Announcements
GW Visitors Protocol:
Beginning Monday, September 27, the university will require all visitors to campus to attest that they are vaccinated, or if they are unvaccinated, attest that they have received a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their visit to campus. Visitors should register with the university at go.gwu.edu/visitor and follow the protocol noted on the registration page.
If visitors are unvaccinated, they will need to arrange testing on their own before visiting campus. Visitors are not eligible for COVID-19 testing at GW’s test centers. Visitors who are unable to present an approved registration form are not permitted to access university facilities. Registrants for Centuries Weekend and Commencement on the National Mall will receive specific instructions on visitor requirements.
Faculty News
Research:
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Publications:
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Dr. Tianshu Li (CEE) has published the following paper with his visiting student Pinqiang Cao: P. Cao, T. Li, F. Ning, and J. Wu, “Mechanical Instability of Methane Hydrate−Mineral Interface Systems,” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2021. (Published September 14, 2021).
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Media Mentions:
On September 17, the influential website OurEnergyPolicy published the article “Extreme Weather Events: Multi-Pathway Approaches Within Our Grasp,” by Prof. Scott Sklar (director of sustainable energy, SEAS Environmental & Energy Management Institute). In his article, citing that fact that the year 2021 already has outpaced 2020 in terms of extreme weather events, Prof. Sklar sets forth four steps that need to be undertaken immediately to respond to this current and increasing problem of failures of the US electricity grid during extreme weather events.
Conferences & Presentations:
As part of a National Science Foundation-supported Navigating the New Artic planning grant, Dr. Payman Dehghanian (ECE) co-directed the workshop “Foundations for Improving Resilience in the Energy Sector to Wildfires on Alaskan Lands (FIREWALL),” which was held virtually on September 15. The workshop attempted to enhance wildfire-response awareness in Alaska by facilitating a two-way dialogue among researchers, local communities, and stakeholders to provide solutions for emergency preparedness, operational endurance, and enhanced resilience of the unique Alaska electricity grid to wildfires. The visions, insights, and developments shared at the workshop aimed at identifying research gaps and prioritizing future research directions and roadmaps to deploy advanced energy technologies for resilience against wildfires. The workshop, which started with opening remarks by US Senator Lisa Murkowski, brought together approximately 100 participants. The project envisions a second FIREWALL workshop to be held at the University of Alaska Anchorage in summer 2022.
Dr. Tianshu Li (CEE) gave a talk titled “Complex structures of Si-Ge-Sn alloys” at the 4th AFRL Workshop on GeSn and GeSiSn, held virtually, September 14-15.
Dr. Volker Sorger (ECE) will present two keynote addresses this week. He will present his paper “Photonic Machine Intelligence Hardware: From Photonic Memory and Photonic TPU to Optical CNN” at the Photonics in Switching and Computing meeting, which will be held virtually, September 27-29. On September 29, he will present “Photonic Machine Intelligence: Photonic Tensor Core ASIC Accelerators and Convolutional Neural Network” at the German Physical Society Annual meeting.
Dr. Guru Prasadh Venkataramani (ECE) served as a program committee chair for the inaugural IEEE International Symposium on Secure and Private Execution Environment Design (SEED), which was held virtually, September 20-21. Dr. Venkataramani co-founded SEED as a forum to foster interactions between the computer architecture and security communities. The conference was sponsored by the IEEE Technical Committee on Computer Architecture, and its program covered a number of hot issues in computer security, such as side channels and trusted execution environment design, along with a special round table panel on privacy-aware computing.
Other News:
Dr. Ekundayo Shittu (EMSE) has been appointed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine as a member of the US National Committee for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (USNC/IIASA) for a three-year term. His term started on August 26, 2021 and will run until December 31, 2024. This committee operates under the auspices of the Board on International Scientific Organizations through the Office of Policy and Global Affairs. The USNC carries out US membership responsibilities in IIASA in two ways. First, it represents US views to IIASA by providing oversight of the organization, and formulating US views regarding IIASA's research, budget, and administration. Second, it fosters increased participation in and awareness of IIASA in the American academic, governmental, corporate, and non-governmental organization communities, including IIASA's successful Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) for advanced graduate students. Notably, Dr. Shittu participated in the YSSP at IIASA in Vienna, Austria, as a graduate student in 2008.
Other News
During summer 2021 the Sorger Lab supported the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) Apprenticeships Program, providing apprenticeship experiences to more than 385 students. This program provides high school and undergraduate students with an authentic science and engineering research experience alongside researchers in a university or Army/Department of Defense laboratory. Through this program, students developed critical skills preparing them for the next steps in their educational and professional careers. Dr. Sorger credits the phenomenal success of the AEOP Apprenticeship Program to the tireless dedication of mentors Maria Soljanik-Gorgnone from the SORGER Lab and Dr. Andrei Afanasev (Physics), who initiated GW’s participation in this program, which brings diversity to GW’s campus.
The Innovation Center: Tompkins M06 is open M-F from 2:00 to 6:00 pm for GW community use! On Friday afternoons we host Open Studio, a time for skill sharing and working on specific projects. Follow us on Instagram @gwinnovationcenter for details!
M06 is located on the mezzanine level of Tompkins Hall, off the H Street parking area on the main campus.
Upcoming SEAS Events
BME Speaker Series: “Advances in Musculoskeletal Regeneration”
Speaker: Dr. Warren Grayson, Johns Hopkins University
Wednesday, September 29
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Lehman Auditorium (SEH, B1270)
CS Seminar: “Client-Location-Aware Path Selection in Tor”
Speaker: Dr. Aaron Johnson, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Wednesday, September 29
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
SEH, 2000 or via Zoom link
This seminar will be held both in-person and online.
GW Compass: “Navigating GW as an International Student”
Wednesday, October 6
6:00 – 7:00 pm
Panelists:
- Anabel Lopez Marill (MS, Civil Engineering, 2019) is from Cuba and is now a structural engineer at Silman
- Mohamed Abushama (MS, Electrical Engineering, 2018) is from Sudan and is now a power systems engineer at Eaton
- Ankit Raj Saxena (MS, Computer Science, 2019) is from India and is now a data scientist at Collins Aerospace
SEAS graduate student alumni will offer their advice to current international students on how to make the most of your graduate experience as an international student. Our panelists will discuss topics such as adapting to US university life and culture, tips for succeeding in your degree program, and the job search and starting your career in the US as an immigrant. This event will not be recorded, and we will offer an anonymous question portal for participants to submit questions.
EEMI Webinar: “From Vikings to Wind Turbines, Denmark’s Journey Toward Sustainability”
NEW DATE: Friday, October 15
8:00 am
The SEAS Environmental and Energy Management Institute (EEMI) will co-host a free webinar on Denmark's pioneering actions towards energy sustainability. The event will feature Dan Jørgensen, the Danish Minister of Climate, Energy, and Utilities. He will be interviewed by EEMI Visiting Scholar Ambassador András Simonyi on Denmark’s journey toward sustainability. Topics will include the European Commission’s 2021 "Fit for 55" legal framework to achieve climate goals, Denmark's pioneering role in energy transition, transatlantic climate and energy cooperation, and preparation for COP26.
SEAS Open House
Sunday, October 3
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
SEH, B1 Level
Dean John Lach invites all SEAS alumni, students, and their families to join him for the SEAS Open House during GW’s Centuries Celebration Weekend. Check-in for the open house will take place in the first floor lobby of the SEH.
BME Speaker Series: “Image-Based” Systems Biology - A New Paradigm in Cancer Research”
Speaker: Dr. Arvind Pathak, Johns Hopkins University
Wednesday, December 1
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Lehman Auditorium (SEH, B1270)
Entrepreneurship News & Events
Pitch George: The annual Pitch George competition is one of GW's premier entrepreneurial initiatives organized by the GW Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence (CFEE). This “elevator pitch” competition takes place each Fall semester and allows young entrepreneurs from any GW school to present their business ideas, get valuable feedback on the viability of their business concepts, and win startup capital. The competition offers networking opportunities with entrepreneurs from the greater DC area, as well as hands-on preparation for the GW New Venture Competition.
This academic year, CFEE presents to GW’s Fall semester students, faculty, and alumni the opportunity to participate in a hybrid version of the annual “Pitch George” elevator-pitching competition. Learn more about the competition, attend a Pitch George information session, or register for the competition. Registration is due by October 23 at 11:59 pm. The competition—which consists of three rounds spread across three weeks—will be held on November 6, November 13, and November 20.
NSF I-Corps Grants for Customer Discovery and Prototype Development
The InnovateGW I-Corps Site Program, funded by the National Science Foundation, awards grants of up to $3,000 to GW students, faculty or staff members who wish to explore possible applications of their research or technology to solve problems that could lead to a broader impact in society. InnovateGW is designed to educate researchers and technologists on entrepreneurial principles and practices and to give them hands-on experience in exploring potential, real-world applications of their technologies. To be eligible for the InnovateGW I-Corps Program, you must attend one of the “Introduction to Lean Innovation” workshops that take place each month. The next workshop is scheduled for Thursday, October 14, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Register here to attend a workshop, and/or learn more about the I-Corps program and apply for funding.
External Events
GW Centuries Celebration Weekend
Friday, October 1 – Sunday, October 3
Join GW for the culmination of our bicentennial. The weekend includes in-person events and activities for alumni, students, faculty, staff, and GW families, as well as Commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021, opportunities to honor our Monumental Alumni, and a closing Bicentennial Bash.
RCR and Beyond
Classes meet throughout the Fall semester
Thursdays, 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) @ GW and Beyond is a semester-long weekly seminar course designed to develop and strengthen ethical problem-solving skills along with cultivating sensitivity to ethical issues commonly found while conducting research. The course is open to the entire campus community, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, researchers, staff and research administrators. Registration is capped at 20 participants, first come, first served. Classes are held on Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. throughout the semester, unless otherwise noted.
Human Resources News
Find updates on benefits, employee resources, and more at the HR Corner. Please visit the HR Corner to get the latest news and information.