PhD Public Policy

Hina Kazmi: Meet the Schar School Alum Who Is Launching ‘Intro to Space Policy’

Andrew J Schappert — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:55:13 +0000

Hina Kazmi: Meet the Schar School Alum Who Is Launching ‘Intro to Space Policy’ Andrew J Schappert Thu, 07/17/2025 - 11:55

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Hina Kazmi

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Hina Kazmi: ‘We’re expanding our access to space, and it has become critical infrastructure—but what does that mean policywise?’ Photo provided

Hina Kazmi, after seeing Voyager 1’s images of Saturn: ‘I knew I was going into aerospace.’

When you ask Hina Kazmi if she would ever like to live in a colony on the moon, her answer is quick and enthusiastic.

“Oh, I would absolutely do that,” she said. “Do they need a tester for the first flight to Mars? I would do that too.”

It’s not a farfetched question to ask Kazmi. The Schar School of Policy and Government at �� adjunct professor is set to teach a new course, Introduction to Space Policy, beginning in August with the start of the 2025 fall semester. It’s one of the rare courses in the country that will bring the growing fields related to space exploration—and exploitation—into the classroom.

The course is designed to support a broad range of public policy interests, Kazmi said. Those interested in international and national security, engineering, business, public administration, and other topics will find the course useful in their academic pursuits and future careers.

“When you think of space,” she said, “you think of commercial startups and Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk launching their rockets. That’s the fun stuff. But beyond that excitement there are huge national, international, and commercial aspects to this industry.”

As more of the business of space falls into in private hands, there comes a need for clear, informed, and educated thinking on public policy, she said.

“In the past, [space activity] was government controlled, but now it’s commercially available for navigation, weather prediction, communications. We’re expanding our access to space, and it has become critical infrastructure—but what does that mean policywise?”

As an example of the field’s growth, the tiny island of Bahrain, where the Pakistan native spent her middle school years, has a space agency. “Every country now sees this as important,” she said.

Kazmi, an engineer by training who at one point was leading programs for NASA, developed a fascination for space in 1980, when the interstellar craft Voyager 1 sent its first images of Saturn back to Earth from some 800 million miles away. The astronomical event made an impression on the young scholar.

“I knew I was going into aerospace,” she said.

Kazmi earned her undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering, with a minor in mathematics, in 1993 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.

She also holds a master of business administration degree. After rising through the ranks in technical and management roles at major private and public aerospace leaders, she began teaching at George Mason, revitalizing a dormant course in managing government contracting.

Realizing her future was in academia, she earned a master of public policy degree from the Schar School in 2008, followed by a PhD in public policy in 2016. She received the Joseph A. Fisher Award for best PhD dissertation.

“I really believe Gen Z, who is in college now, and Gen Alpha behind them will be the space generations,” she said. “Space tourism, living in space, working in space, moon colonies—all of that is happening. We’re in the very, very early stages of it.”

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South of the Border, Deep in Policy: Study-Abroad Students Tackle U.S.-Mexico Relations in the Field

Andrew J Schappert — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 14:01:12 +0000

South of the Border, Deep in Policy: Study-Abroad Students Tackle U.S.-Mexico Relations in the Field Andrew J Schappert Mon, 07/07/2025 - 10:01

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Derek M. Mills

Michal McElwain Malur

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George Mason’s study-abroad cohort visits the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México’s landmark Central Library. Adjunct professor Derek M. Mills is at right. Photo provided

You could feel the weight of geopolitics in the air as 15 �� students stepped onto the worn stone of the Plaza of Three Cultures, where centuries of conquest, revolution, and resilience converge. The students weren’t just tourists with backpacks and bottled water. They were emissaries of inquiry—and there would be a quiz.

Over a weeklong intensive in Mexico’s bustling capital, the students—most from George Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government—immersed themselves in the multifaceted knot of issues that define United States-Mexico relations. The students were eager to see firsthand elements of theory learned in classrooms: Migration, trade, national security, and the still-rippling effects of a second Trump administration.

“Throughout the program, students were encouraged to approach the experience not merely as observers but as engaged policy analysts,” said Derek M. Mills, the Schar School adjunct professor who led the trip. “The course, U.S.-Mexico Relations in the Age of Trump, provided an experiential lens into the historical, political, and economic complexities shaping bilateral ties.”

The group took deep dives into policy briefings with diplomats at the U.S. Embassy and with business leaders at the American Chamber of Commerce. They sat in on discussions at the Mexican Federal Congress and exchanged ideas with their counterparts at the prestigious Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).

They weren’t just studying policy. They were living it.

A highlight was meeting Schar School alum Jose Loyola-Trujillo, who earned his PhD in public policy in 2005. Loyola, once Mexico’s undersecretary of energy, is now head of international affairs for LIGA MX—the top-flight Mexican soccer league.

Students also visited Casa de los Amigos, a migrant shelter that pulls no punches in portraying the human cost of border enforcement.

Another stop took the students to a nonprofit dedicated to empowering marginalized, refugee, and forcibly displaced people and families by means of a range of support programs. In fact, meeting the staff at New Comienzos “and hearing from returning migrants was inspiring to see how resilient they are and how that connects to the deep ties between Mexico and the United States,” said Jackie Tuala, a master’s student in public administration. “It was my favorite visit.”

There were lessons in history and humanity at every turn—from the pyramids of Teotihuacan to the testimonies of deportees. But there was also room for forward-looking policy dialogue.

In Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City, the group met with the Secretary of Tourism Josefina Rodriguez Zamora, who didn’t mince words about how U.S. political rhetoric affects Mexico’s global image. When U.S. media parrots terms like “rapists” and “murderers,” the official said, the damage isn’t abstract—it costs Mexico tourist dollars, jobs, and dignity.

Students also toured AirDesign and FloraPlant—two export-focused companies where the granular details of tariffs, supply chains, and sustainability initiatives became tangible.

“The trip brought the issues we study in class to life. I loved how everything—from policy debates to cultural sites—was tied together,” said Stella Lovelady, a master’s student at George Mason’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

As the Trump administration 2.0 begins to cast long shadows over cross-border cooperation, the students came away with a clearer, more nuanced perspective, as well as a deeper sense of responsibility.

“Experience is crucial to our students’ professional development as future public, private, and nonprofit leaders,” said Michal McElwain Malur, Schar School’s external program director, who accompanied the students for the week.

“By engaging directly with these issues on the ground, they build the kind of informed, empathetic understanding that will shape them into thoughtful leaders in our increasingly interconnected world,” she said.

Study abroad is a vital and highly recommended component of a Schar School education. Questions on future classes can be directed to McElwain Malur at mmcelwai@gmu.eduand be found on the Schar School of Policy and Government Study Abroad page.

Students visit the U.S. embassy in Mexico to gain insights into the life and work of a diplomat. The students were briefed on issues of the day and saw in real time what they studied in classrooms. Photo by Ibis Perez.

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Meet the Undergrad Who Is Headed to a PhD Program: Andrew Strasberg

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:59:35 +0000

Meet the Undergrad Who Is Headed to a PhD Program: Andrew Strasberg Andrew J Schappert Wed, 04/26/2023 - 08:59

Andrew Strasberg and the poster for his first-place research project. Photos by Buzz McClain/Schar School of Policy and Government

Not every undergraduate can leap from a bachelor of science degree to a highly rated PhD program, but that is what graduating Schar School of Policy and Government student Andrew Strasberg has done.

Strasberg is currently in his final semester at ��, finishing up his bachelor of science degree in public administration, and he has accepted an offer of admission to the political science PhD program at Washington University in St. Louis, often referred to as Wash U.

Although Wash U was one of Strasberg’s top choices in his pursuit of a PhD program, the path to being admitted at a top program presented some challenges, but his persistence was undaunted.

“I got rejected from so many places,” he said. “It’s pretty common for people to apply for 10, 12, and maybe even 15 programs and only be accepted into one or two.”

Strasberg’s entry to a PhD program was facilitated by Schar School professors: ‘Their help was immeasurable.’

When asked why he selected Wash U, Strasberg said he wanted to pursue a path to becoming a college professor. “The reason I picked Washington University in St. Louis is due to their excellent political science program.” He added that Wash U has a stellar record of placing graduates in academic positions.

While many Schar students pursue some type of graduate schooling beyond their undergraduate degree, it is relatively rare for graduates of any major to pursue PhD studies immediately after finishing their bachelor’s degree, according to Schar School associate professor Jennifer Victor, who serves as one of Strasberg’s mentors. Victor, who also entered a PhD program straight after undergrad, said it is not an entirely unusual pathway for students to follow, but not many Schar School students have made it their goal the way Strasberg did.

One of the strategies that Strasberg followed was to take more quantitative methods classes than were required in his bachelor’s program. Quantitative methods classes teach students how to collect, analyze, and interpret numerical data, which can be vital in working in or teaching in the public administration field.

In addition to benefiting his application profile, he also found that he liked the courses.

His professors took note of his ambitions and his extra effort and began to recommend him for undergraduate research; they also enabled him to take graduate-level courses.

“Andrew decided a few years ago that a political science PhD was his goal, and he has pursued it with tenacity,” Victor said. “He took extra courses, sought mentorship from multiple faculty, and deliberately included research-oriented activities into his personal curriculum.”

Under the mentorship of Victor, as well as Schar School professors Lucas Núñez and Eric McGlinchey, Strasberg presented his original research at the Midwest Political Science Association conference in Chicago in 2022 and 2023. His first conference presentation began as a paper assignment in McGlinchey’s graduate research design course. The paper, “Hooligans or Honchos? Developing a Political Theory of European Ultra-ism,” was a study of soccer fan behavior; Victor remarked his findings in sport could be applied to a wide range of fields.

This semester, Strasberg won first place in the Schar School’s Undergraduate Research Assistant Program competition. His winning study examined “Who Tweets Populism When?”

Ultimately, Schar School professors gave Strasberg the mentorship and encouragement he needed to pursue a PhD, for which, he said, he is grateful. “Their help was immeasurable,” he said.

For Strasberg, the ultimate goal is to become like the influential professors who helped shape his way.