Welcome to our monthly compilation of good news, gathered from the college's faculty and staff! Would you like to include your own news or a colleague's? Send us your details on the CHSS Brag Points form (which also collects information we can share with Mason's Office of University Branding).
Research
Kudos to Leah Adams, associate professor of psychology, who received $285,000 from the Neilsen Foundation for her research titled “Exploring psychosocial adaptation in survivors of violently acquired spinal cord injury (VASCI).” Adams’ mixed methods study will conduct investigational research as a critical first step to guide the design of targeted interventions that support the health and wellbeing of people with VASCI.
Congrats to Professor Kimberly Meltzer, Department of Communication, on being accepted to the Fulbright Specialist roster. She is the invited specialist for a project visit to Zagreb, Croatia in Spring 2027 to provide comparative expertise on journalistic adaptation to technological, professional, and cultural change.
Awards
Shout out to associate professor Thalia Goldstein, Department of Psychology, on receiving the 2026 Research Excellence Award: Distinguished Research and Scholarship from the Educational Theatre Association! The annual honors recognize educators, administrators, researchers, advocates, alumni, and schools for work in theatre education. Congrats, Thalia!
Congrats to Kim Eby, School of Integrative Studies, on being named a George Mason Distinguished Service Professor. Eby, who began working at the university in 1996, currently serves as the vice provost for faculty affairs and development in the Office of the Provost. The award recognizes individuals whose careers have had a major impact on their field or on the university community that goes well beyond ordinary levels of service. Congrats, Kim!
Kudos to CHSS Academic Affairs’ Path to Academic Student Success (PASS) retention program. PASS was featured in a GMU-TV video series that won the Excellence Award in the education category for the 2026 Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts Communicator Awards. PASS, which includes peer mentorship and an asynchronous Canvas course, is designed to empower students with the mentorship, tools, and support needed to thrive academically. The video features CHSS students Lexi Martinez and Camila Canelas Soto, and Ian Candy from the College of Science.
Articles and Publications
Kudos to associate professor Sergei Samoilenko, Department of Communication, on publishing an article in Corporate Communication Review. The article, "The Rise of Subversive Strategic Communication" examines how trolls, populists, and activist groups are increasingly deploying subversive tactics – including deepfakes and corporate character assassination – to target companies, executives, and public figures.
Shout out to three philosophy professors, who have recently published books. Professor Lisa Eckenwiler served as co-editor on Forced Migration and Health Justice, published by Oxford University Press. Adjunct faculty Christian Carrozzo co-edited Decisional Capacity, also with Oxford University Press. Assistant professor Daniel Nicholson authored What is Life? Revisited, published by Cambridge University Press. In addition, adjunct professor Rob Luzecky co-edited with Vernon Cisney of Gettysburg College a book, Deleuze, Guattari, and the Schizoanalysis of the Earth, that is to be released later this year.