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Emily Pitts, a sophomore anthropology major, paints a 3-D-printed replica of the JB55 Connecticut "vampire" skull. (Brian McNeill, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

19th-century ‘Connecticut vampire’ receives forensic facial reconstruction with help from VCU researchers

Jan. 3, 2023

VCU team from Virtual Curation Laboratory provides 3-D digital model of skull of man who died in the 1830s and then received unusual burial.

The National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development fiscal year 2021 survey, released Thursday, ranks VCU as No. 50 in the country for fiscal research expenditures. (Photo by John Wallace, VCU School of Dentistry)

VCU breaks into top 50 of public research universities in the U.S.

Dec. 16, 2022

New ranking from the National Science Foundation is achieved ahead of the schedule set by the university.

"Wilde once said that he always began his books with the cover. He would be among the first to say that my new book’s cover design is a striking work of art!" said Nicholas Frankel, Ph.D., a VCU professor of English, editor of "The Critical Writings of Oscar Wilde" and author of several books on Oscar Wilde. "I am honored and thrilled that the work of the award-winning graphic artist and illustrator Yuko Shimizu features on the cover of one of my books." (Courtesy Nicholas Frankel)

Oscar Wilde would be a New Yorker critic or late-night TV host if he were alive today, says editor of new collection of Wilde’s writings

Dec. 13, 2022

English professor Nicholas Frankel shares insights on Oscar Wilde’s lasting impact on pop culture review, critique and how we consume media today.

Faye Belgrave, Ph.D., encourages students, faculty and staff to venture off campus and engage with the local community to have the full VCU experience. (Jeffrey Kraus, VCU Office of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success)

Growing up in the segregated South inspires professor to pursue avenues that bring people together

Dec. 8, 2022

Faye Belgrave urges students and researchers to seek out community engagement connections.

"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.

Urban agriculture is among the areas of focus for the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment. (Getty Images)

VCU launches Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment

Nov. 3, 2022

The institute will help faculty from across the university work on projects that address the climate change crisis.

“Despite decades of efforts to reduce racial pain disparities, the pain of Black patients continues to be underdiagnosed and undertreated,” said Nao Hagiwara, Ph.D., co-lead of a new NIH-funded study. (Getty Images)

NIH awards $2.4M grant to VCU psychology professor to study racial disparities in pain management

Oct. 27, 2022

Nao Hagiwara will co-lead the research effort, saying, “There is an urgent need to address this decades-old issue by taking an innovative approach.”

Samy El-Shall, Ph.D., who has been appointed a program director at the National Science Foundation, has had research funded by the NSF since 1990. (University Marketing)

VCU chemistry professor appointed to direct a research program at NSF Chemistry Division

Oct. 21, 2022

Among his areas of emphasis, M. Samy El-Shall hopes to create new funding opportunities in the chemistry of sustainable water and energy.

Carolyn Eastman is an historian of early America with special interest in 18th and 19th-century histories of political culture, the media and gender. "The Strange Genius of Mr. O" tells a largely forgotten story about the intersection of political culture and celebrity at a moment when the United States was in the midst of invention.

Carolyn Eastman wins Literary Award from Library of Virginia for ‘The Strange Genius of Mr. O’

Oct. 18, 2022

VCU history professor’s book tells the story of the rise and fall of James Ogilvie, whose oratory performances made him a household name in America’s founding era.