Founded in 2006, the Thomas Jefferson Solar Panel Initiative (TJSPI) is comprised of a group of student volunteers from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The students work under the guidance of Mrs. Amanda Hurowitz and Mr. Hadan Kauffman, faculty members at TJHSST. The mission of the TJSPI is to integrate solar energy into the TJHSST building and culture by first introducing solar power infrastructure and then ultimately powering the entire school from solar power via incremental increases in solar power production and photovoltaic system output.

Currently a senior at TJHSST, Varun Bansal is the Chairman of the TJSPI. From the point he created the idea of solar panels at TJ to the present, Varun has been the leader of the TJSPI, organizing students and coordinating community leaders to ensure that the goals of the TJSPI became reality. As the founder of the TJSPI, this will be Varun's third year leading the organization.

Currently a junior at TJHSST, Seth Kolker is the Chairman of the TJSPI. Seth is now entering his second year of being the Secretary of the TJSPI, and has been instrumental to ensuring the success of this organization.

TJHSST (the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology), established in 1985, is a Virginia Governor's School administered by Fairfax County Public Schools. TJHSST serves nearly 1,800 students from most Northern Virginia jurisdictions. TJHSST provides a specialized learning environment for selected students with high ability, aptitude and interest in mathematics, science and technology who seek a competitive, challenging curriculum with an emphasis on these disciplines. Each year, a competitive admissions process results in offers of enrollment to 500 freshmen.

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