WISE Interns Experience 'The Hill' Firsthand

by Chris McManes

Rick Cordaro, an electrical engineering student at Iowa State University, will have a lot to share when his classmates ask him how he spent his summer vacation. As a 2001 Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE) intern, Cordaro spent most of his summer days learning firsthand about the inner workings of Capitol Hill.

And it's not likely the last Washington will see of this young man. Because of his WISE experience, Cordaro is strongly considering a return to Washington, D.C. — in a greater capacity. "I think I'm going to run for Congress," he said.

The IEEE sponsored Cordaro, Matthew Bright and Brent Rowe this year in WISE, a program that brings up to 16 outstanding students to the nation's capital each summer so they can learn how engineers influence public policy on complex technological issues.

In return for room and board and a small stipend, WISE students choose a specific technology topic for study and must present both a research paper and a formal presentation at the end of their 10-week stay. They interact with leaders in Congress, the Administration, and industry. They meet with congressional committees, Executive Office departments, and corporate government affairs offices.

Cordaro delved into the topic of electric reliability (see his lead story in this month's Policy Perspectives), a timely issue, given the rolling blackouts and skyrocketing electricity prices plaguing California. "I didn't know how complex the industry was," he said. "You always hear about the electric utilities, (but) at home, it's kind of a sleepy issue. But with what's been going on in California, it got pretty exciting."

Cordaro's timing couldn't have been better. He got to attend a hearing and meet and talk to a federal analyst who works for the California Independent System Operator, which manages the reliability of about 75 percent of the electricity that travels through the state's transmission lines.

"That's something I wouldn't be able to do anywhere else," he said. "I also met the president and CEO of the North American Energy Reliability Council, and watched the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair questioning industry experts. I couldn't have done this anywhere except in Washington. This was definitely a hot-button issue with a lot going on."

It's just this kind of action that attracts students to WISE. "Apart from the practical, topical knowledge that I acquired from the program, I also gained a great understanding of how the policy process works — or doesn't work — in Washington," said Bright, a junior electrical engineering major at the University of Michigan. Bright studied the "digital divide" and federal strategies that encourage rural broadband development.

Rowe, a junior at North Carolina State University with a double major in electrical engineering and economics, studied third-generation wireless technologies. He said he benefited from the internship far more than he had anticipated. "After my numerous visits to different groups, I feel I have a much better understanding of how the government process works," he said. "I found out how easy it is to get in touch with people and to do research. It has been a great experience for me."

All three interns would recommend WISE to other engineering students. "If you're interested in law, public policy or engineering, or if you're just interested in meeting a great group of people who you'll have a great time with, this is the best thing I can think of," Rowe said.

Bright agreed. "The WISE program exposes you to so many aspects of science and engineering and to the interaction between engineering and government policy, that it's too good an opportunity to pass up," he said. "I would definitely encourage anyone who's at all interested in policy, law and technology, or is interested in working for a federal agency in an engineering sense, to apply for a WISE internship."

Applications for WISE internships can be found online at www.wise-intern.org.

Editor's Note: Read this year's WISE research papers online at www.wise-intern.org/research.html.

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Chris McManes is Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator for IEEE-USA in Washington, D.C.