Fourth Estate News Reporter Angela Woolsey

English Department challenges students to write a novel

            Writing a novel is difficult. Writing one in a month sounds impossible, but that is exactly what some Mason students intend to do this November when they participate in National Novel Writing Month, or better known as NaNoWriMo.

This annual nonprofit event challenges participants to write 50,000 words in a single month and attracts thousands of aspiring writers from around the globe.

Crisis app prepares students for the worst

Mason has helped develop a new mobile app designed to teach students about what to do in an emergency.

The app “In Case of Crisis” provides detailed instructions for what to do in events ranging from severe weather and power outages to on-campus violence or bomb threats. It also lists emergency contacts and offers more general, basic information, like how to receive notifications of an emergency and how people with mobility impairments or disabilities should respond.

Federal budget cuts affect scientific research

Recent budget cuts have had a severe impact on scientific research conducted at Mason. The National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Molecular and Microbiology failed to receive a grant from the National Institute of Health in May because of the NIH’s tight budget.

Fall for the Blog: Bonnie Jo Campbell and Mary Kay Zuravleff

Fourth Estate follows events of the Fifteenth Annual Fall for the Book Festival through Fall for the Blog.

Fiction authors Mary Kay Zuravieff and Bonnie Jo Campbell write contrasting spins on the "American Dream."