News

Faculty awards announced for 2020-21

July 22, 2022

Please join us in congratulating our faculty for their recognitions and awards in the 2020-21 school year.

Vineeth Vaidyula. Photo by Thomas Kojcsich, University Marketing.

Honors student starts club to assist refugees in Richmond, raise awareness

March 7, 2022

‘Through volunteerism, and through conversations, we want VCU students to gain a better understanding of this local population of people that are often very underserved and falling through the cracks.’

Concept rendering inside VCU's new STEM building. Classes are set to begin in fall 2023.

Take a virtual tour of VCU’s new STEM building

Dec. 15, 2021

The 168,000-square-foot facility set to open in 2023 will feature a variety of unique learning environments.

Kameron Jones. “If I didn’t have my grandmother, who was so integrated in the tribe and grew up on the land, I wouldn’t know about my culture,” she said. “I am trying to learn more about not only my grandmother but also further back in our history.” (Tom Kojcsich, University Marketing)

Biology student Kameron Jones seeks to connect with fellow Indigenous students and serve Native American communities

Nov. 5, 2021

An aspiring doctor and descendant of the Meherrin Indian Tribe, Jones is learning more about her history, and seeking opportunities to help create a better future.

Biology student Anubhav Thapaliya in Erich Damm's wet lab. (Maggie Nguyen)

From red cell development to cultural preservation, VCU’s Baldacci scholars continue to further their studies

Oct. 25, 2021

The grant program, created by a gift from alum David Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, provides students with funds to pursue experiential learning opportunities.

Biology professor Chris Gough, Ph.D., stands in Monroe Park while holding a piece of art produced by one of his students. (Tom Kojcsich, University Marketing)

Forest ecology, illustrations and jam sessions: How arts and science mix in Chris Gough’s lab

Aug. 17, 2021

Gough, a biology professor — and a trained singer and musician — hosts art students in his lab to better ensure important data is conveyed through imagery.

Stephen Chan of Ameriflux conducts a site evaluation of a tower that gathers greenhouse gas data at VCU Rice Rivers Center. (Contributed photo)

VCU wetlands research will help improve models that predict global climate change

July 29, 2021

A project at the Rice Rivers Center fills a unique gap because it will capture data from a source that is both tidal and freshwater, which is “rare in tidal regions because of proximity to saltwater.”

Catherine Hulshof, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, received the grant from the NSF's prestigious CAREER program for her project, “Predicting plant functional trait variation across spatial, temporal and biological scales.” (Unsplash)

Armed with a ruler and a $1M grant, a VCU professor studies functional trait variation in plants

July 15, 2021

Biology professor Catherine Hulshof’s research, funded by the National Science Foundation, aims to help predict the responses of species and ecosystems to climate change.

A VCU Life Sciences doctoral student is working with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters to build a voter education guide ahead of Virginia's June 8 primary, and will continue working with the league this summer to create a nonpartisan voter guide for the November general election (Getty Images)

Putting science on the ballot

June 2, 2021

Doctoral student Kayla Mathes studies forest ecology and is raising awareness of climate change ahead of Virginia's 2021 elections through her work with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters.

Hog Island, part of the Virginia Coast Reserve site, in 2004 (left) and 2020 (right). It has transitioned from new grass to shrub and has since started to erode, which is altering the island's response to sea-level rise. (Photos courtesy of Julie Zinnert, Ph.D.)

Climate change is contributing to ‘state change’ in diverse ecosystems, including in Virginia

May 18, 2021

A new VCU-led study examines how small changes in an environmental driver are transforming the structure or function of some ecosystems.