Year: 2nd Year
Major: Engineering Science with a concentration in Material Science Engineering and Nanotechnology and an Engineering Business minor.
Hometown: Huddleston, Virginia
Get to know this week’s Campus Celebrity, Jill Ferguson, a very involved 2nd year that is enrolled in the Engineering school. Learn about her involvements around ground and much more!
What are you involved in around grounds?
I serve as Treasurer of the Nano and Emerging Technologies Club (NExT) with a passionate group of people who are just as geeked out about nano and technology as I am. We spread tech news, host a seminar series, lead NASA lab tours, connect students to our alumni, and get our members working in research labs. Last semester we hosted SpaceX, and this semester we were featured on Nano.gov for our work with Nano Days. We just hosted a student faculty research mixer that still has me on cloud 9 because the keynote speakers were so moving!
As a member of Student Council’s Legislative Affairs Committee, I encourage political activism and represent University students in our Virginia State Legislature and local governments. If you like to be in the political loop, perhaps you’ve read House of Hoos, our newsletter with a Wahoo twist on House of Cards!
I am Academic Chair of Second Year Council and I work with an amazing committee to address second year academic needs. We try to showcase academic resources by making them more accessible to our class through events like LinkedIn and resume workshops, exam study breaks, and Second Year Career Week. The resources are endless but we want to make sure our class can easily tap into them when the time comes to apply to a major, scholarship, internship, or job.
As a result of my sub-par rural public school experience, I am passionate about education redesign at every level of education (early childhoodàK-12àhigher Ed). I cofounded Student Voice (SV@UVA) to combat educational system problems with design thinking and effectuation techniques. I’m so lucky to be involved with the talented students in our Meta Team (Exec team) who have helped SV@UVA secure partnerships with the Teaching Resource Center, Charlottesville schools, and 4.0 Schools.
I enjoy communicating science to others as much as I like doing it so I looked for outlets on grounds to practice linking science to society. I didn’t find an undergraduate student group so I founded the Science and Technology Policy Committee (S&T Policy) to introduce students to the complexities of the policy game. We are currently conducting a nano cancer drug delivery case study that illustrates the policy intersections in each step from the idea generation to the commercial technology. Next semester we plan to use a computer simulation that allows members to role-play as different stakeholders of the policy process.
On late nights in OpenGrounds, you can find me singing my heart out with an a cappella group of extraordinary vocalists called the NoTones. Perhaps surprising for a group with no musical experience beyond singing in the shower, we have rocked Boylan, Pancakes for Parkinson’s, Lighting of the Lawn, and many more. The secret to our wildly successful and crazy mash-ups lies in our diverse group dynamic and shared love for singing/whatever you call the sound we make. We are currently experiencing our highest level of demand to date!
I’ve also devoted a lot of my time to alternative energy research! I’m a member of The Graphene Project and I work for an ECE professor doing Perovskite research for solar applications. I could talk your ear off about both these research projects so if you’re ever in the mood to hear about 2-D materials and or nanosolar, just let me know!!!
In addition to my research job, I also work as Liaison in the Undergraduate Engineering Office. My jobs will hopefully allow me to have the monetary freedom to travel one day!
I also serve as the UVA Representative to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and so periodically travel to Richmond to meet with the Secretary of Education to discuss student perspectives on higher education policy.
What is your favorite part about being a Wahoo?
My favorite thing about being a Wahooo is being surrounded by fellow Wahoos. The majority of my peers grew up in a drastically different environment that I, and hearing about all these varying lives and experiences has been an education itself. It’s like I rolled to college in a tiny bubble that was immediately popped, but my peers helped lead me through! I’ve grown so much from that experience. I’m so very thankful for everything that my peers share with me.
Rapid Fire Questions
Favorite color? Peach
Favorite show? SPONGEBOB, always and forever.
Celebrity crush? Currently: Enrique Iglesias, but IF I was born 50 years ago it would have to be Chevy Chase.
Hidden talent? Hip hop dance– I used to want to be a choreographer.
Vanilla or Chocolate? Chocolate with chocolate chunks and chocolate fudge in a chocolate bowl with a chocolate spoon.
Favorite food? Tomato sandwich
Favorite movie? Up – ask me for character impressions and you shall receive.