Summary

George Mason University has numerous research centers that do research that have policy implications.

This post aggregates the research centers that are featured in Meet the Changemakers Day on Oct. 24, 2023. The feature image has the logos for the three research organization with town halls for Meet the Changemakers Day and the two academic units with the most research center presentations and roundtables.

Thumbnails 2-4 in the GMU Research Center slideshow have posts on the featured research town halls. Thumbnails 5-24 have posts on the research centers giving presentations and having roundtables. These centers are listed in the order of their presentations on MTC Day.

To view in full screen mode this post and other posts in this slide show, click anywhere on a Feature Image.

OnAir Post: GMU Research Centers

News

Pakistani officials meet with Mason energy experts
Mason News, Buzz McClainAugust 3, 2023

According to the World Bank, some 40% of Pakistanis—about 96 million people—do not have access to dependable electricity, and the demand for power continues to grow. The nation’s declining natural gas supply, lack of investment in new power generation, and corporate and political instability in the energy sector present a continuing, and extremely expensive, existential crisis.

Guardianship has long been the traditional way to support decision-making for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, but recent research conducted by George Mason University philosophy professor Andrew Peterson investigates an alternative that allows for more autonomy and a greater sense of dignity.

The approach is called supported decision making, and Peterson and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania have received a $3.1 million grant funded by the National Institute on Aging to investigate how it can improve health outcomes for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The research is being conducted at the Penn Memory Center, an internationally recognized facility for diagnosis and care for persons living with dementia, where Peterson is an affiliate researcher.

In the second phase of the study, the team will conduct a clinical trial, in which some patients and care partners will be encouraged to use supported decision making while others are not. They will compare these groups with outcome measures related to quality of life, life satisfaction, sense of dignity and agency, and decision-making conflict.

By the end of the study, Peterson said they aim to have a supported decision-making guide that can be scaled to other memory centers nationwide, as well as an evidence base that can justify changes to guardianship law.

The transdisciplinary AI Strategies team examines how cultural values and institutional polices shape AI infrastructures in national and global contexts.

In May, a cohort of 20 selected AI and Tech fellows gathered at Mason Square for George Mason University’s AI Strategies first AI and Tech Policy Summer Institute. The event, which was also sponsored by Mason’s Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, the Schar School of Policy and Government, the Institute for Digital Innovation, and the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership, brought together scholars, industry experts, government officials, and civil society activists from multiple academic disciplines, backgrounds, and research interests.

The cohort convened to introduce Mason master’s and doctoral students in the social sciences, humanities, and select professional schools to the fundamental engineering concepts about how artificial intelligence (AI) works, policy and regulatory frameworks that are evolving to govern AI, debates on AI ethics, and issues surrounding security, economic, and human rights concerns from local to global levels.

“AI now impacts every kind of work and even play, from writing an email to ordering a book,” said Schar School of Policy and Government Distinguished University Professor J. P. Singh, who leads the AI Strategies team. “The knowledge from the summer institute is important for students who will eventually be responsible for using and controlling AI, which is already considered an existential threat in some quarters.

Researchers from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy (i3p) played a key role in the project, from the pre-proposal stage to the present, providing insight on the ethical, social, and policy implications of emerging technologies. At the institute, i3p Acting Director Jesse Kirkpatrick, a member of the AI Strategies team, presented “Responsible Innovation and National Security,” which addressed existing efforts, challenges, and opportunities in responsible AI, and drew on his involvement in responsible AI research, policy, and practice across such sectors as academia, industry, and government.

AI’s future discussed at roundtable
Mason News, Rena MalaiJune 13, 2023

Just what is AI?

This was one of the first questions posed by Missy Cummings, director of George Mason University’s Autonomy and Robotics Center, at the Future of AI roundtable in June.

“At the end of the day, AI can be a tool to help you in your job, but you need to understand both its strengths and weaknesses,” Cummings said. “That’s why Mason will be offering a certificate and master’s degree focused on responsible AI, so that people across industry and government can learn how to manage the risks while promoting the benefits of AI.”

The invite-only roundtable, hosted by the College of Engineering and Computing, explored the issues, challenges, and solutions to think about as AI technologies rapidly evolve and change almost as soon as they are introduced.

Cummings led the roundtable and highlighted AI areas like ChatGPT and autonomous driving systems that lack human reasoning skills. When human behavior, environment, and AI blind spots intersect, the resulting uncertainty contributes to fundamental limitations.

In general, large language models like ChatGPT will use what the average person is saying on the internet. This means it could pick up extremist views, if it is currently something trending or popular online.

It can also be a concern when it comes to diversity, she said.

“If a company uses ChatGPT to write their mission statement, in another five years, everyone’s mission statement will be the same,” Cummings said. “Creative thoughts and authenticity are lost. It’s important to understand how far we push these models, and what the long-term ramifications could be.”

Roundtable attendees from local universities and tech companies left with a greater understanding of how AI can impact everyday life, in more ways than one.

Roberta Spalter-Roth award
https://iir.gmu.edu/articles/19022May 4, 2023

Congratulations to Dr. Roberta Spalter-Roth, faculty affiliate with the Institute for Immigration Research and Center for Social Science Research, for being named winner of the 2023 Stuart A. Rice Merit Award for Career Achievement from the District of Columbia Sociological Society (DCSS). The 2023 DCSS Awards Banquet will be held on May 18, 2023. Information about tickets can be found at https://dcsociologicalsociety.org/event-5268350.

According to the DCSS, the Stuart A. Rice Merit Award is presented to a distinguished senior member of the Society who has made a significant contribution to the discipline, and are judged on their collective accomplishments over the course of their professional careers. Dr. Spalter-Roth’s list of achievements and contributions to sociology spans decades of hard work and dedication. Congratulations, Dr. Spalter-Roth!

How Immigrants Tame Inflation
WSJ Opinion, Justin GestMay 1, 2023

Labor shortages apply upward pressure to wages and thus prices

IIR Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Justin Gest, has published a Wall Street Journal commentary titled: “How Immigrants Tame Inflation: Labor shortages apply upward pressure to wages and thus prices.” The opinion piece draws on Gest’s research, which is also detailed in a Fwd.us report: “To lower inflation, America needs more immigration to alleviate national labor shortages.”

Featured Centers

The following institutes and research center are leading 50 minute town halls for Meet the Changemakers Day on October 24, 2023.

CHHS Research Centers

Dr.Michele Schwietz, CHSS Research Director has contributed significantly in assisting Democracy onAir with the scheduling and coordination of participating CHHS research centers.

In addition to the Institute for Immigration Research and the Center for Climate Change Communication, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences will have six more research centers participating in Meet the Changemakers Day. See below.

Schar Centers

Dr. Naoru Koizumi, Schar Research Director, has contributed significantly in assisting Democracy onAir with the scheduling and coordination of participating Schar research centers.

The nine Schar research centers participating in Meet the Changemakers Day are summarized below.