Thanks to the growing use of digital technologies, people everywhere now have access to a spectacular wealth of information. New technologies also hold untapped potential to broaden access to government, scientific research and other knowledge. Civic tech innovators are building tools to help open up policymaking, budgeting and voter information…
This month, the Council on Foundations blog features aQ&A with Elizabeth Good Christopherson, President and CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation. Here, Ms. Christopherson sums up our approach to investing in innovation: We look for promise, openness to collaboration, hunger for leadership—not proof that ideas will work. If…
The results are in: Of the 50 U.S. states, only three earned a D+ or better, and 11 states received failing grades. The scores were released on November 9 by the Center for Public Integrity’s State Integrity Investigation. This comprehensive assessment involved research by 50 state-based reporters who…
Ajay Chawla delighted in exploring the mechanics of everyday objects from an early age. At first, he recalls, “I spent most of my time taking things apart and not putting them together.” This impulse served him well in school, where he was drawn to math and science, and…
The ability to stimulate specific neurons using beams of light, a technique known as optogenetics, has led to great advances in neuroscience over the past decade, helping to establish critical links between brain and behavior. But this approach has its drawbacks. Notably, light is easily scattered by the body’s tissues,…
The Fund for Shared Insight, a collaborative of funders dedicated to improving philanthropy, has launched Listen for Good. This new grant-making effort is aimed at exploring new ways for nonprofits to engage with the people they seek to help through high-quality feedback loops. To apply to…
The Rita Allen Foundation’s distinctive mission and collaborative style of philanthropy are the focus of a feature article in today’s issue of The Princeton Packet (published online August 25). The piece recounts the origins and evolution of the Foundation, including longstanding investments in early-career biomedical Scholars, as well…
As an undergraduate at The Ohio State University, Christopher Lima split his time between studying biochemistry and playing the trombone in a ska band. When the time came to choose between these two pursuits, Lima opted for a career in science. He delved into structural biology, first as…
Laura Johnston worked as a chemist at an oil refinery, a city council staffer, and a landscape and portrait artist before shifting her focus to biomedical research. Now, she seeks to understand how cells push and prod one another as an organism grows and develops. She has spent…
Robert Weinberg, a 1976 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar, is the recipient of the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Science of Oncology Award.