The Built Environment and the Systemic Agenda

The built environment in the United States, characterized in large part by suburban sprawl and car-dependent infrastructure, has significant negative impacts on public health, economic mobility, and environmental sustainability. This paper examines the consequences of car-centric development, highlighting its role in exacerbating social and economic inequalities, increasing traffic-related fatalities, and contributing to climate change through excessive carbon emissions. The analysis reveals that a majority of Americans feel forced into car ownership due to inadequate alternative transportation options, leading to financial strain and adverse health outcomes, including obesity and air pollution-related diseases. The historical roots of these development patterns are traced to mid-20th-century policies that prioritized suburban expansion and highway construction, often reinforcing racial and economic segregation. The study underscores the urgency of introducing a restructuring of the North American built environment into the systemic political agenda and advocating for focus on all levels of government on policies to improve the economic, environmental, and medical sustainability of our urban areas.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1481/thumbnail.jp

Affordable and Sustainable: Innovating Filament Extrusion for Recycled Materials

The chemical stability, toxicity and non-biodegradability of the polymers pose a significant environmental threat. Addressing end-of-life treatment sustainability is crucial for mitigating these issues. The customized Lyman filament extruder in the Advanced Magnetic Materials Processing Laboratory represents an innovative approach to advancing sustainability in renewable energy production and CO₂ mitigation. Redesigning the thermal system and screw operation will tackle key challenges, including precise temperature control, consistent material flow to handle diverse recycled materials. Integrating an advanced thermal regulation system will reduce the energy consumption by maintaining optimal thermal conditions, thereby lowering the CO₂ footprint of the recycling process. The optimized screw design will ensure uniform material flow, minimizing waste and reducing landfill volume. In future, producing high quality filaments under optimal conditions will enhance development of new additively manufactured electromagnetic filaments such as optimized electromagnetic absorbers and conformal antennas with extended life cycle.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1473/thumbnail.jp

Crafting Success: Learning to Promote My Jewelry Brand While Marketing Malian Textiles

This project investigates effective marketing strategies for a self-owned jewelry brand while also gaining insights into marketing a small Malian clothing and textile business. The research focuses on understanding market trends, brand positioning, and differentiating the brand in a competitive market. This project leverages skills and knowledge acquired through academic courses to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, business plan, and budget. Additionally, the project incorporates multicultural and multilingual experiences, reflecting on work with the Dogon Indigo Center and how working in French has enhanced business skills and cultural understanding.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1483/thumbnail.jp

False Face: The Musical! and Contact

Two gay teen boys grapple with the pain of homophobia in their own ways, Russell by trying to pray away his inner Music Man and Burt by performing extreme masculinity as the youngest action hero of a secret agency whose mission is to save queer youth in danger. When Russell chooses to undergo conversion therapy and Burt fumbles his rescue attempt, the boys will have to interrogate their beliefs and values if they hope to save each other, ultimately learning that being who you are, not changing who you are, can make any heart sing and any hero soar

Development, Synthesis and Characterization of Advanced Low- Cobalt and High-Nickel Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

This dissertation focuses on the improvement of structural and electrochemical stability of active materials for lithium-ion batteries. It explores the modification strategies to mitigate the issues related to Ni-rich cathode materials, along with the continuous production of cathode precursors using a slug flow reactor to improve the quality of the product. The First part of the dissertation examines the effect of substitution of cobalt with aluminum and iron on the electrochemical stability of Ni-rich lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) materials. This study investigates how Al and Fe doping work and how they impact the performance and stability of these materials. Both of these studies use three different amounts of Al and Fe to find the optimum amount of dopant for a better electrochemical performance. The results of this study are further used to suppress the formation of nickel oxide impurity phase during the high-temperature calcination. The second part explores methods to improve the structural stability of Ni-rich NCM cathode materials. A modified three-phase slug flow reactor is used to synthesize core-shell material by sequential addition of metal salts, where the core is high nickel and the shell has high manganese. The work studies the viability of a slug flow reactor to produce battery precursor materials with the modified design. The third part of the dissertation utilizes a single-crystal synthesis method to improve the cycling stability of Ni-rich cathodes. The study uses a simple high-temperature calcination process to synthesize a single-crystal structure. The reasons for improved stability of single-crystal materials are investigated along with the effect of the formation of impurities. A dual modification strategy is applied to further improve the coulombic efficiency of active material, where the material is doped with aluminum and synthesized as a single-crystal material. Finally, calculations and suggested reactor arrangements are provided for scale-up to produce kg-scale material using a slug flow reactor, along with the economic benefits of doping. The advancements presented in this work contribute to the ongoing development of durable and high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Using Fungal DNA Barcoding to Identify Fungal Species in a James River Park System Soil Microbiome

Fungi in the soil have the ability to form mutualistic relationships with plant roots and improve the way they resist a variety of plant diseases and abiotic stressors, influencing the survivability of the plants. The James River Park System (JRPS) is home to a variety of ecosystems that support diverse plant and fungal populations, including native plants and invasive plants. Therefore, it is important to identify what is present in the soil microbiome. The purpose of this project is to isolate fungal sequences from soil samples collected in the JRPS to identify what fungal species are present in the JRPS soil microbiome, aiding a larger, ongoing study exploring the relationships between soil microbial communities in areas where the invasive ivy is and is not present. Using DNA barcoding, several species of Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and Zygomycetes were identified from soils in two areas of the JRPS, one where invasive ivy was removed and another where ivy was present. Ascomycete and Zygomycete fungi were identified in both soils, while Basidiomycete fungi were primarily identified from the soils in the English ivy-free area.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/1487/thumbnail.jp

Untreated Hyperthyroidism and a Mediastinal Mass: To Remove or Not To Remove?

CASE PRESENTATION: J.W. was seen by the PACE (Preoperative Assessment, Communication and Education) Center prior to a mediastinal mass resection. Medical history includes well-controlled rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety and a recent diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. Labs were significant for TSH DISCUSSION: Untreated GD is rarely correlated with thymic hyperplasia; however the pathogenesis is not well understood. Regardless of the association, contextualization of this patient\u27s history and lab values prompted the provider to seek specialized management. This finding was then communicated with the surgical team, who often rely on PACE providers to screen patients with the ultimate goal of risk reduction and optimization of clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, there is minimal literature documenting evidence of patients who are poorly optimized prior to surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative screening from a provider with high clinical acumen and a high index of suspicion resulted in appropriate referral and timely intervention for this patient with an unoptimized comorbidity. An appointment with PACE prevented this patient from undergoing surgery and developing a life threatening complication (Thyroid Storm) from an elective procedure. Despite a recent shift against preoperative screening, this case report highlights the importance of a comprehensive evaluation and multidisciplinary approach ensuring appropriate standard of care and patient safety

Junior Recital, Arowyn Almeida, cello, video

Junior recital, videoArowyn Almeida, celloDaniel Stipe, pianoMagdalena Adamek, pianoFriday, March 21, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.Recital hallJames W. Black Music Center1015 Grove Avenue | Richmond, Virgini

Junior Recital, Arowyn Almeida, cello

Junior recitalArowyn Almeida, celloDaniel Stipe, pianoMagdalena Adamek, pianoFriday, March 21, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.Recital hallJames W. Black Music Center1015 Grove Avenue | Richmond, Virgini

Qualitative Analysis of Commercial Nitrous Oxide Canisters for Residual Solvent and Petroleum Contaminants

Nitrous oxide, N2O, is a colorless gas, synthesized by Joseph Priestly in 1772. The first reported use of N2O was as a surgical anesthetic in the 1800s and recreational use was documented as early as 1844. Shortly after the discovery of N2O, laughing gas parties slowly became the foundation for the use of N2O in medical applications. These gatherings were mainly popular in England and the United States, starting in the late 1700s. It has fast onset of action, low lipid solubility, and the ability to be used for conditions such as depression and narcotic withdrawal. An increase in the recreational use of N2O has occurred worldwide, attributed to its euphoric effects and easy accessibility. N2O does not have immediate and obvious adverse effects, leading to general belief that it is harmless. For recreational use, N2O is typically inhaled directly from steel bulbs or “whippets” that contain around 10 mL of liquid N2O or from balloons filled from the bulbs. These products are commercialized to be used in whipped cream charging bottles and are readily available in stores and online. Unsanitary manufacturing conditions for the N2O bulbs have been reported, precipitating questions about heavy metal, residual solvent, and petroleum product exposure. Six commercially manufactured N2O products, purchased from either Amazon Marketplace or a brick-and-mortar smoke shop, were analyzed for N2O and petroleum contaminants using a Shimadzu GCMS-QP2020 Gas Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometer and a Millipore Sigma polydimethylsiloxane divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) (24 ga, 65 μm) solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber assembly. HS-GC-FID analysis was conducted on the Shimadzu HS-20 paired with a Nexis 2030 GC-FID using a dual column system. This analysis will test for five common solvents: ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, methanol (MeOH), and ethanol (EtOH). Results from both HS-GC-FID and SPME GC-MS analyses shows evidence of the presence of petroleum product contaminants in at least one brand included in this study. These results prove the need for stronger regulations to be effectively implemented in this industry