Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn the components of a basic estate plan and strategies to ensure that your assets will pass to loved ones and causes that are near and dear. This virtual session is brought to you by VCU HR and TIAA. Register in Talent@VCU or at https://bit.ly/3BPhvMe

For more information, contact Cindi Phares at cphares@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1521 or visit https://ramstrong.vcu.edu/.

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Take a break in the middle of your day with virtual meditation, presented by VCU HR and RecWell. Register in Talent@VCU or at: https://bit.ly/3FI1Xv0

For more information, contact Cindi Phares at cphares@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1521 or visit https://ramstrong.vcu.edu/.

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

VCU's Autism Center for Education will present the webcast "Finding the Fuel for Learning and Emotional Well-Being - Social Emotional Engagement." While standards-based instruction is the classroom focus, the center's learners are more likely to access the curriculum when they are “invested,” “independent” and “initiating” with their peers and teachers. This webcast reviews the neuroscience of learning and shift toward a practical discussion of why it is necessary to measure and enhance learning. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Teri Blankenship at rrtc@vcu.edu or visit https://vcuautismcenter.org/te/webcasts/details.cfm?webcastID=616.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Join Academic Technologies and Top Hat for tips you can use ahead of your first day of class, including the latest on Top Hat’s LTI 1.3 integration with Canvas. This online training is free to faculty and staff. A raffle will feature Amazon gift cards. Register at https://learningsystems.vcu.edu/training/special-events/ The Zoom link is https://vcu.zoom.us/my/canvaslearn

For more information, contact Jamillah Martin at jpmartin@vcu.edu or visit https://academictech.vcu.edu/.

Some spaces, including all group study rooms, are closed at the Health Sciences Library, 509 N. 12th St., due to water damage. A water pipe in the 1932 building froze and burst during winter break when local temperatures dropped below freezing. The group study rooms, the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room and the Collaboration Room will be closed until further notice. It is expected that these spaces will be closed through January but repairs may extend the closures.

For more information, contact Sue Robinson at srobinson26@vcu.edu or visit https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/news/2023-news/water-damage.html.

VCU's Department of African American Studies is soliciting submissions for the 2023 Black History in the Making Award. Founded in 1983, the award was created to honor the achievements of exceptional Black students. Students are selected by their departments/programs and honored at a reception hosted by the Department of African American Studies in February. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 30.

For more information, contact Dae Newman at newmanad@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1371 or visit https://afam.vcu.edu/program/scholarships-and-awards/black-history-in-the-making-awards/.

Join Choral Arts Society, VCU's mixed-voice chorus. No audition is required. All choral ensembles welcome singers from any major, including non-music majors and students on the MCV campus. Additional information is available at https://arts.vcu.edu/academics/departments/music/ensembles/vocal-ensemble/choral-arts-society/

For more information, contact Chris Hansen, Ph.D., at hansenc3@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/academics/departments/music/ensembles/vocal-ensemble/vocal-ensemble-audition-info/.

University Band (APPM 357) is open to all VCU students and faculty. The band meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2-2:50 p.m. Registration is now open. The band performs one concert per semester.

For more information, contact Duane Coston at costonpd@vcu.edu.

Individuals who dip/use smokeless tobacco are needed to participate in a research study that requires multiple laboratory visits. Compensation may be available. This study will be conducted at VCU. The principal investigator is Alison Breland, Ph.D., Department of Psychology.

For more information, contact Alison Breland at abbrelan@vcu.edu or (804) 827-3562 or visit http://cstp.vcu.edu/studies.

Ready, Set, Health! Researchers at VCU are looking for young women interested in changing their diet and physical activity routine to enroll in a new study — eligible participants will receive a free program designed to help them meet their goals for healthy living. The study requires two in-person data collection visits (one before the program and one after), but the entire four-month program is conducted completely online.

For more information, contact Morgan Meyer at morgan.meyer@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-2250 or visit http://www.readysethealthvcu.com.

The VCU Wellbeing Lab invites you to participate in a research study on two stress-reduction programs for undergraduate students. VCU investigators seek to understand how two online stress reduction programs affect students’ mood and stress-related behavior. Compensation is available. Register at the following URL before Wednesday, Feb. 1.

For more information, contact Polina Beloborodova at vcu.stress.reduction@gmail.com or (804) 215-6196 or visit https://beloborodp.wixsite.com/stressreduction.