11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

VCU's Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture will host a virtual informational session for prospective students to learn more about the M.S. in mass communications with concentrations in integrated communication and media leadership. A certificate in Media and Leadership is also available. The program will also be offered today, Friday, Feb. 7 from 3-3:30 p.m. The Zoom link is https://vcu.zoom.us/my/robertsongrad.

For more information, contact Jonathan Brown at brownj64@vcu.edu or (804) 525-9425 or visit https://robertson.vcu.edu/academics/graduate/.

2 p.m.

VCU's National Scholarship Office will hold a hybrid National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program in the NSO Conference Room (1210), 701 W. Grace St., or via Zoom. Juniors, seniors and first- and second-year graduate students in STEM fields are encouraged to join to learn more about the NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program, which funds up to three years of graduate study in non-medical STEM disciplines. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Meredith Sisson, Ph.D., at natlscholar@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZhJhqRKxCJvRon4-f2XY-c57oXDPu78ZKShVZGZY5LzlvvA/viewform.

9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

VCU's Global Education Office will host a mini-conference in the University Student Commons, Richmond Salons, 907 Floyd Ave. The event is in celebration of Black History Month. Lunch will be provided. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Kelly Richard at richardkj@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.campusgroups.com/eduabroad/rsvp_boot?id=1936421.

Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

PennyAppeal will sell doughnuts and coffee in the lobby of the University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave., to help support the organization's efforts to serve the local homeless population.

For more information, contact PennyAppeal at officialpennyappealatvcu@gmail.com.

Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 from noon to 1 p.m.

Karen Barnard-Kubow, Ph.D., Genomics Research Director and Education Coordinator at James Madison University, will speak at the VCU Biology Seminar Series. Barnard-Kubow's talk will be "Exploring Plant Speciation and Aquatic Community Ecology Through Sequencing in the Classroom" in the Trani Center for Life Sciences, Room 253, 1000 W. Cary St. Questions: Email biology@vcu.edu

For more information, contact Joseph Ellis at ellisjt2@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1562.

Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Make Valentine’s Day grams for low-income elderly individuals and learn more about the organization's mission to support older adults in our community. The event will be held in the Honors College Multipurpose Room (1303), 701 W. Grace St.

For more information, contact Rhea Chatterjee at chatterjeer2@vcu.edu.

Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

PennyAppeal will host a Pack-A-Bag event in the Honors College Multipurpose Room (1303, 701 W. Grace St.) to make care kits for the local homeless population. Can't make it? Join the organization's Instagram (@pennyappealatvcu) or RamsConnect to keep up to date on future events.

For more information, contact PennyAppeal at officialpennyappealatvcu@gmail.com.

Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Join the Massive Change Network at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., for a screening of the documentary short film "I Have A Name" by partner Theorem Media followed by an immersive Massive Action Life-Centered Design workshop with Bruce Mau and Bisi Williams. This event is free and all are welcome.

For more information, contact Kristin Carleton at carletonkr@vcu.edu or visit https://ihaveanamedcworkshop.rsvpify.com/?securityToken=n6vMjs3WSbV6GO9qGY8KDeKybt3yEWIE.

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 at noon

When it comes to leadership, we sometimes fall back on what we know, regardless of our values. In this workshop, participants will come away with concrete strategies for translating inclusive and team-centered values into practice. Register at https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qcOipqjgoHd0JBq-AOzx63g_OCiG48Q4d#/registration

For more information, contact Tre Straughter at inclusive@vcu.edu or visit https://inclusive.vcu.edu/education/.

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 at noon

The Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health will host VCU's Michael Miles, M.D., Ph.D., at the institute's research webinar. Miles is the director, PI and co-founder of the VCU Alcohol Research Center. Register at https://bit.ly/4hgEd1U.

For more information, contact Emily Wigginton at emily.wigginton@vcuhealth.org or (804) 828-5066 or visit https://liverinstitute.medschool.vcu.edu/.

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 from noon to 1:15 p.m.

VCU Military Student Services will offer Green Zone training to educate faculty and staff on the challenges our VCU veteran students face and the strengths they bring to VCU as they transition out of the military and into the VCU academic environment. This one-hour workshop includes information and resources related to student veterans. Lunch will be provided. Training will be in the Student Commons, SGA Council Chambers, 907 Floyd Ave.

For more information, contact Stephen Ross at stross@vcu.edu or (804) 827-8730.

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Join VCU's Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence for an interactive session that invites faculty to explore how Gen AI can streamline classroom tasks and enhance teaching practices. Participants are encouraged to bring a small, manageable project or idea - such as developing a rubric, creating slides or generating assignments or activities based on course topics - to work on during the session. Through hands-on work, faculty will have the opportunity to refine Gen AI outputs into usable classroom resources and receive feedback and guidance from peers. The session will be in James Branch Cabell Library, Room 303, 901 Park Ave. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jordyn Richardson at richardsonj9@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/B4hvNSPPjfKrwyTi9.

Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 at noon

Join the 2025 Living Legacies conversation as Carlos Smith, DDS, MDiv, speaks with VCU School of Dentistry alumni Tonya A. Parris-Wilkins, DDS, and James Watkins, DDS, as they share their journeys in the dental profession. Register at the following URL. This series is sponsored by the History and Health program and the School of Dentistry. The session will be at the Baxter Perkinson Jr. Building, Room 3121, 1101 E. Leigh St.

For more information, contact Logan Vetrovec at healthequity@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYAro9p0PmbAVcqe4YEXl_CcnPsLQq4uLz4a7VNuMinLXX7w/viewform.

An exhibition of the work of School of the Arts Professor Emeritus Camden Whitehead will be on view at the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, 2501 Monument Ave. The exhibit, on view through February, features watercolors, printmaking, furniture design, travel sketches and furniture design from architect Camden Whitehead.

For more information, contact W. Camden Whitehead at wcwhiteh@vcu.edu or (804) 512-2371 or visit https://branchmuseum.org/camden-whitehead-a-visual-manifesto/.

This club, affiliated with the Kinesiology and Health Sciences Department at VCU, focuses on students in the Health Science concentration of the Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science major. (However, anyone passionate about health science is welcome to join.) Connect with fellow health, physical education and exercise science (HPEX) students and health enthusiasts through résumé workshops, networking events, shadowing opportunities, CPR/First Aid certifications and collaborations with organizations like the HPEX Exercise Science and Women in Medicine/Health clubs. Follow the organization on Instagram: vcukhshealthscience and see KHS on LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/khshealthscienceclub. A membership form is available at the following URL.

For more information, contact KHS Health Science Club at khsclub@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/LVub9jzDJwjV8HCU9.

Summer courses are published in eServices and can also be viewed at the following URL. Summer registration begins for all students, regardless of credits earned, on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Speak with your academic adviser to see which summer classes will fit in your degree plan.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Bambacus at bambacuses@vcu.edu or (804) 827-4586 or visit http://summer.vcu.edu.

The 2025 You First at VCU Student Success Research Grants application is now open. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, You First invites applications for funds to support scholarly activity focused on irst-generation student success and improving Asian American and Pacific Islander first-generation and/or low-income college student success. Apply at the following URL by 5 p.m. Sunday, March 2.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Bambacus at youfirst@vcu.edu or (804) 827-3927 or visit https://youfirst.vcu.edu/faculty-and-staff/research-opportunities/first-generation-student-success-research-grants/.

Jason Block has been named VCU’s Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, effective Feb. 10, and will report to Suzanne Milton, chief audit and compliance executive of the university’s Audit and Compliance Services unit. Block, who was selected following a national search, will lead the Integrity and Compliance Office, which works to foster an organizational culture at VCU that encourages ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance with the law. Block joined VCU in January 2021 and has been responsible for leading policy and regulatory programs in the Integrity and Compliance Office for the past three years.

For more information, contact Brian McNeill at bwmcneill@vcu.edu.

The Pace Center, 700 W. Franklin St., will host Arts and Faith Circle on Fridays from 2-3 p.m. Explore how you experience and express your relationship with God through the arts. Students will lead sessions focused on music, dance, poetry, theater and visual arts. All are welcome.

For more information, contact Russ Kerr at kerrr@vcu.edu or visit https://www.thepacecenter.com/.

This month’s Google features post brings improvements to mentions in Google Chat, granular responder link sharing in Google Forms and instant video playback for newly uploaded videos to Google Drive.

For more information, contact Doctor Gee at drgee@vcu.edu or visit https://blogs.vcu.edu/drgee/2025/02/06/google-updates-recap-february-2025/.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2025 Presidential Awards for Community Multicultural Enrichment (PACME). The VCU and VCU Health System communities are invited to nominate a faculty member, staff member, academic or administrative leader or organization, or a student or student organization. Submit nominations by Monday, March 3 using this link: https://forms.gle/z1pGNGMH9UWJqxts5

For more information, contact VCU Inclusive at inclusive@vcu.edu or visit https://president.vcu.edu/nominations/pacme/.

This study is inviting individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who identify as cis-gender heterosexual for the control group in addition to individuals who identify as LGBTQ. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of chronic psychosocial stress and vascular inflammation to an acute mental challenge. This study will be conducted at 500 Academic Centre on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus.

For more information, contact Lee Franco, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, at healthyheart@vcu.edu.

This study is seeking individuals between the ages of 18 and 55 years. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of cold water immersion on blood vessel function. This study will be conducted at 500 Academic Centre on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. Principle Investigator: Ryan Garten, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

For more information, contact Ryan Garten at rsgarten@vcu.edu.