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The new School of Life Sciences and Sustainability will administer and oversee biological, environmental, life and sustainability sciences academic programming, research and other relevant initiatives at VCU. (File photo)

VCU establishes School of Life Sciences and Sustainability

March 24, 2025

Emphasizing solutions-focused faculty collaboration and student learning, the new school in the College of Humanities and Sciences will combine VCU Life Sciences and the Department of Biology.

Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier who became an extremist commander, was found guilty in 2021 by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. (Getty Images)

For war crimes defendants, media coverage can reflect how audiences see ‘local justice’ and ‘international justice’ differently

March 10, 2025

Exploring the court case of an abducted child soldier who became an extremist commander, VCU professors Jessica Trisko Darden and Amanda Wintersieck see a framework for understanding harsher perceptions at home.

VCU student Natasha Romero Moskala worked with Alex Keena, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, as a research assistant on the Guinier Project hosted by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School. (Contributed photo)

A natural progression: VCU senior joins professor for Harvard research project into elections

March 7, 2025

Political science student Natasha Romero Moskala fills the role of research assistant alongside mentor Alex Keena.

New research by Baobao Song, Ph.D., finds that celebrity endorsements from South Korean boy band BTS and other celebrities can push their fans to take action. (Photo: AJEONG_JM, Wikimedia Commons)

Celebrity endorsements can drive advocacy by fans, VCU researcher finds

March 6, 2025

Examining the popular South Korean boy band BTS and their preferred causes, the study found three factors that shape the behavior of their devoted followers.

Students helped build houses out of water bottles. This helped reduce water pollution and served as great insulation for the tropical weather. (Contributed)

As a national model, VCU is facilitating service-learning study abroad for first-generation and other students

March 5, 2025

Building on last year’s debut, which gained attention in global education circles, a second set of TRIO students will visit the Dominican Republic over spring break to help communities.

The rise or fall of utility-scale solar could dramatically change Virginia’s energy portfolio. (Getty Images)

VCU researchers assess land impacts of Virginia’s solar industry — now and in the future

March 3, 2025

Large-scale ‘solar farms’ currently occupy more than 30,000 acres as the state’s energy portfolio continues to evolve.

The Academy Awards will be held on March 2. (Getty Images)

At the movies: Professors review Oscar-nominated films through the lens of their expertise

Feb. 27, 2025

Ahead of the Academy Awards, professors discuss what worked – or didn’t – in five of the 2025 nominees.

Virginia Commonwealth University is introducing a digital forensics and incident response concentration in its Master of Science in forensic science program this fall. (Getty Images)

New concentration in digital forensics will propel graduate students into a growing field

Feb. 26, 2025

Debuting in fall 2025, the specialized curriculum in the forensic science master’s program reflects how electronic evidence is an expanding frontier in fighting crime.

VCU alums who won Black History in the Making Awards when they were students. Clockwise from top left: Eloise Berry, Ph.D., Fadel Allassan, Jaz-Munn Johnson, M.D., Taylor Pattie, Tonecia Brothers-Sutton and Sasha Pierre-Louis.

Checking in with VCU’s Black history makers

Feb. 26, 2025

For more than four decades, VCU has honored students with Black History in the Making Awards – and here are updates on six accomplished recipients.

Mahmoud Kaid, who is from Egypt, conducts research at VCU focused on the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. (Kevin Morley, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

World@VCU: Mahmoud Kaid from Egypt

Feb. 26, 2025

‘Watching both my boys grow here has added a whole new perspective to my work and life.’