Baker
Institute interns turn classroom theory into practice

FROM
RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

After two summers of technical work in a laboratory, Rice
junior Rahul Rekhi, a bioengineering and economics major, wondered if his
approach to his studies was narrowing. This summer, as a 2011 intern for the
Baker Institute’s Jesse
Jones Leadership Center Summer in D.C. Policy Research Program, Rekhi
worked at the National Science Foundation, where he researched ways to spur
innovation in the 21st century.  

	AKIL BENNETT
	Twelve 2011 Baker Institute D.C. interns presented their summer research projects Aug. 27 to an audience of institute fellows, Rice faculty members and alumni of the program.

“It was a rare opportunity for an engineer like me to apply science and
technology issues to policy,” Rekhi said. “It made me realize how
important it is for technical people to see the big picture and learn how to
communicate effectively with policymakers.” 

Rekhi was one of the dozen 2011 Baker Institute D.C. interns who presented
their summer research projects Aug. 27 to an audience of institute fellows,
Rice faculty members and alumni of the program. Using PowerPoint slides and a
laser pointer, the interns described a wide range of projects, including an
analysis of America’s aging workforce, the environmental and cost benefits of
bus rapid transit and the federal response to sexual assault in the armed
forces.  

Audience members asked questions or, on occasion, challenged the students’
findings during a spirited discussion after each presentation. Lawrence Hampton,
lecturer in communications at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business,
recorded the event on video and will meet with interns individually to critique
their content and delivery.  

The goal of the D.C. summer internship program is to offer Rice undergraduates
hands-on experience in the nation’s capital in public-policy research and
analysis. “It allows students to integrate classroom theory with its
evaluation and application in real life,” said Steven Lewis, who leads the
program. Lewis is the institute’s C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow.  

The program provides stipends that cover the interns’ summer living expenses in
Washington. Applicants are responsible for securing internships at government
agencies, private think tanks or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) — most of
which are unpaid.

“There’s no way I could have worked in Washington without this program
paying for my housing and living expenses,” said Ellory Matzner, a Wiess
College senior who attended congressional committee meetings, met with
lobbyists and researched the impacts of the 2012 Farm Bill for Defenders of
Wildlife, an organization dedicated to the preservation of wild animals and
native plants. “This experience let me see the process in action, and I
loved it. It was the deciding factor for me to attend law school and eventually
work in environmental law in Washington.”

Since 2004, 63 students have represented the Baker Institute and Rice
University at some 45 government agencies, public-policy think tanks and NGOs
in Washington. “The program is not only educational, but in many cases, it
provides preprofessional training,” said Allen
Matusow, the Baker Institute’s director of academic affairs and the W.G.
Twyman Professor of History.

Many of the interns’ summer projects form the basis of applications for
prestigious national honors such as the Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright
scholarships and the Watson Fellowship — honors that have been awarded to many
program alumni. As in previous years, the 2011 D.C. interns are outstanding
students and leaders. Martel College junior Benjamin Chou and Wiess College
senior Rebecca Jaffe have been named Morris
K. Udall scholars, and Rekhi is a Barry
M. Goldwater scholar. McMurtry College senior Tawfik Jarjour is president
of Rice Habitat for Humanity
and the chair of the Rice Centennial
House Committee; Chou is president of the Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium;
and Matzner is chair of the University
Court.

Information on the D.C. internship program is on the Baker
Institute website. Applications for the next class of D.C. interns will be
accepted through Jan. 31, 2012.

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