STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Graduating Spiders share their special memories and future plans
Six members of the Class of 2025 reflect on their UR experiences.
School of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Annual Report
2023-24 Now Available!
Meet the 2025-26 Beckman Scholars
A&S students Brice Di Carlo, ’27, and Eric Zhou, ’27, have each been awarded a prestigious Beckman Foundation Scholarship to support faculty-mentored student research in the sciences.
Beckman Scholars are selected among undergraduate biology and chemistry students based on commitment to research, strong academics, and potential to become scientific leaders. UR has had 28 Beckman Scholars since 2006.
Chemistry major Brice Di Carlo is studying chemical bonding using various computational methods. This work of studying chemical structures and reactions has implications in developing new medicines and improving existing ones. His faculty mentor is chemistry professor Kelling Donald. Di Carlo plans to pursue a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry and aspires to research drug development, including treatments for cardiovascular disease.
Eric Zhou is majoring in chemistry and minoring in physics. Under the mentorship of chemistry professor Wade Downey, he is studying organic chemistry — specifically indole synthesis, which has implications in the pharmaceutical industry. Zhou aspires to become a physician-scientist at an academic institution and hopes to open a lab researching targeted drug treatments for cancer.
A&S Award Winners
Each April, the School of Arts & Sciences awards the David C. Evans Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship and Artistic & Creative Works at the A&S Honors Convocation. During the A&S Honors Convocation, department honor societies, winners of the A&S Student Symposium paper and art competitions, John R. Rilling Award for First-Year Seminar Writing, and the outstanding faculty mentor are also recognized.
2025 Recipients
DAVID C. EVANS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SCHOLARSHIP
Holly Wemple and Maya Casillas
DAVID C. EVANS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC & CREATIVE WORK
Adam Huffman
A&S STUDENT SYMPOSIUM AWARDS
Paper Competition
Maria Byrnes and Maria Zambrano Davila
Art Competition
Hannah Zaheer
Outstanding Mentor
Elena Calvillo, associate professor of art history, and Laura Knouse, professor of psychology
A&S Symposium Sustainability Awards
Oral Presentation
Sophie Tanner
Poster Presentation
Megan Montoya and Julia Norton
A&S OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD
Doro and Bella Stevens
John R. Rilling Award for First-Year Seminar Writing
Owen Hoover and Hallie Muniz
Bridge to Success
"Discovering the Power of Your Voice."
June 22 to July 26, 2025
The Bridge to Success (BTS) program offers an immersive summer experience tailored to facilitate your transition from high school to college. Participants in the BTS program will engage in a comprehensive academic course, fulfilling one (1 Unit) of the University’s General Education graduation requirements. These small, student-centered liberal arts courses are complemented through study sessions, community excursions, and practical workshops aimed at equipping students to embrace the academic, social, and cultural opportunities of both the University of Richmond and its neighboring community.
Students participating in the BTS program reside in one of the University’s residence halls for a duration of five weeks. During this time, they familiarize themselves with the campus, establish enduring connections with mentors, peers, and University personnel, and initiate the cultivation of essential time management competencies.
A&S Feature Stories
Student Scholars
University of Richmond Graduate Named Marshall-Motley Scholar
Ryan Doherty, a 2025 University of Richmond graduate, was selected by the Legal Defense and Educational Fund as part of the fifth and final cohort of this program.
University News
Richmond celebrates a year of major academic and cultural milestones
The University marked numerous anniversaries this past school year — from Robins' 75th anniversary to Endeavor's 5th. Read all about it here.
Virginia Heat Watch Study Reveals Local Hot Spots and Climate Vulnerabilities Across 10 Cities
A new study highlights how extreme heat affects neighborhoods across Virginia, revealing stark disparities in temperature exposure linked to race, income, and tree cover.
A&S Faculty in the News
Research News
Heat watch study reveals local hot spots and climate vulnerabilities across 10 cities
Todd Lookingbill, professor of geography, environment, & sustainability, is quoted.
Working to fix problem flooding in Richmond
A community partnership between the University of Richmond and Southside ReLeaf is highlighted.
Climate change may be helping rat populations soar.
Research by biology professor Jonathan Richardson is featured.
JoJo Siwa, Chris Hughes and when it's time to leave celebrities alone
Psychology professor Janelle Peifer is quoted.
Faculty Expertise
Do you envision college as a place where your professor’s office hours are spent in deep conversation about topics beyond this week’s assignment? Where you can work side-by-side with a faculty member on cutting-edge research that is published in a professional journal?
In A&S, our faculty are experts on the cutting edge of their fields. While they could work in some of the top research institutions in the world, our faculty chose Richmond because they believe in educating tomorrow's leaders and are passionate about mentoring and sharing their knowledge with students.
A&S Faculty Highlights
Kahn awarded American Jewish Archives fellowship
Michelle Kahn, associate professor of history, has been awarded a $5,000 fellowship from the American Jewish Archives for 2025-26 to support research for her book tentatively titled Neo-Nazis in Germany and the United States: An Entangled History of Hate, 1945-2000.
Quintero-Carmona and Warrick publish with students on cell gene expression
Omar Quintero-Carmona, associate professor of biology, and John Warrick, associate professor of biology published "Transcriptomic Analysis of CAD Cell Differentiation" in MicroPublication Biology, along with students Lillie Wendt '26, Carlos Cevallos, '17, Anna Leigh White, '20, Brooke Fazio, '21 and GC '22, Jasmine Feng, '20, and Dora Posfai, '13.
James presents sub-Saharan African child health
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, presented “Conflict, Climate, and Child Health: Evidence from Sub Saharan Africa” at the Population Association of America Annual Meeting.
James presents on health insurance coverage impact in Zimbabwe
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, presented “Does Health Insurance Coverage Reduce Childhood Morbidity? Evidence from Zimbabwe” at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health Annual Conference.