Jefferson Trust Grants Set New Records

The Jefferson Trust Board of Trustees has had a banner year, awarding almost $1.4 million to 14 new projects and programs.

“The decision-making process was extremely difficult,” shares Amy Bonner, Director of Grants for the Trust. “This grant cycle was record-breaking in terms of dollars sought and exceptional ideas. With this cohort, we have taken another great step forward towards our vision of seeing every great idea at UVA come to fruition.”

The Trust awarded its largest-ever single grant to the School of Data Science. Researchers will study the practices surrounding “collaboratories,” or interdisciplinary research, making UVA a national leader in the field and bringing broad resources to the University.

Sustainability was a key theme this year, with Printers 4 Kids and the Co-designing Circular Plastics Initiative focusing on how UVA can improve plastics recycling. UVA Sawmilling, the UVA Exhibit at Columbus 2023, and the Building Community at Biscuit Run Park all focus on sustainable materials in action. Other grant themes included community engagement, student experience, and cutting-edge research.

The 2022-23 Grants:

Printers 4 Kids: $30,000

This project is creating STEM kits for local Charlottesville schools from discarded electronic equipment and working to establish UVA’s first plastic recycling center.

Building Community with Architecture and Design at Biscuit Run Park: $200,000

The School of Architecture, in partnership with Albemarle County Parks & Recreation, will provide students with experiences in the design, fabrication, and construction of several innovative installations and multi-functional spaces.

C-Ville Tulips: $150,000

Led by the Center for American English Language (CAELC) and the Sound Justice Lab, this program will bring student volunteers together with local refugee women to support them in English instruction and digital literacy, as well as provide youth programming opportunities.

Evaluating Collaboratory Cultures: $298,693

The School of Data Science will research collaboration and promote the findings to illustrate how more collaborative groups and cultures can be built across Grounds and throughout academia.

Virginia Baja Racing: $25,000

Funding helps to reestablish the Virginia Baja Racing Team through the purchase of materials, parts, and equipment, enabling the team to compete in the Baja SAE event in May 2023.

OrChiD-Bio: Organs-on-a-chip with integrated detection of bioluminescence: $100,000

This research project aims to create a novel instrument that will detect bioluminescence in living cells embedded within organ-on-a-chip devices.

Piloting an Open-source Educational Manufacturing Model: $49,900

Funding radically expands a STEM kit program from proof-of-concept stages at Buford Middle School in Charlottesville to a national, open-source curriculum.

UVA Sawmilling: Fully Sustainable: $137,860

Funding helps UVA Sawmilling in purchasing equipment, enhancing programming, and supporting personnel to make the program a self-sustaining organization and expand its outreach.

[De]Construction Project: remapping the roles of design and implementation in the building industry: $136,550

Through a series of workshops that reimagine the construction industry, students will rethink the collaboration between the labor force, design process, and implementation.

Co-designing Circular Plastics Initiative: $25,952

In collaboration with UVA’s recycling division, this project will repurpose recyclable plastics and film plastics into outdoor and indoor furniture.

UVA at Exhibit Columbus 2023: $35,000

Students will create a unique, sustainable architectural installation for Exhibit Columbus 2023 that will ultimately be displayed on Grounds for the UVA community.

1st UVA Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Competition: $22,729

Funding will bring undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and construction practitioners of the UVA Construction Industry Consortium and UVA Facilities Management together to build community and share ideas through competitive events.

Including Preschoolers with Autism: $61,841

Funding will develop and pilot a 12-week professional development program for preschool teachers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

The Sports Science and Analytics Collective: $123,314

The collective blends research and practical application in sports, healthy living, and musculoskeletal health to accelerate efforts in research, collaboration, and student education.

Flash Funding Continues

We received 19 proposals requesting $170,297 in funding in the January Flash Funding cycle. Thank you, UVA for your innovative ideas and commitment to further enhance the University!

If you missed January, our February Flash funding proposal form is open. Flash grants are capped at $10,000 and focus on short-term projects or immediate use opportunities, often for student organizations. Proposals must be submitted no later than February 28, with decisions announced on March 15.

For additional information, please visit our Grant Seekers page or contact Amy Bonner at abonner@virginia.edu to discuss your idea and potential funding.

Grants in the News!

Hosting symposiums, conducting workshops, and planning special events—our grantees are busy! Check out projects recently featured in local news:

Coming to the stage in 2023, The Daily Progress previewed Victory Hall’s Opera, Orpheus & Erica: A Deaf Opera, a 2022 grant recipient.

The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library current exhibition from the Holsinger Portrait Project, “Visions of Progress: Portraits of Dignity, Style, and Racial Uplift” was featured in a two-part series on CBS19. Find out more about the exhibition and the descendants.

UVA Lawyer magazine highlighted the Roadmap Scholars Initiative and its first cohort of students. Read more about the impactful program in this article.

The Batten Institute at UVA’s Darden School of Business hosted the Jefferson Innovation Summit, “Decarbonizing the Global Economy.” Learn about the obstacles, strategies, and dialogue discussed in this Darden news article.

2022 Jefferson Innovation Summit: Decarbonizing the Global Economy (photo credit: Darden’s Batten Institute)

To stay up to date on the work of our grantees, follow us on InstagramFacebook and Twitter.

Cavalier Autonomous Racing continues to push

The Cavalier Autonomous Racing Team recently competed in the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as a part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). CES is known as a global stage for innovation, and nine teams from six countries and representing 17 universities competed.

Cavalier Autonomous Racing (photo credit: UVA Engineering)

Joining the Indy Autonomous Challenge in 2019, the Cavalier Autonomous Racing team has participated in every IAC race held to date. With support from the Trust, the team is helping to push the boundaries of autonomous racing and creating safe autonomy. UVA’s team is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Engineering, and the Indy Autonomous Challenge grants them access and opportunity on a world stage.

The modern CES began in 1998, though it has roots back to 1967 and was largely an event to see the latest video game or telephone. Today, CES has grown to be the launch point for some of the greatest electronic advancements across any industry, including automobiles.  It has replaced the North American Auto Show in Detroit as the go-to place for automakers to unveil new technology.

The Trust could not be happier to help provide this opportunity to UVA students, who are standing at the forefront of the automotive future.