VCU Rice Rivers Center

VCU Life Sciences

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Sarah Golding, Ph.D., (left) and Allison Johnson, Ph.D., talk with faculty during a Leaders for Inclusive Learning faculty development workshop

Allison Johnson, Ph.D., facilitates Leaders for Inclusive Learning program

July 13, 2022

The goal? Success for every student.

Person on dock speaking to people in kayaks on the water

Footprints on the James focus of VCU News Exposure article

July 5, 2022

Kayaks. Campfires. Microscopes. Students soaked up knowledge of the James River’s natural history and biodiversity over five adventure-filled weeks.

v.c.u. graduates dressed in regalia attending their fall commencement

Celebrating our 2022 Life Sciences graduates

May 23, 2022

Congratulations to all of our new spring 2022 Life Sciences alumni!

A man checking out some local mussels in the Flint River, GA.

The Emerge program focus of VPM's Science Matters

May 11, 2022

Daniel McGarvey, Ph.D., is co-lead of 2022 STEM for All Video Showcase

Elena Meyer

Ph.D. candidate Elena Meyer selected as 2022 COVES Policy Fellow

May 9, 2022

Meyer's fellowship will begin on May 25, 2022.

Four people siting a table with VCU logo in gold on a black tablecloth

Representing Problem-Based Learning

Sept. 19, 2022

This past week, ENVS student Dylan Stephens participated in a student panel discussion on Problem-Based Learning for the September VCU Board of Visitors meeting.

Allyson Kennedy

Allyson Kennedy, Ph.D. named one of VCU Alumni's 10 Under 10

Oct. 25, 2022

Kennedy will be one of 10 individuals honored by VCU Alumni at its 10 Under 10 awards event

Woman on the banks of the water with blue gloves on performing an experiment with the water

Mary Coughter, Ph.D. candidate, subject of VPM film

Oct. 26, 2022

The film focuses on her research on microorganisms in the James River.

Lian Currie

CBDS undergraduate academic advisor Lian Currie awarded 2022 Excellence in Advising

Nov. 10, 2022

VCU submits Currie's name for the National Academic Advising Association Region 2 award in the same category. 

Daniel Bustamante

CILSE doctoral candidate awarded NIH/NIDA grant

April 20, 2022

The grant will allow Bustamante to continue to fully dedicate his time in a training fellowship.

Stephen S. Fong Ph.D. affixes a monitor on his car to measure local ozone pollution.

Stephen Fong, Ph.D., measures air quality in Richmond

Oct. 6, 2021

Fong's work part of VCU News article

Adele Balmer

Center for Integrative Life Sciences Education Ph.D. candidate named COVES Policy Fellow

Nov. 10, 2021

Adele Balmer recently completed a 12-week program with the goal to strengthen the relationship between sciences and the state lawmakers in Virginia.

9 people in masks in from of screen saying MTS FINALS

Center for Integrative Life Sciences Education candidates place in competition finals

Oct. 18, 2021

Students presented their research in three minutes or less.

Carolyn Lewis

CILSE doctoral candidate Carolyn Lewis awarded Graduate Research Fellowship Grant

Dec. 16, 2020

Lewis has been awarded a $49,994 Graduate Research Fellowship Grant (GRF) towards her research.

Paige Punzalan

Environmental Studies alumna shares her law school journey

Dec. 6, 2022

Paige Punzalan remarks on her first semester at Lewis & Clark Law School

students and faculty looking at instrument panel on grass outside

Application window open for summer undergraduate internship with NASA

Dec. 14, 2022

Deadline for submission is January 30, 2023

v.c.u. graduates dressed in regalia attending their fall commencement

Congratulations to our newest alumni!

Dec. 16, 2022

Congratulations to all of our new summer and fall 2022 Life Sciences graduates.

In this photo courtesy of evolutionary biologist Kristin Winchell, an Anolis cristatellus lizard stands on a gate in Rincon, Puerto Rico, Jan. 6, 2018. (Kristin Winchell/New York University via AP)

Brian Verrelli, Ph.D., co-authors article on urbanization and genetic adaptation

Jan. 13, 2023

Study shows how forest lizards have genetically morphed to survive life in the city.

Kevin Leslie

Integrative Life Sciences alumnus to help lead new program at Old Dominion University

Jan. 19, 2023

Kevin Leslie, Ph.D., will serve as associate vice president for innovation and commercialization.

Paul Zimba, Ph.D.

Paul Zimba, Ph.D., joins Rice Rivers Center as research faculty

Feb. 1, 2023

Zimba brings long history of biological science research

Text: Beyond Sustainability, climate justice charrette. Our world is descending into climate crisis. We need to consider ambitious and innovative solutions - and all of us need to be part of this creative process.

Beyond Sustainability: Climate Justice Charrette begins February 15

Feb. 2, 2023

This unique opportunity is open to all VCU students to propose and develop climate justice/sustainability action plans

Donté Jackson standing on a hill overlooking a city

Widen your lens and capture the moment

May 8, 2023

Donté Jackson tells his personal experience on why studying abroad matters.

6 students standing outside

ENVS outdoor programming and event management students spent the semester planning Earth Day Events

May 3, 2023

Center for Environmental Studies students part of Earth day events.

Environmental Studies graduate students win awards at VAMLIS GeoCon 2023 Conference

April 20, 2023

Nina Brundle and Andrew Cameron win for their Map Galleries.

Naci Oz in a lab

Naci Oz, CILSE Ph.D. candidate, recipient of the Smriti Bardhan Award of Excellence in Genetics Research

July 14, 2023

His research focuses on cellular aging and age-related disease.

Dr. Greg Garman stands next to Amelia V. Johnson, who researched the history of the Rice River Center's land and designed the educational sign pictured.

Amelia Johnson’s Gold Award project uncovers the history of the Rice Rivers Center property

Oct. 2, 2023

An interpretive sign is dedicated on the river’s bluff at the center.

A man is sitting at a table under a tent in the forest, holding a bird. He is trying to get a DNA sample. On the table are laboratory supplies.

CILSE Ph.D. student Jorge Garzon travels deep into the rainforest for his research

Nov. 30, 2023

The difficult journey yields access to endemic birds not well studied.

Nina Brundle in waders, standing with a net over her left shoulder

Meet Nina Brundle, Rice Rivers Center’s Geospatial Data Scientist

Dec. 5, 2023

GIS appealed to Brundle’s analytical and statistical interests, and complements her graphic design and environmental backgrounds.

A bunch of people are in three rafts on the river rapids.

Beyond Boundaries spends Veterans Day weekend at Rice Rivers Center

Dec. 12, 2023

This is the second year the center has hosted the veterans group.

Sage Lockett standing in front of his poster presentation

Environmental Studies major presents at Association of Southeastern Biologists conference

April 3, 2024

Sage Lockett’s research was conducted at Rice Rivers Center

Casey Johnson (left), a Graduate Student in VCU Life Sciences, assists participating district teachers in stream measurements at the VCU Rice Rivers Center.

Rice River Center, Center for Environmental Studies, and School of Education contribute two articles in The Earth Scientist

April 4, 2024

NOAA B-WET grant partnered VCU with local primary educators for experiential and virtual learning.

Mallory Stephenson

Mallory Stephenson recipient of Smriti Bardhan Award of Excellence in Genetics Research

April 8, 2024

Her research focuses on genetic and environmental influences on alcohol use and suicidal behavior.

Emily Riffe

Emily Riffe's article published on award-winning science website for young adults

May 30, 2024

Writing for a different audience was equally challenging and rewarding for this CILSE Ph.D. candidate.

Students and faculty gather in front of the Rice Rivers Center Education Building

Summer@Rice Scholars Program underway

June 25, 2024

The scholarship program allows students to continue their research in-between traditional semesters.

Photo of Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program staff

The Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program completes their 2023/2024 season

Aug. 5, 2024

Thousands of shell with spat "planted" in the Piankatank River.

todd janeski dumping oysters in the river

VOSRP's Janeski selected to MAFMC advisory board

Aug. 9, 2024

His three-year term began July 1, 2024.

Illustration of two prothonotary warblers in a tree, with two people in a canoe in the foreground.

A bird call for wetland health

Aug. 21, 2024

Humans need marshes. The prothonotary warbler can help us save them.

A group of faculty and students from the Center on Health Disparities come together at Rice Rivers Center

Rice Rivers Center hosts VCU Center on Health Disparities retreat

Aug. 23, 2024

Faculty and students from Monroe Park and Health Campuses discuss intersection between human and environmental health.

Sara Bouchard

Sara Bouchard named FLUXNET artist-in-residence

Aug. 23, 2024

The one-year residency is at the carbon flux tower at VCU Rice Rivers Center.

Dr. Matthew Balazik pulls in a gill net on the James River near Osbourne Landing. All photos by Scott Elmquist

Matt Balazik, Ph.D., the focus of Style Weekly's Sunday with Style

Sept. 23, 2024

Even with decades of research, Atlantic sturgeon remain a puzzle despite having roamed local waters for thousands of years.

Dr. Matt Balazik on stage accepting a T-Mobile Unconventional Award, holding the award

Matt Balazik, Ph.D., receives national T-Mobile Unconventional Award

Oct. 14, 2024

Financial award goes toward further sturgeon research.

Hickory shad travel together as a school. (Ryan Hagerty/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Conservationists ask Virginia to protect a ‘fish with a lot of fight’

Aug. 28, 2024

Rice Rivers Center Director Greg Garman is interviewed.

Two men on a boat from VCU on the James River, with a sturgeon in a net

Dr. Matt Balazik the subject of a Richmond Magazine story

Jan. 8, 2025

The article focuses on VCU's ongoing effort to protect spawning sturgeon

Two women stand on a pier with binoculars, looking to the sky trying to find birds

Rice Rivers Center part of annual Christmas Bird Count

Jan. 23, 2025

VCU alumna Alyssa Spasic leads the volunteer group

Amelia Johnson and Rice Rivers Center director Greg Garman stand next to an educational sign

Amelia Johnson shares her work on Rice Rivers Center’s educational sign as part of VCU Library Community Zoom

Feb. 28, 2025

Johnson’s Girl Scout Gold Award project captures attention outside of center visitors

Conservation biologists capture the massive fish for monitoring purposes, which includes clipping a tiny part of its fin for DNA analysis. (Matt Balazik)

Dr. Matt Balazik is featured in The Washington Post

March 18, 2025

The guest column explains the use archaeology, history and ecology to describe the decline of Atlantic sturgeon.

Three people sit on a canoe in the water, one holding a bird

Applications are open for 2025 summer internships at VCU Rice Rivers Center

March 24, 2025

The annual Summer@Rice program provides ecological field experiences for students.

Three people standing for a photo

BNFOthon immerses students into the world of bioinformatics for an up-close look into the future of science and technology

April 15, 2025

Student hackers completed 13 team projects within 24 hours for the VCU annual event.

Frogs and six chickadee eggs share a birdbox

The cost of housing goes interspecies: Skyrocketing rents bring biodiverse tenants

April 17, 2025

One nesting spot is the home to more than just feathered residents.

Uncommon Hero - Dr. Matt Balazik

VCU's "UNCOMMON Heroes" series features Matt Balazik, Ph.D.

April 17, 2025

Balazik helps restore the Atlantic sturgeon population in the James River, but also influences international conservation strategies.

Group of Ph.D. students standing on a stairs for a group photo

Integrative Life Sciences Research Showcase features doctoral student research

May 5, 2025

The annual presentation and poster session is part of VCU Research Weeks

A group of students in chairs are watching presenters at a podium in front of a big screen on a wall

Research Symposium returns to Rice Rivers Center

May 19, 2025

The event was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A frog and six newly-hatched chickadees share a bird box

Interspecies roommates gain seven more

May 7, 2025

Newly-hatched Chickadees make the nesting box a full house.

American kestrels ready to fledge

Notes from the Field: A look at Summer@Rice research projects

June 24, 2025

Interns highlight their research in their own words.