News

Next-level virtual reality: bringing in brain signal feedback

Dean Krusienski, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, is investigating how to make virtual reality (VR) environments responsive, in real-time, to the user’s state of mind.

VCU researchers to develop next-generation, long-lasting batteries

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers in the College of Engineering Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering will receive a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop next-generation rechargeable batteries.

Medicines for All Institute and South African manufacturer enter partnership to improve access to lifesaving medications

The Medicines for All Institute (M4ALL) has entered into a partnership with a manufacturer in South Africa to commercialize advances made by the institute to improve access to lifesaving medications for HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

‘A gym for cells’: VCU Engineering doctoral student is awarded an American Heart Association fellowship

Sarah Saunders (B.S.’17), a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, has received a prestigious American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship.

Nuclear engineering Ph.D. student wins Roy G. Post Foundation Scholarship

Dimitris Killinger (B.S.’15) , a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, has received a Roy G. Post Foundation Scholarship for 2020. He is one of eight graduate-level recipients selected internationally for this award, which recognizes students with outstanding research achievements in safe management of nuclear materials.

Q&A with Alberto Cano, Ph.D.

Machine learning, evolutionary computing and big data are specialties of Alberto Cano, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science.

More than 30 Ram Engineers featured in VCU alumni magazine’s “Power Issue”

VCU Engineering is all over the latest issue of Shafer Court Connections, VCU’s alumni magazine.

Studies by VCU Engineering researchers among the top 10 percent most cited in PLOS One

Two studies by investigators at VCU College of Engineering are among the top 10 percent most cited publications in the Public Library of Science (PLOS One).

Biomedical engineering Ph.D. student wins NIH award

Franck Kamga Gninzeko (B.S.’17), a Virginia Commonwealth University biomedical engineering doctoral student, has received a prestigious dissertation award from the National Institutes of Health.

Krzysztof ‘Krys’ Cios named IEEE Fellow

Krzysztof “Krys” Cios, Ph.D., D.Sc., M.B.A., professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science in the VCU College of Engineering, has been named an IEEE Fellow for 2020. He is being recognized for outstanding contributions to data mining and machine learning.

Ph.D. student receives grant to attend AMIA Symposium

Computer science doctoral candidate Amy Olex received a travel grant to attend the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2019 Annual Symposium held in November in Washington, D.C.

2019 Year in Review

VCU Engineering’s expanding faculty and new programs such as the nation’s first Ph.D. in pharmaceutical engineering and a computing specialization made headlines in 2019.

Think like a cell. 3D print the results.

Dental and orthopaedic implants offer hope to patients in need of tooth, bone or joint replacements.

Engineering in Vision: If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

On a late-autumn Thursday, children at Richmond’s John B. Cary Elementary School were face-to-face with some of the most powerful design-and-build tools there are.

Computer science researchers receive LORD Best Paper Award at IROS

A paper by He Zhang, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Computer Science, and Lingqiu Jin, a computer science Ph.D. student, received the LORD Best Paper Award at the Visual-Inertial Navigation workshop of the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) held in Macau, China.

Niels Asmussen receives Young Investigator Award

Virginia Commonwealth University doctoral student Niels Asmussen won a Young Investigator Award at the 13th International Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues.

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., elected as National Academy of Inventors Fellow

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., the Floyd D. Gottwald Junior Chair in pharmaceutical engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, will be inducted as a 2019 National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow.

Mechanical engineering doctoral student receives ASME poster award

Forrest Baber, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, won second place in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) student poster competition.

Researchers honored for noninvasive eye-tracking system

The absolute best thing about the research being conducted by a team of Virginia Commonwealth University collaborators is also the absolute worst thing: it is very simple.

VCU experts in nanomedicine and gene therapy work toward promising cardiovascular disease treatment

In a multidisciplinary collaboration, Virginia Commonwealth University researchers are investigating a new strategy aimed at not merely halting cardiovascular disease, but actually reversing it.

VCU, museum collaborate to study Richmond’s air quality

A Virginia Commonwealth University collaboration with Science Museum of Virginia and city partners on an award-winning mapping project in the summer of 2017 has developed into a three-year effort to improve air quality in Richmond, Virginia.

Saving the cities under the sea

Beyond the wonders of the sea lies a growing problem that affects every ocean, beach and continent: Coral reefs are dying all over the world.

Jennifer Puetzer, Ph.D., receives Orthoregeneration Network grant

Jennifer Puetzer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the VCU College of Engineering, has been awarded a pilot grant from the Orthoregeneration Network (ON) Foundation for a project investigating methods to improve rotator cuff healing using engineered tissues.

VCU student company to compete for up to $2M

Kilo Medical Solutions was chosen as one of 10 finalists for New York State’s Luminate Accelerator. Each finalist receives an initial investment of $100,000 and a chance to receive $2 million in follow-on funding.

Biomedical engineering student wins poster award

Michael Berger, a doctoral student majoring in biomedical engineering, won first place for his poster at the International Symposium on Clusters and Nanomaterials (ISCAN).

Arth Shah wins Biomedical Engineering Society student award

Arth Shah, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, received an undergraduate 2019 Student Design and Research Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Engineering researcher addresses energy issues — and possibilities — at inaugural Science-Art Exchange

It’s not every day an engineering scholar takes the stage at Gallery 5, the edgy gallery and performance space in downtown Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood. But Karla Mossi, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering, did just that Nov. 5, 2019, as part of the inaugural Science-Art Exchange.

Elliot Roth (B.S.’15) receives 10 Under 10 award

In 2016, Elliot Roth founded Spira Inc., a Los Angeles-based food technology company that creates ingredients for food companies from spirulina microalgae.

VCU researcher is developing lung-derived nanoparticles to repair lung tissue

Rebecca Heise, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is investigating how to promote healing in an injured lung by developing nanoparticles derived from lung material.

New maker courses give engineering students a fast track to skills and makerspace access

A three-session course gives College of Engineering students the opportunity to use the Maker Garage, the college’s newest makerspace.

Hu Yang, Ph.D., named associate editor of Materials Express journal

Hu Yang, Ph.D., Qimonda professor in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, has been named an associate editor of Materials Express, an international journal on multidisciplinary materials research.

Top 10? You’re in.

Students graduating in the top 10 percent of their high school classes receive guaranteed admission to VCU Engineering.

Q&A with Ruixin Niu, Ph.D.

Ruixin Niu, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He specializes in signal processing and data fusion.

VCU commits to increasing technology graduates; joins governor’s tech talent initiative

Gov. Ralph Northam announced today partnerships with 11 Virginia universities to create the commonwealth’s tech talent pipeline, producing at least 25,000 additional computer science graduates over the next 20 years.

Jordan harnesses cardiac MRI to improve long-term heart health of cancer patients

Growing bodies of research continue to suggest that chemotherapy is associated with a significantly increased risk of heart disease, particularly in patients who have been treated for breast cancer or lymphoma.

HealthHacks 2019: pharmaceutical innovations for patient care

Student teams tackled some of health care’s biggest problems at the fourth annual HealthHacks medical hackathon.

International symposium explores how nanoscience can help solve problems in energy, medicine

Physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, engineering and medicine researchers from around the world are gathering this week in Richmond for a conference hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University focused on how clusters and nanomaterials can play a role in solving outstanding problems in energy and medicine.

‘Solving the new literacy crisis’ by Dean Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch

“We can no longer leave the language of computing to specialists. Digital literacy is a new essential literacy,” said Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Dean of the VCU College of Engineering.

Finding Freddy: Assistive Agents for A Nightmare on Elm Street

Can a game whose object is to vanquish the blade-wielding Freddy Krueger be turned into a testbed to create a more benevolent form of artificial intelligence (AI)? That’s what computer science student Jorge Vargas aims to do with his project “Finding Freddy: Assistive Agents for A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2019

Emily Allen, Ph.D., and Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., both became dean in 2013 — Dr. Allen at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) and Dr. Boyan, the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Dean at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Both women took time from their busy schedules to discuss their career paths and perspectives on leadership for this year’s profile of women engineering leaders in academe.

Q&A with Ning Zhang, Ph.D.

Ning Zhang, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, whose research is at the interface of engineering and biology, is investigating how mini-organs derived from stem cells could someday be used in the treatment of disease.

VCU takes third in regional cybersecurity competition, will advance to nationals in New York

Members of the Cybersecurity Club @ VCU placed third in the North Eastern Regional Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) held at Pennsylvania State University Oct. 11-13, 2019.

Doctoral student receives grants to showcase a new approach to identity recognition cameras

Doctoral student Hannaneh Barahouei Pasandi recently received grants from VCU, the College of Engineering and the Association for Computing Machinery to present her research at the ACM Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems (SenSys 2019), held Nov. 10-13, 2019, in New York, New York.

VCU students receive AIChE awards

Three chemical and life science engineering students have won awards from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

VCU College of Engineering places final beam on new research building

Spectators cheered as a final beam — signed by students, faculty and members of the community — was hoisted into the air and placed atop the collaboration and advanced research hub set to open in late 2020.

Engineering and pharmacy join forces to make inhaled medications more effective for children and infants

Pharmaceutical aerosols are painless, fast-acting and less likely to cause side effects than medicines delivered via pills or injections. Yet inhaled therapies are often avoided because of the challenges associated with targeting how aerosol particles are deposited within the lung.

Q&A with Hong Zhao, Ph.D.

One of the research focus areas of Hong Zhao, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, is micro-nano manufacturing through inkjet and electrohydrodynamic printing.

VCU named National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

Virginia Commonwealth University has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Gupton named a Person of the Year honoree

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., the Floyd D. Gottwald Junior Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering and chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, is an honoree in the 2019 Richmond Times-Dispatch Person of the Year program.

Meet the 2019-2020 Wright Scholars

Meet the third cohort (the largest to date) of Wright Scholars, a remarkable group of VCU Engineering students dedicated to embodying the legacy of longtime benefactor C. Kenneth Wright.

Kenneth Wynne, Ph.D., named Distinguished Career Professor

Kenneth Wynne, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, has been named a Distinguished Career Professor by the Office of the Provost of Virginia Commonwealth University.

VCU will lead $50M study of traumatic brain injuries in military personnel

Virginia Commonwealth University has been awarded a $50 million federal grant to oversee a national research consortium of universities, hospitals and clinics that will study the long-term impacts of mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions on service members and veterans.

VCU Institute for Engineering and Medicine aims to accelerate Richmond’s efforts to become a premier biotech hub

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institute for Engineering and Medicine (IEM) is working to put Richmond, Virginia, on the map of cities known for biotech excellence.

VCU College of Engineering to hold topping-off ceremony for new research building

The VCU College of Engineering will hold a “topping off” ceremony to mark a milestone in the construction of its new Engineering Research Building on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 9 a.m.

RamHacks 2019

Competitors armed with laptops, virtual reality glasses and extra-strong coffee entered the ring for a 24-hour coding showdown at VCU Engineering’s sixth annual RamHacks, held Sept. 28-29, 2019, at Engineering East Hall.

Q&A with Jennifer Puetzer, Ph.D.

Jennifer Puetzer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the VCU School of Medicine, focuses on musculoskeletal tissue engineering.

Meet VCU’s newest SMART scholars

A junior who built his first radio in ninth grade and a senior with a penchant for updating old-school computer systems are VCU’s newest recipients of the Science, Math and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship, an award established by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to support the country’s top science and engineering students.

The journal bringing the work of undergraduate VCU researchers to the world

When Marisa Wood was a first-year Honors College student at Virginia Commonwealth University, she took a rhetoric class built around the task of writing a comprehensive paper of original research.

VCU Engineering unveils new Maker Garage

Faculty, students and members of the VCU Engineering Dean's Society were on hand for a first look at the college's new makerspace for students’ large-scale engineering and high-performance transportation projects.

VCU is part of a national team seeking to improve health for patients with spinal cord injury

Carrie Peterson, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in VCU’s College of Engineering, is researching how to improve health and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injury who use manual wheelchairs — from childhood through adulthood.

Cain Scholarship winner Samuel Adu-Gyamfi seeks to make an impact

Two of the first graduates of VCU Engineering’s chemical and life sciences engineering program, Julia Cain (B.S.’01) and Nicholas Cain (B.S. ’01), created the college’s first alumni-endowed scholarship in 2017 because they wanted to give back.

VCU Engineering community engagement leader honored by Cary Elementary

Michael Powell, principal of John B. Cary Elementary School in Richmond, described the scene when his students got the chance to build a catapult last fall.

‘Alexa for chemistry’: National Science Foundation puts VCU and partners on fast track to build open network

D. Tyler McQuade, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering, is principal investigator of a multi-university project seeking to use artificial intelligence to help scientists come up with the perfect molecule for everything from a better shampoo to coatings on advanced microchips.

Five Virginia Universities Receive Internship Program Grant Funds

VCU Engineering received $200K from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s Innovative Internship Fund and Program grant competition. The award will support the college's Tech Talent Internship Pipeline program, which aims to place 24 to 28 computer science and computer engineering students into new summer internship positions with employer partners.

Q&A with Nathaniel Kinsey, Ph.D.

Studying how light interacts with materials on the nanoscale is the research focus of Nathaniel Kinsey, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Computer science professor to receive 2019 service award from the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society

The IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IES) has selected Milos Manic, Ph.D., for its 2019 Anthony J. Hornfeck Service Award.

Intern’s work identifying malaria antibodies impresses researchers

Administrators at the Naval Medical Research Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, were so impressed with 2018 summer intern Tania Dobrescu that they invited her back to work in the same lab this past summer.

Medicine in motion

How a group of VCU students created the PharmaCart, an invention that could make it safer and more secure to distribute medicine in hospitals

Meet the class of 2023

Eight new Rams talk about their first weeks on campus. Main takeaway? The future is bright.

New faculty and academic promotions

Six new faculty members have joined the VCU College of Engineering faculty to date in 2019.

VCU Engineering appoints new director of makerspaces

As the college dedicates more square footage to active, collaborative design and fabrication, it has named Charles Cartin, Ph.D., as its inaugural director of makerspaces.

Hooman Tafreshi, Ph.D., joins editorial board of the journal Separation and Purification Technology

Hooman Tafreshi, Ph.D., Qimonda Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department at the VCU College of Engineering, has been named to the editorial board of the journal Separation and Purification Technology.

How a VCU grad student is getting her degree in style

Shani Levit describes herself as curious and innovative. She loves exploring and tackling new challenges — two qualities that drive her passion for engineering.

VCU Engineering appoints senior associate dean for academic affairs

Gregory Triplett, Ph.D., formerly associate dean for graduate studies and research in engineering, has been appointed senior associate dean for academic affairs in the VCU College of Engineering.

Philanthropist and businessman C. Kenneth Wright, who helped transform VCU, dies

Kenneth Wright, a longtime businessman and philanthropist whose generous giving is credited with helping to build today’s Virginia Commonwealth University, died this week. He was 94.

The gift that keeps on giving

Biomedical engineering faculty member and other scientists from the VCU’s C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research stand out among competitors for National Institutes of Health funding, thanks to significant donor support.

Engineering M.D.-Ph.D. student Jefferson Overlin receives NIH award

Jefferson Overlin (B.S.’15), the first student accepted into a new dual M.D.-Ph.D. program in biomedical engineering, has received a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund his research.

Leonard becomes College of Engineering’s Executive Dean

John D. Leonard II, Ph.D., formerly executive associate dean for finance and administration, has been promoted to executive dean of the VCU College of Engineering.

The heat is on

An urban heat island occurs when a city has significantly elevated temperatures relative to surrounding rural areas. It should come as no surprise to Richmonders that the temperature within the city is higher. But temperatures can vary even within the city itself.

Streamlining pharmaceutical processes

The journal Organic Process Research & Development features a discussion between Medicines for All Institute leaders B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., and D. Tyler McQuade, Ph.D., about their recent article, “A Holistic Approach to Streamlining Pharmaceutical Processes.”

VCU researchers gain insight into what makes a healthy cell stable

A team of researchers led by VCU College of Engineering and the University of Florida has found a possible mechanical explanation for how cell structure and tissue can be disrupted, which may provide clues into what happens in diseases such as cancer.

VCU Engineering faculty members receive Presidential Research Quest Fund grants

Three Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering faculty members have received 2019 grants through the VCU Presidential Research Quest Fund (PeRQ).

The Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC) welcomes new founding academic member Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

The Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC), an independent committee that promotes internet diversity and resilience through the formation of new global internet nexus points, today announced that Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has joined as a founding member.

State approves nation’s first Ph.D. program in pharmaceutical engineering

Virginia Commonwealth University will be home to the nation’s first Ph.D. program in pharmaceutical engineering. The doctoral program, a collaboration between VCU’s School of Pharmacy and College of Engineering, will focus on research and training students in areas of drug product development such as continuous manufacturing and drug-containing nanomaterials.

VCU Engineering’s diversity and inclusion efforts recognized by the American Society for Engineering Education

The VCU College of Engineering has been awarded a Bronze award by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Diversity Recognition Program.

Undergraduates from across the country train in mechanobiology research at VCU

Nicholas Toosi could have spent his summer working at his dad’s engineering consulting firm or at Pennsylvania State University, where he is a rising junior.

Early experiences at VCU ignited Goldwater scholar’s passion for research

What makes engineering so fascinating to Anastasios “Tassos” Karles are the myriad problems in need of solutions.

Computer science undergraduates conduct natural language processing research at Johns Hopkins University

Rachel Dorn, a post-baccalaureate certificate student in computer science, and Andriy Mulyar, a senior in the computer science department, are participating in Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Research Education for Undergraduates (REU) internships this summer.

VCU Engineering poised to lead cyber network in Central Virginia

When the Virginia Research Investment Committee voted in June to certify four regional cybersecurity nodes, Virginia Commonwealth University took the lead in creating the Central Virginia component.

Computer science researcher receives Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award

Irfan Ahmed, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, has received a 2019 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award presented by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), a consortium of 125 Ph.D.-granting institutions.

Two VCU Engineering faculty named fellows of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Henry J. Donahue, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. Professor and Distinguished Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been elected a fellow of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Start your engines!

VCU’s newest Formula-style race car is ready for action. Dubbed VCU02, it will go up against 79 other built-from-scratch racers at the 2019 Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) international collegiate competition in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Biomedical engineering undergraduate conducting cancer research at Yale

Biomedical engineering major Kristin Kim, a rising senior, is a research fellow this summer at a National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) program at Yale University.

Postdocs win Early Investigator Awards

Evan Buettmann, Ph.D., and Michael Friedman, Ph.D., both postdoctoral fellows in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, have won Early Investigator Awards from the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health.

VCU Engineering-based research to advance orthopaedic implants and clean air earn 2019 CRCF awards

Technologies for 3D-printed orthopaedic implants that promote bone formation and filters that produce their own bacteria-killing agents received 2019 Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) awards.

New NIH funding will support research into how the body responds to medical implants

A Virginia Commonwealth University engineering professor has received a $1.76 million grant to further his research on tissue healing and investigate how immune system cells control the body’s response to biomaterials such as a dental implant or hip replacement.

Assistant professor receives 2019 Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine

Laleh Golshahi, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, has received the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM) Young Investigator Award for 2019.

Michael Friedman, Ph.D., receives young investigator award

Michael Friedman, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has won an Alice L. Jee award from the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS).

VCU collaboration with industry, universities, receives Virginia Catalyst grant

BrightSpec, a life science instrumentation company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., the Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. Chair in Pharmaceutical Engineering and director of the catalysis lab at Virginia Commonwealth University, have received a grant from Virginia Catalyst for a project to use a new technology for pharmaceutical development processes.

Faculty research on vaginal microbiomes and preterm birth published in Nature Medicine

Tomasz Arodz, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, and Stephen Fong, Ph.D., associate professor of chemical and life science engineering, are part of an interdisciplinary team that produced two major studies published May 29, 2019, in Nature Medicine.

Computer science sophomore selected to present at world’s largest gathering of women in computing

Gabrielle Gurdin, a rising sophomore in the Department of Computer Science, has been selected to present at the 2019 Grace Hopper Celebration.

Computer engineering undergraduate wins Goldwater Scholarship

Anastasios Karles, a rising junior majoring in computer engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, will receive a Goldwater Scholarship for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Announcing the 2019-2020 VCU Undergraduate Research Fellows

Several undergraduate students have received fellowships to work with faculty mentors from the College of Engineering on research projects for this summer and the upcoming academic year.

Making Smart Cities Smarter

Population and urban resource records are found on clay tablets, papyrus, medieval memoranda — and file cabinets in city hall. For centuries, these data have been tallied and entered by hand. What if automation could overhaul this process?

Congratulations, DERI fellows!

See the photos from the Dean's Early Research Initiative (DERI) ceremony.

Q&A with Mo Jiang, Ph.D.

Improving the process of manufacturing pharmaceuticals and other biochemical products is a major research focus area of Mo Jiang, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering.

Pasta + red = learning: How this NSF grant recipient taught herself to succeed with dyslexia

Dyslexia is caused by a structural abnormality in the brain that causes the right hemisphere to be larger than the left. People with dyslexia learn best through hands-on techniques. With the right tools, they can overcome learning obstacles.

Thea Pepperl, Ph.D., selected as Service-Learning Faculty Fellow

Thea Pepperl, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been selected by the VCU Division of Community Engagement as a 2019-2020 Service-Learning Faculty Fellow

Biomedical engineering and cardiovascular medicine team receive major grant

Jennifer Jordan, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Biomedical Engineering, and collaborators from the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center will receive a 2019 Collaborative Sciences Award from the American Heart Association to investigate a new treatment for cardiac sarcoidosis.

From Data to Decision

Cities collecting data is nothing new. Vast records of population and resources exist on clay tablets, papyrus, medieval memoranda — and in bulging file cabinets in every city hall. For most of history, these data have been counted by people and entered painstakingly by hand.

Meet mechanical engineering student Tyriq Clay from VCU’s TRIO program

Tyriq Clay is one of 41 students graduating this month who participated in TRIO Student Support Services, a federally funded program that helps vulnerable student populations navigate college.

Class of 2019: Wendy Sun’s passion for medicine, engineering and inclusion leads to Yale

Wendy Sun’s academic career has taken her from Toronto, Canada, and New York City to Richmond and the Dominican Republic.

Doctoral alum receives best paper award from Applied Spectroscopy

Ammon Williams (Ph.D. '16) has been selected to receive the award for best paper published in Applied Spectroscopy in 2018 on the topic of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).

Post-baccalaureate student awarded for best poster at women in computing conference

Rachel Dorn received the award for best poster at the 2019 Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing (CAPWIC) Conference.

Doctoral student receives first place poster award at FiltCon 2019

Mohammad Jamali, a doctoral student in VCU’s Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, won top honors in the student poster competition at FiltCon 2019, the annual meeting of the American Filtration and Separations Society.

VCU places second in Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

A student team from VCU placed second in the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (MACCDC) held at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, on March 28-30, 2019.

Class of 2019: How Myles Boyd doubled down on his dream to earn an engineering degree

Myles Boyd came to Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012 to study engineering and ultimately go to medical school. It was a good plan, until two years later when Boyd hit an academic roadblock.

Up to Code: Music major finds skills and inspiration in new computer science course for non-majors

On Friday nights, sophomore music major Thomas Levine loves to play saxophone at Emilio’s, the Broad Street club that’s a second home to VCU jazz studies students.

VCU Engineering offers new undergraduate summer research programs

A year ago, Hayley Eicher, a biomedical engineering undergraduate student at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had never worked in a laboratory environment.

Q&A with Jessika Rojas, Ph.D.

A nuclear engineering expert specializing in nanomaterials and radiation-induced synthesis, Jessika Rojas, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

Gupta delivers keynote in Global Conference on Global Warming

Gupta spoke about past innovations in energy technologies and future clean energy.

Scoliosis, seizures, desire to help others lead 14-year-old to study engineering

What do you do if you love engineering but you’re too young for a program that lets high school students research engineering at a college level?

VCU’s Jordana Kron is searching for answers to a mystery disease

A disease that has no cause or cure, sarcoidosis affects people of all ages throughout the world.

Capstone returns to the Stu

The big day is almost here: the 2019 Capstone Design Expo is Friday, April 26, 2019. Several Capstone Design teams have joint projects with VCU School of Business students. Presentations from VCU’s Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) teams will also be on display at VCU’s Stuart C. Siegel Center.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Iron Meteorite Imaging System

A capstone design team at VCU’s Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering is supporting NASA’s efforts to better understand an asteroid that may yield new insights into Earth’s mysterious core.

Demo Day to showcase VCU students’ most promising startups and innovations

Entrepreneurial-minded Virginia Commonwealth University students participating in the Pre-Accelerator Program will present their innovations and startup ideas Friday, April 26, 2019, at a community event at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU, 601 W. Broad St.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Ambulance Drone for Overdose Response

A Capstone Design team is designing a drone that can deliver — and administer — a lifesaving injection to a person in the early stages of an opioid overdose.

VCU creates Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences

Virginia Commonwealth University has opened a Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences. The new interdisciplinary center, one of few in the country and the only one of its kind in Virginia, is a collaboration between the university’s School of Pharmacy and College of Engineering.

College students present more than 100 prototypes, designs at VCU Engineering expo

More than 100 engineering designs, prototypes, innovations and entrepreneurial business cases, created by engineering and business students, will be on display at the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering’s annual Capstone Design Expo.

MNE students receive scholarships from the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Nuclear Society

Mechanical and nuclear engineering students at VCU are receiving coveted awards from two of the country’s leading nuclear agencies.

VCU hosts solar competition for middle schoolers

Virginia Commonwealth University will host Rams Go Solar, a solar car design and construction competition for middle schoolers, on Saturday, April 13.

Senior academic advisor co-authors book on women of color in higher ed

Chavonn Reed, senior academic adviser for the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, is co-author of The Table: Stories of Black Women in Student Affairs. The book is an anthology of trials and triumphs that 11 women of color encountered while working in higher education. It aims to fill a void in literature about universities.

VCU invention improves solar cell light harvesting

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have developed a new material they believe could deliver solar energy at a lower cost. The innovation harvests sunlight using a more affordable material that could address a long-standing barrier to solar power’s viability as a cost-efficient energy source.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Waterproof Osseointegration Covers

For a U.S. Army veteran who lost both legs above the knee, a Capstone Design team is designing and creating waterproof covers to protect his body while swimming.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Box Turtle Tracker

Eastern box turtles, which regularly live to be as old as 100, have an almost unbreakable connection to their individual habitat. If their habitat is disturbed or they are removed from it, these turtles will often wander aimlessly trying to find their original home until they die.

Q&A with Brian A. Taylor, Ph.D.

A medical imaging physicist, Brian A. Taylor, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a researcher at the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: DropLock

For those sheltering in place during an active shooter event, every second counts. Why, then, do the current door barricade systems require users to slot fussy metal parts together just-so in the heat of the moment?

VCU students help Richmond high schoolers navigate the college application process

As a Virginia Commonwealth University freshman in fall 2017, Allen Shieh volunteered to give tips and advice as part of an introduction to applying to college session for Richmond students attending Open High School.

VCU researchers create new silk material for biomedical uses

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, in collaboration with the University of Trento, Italy, have created fully degradable, flexible, silk-protein films that could potentially be used for biomedical purposes including tissue regeneration, biosensors and drug delivery.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Wireless Neonatal Vital Sign Monitor

Newborn babies being cared for in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit need to have their vital signs monitored continuously. Currently, monitors with wires and cords are bulky and present an obstacle for nurses who need to move the infant and parents who wish to hold their child.

Q&A with Hong-Sheng Zhou, Ph.D.

Cryptography, with a focus on secure computing and blockchain, is a major research area for Hong-Sheng Zhou, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science.

Doctoral candidate Xiang He receives award from Chinese government

Xiang He, a doctoral candidate in VCU’s Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, has been selected to receive a prestigious Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Quick Release Rowing Assistive Grips

A Capstone Design team has created custom equipment to make rowing a safer sport for athletes with physical disabilities.

Hong-Sheng Zhou, Ph.D., receives Google Faculty Research Award

Hong-Sheng Zhou, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, has received a 2018 Google Faculty Research Award.

VCU programs rise in updated U.S. News & World Report rankings

Three Virginia Commonwealth University schools already ranked in the top 50 climbed further up the U.S. News & World Report list of the country’s best graduate programs in the magazine’s updated rankings released today. Overall, VCU has graduate programs ranked in the top 50 in 19 fields, according to the publication.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Dynamic Center-of-Gravity Display

When trains derail, specialty cranes are deployed to place them back on the tracks. These cranes carry loads as heavy as 200,000 pounds on terrain riddled with mounds and valleys. The risk of a tip-over is high.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Anthem Operation Dashboard

The electronic claims platform at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield processes tens of thousands of insurance claims per month — without the benefit of an effective monitoring system. To improve the performance of Anthem’s claims process, this Capstone Design team is building an operation dashboard that monitors run times and helps identify abnormalities.

VCU Engineering’s newest building has a past

The industrial-chic brick building at 12 W. Cary Street, known to the community for decades as Grubbs Auto Service, will soon reopen as VCU’s Maker Garage. Here, students will design and build high-performance Formula SAE cars, Hyperloop vehicles and other pieces of transportation’s future.

Q&A with Carrie Peterson, Ph.D.

Improving rehabilitation for individuals with spinal cord injury is a major research focus area of Carrie Peterson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

2019 Women in Engineering Luncheon

Pamela Faggert, former chief environmental officer and senior vice president of sustainability at Dominion Energy, addressed a gathering of more than 100 at the 2019 VCU College of Engineering’s Women in Engineering Luncheon held Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 in Engineering East Hall.

Multidisciplinary collaborations lead to advances in pharmaceutical synthesis

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University working together across several disciplines have discovered ways to speed up chemical reactions that could dramatically drive down the costs of producing pharmaceuticals.

Nuclear engineering doctoral students receive best poster awards

Hunter Andrews and Dimitris Killinger, both doctoral students in VCU’s Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, received top honors in the student poster session, at the 2018 American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo.

New chemical and life science engineering Ph.D. program approved

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia has approved a doctoral degree in chemical and life science engineering to be offered by the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University beginning in the fall of 2019.

Professional Development for Engineers

VCU’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education is partnering with the VCU College of Engineering to offer a new short course: Introduction to Little Data: Statistical Design and Analysis of Experiments.

VCU students pitch innovative ideas to improve health, education and energy

To help low-income Latinx women more easily access prenatal care, a team of Virginia Commonwealth University students is designing an app that would allow them to communicate with a medical provider. The women also could use the app to access health information via educational videos on topics such as nutrition, blood pressure and antepartum depression.

Medicines for All Institute develops new, cost-saving synthesis of anti-HIV drug

The Medicines for All Institute (M4ALL), which seeks to reduce the costs of manufacturing HIV/AIDS treatments and other lifesaving medications, has developed a new, efficient route to 5-fluorocytosine (5FC), a key starting material used in the synthesis of the anti-HIV drug emtricitabine.

VCU Engineering faculty elected senior members of the National Academy of Inventors

Two Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering professors have been named to the National Academy of Inventors’ inaugural class of NAI Senior Members.

Alumnus credits VCU as the catalyst for his success

Arzan Dotivala (B.S.’18) landed the job of wire design engineer at The Boeing Co. based in Seattle before graduating from the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering. It’s a highly technical job that involves developing the architecture for the wiring systems of aircrafts.

VCU Engineering’s billboard campaign begins

Look for familiar faces on your next drive or walk down W. Cary Street. VCU Engineering’s two-year billboard campaign is underway. The billboard is at 12 W. Cary, next to the site formerly known as Grubbs Auto Service (soon to reopen as VCU’s Maker Garage). The #EngineersMakeItReal campaign highlights the many opportunities open to Ram engineers.

VCU College of Engineering to host the American Nuclear Society National Student Conference

More than 600 students and professionals from across the U.S. are expected at the American Nuclear Society (ANS) National Student Conference to be hosted by VCU College of Engineering April 4-6, 2019. This is the first time a university in Virginia has been selected to host this event.

VCU’s DAR newsletter features Brian Campbell

VCU’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) newsletter interviewed Brian Campbell, executive director of development for the College of Engineering, as its “DAR-ling.” Campbell shares what it was like to serve in the U.S. Air Force at a pivotal moment of history in Cairo, Egypt and how he feels about returning home to Virginia.

Alumni Update: Isaac Rodriguez and SweetBio

Isaac Rodriguez (B.S. ’10; Ph.D. ’13) used his two biomedical engineering degrees to co-invent a product, a combination of Manuka honey, a collagen derivative and nanoparticles, which promotes tissue regeneration. Though his primary expertise is in the lab, since graduation Rodriguez has stepped into the world of business to bring his invention to market.

VCU College of Engineering is in the news as Virginia prepares for arrival of Amazon HQ2

See who's talking about the College of Engineering.

VCU and VUU to offer dual degrees in physics and engineering or chemistry and engineering this fall

Officials representing Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Union University have signed an agreement for the creation of three dual-degree programs. Beginning in fall 2019, eligible students at both universities can earn a dual bachelor of science in one of the following: physics and electrical engineering, physics and mechanical engineering or chemistry and chemical and life sciences engineering.

Richmond heat map project wins Smart 50 Award

Stephen Fong, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering in the VCU College of Engineering, has won a 2019 Smart 50 Award for an urban heat island community mapping project in Richmond, Virginia.

Device created by VCU students could address issues with incubator covers for premature babies

As a pediatric nurse practitioner, Debra Hearington had seen her share of infants in isolettes — a special incubator for preemies that measures and regulates certain vitals, such as oxygen, temperature and humidity. And she had seen the frustratingly anachronistic covers used on these modern incubators.

International award-winning technology protects the power grid by hacking would-be hackers

For hackers, the U.S. energy grid is a treasure trove of classified information with vast potential for profit and mayhem. To be effective, the power grid’s protection system has to be a bit like a hacker: highly intelligent, agile and able to learn rapidly.

2018 Year in Review

A look back at the top stories and social media posts from 2018.

Massey scientists develop world’s most advanced drug delivery system with the highest tumor-targeting ability

In pre-clinical studies, VCU Massey Cancer Center scientists have developed a novel drug delivery system using nanoparticles that significantly outperformed the tumor-targeting abilities of its predecessors. The researchers are hopeful their findings could lead to improved outcomes and reduced side effects for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Tang studies nanoparticles as a means to develop more effective treatments for drug-resistant solid tumors

Christina Tang, Ph.D., designs novel chemotherapeutic systems in an attempt to gain insight on new drug combinations that could enhance the treatment of drug-resistant solid tumors such as breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.