News

Nelson Gustin of Winchester, Va. (left) and Randy Parker of Louisa, Va. ride the Virginia Capital Trail just east of downtown Richmond. Photo by Kevin Morley, University Marketing.

Can you go the distance like a James River sturgeon?

May 2, 2022

The stories of 2021

Dec. 17, 2021

Jill Biden’s visit. The 10th anniversary of VCU’s historic Final Four run. Rabia Kamara takes the ice cream world by storm. Here are the VCU News stories of the year.

The 14,000-square-foot VCU Rice Rivers Center Research Facility includes offices, collaborative/teaching spaces and state-of-the-art research laboratories for VCU students, faculty, staff and research partners. (Allen Jones, University Marketing)

A research gem for the river

Oct. 18, 2021

New VCU Rice Rivers Center Research Facility brings game-changing capabilities for researchers exploring the ecosystem of the James River.

Co-hosted by VCU, the River Management Society’s 2021 River Management Symposium, to be held April 12-15, will help shine a national spotlight on Richmond and Virginia’s diverse waterways.

Virtual symposium co-hosted by VCU to shine national spotlight on Virginia’s waterways

April 7, 2021

Rescheduled from 2020, the River Management Society’s biennial event will celebrate the recovery and adaptive use of local and statewide rivers, streams and creeks.

Over the years, the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program has planted 30 million oysters, helping to filter billions of gallons of water. (File photo)

With new federal grant, VCU’s Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program expands its reach

July 22, 2020

The grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration will increase the impact of the oyster restoration program.

Alumni Stars honorees are selected through faculty recommendations and alumni committees from across the university. Recipients will be honored Nov. 7 at the Dewey Gottwald Center at the Science Museum of Virginia. (Courtesy image)

VCU to celebrate 17 notable alumni at biennial Alumni Stars event

Oct. 29, 2019

National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson among recipients who will be honored Nov. 7 at the Science Museum of Virginia.

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.

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.

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.

The 14,000-square-foot research laboratory complex at the Rice Rivers Center will bolster river-related research and provide needed laboratory and office space.

VCU Rice Rivers Center completes fundraising campaign for new research laboratory complex

July 26, 2018

The VCU Rice Rivers Center has completed a fundraising campaign that will finance nearly all construction of a $7 million research facility meant to bolster river-related research and the training of environmental scientists.