Friday, June 29, 2018
By:
It’s the end of my fourth week at Capitol Hill. Since I started I’ve been asked countless times how I like working there. Have I started to pull me hair out yet? Is working for the government as bad as it seems? To be completely honest, I absolutely love it. My blog posts so far have not put much focus on the work I do with the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, but that is not to say I’m not doing a lot here. All the SPS interns have been having a lot of fun this summer with parades, boat cruises, movie nights, exploring DC, and more. These things are all fun to share, but I’m being honest when I say that my favorite part of my internship is working in my office.
This week was a big week for our committee. We had two hearings and mark-up to get through, and everyone was working hard to get everything completed. I was asked to help with the hearing on Tuesday, June 26th. This was a joint subcommittee hearing for the Research & Technology, and Energy subcommittees, entitled “Artificial Intelligence – With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.” I was so excited that our Energy Subcommittee staff member, Adam Rosenberg, asked me to help contribute for this hearing.
Since my first semester at The University of Maryland (UMD), I knew I wanted to work in energy. I had taken a course entitled Physics for Decision Makers: The Global Energy Crisis, where we studied energy production with a focus on green and renewable energies, and how to optimize energy generation and use to preserve our ecosystem. While taking this course, I remember thinking about how I could really use my knowledge to help people and the environment, and that set me on my path towards a degree in physics. It wasn’t until my senior year at UMD that a graduate physics course, The Intersection of Policy and Technology, that it dawned on me how much more of an impact I could make through policy rather than lab research. My experiences from that course helped me prepare myself for my internship with the House.
A lot of the work I’ve done for the committee has put a lot of emphasis on my writing skills, something I don’t think many physics majors consider with enough importance. I have provided hearing and briefing write-ups for staff members who were unable to attend themselves, produced research write-ups for background information on hearings, helped prepare informational memos for science committee hearings, and even helped write an opening statement for a Congress member. This has made it clear that having a strong background in physics (or any science) is useless without the ability to accurately and articulately communicate information. I’m very grateful that the staff here has been able to provide me superb feedback on my writing pieces to help me develop my skills.
For the artificial intelligence hearing, I was first asked to provide a two-pager, proving background on the applications of artificial intelligence in the energy sector. The hearing was being led by the Research and Technology Subcommittee, but this would help the Energy Subcommittee staff contribute their side to the hearing memo. Not only was I excited to contribute to committee work, but it was great learning about the developing technologies in energy. There is so much cutting-edge technology in the works concerning energy resources, power plants, the energy grid, and more. It’s amazing the advances that have already been made. After this submission I was given the opportunity to assist in research for the opening statement of Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member, Marc Veasey (D-TX 33rd District). While nervous about contributing to something that would be read in such an important setting, I felt I was prepared to take on the task.
When it came time for the hearing, I was both anxious and excited. I was the intern in charge of this hearing, so I performed all the usual duties to prepare. I compiled the binders for the staff and Ranking Members with all the needed information, statements, and testimonies for the hearing, I set up the Member dais with all the hearing materials, and then I did photography during the hearing. I was beaming when Congressman Veasey presented his opening statement. Hearing him speak is always a pleasure, but knowing my research and work went into the words he was saying blew me away.
“America is a country of innovation, and in the digital world of today more and more industries are relying on advanced technologies and connectivity to overcome new challenges. Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are impacting every facet of production and commerce. AI has the ability to mimic cognitive functions such as problem solving and learning, making it a critical resource as we encounter never-before-seen problems…”
Hearings are my favorite part of working with the committee, and I was so glad I got to work on this one. Getting to hear from experts first-hand from different areas of science about new and revolutionary ideas really is a unique opportunity and I feel like I’m learning so much about science in the world today. I’m looking forward to more in the future, especially on this topic, as I’m told we will have a follow-up hearings led by the Energy Subcommittee coming up in a couple weeks.
Sarah Monk