News

Ron Lopez (M.S.’17/LS) takes a measurement near the Rice Rivers Center. He’s working on a long-term study of water levels and sedimentation rates in the area. (Photo courtesy of Ron Lopez)

‘If I wasn’t making films about science, I wouldn’t want to be making films’

July 22, 2019

Alumnus, researcher and award-winning videographer Ron Lopez has forged a unique career balancing art and science.

The Swedish icebreaker Oden traversed over 2,000-nautical miles across the Northwestern Passage during the 2019 expedition. (Photo courtesy of Lars Lehnert)

VCU students to participate in Arctic summer research cruise

July 17, 2019

Trio will set sail this week as part of a National Science Foundation-supported research expedition studying the Arctic Ocean’s impact toward life on Earth.

Students work on a planting a bed at a new community garden at George W. Carver Elementary School. (Photo by Pat Kane, University Public Affairs)

In Carver, ‘a garden for everyone’ emerges

April 15, 2019

VCU students are constructing a community garden at Carver Elementary to help fight food insecurity.

Undergraduate students present study findings at the annual VCU Poster Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creativity, one of several events during the university's annual Student Research Weeks. (Photos by Kevin Morley, University Relations)

Student projects take center stage at VCU research events

April 3, 2019

Student Research Weeks, April 9-26, provide undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to present their work to faculty and peers.

Discovered by a Rice Rivers Center researcher while trawling the James River, the five-foot-long 19th century anchor will go on display overlooking the river. (Photo by Brian McNeill)

VCU researcher discovers 19th-century anchor while hunting for juvenile sturgeon

Feb. 27, 2019

Discovery of the artifact in the James River comes as the Rice Rivers Center is preparing to teach an archaeology class that will explore the history of the site.

Rachael Moffatt, an environmental studies major graduating this month, is one of the first four students to complete the River Studies and Leadership Certificate program at VCU. (Photo contributed by James Vonesh, Ph.D.)

These four VCU students aim to help navigate the future of the nation’s rivers

Dec. 4, 2018

Growing up in Richmond, Reid Anderson spent his childhood on and around the James River. Now at Virginia Commonwealth University, Anderson is pursuing a master’s degree in the Department of Biology in the College of Humanities and Sciences and researching fish ecology in the lower James.

From left: Saleana Copeland, Tuyet Duong, Adalyn Nguyen, Hung Nguyen, and Seth Mitchell. (Photo credit: Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

VCU's newest graduates reflect on the moments that mattered

Dec. 4, 2018

For nearly 3,000 VCU students, commencement on Dec. 8 marks both the end of a journey and the start of something new.

Alex Bahn-Humphrey, medical student in the School of Medicine

Bodies of work: These Rams love what they do, and they have the tattoos to prove it

Nov. 9, 2018

You see a lot of tattoos at VCU — some even with academic connections. These 12 Rams show off their tattoos and explain the meaning behind the ink.

Sturgeon born in mid-September found during an Oct. 31 trawling survey by Rice Rivers Center researchers. (Photo courtesy of VCU Rice Rivers Center)

Discovery of baby sturgeon in the James River marks potential milestone for restoration efforts

Nov. 7, 2018

For the past eight years, Matt Balazik, Ph.D., and other researchers from the Rice Rivers Center at Virginia Commonwealth University have conducted trawl surveys in the James River in hopes of finding Atlantic sturgeon, the once-plentiful ancient fish that was listed as an endangered species in 2012.

VCU researchers studied tree canopy cover across the city of Richmond as part of the Urban Forestry Collaborative.

Taking root: Project to plant trees connects VCU and Carver

Nov. 2, 2018

A project to plant dozens of trees this month in Carver will make the neighborhood a greener and more walkable community, while offsetting the carbon footprint of Virginia Commonwealth University as the trees grow.