To everyone who had an opportunity to take a break over the summer, welcome back! CINA stayed busy supporting research, workforce development, and outreach in support of DHS’s mission to Counter Transnational Organized Crime.
The highlight of CINA’s summer was hosting three teams under DHS’s Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions. We hosted two virtual projects:
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- “Gas optimization in Move Smart contracts on the Sui Blockchain,” by Dr. Nahid Majd and students Fernando Landeros and Calvary Fisher from California State University San Marcos, mentored by George Mason faculty member Dr. Foteini Baldimtsi
- “Development of accurate blood simulant for forensic applications: Biologically Equivalent Simulant for Forensic Tracedrop (BEST),” by Dr. Jingbo Liu and student Maria M. Sandoval from Texas A&M University Kingsville, mentored by Dr. Emily D. Rancourt.
We also hosted one project on campus:
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- “The effects of soil contamination, with petroleum products, on microbial presence and the rate of human decomposition,” by Dr. Mieko M. Thompson and students Brittney Sylvester and Latavia Williams from Southern University at New Orleans, mentored by Dr. Georgia A. Williams.
Dr. Thompson’s team took advantage of George Mason’s Forensic Science Research and Training Laboratory (also known as the Body Farm) to observe the decomposition of two pig cadavers and collect DNA samples of microbes at each stage of the process. It was a treat to share Brittney and Latavia’s excitement about developing their fieldwork skills and to learn about their plans to train as forensic medical examiners. Their experience would not have been possible without the generous support of Dr. Mary Ellen O’Toole, Dr. Emily D. Rancourt, and all their colleagues in George Mason’s Forensic Science Program.
Later in the summer, on August 20, CINA had the pleasure of welcoming DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov to George Mason. CINA briefed Dr. Kusnezov on the center’s structure and activities, introduced him to alumni of CINA’s summer 2024 internship program, Nathaniel Lovgren and Ethan Burke, and their hosts at the DHS Cyber Crime Center (DC3), and highlighted two of CINA’s research projects: “Time series analysis of anonymized communication channels,” by Dr. Robert Simon and Dr. Eric Osterweil with student Taylor Johnson, which has just wrapped up, and “Source attribution of fentanyl via multivariate metals analysis,” by Brian Eckenrode, which is just kicking off.
We’re now gearing up for a busy fall. On September 18, we hosted the in-person kickoff of our new George Mason-CINA Science Network, an interdisciplinary community of George Mason scholars whose work addresses transnational organized crime. We will follow up with a webinar version later this fall, with further events and content to follow throughout the academic year.
Register for our upcoming virutal CINA Distinguished Speaker Series on October 9 with Donna Turner, a former Bank of America C-suite executive, who will speak on “The Global Squeezing of the Fraud Balloon”.
And mark your calendar for CINA’s annual Request for Proposals (RFP), which will open in December. The best way to receive notifications about funding opportunities is to join our mailing list.
Fall foliage in Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive peaks in the second half of October, so if you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by George Mason’s beautiful campus and get in touch to learn more about CINA!