.jpg?1430336821)
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to announce the speakers for this spring’s convocation events. We are delighted to welcome back to Mason's campus two alumni who have achieved success and contribute to the well-being of their communities.
Karin Tooze, MA English ’09, will address the college’s convocation for the humanities and interdisciplinary programs. Tooze teaches English in the International Baccalaureate program at George Mason High School in Falls Church, Virginia. For 13 years, she has taught 8th through 12th grade English at various levels and previously taught at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana. In addition to classroom instruction, Tooze has served as the department chair and curriculum instruction and resource teacher, developing and integrating the English curriculum for grades 8 through 12. She also has mentored new teachers as they enter the profession.
Tooze first found her way to George Mason University through the Northern Virginia Writing Project Summer Institute in 2004. Inspired by the Writing Project, Tooze pursued a graduate degree from Mason and in 2009, she received an MA in English from Mason and was named the Outstanding Graduate Student in the Field of Teaching of Writing and Literature. She holds a BS in English education from Taylor University in Indiana.
In 2012, after being nominated by her students and colleagues, Tooze received the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award from the Washington Post Educational Foundation. In 2014, she was nominated by a former student to receive the University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award.
Raj Ratwani , MA ’04, PhD Psychology ’08, will speak to the college’s convocation ceremony for the social sciences. Ratwani is the scientific director of MedStar Health’s National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare and is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center. His research career is focused on better integrating technology with human capabilities to advance patient safety and quality in health care. His research has been funded by federal agencies and private foundations, and he has written and advised extensively on the safe and effective use of technology in health care settings.
Ratwani is a social entrepreneur and was co-founder of the world’s first bar and restaurant dedicated to donating 100 percent of its profits to charitable organizations. Ratwanti conceived the concept, which became known as a “philanthropub,” while he was in graduate school; he and a business partner opened the restaurant in Washington, D.C., in 2012. Although the restaurant eventually closed, it sparked a new wave of socially innovative food services and was covered by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other national and international media outlets. In 2013 PBS termed Ratwani an Agent for Change for the socially innovative philanthropub concept.
Ratwani was born and raised in Southern California and received a BS in cognitive science with distinction from the University of California, San Diego in 2002. He received his doctoral degree from Mason in 2008, where he was a recipient of the Edwin A. Fleishman Dissertation Award. He was a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory, where he received the Alan Berman publication award before his eventual transition to health care.
The college’s convocation ceremonies:
Humanities and Interdisciplinary Programs
Thursday, May 14, 2015
7:00 pm
Patriot Center
Social Sciences
Friday, May 15, 2015
10:00 am
Patriot Center
April 29, 2015
