11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity and the American Red Cross will sponsor a blood drive at the Pace Center, 700 W. Franklin St.

For more information, contact Logan Martin at martinle6@vcu.edu or visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive.

12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The Black History Month committee will host a program to explore the societal and personal impacts of the Jezebel Syndrome and hypersexualization of Black women. This program, part of a series about misperceptions of Black women, will also focus on dismantling myths and building a common cultural knowledge. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Tameika McCoy at myoptions@vcu.edu or visit http://thecommonsvcu.com/Jezebel-Lunch.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 at noon

VCU will conduct a full test of its emergency communications and alerting systems, including sirens throughout the Monroe Park and MCV campuses. The full test will include the sirens along with text messages, Alertus boxes, mass email, digital signs, desktop alerts, LiveSafe, VCU Mobile, social media and VCU website information — all part of a multichannel system for communicating emergency information to VCU students, faculty, staff, visitors and the community. VCU Police will send out a text message to let the community know that all testing has concluded.

For more information, contact VCU Emergency Management Staff at vcualert@vcu.edu.

Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 at noon

High intensity interval training is a technique with all-out, quick, intense bursts of exercise followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. Workouts can be tailored to any fitness level with a focus on cardio and muscular strength and endurance. No equipment is required, but a yoga mat is recommended. This session will be hosted by VCU Human Resources and VCU Recreational Sports. Register in Talent.

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

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 at 1 p.m.

VCU's L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs will hold a graduate programs online open house via Zoom. An overview of the school's graduate programs, benefits and application procedures will be presented. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Ross Losapio at losapior@vcu.edu or visit http://bit.ly/FebWSGrad.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.

VCU's Department of Biomedical Engineering will present Nicholas Giudice, Ph.D., professor at the University of Maine. Giudice will present a seminar titled "The Role of Multimodal, Bio-Inspired Technology Solutions in Blindness Research and Visual Rehabilitation of the Future." The faculty host will be Dianne Pawluk, Ph.D. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact René Olivares-Navarrete, Ph.D. at ronavarrete@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q9noY_jFTH-EkE4ttxGLKQ.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

VCU English Language Program's virtual open house will give an overview of program courses and how they provide an opportunity for those who speak English as a second language to improve their skills and confidence. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Rachel Aziz at rcwiltshire@vcu.edu or (804) 828-2551 or visit https://global.vcu.edu/elp/.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 at 7 p.m.

Historian Marcia Chatelain, Ph.D., will discuss her book "Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America" (Liveright, 2020). The talk will be followed by a Q&A. The event is free and open to all, but registration is required. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Gregory Kimbrell at kimbrellgg@vcu.edu or (804) 393-2951 or visit https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/events/2020-2021/black-history-lecture-2021.html.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Rams in Recovery will host a community conversation with Jan Brown. Details: email recovery@vcu.edu. Click on the following URL for the Zoom link.

For more information, contact Emily Tompkins at tompkinsee@vcu.edu or visit http://bit.ly/3ofT5SB.

Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

The fourth session of the Bench to Community seminar series will focus on funding. The discussion will include the importance of business models, early validation and building traction. Entrepreneurs who have done it, investors who are looking for it and resource providers who can offer assistance are scheduled to participate. The event will be hosted by the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, VCU Institute for Engineering and Medicine and the Office of the Vice President for Research Innovation. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Emily Komornik at komornikea@vcu.edu or visit https://iem.vcu.edu/events/bench-to-community/feb-5-21/.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 from 10 a.m. to noon

Join speakers and panelists for presentations, discussion and a call to action on prostate and colorectal cancer disparities in minority communities. Featured will be Luisel Ricks-Santi, Ph.D., director of the Hampton University Cancer Research Center; Terrance Afer-Anderson, writer-producer-director of “The Black Walnut” and Renee Malone, program director at Hitting Cancer Below the Belt. The session will be hosted by Debbie Cadet, Ph.D., MSW, program manager for community health education and research at Massey Cancer Center, and is part of the Wright Center's Health Equity Series. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Lauren Harris at cctrhlthdis@vcu.edu or visit https://cctr.vcu.edu/health-equity/.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and VCU Libraries will present a workshop on Open Education Resources as a strategy for broadening the impact of your research project. Nina Exner, Ph.D., Research Data Librarian, and Jessica Kirschner, M.L.I.S., Open Educational Resources Librarian, will discuss strategy for National Science Foundation grants. Register for the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Joshua Hahn at hahnj2@vcu.edu or (804) 827-1524 or visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwuc-qrqjwiHtcSncvAsL0A0Kmr7iA4KfoP.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021 from 9 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.

Elizabeth Collins, MA, CCRP, FDA Regulatory Resource Program Manager, VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, will present "FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products During COVID-19 Public Health Emergency." Register for the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Emily Komornik at komornikea@vcu.edu or visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqdu2urz4jH9GPIHQsqdeojmmJUQh7xsNa.

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.

VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research will present the third installment in its grant-writing series. In this session Henry Donahue, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the VCU College of Engineering, will discuss the role of research strategy in building a successful research proposal. Register for the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Pam Dillon, Pharm.D., research liaison, at pmdillon@vcu.edu or visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMpfu6srz4oG9KLRt8UKZ5rAn82WTJpNFZ9.

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence will present a workshop on VoiceThread, a collaborative, multimedia slide show. In this workshop, educators will learn how to establish a social presence and connect with their students using VoiceThread to improve course satisfaction and student learning. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Tiffany Freitas at freitast@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/WeYkCarRCVpXdsGUA.

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

This two-hour workshop will explore unconscious bias — social stereotypes about groups of people that form outside of our own conscious awareness. Participants will examine the origins of unconscious bias, its impact on individuals, organizations and societies and tactics to combat unconscious bias and stereotypes. Register at the following URL for the Zoom link to this interactive, virtual, instructor-led session.

For more information, contact Shana Ryman at sryman@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.csod.com/ui/lms-learning-details/app/event/2c820efa-f877-490a-95bf-9f4d16dae890.

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Registration is extended through Feb. 5 for the series, hosted by VCU's School of Education. Participants will develop skills to dismantle systems that perpetuate racial inequities. Register today and begin with the Feb. 10 session. A recording of the kickoff session will be provided to registered participants. For more information email soeose@vcu.edu or register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Joshua Cole at colejp@vcu.edu or visit https://ose.soe.vcu.edu/professional-learning/becoming-an-antiracist-educator-series/.

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A Clinical Research Skills Series (CReSS) workshop will be offered by the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research from 3-4:30 p.m. Feb. 11 and 9-10:30 a.m. Feb. 17. The workshop will be sponsored by the Translational Workforce Development Program. It will be presented by Katelyn Schifano, MS, CCRP, CHES, Outreach and Engagement Specialist with VCU Massey Cancer Center. Topics will include VCU/VCUH participant demographic data, recruitment challenges, engaging participants and developing a recruitment plan. Register for the Feb. 11 workshop at https://training.vcu.edu/course_detail.asp?ID=17685. Register for the Feb. 17 event at https://training.vcu.edu/course_detail.asp?ID=17686. This workshop will not cover Research Match.

For more information, contact Catherine Brown at crbrown@vcu.edu or (804) 366-9513.

Expect stricter enforcement of VCU’s requirement to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth at all times in library buildings. Non-complying users who refuse to provide their VCU ID when asked will be required to leave the building immediately. Continued noncompliance may result in the suspension of access to library buildings and disciplinary action in accordance with university policy.

For more information, contact Sue Robinson at srobinson26@vcu.edu or visit https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/news/2021-news/spring-update.html.

The late Jan F. Chlebowski, Ph.D., was the founding faculty advisor for Women in Science at VCU and an advocate for the advancement of women in STEM. In his memory, Women in Science at VCU offers a research award to all eligible WIS members. Women in Science at VCU will be offering two research awards: one $300 award and one $200 award. This award should be used to attend and present at a conference in 2021. Questions, https://www.facebook.com/groups/vcu.wis; https://www.instagram.com/vcu.wis/; https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12248757/; https://twitter.com/science_women.

For more information, contact Women In Science at vcu.wis@gmail.com.

Nominations are being accepted through Feb. 28 for the 2020 Dorris Douglas Budd Award, which recognizes outstanding administrative and office support staff who enhance the image and mission of VCU and VCU Health.

For more information, contact Cindi Phares at cphares@vcu.edud or (804) 828-1521 or visit https://hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/recognition-and-awards/.

In collaboration with VCU Career Services, Women in Science at VCU will be putting out collection boxes in Sanger Hall, 1101 E. Marshall St.; the Molecular Medicine Research Building, 1220 E. Broad St.; Jonah L. Larrick Student Center, 900 Turpin St.; and Robert Blackwell Smith (Pharmacy) Building, 410 N. 12th St. Boxes will be placed in the lobbies of these buildings through Feb. 15. Suggested donations include professional attire, professional shoes and professional accessories.

For more information, contact Women In Science at vcu.wis@gmail.com or visit https://careers.vcu.edu/resources/suit-yourself/.

The ACTIVATE study is testing a new self-guided program to understand what works best for young men ages 18 to 35 when it comes to losing weight. This study is being conducted in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy at VCU.

For more information, contact Jean Reading at readingj2@vcu.edu or (804) 827-2250 or visit http://activateyoungmen.com.

ACTIVATE is testing a new self-guided program to understand what works best for young men ages 18-35 when it comes to losing weight. This study is being conducted in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy at VCU. Check eligibility at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jean Reading at optforhealth@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-2250 or visit http://activateyoungmen.com.