Newsroom

mary caton lingold reading a book at an outside table at v.c.u.

English professor’s sound studies unearth forgotten musical histories of the African Atlantic

Nov. 22, 2022

Mary Caton Lingold interprets Atlantic Africans’ musical performances in the 1600-1800s and what they might have meant to the people performing them.

Shawn Williams has been involved in a variety of service-oriented efforts. "I want to build a better world," they said. (Tom Kojcsich, University Marketing)

Class of 2022: Helping others is a passion for graduating senior Shawn Williams

Nov. 21, 2022

Williams’ work focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion, and they have been involved in campus leadership and service.

Eric Escobar-Chena, a biology major who will graduate in December, is a teaching assistant in a VCU entomology course and works in VCU's "bug lab." (Photo by Kevin Morley, University Marketing.)

Class of 2022: In the ‘Bug Lab,’ Eric Escobar-Chena gained a passion for research and a respect for insects

Nov. 18, 2022

Biology major is considering graduate school opportunities in ecology with a focus on field work and beetles.

Sydney Wardrett (Allen Jones, University Marketing)

‘A setback … just sets the tone for a greater comeback’

Nov. 17, 2022

Freshman year did not go as planned for English major Sydney Wardrett, but with help from her professors and an academic coach, she made a mental shift and got back on track.

chelsea williams having a discussion with another person at barnes and noble at v.c.u.

iCubed scholar seeks answers for how racial and ethnic identities form and change

Nov. 16, 2022

Chelsea Williams’ research seeks a broader view on intimate questions of identity.

Divorce or relationship discord between parents is associated with children's risk for the potential of alcohol use disorder as adults, a study co-authored by a VCU Department of Psychology doctoral student found. (Getty Images)

Divorce or relationship discord between parents may indicate children’s genetic risk for future alcohol misuse

Nov. 16, 2022

A study, co-authored by a VCU developmental psychology doctoral student and a Rutgers researcher, found that experiencing adversities around divorce and marital discord can be “one pathway through which genetic risk for alcohol problems is passed from parents to their children.”

From left, VCU forensic science alum Bailey Jones; VCU forensic science doctoral student Tyson Baird; VCU forensic science alum and former lab manager Laerissa Reveil; and Michelle Peace, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Forensic Science in the College of Humanities and Sciences. (Contributed photo.)

VCU forensic science department wins three research awards

Nov. 16, 2022

Scientists, who each worked in VCU’s Forensic Toxicology Research lab, honored at Society of Forensic Toxicologists meeting.

"CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent David Pogue (right) interviews Alex Keena, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, at Scott House on VCU's Monroe Park Campus. (Mary Kate Brogan, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

VCU professor shares gerrymandering expertise with ‘CBS Sunday Morning’

Nov. 15, 2022

“What’s clear is that when politicians are drawing the line, then we see partisan gerrymandering,” said Alex Keena, an assistant professor of political science and co-author of two books on gerrymandering.

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," in theaters this week, centers the stories of Black women as leaders, something pop culture scholar Grace D. Gipson, Ph.D., says has the power to make a difference in how Black girls and women see themselves - and how others see them. “Representation is essential and important because what we see in pop culture influences and offers us a viewpoint into how we make decisions, how we view things, the way in which things are portrayed and people are portrayed,” says Gipson, an assistant professor of African American Studies at VCU's College of Humanities and Sciences. (Courtesy Walt Disney Studios)

The smartest person in the Marvel universe, how ‘Black Panther’ – and its sequel – changed Hollywood and why representation in pop culture matters

Nov. 10, 2022

“‘Black Panther’ has changed the game of saying what can and does sell. It wasn’t just Black people who went to go see ‘Black Panther;’ everybody — the world — went to see it,” says Grace D. Gipson, Ph.D.

a three-person band giving a performance on stage

Conference celebrates Black and Indigenous sound in the early Atlantic world

Nov. 9, 2022

The event was capped off by a performance from "Mexilachian" band Lua Project.