We go about achieving this in a number of ways. First, the project had to be something students would want to be a part of! We coined the project “Spit for Science” and a graphic designer created banners, signs, and posters (visible at spit4science.vcu.edu), which we plaster across the campus upon student arrival. Colleagues from the Division of Student Affairs alerted us that students love t-shirts, so we give out free Spit for Science t-shirts to all participants. The t-shirt design changes for each wave of data collection, and we hold t-shirt design contests and/or commission our arts students to design the t-shirts each semester. I speak to all the residential advisors about the project, and they all wear Spit for Science t-shirts for the first day of freshmen Welcome Week. We partner with colleagues from our university wellness center, who host popular “Love and Liquor” educational sessions for all the incoming students, and we introduce the science behind Spit for Science at those sessions, so students understand what the project is about and have a chance to get to
