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03.11
IEEE-USA
Announces Dates for Energy and Career Fly-Ins
By Russell T. Harrison
IEEE-USA has announced the dates
for its Energy Fly-In and Career Fly-In this
spring. These events give U.S. IEEE members two
structured opportunities to meet the new 112th
Congress.
There are 110 new members of
Congress in 2011, representing an unusually high
20.5 percent of Congress. While a few of these
politicians have backgrounds in engineering or
science, most don’t. These Fly-Ins will be the
first opportunities IEEE members will have to
introduce themselves to their new legislators in
a structured setting.
 The
IEEE-USA Energy Fly-In,
which is focused on energy policy reform, will
take place in Washington, D.C., on 9-10 May. The
exact message of this event will depend on
events in Washington, but may include
alternative energy and possibly nuclear power.
 The
IEEE-USA Career Fly-In,
which is focused on engineering education
reform, will take place in Washington, D.C., on
20-21 June. The event seeks to educate
legislators of the importance and promise of
exposing American students to engineering before
college.
The Fly-Ins are structured
opportunities for IEEE members to meet with
their members of Congress to discuss specific
legislative priorities. The events are open and
free to all IEEE members in the United States,
from students to life members, as long as you
register beforehand. The purpose of both events
is to help engineers learn about the political
process, and for those in the political process
to learn about engineers.
The Career and Energy Fly-Ins
have identical agendas. On the afternoon of the
first day (9 May or 20 June), participants will
meet in Washington for a comprehensive briefing.
IEEE-USA staff will cover the state of
legislation pertaining to the fly-in, the
politics behind the legislation and how to
discuss all of this with legislators. Then, on
the second day (10 May or 21 June), volunteers
will go to Capitol Hill for private meetings
with their legislators and/or staff. IEEE-USA
arranges these meetings for you. At past events,
IEEE-USA has been able to secure 95 percent of
all requested meetings.
Questions regarding the Energy
and Career Fly-Ins can be sent to IEEE-USA
staffer Russ Harrison at
r.t.harrison@ieee.org.
Russell T. Harrison is
IEEE-USA’s Senior Legislative Representative for
Grassroots Affairs.
Comments may be submitted to
todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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