Quality Based Learning

Fun Find: Simply Spray

Luca Kibble — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:08:38 +0000

Made in the USA

For use on craft foam, posterboard, fabric, and wood

Permanent and fade resistant

Aerosol, non-toxic and non-flammable

Eight available colors: black, blue, purple, green, red, orange, yellow, and white

Safe for kids and easy to use

What did we think of Simply Spray?

Painting is a popular activity in my home. If the word is mentioned the children perk up and come running to find out what painting project I have in store. On this particular day, I had a different kind of paint then they were used to using. We were going to be painting with spray paint! How fun is that?

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VCU Student Named NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Imogen Radcliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:43:53 +0000

A Virginia Commonwealth University graduate student has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Julie Charbonnier, a native of Paris, France, who grew up in Philadelphia, Pa., was selected based on her abilities and accomplishments and her potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the United States science and engineering enterprise. Charbonnier received a master’s degree in biology from VCU this spring.

Charbonnier, who will pursue a Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences at VCU, will use the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to examine how global climate change will impact amphibian population dynamics. S

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Destination, world champs: Wylie students compete at creative thinking, problem solving contest

Lachlan Dease — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:04:06 +0000

Thomas Metthe/Reporter-News Eighth-graders Mattie Ake (left) and Jose Pacheco (center) pack up their costumes with the help of team manager Nathanael Brown (right) on Wednesday afternoon as the team gets ready to go to Knoxville, Tenn., for Destination ImagiNation.

Eighth-graders Paige Boone (left) and Maddie Lowry make last minute repairs to their props before packing them up Wednesday afternoon as the team gets ready to go to Knoxville, Tenn., for Destination ImagiNation.

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Richey, Spragg And Timbers U-23 To Host PSA Elite In U.S. Open Cup

Luca Kibble — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:20:30 +0000

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s will play host to PSA Elite of the U.S. Adult Soccer Association (USASA) in the first round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, May 15, at JELD-WEN Field at 7:30 p.m., it was announced Monday by U.S. Soccer.
After finishing their spring schedule last weekend, current Huskies Spencer Richey and Thomas Spragg will join the Timbers U-23 squad. Both signed with the PDL team for the 2012 season earlier this year.
Tickets for the Timbers U-23s’ U.S. Open Cup are $7 and go on sale to the public Tuesday at 10 a.m. through the JELD-WEN Field box office and Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.
Based in Irvine, Calif., PSA Elite won the USASA Region IV championship over the weekend, defeating Cal FC 2-0 to earn a berth into the U.S. Full Post…

State Department program sends two UF students abroad to study critical languages

Lachlan Dease — Sun, 06 May 2012 10:29:40 +0000

Two University of Florida students have been awarded U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships to study critical languages this summer.

Sarah Juliachs of Fort Lauderdale is a senior political science major and will study Arabic.

Harry Leeds of Chappaqua, N.Y., is a master’s student in creative writing and will study Russian.

The students are among about 575 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who received scholarships from the CLS Program to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish or Urdu languages.

The students will spend seven to 10 weeks in intensive language institutes this summer in 14 countries where these languages are spoken. T

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Featured faculty expert: Sood, Aradhana – VTCC Division

Imogen Radcliffe — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:19:07 +0000

Dr. Aradhana A. Bela Sood is a nationally recognized expert in children and adolescents with mental health problems, including depression, bi-polar disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. She is frequently quoted by national media for her views on the use of medication in such disorders. She is a well known teacher and lecturer and has taught a wide range of classes in pediatric psychopharmacology. She is also a reviewer for many journals including the Journal for the American Academy for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Sood served on the panel reviewing the Virginia Tech shootings as a mental health expert.

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The philosophy and principles of Naturopathy

admin — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:53:47 +0000

Naturopathy is a holistic approach uniting modern scientific knowledge with natural medicine. Naturopathic doctors suppose great importance to the relationship between mind and body, and their mutual impact, and encourage patients to be active participants in the healing process. Some of the best known naturopaths are

Robert J.

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Fun toys for outside activities attract kids easily

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:53:26 +0000

While it is important to play outdoors, young children are constantly learning, regardless of the activity they do. With all the different kinds of toys that children go through as they grow, it is also important to find activities that will also grow with the child as well and still keep them entertained as they age.

One of the equipment to consider for your kid is a tp trampoline offering a number of outdoor activities. This equipment has come in many styles and variations. Many suppliers sell them and they are even available in soft foam, ideal for small children so they will not get hurt. This activity offers not only great fun, but it’s a learning experience as well. Full Post…

“Carmen” goes groovy with ACU production

Lachlan Dease — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:52:38 +0000

What: “Carmen,” a production by Abilene Christian University Opera

When: 3 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Cullen Auditorium, ACU campus

Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for students

Information: 325-674-2199

Before we explain the somewhat dramatic reinterpretation that Abilene Christian University will take with its upcoming production of “Carmen,” let’s throw a bone to the opera purists out there.

When the lights go down on the matinee premiere Sunday afternoon, the audience will hear the iconic “Carmen” overture played with note-for-note deference by a full orchestra.

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Peninsula High student speaks at state conference about community service

Luca Kibble — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:38:45 +0000

Peninsula High student Lauren Wedekind was selected as one of five nonprofit leaders in the state to speak at a California Association of Student Councils conference on community service and innovation earlier this month. Lauren, a senior, founded the nonprofit organization One More Reader, which has been working in our community to combat illiteracy. One More Reader has donated thousands of books to the Compton School District and has partnered with other nonprofits around the country to affect even more people.

Lauren is working with other young Southern California CEOs to host a regional TEDxYouth Talk in May 2012.

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And They’re Off!

Imogen Radcliffe — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:26:31 +0000

Participants in the 8th annual “Virginia’s Caring University Scholarship Campaign” Walk-A-Thon warm up at the University Student Commons Plaza before walking around Monroe Park. Final figures are unavailable for this year’s effort. However, to date, the Walk-A-Thon has raised more than $65,000 for more than 70 juniors and seniors. The scholarship campaign is sponsored by the VCU Staff Senate.

New chief of transplantation surgery joins UF

Lachlan Dease — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:45:34 +0000

Dr. Jeffrey Fair has joined the University of Florida College of Medicine’s department of surgery as chief of the division of transplantation surgery.

Fair, an accomplished transplant surgeon and an innovator in liver stem cell therapies, comes to UF from the University of California at Los Angeles’ David Geffen School of Medicine where he was a professor of surgery and served as director of translational research in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s department of surgery.

UF Department of Surgery Chairman Dr. Kevin Behrns said Fair brings vast experience in transplantation of the liver, kidney and pancreas to the division, which focuses on abdominal organ transplantation.

“He previously built successful programs that delivered exceptional clinical care and made novel discoveries in liver research,” Behrns said. “His lead

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Featured faculty expert: Diane Wilson – VCU Massey Cancer Center

Imogen Radcliffe — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:15:07 +0000

Diane Baer Wilson, Ed.D., M.S., R.D., is a cancer prevention and control researcher at VCU Massey Cancer Center. Her research emphasis relates to cancer risk reduction with a focus on diet and exercise in cancer survivors, and her most recent research focuses on health behavior change, obesity and physical activity in breast cancer survivors and daughters of mothers with breast cancer. She can discuss how nutrition and exercise can play a role in reducing cancer incidence and recurrence.

Diet, Overweight, and Exercise in Relation to Cancer Risk

Diane Baer Wilson, Ed.D., M.S., R.D., is a cancer prevention and control researcher at VCU Massey Cancer Center.

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A Bright Future for Family and Community Engagement?

Luca Kibble — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:51:32 +0000

On a webinar yesterday hosted by the National Education Association’s (NEA) Priority Schools Campaign, Anne Henderson* offered a hopeful vision for the future of family and community engagement in public education. She predicted that the time is coming where schools really understand that engaging families and communities is a core strategy for school improvement. It will no longer be considered an extra, something to address after we’ve taken care of academic issues. In other words, it will be an integral piece of the puzzle.

Research from the past thirty years certainly supports this vision. And so do countless individual stories. On

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Featured faculty expert: Danish, Steven J. – Psychology

Imogen Radcliffe — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:13 +0000

Managing Lottery Winnings

Steven Danish, Ph.D., is director of the Life Skills Center in VCU’s Department of Psychology. His areas of specialty include the teaching of life skills, sports psychology, counseling skills to health professionals, community psychology, health and nutrition, and how to apply what is learned in sport to other facets of life. He is often interviewed about fights at sporting events, how to manage lottery winnings, and helping children avoid smoking and live healthy lifestyles.

Porter, Mike
VCU Communications and Public Relations
(804) 828-7037

Will Your Homeschooled Kids Fail to Have a Great Career?

Luca Kibble — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:19:35 +0000

As someone who has a somewhat unorthodox career, I’ve thought a fair bit about pursuing your passions. I am someone who has no shortage of passions. I love writing. I love the outdoors. I love working for social change. I love music.

Unfortunately, these passions generally fall on the list of undesirable careers, those careers with low prestige, low earning capacity, and challenging prospects.

During my time in school, these passions were part of me, but they weren’t necessarily supported as career options. In school I found it easy to become one of the crowd, to try to rework my passions because they didn’t fit into the ideals of what I “should” be doing.

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