John Hollis

Experts say enhanced collaboration between higher education and industry is necessary to meet workforce demands

John Hollis — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Experts say enhanced collaboration between higher education and industry is necessary to meet workforce demands John Hollis Thu, 01/09/2020 - 05:00

Liza Wilson Durant, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement at the Volgenau School of Engineering. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communications

George Mason University’s Liza Wilson Durant was among a group of academic and industry experts discussing ways to make college education more relevant to the needs of the 21st-century workforce during a roundtable discussion organized by the Chronicle of Higher Education in late October.

Improved partnership between higher education and employers would make those partnerships more effective, strategic and sustainable by helping to bridge the current technological skills gap, they concluded.

Wilson Durant, associate dean of strategic initiatives and community engagement for the Volgenau School of Engineering, spoke about Mason’s collaborative approach to education. Mason was among the first universities in the Washington, D.C., region to launch the digital technology credential in partnership with Capital Collaborative of Leaders in Academia and Business (CoLAB) that will assure its students of having the digital skills necessary to compete in today’s workforce.

“George Mason has a history of developing curricula to support the tremendous Northern Virginia industry and federal government sector,” Wilson Durant said, citing the engineering school’s cyber security engineering degree developed in partnership with Northrop Grumman and others.

Joining Wilson Durant on the panel were Jeanne Contardo, the managing director of the CoLAB; Ken Eisner, the director of worldwide education programs at Amazon Web Services (AWS); Brian K. Fitzgerald, the chief executive officer of the Business-Higher Education Forum; Rajni Goel, a professor at Howard University’s business school who previously served as chair of its Information Systems and Supply Chain Management Department; and Laura W. Hanson, the associate vice president for corporate solutions and apprenticeship at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia. The Chronicle’s Ian Wilhelm served as the panel moderator.

Read the report here.

Mason to unveil a new Cyber Living Innovation Lab as part of the CCI

Colleen Rich — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 20:23:55 +0000

Mason to unveil a new Cyber Living Innovation Lab as part of the CCI Colleen Rich Thu, 12/12/2019 - 15:23

A Cyber Living Innovation Lab with robotic platforms to evaluate 5G performance and a fleet of driverless cars will provide experiential learning opportunities to students from universities across the region as the anchor of George Mason University’s cybersecurity research expansion, thanks to $2.5 million in funding as part of a statewide initiative.

Mason will use $500,000 in bond funds awarded by the Commonwealth of Virginia to establish the Cyber Living Innovation Lab, which will serve as an integral part of the Mason-led Northern Virginia Node of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) starting in fall 2020. The facility, which will be housed in Vernon Smith Hall on Mason’s Arlington Campus, adjacent to the future Institute for Digital InnovAtion, will feature 3,000 square feet dedicated to cybersecurity research, training and experiential learning. It will align with the CCI’s strategic aim of growing workforce-ready cybersecurity and cyberphysical system security talent need to meet today’s demands and tomorrow’s economy.

“The Cyber Living Innovation Lab is a fabulous example of shared innovation platform,” said Deborah Crawford, Mason’s vice president for research, innovation and economic impact. “The lab will support cutting-edge research to secure the vast internet of everything, as well as experiential learning opportunities for students across all of the Northern Virginia Node’s partner institutions.”

The lab is the crown jewel of the efforts of a consortium of more than 60 Northern Virginia-based universities, colleges, and private, nonprofit and government organizations all sharing a commitment to building innovation capacity by focusing academic research and development, supporting an entrepreneurial ecosystem and aligning education and training with industry needs.

CCI aims to leverage this collaboration of selected industry partners to build ecosystems, prototypes, and testbeds and be recognized as a global leader in cyber physical systems security.

“Our impact on research and development, talent cultivation and economic impact is magnified by our partnerships and our ability to leverage and combine efforts to achieve our mutual goals,” said Liza Wilson Durant, the associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement at Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering and the director of the Northern Virginia Node of the CCI.

The commonwealth approved $2.5 million for each of the four regional nodes last year, as well as an additional $500,000 each in capital funding for the necessary equipment research that will help educate students through 11 distinct initiatives in the areas of research, talent development and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Cyber Living Innovation Lab will include autonomous vehicle sensor platforms to study 5G performance and security vulnerabilities. The platforms will support Lidar, radar, stereo and night vision cameras that will be deployed on the Northern Virginia Node’s fleet of vehicles to simulate autonomous driving. The vehicles will be deployed throughout the Northern Virginia Node and may remain in residence at partner institutions for periods of time to collect data.

The lab will facilitate further study of impact of 5G on the security of industry, smart manufacturing and the vulnerability of the supporting power grid. It will also include office space for Northern Virginia Node faculty, other partner visitors and graduate student researchers, while providing classroom instruction to cohorts of community college students and undergraduates so they can apply what they’ve learned to real-world cyber challenges.

“The Cyber Living Innovation Lab will enable research, as well as hands-on experiential learning and will be open to all Northern Virginia Node partners,” Wilson Durant said.

The CCI includes four regional nodes from across the state, each led by an institution of higher learning. The Northern Virginia-based CCI hub coordinates activities across the nodes, relying on the active collaboration of institutions of higher education across the state to contribute their experience, ideas and expertise.

Mason produces more graduates in the computing fields than any other university in the state, and is a key player in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

Ten percent of the top Cybersecurity 500 global firms are concentrated in Northern Virginia. Fairfax County alone accounts for more than 350 cyber firms, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Arlington Campus celebrates the past, looks to the future

John Hollis — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 21:15:26 +0000

Arlington Campus celebrates the past, looks to the future John Hollis Wed, 11/20/2019 - 16:15

Learn more about Arlington Forward

George Mason University’s Arlington Campus celebrated its storied past during a 40th anniversary commemoration in Van Metre Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 20, with an eye on an even more promising future.

Mason Interim President Anne Holton joined other university, state and regional leaders in recognizing the university’s positive presence in Arlington since 1979, and its prominent role as a hub for current and future regional innovation.

Holton referenced the “glorious past and present and our exciting future” and Mason’s consistent role within the community over that 40 years when she recalled the origin of the campus in the old department store building next door; its current home in Van Metre Hall, Vernon Smith Hall and Hazel Hall; and the upcoming Institute for Digital InnovAtion. She cited the extraordinary work that has been done on the campus since its outset.

“We’re a partner to this whole Ballston/Rosslyn corridor that is such a factor,” Holton said. “We like to think that Mason has grown up throughout Northern Virginia, growing up helping lead the community and being led by the community. We have a lot to be proud of right here, right now on this Arlington Campus.”

At the heart of the expanded campus will be a state-of-the-art, 400,000-square-foot building that will be home to the new School of Computing, as well as the Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA), a university think tank that will welcome more than 1,200 entrepreneurs, researchers, technologists and business leaders from the public and private sectors to anchor the Arlington Innovation District.

“This campus will integrate business, community and education to launch a true innovation district,” said Liza Wilson Durant, the associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement in the Volgenau School of Engineering. “Our vision is for people to live, work and play here.”

State Senator Barbara Favola, a Democrat whose 31st District encompasses parts of Arlington, delivered a unanimous resolution commemorating the anniversary and lauding the Arlington Campus for its achievements.

“You articulated a future that Arlington was proud to buy into,” she said before reading the proclamation.

Christian Dorsey, chair of the Arlington County Board, said the region’s current anticipated growth and dynamism will require “constant innovative thought” that Mason would provide.

“A key hub of that [growth] is a learning institute, which is attracting the kind of individuals who are going to learn and participate in this innovation economy, but who are also going to lead in attracting others to this culture of growth and change and doing so in a responsible way,” Dorsey said.

The campus expansion comes on the heels of Amazon’s decision to open a second headquarters in Northern Virginia.

Virginia’s largest public research university, Mason currently enrolls more than 6,500 students in its computing programs, but expects to grow that to more than 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students in computer science, computer engineering, information technology and other related fields by 2024.

To meet increased demand for highly skilled graduates, the university has pledged to invest more than $250 million over the next five years to grow programs, hire additional faculty and expand its physical presence in Arlington from its current 700,000 square feet adjacent to the new Amazon headquarters to 1.2 million square feet.

Most recently, the state pledged $235 million over 20 years to invest in undergraduate and graduate tech talent degree programs.

“It is an ongoing effort to make sure Virginia is the best educated state in the nation,” Holton said. “Mason is a big part of that.”

Mason has help in the effort with partners like Growth4VA, a broad, bipartisan coalition founded by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. It includes state business, education and political leaders who see education as the state’s top competitive asset.

Ardine Williams, Amazon’s vice president of people operations and Amazon HQ2 workforce development, said that her company has long held that the region’s abundance of tech talent was why Northern Virginia was selected as the site of its second headquarters. Williams also lauded Mason for its major additions that will produce even more job-ready graduates.

“Integrated real-world challenges will assure that Mason students are ready,” she said.

Mason officials envision the IDIA and the Arlington Innovation District serving as an engine of research development, economic growth, job creation and new tax revenue, while drawing on the university’s strong relationships with other organizations in the region, including private, nonprofit and public-sector partners.

“We will be using all of our different talents to raise up this corridor from Ballston all the way to Rosslyn, and we are so proud of it,” Holton said.

Gov. Northam gets updates on Mason’s Innovation District plans

Colleen Rich — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 16:19:28 +0000

Gov. Northam gets updates on Mason’s Innovation District plans Colleen Rich Wed, 10/23/2019 - 12:19

Volgenau's Liza Wilson Durant, Gov. Ralph Northam and Mason's Chief of Staff Dietra Trent look over plans for the Innovation District in Arlington. Photo by Lathan Goumas.

George Mason University leaders met with Gov. Ralph Northam in Arlington last week to discuss Mason’s planned Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) and other changes to the Arlington Campus.

Liza Wilson Durant, a professor and associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement within the Volgenau School of Engineering, gave the governor a tour and provided details about the IDIA, which will be located in a new 400,000-square-foot building planned for the university’s Arlington Campus.

The IDIA will become the hub of an Innovation District in Arlington by housing more than 1,200 entrepreneurs, technologists and business leaders from the public and private sectors.

Wilson Durant was joined by Mason’s Chief of Staff Dietra Trent and Vice President of Community and Government Relations Paul Liberty.

She said Gov. Northam enjoyed the presentation.

“He was very supportive of our plans,” Wilson Durant said, “and our ideas to support the development of innovative technologies and have a larger impact on the economy in and around Arlington and the larger commonwealth.”

Mason ranked No. 1 nationally in Cybersecurity Talent Discovery

Melanie Balog — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 18:42:54 +0000

Mason ranked No. 1 nationally in Cybersecurity Talent Discovery Melanie Balog Mon, 07/08/2019 - 14:42

George Mason University has been recognized as a Cyber FastTrack National “Top Tier College” that is the best in the nation in Cybersecurity Talent Discovery.

Getty Images

Mason recently topped a nationwide Cyber FastTrack field of 5,200 U.S. colleges for the honor, with a contest-best 312 students discovering their aptitude for cybersecurity careers through a competition sponsored by the SANS Technology Institute. Cyber FastTrack is a free online program for college students and graduates that was designed by world leaders in cybersecurity and backed by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and 24 other U.S. governors in the hopes of closing the nation’s cyber skills gap with China and Russia.

Southern Arkansas University’s Main Campus, Austin Peay State University, Michigan State University and Old Dominion University rounded out the top five finishers.

“It is an honor for our university to receive this notice,” said Peggy S. Brouse, a professor within Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering and the director of the nation’s first Bachelor of Science Cyber Security Engineering program. “We have worked very hard in VSE to have superior programs and research in cybersecurity.”

Mason’s Bachelor of Science Cyber Security Engineering program launched in spring 2015, with 28 students graduating three years later. The program has since expanded to nearly 400 students, Brouse said.

“The leadership shown by George Mason University is commendable,” said Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute. “Without the talent being discovered in Cyber FastTrack, shortages of elite talent will put the United States at a severe disadvantage in protecting power systems, financial systems and military systems in times of conflict and protecting businesses and personal privacy in peace time. George Mason University has set a high bar for other schools in Virginia and in the nation.”

Students from all disciplines are encouraged to enroll in the Cyber FastTrack program. Through the program’s online challenges, quizzes, exams and tutorials, students learn disciplines such as forensics, intrusion detection, security operations, system and network penetration testing and application penetration testing.

The highest performing students were awarded Cyber Honors Academy Scholarships for free training at the SANS Institute. Another 200 well-performing students each received $500 in scholarships toward college tuition.

Plans are already underway at Mason to add a Master of Science in Cyber Security Engineering component to enhance the undergraduate program.

“Because of the importance of cybersecurity in our country,” Brouse said, “I don’t see any limit to the popularity and expansion of the program.”

Digital credential will prepare graduates for a technology-driven world

Melanie Balog — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 19:50:35 +0000

Digital credential will prepare graduates for a technology-driven world Melanie Balog Wed, 03/20/2019 - 15:50

George Mason University is among the first universities in the region to launch a digital certification program, which will ensure that all students—regardless of their major—have the digital skills needed to compete in today’s workforce.

The digital technology credential is being championed by the Greater Washington Partnership (GWP), a civic alliance of CEOs in the region, through its Collaborative of Leaders in Academia and Business (CoLAB) Consortium, a group of 12 universities and 14 leading companies who work together to position the Capital Region as a leading global hub for innovation. The curriculum will allow undergraduate students to develop the skills they need in today’s technology-driven economy while creating a broader talent pipeline for employers throughout the region.

The program emphasizes data analytics, visualization and cybersecurity, and is set according to standards defined by employers from across the region. The plan, which merges the humanities and social sciences fields with computer science, could become a national model for regional collaboration between universities and businesses.

“Our top priority is to make sure our students leave Mason prepared to thrive in the workforce,” Mason President Ángel Cabrera said. “No matter your major or career path, technology is necessary in every field, and everyone will need some level of skill and expertise here.”

Liza Wilson Durant, a professor and associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement within Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering, said she’s been pleasantly surprised by how many humanities majors have already signed up. She envisioned others soon following suit, both at Mason and elsewhere.

“Companies realize that people who can write and speak and who understand cultural context and policy are vital to the success of the companies,” she said. “They see the need for students with this knowledge. But if [the students] can’t work around an Excel spreadsheet, or if they can’t analyze data, [companies] can’t effectively employ them. So, we’re on the right track here by merging these two concepts.”

Mason was already well equipped to meet the specific standards that regional employers were looking for. The Department of Statistics within the Volgenau School of Engineering already offers a data analysis minor and needed only to add a cybersecurity element to one of the five mandatory classes necessary for eligibility for a generalist credential.

Because it already had many of the necessary elements in place, Mason will become the first of the participating regional universities to bestow digital credentials to its graduates. Four students will have completed the program in time for this year’s upcoming Spring Commencement on May 17. Currently, there are 10 students enrolled in the program at Mason and roughly 200 enrolled in the data analysis minor, said Michelle Marks, Mason’s vice president for academic innovation and new ventures.

“I think it shows how Mason is poised to innovate faster than most universities,” Marks said, “and that—when our students graduate—they are ready for successful careers and are job ready.”

Virginia Commonwealth University has also launched the program, and American University, the University of Richmond and Virginia Tech will launch their programs this fall.

Durant said the process began several months ago after regional employers decided they weren’t seeing the necessary kind of skills, knowledge and abilities in the talent they were hiring. They specifically cited deficiencies in cybersecurity, data analytics and machine learning.

The partnership came up with the idea of a credential that would serve as an affirmation of the specific skills that employers were looking for. That endorsement will give students preferential treatment for hiring consideration, internships and mentoring opportunities, as well as invaluable face-to-face time with company executives.

Future plans include making the generalist credential available online for working professionals seeking contemporary skills, and building out a specialist credential for students who already have an extensive background in engineering and computer science.

“I think this approach that we have is unique, it’s new, and I think it’s going to be very popular,” Durant said.

For more information, contact statistics@gmu.edu.

Mason enrolling more women in engineering and computer science fields, report shows

Melanie Balog — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 14:35:07 +0000

Mason enrolling more women in engineering and computer science fields, report shows Melanie Balog Thu, 02/28/2019 - 09:35

Mason is part of a growing trend aimed at diversifying well-paying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The Chronicle of Higher Education has ranked George Mason University among the top schools in the nation for its high percentage of women earning undergraduate degrees in engineering.

In a report released this week, 253 public colleges and universities were surveyed for the percentage of women who earned undergraduate degrees during the 2016–17 school year. Mason was ranked 31st in engineering and 127th in computer science, according to the most recent data.

“We have made progress in this area over the past decade, and have numerous outreach programs that we hope will result in even more women pursuing engineering degrees at Mason,” said Ken Ball, the dean of Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering.

In 2016, more than 23 percent of Mason’s engineering graduates and just under 16 percent of computer science graduates were women. Both numbers have increased in recent years and align with the national averages of 21 percent for engineering and 18 percent for computer science.

Women currently account for almost 25 percent of all Mason engineering students and just under 19 percent of all computer science students within the Volgenau School of Engineering, according to university statistics.

Mason is part of a growing trend aimed at diversifying well-paying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Overall, there’s been a 54 percent increase nationally in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women in engineering and computer science from 2011 to 2016, according to the Society of Women Engineers.

Undergraduate students in the Volgenau School are part of the nearly 5,000 students enrolled in computing-related degree programs at Mason, a number expected to double by 2024 as the university prepares career-ready graduates for key employers like Amazon, which is establishing its second headquarters in the Northern Virginia region.

“While we are pleased with our current ranking, we will not be satisfied until our percentage of women in engineering programs approaches 50 percent,” Ball said.

A conversation with Amazon at Mason

Melanie Balog — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:40:09 +0000

A conversation with Amazon at Mason Melanie Balog Fri, 02/22/2019 - 10:40

George Mason University hosted a community dialogue with Amazon on its Arlington Campus on Thursday, providing a window into the tech giant’s plans for its new headquarters in Northern Virginia.

The intimate, 90-minute meeting with the company gave more than 100 community stakeholders an opportunity to pose questions about Amazon’s plans and impact on the region. Holly Sullivan, Amazon’s head of worldwide economic development, was the featured speaker on a panel that included Jeanette Chapman, deputy director and senior research associate at Mason’s Stephen F. Fuller Institute at the Schar School of Policy and Government; Victor Hoskins, Arlington’s economic development director; Andrew VanHorn, executive vice president of developer JBG Smith; and Stephen Moret, CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Chuck Bean, executive director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments—which hosted the event—served as the moderator.

Mason President Ángel Cabrera kicked off the event by saying the move to Crystal City, Virginia, would be a boon to the entire region.

“I think there’s a match that was meant to happen,” he said. “The most interesting and vibrant hubs in the world—not just in the U.S., but around the world—increasingly are characterized by symbiosis between top-level research universities and innovation-driven organizations. There would be no Silicon Valley without that symbiosis; there would be no Seattle, Washington, without symbiosis. There would be no Zurich or no Austin.”

Amazon chose Crystal City and New York City from among 20 finalists after a national search for a second corporate headquarters that drew bids from 238 localities. The Seattle-based company recently announced it was abandoning its plans for New York City after running into strong political opposition.

Amazon is expected to bring more than 25,000 high-paying jobs to the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, and Mason is poised to play a prominent role in establishing that talent pipeline.

Sullivan credited the region’s abundance of top-tier universities as among the deciding factors in Amazon’s decision.

“This is a location and a region that has top-ranked universities with an excellent public education system,” she said. “That gives us an opportunity to work with other companies to build a really robust talent pipeline.”

Chapman added that the type of jobs being created makes the partnership especially appealing.

“They’re private-sector jobs,” she said. “They’re not dependent on the federal government, and they’re high-value adds.”

Panelists specifically cited Mason’s ADVANCE partnership with Northern Virginia Community College as the type of program needed to make sure that opportunities become available to everybody.

“To me, that is an incredible opportunity,” Hoskins said.

Mason and the U.S. Navy partner to promote STEM activities

Melanie Balog — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 10:00:46 +0000

Mason and the U.S. Navy partner to promote STEM activities Melanie Balog Fri, 01/18/2019 - 05:00

Students were asked to devise a fast way to detect erosion on the polymer metals used to make the blades of U.S. Navy helicopters. Getty Images photo.

Two teams of George Mason University seniors majoring in mechanical engineering are spending this semester applying what they’ve learned to a U.S. Navy-sponsored senior capstone project with real-world applications.

That’s just what Oscar Barton Jr., chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in Mason's Volgenau School of Engineering, had in mind with the $265,000 grant he received from the U.S. Department of the Navy. The partnership pairs Mason and the U.S. Navy through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach activities designed to expose Mason students and faculty to a wide range of naval technical problems, while also aiding the U.S. Navy in its outreach to young people.

“In just one short semester, [the seniors] will be practicing engineers,” Barton said. “They need to experience what it takes to go from concept to reality to application.”

Under the terms of the grant, the U.S. Navy has sponsored two senior capstone projects, each lead by teams of five students, all of whom are under the supervision of Robert Gallo, the director of senior projects and professor of practice within the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

“We wanted to challenge our students to leverage their engineering experiences in pursuit of solutions to real-world problems presented by the Navy,” Gallo said.

In the fall semester, the two student teams were requested to devise a rapid way to detect erosion on the polymer metals used to make the blades of U.S. Navy helicopters serving in severe weather environments, such as the desert or around salt water.

Helicopter wings see erosion in ship-to-shore transitions, said Kerem Dokuzcan, one of the student team leaders. As helicopters get closer to water or sand, they pick up those materials, causing erosion on the helicopter wings that would be problematic if left unchecked. The wings would have to be serviced or changed less frequently if materials or protective coatings could be used to lower the erosion rate.

It’s a problem that has plagued U.S. Navy warfighters for years, but Mason students have the opportunity to help find a solution that could have a lasting impact.

“The objective of our project is to create an apparatus that can provide a relative ranking of a material’s erosion rate,” Dokuzcan said. “Our apparatus is meant to give the U.S Navy a cheap and quick ranking of a material’s [or] protective coating’s erosion rates, as current tests are neither of those.”

Along the way, the Mason students will learn the necessity of working together while adhering to real-world deadlines and strict technical and presentation specifications. Both teams will present their completed capstone projects on May 2.

“Working with the U.S Navy is a great honor, and the fact that it could possibly save American lives is extremely motivational,” Dokuzcan said. “My team and I have been working diligently to not only meet requirements given to us by the Office of Naval Research, but to surpass expectations in order to give future students the same opportunity.”

Barton, who spent 22 years teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy prior to coming to Mason, will oversee promoting outreach for both students and teachers. This includes developing the George Mason University U.S. Navy Ambassadors Program, in which Mason undergraduates will visit a number of local, low-income middle and high schools to promote participation in Navy STEM-related programs through face-to-face forums. On Feb. 28, the department is partnering with Engineers On Deck, a nonprofit STEM education organization, to offer a workshop for teachers in Prince William County, Virginia, to enhance readiness and awareness of Navy STEM programs. They’ll also be making their case at the annual Engineering Youth Conference held prior to the start of Engineers Week each February.

“I want to be able to provide those teachers with the resources and experiences necessary to be a conduit for a student to learn a STEM activity,” Barton said. “This will broaden the opportunity for a more diverse group of students.”

'Artificial blubber' will allow divers extended time in frigid waters

Melanie Balog — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 10:00:32 +0000

'Artificial blubber' will allow divers extended time in frigid waters Melanie Balog Thu, 01/10/2019 - 05:00

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Jeffrey Moran

Jeff Moran, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Volgenau School of Engineering, is working to make wetsuits more effective and keep divers warmer longer. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communications.

A George Mason University researcher is part of a team of scientists who have devised a wetsuit treatment that greatly increases the amount of time divers can safely spend in bitterly cold water.

Jeff Moran, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering within the Volgenau School of Engineering, and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come up with a plan to triple the survival time for swimmers in wetsuits in unforgiving environments, including Arctic waters. The team, which worked on the project in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy SEALs, published their findings in the June 2018 edition of the journal RSC Advances.

The development comes at a critical time as the U.S. military is seeking to expand its presence in the Arctic. Continued melting of the polar ice caps means the region will see increased shipping traffic, commercial fishing and efforts by various nations to tap the region’s many resources, including oil.

“Current wetsuits—current solutions that we have for diving in super-cold water and very cold conditions—are fundamentally limited,” Moran said. “Hypothermia becomes a serious risk after 20 to 30 minutes. We saw room for improvement.”

The wetsuit treatment will also have applications for swimmers, athletes, surfers and recreational divers.

Standard wetsuits are made of neoprene, a stretchy type of synthetic rubber that is filled with pockets of air that account for most of the material’s volume and half of the heat that escapes. When the wetsuit is placed inside a five-gallon pressure tank—no bigger than a beer keg—filled with a heavy, inert gas such as xenon or krypton for one to five days, the heavier gas replaces the air within the neoprene. The process creates an artificial blubber-type substance that greatly enhances the wetsuit’s thermal insulation properties.

“The fundamental idea of the project is to replace air with a better insulating gas,” said Moran, who worked closely on the project with Jacopo Buongiorno and Michael Strano, the MIT professors whose visit to the Defense Science Study Group inspired the project.

The breakthrough could have significant national security implications for U.S. military personnel operating in water colder than 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) by increasing survivability in those conditions from less than an hour to as long as three hours.

“The main impact of this materials technology is delaying the onset of hypothermia for the warfighter,” said Anton Cottrill, an MIT graduate student and coauthor of the journal article. “You can modify a current wetsuit using the process that we have developed to essentially double the time that a diver can spend in frigid, arctic waters before the onset of hypothermia.”

The innovation makes the treated wetsuit’s material a better insulator, but it also makes the suit easier to put on, move around in and take off than conventional suits because the treated versions are 40 percent thinner, said Moran, himself an amateur diver.

Oscar Barton, the chair of Mason’s Mechanical Engineering Department who taught at the U.S. Naval Academy for more than 20 years before coming to Mason, lauded the breakthrough for its potential contributions to the U.S. military.

“There’s always an effort to push the envelope for anything that involves man and machine,” Barton said. “In my mind, it’s taking what we do in the classroom, developing the technology and getting it to market.”

Moran and his team hope to soon complete a stable long-term version of the wetsuit and begin human trials. They’ve already applied for a patent to protect their work.

“The goal is to make diving in cold water a less miserable experience,” Moran said.