College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) has a long history of sending competitors to the final round of George Mason University’s Three Minute Thesis competition. Since its inception in 2017, more than a dozen PhD students have used the competition to present their research by explaining its relevance in three minutes with one slide to a panel of judges. This year two students, Aamir Ahmad, (Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering) and Joseph Majdi (Department of Bioengineering) will advance to the final round and compete at the Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference on Friday, April 8, 2022. Both students’ research addresses challenges that affect human health and wellness in vastly different ways.

Aamir Ahmad joined the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering in 2019 as a PhD student. As a member of the Sustainable Geotransportation/Geoenvironmental Infrastructure (SGI) Research Group, his research seeks to understand how to predict the long-term flux of a group of man-made fluorinated organic chemicals called per-polyfluoroaklkyl substances (PFAS).

PFAS are found in a variety of domestic products including food packaging, carpets, upholstery, water-repellent paints, and non-stick cookware. When these products are discarded and arrive in landfills the PFAS may seep into groundwater and cause contamination at levels that can cause disease. The research aims to discover better protective barriers that will keep the contaminants from appearing in the groundwater and other places that would endanger humans.

Instead of looking at environmental factors that affect human health, bioengineering PhD student Joseph Majdi’s research focuses on developing a better way to use a system called electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). His research aims to enhance EMS so that paralyzed muscles fatigue less and battery requirements for assistive devices are reduced.

He says, "Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is often used for rehabilitation in movement disorders and in assistive devices such as exoskeletons. However, EMS can rapidly cause muscle fatigue, which limits the induced force and becomes unstable. Currently, there is no reliable, real-time indicator for EMS-induced muscle fatigue.” Majdi believes that functional muscle physiology associated with muscle fatigue and fatigue recovery can be inferred from ultrasound imaging. His thesis investigates a system for use in a hybrid walking exoskeleton that can alternate between EMS-driven and electrical motor-driven walking, depending on the muscle's fatigue/recovery state.

Topics

Three Minute Thesis

Bioengineering

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering student’s internship leads to job in the heart of the Capitol

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 17:30:32 +0000

Civil engineering student’s internship leads to job in the heart of the Capitol 4429684e-ae8d-… Fri, 12/10/2021 - 12:30

Lindsey Davis in front of the Cannon House Office Building. Photo by Evan Cantwell

When Lindsey Davis attended the American Society of Civil Engineers career fair in fall 2018, she was hunting for an internship with Christman Company. Armed with a list of company names, she had done her research and found that Christman had ties to her hometown, Richmond, Virginia.

“Christman did quite a few projects that I was very familiar with. I thought it was so cool how this company changed these landmarks in my hometown,” says Davis, who loves history. “The one that's closest to my heart is the beautifully restored Richmond Centerstage because every year, my grandmother would take me there to see The Nutcracker.”

The career fair led to an internship with Christman Company’s project with the Architect of the Capitol, the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. The nearly $1 billion project aims to renovate the Cannon House Office Building, built in 1908 in the Beaux-Arts style. The structure, last renovated in the 1960s, needed a serious upgrade and modernization.

After her first internship in 2020, Davis returned for a second summer, and in August 2020, was offered a job. In June 2021, she began full-time work and now spends 40-plus hours a week as a project engineer while completing her studies at Mason.

Davis enjoys being connected to the history and immersed in the hustle and bustle of Washington, D.C. “I pass by representatives who I see on TV and think I know who you are, or I know what you said on Twitter last night,” she says. “Most people in our country will probably never meet their representative and I’ve met a dozen.”

Davis says the representatives will ask questions about the renovation. “They're interested in what we're doing too because it's their building, they want to know that history.”

The project team has found old cigarette wraps, numerous soda bottles, and even a bowler hat that was hidden behind a wall.

She says the biggest challenge has been the steep learning curve. The renovation started almost eight years ago; there's a lot of historical information to piece together. Scheduling work can be a daunting task as they navigate special events and security issues.

“I am so thankful that the career fair led me to this terrific internship,” Davis says. “The job that it led to is everything I thought it would be and more.”

Topics

civil and infrastructure engineering

College of Engineering and Computing

Volgenau School of Engineering

Sam Salem wins Educator of the Year Award

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 19:25:45 +0000

Sam Salem wins Educator of the Year Award 4429684e-ae8d-… Wed, 09/15/2021 - 15:25

In This Story

Sam Salem

Sam Salem, chair of the Sid and Reva Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, received the National 2021 Educator of the Year Award from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA). This award is one of several awards the association announced earlier this week.

CMAA’s Award Program recognizes excellence in construction management practice and honors companies and individuals each year based on merit. A panel of judges reviews each nomination carefully and chooses the best candidate in each category.

The Educator of the Year Award emphasizes excellence in teaching and recognizes a full-time educator for outstanding professional accomplishments and a commitment to construction management education. Professor Salem will be honored with his colleagues during the association’s in-person conference September 12-14, 2021, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

About CMAA

CMAA is dedicated to improving our nation’s infrastructure by advancing professional construction and program management worldwide. Its membership is made up of public and private organizations, owners, and practitioners. CMAA provides professional development, certification, advocacy, and business opportunities to its members and the construction management industry. The association’s headquarters is in Vienna, Virginia.

Topics

Department of Civil Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE)

Shoring up Maryland's coastline against sea-level rise

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 18:52:48 +0000

Shoring up Maryland's coastline against sea-level rise 4429684e-ae8d-… Mon, 07/26/2021 - 14:52

In This Story

Celso Ferreira

Associate professor Celso Ferreira (on right) and graduate student Tyler Miesse lift sensors out of the water along Maryland's coast. Photo by Jay Flemming.

According to scientists, the Chesapeake Bay region has one of the highest rates of water level rise in the U.S., due to sea-level rise and sinking land. In the next 30 years, scientists predict that Maryland may see as much as an additional two feet of sea-level rise. Maryland’s coastline, however, has an abundance of habitats that can help mitigate the effects of sea-level rise, including marshes and submerged aquatic vegetation.

Celso Ferreira, associate professor from the College of Engineering and Computing, has teamed up with Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy to predict the effects of sea-level rise and consider strategies to address the situation as part of a three-year $738,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The project, called “Quantifying the benefits of natural and nature-based features in Maryland’s Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays to inform conservation and management under future sea-level rise scenarios,” will measure the water levels and the wave energy during extreme events in various locations along Maryland’s extensive shoreline.

“The base sea level is going up and of course when a hurricane, Nor’easter, or a regular storm hits the Chesapeake in the future, the water level is higher, and we expect to see more flooding,” says Ferreira. “The other thing we are investigating is coastal marshes and the protection they provide to the coastline.”

The team uses sensors, placing the instruments in the water so they can measure the storms of today and collect information about the protection the natural areas are providing. After the researchers download the data, they use computer modeling to extend that data into a future time. As they do this, the team runs a variety of climate change scenarios.

Ferreira says the biggest limitation is that they can’t physically and financially put sensors across the entire state. That’s where the other stakeholders come in. “We rely on stakeholders to help us decide the most representative and strategic locations that we should be monitoring,” he says, “So, there are six and there is a lot of generalization that we do. That’s where the computer modeling comes in.”

The team will be measuring living shorelines, the marsh, different types of vegetation, freshwater marsh, saltwater marsh, and the coastal bays. To do this they rotate the sensors around to collect data that provides the information they need. Due to underwater conditions during extreme events, and because they do not have telemetry equipment, the team must travel to the marshes to place the sensors, retrieve them, download their data, and then replace them.

In a pilot study from Deal Island, Ferreira and his team discovered that depending on the size of the wave and the amount of water, marshes can absorb up to 90 percent of wave energy. “If it’s a huge wave and a lot of water you don’t get 90 percent,” he says. “One of the things that we’re studying is how that protection is changing with climate change. We think when there’s more water, the protection lessens.”

The results from the project will help Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources assess the various scenarios and develop strategies to effectively cope with the situation.

“In a nutshell, the work will give us a window into the future, to see what kind of protection we can expect and that’s going to offer the state information so that they can proactively prioritize adaptation strategies,” says Ferreira.

Topics

Climate Change

civil and infrastructure engineering

Mason Momentum

Engineers Week Kicks Off February 21

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 20:15:14 +0000

Engineers Week Kicks Off February 21 4429684e-ae8d-… Tue, 01/19/2021 - 15:15

Topics

Volgenau School of Engineering

National Engineers Week

Social Media Contest

COVID-19 has laid bare the critical work of engineers in creating a world safe from pandemics, climate change, cyber-attacks, and other daunting global challenges. Engineers Week is a time to celebrate this important work and engage with other innovators. Even with social distancing, you can participate and share in the excitement. This year Mason students will take the lead to organize events that capture the spirit and excitement of the fields of engineering and technology.

Organizers will track student participation for the Engineer's Cup. Be sure to check this page often and keep up-to-date on announcements, events, competitions, and prizes.

Thank you

Thank you to the George Mason Engineer's Week Organizing Leadership Team:

Hayes Makinano, Saira Amjad, Hajrah Choudhry, Rezia Mahmud, Giselle Aparicio, Roozah Sughran Khan, Likhitha Addagatia, Zainab Syed, Keil Eggers, and Said Ahmed

Schedule of Events

Saturday, February 20

11:00 a.m. — ThinSat Virtual Launch Party

The NG-15 ThinSat Virtual Launch Party organized by Virginia Space begins at 11:00 a.m. This event will include presentations from program representatives, a livestream of the launch, and Space Data Dashboard live data monitoring after deployment of ThinSats. Watch as the rocket carrying George Mason University's ThinSats starts its journey to space.

Join here.

Monday, February 22

4:00 - 5:00 p.m. — So You Think You Want to Be an Engineer: Stories and Advice from Current Engineering Students

Engineers have many career paths to explore, and we want to inspire the next generation to choose the path that is right for their interests. In honor of this year’s Engineers Week theme, Imagining Tomorrow, join a student panel to learn more about engineering degrees at the Volgenau School of Engineering. This event is perfect for prospective engineering students who want to hear firsthand from students about their experiences and how they chose their path to an engineering degree.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jH5XuqZUSbSZGjeZKyEd-A

7:00- 8:00 p.m. — Women in Engineering Panel

Join us to hear about experiences, challenges, highlights, and advice from women working in various engineering fields including electrical, cyber, aeronautical, and systems engineering. Interact with our panelists through a Q&A session.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kLrjOjGtTByjXgnKXDoj7Q

Tuesday, February 23

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. — Diversity and Equal Opportunity in the Tech Industry

As the tech industry becomes more distinguished and prominent, matters of diversity and equal opportunity are commonly discussed in hopes of promoting inclusion. Join us to learn about the importance of diversity and equal opportunity, along with how the tech industry is addressing these critical topics from our panelists. The discussion will be followed by an opportunity to interact with the panelists through a Q&A session
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__41C7PboTw-jIXDe1fYUSw

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. — CoStar Day in the Life of a Security Engineer

Join to learn about a day in the life of a security engineer with CoStar https://www.costar.com/home/demo?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2qKX4p3M7gIVAfSzCh1L0g54EAAYASAAEgJd4_D_BwE and learn about employment opportunities,
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ygZ79EW-RfGYtHk2nFLU1Q

5:00 - 6:00 p.m. — Cleared Careers in Technology and Engineering

Have questions about working in the cleared space as a career? Join us for a 1-hour interactive panel to hear advice for navigating the clearance process, tips for advancing in the cleared space, the job market and much more.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/s/91785370387

Wednesday, February 24

12:00- 1:00 p.m. — Supporting Community Resilience by Closing the Digital Divide

George Mason’s Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities (C-RASC) supports communities in creating life-changing social and economic opportunities through locally-led resilience and sustainability initiatives. One of C-RASC’s major thrusts is helping communities close the digital divide. Closing the digital divide is a fundamental enabler for greater equity as underserved communities are able to capitalize on the benefits of “smart” internet-enabled technologies. Achieving this objective involves addressing many engineering challenges, as well as important human challenges in effective implementation in communities. This workshop introduces C-RASC, and poses a socio-technical challenge in bringing digital connectivity to an underserved community. Participants break into groups to work on solutions and reconvene to share.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lX7qp8veR8SUAx2t43wYqA

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. — Introduction to Peace Engineering

Peace Engineering is an exciting new field of study that has emerged to empower engineers to actively support conditions for peace. The Carter School Peace Engineering Lab was recently founded as an experimental space for the Mason community to develop peace engineering approaches. The panel will introduce the Peace Engineering Lab and lab members will share their research and opportunities to get involved.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TXXEWfo4SPWRaJKw3b2FtQ

7:00 - 8:00 p.m. — Cyber in Industry Panel

The need for cybersecurity in the technology sector continues to grow. Join us as guest speakers from Northrop Grumman’s Cyber Team, Verizon Media, and The Media Trust discuss security concepts. Topics will include major security issues such as identifying and remediating security threats, as well as privacy and quality control within an organization. The panel would assist students in discovering experiences, jobs, internships, recommendations, challenges of the cyber industry. The session will include a Q&A portion at the end.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9fqx-zFuQCuLk8SnaeFrkg

Thursday, February 25

10:30 -11:30 a.m. — Managing for Uncertainty: A Peace Engineering Approach

Peace Engineering seeks to discover how engineering principles can support conditions for peace. Engineers often find themselves on the frontlines of conflict, whether in reconstruction post-conflict or in developing systems and technology that can improve people’s lives. In many contexts, engineers can plan far ahead and feel confident that their work will produce the desired results. Unfortunately, the same conditions don’t apply in a rapidly moving conflict. This presentation will explore how peace engineers can manage uncertainty with the Cynefin Framework and play a role in strengthening anticipatory governance mechanisms through tools like SenseMaker that are being developed by the Carter School Peace Engineering Lab.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Frdf5ex5RKySjaWcCK9Z2Q

1:00 - 4:00 p.m. — Splunk4Rookies

Splunk4Rookies is an opportunity to discover the value of Splunk, hands-on, in a matter of hours. Attendees get an introduction to Splunk, along with live experience creating a Splunk app and dashboard based on multiple use cases. The workshop is designed to take between 2.5 – 3 hours, and will guide attendees through creating an App in the Splunk platform, adding data, and performing search, analysis, and dashboarding exercises.
Registration link:
https://splunk.zoom.us/j/91458282422?pwd=eUUvUlgxSTJmSWkyMEs0YVVYbjB2Zz09

AWS Test Link: http://ec2-3-250-22-170.eu-west-1.compute.amazonaws.com:8000/

(this will help troubleshoot connection issues into everyone's live workshop environment)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, February 26

12:00 - 12:15 p.m. — Engineers Week Cup

The Volgeanu School of Engineering Department with the most student participants in Engineer’s Week events will be announced and awarded the coveted Engineer’s Week Cup! Winners of the VSE Engineer’s Week Social Media Contest will also be announced.
Registration link:
https://gmu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oOQvx4V_TCGMs1hW7ZAUGg

Chief of staff and civil engineer Ken Walsh brings diverse background to his job

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 16:21:57 +0000

Chief of staff and civil engineer Ken Walsh brings diverse background to his job 4429684e-ae8d-… Tue, 12/15/2020 - 11:21

Topics

Campus News

Civil Engineering

Chief of Staff Ken Walsh says he's impressed with the strength and resilience of the Mason community.

Photo credit:

Ron Aira

Mason Presidential Chief of Staff Ken Walsh's career is about building bridges. The story of the Brooklyn Bridge inspired him as a freshman engineering student, research on the soil near a bridge over the Salt River near Tempe, Arizona, kept him in graduate school, and his career in higher education has built bridges for students and communities around the world.

"When I started my engineering studies at Arizona State University, I joined the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE)," says Walsh. "All new members received a copy of David McCullough's book, The Great Bridge."

Being a history buff, he read the book in a weekend, and it changed the way he thought about engineering.

"After reading the book, I realized that changes to the built environment can change the world. The people who built that bridge made history," he says. "The idea that I could be a part of history through engineering practice inspired me."

After graduating with a degree in civil engineering, Walsh got a job with a local company and worked on projects around Phoenix. "I loved driving around town and seeing the finished buildings that we had constructed," he says. Walsh started taking night classes and says that he planned to take courses to improve his engineering practice.

But another bridge, this one closer to home in Tempe, across the Salt River, led him to pursue his PhD. "During graduate school, I ended up working on a soil investigation project related to a freeway bridge over the Salt River. The soils exhibited unusual behaviors, and while I was studying them my advisor asked me to apply for a National Science Foundation fellowship which would pay for the PhD," says Walsh.

While in graduate school, Walsh continued working, but the small family-owned business that he had been his employer changed ownership and the culture changed. This led him to look for a change of his own.

Walsh saw an ad for a job at Arizona State University teaching construction engineering and decided to take a chance. "At the time I didn't see it as a long-term thing, but I stuck with it until I got tenure," he says. "Teaching allowed me to be part of even more projects, and my students' advancement and accomplishments gave me great pleasure."

When San Diego State University started its program in construction engineering in 2002, Walsh bridged the gap between teaching and administration. He served as the director of the program which allowed him to have an impact on more students and faculty.

Building this program led to his involvement in building a new STEM-focused campus in Tbilisi, Georgia. The project involved every aspect of running a campus. His team built the program from the ground up, dealt with curriculum, accreditation, and fund-raising, but Walsh says the most rewarding aspect of all was witnessing the potential transformation in people's lives. "I saw the power of higher education, not just STEM," says Walsh.

After the experience in Georgia, he was looking for a place to return home to and the job as Chief of Staff with President Gregory Washington at the Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine looked like a good fit. When Washington moved to Mason last summer, Walsh came along to fill the position of Chief of Staff.

It's been a challenge starting a new job with the pandemic, but Walsh says he's impressed with the strength and resilience of the Mason community. It has a supremely balanced perspective," says Walsh. "Teaching, learning, and personal growth are all done here more thoughtfully." He sees a level of understanding of the impact of higher education that you don't see everywhere.

Mason to lead regional hub for national cybersecurity advanced manufacturing innovation partnership

Melanie Balog — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 10:05:05 +0000

Mason to lead regional hub for national cybersecurity advanced manufacturing innovation partnership Melanie Balog Fri, 11/20/2020 - 05:05

George Mason University is poised to be named a managing member in the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), a $111 million public-private partnership led by the University of Texas at San Antonio. CyManII will have a five-year corporative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a consortium of 59 proposed member institutions in introducing a cybersecure energy-ROI that drives American manufacturers and supply chains.

“CyManII represents a great step forward for U.S. and Virginia’s leadership in cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing,” says Volgenau School of Engineering Dean Ken Ball. “Mason’s well-recognized strength in cybersecurity research and its offering one of the largest cybersecurity engineering academic programs in the nation position it incredibly well to support CyManII’s ambitious five-year goals.”

As part of its national strategy, CyManII will focus on four high priority areas where collaborative research and development can help U.S. manufacturers: securing automation, securing the supply chain network, improving energy efficiency, and building a national program for education and workforce development. CyManII’s research objectives will focus on understanding the evolving cybersecurity threats to manufacturing industries, developing new cybersecurity and energy-conserving technologies and methods, and sharing information and knowledge with the broader community of U.S. manufacturers.

Mason anticipates managing and operating CyManII’s East Coast headquarters on its Arlington Campus. The headquarters will house CyManII’s primary offices, meeting space, and training facilities in the National Capital Region.

It will contain lab space and equipment to demonstrate, test, and validate CyManII’s emerging cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing technologies and products. The 13,000-square-foot facility will support robotic platforms to evaluate security vulnerabilities, especially the impact of 5G on autonomous vehicles, the power grid, and smart manufacturing. The space will also host a robotic smart manufacturing testbed.

Mason researchers from the Volgenau School of Engineering will play key roles in CyManII’s first-year projects, including finding ways to protect manufacturing supply chains from cyber threats and designing better security into advanced manufacturing plants.

“CyManII is another step forward in Mason’s rapidly expanding leadership in the National Capital Region,” said Interim Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact Aurali Dade. “We expect to leverage our many partnerships with the area’s technology leaders to grow advanced manufacturing here.”

CyManII is funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) and co-managed with the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER).

Mason announces College of Engineering and Computing

Colleen Rich — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:40:00 +0000

Mason announces College of Engineering and Computing Colleen Rich Fri, 10/02/2020 - 08:40

Did you know?

Mason has nearly 5,000 undergraduate students majoring in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, information systems and operations management, cybersecurity and systems engineering—substantially more than Virginia’s other public universities. Mason also leads in master’s students with more than 1,100 enrolled in those disciplines. Including other computing-intensive fields, such as data sciences and game design, pushes the number up even higher.

Learn more

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

The George Mason University Board of Visitors voted Thursday, Oct. 1, to house the new School of Computing and the existing Volgenau School of Engineering in a newly formed College of Engineering and Computing led by Ken Ball, the current dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering.

These organizational changes next need to be reviewed by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The School of Computing and the Volgenau School will be led by two interim divisional deans until the search for permanent divisional deans is completed.

The School of Computing will provide a wide array of computing and related courses to students from all backgrounds and at all levels. Beginning with Computer Science, Information Sciences and Technology, and Statistics, the school will eventually include multidisciplinary programs created in collaboration with faculty in Mason’s other colleges who have an interest in teaching and conducting research related to computing.

“The Volgenau School of Engineering has greatly benefited over its history from its strong ties to computing,” said Dean Ken Ball. “The visionaries who founded the engineering school at Mason grounded in computing and information technology would be proud of its evolution and growth as it becomes the new College of Engineering and Computing.”

Many see computing and digital fluency as central to every other discipline and every aspect of business and society, and envision endless opportunities for collaboration with experts in the humanities, health care and business.

The launch of the School of Computing leverages investments from the Commonwealth of Virginia that were driven by Amazon’s decision to locate its East Coast headquarters in nearby Crystal City. With these investments, the university has an unprecedented opportunity to play a leadership role in shaping the future of computing regionally, nationally, and globally while also enhancing economic prosperity and the quality of life for residents in the region and beyond.

“Interdisciplinary collaboration in research and education is a key component of our vision and strategic plan for the future,” said Sanjeev Setia, professor and associate dean for computing programs and initiatives in the Volgenau School of Engineering. “The creation of the School of Computing will elevate the profile of computing both within Mason as well as externally. The School of Computing provides an opportunity to strengthen our rich portfolio of computing programs.”

Mason team’s models serve as backbone for web portal that support models for hospital response to COVID-19

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Mon, 04 May 2020 21:53:15 +0000

Mason team’s models serve as backbone for web portal that support models for hospital response to COVID-19 4429684e-ae8d-… Mon, 05/04/2020 - 17:53

Mason team collaborates with the World Bank to launch MASH-Pandemics: A Portal to support Models for Assessing Strategies for Hospitals (MASH) through COVID-19 and other pandemics

4429684e-ae8d-405e-870a-3b7aefe68162 (Martha Bushong) — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 17:16:39 +0000

Mason team collaborates with the World Bank to launch MASH-Pandemics: A Portal to support Models for Assessing Strategies for Hospitals (MASH) through COVID-19 and other pandemics 4429684e-ae8d-… Mon, 04/20/2020 - 13:16

Professor Elise Miller-Hooks

George Mason University professor Elise Miller-Hooks and her team have been studying and modeling the flow of patients through American hospitals in times of crisis since 2014. Now, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are collaborating with Mason alumna Mersedeh Tariverdi (PhD ’17) who is a Senior Data Scientist in the Health, Nutrition, and Population Group at the World Bank to launch a web portal that will support models that aids hospital responses to the pandemic.

The team’s work supports evidence-based decision making, informed by the models, to rethink and facilitate hospital operations in utilizing limited critical resources as demand surges. While working as a PhD student under Miller-Hooks’ supervision, Tariverdi developed key models that now serve as the backbone for the MASH-Pandemics portal.

Mersedah Tariverdim, PhD, '17

Only hours after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, graduate students working with Miller-Hooks began incorporating personal protective equipment, ventilators, and COVID-19 patients with their care paths into the models. Disposable equipment such as face masks and permanent equipment like ventilators are treated differently. The models allow the team to assess alternative capacity enhancement and demand management strategies, crisis standards of care options, and hospital collaboration measures in a dynamically changing environment.

“We’re working as fast as we can because the need is so urgent and the crisis is enormous. This effort is about health care worker safety and helping the hospitals cope with the pandemic,” says Miller-Hooks. “It’s about saving lives, as well as the efficient and equitable allocation of resources.”

The work can help hospitals to best cope with surge demand in spite of limited resources. It can aid decision-makers in regional response and hospital collaboration planning with health care facilities offering various levels of care. It can inform decisions on the mobilization of critical supplies, supplemental space, including tents and ships, and teams of frontline health care workers and other first responders to where they are needed the most.

"We’re working as fast as we can because the need is so urgent and the crisis is enormous. This effort is about health care worker safety and helping the hospitals cope with the pandemic. It’s about saving lives, as well as the efficient and equitable allocation of resources."

Elise Miller-Hooks

The models highlight general recommendations made based on findings that assume a generic urban hospital design and crisis standards of care approaches to treating patients in this pandemic. Hospital administrators and others working in an official capacity can request runs of the MASH-Pandemics models through the portal to help them with decision-making tailored for their hospitals or group of hospitals working in collaboration.

This effort builds on previously developed sophisticated discrete-event simulation models to replicate operations in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. MASH-Pandemics was developed on a patient-based, resource-constrained, multi-unit hospital model originally designed for assessing hospital preparedness to serve emergency patients in a surge, pandemic, mass casualty incident, and disaster events.

“Our models are unique for several reasons,” says Miller-Hooks. “If you look at most other hospital models, and there are many out there, they generally focus on single key units and are designed for routine operations,” she says. “Sometimes they’ll include two units. Our model tracks patients along their entire care paths, along with physical resources and staff through ten essential units. The models are very detailed as is needed to capture the complexities of their operations. We do not know of other models that have considered mass casualty incidents at this level.

“Our recommendations rely on feedback from collaborating disaster and emergency medicine experts from Johns Hopkins University including Lauren Sauer and Scott Levin, as well as Thomas Kirsch,” says Miller-Hooks. “World Bank Group’s engagement brings a global perspective to the collaboration, and this perspective is critical in aiding hospitals at the frontlines of this world-wide emergency in resource-scarce settings.”

For more information about the project go to mash-pandemics.vse.gmu.edu

People Mentioned in This Story

Elise Miller-Hooks

Visit the MASH Pandemics Site

Topics

Big Data

Healthcare Technology