The Applied AI Lab

A Hurt Hub at Davidson College initiative where students learn AI by building it, and where faculty and staff can see what that looks like in and beyond the classroom.

For Davidson students

The Applied AI Lab is a Hurt Hub at Davidson College initiative giving Davidson students real world ways to learn, build, and lead with artificial intelligence. Launched in July 2026, the Lab pairs funded student projects, non-credit courses, and an annual AI research conference trip with real institutional challenges, so students learn AI by building with it, not just reading about it.

If you are a student, this is your invitation. Bring an idea and put it in front of a grant. Show up with no idea at all and leave with a new skill. Join a cohort headed to one of the world’s biggest AI research conferences. Whatever stage you are at, there is a way to get involved.

Apply for funding, join a course, or find your cohort

Get Involved

For faculty & staff

As an extension of the Davidson College classroom, the Applied AI Lab brings liberal arts learning to life through direct, real-world experience. It complements the curriculum rather than replacing it: faculty keep teaching what they teach best, while students gain a place to put AI into practice outside of class. For staff, the Lab is a campus partner and a resource to point students toward, especially through the Campus Tools Pilot, built in coordination with the Davidson AI Collaborative’s Student Experience team.

Bring your class in, or partner with us

Work With Us

AI Try It Fund

Modeled on the Hurt Hub’s Try It Fund, the AI Try It Fund awards Davidson students grants of up to $1,000 to build an AI-based project or venture. Recipients spend eight weeks making progress, connect with mentors, and present what they built to the Davidson community.

Apply For a Grant
In-person courses

Our non-credit courses and workshops give students a low-pressure way in, from a one-hour introduction to a multi-day intensive. Courses are taught by external instructors, alumni, and industry practitioners, with early topics shaped by student demand: prompt engineering, building AI agents, AI for business, data analysis with AI, and responsible AI design. No experience necessary, just curiosity. Courses are also open to Charlotte area community members.

Browse Upcoming Courses
Davidson at NeurIPS

Each year, a cohort of Davidson students travels, fully funded, to NeurIPS, the world’s premier AI research conference. Students attend sessions, meet researchers and industry leaders, and bring what they learn back to campus.

Show Your Interest in Joining the Next Cohort
Campus tools pilot

Our first institutional project puts AI to work on real challenges facing the Davidson student experience, co-designed with students and built in coordination with the Davidson AI Collaborative’s Student Experience team. Faculty and staff with a campus challenge worth solving are encouraged to reach out.

Share a Campus Challenge or Get Involved as a Student Builder