5 Projects iCubed core members are working on in 2021
Since its establishment in 2015, the VCU Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation (iCubed) mission focuses on community-engaged research impacting urban environments. Currently consisting of eight cores, iCubed faculty are conducting a multitude of community-engaged research projects to benefit the Richmond area and beyond. Here are five projects our cores and faculty are working on in 2021.
Shared Housing Model
Alex Wagaman, Ph.D. and Maurice Gattis, Ph.D., members of the Intersections in the Lives of LGBTQIA+ Communities core, were awarded a $70,000 Virginia Housing Trust Fund Homelessness Reduction Grant to develop a shared housing model for LGBTQ+ youth and pregnant and parenting youth for the city of Richmond. They will be working with community partners to create sustainable and affordable housing for youths experiencing homelessness.
In an article published by VCU News, Gattis shares details about the first year of the project which will primarily consist of designing and getting feedback from focus groups. After, the core plans to apply for additional funding to implement the program.
Disrupting the Trauma-to-Prison Pipeline for Girls in Virginia: A Multilevel Intervention
The Disrupting Criminalization in Education core was awarded a $425,000 Department of Justice “Reducing Risk for Girls in the Juvenile Justice” award for their proposal, “Disrupting the Trauma-to-Prison Pipeline for Girls in Virginia: A Multilevel Intervention.” Sarah Jane Brubaker, Ph.D. and Kellie Carlyle, Ph.D., M.P.H., are co-principal investigators; Danielle Apugo, Ph.D., is a co-investigator; and completing the research team are Nicole Corley, Ph.D. and Jamie Cage, Ph.D.,. The core will partner with the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance and Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to provide prevention programs for girls involved in various stages of the juvenile justice system. The programs will provide training on trauma-informed responses for DJJ staff who work with girls and provide opportunities for girls to develop leadership skills by engaging in efforts to build community capacity in high poverty areas to change the social contexts influencing public safety and the criminalization of trauma. The three-year grant began Oct. 1, 2020.
“We are excited to launch this comprehensive program and collaborate with our community partners to support and enhance the experiences and opportunities for some of Virginia’s most marginalized girls,” Brubaker said.
More information about this project can be found on the VCU School of Education’s website.
Vegetable Production in Life Sciences Greenhouse to Support Ram Pantry
John C. Jones, Ph.D., member of the Sustainable Food Access core, received a 2020 Service Learning Small Project Grant from VCU’s Center for Community Engagement and Impact to grow vegetables in support of Ram Pantry. The project is ongoing and in collaboration with Sara Barton from the VCU Office of Sustainability. Jones and Barton collaborate to grow microgreens in the Life Sciences greenhouse. Everything that is harvested is donated directly to Ram Pantry.
Additionally, Jones teaches “ENVS 291 Topic: Hydroponics Lab” for this project. It is a one credit hour class that teaches microgreen and hydroponic growing techniques. Hydroponics is a method of farming or gardening with nutrient-rich water instead of soil. This project is one aspect of a larger mission to help address student food insecurity at VCU.
The Richmond Brain Health Initiative
Faika Zanjana, Ph.D. and Lana Sargent, Ph.D., RN, FNP-C, GNP-BC, members of the Health and Wellness in Aging Populations core, received the VCU 2021 Community-Engaged Research Health Equity Grant of $25,000 for the Richmond Brain Health Initiative. The initiative funds community-engaged research to address Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) health disparities highlighted by the National Institutes of Aging and Center of Disease Control. The Richmond Brain Health Initiative seeks to improve ADRD education and resources available to low-income, older Black Americans in the city of Richmond. As part of the development process, the initiative aims to create brain health partnerships with local ADRD organizations.
HPV Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Virginia
Tegwyn Brickhouse, D.D.S., Ph.D, member of the Oral Health in Childhood and Adolescence core, is a co-principal investigator for the research project, “Investigate Vaccine Hesitancy Related to Uptake of the HPV Vaccine in Regions with Low Adolescent HPV Vaccination Rates.” The project is led by the VCU Massey Cancer Center, which was awarded $200,000 by the National Cancer Institute to conduct this research.
The research will explore vaccine hesitancy in the Brunswick, Dinwiddie and Greensville counties in Virginia. Results from this project will be used to identify reasons for vaccine hesitancy and inform targeted interventions to improve HPV vaccination rates.
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