12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Drop by the University Counseling Services Prize Wheel in the lobby of Cary Street Gym, 101 S. Linden St., to meet counseling staff and peer health educators. Learn about suicide prevention and how to support a friend in distress, and get information about helpful resources within UCS and across campus. Prizes and give-aways for all participants.

For more information, contact Caroline Coffill at cscoffill@vcu.edu or (804) 828-6200 or visit http://counseling.vcu.edu.

12 p.m.

The online lecture series Wavelength is a collaboration among VCUarts, the Institute for Contemporary Art and VCUarts Qatar. A group of artists, designers, curators and scholars have been invited to share their work with the VCU communities in Richmond and Doha as well as the general public. Prem Krishnamurthy's work explores the transformative potential of art and design by experimenting with presentational strategies, performative modes and ways of communicating. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Teresa Engle Ilnicki at engleta@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9zoc8MWAR0KMR19mRSWP9A.

4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

VCU Alumni and the President's Office will celebrate at The Compass with alumni-owned businesses Ruby Scoops Ice Cream and Sweets and Mixing Bowl Bakery. Students, alumni, faculty and staff can receive a free scoop of ice cream or cookie while supplies last. The ice cream will be provided by Ruby Scoops Ice Cream and Sweets, which is owned by Rabia Kamara (B.S.’10/B). Kamara recently competed and won the Food Network's Ben and Jerry's Clash of the Cones.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Bass at eebass@vcu.edu or (434) 466-9822.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Baby Box Project at VCU will present the organization's board members and discuss plans for the semester in the SGA Senate Chambers, University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. Free Redeye cookies will be available.

For more information, contact Noor Ikram at babyboxvcu@gmail.com or (571) 839-7232.

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Heart to Soul in Action, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase access to health care and education in Richmond, will hold a general body meeting in Virginia Rooms C and D, University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. Learn about the organization, events planned for the semester and how to become involved. Questions: Email heart2soulinaction@gmail.com.

For more information, contact Mannat Narang at narangm@vcu.edu or visit http://heart2soulinaction.wixsite.com/vcu-hsa.

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Demystify the college writing process by breaking it into manageable portions. This online workshop will also offer brainstorming and suggestions for staying ahead of deadlines. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Trey Burnart Hall at hallbr@vcu.edu or visit https://writing.vcu.edu/events/.

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

VCU Poetry Club is holding a writer's workshop event. Participants can share poetry and receive constructive feedback. Click on the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Maheen Farooqi at farooqims@vcu.edu or visit https://tinyurl.com/WritersPC.

Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.

The L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs will host a lunch and learn session via Zoom featuring Kathryn Howell, Ph.D., associate professor in the urban and regional studies and planning program and co-director of the RVA Eviction Lab, at the Wilder School. Howell will discuss housing evictions, focusing on mitigation programs and policies that have affected evictions locally and across the commonwealth. Register for the Zoom link at the following URL. Questions: Email Stevan Dozier, director of development and alumni engagement, at doziers2@vcu.edu.

For more information, contact Katherine Huynh at huynhkp@vcu.edu or (703) 269-8237 or visit https://wilder.vcu.edu/news-and-events/news-articles/eviction-across-the-commonwealth--what-you-need-to-know.html.

Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

VCU's Writing Center will host a workshop to help participants learn to write a strong, successful personal statement. The Zoom link is hosted on the center's events page at the following URL.

For more information, contact Trey Burnart Hall at hallbr@vcu.edu or visit https://writing.vcu.edu/events/.

Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

University College’s Common Book Program will host "The Pipelines and the People: From Climate Crisis to Mass Movement,” a lecture given by Kai Bosworth, Ph.D., assistant professor of international studies in the School of World Studies, in Room 303, James Branch Cabell Library Lecture Hall, 901 Park Ave. Bosworth will examine the role the new climate movement played in confronting the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines in the U.S. Great Plains, describing both where and why the movement succeeded as well as ran into limits. Visit: commonbook.vcu.edu.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Fagan at fagane@vcu.edu or visit http://commonbook.vcu.edu.

Wednesday, Sep. 22, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.

Dina T. Garcia Ph.D, M.P.H, director of the Kalpulli Research Group, will discuss her career journey and experience as an assistant professor for VCU's Department of Health Behavior and Policy in a session hosted by the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in STEM. Click on the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Henzee Machado at machadohg@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/j/98670742627.

Thursday, Sep. 23, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.

Trang Le, M.D., will discuss diabetic neuropathy in the next session on Zoom for the Diabetes and Hypertension Project ECHO. Learn more about today's best practices in diabetes and hypertension care through didactic presentations and real, de-identified patient cases presented by current practitioners through the Project ECHO model.

For more information, contact Madeleine Wagner at echoDMHTN@vcuhealth.org or visit http://vcuhealth.org/echodmhtn.

Thursday, Sep. 23, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.

Join VCU's School of World Studies and VCU's Education Abroad Office along with Sant'Anna Institute for a virtual informational session for students interested in studying abroad in Sorrento, Italy in 2022. The discussion will include courses, internships, housing, onsite support, lifestyle, virtual options and costs. Course topics include Italian language, arts, BUSN, SOCY, BIOL, ENVS, MASC, INTL, ENGL, GSWS and POLI. E-mail abroad@vcu.edu for more information. Click on the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Amy Miller at millera16@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/j/99784961982.

Thursday, Sep. 23, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.

The Vietnamese Student Association will be serving Bun Cha Gio in the Pace Center, 800 W. Franklin St. Meet new people and learn about Vietnamese culture. The meal costs $1. Register on RamsConnect.

For more information, contact Cherie Vendiola at vendiolacfo@vcu.edu or (571) 665-1953 or visit https://vcu.campusgroups.com/pacecenter/rsvp.

Thursday, Sep. 23, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

How has the last year and a half changed you? Do you wonder how that differs for others? Come engage with students, faculty and staff in the fall RAMmalogues session about you and the pandemic sponsored by VCU's Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success. RAMmalogues is a space for intercultural, multigenerational and community-wide dialogues around who we are and what matters to us. All students, staff and faculty are invited, but registration is limited to 25. Questions: https://inclusive.vcu.edu/iexcel/rammalogues/. Register for the Zoom link at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jan Altman, Ph.D. at iexcel@vcu.edu or visit https://training.vcu.edu/course.aspx?processFlag=2&itemID=17873.

Thursday, Sep. 23, 2021 at 6 p.m.

The Humanities Research Center at VCU will present a program with Daphne Brooks, professor of African American Studies, American Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Music at Yale University, in conversation with madison moore, Ph.D. Register for the Zoom webinar at the following URL.

For more information, contact Tyler Conrad at conradtl@vcu.edu or (804) 827-1907 or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0iy-xoLwRCGvpvtqOJJ1xQ.

Thursday, Sep. 23, 2021 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

If you’re looking for that next-level college experience by learning how to use some of the best resources VCU has to offer – your professors – come learn from students, faculty and staff about how to go about building your professor network. You’ll also hear success stories about how these relationships made all the difference in achieving academic and professional goals. Panelists will include Malik Afrifa (recent alum), Tiffany Freitas (Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence), Carlton Goode (University Academic Advising), and Ginni Totaro (Department of Focused Inquiry). Questions: http://youfirst.vcu.edu. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Bambacus at bambacuses@vcu.edu or (804) 827-3927 or visit https://bit.ly/YouFirstPresents092321.

Friday, Sep. 24, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The VCU School of Education’s Ruth Harris Endowment will present the inaugural Ruth Harris Dyslexia Symposium. The virtual keynote address will be Sept. 24. Three professional learning sessions (one for parents/families, one for professionals, one for students) will be on Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The symposium is free. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Ayanna Akinkoye at akinkoyeam@vcu.edu or visit http://bit.ly/RuthHarrisSymposium2021.

Friday, Sep. 24, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

VCU's Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center, 601 W. Broad St., will celebrate its new commissioned exhibition by South African artist Dineo Seshee Bopape, "Ile aye, moya, là, ndokh … harmonic conversations … mm." The event will feature music by Michael Demps and WRIR’s DJ Graybeard, an offering by poet and speaker Bayo Akomlafe and remarks by Bopape and curator Amber Esseiva. Refreshments and a cash bar will be available throughout the evening.

For more information, contact Stephanie Stanton at stantons@vcu.edu or visit https://icavcu.org/events/exhibition-opening-dineo-bopape/.

Saturday, Sep. 25, 2021 at 9 a.m.

VCU's Department of Computer Science will host the university's biggest annual programming hackathon on Sept. 25-26. RamHacks 2021 will be fully online. The first-prize award for the best submission will be $3,000. Two second-place prizes, for $1,500 each, will be awarded. Three third-place prizes, for $1,000 each, will be awarded. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Bartosz Krawczyk, Ph.D., at bkrawczyk@vcu.edu or visit https://ramhacks.vcu.edu/.

Monday, Sep. 27, 2021 from noon to 12:50 p.m.

Fernando Fernandez-Llimos, M.Pharm., Ph.D., a professor at the University of Porto in Portugal, will share his thoughts on collaboration in biomedical scientific publishing in a seminar hosted by VCU's Center for Pharmacy Practice Innovation. The seminar will be held online via Zoom and in-person at Room 545, Robert Blackwell Smith Building, 410 N. 12th St. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Madeleine Wagner at cppi@vcu.edu or visit http://bit.ly/CPPISeminars.

Tuesday, Sep. 28, 2021 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Honors College Berglund Seminar Series will host an overview of the basic principles of design thinking. Participants will then learn and practice techniques to apply the principles to exploring their own educational and career path. Email the following address for the Zoom link.

For more information, contact Jared Johnson at jajohnson4@vcu.edu.

Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This inaugural, regional virtual research symposium hosted by VCU in collaboration with Eastern Virginia Medical School and Virginia State University will focus on the biology of inflammasomes and the therapeutic potential of inhibiting the inflammasome in diseases. Join a panel of experts whose members will present the latest investigations and discuss the future of inflammasome research. Register at the following URL for this free event.

For more information, contact Lauren Harris at harrisl4@vcu.edu or visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvfuygqzMpH9OJvPpgfU6FHPszgZD6GVGz.

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

"Navigating Visibility at VCU and Beyond," a free IExcel Pop-up course for students, meets three times and explores the tensions surrounding issues of outness and visibility for LGBTQ+ people. Visibility is often considered critical for increasing awareness of and social acceptance for LGBTQ+ individuals, as it serves to disrupt and decenter cisnormative and heteronormative assumptions. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jan Altman, Ph.D., IExcel Education executive director, at iexcel@vcu.edu or visit https://iexcel.vcu.edu/student-course-calendar/.

Licensed users of VCU's Zoom account can have no more than 300 participants in a Zoom meeting. In most cases this would be sufficient, but several options are available to reach a larger audience. Options include live streaming, large meeting feature or webinar feature. For more information, visit https://blogs.vcu.edu/zoom/2021/08/30/a-note-about-participant-limits/.

For more information, contact David Morefield at zoom@vcu.edu or visit https://ts.vcu.edu/askit/video-services/video-conferencing-support/zoom-desktop-conferencing/.

VCU Dining Services has special September events planned for Shafer Court Dining Center, 810 Cathedral Place. They include Steak Night (Sept. 21: 4 p.m.-close); Shafer Favorites Week (Sept. 20-24: 11 a.m.-close); Steak Night (Sept. 21: 4 p.m.-close); Elephant Thai (Sept. 22: 11 a.m.-close); OktoberFest (Sept. 23: 11 p.m.-close); Bibim Box (Sept. 27-Oct. 1: 11 a.m.-close); Bento Sushi Specials (Sept. 27-28: 11 a.m.-close); Registered Dietitian's Energy Bites at AVO (Sept. 28: noon-2 p.m.). Details: Follow @VCU_Dining.

For more information, contact Lauren Hay at dining@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1148 or visit http://vcu.campusdish.com.

VCU Health and Massey Cancer Center are conducting focus groups to understand the experiences of Black men who smoke or used to smoke and their opinions about lung cancer screening, smoking cessation and health care disparities in Virginia. Eligibility criteria: identify as a Black male, current or former smoker and 50 years old or older. If interested, contact Jasmine Blue at the following telephone number or email Blackchat@vcuhealth.org.

For more information, contact Rashelle Hayes at rashelle.hayes@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-0000.

We are inviting male and female Type 2 diabetes patients with painful diabetic neuropathy ages 18-75 to participate in a research investigation of a new treatment to alleviate pain and examine its effects on pain perception. In addition to the new treatment, this study involves completing surveys and undergoing tests to evaluate perceptions of pain. Volunteers will be compensated for their time. Participants are only required to come once for the study. The study is conducted within the VCU Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Engineering Lab. Questions: Email Bhushan Thakkar at the following address or Edmund Acevedo, Ph.D., FACSM, at eoacevedo@vcu.edu.

For more information, contact Bhushan Thakkar at thakkarbs2@vcu.edu or (804) 300-5578.

Researchers are looking for VCU employees, as well as their family members, to volunteer for the COVID-CARE study. Volunteers must be aged 18 and older and have one of the following apply to them: have had a known exposure to COVID-19 in the last 14 days, currently have suspected COVID-19 symptoms, or have had no known exposure to COVID-19 and no suspected COVID-19 symptoms. Volunteers will be asked to review and electronically sign an informed consent document, complete a survey pertaining to your current symptoms (if any) and any known exposures in the last 14 days. You will be asked to complete two COVID tests at home, provided at no cost. Volunteers are paid for their time. To access the study’s website and see if eligible, go to the following URL.

For more information, contact Mandy Adams at study4u@vcu.edu or (804) 827-3784 or visit http://www.covidcarestudy.org/.