Jefferson Scholars Foundation funds U.Va.'s first Science Policy Symposium

Last spring, Courtney Hill, the Olive B. and Franklin C. Mac Krell Jefferson Fellow, became one of the first Jefferson Fellows to receive an award from the JSF Exploratory Fund. Launched in 2016 to support the creativity and innovation of all Jefferson Scholars and Fellows, the JSF Exploratory Fund invites members of the Foundation community to apply for merit-based venture funding to implement cutting-edge ideas that create sustainable social, cultural, or economic change. New commercial or philanthropic enterprises within or outside the University are eligible for funding consideration.

Courtney applied for funding to create the Science Policy Initiative at U.Va., and was awarded more than $12,000 to host the University’s first-ever Science Policy Symposium. This student-led event brought science policy experts from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and drew in more than 100 participants from more than 30 departments across the University.

Read about Courtney’s efforts and the success of the Science Policy Symposium here.