News Story

Shahamat Serves as White House Science and Technology Policy Intern

MSE nuclear engineering graduate student Layla Shahamat (left) with Dr. John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Nuclear engineering Ph.D. candidate Layla Shahamat is using her expertise to help the members of the nation's highest offices make informed decisions about how advances in science and technology are funded, implemented and managed.

Since September 2011, Shahamat, advised by Department of Materials Science and Engineering professor Mohamad Al-Sheikhly, has been an intern in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP) student volunteer program, providing input to senior policymakers on a variety of projects in the OSTP's divisions of Technology and National Security & International Affairs.

The OSTP's mission is to provide the President with analysis and judgment of federal science and technology programs, develop and implement related budgets, and work with private industry to ensure those initiatives contribute to the nation's security, economy, and environment.

Shahamat pursued the internship, which combines science and policy work, out of her desire to be a more effective champion of her own field.

"I've observed that government policies affect the field of nuclear energy tremendously: construction of nuclear power plants, reprocessing of fuel, and research funding," she says. "This has motivated me to take a closer look at how [nuclear] policies are formed…how funding is allocated and how the government decides on what steps to take next."

At the OSTP, she has contributed to reports on future research directions for nuclear nonproliferation plans, accidents and risk analysis. She is working with the Obama administration's Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, which helps coordinate government, industrial and academic efforts to create high quality manufacturing jobs in the U.S. Her duties also include concerns beyond our own borders, including organizing multinational meetings focused on technology collaboration and science and technology-oriented student exchange programs.

"I've found this internship an exciting experience and a great opportunity," says Shahamat. "I work side by side with senior White House science and technology advisers to confront the challenges that science faces globally."

Her service at the White House has also had a positive influence on her future plans. "After this invaluable experience, I am considering working in the policy [field]," she says. "I realized that there is a great need for people with strong technical backgrounds and passion for public policy. Such activity is likely to make a big difference not only to the future of the nation, but of the world."

January 11, 2012