Virginia Alumni Mentoring (VAM) Bridges Projects

Bridges is an initiative to connect UVA alumni and students through project-based work. UVA alumni post short-term, well-defined projects that students can complete in 1-4 weeks. Students gain real-world project experience that they can put on their resumes. Alumni gain support and increased productivity. Most importantly, Bridges is an opportunity for UVA alumni and students to build meaningful relationships!

Available Projects*

View the current projects available below. For the most up-to-date projects please go to the main Bridges page. Please note you will need to register and login into your VAM account to view these projects.

Business-Related Projects:

Creative & Marketing Projects:

Public Service and Government & Education Projects:

STEM Related Projects:

*As of 5/5/21. Please note that projects fill quickly! Be sure to apply to any projects you're interested in as soon as possible.

Previous Projects

Researcher for documentary
- Research for a certain stamp that was used on interviewees's family member's files for veterans benefits. Requires researching through veterans affairs processing manuals, submitting FOIA requests for files, and/or looking through archives. Any discovered research would be used in a documentary, and IMDb credit is available.
Content Creation & Marketing Strategy for Cville-based Startup
- Conduct research and write compelling content related to Rependo, LLC and industry. Examples of deliverables include: Writing content for promotional materials including social media platforms, website, blog, and electronic newsletters; assisting with ongoing website improvements; monitoring and updating social media pages on a regular basis and growing Rependo, LLC's online presence.
Design a logo and branding kit
- Create a logo and branding kit for a new nonprofit organization.
Perform SEO analysis
- Identify and implement strategies to increase website traffic.
Develop social justice learning activities for teachers and leaders
- This project involves curating resources on race and racism for an audience of teachers who would like to be educational leaders and are grappling with the challenges that doing this type of learning themselves, and facilitating it for others, might involve.
Equity research
- Evaluate a specific business as a possible investment.
Support content marketing, social media marketing for social justice documentary
- Conduct research and write compelling content related to the Film Industry (Generate and draft new content, as well as review existing content.)
Learn how to Prospect and Conduct Industry Analysis
- Complete a SWOT analysis and competitive landscape research for a company in the IT industry. The task is to find out certain information regarding the company and present it in a report.
Support content marketing
- Develop marketing strategy for reaching new law students; collaborate/write promotional materials, including social media platforms, email campaigns, website, and blog; assist with ongoing website improvements/testing user experience; identify how to maximize use of social media pages.
Compile data on founders and early-age startups
- Compile a list of 200 leads for a new advisory business using Google, tech accelerators, LinkedIn, etc.
Support fundraising work
- Help a non-profit in the Admissions/Alumni Relations and Development industry with their fundraising work. This could include helping with grant writing, doing administrative tasks such as data entry, and/or communications work such as writing emails or handling other correspondence.
Amazon Web Services (AWS): Build an AI livestream audio translation application
- Build out a real-time voice translator application with AWS services. This will allow trainings that take place on platforms such as Facebook Live and Zoom to be translated into Spanish utilizing AWS's machine learning dictionaries.
Design a website and a slate
- Research industry standards, work with a company in the Film industry's Marketing team to refine their marketing and social media strategy with a focus on redesigning and relaunching their website.
Conduct research on higher education's approaches to COVID-19
- Assist in completing a research project, organizing collected data, analyzing results, crafting recommendations that support public wellbeing, ideating content to be created from captured information, and, if possible, automating data collection from web sources and/or subsequent analysis.
Support Content Marketing
- Brand human resource consulting service on social media, create content in the area of life coaching in the form of blogs and material for social media campaign.
Research/Data Analysis of Education Inequities in Northern Virginia Schools
- Analyzing and collecting data surrounding the Young Scholars program in Fairfax County Public Schools. We are looking for help in determining how the program is currently being implemented in elementary and middle schools, what the best practices are, how the program can be improved, and recommendations for what should be included if another program is to be implemented to address the same issues.
Cleanse and Analyze data
- Company has data list with potential hidden gems of insight. Seeks student to clean, normalize, de-duplicate, store in a consistent format, and summarize with insights in a PowerPoint presentation prepared for the BOD multiple data sets from multiple years.
Perform SEO analysis
- Identify and and implement strategies to increase website traffic for a start-up. Help management decide which tactics/strategies to pursue. Then, with management assistance, implement one or more of the most valuable strategies.
Facebook Marketing Manager
- This project seeks an enthusiastic, driven student who is interested in learning how to use Facebook for business. First, the student will research Facebook and then provide a deliverable on the best ways for a business to use Facebook to grow their customer base. Second, we will have the student spend time implementing the tactics that they deem to be most impactful.
Help build the definitive public radio music playlist
- Local Charlottesville radio station is looking for someone to go through their playlists from the past year, clean up spelling and present data for their organization.
Design and Create Marketing Materials for Ravenell "Ricky" Keller III Scholarship - to Support Black Students at UVA
- This project seeks a student who can design and create marketing materials to promote awareness of the Ravenell "Ricky" Keller III Scholarship. We are looking for someone who has the creative and technical skillset to create collateral and who has enthusiasm to support the scholarship.
Content Marketing and Social Media
- With supervision and coaching, manage the content creation and social media platform for this small brand strategy consultancy.
Pinterest Marketing Manager
- We are looking for an enthusiastic, professional marketing manager who is interested in learning how to use Pinterest for business. First, the student will research Pinterest and then provide a deliverable on the best ways to use Pinterest for business. We will provide training classes and we encourage self-study of the platform as well. Second, we will have the student create pins from provided graphics and practice uploading them to the platform
Create Intellectual Property Database
- Review and organize intellectual property database for course development, speaking pitches, articles for print and digital, podcast pitches, resource library on website.
Research Analysis of Grants, Funding, and High-Net-Worth Donors to support Educational Equity Programs
- Analyze and collect data surrounding pest practices for grant writing and acquiring funding in supporting educational equity programs and determining who are high net worth individuals and donors that can be contacted for partnerships and how they can be contacted.
Analyze and Develop Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs)
- Collaborate with owner of small boutique event production company to break down various business processes and develop branded essential standard operation procedures documents and resource toolkits.
Compilation of Resources for Learning Spanish
- A cause-based and nonprofit initiative is looking for linguistics students or Spanish native/fluent speakers to conduct research and compile online resources for learning Latin American Spanish.
Compilation of Resources for Learning English
- A cause-based and nonprofit initiative is looking for linguistics students or English native/fluent speakers to conduct research and compile online resources for learning North American English as a second language.
PR Research Intern
- Research online publications and submit pitches to get articles picked up. This project is perfect for a student interested in PR, research analysis, online publications, communications, or marketing.
Analyze and Present Findings on Travis County, Texas Voting Data
- This project involves finding, analyzing, and presenting conclusions related to data on 2000-2020 Travis County, Texas elections budget, voter registration, turnout, poll workers, wait times, and polling locations. The goal is to identify projected strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to the 2024 election.
Drawing analytics
- A company built to deliver construction projects on time by looking at project drawings is looking for a student to build basic algorithms into Python that take in PDFs and output information about the drawing.
Pinterest design internship
- Create Pinterest pins for social media internship.
Consulting Project: Conduct industry analysis & identify opportunities
- Gain hands on experience doing competitive research and making recommendations with an eye for what competition is selling effectively and where opportunities might be for a company.
Chemistry Researcher for Pre-Launch Alcohol-Free Libation Brand
- This alcohol-free libation brand looking for a chemistry-minded student to synthesize academic articles on our main ingredient. This is a very exciting opportunity for a chemistry student who wants to learn about a fascinating set of compounds and gain real-world experience at an early-age startup.
Video Assembly and Editing Social Media Elements
- Work on video assembly and editing of social media elements.
App Integration for SuperSaaS scheduler and Word Press
- Help a virtual coaching site fix technology challenge to allow clients to book appointments with coaches for 1x1 virtual coaching with SuperSaas.
Defining the Path to Net Zero for Natural Gas Utilities - Differentiated Gas
- Assess the current Scope 1, 2, and 3 carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2E) emissions of a sample of natural gas utilities, and will assist in modeling the costs and benefits of attaining net zero emissions for utilities' customers.
Grant and Annual Appeal Letter Research Internship
- Research grant programs and synthesize information into a spreadsheet; research non-profit Annual Appeal letters; present findings to company founder using PowerPoint.
Organization of Research on Second Language Acquisition Speaking
- Organize research findings on speaking to create content outline for second language acquisition crash courses.
Organization of Research on Second Language Acquisition Pronunciation
- Organize research findings on pronunciation to create content outline for second language acquisition crash courses.
Organization of Research on Second Language Acquisition Grammar
- Organize research findings on grammar to create content outline for second language acquisition crash courses.
App Integration for SuperSaaS scheduler and Word Press
- Help fix issue with online booking appointment system with SuperSaas.
Social Media Marketing Manager
- Spend time creating relevant posts for Facebook and Instagram, answer comments on posts and spend time engaging with followers.
Market Research Intern - Grant Research
- Perform grant research for healthcare company. Dig in and go well beyond grants easily identifiable. Grants could be technology based or patient population based, federal, state, corporate or private.
Market Research Intern - Brand Awareness
- Support extensive company awareness plan launching Spring 2021. Expand company's presence within current health system customers both within and beyond the Children's Hospital. Identify individuals leading areas of interest.
Literature Review for Gamification/Digital App Project
- Assist in gathering existing literature for a research project that involves the use of digital apps/games to support classroom learnings and higher student engagement. Highlighting theoretical support and key learnings are expected.
Data and Communications support for sustainable economics project
- Support Communications for an economic model that considers systemic impacts to natural resources and the labor market.
Industry Research On Early Career Jobs/Recruiting
- Provide data on number of college graduates, employment statistics for college graduates, quantitative and qualitative data on challenges faced by college graduates as it relates to finding their first or second job, quantitative and qualitative data on challenges faced by employers when hiring early career professionals/college graduates, and more.
Environmental Communications Marketing and Communications Support
- Research and develop concepts and materials in support of an environmental communications marketing plan. Perform market research and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database management. Targeted content development (ex: web content, blogs, social media posts, newsletters, and/or one pager).
Waste and Social Equity Mapping Project
- Showcase intersecting types of inequity that create barriers to participate in sustainability efforts by centering community engagement, or lack thereof, with local composting programs.
Data Science - Create an Algorithm for Industry Classification
- Create an algorithm to classify businesses into categories. Use correlations between inputs & industries to derive the classification.
Content Marketing for Long-Running Podcast
- Conduct research and write compelling social media posts related to the Success Through Failure podcast.
Design a Poster and T-Shirt for our next Fundraising Marathon!
- Make drawings that capture the spirit of the genre of WTJU 91.1 FM's themed week-long fundraising marathons that can be printed on t-shirts and posters for donors.
Analyze User Data and Develop New Business Strategies
- Cleanse and analyze data and present findings. Develop business strategies based on findings.
Develop a business case for a phlebotomy training center
- Create presentation to present to executive team regarding the business case for opening a phlebotomist training center.
Digital Asset Management Intern
- Assist with organizing, resizing, and filing digital images and assets for hospitality clients. Develop original social media content for content library.
Support fundraising work
- Team of 3-4 students passionate about creating positive social change who can help create a business model for a women's Halfway House and support grant writing.
Research and Data Organization on Online Language Courses
- Conduct research on how to design, develop, and deliver online language learning experiences using a blended and flipped classroom approach.
Research on the Need and Market of Medical Spanish
- Research and analyze the need and market of medical Spanish.
Research and Data Organization on the Science of Learning
- Conduct research on the science of learning and create content outlines that will be used to develop crash courses on how to learn a language.
Diverse Supply Chain Database
- Work with the Hampton Roads Alliance, the regional economic development organization for the Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News) region of Virginia to research and compile a database of companies that could serve as a supply chain for larger companies. The database is meant to place an emphasis on SWaM (small, women, and minority-owned) businesses who may be able to service larger companies. After the database is compiled, work to build it in an online platform that could be accessed by businesses who are looking to diversify their supply chain.
Data Infrastructure
- Centralize data by creating a data warehouse solution and build pipelines to ingest our data sources. Organize data so that it can be leveraged - it has to be cleaned, modeled, aggregated, and shaped in a way that will allow us to ask and answer business questions.
Research on the Language Learning Market
- Conduct research on the market of language learning.
Create GIS Map
- Create a zoning data layer for a small community using GIS software. Project will involve analyzing, cleaning, and merging several data layers to create one GIS compatible shapefile.
Develop a Fundraising Plan for an Emerging Nonprofit
- Conduct research on fundamental fundraising rules and help emerging nonprofit understand how to approach the fundraising process, from overall strategies to specific methods for bringing in money, from social events and membership drives to using social media and crowdfunding. Document, cite, organize, and summarize/synthesize your research.
Develop a Strategic Plan for an Emerging Nonprofit
- Conduct research on strategic plan development. Document, cite, organize, and summarize/synthesize your research. Help nonprofit articulate in writing values, purpose in a concise and clear manner. Help edit and finalize mission and vision statement so they are concise, clear, and compelling. Outline specific goals, objectives, activities, and program areas.
Research and Data Organization on the Field of Linguistics
- Conduct research on the field of linguistics and create content outlines. Conducting and organizing research on phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, second language acquisition, writing systems, and historical linguistics.
Research and Data Organization on Polyglot Language Learning Methodology
- Conduct research on polyglot language learning methodology and create content outlines that will be used to develop crash courses.
Draft Initial Budget for an Emerging Nonprofit
- Help draft initial budget for emerging nonprofit. Conduct research on how to draft a budget and any relevant research that will help develop initial budget. Document, cite, organize, and summarize/synthesize research.
Conduct market analysis to inform communications strategy on climate resiliency
- Conduct interviews and analyze existing communications to create a SWOT analysis to inform a new communications strategy for an urban climate resiliency program. Challenges include engaging underrepresented groups on the long-term issue of climate change, during COVID-19-induced in-person meeting restrictions.
New Product Design & Launch! Vendor Engagement
- Create a scope of work to successfully accomplish project. Manage sourcing through multiple vendors to find the best for elements of this project. Help to define and work within budgets. Create a project timeline for deliverables and other elements.
New Product Design & Launch! Design Focus
- Layout & design a new shipping box, shipping bottle for Sake tasting kit. Design marketing labels and packaging for sake tasting kit. Design print inserts about Sake products. Implement creative ideas to improve entire tasting experience.
New Product Design & Launch! Social Media Focus
- Create a social media plan for roll out and launch of product that creates excitement. Develop written content to be included in tasting kit. Develop social media including photography, video, and written content. produce guided sake tasting video to be included as part of the tasting experience. Implement other creative ideas to improve entire tasting experience.
Researcher for Historical Nonfiction Book
- Ongoing research and fact-checking for historical nonfiction book on 1930s-1940s Soviet espionage in the United States.
Research on Remote Internet Access
- Conduct research on remote internet access. Conduct research on the digital divide and education technology. Research how to have high-speed internet access in vehicles and in remote areas. Investigate how RV travelers and tiny house owners can work from home in their mobile homes, and more. Document, cite, organize, and summarize/synthesize research.
Website Designer and Developer
- Looking for a student to design and develop an emerging start-up’s website.
Research on the Digital Divide Among COVID-19
- Looking for a student to conduct research and data organization on the digital divide and technology illiteracy, particularly in developing countries and in the United States.
Research on the Language Barrier Among COVID-19
- Looking for a student to conduct research on the language barrier amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developing Activation Strategy - Alcohol-Free Libation Brand
- Marketing minded student to help develop an activation strategy for alcohol-free libation brand. Think through the best ways to get the word out about the brand. End deliverable will be a deck that outlines how the brand will launch their beverages in 2021.
Media Intern for Pre-Launch Alcohol Alternative Brand
- Looking for a driven student to support building out Nothing Special’s media arm, "Nothing Special Presents". Nothing Special is currently in the process of producing a design/travel-oriented print publication and plans to share these print assets across multiple distribution channels to grow the brand. Looking to work with a student with a deep interest in storytelling and strong written and verbal communication skills. Writing and journalism experience is a plus.
Research on Language and Digital Barriers
- Looking for a student to conduct research on the language barrier and the digital divide before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Your research will help us understand the problems we want to address, lay out our reasons for existence, design our language and digital literacy courses, and develop our business model.
Research on Curriculum Design
- Looking for a student to conduct research on how to design and develop a curricula, syllabi, and lesson plans. Your research will help us develop our educational services and start our alpha testing.
Research Major World Problems & Social Innovation
- Looking for a student to identify the major world problems through research and how innovation in technology and education can help alleviate such problems. Your research will help us understand which problems we can address, our limitations and opportunities, and the score of our social impact.
Develop a Strategic Plan for an Emerging Nonprofit
- As an emerging nonprofit, it is time for us to create a strategic plan: the working document that will chart our nonprofit’s course through the coming years. We are in need of a student to help us develop a strategic plan. You will work closely with us, which means so collaboration, communication, and punctuality will be key for your success in this position.
Investigate Why People Fail or Succeed at Learning Languages
- Looking for a student to research why people fail or succeed at learning a language. You will gain experience in market research and how to summarize and synthesize information from multiple sources.
Research E-Learning, Blended Learning, & Flipped Classrooms
- Looking for a student to conduct research on how to design, develop, and deliver online language learning experiences using a blended and flipped classroom approach.
Research and Synthesis on Language Proficiency Assessment
- Looking for a student to conduct research on language proficiency assessment.

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Virginia Alumni Mentoring (VAM) Bridges Projects