Where innovation, hard work, and determination unite.
In the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, Mason Square will be a new innovation experience in the Greater Washington, D.C., area, bringing the public and private sectors together for:
- Education of a highly trained, skilled workforce,
- Discovery and development of new technologies,
- Transformation of ideas to real-world application, and
- Business development to bring products to market.
This dynamic collaborative hub unites scholars, students, researchers, policy and business developers, accelerates the pace of change, and solves grand challenges.

Featured Faculty: Missy Cummings
As one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots and an engineer, Mary “Missy” Cummings is accustomed to breaking barriers and solving problems. So, when the opportunity to develop a new interdisciplinary program in artificial intelligence at Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing emerged, she didn’t hesitate. Cummings is bringing her wealth of knowledge to Mason Square to leverage location and resources of Fuse in her work.
Cummings is proposing a new degree program in AI that will target engineering students as well as those in policy, law, and public health. Her faculty appointment spans three departments—Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. She will also be the First American Bank Endowed Chair and Director of the Center for Robotics, Autonomous Systems, and Translational AI.
Cummings recently was a guest on University President Gregory Washington's podcast Access to Excellence to talk about artificial intelligence and what it is and is not able to do.

Where academia blends with the professional world.

Where trailblazers move ideas from lab to market.

Where a community gathers to grow and connect.

- March 8, 2023
- March 6, 2023
- February 17, 2023
- February 13, 2023
- February 9, 2023
Mason is the largest, most diverse university in Virginia, and produces the most computing graduates in the commonwealth.
With over 39,000 students at three campuses in Virginia and one in South Korea, Mason sets the standard for excellence, diversity, and inclusiveness, while cultivating and linking key actors to drive policy and technology solutions. These qualities and actions will lead to solutions to the world’s most complex problems.