George Mason University’s Access to Excellence podcast brings you the university’s most compelling research and stories. Hosted by Mason President Gregory Washington.
The human side of intelligence: lessons from a presidential briefer
The President's Daily Brief is arguably the most sensitive document in American government. It’s a report, delivered in person every morning, updating the President on the most dangerous national security threats facing the nation. During President Obama’s first term, the person charged with delivering that report was a decorated career intelligence officer named James "Jim" Danoy – the first officer from outside the CIA ever trusted with that weighty task.
And Danoy got his start here, as a student at George Mason University.
Danoy’s path in national security didn’t begin in a situation room. It began in a classroom – the place where a young person first learns about thinking under pressure, judging information, weighing options, and making hard decisions. Now, as an adjunct faculty member at George Mason's Schar School of Policy and Government, Danoy is teaching students who are travelling the same path he did.
On this episode of Access to Excellence, Danoy discusses his career, as well as how judgment, character, and resilience can be taught, and whether we’re doing a good job of it.
28 Apr 2026
AI is a clinician’s newest diagnostic partner
Depending who you talk to, AI – artificial intelligence – is either the cutting edge of technology that can usher in a golden age of efficiency, precision, and capability that will allow humans to shake off the shackles of drudgery and guesswork, or it’s a resources-devouring shadow that’s going to strip us of our humanity, creativity, and connectedness.
On today’s episode of Access to Excellence, College of Public Health professor of health informatics Farrokh Alemi joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the unique juncture of health care, industrial engineering, and now, artificial intelligence; specifically, what AI can do for educators and clinicians.
23 Mar 2026
The future classroom: Teaching and learning in age of AI
As society navigates rapid technological advancement and escalating challenges at home and abroad, it’s up to our educators to prepare students to meet the evolving needs of the state, the nation, and the world. We call this Advancing 21st Century Education for All: one of the key pillars of our Grand Challenge Initiative.
On today’s episode of Access to Excellence, Ingrid Guerra-López, dean of George Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, joins President Gregory Washington to discuss the future of education in a rapidly changing world and why the irreplaceable human elements of teaching will define the profession's future even as technology transforms it.
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
13 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 31 / 100
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