What do driving in rush hour traffic, a denied debit card at checkout and teaching have in common? High levels of stress. But according to today’s guest, while two of those experiences are temporary, teachers—especially novice ones—commonly experience overwhelm daily. So, what can be done to help?

Special education Professor Michael Kennedy and his lab are leveraging generative artificial intelligence to lessen teachers’ mental load and improve their capacity in the classroom. In this episode of EdLab, Kennedy discusses his own learning struggles and how they informed his journey to become a special education professor and work to improve outcomes for teachers and their students.

Professor Michael Kennedy: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/michael-j-kennedy

The Supporting Teachers Through Coaching, Observations, and Multimedia to Educate Students with Disabilities Lab: https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/research-labs/supporting-teachers-through-coaching-observations-and-multimedia-educate-students-disabilities

EdLab is a production of the UVA School of Education and Human Development and WTJU 91.1FM. EdLab is produced by Audrey Breen, with support from Mary Garner McGehee and Sage Tanguay. Our music is Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions. You can subscribe to EdLab wherever you get your podcasts.

Autism often exists alongside co-occurring conditions, such as difficulties with sleep or for some, depression and anxiety. For individuals with autism seeking mental health care, health care providers often have several tools in their treatment toolbox. But most of those have primarily been tested on non-autistic people. So, questions remain as to which treatments work best for the autism community. Professor Micah Mazurek is on the hunt for some answers.

Micah Mazurek is a clinical psychologist, the Novartis U.S. Foundation Professor of Education, and director of the Supporting Transformative Autism Research (or STAR) initiative at the UVA School of Education and Human Development.

Learn more about Micah Mazurek: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/micah-mazurek

Visit STAR: https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/supporting-transformative-autism-research

EdLab is a production of the UVA School of Education and Human Development and WTJU 91.1FM. EdLab is produced by Audrey Breen, with support from Mary Garner McGehee and Sage Tanguay. Our music is Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions. You can subscribe to EdLab wherever you get your podcasts.

When it comes to reducing cardiovascular disease, kinesiology professor Sid Angadi’s research shows how fitness level is much more important than body mass index. And perhaps the best news of all, the researcher’s measurement for fitness is quite generous.

Learn more about Siddhartha Angadi: https://education.virginia.edu/about/directory/siddhartha-angadi

EdLab is a production of the UVA School of Education and Human Development and WTJU 91.1FM. EdLab is produced by Audrey Breen, with support from Mary Garner McGehee and Sage Tanguay. Our music is Palms Down by Blue Dot Sessions. You can subscribe to EdLab wherever you get your podcasts.