VCU College of Engineering News

Competition was fierce for VCU Engineering’s Outstanding Graduate Research award this year, with 16 nominees from all five of the college’s departments. Two winners were selected.

Christina Gordon, a Virginia Commonwealth University dental student who dislikes flossing, invented a cleaning device for orthodontic patients who wear braces. Now her invention is one of five projects awarded funding to help it reach the commercial market.

A coalition of regional economic development, private business and higher education leaders is mobilizing to build a global cluster of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and development in Richmond and Petersburg.

Before classes begin this fall, the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University will offer its incoming first-year students the opportunity to earn an “Introduction to Design Thinking” credential from the VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation.

I write this on behalf of the deans of the following engineering schools in Virginia: Christopher Newport University, George Mason University, Hampton University, James Madison University, Liberty University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Sweet Briar College, the University of Virginia, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.

Carlos Castano, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, and Jennifer Puetzer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, have received Faculty Early Development (CAREER) awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for 2021.

Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Dean of the college, and Henry J. Donahue, Ph.D., the Alice T. and William H. Goodwin, Jr. Distinguished Chair and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, were recognized for this honor on Feb. 15 at the ORS virtual annual meeting.

VCU Engineering will offer a new doctoral program in computer science. This program reflects the Department of Computer Science’s robust growth in research funding and scholarship. It follows new doctoral programs in pharmaceutical engineering (a joint program with the School of Pharmacy) and chemical and life science engineering.

The College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University officially opened its Engineering Research Building (ERB) today, marking a major milestone in the college’s growth in research and workforce development programs. The four-story, 133,000-square-foot facility significantly expands the college’s laboratory capacity for advanced research. It also supports economic development initiatives and hands-on engineering education.

For more than two years, Richmond has been watching VCU College of Engineering’s newest building take shape. Now it’s time to take a peek inside.