A core component of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation is the promotion, as part of the legacy of Thomas Jefferson’s academical village, of interdisciplinary dialogue at the University of Virginia. The Foundation has proposed and organized the 2008 Jefferson Fellows Forum for Interdisciplinary Dialogue as an expression of the Foundation’s mission.

This year's inaugural Jefferson Fellows Forum for Interdisciplinary Dialogue is entitled The Art of Science: The Science of Art and will explore the relationship between the sciences and the humanities, as well as between various facets of the academy and the world at large. The Forum will explore how these dual imperatives inform a variety of scholars in subjects as diverse as biology, art history, astronomy and English. Despite their differences in methodology or approach, researchers in these fields often seek answers to fundamental questions and shared concerns. Accordingly, the Forum will provide a unique opportunity to hear the university's most outstanding faculty in dialogue across their departments.

Forum 2008 Details
Saturday, Sept 27

Panel 1: 10:40 am – 12 noon
The Origins and Engines of Design: What Motivates us to create? How and Why do we proceed?

Panel 2: 2:00 - 3:20 pm
The 21st Century Good Samaritan: Understanding the Imperative to Help

Panel 3: 3:30 - 4:50 pm
Scaling the Ivory Tower: Adapting Specialized Knowledge to Mass Culture