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May 2007

The "Mason Connection" is Mason's electronic newsletter, designed to keep you informed of the latest developments at the university. The newsletter is sent monthly when the General Assembly is in session and every other month when it is not in session.

Researching Personalized Treatment for Cancer Patients

Scientists now know that even though two patients may be diagnosed with lung cancer, their cancer is not really the same. At the molecular level, every patient's tumor is different. Yet current cancer therapy is standardized for all.

Not surprisingly, only about 20 to 30 percent of patients respond favorably to the standard treatmen; meanwhile, other patients unnecessarily suffer the side effects of unsuccessful treatment. Mason researchers Lance Liotta and Emanuel Petricoin want to change that. This spring, the researchers announced the formation of a new company that in another year will offer physicians a tool to more precisely target cancer therapies. Their new technique, they say, can ultimately broaden the favorable response by providing physicians with information they can use to tailor patient treatment.

"We're not here to talk about curing cancer," Petricoin said at the launching of the new company, Theranostics Health LLC. "We're here to talk about making cancer a manageable disease. Our ultimate goal is to be able to put a patient into indefinite remission."

A University Engaged

Students Moving Out, Donating to Charity

Don't dump it; donate it. That's what organizers of the first annual Patriot Pack Out-a new recycling and community outreach initiative at Mason-told students Students Kelsey Adkins, left, and Nikki Mendicino volunteered at the Patriot Pack Out on Tuesday. The effort collected unwanted items from students moving out of the residence halls for the summer; the final collection will be held today. All donations will go to local charities. Interstate Worldwide Relocation has provided a storage trailer for the Pack Out.
Photo by Evan Cantwell moving out of the residence halls.

The Patriot Pack Out took place from May 10 through 16. Students were encouraged to drop off unwanted packaged food, clothing, electronics and small appliances in collection bins placed throughout residence hall areas.

"This is the first time Mason has ever organized a student move-out event," says Traci Claar, director of community relations. "This will be an easy way for students to donate to the local community while making the moving-out process a lot easier on themselves.

The Patriot Pack Out crew collected a total of 126 barrels of items including food, clothing, and small appliances. The articles were donated to two local community organizations: Food for Others and United Community Ministries.

Research Spotlight

New Idea Detector May Be Able to Help Law Enforcement Fight Terrorism

Kenneth Hintz, an electrical and computer engineering professor in the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering, was recently awarded a patent for his Lexicon-Based New Idea Detector.

Developed at Mason, the system, known as FadCat, can detect the occurrence of new ideas by systematically analyzing documents and databases to identify common threads of information. According to Hintz, "The net result is a significant reduction in the amount of manual searching required to find something that was previously unknown."

The system would be most commonly used to handle problems associated with law enforcement-an area that Hintz says is generally "data rich and information poor." FadCat is capable of identifying the useful information present in the massive amounts of transcripts, e-mails and written documents law officials must often sift through.

Hintz uses the example of examining a terrorist organization. It is "unfeasible for an investigator to pore over all of the documents of multiple terrorist suspects in the hopes of finding a common thread" to identify a terrorist target, he says. The FadCat is capable of detecting such targets after systematically examining all the suspects' forms of communication.

In The News

Saturday, April 28, CNN Anderson Cooper 360°

The Killers in Our Midst

Connie Kirkland, director of sexual assault services at George Mason University, was interviewed on CNN to discuss the habits of sexual predators and their victims: "Very few stalking victims report the crime to police. I think the highest number I've seen is 17 percent," Kirkland said. "About 10 percent of all stalkers either attempt a sexual assault or commit a sexual assault on their stalking victim. Unfortunately, about 2 percent of stalking victims end as murder victims."

Monday, April 30, Washington Post

Susan Shields's 'Ballet Cocktail': A Splash of Bubbly

"Susan Shields is one of the local dance scene's best-kept secrets. The one-time Washington Ballet member has pursued a career of supreme breadth, dancing with Mikhail Baryshnikov and his White Oak Dance Project, as well as in the companies of contemporary leaders Mark Morris, Lar Lubovitch, and Laura Dean. As a dance professor at George Mason University, the Virginia native has kept her hand in the performance world, choreographing occasional works for modest-size ballet companies."

Thursday, April 26, Washington Post

Colleges Enhancing Security; Sirens, Text Messaging, Locks among the New Measures

"After the shootings at Virginia Tech last week, scores of schools across the country have implemented measures to bolster security and improve communication. 'We are moving fast in terms of finding mechanisms to get people's attention in an emergency,' said Alan Merten, president of George Mason University. 'But the real question is what do you say to the community after you've got their attention.'"

Mason Connection is a free service and official publication of George Mason University. It is designed to give you quick, monthly updates on the happenings at Mason. You received Mason Connection because of your affiliation with George Mason University. Subscribe and unsubscribe requests for Mason Connection, including address changes, are handled by sending an e-mail to the Office of Community Relations at tclaar@gmu.edu. Please be sure to include your name and e-mail address. For more information, contact Traci Claar, Director of Community Relations. For additional campus event information, please visit Today@Mason. Editorial content produced by Devon Madison, Creative Services.