News in Brief: Jefferson Scholars Foundation Honors 5 UVA Faculty Members

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation recently announced the winners of its 2024 faculty awards. The foundation also presented the University of Virginia faculty members with a total of $25,000.

“We bestow these awards every year with the firm belief that without outstanding faculty, the foundation’s mission to attract to UVA exceptional students would remain unfulfilled,” Ben Skipper, vice president and director the foundation’s Jefferson Scholars Program, said. 

The winners are:

2024 Recipients of the Award for Excellence in Teaching

• Kevin Grise, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences
• Matt Pryal, an assistant professor in the Department of Astronomy
• Syliva Tidey, an associate professor who is jointly appointed in the Department of Anthropology and the interdisciplinary Global Studies Program

2024 Recipients of the Hartfield Excellence in Teaching Award

• Brian Helmke, an associate professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Natasha Smith, an associate professor and director of undergraduate mechanical engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science

You can read more about the award winners on the Jefferson Scholars Foundation website.