Washington Scene

IEEE-USA Government Fellows Fill Key Roles In Congress

by Chris Brantley

IEEE-USA’s 2003 Government Fellows are in-place and hard at work bringing their technical expertise and professional experience to bear on key issues facing the U.S. government. Four IEEE-USA Congressional Fellows have assignments on Capitol Hill and IEEE-USA’s first Engineering & Diplomacy Fellow is well positioned in the U.S. Department of State.

Chair Emeritus and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, David Conner is working as a congressional fellow for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who he serves as a legislative assistant for science and technology. As Rohrabacher chairs the House Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, and has a strong aerospace industry presence in his district, much of Conner’s time is currently focused in the space and aerospace arena. Conner also provides assessments of the research and development funding requests from such diverse agencies as the National Science Foundation; the Department of Energy; the Department of Homeland Security; and Department of Commerce programs, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); as well as information on technical activities at the Department of Defense, and background on developments in energy and telecommunications.

Prompted by a hearing at which House Science Committee members expressed concern about the low percentage of U.S. students in engineering classrooms, Conner played a significant role in early April, helping Rep. Rohrabacher develop an amendment that authorizes a S&T Scholarship at the Department of Energy (DOE). The provision would require U.S. science and engineering graduate students to spend two years working at DOE for each year of scholarship support. Rohrabacher’s proposal was incorporated in energy legislation (H.R. 6) passed by the House of Representatives on 6 April, and was such a hit in the House Science Committee that Chairman Sherwood Boehlert proposed adding similar provisions to subsequent R&D bills for other federal agencies as they pass through the committee.

On leave from his post at TASC, Inc., Joseph Czika is working with the Democratic staff of the House Science Committee, where he is responsible for aerospace and homeland security issues. In the wake of the Columbia shuttle disaster, his initial assignments have focused on congressional oversight of the accident investigation. Also on his plate are NASA workforce issues; the nation’s aeronautic technology agenda; development of the new national aerospace plane; and interim fixes to the space shuttle program. In homeland security, Czika is helping the Committee address the difficulties foreign science and engineering students entering the country are experiencing; establish the Department of Homeland Security S&T functions; and work on cyber-security issues, in general.

Noting the breadth of these responsibilities, Czika noted “I am honored to work in these areas to bring America's technology strengths to apply to the nation's pressing problems.”

A principal of TRSenergy who spent many years with the Electric Power Research Institute, Congressional Fellow Thomas Schneider brings his extensive background in energy engineering to the staff of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). A past chair of IEEE-USA’s Energy Policy Committee, Schneider is helping the Senator address California’s interests in comprehensive energy legislation. Another hot issue on his plate is the problem of extensive groundwater contamination eminating from Department of Defense facilities caused by perchlorate, a primary ingredient in rocket fuel.

At the request of Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and with the support of Sandia National Laboratory, 2001-02 Congressional Fellow Peter Winokur is continuing his Fellowship in 2003. As Senator Reid is the Minority Whip in the Senate, Winokur has found himself in the middle of the action staffing the Senator’s work on many major pieces of legislation, especially the energy bill. Renewable energy is an area of special attention for Winokur, because of its importance to Nevada.

As a veteran of the 107th Congress, Winokur enters the 2003 legislative session with considerable experience under his belt. Asked to describe what he has learned after two years on the job, he replied: “The process of making legislation is not for the naive or idealistic. It's not perfect and precise, like research endeavors strive to be. It's politics, people, process and patience.”

In 2003, IEEE-USA also launched a new fellowship program placing Donald Silversmith in the U.S. State Department as IEEE-USA’s first Engineering and Diplomacy Fellow. The Energy and Diplomacy Fellowship program was created in response to a request from the Secretary of State’s Science and Technology Advisor for engineering fellows to help the State Department better understand and address the S&T implications of U.S. foreign policy issues.

A professor and former associate dean of electrical and computer engineering at Wayne State University, Silversmith is providing science and engineering support to the State Department’s Office for Export Control and Conventional Arms Nonproliferation. That office is responsible for overseeing export applications for “dual use” systems and technologies; reviewing entry visas for researchers seeking to study in the United States in sensitive technology fields; and international controls on exports of non-nuclear military systems and advanced weaponry.

In early April, Silversmith found himself in Vienna, Austria as part of the U.S. delegation participating in international negotiations with more than 30 other nations seeking to better coordination for national munitions and technical export licensing activities.

IEEE-USA’s Government Fellows Committee is currently in the process of selecting two new Congressional Fellows, and one Engineering and Diplomacy Fellow, to begin assignments in January 2004. Applications are also sought from U.S. IEEE members interested in Government Fellowships beginning in 2005. For more information on the Government Fellowship program, eligibility and application procedures, visit http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/govfel/.

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Chris Brantley is director of government relations, operations and technology policy at IEEE-USA in Washington, D.C.