Back Row: Brian Fox, Ryan Ewalt, Ryan Murphy, Edward Hallen, Joseph Gay, Sarah Fischer. Front Row: Korina Kalopsidiotou, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Erica Kohr, Natalie Giannelli

What do you get when you mix bright, articulate, technically astute young people with policy-making officials on Capitol Hill?

Success, success, success.

"We're in the business of educating the technology leaders of tomorrow," said Dean Richard Miksad. "What better way to do that is there than to expose them to the seat of power in this country?"

Miksad knew there would be benefits for the policy-makers as well. "On visits to D.C., I would talk to staff aides who were well-trained in political science but who didn't understand what we were talking about in terms of technology," Miksad said. "Our goal with this internship was to raise the level of technology literacy in the national science policy-making process and to put our students in a situation where they could see exactly how that process works."

During the summer of 2002, nine Engineering School interns were placed in policy-making offices with the help of James Turner, a member of the Dean's Advisory Council and Democratic counsel for the House Science Committee. Turner worked with Miksad to launch the program, based on a similar program Turner established for MIT five years ago. He assisted students in setting up placement interviews, set up a housing arrangement that paired them with MIT students and arranged lectures and tours to enhance their internship experience. Scott Giles, the Republican counsel for the House Science Committee, also helped.

The interns were undergraduate students, selected from a competitive group of applicants. Once selected, they were responsible for securing their own placements. In addition, each intern signed up for TCC 395.

"This TCC class teaches students how to function effectively as engineers in a larger context," said Kay Neeley, faculty coordinator for the D.C. Internship Program. "They learn how to communicate effectively with non-technological people; they learn about the social, cultural and historical context of engineering; and they learn about engineering ethics by exploring questions of values, risks, benefits and harm."

Interns secured placements in high-level government agencies. They worked in the offices of U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton and George Allen and with U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro. They worked with the Information Technology Industry Council, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Science Foundation and with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

They worked on real projects. They were of use. And they are fundamentally changed by the experiences they had.

Natalie Giannelli worked in Clinton's office. "This internship swept me into a world of possibility where it was no longer about individual goals, but instead about working for the nation's greater good," said Giannelli. "I think it was the best thing to happen to me as a student here."

"This internship swept me into a world of possibility where it was no longer about individual goals, but instead about working for the nation's greater good." -Natalie Giannelli

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and D.C. intern Natalie Giannelli

Ryan Ewalt and Ryan Murphy interned in separate divisions in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The students are friends and had ample opportunity to compare notes outside their respective offices. Ewalt was placed in the technology division. "Technology is an issue of which alternative to choose, why and when. Political considerations were significant there," Ewalt reported. Murphy worked in the science division and found that politics had more of an effect on what was investigated than on what the outcome of the investigation would be. "My eyes were opened to the world of policy-making this summer," he said. "Priorities in the science division were constantly shifting, depending on what was under the public spotlight."

Antonia Tolson worked as an assistant to DeLauro, the second-highest-ranking woman in the House Democratic leadership. "I learned quickly how Washington works and the dedication, perseverance and skill it takes to be influential in legislation and policy-making," she said.

For Ed Hallen, who interned with the Infor-mation Technology Industry Council, the importance of technical training for those in national policy-making positions was abundantly clear. "A lack of engineers in the policy-making process leads to policy that is heavily influenced by the wishes of companies and interest groups," he said. "Without a technology background you can't research, present the facts and create effective policy."

Erica Kohr spent her internship months at the National Science Foundation working with Dr. Norman Fortenberry, director of the Division of Undergraduate Education, and Dr. Victor Santiago, program director in Human Resources and Development. Her work focused on the low participation of women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

"My internship educated me on how the NSF cultivates student interest in STEM today in order to affect America tomorrow," she said. "I also learned that scientific and technical skills are important but people skills are as well."

Joseph Gay worked in Allen's office producing co-sponsorship memos for the senator and researching the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. He gained a greater understanding of how policy is created in the United States.

"I have an insight into our country and government few have the opportunity to obtain. I see now how an engineer can learn to approach policy problems not just in terms of cold technical facts, but in terms of benefit to the economy, jobs created or lost and money generated."

Brian Fox had dual responsibilities during the summer. He interned with the House of Representatives and served as the intern coordinator for the D.C. Internship Program. In both roles, he learned the importance of communication. "This internship showed me that in order to succeed in science and technology policy you must have a solid technical background and the ability to convey information."

Korina Kalopsidiotou, a native of Cyprus, learned as much about the general workings of the U.S. government as she did about policy-making during her internship with the National Academy of Engineering. And she, along with the other interns, found the lecture series organized by Turner to be invaluable.

"Working at the academy was an important part of the summer experience, but not the only one," she said. "The speakers were wonderful and made this an experience none of us will ever forget." Speakers included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer; William Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering; Congressmen Michael Honda and John Sununu; Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation, and astronaut Susan Kilgrain.

For the 2002 interns, the summer was enlightening and, in some cases, a life-changing experience. And that was precisely the point.

"If anything outlasts my deanship, I hope it is this," Miksad said. "I fully expect to see these students in policy-making positions of power someday in the future."

	Ryan Ewalt (Systems Engineering) White House, Science and Technology Policy Draft Telework Initiative research		Korina Kalopsidiotou (Computer Science) National Academy of Engineering Project tracking database creation
	Brian Fox (Aerospace Engineering) House of Representatives Science Committee Space and aeronautics legislation		Erica Kohr (Applied Math) National Science Foundation Diversity in STEM research
	Joseph Gay (Computer Science) Office of U.S. Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository research		Ryan Murphy (Systems Engineering) White House, Science and Technology Policy Neutrinos and neutrino facility research
	Natalie Giannelli (Systems Engineering) Office of U.S. Sen. Hillary R. Clinton, D-N.Y. Environmental and energy legislation		Antonia Tolson (Chemical Engineering) Office of U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn. Prescription drug legislation research
	Edward Hallen (Systems Engineering) Information Technology Industry Council Music piracy and digital media legislation	The D.C. Internship Program is made possible by alumni donations to the Engineering School Annual Fund.