11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, come learn how to grow your own food with Malique Middleton, entrepreneur in residence at the Health Hub, 1330 N. 25th St. The session will include a breakdown of gardening basics and the foundation to set you up to begin your urban farming journey. Gardening 102, Middleton's more in-depth garden talk, will be on Friday, May 16 from 1-3 p.m.

For more information, contact VCU Health Hub at vcuhealthhub@vcu.edu.

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Drop by SHIFT Retail Lab (1235 W. Broad St.) and stay as long as you’d like at this laid-back event designed to spark curiosity and connection. Interested in learning more about the SHIFT Retail Lab, the Shelfie Program or da Vinci Center courses? Join the session at the top of the hour for a brief presentation.

For more information, contact Cael Parker at parkerc10@vcu.edu or visit https://shiftretail.vcu.edu/events/.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025 from 10 a.m. to noon

This workshop at the Mary and Frances Youth Center, 120 S. Linden St., will help equip youth development professionals with facilitative leadership skills to engage youth in co-creating program plans and engage youth in leadership roles. Participants will leave the workshop with a variety of ways to expand the opportunities for youth to be leaders in creating and experiencing the programs designed to support their development. Facilitator/Partner will be Tammy Hobson, Collective Learning and Leading. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Vaughn Garland at garlandvw@vcu.edu or visit https://tockify.com/iexcel/detail/184/1746540000000.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025 from noon to 1 p.m.

VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research will continue its grant-writing series with a session via Zoom. Chris Lemmon, Ph.D., professor and associate chair, Biomedical Engineering, will discuss the application and review process of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Questions: https://cctr.vcu.edu/ Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Pamela Dillon, Pharm.D., research liaison, at pmdillon@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/GbLF7R4WQVyglaRHTMAuhw.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025 from noon to 1 p.m.

In this one-hour presentation, we will share an overview of the Land Explorer features recently added to our VCU IPA license, as well as other new features added in the latest release. Compare your ‘omics data to a curated database of over 700k healthy and diseased samples by linking IPA to QIAGEN OmicSoft Explorer. Investigate how gene or gene set expression varies in tissue, cell type, diseases or treatment contexts. Visualize how genomic alterations correlate with changes in expression, affect clinical outcomes and more Other new features can be found at https://digitalinsights.qiagen.com/products/qiagen-ipa/latest-improvements/archive/ Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Karlyn Maggi at maggikb@vcu.edu or visit https://qiagen.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6Nz0szVCT0K_7ae4ziQsiQ.

Friday, May 9, 2025 at 10 a.m.

VCU's Global Education Office will host an interactive webinar for faculty or staff interested in leading a faculty-led study abroad/away program. Join the Global Learning staff to learn more about your next steps in developing a study abroad program with GEO at the following URL. Questions: Email Amy Leap, leapae@vcu.edu or Stephanie Tignor, davenportse@vcu.edu

For more information, contact Nicol Tinsley at nctinsley@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/j/89023616086?jst=2.

Monday, May 12, 2025 at 5 p.m.

Learn about the Master of Science in Health Administration in an upcoming virtual informational session. The hybrid program, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, prepares leaders in health care with full- and part-time completion options. Register for the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Cameron Parkins at parkinsc@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekZHdPkFwhFOtluQojc_SJaX0r9NrQ6Dn5KNYaQOfQTekn5w/viewform.

Thursday, May 15, 2025 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The VCU School of Education and Engineering Career Services will present a hybrid workshop at the VCU College of Engineering, West Hall, Room 105, 601 W. Main St. This hybrid workshop, funded by the VCU School of Education Get Centered Award, invites STEM/Engineering graduate students to explore career planning through MyIDP, AI-powered prompts and hybrid mentoring models. Join the session in person (30 seats available) or online. Free snacks and coffee will be provided. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Chi-Ning (Nick) Chang,, Ph.D., at changc10@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/aqnB9Qokeo9Zpfnd9.

The name change better reflects their subject-matter-expertise and areas of oversight – biological safety, environmental health and safety, fire safety, insurance, chemical safety, occupational health and safety, radiation safety and employee health.

For more information, contact Molly Case at casems@vcu.edu or visit https://healthsafety.vcu.edu/.

RecWell’s Outdoor Adventure Program will host free activities in May. Activities will include whitewater rafting on Wednesday, May 21 and flatwater paddling on Wednesday, May 28. Activities are open to VCU students and RecWell members. Spaces for all activities are limited, so register early. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Emily Philpott at outdoors@vcu.edu or visit https://portal.recwell.vcu.edu/program?classificationId=d722033b-3a3d-44c6-a639-491797a4b9a2#.

This is the last semester the VCU community will have access to Lon-Capa. Academic Technologies will discontinue support for this open-source LMS on July 1. Möbius has been procured and integrated with Canvas as an alternative. Questions: Visit the following URL or emcil the following address.

For more information, contact Jamillah Martin at jpmartin@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1844 or visit https://blogs.vcu.edu/learning-systems/2025/03/31/reminder-last-semester-lon-capa-is-available-for-use/.

Attention Spring graduates - your student Google account will automatically disable after three semesters if you do not re-enroll in classes. Be on the lookout following graduation for important information arriving to your student email about claiming your alumni email account.

For more information, contact Doctor Gee at drgee@vcu.edu or visit https://go.vcu.edu/alumniemail.

Graduating this year and applying to jobs? Looking to maximize your summer break by finding a volunteer or shadowing opportunity? Stop by the VCU Career Services Office during drop-in hours to meet with a peer career counselor and review your résumé, cover letters or job search strategies. No appointment is needed. The office is located in the University Sudent Commons, Room 143, 907 Floyd Ave. Drop-in advising hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sessions are open to all VCU students and recent alumni.

For more information, contact Ashley Worthington at worthingtonar@vcu.edu or visit https://careers.vcu.edu/about/contact-us/.

Registration is now open for the University Band (APPM 357), which is open to all VCU students and faculty. The band meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3-3:50 p.m. and performs one concert per semester.

For more information, contact Philip Duane Coston at costonpd@vcu.edu or (804) 240-7974.

VCU students are asked to share their experiences with and awareness of on-campus offices and organizations that offer services or resources to students. VCU staff member Jess Hoy, M.S.W., is conducting a research survey that can be completed online and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Students are not required to have ever used a VCU resource to participate. Students who complete the survey will be entered into a raffle to win one of five $25 gift cards to the VCU bookstore.

For more information, contact Jess Hoy at hoyj2@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSctIBpT8H0TVLHzE4sq66PB1aEx8HCkKwtNtbG8odN3VY0qIA/viewform?usp=sf.

This research is being done to investigate how you learn new movements with your nondominant hand. You will be asked to complete a tracing game on a touchscreen tablet while wearing an electrode cap. You must be right-handed, male and between the ages of 18 and 40 to participate. $20 compensation is available for your participation. The study takes about one hour. The study will take place in the research laboratory location in the VCU College of Health Professions building, 900 E. Leigh St.

For more information, contact Narges Yaghoubi at yaghoubin@vcu.edu.

Would you be interested in using AI to navigate your STEM career? Test AI prompts and complete a test report on AI mentoring to receive an $80 gift card. Spots are limited. Interested students should complete the participant survey at the following URL.

For more information, contact Chi-Ning Chang, Ph.D., at changc10@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/ymcdpRxDQQhUQTHw8.

The Equity in Cardiovascular Health Outcomes (EqCHO) Lab at VCU is conducting a study on the stress experiences of young Black women. We would like to use the information gained from this study to develop a stress reduction program to improve cardiovascular health among young African American women. Resources will be provided on stress and health management. The study will take place over two consecutive weeks. Compensation is available. To check your eligibility and to sign up, visit: https://redcap.vcu.edu/surveys/?s=KYP34XPP8J7A8JJX

For more information, contact Anika Hines at eqcholab@vcu.edu or (804) 828-5030 or visit https://eqcho.lab.vcu.edu/.

Individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who identify as Black or African American are invited to participate in a research study examining the effect of acute and chronic stress on cardiovascular and inflammation responses to an acute mental challenge. Raffle drawings for financial compensation will be conducted. This study will take place at 500 Academic Centre on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus. Principal Investigator: Lee Franco, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. For more information, contact The KHS Healthy Heart Lab at healthyheart@vcu.edu.

For more information, contact Jeremy Via at healthyheart@vcu.edu.

This study is inviting individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who identify as LGBTQ. We are also inviting individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who identify as cis-gender heterosexual for the control group. 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. Principal Investigator: Lee Franco, Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. For more information, contact The KHS Healthy Heart Lab at healthyheart@vcu.edu.

For more information, contact Jeremy Via at healthyheart@vcu.edu.