Summer campers blast off with interstellar research

From constructing an artificial star to capturing a 25-year timelapse of a supernova, George Mason University is pioneering space exploration, research, and collaboration. And our mission into the final frontier brings students along for the ride.

Whether a fourth-grader is getting their first taste of rocketry with bottle rockets or an intern is making cutting-edge discoveries in planetary atmospheres, George Mason summer programming offers a glimpse into the vast universe we call home as students and faculty make small steps towards one giant leap for humankind.

Mason Space Exploration Center Summer Camp

Founded in 2023, the Mason Space Exploration Center (MSEC) is dedicated to providing immersive and educational space experiences for families and inspiring the next generation of space explorers. And one avenue for that is their award-winning MSEC Summer Camp.

With Base Camp for rising fourth- and fifth-graders and Advanced Camp for rising sixth- through ninth-graders, MSEC Summer Camp introduces a range of students to the exciting possibilities of astronomy. Students practice programming with Micro:bit, and learn the importance of asking questions, designing solutions, and working as a team, just like the professionals. They even launch their own rockets-bottle rockets, that is.

"We want students to see and experience the many different fields that work in the space sector," said S Falgiano, deputy observatory director in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. "By giving our campers experience with astronomy, engineering, coding, and other space-related fields, we hope to build their multidisciplinary interest in space exploration."

For these younger campers, MSEC Summer Camp is a chance to see that they can do science without needing to be professional scientists in a laboratory. "They can make observations, ask questions, test theories, and draw conclusions," said Falgiano. And that, at its core, is what science is all about.

Google Space Data Centers Summer Camp

For the 10th- through 12th-graders, the College of Engineering and Computing offers a chance to step into the future of technology. In partnership with Google, the Space Data Centers Summer Camp lets students explore how artificial intelligence (AI), energy systems, and data centers are evolving for space environments.

Throughout the week, campers walk through virtual reality re-creations of nuclear power plants, watch drone demonstrations, and tour data centers to learn key concepts of AI computing, electrical power systems, space environments, thermal management, and other aspects of operating computing infrastructure in space.

"The camp brings together space exploration, AI, energy, computing, and engineering while emphasizing interdisciplinary and industry collaboration," said Liling Huang, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Applying concepts to real-world solutions is a key part of the program. Students were challenged to envision and develop solutions for infrastructure that may be needed for the next generation of space exploration. Camp culminated with a poster presentation and expo where students met with industry experts to share their novel ideas. From this, two students were awarded Google-sponsored research scholarships and were invited to continue their research through Huang's year-long high school Research, Innovation, Spark, and Exploration (RISE) Scholars Program.

Beyond the camp, Google also sponsors the first teen-focused program in the history of the CIGRE Grid of the Future Symposium, organized by the College of Engineering and Computing and hosted by Dominion Energy. The inaugural 2026 Teen Program gives high school students an early opportunity to experience the professional power and energy community, present their research ideas, tour Dominion Energy's System Operations Center, and connect with industry experts.

"We want students to leave camp willing to ask, 'why not?' and then use engineering and science to determine what it would take to make an ambitious idea possible," said Huang.

Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program

For those high schoolers and undergraduates hoping to spend their summers in the lab, the Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) hosted by George Mason's College of Science is a stellar choice.

"There's quite a bit of literature that hands-on research experiences support students' persistence/identity in STEM fields, and we like to think that ASSIP is one key program trying to bring these experiences to as many students as possible," said Amanda Still, director of undergraduate student research initiatives and internships. "The interns' eager hands to pursue the 'I wonder if...' ideas of faculty really help to promote new research directions and embody the word 'pioneering.'"

This year, 20 interns were assigned to research or support space-related projects across the College of Engineering and Computing and the College of Science.

In the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, for example, Associate Professor Edward Oughton oversaw 16 ASSIP students, some of whom worked on projects concerning space weather: a space weather risk assessment for Virginia, refining radar detection strategies for small space weather debris, and the economic impacts of losing GNAA/GPS, Navigation and Timing services due to space weather events.

"It's important to engage these students in space activities because we have so many challenges there to address," said Oughton, "from protecting terrestrial and space-critical infrastructure systems from space weather, to making sure we have the workforce to enable us to go back to the Moon, on to Mars, and then beyond."

"George Mason is a pioneering university in this area," said Art Poland, research faculty in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Three ASSIP interns supported his research work on the solar atmosphere, measuring the velocity of gases in hot magnetic loops above the surface of the Sun. "It's an amazing steppingstone for students who want to go into space science or engineering."