Recent Posts

Student Discovers Supermassive Black Hole

Featured, Multimedia, News1 November 19, 2012 at 1:47 pm Comments are Disabled

Washington, D.C., may be the political center of the United States, but Mason provides its students with numerous opportunities that extend beyond the government. Take, for example, Nathan Secrest. The second-year graduate student, who is currently working toward his PhD in physics with a concentration in astrophysics, discovered a miniature supermassive black hole in the NGC 4178 galaxy while conducting research for the School of Physics, Astronomy and Computation, otherwise known as SPACS. That may not sound like a big deal to someone who cannot tell his brown dwarfs from his red giants, but within the scientific community, it can have major repercussions. “The reason why this discovery is significant is because of the size of the SMBH and the galaxy it is hosted by,” Secrest said in an e-mail. “[We] do not know very much about intermediate mass black holes. How are they formed? What percentage of the total black holes in the universe do they comprise? Also, NGC 4178 is a bulgeless spiral galaxy. This is important because the larger SMBH masses have been found to correlate very tightly with the properties of their host galaxy bulges,” said Secrest. At first glance, this information seems too complicated for […]
Everyday Should Be Veterans Day

Editorials November 19, 2012 at 1:43 pm Comments are Disabled

As the cold weather begins to set in, students have begun setting their sights on the Thanksgiving break that is rapidly approaching. Others look forward to the winter holiday season or simply an extended break from the tedious and mundane college class schedule. No matter in which category you reside, this a time of gratitude and a season of giving. It is an occasion of celebration, and an opportunity to show appreciation for those who have given everything for the well being of this great nation: the United States Armed Forces. While Memorial Day is appropriately set aside to honor our fallen heroes, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, Veterans Day is intended to honor all of our military veterans – including the nearly 23 million living men and women – who have dedicated their lives to service. Unfortunately, oftentimes, the mention of veterans brings about connotations of warriors. It promotes images of barbarians, instead of figures of service and sacrifice. As Hurricane Sandy inflicted destruction across the East Coast, members of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard gathered at March Air Reserve Base in California, preparing to trek more than 3,000 miles to assist their fellow Americans. […]
Lacrosse Prepares to Repeat Strong Spring Season

Sports November 5, 2012 at 12:11 pm Comments are Disabled

Going into their fourth and final season as part of the women’s lacrosse team, seniors Ashley Argyros and Caitlin Formato believe that this is their year. “It’s the best year. We’re having fun this year,” said Argyros and Formato, stating that this year has a whole different feel to it. “The vibe from the coaches to the players is just different.” Led by coach Lauren Hay, the team finished their fall ball season with their best record since Argyros and Formato arrived at Mason. Fall ball, although it does not count towards anything, gets the team prepared for the regular season, which begins in the spring. Going 7-3-1, they have shown improvement in all aspects of their game, beating teams they would not have matched up against in years past. Most recently, the team hosted a tournament as part of their fall ball season. A big part of the tournament was to emphasize breast cancer awareness. Teams are encouraged to wear pink for former player Kiersten Jauschnegg, who graduated last year. Jauschnegg lost her mother to breast cancer. “We make sure we have pink headbands and whatever we can find we try and do. Last year we wore pink jerseys,” […]
Masonettes Enrich Dancer’s College Experience

Sports November 5, 2012 at 12:10 pm Comments are Disabled

After the buzzer sounds, the crowd settles back and the teams head to the locker room, the floor is taken over by energetic dance moves. The Masonettes have been getting the crowd excited the whole game, but halftime is their time to show off all their hard work. One member that knows all about the time spent to try to perfect routines is Lindsey Iandolo, captain of the Masonettes. She is now a senior, but her dedication to the team started even before auditions. “I have been dancing since I was two years old, so being able to continue my dancing career was a major factor in picking a college,” Iandolo said. When she saw Mason’s program, she decided that it was something she would love being a part of. She audition was a grueling 7-hour process, but all the work paid off when she found out that she had made the team. Now began the practices three days a week for the big performances. “At first it was nerve wracking to perform, but now it is a lot of fun to perform and have everyone see the results of our hard work,” Iandolo said. On top of all the […]
Fencing Lunges at Expansion

Sports November 5, 2012 at 12:04 pm Comments are Disabled

Fencing, has become a dying sport in the world today. But that is slowly changing as collegiate fencing programs are sprouting up throughout the nation, forming their own conferences and competing in tournaments. With a new president leading the way, Mason’s fencing team is looking to make its mark on Mason sports, clinch the division and go even further in their quest for success. Since its formation in 2008, the team has managed to maintain the number one seed in their conference this season. With one tournament under their belts, Mason’s fencing team won gold in the individual fencing tournament on Oct. 14 and are looking to defend this title in their upcoming tournament on Nov. 18 at Saint John’s University. “Our conference is a large one with two new additions, including Drexel and Georgetown,” captain Khalfan Javaid said. “There are excellent teams with great coaching and we have to work hard to be the best.” Their number one title has come with a lot of determination and dedication as the team is one of the few in the conference without a coach. “Since we do not have a coach, we have to put more research into the sport and […]
Memories to Last a Lifetime: Field Hockey Season Comes to a Close

Featured, Sports November 5, 2012 at 12:00 pm Comments are Disabled

With her last season playing field hockey as a Patriot at its end, senior Kristin Clark looks back on her three year career with a heavy heart, but with memories that will last a lifetime. She is set to graduate in the spring. “I’m so sad that this is my last year,” said Clark. “It was definitely all worth it, though.” Clark, team captain and president of this club, started playing the sport 10 years ago after noticing how enthralled her older sister was with the game. “Growing up, you always want to be like your older siblings, so naturally I wanted to play field hockey as well,” Clark said. “She’s my biggest influence.” Clark joined the field hockey club her freshman year, and is hoping to continue her career as a player after graduation. This past season, the team’s record was 3-5-1. Many of those losses were tight, close games that could have gone either way. This was a major increase from their last season, in which the team lost almost all their games. Clark attributes this change to the new group of freshmen who were fully committed to the success of the sport and their team. “One game […]
Green Colleen: Brownie Bliss

Editorials November 5, 2012 at 11:57 am Comments are Disabled

There is nothing better than a warm, chocolatey gooey brownie. That is, until you add something in the middle. I try to bake something for the Broadside staff each week during deadline, but I wanted to do something a little more exciting than your basic brownie. I also had a bag of peppermint patties in my room that I needed to remove from temptation. It was a perfect combination. I baked the patties right in to the brownies, creating a cool minty bite in the middle of the chocolate confection. I always like the corner brownies best, so I made my brownies in muffin tins to give each one a bit of crunch on the edges. The method is simple. Simply put together a brownie mix, either homemade or boxed, as you usually would. Pour half of the batter into the pan, then drop peppermint patties in. Fill the rest of the muffin cups or brownie pan with batter. Bake at recommended temperature and time. Be careful not to eat the brownies too quickly. The peppermint patty centers may be much hotter than the exterior brownie. If you’re not a fan of minty candy, you could subsitute the patties for […]
Man-Made Selection: Machines Take Over

Lifestyle November 5, 2012 at 11:53 am Comments are Disabled

This is the digital age and people everywhere have surrendered many aspects of their lives to technology. What if someone were to tamper with those systems? Mankind could be in a lot of trouble. What if those systems themselves decided to unshackle from their purposes and turn on their creators? The machine uprising, a war between man and his own technology, might no longer be the works of science fiction. “Two big things have to happen for a machine takeover: computers need to become sentient and thus capable of taking over the world and they need to want to take over the world,” said Dr. Trevor Thrall, Biodefense Director and professor of Public & International Affairs. The point of singularity, the theoretical emergence of greater-than-human superintelligence through technological means, is that first step. We are all very familiar with the incredible power of computers; try passing Calculus II without a calculator. It is not just math, though. Remember Watson, the supercomputer on Jeopardy? A computer that was able to trump the longest and most decorated winner on the show with ease. Man has been competing with his hardwired counterpart for a long time and has been beaten in many fields. […]
The Carouser Report: The D.C. Horror Show

Lifestyle November 5, 2012 at 11:44 am 1 comment

The yellow taxi is spiraling down Route 66, transporting us to safety. The lights of oncoming traffic are a blur and I am trying my best to remain coherent. The driver and I are caught up in a conversation about his homeland, India. I am having a hard time remembering where specifically he hails from, and he is having a hard time understanding my slurred ramblings. The only thing I can focus on is the ever-increasing fare. The numbers are rapidly reaching into the $60 range. I am frantic. I know there is no way I can afford the bill. I am contemplating a high risk jump from the speeding van and taking my chances with the street. Then it hits me like a kick in the groin: the big city, in all its attractiveness, has bested me. Now she is getting her last kick while watching me flee from her grip at 3:30 a.m. As we cruise along, she is laughing as I squirm about in the cab, desperately trying to get out of a pickle. The allure of Washington D.C. draws many to George Mason. Weekends in the big city are a commodity to many who seek the […]
Harvest Moon Cafe Provides Creative Performance Venue for Students

Editorials November 5, 2012 at 11:42 am Comments are Disabled

The Johnson Center Bistro is silent except for a single voice infiltrating the darkness from the stage at the front of the room: “I know now that he will never go away. He will never leave me alone. The Scary Man will always be there, hidden in the darkness of my room.” The audience listens rapt as Kathryn Makin, a senior at Mason, reads her short story Shadows in the Dark, which won second place in a contest hosted by Volition, Mason’s undergraduate literary magazine. When she finishes, her voice fading into silence, a wave of appreciative applause goes up among the wooden tables scattered about the restaurant. Welcome to Harvest Moon Café, a Halloween-themed event organized by Volition, the student-run creative magazine and WGMU, the student-run radio station, that incorporated everything from costumes and live music to open-mic poetry and short story readings and, of course, free food. Although originally planned for October 30, the event was postponed for a day due to Hurricane Sandy. Even so, the JC Bistro was full of people eager to celebrate Halloween by listening to their fellow students share their work and local bands perform their songs. WGMU recruited The Ash Lovelies and […]