Month: May 2012

Categories
Bird's Eye View

Striving to Make the Mason Community Stronger One Team at a Time

Bird’s Eye View from The EDGE Center Manager, Susan Johnson – Every year around Commencement time I pause to reflect on our accomplishments over the last school year.  While I am so proud that The EDGE has become an international leader in experiential learning, the George Mason University community is at our core.  We are honored to be a part of this innovative, creative, and rapidly growing University and work every day to make the Mason community stronger, one team at a time.  Over the last year, thousands of Mason students, faculty, staff and alumni, have come to The EDGE to build camaraderie, develop leadership skills, and improve the effectiveness of how they work and learn together.  Thank you, Mason, for a great year!  We wish the 2012 graduates all the best in their future endeavors. 

Categories
Research Roundup

The EDGE – a path to STEM?

Research Roundup – We attended the Prince William Chamber of Commerce Education Summit yesterday and heard fascinating remarks from area experts about the future of education in the county and throughout Northern Virginia.  We, of course, strive to keep our programs relevant to the changing needs of our participants – from school-age youth to adult professionals.  The current buzzwords are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education and “empowering the knowledge economy,” which might make you think of white lab coats in computer-filled rooms – the complete opposite of what The EDGE programs are about.  However, research shows that outdoor education can increase diversity participation in the STEM sector:  http://www.education.com/reference/article/outdoor-education-science-math-diverse/?page=2.  We take pride in offering experiences that foster a life-long interest in science and discovery.  Is there anything more we should be doing to enhance our programming to make it more STEM-friendly?  We’d love to hear your comments.

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University Unwrapped

The EDGE at Mason Day

University Unwrapped – The sun was shinning, the music was loud, the lines for the free food snaked all around Parking Lot L – yes, it was Mason Day 2012 last Friday and The EDGE was there, were you?  We brought along a few simple but challenging games to play and gave out some bubble gum and bracelets.  And, our facilitator, Pujita, showed off her climbing expertise, getting to the top of the climbing wall the Army recruiters brought along.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by The EDGE table.  We had a great time and hope you did, too.

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Categories
University Unwrapped

The EDGE in the news

University Unwrapped – We were thrilled to have been mentioned in an article on the George Mason University website entitled:  Mason Brings Global Communities Together Through Sports Visitors Program.  We are honored to be a part of this incredible program that brings young athletes and coaches from around the world to the United States for training and cultural exchange.