Tag: AI-Empowered Teaching Assistants

Posted on

Grants in the News

Our grantees have been busy! Catch up on projects recently featured in the news:

  • The UVA Speaking Center is a free resource available to all UVA Students. Learn more about the work of this flash grant.
  • Jefferson CARES Concussion Management Protocol, a 2025 grant, has received publicity in UVA Today, NBC29 News, and CBS19 News as the program has launched this fall.
  • The Roadmap Scholars from UVA Law received a Trust grant in 2022 to establish the program. Meet two Scholars who are now first-year Law students in the UVA Law magazine.
  • Personalized Student Support and Stronger, AI-Empowered Teaching Assistants, a new Major Cycle Grant, is featured in the School of Data Science Newsletter.
  • The SPRINT Program, a 2024 recipient, is featured in UVA Today, highlighting its work in helping young people recover physically and mentally from knee injuries.

    Associate Professor of Kinesiology Chris Kuenze monitors Research Assistant Cadence Layne’s progress on the treadmill. (Photo: Matt Riley)
  • Students are at the core of a new University program, the UVA EMS Response Initiative.
  • A team at UVA Health is studying microplastics in human heart valves. Learn more about this groundbreaking grant project.
  • Dr. Alisa Bahl was recently featured on the Behavioral Health Today podcast to discuss her work with Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. She is a 2025 grant recipient.
  • Sound on Grounds has many episodes of “Pilot Projects: From Seed to Story”, featuring Jefferson Trust grants! Listen here
Posted on

Jefferson Trust Grants Focus on Student Learning

The Jefferson Trust has awarded $752,075 to eight new projects and programs across the University of Virginia.

Enhancing student learning experiences and utilizing artificial intelligence were key grant themes this fall.

“In an era of change across Grounds, the University community has shown they will not be stagnant or wait for change to come to them. Through these grants, students, faculty, and staff are building the future, and the Jefferson Trust is honored to support their efforts,” says Brent Percival, Executive Director of the Jefferson Trust.

The 2025 Fall Major Cycle Grants:

UVA EMS Response Initiative: $254,000

This initiative aims to establish a student-run Basic Life Support (BLS) EMS agency at UVA, responding to 911 calls on Grounds, improving campus emergency response times, providing clinical experience for students, and supporting existing emergency services.

Personalized student support and stronger, AI-empowered, teaching assistants: $154,543

From the School of Data Science, this project aims to develop an AI-powered chatbot and teaching assistant support system for course content. The system will streamline routine work, allowing TAs to focus on student understanding, and includes a professional development component for TAs.

Languages across the Curriculum Pilot Program: $32,000

From the Institute of World Languages, the program aims to create 1-credit language standalone courses across disciplines, encouraging language skills in academic exploration.

Microplastics, nanoplastics, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in human valvular tissue: $81,532

A multidisciplinary team plans to assess levels of microplastics, nanoplastics, and PFAS (forever chemicals) in human valves of patients undergoing open-heart surgery, and their links to cardiovascular diseases, establishing UVA as a leader in this emerging research field.

Virginia Audio Collective Storytelling Hub: $120,000

WTJU and the Robertson Media Center will create the Virginia Audio Collective—a comprehensive podcasting platform to train students in podcast production, launch 25–30 new podcast series, and provide hands-on experience for students while integrating with academic departments.

DemCap Classroom: Democracy & Capitalism Resources for K-12 Education: $75,000

A free online platform offering videos, readings, lesson plans, and interactive data to provide K-12 educators with comprehensive resources about democracy and capitalism.

The Learning Hub 2.0: Expanding Access through AI-Guided Learning: $10,000

Using scalable AI avatars that simulate mentor experiences, funding helps to expand The Learning Hub, a cognitive science-based intervention that equips first-year students with effective study strategies through mentor-led sessions.

Agency that Looks Like: The Student Self-Governance (SSG) Project: $25,000

The Student Self-Governance (SSG) Project plans to document and showcase student self-governance through multimedia storytelling.