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01.11

By Norman C. Lerner, Ph.D., P.E.

Before I applied to become an IEEE-USA Engineering & Diplomacy Fellow, I asked myself “Why?” Why would a successful professional in the private sector even consider participating in the government — the nebulous, mysterious, authorities to whom mere mortals have to respond and acclimatize?  The answer was in the question: so that the secrets inherent in government operations could be learned; but more importantly and seriously — to make a contribution to some aspect of government that is not possible as an “outsider.”   

After determining why I should apply, I evaluated whether accepting the fellowship was feasible, given my current corporate responsibilities and activities.  Then I gauged my qualifications for this opportunity and assessed the costs and benefits of the fellowship to determine whether achieving the award was “worth” the level of effort and complexity of applying for it.  Once I determined that I could leave my job for a year, that I had a reasonable chance of winning the fellowship, and that the award would be valuable, I applied for it. The application process was relatively straight-forward: fill out application forms, write an essay on why I wanted the fellowship, write a topical memo recommending and supporting a solution to a hypothetical policy issue, and — if successful — be invited to Washington, D.C. for an interview.  The interview was the most interesting part of the process.  The interview board was composed of numerous members from various disciplines of the IEEE — power, computers, nuclear and others, and the questions were both technical and political; likely designed to see if I could reasonably cover both breadth and some depth of topics, and express my thoughts and knowledge clearly.

Assignment Search & Orientation

It really was a surprise to get the phone call from IEEE-USA offering me the fellowship, since only one Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowship and two Congressional Fellowships were awarded nationally by IEEE-USA for 2010. Once selected, fellows must find a mutually agreeable position for the year. Fellows are fortunate that most organizations are (reasonably) eager to accept what is essentially a “free” commodity that has only minimal impact on their respective budget.

To some extent, finding the right office is like online dating, only more serious. A great deal of the matching process is the responsibility of the fellow and is itself a rewarding educational process.  It is an opportunity, for example, to learn about the various roles and missions of some of the myriad departments at the State Department for Engineering & Diplomacy Fellows and the perspectives and committees associated with each Senate and House office for the Congressional Fellows.

 There are many helping hands available for the process.  The orientation of the IEEE-USA fellowships is provided by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS staff members provide initial counseling to match each fellow’s interests and expectations with predetermined receptivity by selected congressional offices or State Department groups. The Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State is also extremely knowledgeable and helpful.  Nevertheless, a successful placement relies on the fellow’s initiative in finding a match, by proactively making phone calls and setting up interviews.  The interviews are generally a two-way street — both the fellow and the office personnel explain their respective projects, interests and objectives.  

The opportunities that arose during my interview process ranged from a group specializing in international organizations to engineering analysis of space/satellite “junk” to satellite telecom policy issues and initiatives. Eventually, the mutual selection process culminated with the U.S. Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS) from which the assignment was immediately “seconded” to the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) within the OAS.  The assignment was going to involve developing telemedicine/E-health applications as special envoy to the Caribbean, with shared time working on the Engineering for the Americas program, a program designed to upgrade engineering curricula in Latin America and the Caribbean for North American accreditation.

In most cases, the matching process is quick and efficient, which allows new fellows to then concentrate on the AAAS orientation program. The orientation program is a well-engineered mix of personal, professional and informational interaction.  Over the course of about 10 days, all fellows participate in planned and interactive lectures and workshops to learn the basics of government and its operations. The “crash course” is presented by active, knowledgeable and engaged people in various sectors of Congress, the State Department and other scientific and administrative arms of the government.

The continuous contribution by the AAAS administration of the IEEE-USA Congressional and Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowships must be acknowledged for the technical and social impetus and continuity it provides.  Throughout the course of the fellowship, the organization provides various panel discussions, workshops, lectures and social functions that all enhance the yearlong fellowship.  The fellowship-only listserv is, at times, overwhelming in its notices of events, activities, needs, problems, offers, luncheons and the like.  Most importantly, it keeps the fellows well informed of the time and location for the next weekly happy hour.

Assignments, Activities & Perspectives

The fellowship only lasts twelve months, which is a relatively short time for accomplishing things in and through government.  Of course, that’s a perspective that comes from the private sector where patience is considered a virtue.  Nevertheless, the fellow has to get up to speed quickly, especially if there is a specific objective that both the fellow and fellow’s supervisor have agreed upon during the interview process.  This means that administrative issues — such as security checks, badges, passwords and computer access — have to be dealt with as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Since most fellows are focused on public policy issues that cut across functional staff lines and are, in fact, interagency in nature, it is necessary for fellows to cooperate and coordinate with others. This is where the “shadow organization” established by the fellows in different agencies and departments becomes important, particularly in climbing the learning curve to maximize efficiency.

Congressional Fellows likely gain the most exposure across various public and private sector lines, working for either senators or congressmen and their associated committees.  But all fellows are given an inordinate set of responsibilities for job performance.  And rightfully so, since the basis of the awarded fellowship is the ability to participate as a senior contributor, with a very quick startup time, regardless of the impediments encountered.

My Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowship experience was rewarding, but not routine. When the Haitian earthquake occurred in January, followed by the Chilean earthquake, CITEL immediately formed a joint CITEL-Federal Communications Commission (FCC) task force to deal with the immediate disaster relief, focusing on telecom facilities and services. The work still continues, currently focusing on telecom and information and communication technologies reconstruction in Haiti. While the original scope of my responsibilities did not change, I had to also accomplish tasks related to this project, including negotiating a cooperation agreement between CITEL and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, coordinating potential E-health applications with the Pan American Health Organization and the Latin American and Caribbean telecom carriers.

For most fellows, the scope of work goes well beyond what was initially expected or intended, as does the level of responsibilities. Regardless of a fellow’s background — industry or academia — the rewards are unsurpassed.  First, there is the institutional knowledge and experience gained that would not easily be accomplished in industry or academia.  From this, one derives a true appreciation of government processes, coordination and levels of effort required to establish hearings, develop legislation, design and implement policies and effect changes — where desirable and/or possible.

That is the minimum expected and achieved.  Equally important is the opportunity for most fellows to use their technical — and in some cases — economics backgrounds to synthesize creative and pragmatic solutions to government problems, within the normal bureaucratic framework.  It is the technical engineering perspective and analytical approach, which is second nature to an IEEE-USA fellow, and is the most useful contribution made to the governing process.  More importantly, in most cases, not only is such a contribution recognized, but is greatly appreciated as well.  This combination of “giving and getting” on both sides — in addition to the straightforward work assignment — is truly one of the most rewarding aspects of the fellowship.

Dr. Norman Lerner, P.E., received his Ph.D. in math/economics from American University, MBA in finance from Columbia University and B.S. in electrical engineering from MIT. Since founding TRANSCOMM in 1970, Dr. Lerner has been president of the consulting organization that specializes in the solutions of domestic and international financial, economic and business development problems of high technology industries, with particular emphasis in telecommunications, energy and postal industries. Dr. Lerner is also a member of the IEEE Communications Society.

Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.