Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellows

Summer 2005 Fellow Biographies

		Amanda L. Babson (DELS/OSB) expects to be awarded her PhD in Oceanography from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington in April 2006, where she also earned her M.S. in Oceanography. Amanda received her B.A. in Physics from Carleton College in 1998. Her master's work was related to the siting of a sewage treatment plant outfall and part of her PhD research is investigating the causes of recent oxygen depletion in deep Puget Sound. It is Amanda’s hope to gain insight into what a career in policy involves in order to experience first-hand if this is the direction she wants to pursue. She feels strongly that all scientists have a responsibility to improve the quality of scientific discussion in the public sphere—something she is looking forward to learning more about during her fellowship at the Ocean Studies Board. Amanda’s goal is to start off her career conducting research for a government agency and from there find opportunities to transition to policy and administration. Amanda’s work and volunteer experience support her commitment to Oceanography. She has led school groups in educational outdoor activities, such as guided sea kayak tours, and currently is an instructor on the Ocean Inquiry Project where conducts daylong cruises for area students. Contact by email.
		Sharlene Bagga (IOM/BGH) received her MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health in June 2005. She has just joined the Advisory Board Company's Strategic Research department where she will be conducting best practices research for hospitals around the country. Prior to moving to DC to join the Advisory Board Company this fall, she served as a Deland Fellow in Health Care and Society at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts where she gained knowledge in hospital administration and worked with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative to launch an advanced midwives training program in Zambia. She received her BA in Economics and Spanish/Hispanic Culture from the University of Michigan (go blue!) in 2002, and has a strong interest in health care and development issues in Latin America . Sharlene is really passionate about traveling and has worked on public health and health care reform issues in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador , Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Ghana. Sharlene is interested in making the delivery of health care more efficient and accessible, and is passionate about eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. Contact by email (Updated 09/06)
		Bruk T. Berhane (NAE/CDEW) is currently pursuing a MS at George Washington University in Engineering Management, concentrating in Energy and Environmental Management; he expects to graduate in May 2006. Bruk received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland in May 2003. He’s been the recipient of several honors and awards for scholastic and research achievements. Additionally, he was president of Eta Kappa Nu, the national honor society for electrical and computer engineering and was selected for membership in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. He currently works at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in the Research Technology Development Center, a position he has held for two years. He is actively involved with the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT), an organization that seeks to motivate students in middle and high school to pursue careers in mathematics, science, and engineering. Bruk is looking forward to working in the Diversity of the Engineering Workforce Program because of his personal commitment to serve disadvantaged communities in an effort to increase the number of young women and minorities that pursue careers in technology. To this end, his career goals are to serve as an advisor on scientific and technological issues, either as a community organizer or as an elected official at the local or state level. Contact by email.
		Robert J. Berlin (PGA/STL) expects to earn a joint degree of JD /MPH in law and epidemiology from University of Minnesota’s Law School and School of Public Health in May 2007. He received his BA in anthropology from the University of Oregon and subsequently received a certificate from the Johns Hopkins University in Epidemiology and Biostastics. To prepare for a career in health policy, he is studying the interaction of science and law in such classes as Health Law and Food and Drug Law. He has worked on issues of Food and Drug policy and co-authored with a law professor an article for the Minnesota Journal of Law, Science and Technology. Additionally, he has conducted research on AIDS policy and on property law with and for public health and law professors at the University of Minnesota. While working at Antigenics, Inc., Robert was the team leader working on a Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR). This grant, which he successfully authored, was funded by NIH for preliminary development of tuberculosis vaccine. He has also worked on numerous research questions regarding diseases and therapeutics available on the market or pending approval. He sees his fellowship as an opportunity to work on cutting-edge issues at that intersection of science and law. Robert plans to pursue a career in health policy. Contact by email.
		Kristen A. Bethke (NAE/CASEE) will receive an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June 2005, and will return in the fall to pursue her PhD.  She received her BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in June 2003. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the MIT Man-Vehicle Laboratory, where her research focuses on the challenges of human spaceflight.  Kristen is interested in the role of engineering in international development, and she is the co-founder of an MIT student team that is helping a rural Honduran community develop a flood early warning system.  Back in Cambridge, MA, Kristen helps out weekly in K-12 science classrooms, where she has developed a deep concern for the shortcomings of science education in our schools.  Through her fellowship with CASEE, she hopes to learn how transformations in educational systems are evaluated and implemented.  She is interested in science and engineering pedagogy and in the effect of challenging students to use science and engineering to solve real problems in real communities. She plans to apply her background in engineering and service learning to K-12 science education. She enjoys reading, cooking with friends, and exploring the outdoors. Contact by email.
		Charlene Cho (GUIRR/PGA) earned her BA in Psychology from Smith College and her PhD in Neurobiology, Pharmacology, and Physiology from the University of Chicago. As a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she studied how patenting in biomedical research affects the willingness of scientists to share data and materials. After serving as a fellow at the National Academies of Science (Summer 2005 Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Graduate Fellowship Program/Government University Industry Research Roundtable Unit/Policy and Global Affairs Division) and the National Institutes of Health (2005-2006 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow/Office of the Director), she will enroll at Vanderbilt University Law School (Nashville, TN) in August 2006. She looks forward to using her technical background to pursue a career in intellectual property law. She enjoys volunteering in outreach programs for young children, particularly those that instill an appreciation for science, math and technology. She is an avid golfer and a huge fan of Italian opera. Contact by email (Updated 07/06)
		Jayatri Das (NAS/KSM) recently earned her PhD in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, where she was a Howard Hughes Predoctoral Fellow in Biological Sciences. Following her fellowship at the Koshland Science Museum, Jayatri will begin a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. She received BS degrees in Biology/Genetics and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Pennsylvania State University in May 1999. Jayatri’s community outreach includes coordinating public education programs for elementary and middle school children on topics spanning from the life sciences to environmental issues. She currently writes about research for nonscientists through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Ask A Scientist program where she answers science questions submitted by the public at www.hhmi.org/askascientist. She feels a personal responsibility to have a deeper impact on society by working to improve civic scientific literacy. Jayatri hopes that her fellowship at the National Academies will help her move toward a career in science policy and outreach, through which she can contribute to an educated populace who will participate in civic discourse about education, research funding, ethics, and other issues that will shape our future scientific progress. She also enjoys hiking, reading, and coxing for a community crew team. Contact by email.
		Lila K. Elliott (NAS/KSM/) is currently a Master’s degree candidate in Museum Studies at George Washington University with a concentration in administration.  In addition to museum studies, she is taking graduate level courses in Biology as part of a Natural Science Academic Core. She received her BA in Biology from Oberlin College were subsequently she took summer courses in marine biology.  Her professional experience includes working as a program specialist at the Franklin Park Conservatory, and as a summer science teacher at the Science Factory.  In conjunction with her AmeriCorps service, she has worked with various children’s organizations developing science programs using discovery based learning and science literacy/familiarity as central themes.  Lila hopes to conduct research on the potential of informal learning in museums.  She would like to contribute to the field by developing a curriculum that is scientifically accurate and relevant.  Her long range career goals are to serve as director of education at a science or natural history museum, and to contribute to the nonprofit sector.  Lila is very excited about her fellowship at the Koshland Science Museum and feels the experience will integrate well with her graduate studies and professional ambitions. Contact by email.
		Sarah Elson (PGA/STEP) is in her third year of the Biomedical Sciences PhD program at the University of California, San Francisco. She studies cell biology and pathogenesis of the opportunistic fungus Candida albicans. Sarah has a longstanding interest in the intersection of science and society at large. As an undergraduate at Harvard, she received a joint degree in History of Science and Biology. Her senior thesis compared the ways two activist physician groups integrated their professional roles into their political agendas. Before starting graduate school, Sarah worked for several years at the biotechnology company Exelixis, Inc., first in research and later in intellectual property as a science writer and patent agent. Experiences in patent law sparked her interest in science policy. She learned about ways that biotechnology patents can both hinder and promote innovative research. She also became interested in questions related to science funding and to the structure of productive collaborations between academia and industry. Ultimately Sarah plans to pursue a career in science policy or management and to bolster efforts to improve lives through biomedical advances. In her spare time, Sarah prefers to be out-of-doors. She is an avid runner and cyclist, and she tries to ski, hike, and climb as much as possible. Contact by email.
		Nicole M. Ganzekaufer (DBASSE/CPOP) is currently pursuing a MS in Nonprofit Management in from the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University; she expects to graduate in May 2006. She received her BA in Sociology and Anthropology at New College of Florida in 2000. Prior to her graduate studies Nicole spent over two years working as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in the Former Soviet Republic of Georgia. In Georgia Nicole co-facilitated English courses with a Georgian counterpart for the purpose of skills transfer and curriculum enhancement. During her time there, she also co-founded and secured funding for the first Computer Resource Center and English Language Resource Library in the Georgian public school where she was assigned. Her experiences in the Peace Corps fostered an interest in a career in international development, while her undergraduate work in sociology and anthropology taught her the importance of education and analysis in determining solutions for social problems. Following the completion of her MS she hopes to work in the nonprofit sector as a program manager in international development. As a policy fellow with the Committee on Population (CPOP) Nicole is interested in working on applied research projects that inform science and public policy as they relate to both U.S. social welfare programs and international development. Beyond her professional and academic interests Nicole enjoys traveling, hiking, mountain climbing, SCUBA diving, cooking, and learning new languages. Contact by email.
		Dalia Ghebreyal (PGA/COSEPUP) is currently working on her MA in the Educational Communication and Technology Program at the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University, where she is an International Ford Foundation Fellow.  Her lifelong interest in education has led her towards research into innovative new technologies for better education and learning.  She received both her BA in Elementary Education and a special diploma in Education and Psychology from the Tanta University in Egypt.  She was a teacher-trainer in Tanta, Egypt where she taught classes in Arabic and English as a Second Language.  As an international student and through her intern ships and volunteer experience in Egypt and at the United Nations, she has come to realize just how interconnected the global community is, and how important that realization is to her field of education. After receiving her PhD, she sees herself as a research professor who will conduct research to explore innovations and new technology that will advance education curricula. She plans to work toward better learning through applying the advanced technology in education and to play a key role in making future decisions for learning and education.  She strongly believes that public understanding of technology and digital literacy is the first step toward better education for new generations. Contact by email.
		Claudia Grossmann (IOM/BGH) is currently pursuing a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco. She received her BA in Biology at Washington University. Subsequently, she was a research assistant and lab manager at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Neuropathology where she initiated a project on neuronal-differentiation of human stem cells as a renewable source for primary human neuronal cultures. Her interest in biology and human health issues led to research involving human pathogens including Epstein-Barr virus, HIV, and Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated herpes virus. It is her hope to further her scientific education by gaining a better understanding of the “big-picture” perspective of modern science. It is this aspect that attracts her to public policy and the impact public policy can have on contemporary society. During her time at UCSF, Claudia has become involved with the Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP), which pairs scientists with science educators from middle and high schools from the greater San Francisco unified school district. In her long-term career ambitions she envisions a broad and interdisciplinary application of her enthusiasm for biology. Outside of the laboratory Claudia is an avid reader, enthusiast of good food and wine and an aspiring world traveler. Contact by email.
		Jennifer A. Hobin (PGA/COSEPUP) recently earned her PhD in Biopsychology at the University of Michigan where she studied the neurobiological substrates of fear learning and memory. While serving as a graduate student representative to the Psychology faculty, Jennifer took an interest in the education of graduate students. She assisted in designing a new course for incoming students and is currently co-designing a policy for evaluating the mentoring of graduate students. She received her BA in Psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook where she worked on a variety of research projects in social, experimental, and biological psychology. Over the course of her undergraduate and graduate training, she has developed a broad knowledge and genuine interest in the behavioral sciences. She thinks that an understanding of human psychology, from the way we behave in groups to the way we process sensory information, has important implications for policy-making. Jennifer is particularly interested in acting as a liaison between scientists and government in an effort to bring an understanding of science into the legal and policy domains. She is also interested in investigating the impact of legal and policy issues on scientific development. Finally, she is interested in conducting and analyzing social scientific research with relevance to contemporary policy issues. Jennifer views this fellowship as an excellent opportunity to transition from conducting basic research to working in the policy arena. Contact by email.
		Karintha Holifield (IOM/EO) is a first year medical student at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. She received her BA in Sociology from Yale University in 2004. Her interest in combining sociology with medicine culminated in a thesis entitled “Investigating the Trends: African-American Endeavors into the Medical Profession.” The article, published in the Fall 2004 issue of the Yale Journal of Sociology, accounts for various trends (applications to US medical schools, acceptances, enrollment, graduation, and physician specialties cross-categorized by gender) for African-Americans as they attempted to become practicing physicians. It was during the research for her thesis that she became aware of the IOM’s publications. This led her to further examine the organization and this fellowship opportunity. As a future physician dedicated to the maintenance of a healthy population, she finds her ideals are similar to those of the Institute of Medicine—to create a better healthcare system through research of current practices and trends in health-related fields, to improve the healthcare status of our society, and to ensure that safe and appropriate healthcare is delivered. Karintha is interested in combining the practice of medicine with healthcare policy research. She believes this fellowship will be important in determining how she constructs her professional career as a medical doctor. Contact by email.
		John D. Horigan (DELS/ILAR) is a graduate student at American University pursuing a MA in Philosophy and Social Policy. In May 2004, he received his BS in Biology from James Madison University. John has served in leadership positions on numerous committees, councils, and advisory boards within the university's system working in policy advocacy and implementation. He has always had a particular interest in public service, beginning in his teens as a Boy Scout (earned an Eagle Scout Award in 2000), and continuing throughout his college years through his involvement in student government and other organizations. This fellowship closely relates to his career goals as he has found that he is better suited in a more interactive role in public policy rather than working in a laboratory. After completing his MA, John plans to pursue a PhD in Bioethics in order to help bridge the gaps between science, philosophy, and public policy. John has a strong desire to educate the public about the sciences as well as current and proposed policies regarding the sciences. He hopes his training in ethics and the sciences will put him in position to help answer the difficult social and ethical questions as they arise through the advancement of science. Contact by email.
		Kelly Horton (IOM/FNB) earned an MS in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition in May 2005, at the same time completing the Didactic Program in Dietetics at Simmons College in Boston. She received her BS in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. She has transitioned from the private sector into the academic setting and from there she has enjoyed applying her skills within the non-profit sector. She spent a year in Beijing, China following her undergraduate studies working as a Country General Manager for AT&T Solutions. She was responsible for development and start-up operations of a joint-venture multi-site outsourcing call center between AT&T China and a local client company. Kelly's goal is to utilize her knowledge of food policy and nutrition to not only help individuals improve their daily lives, but to also ensure that our national and international food security and nutrition programs continue to meet the changing needs of our society. She is passionate about the importance of integrating the disciplines of nutrition science and public policy, so that evidence-based science can aid decision-makers in implementing sound public policy. Contact by email.
		Jason S. Leith (DELS/BCST) is in his second year of a PhD in Biophysics at Harvard University, where he is conducting research in protein-DNA recognition. He received his BA in Chemistry and was elected into Phi Beta Kappa at Williams College, and then received an MPhil in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University. Jason greatly enjoys teaching and research, and was once certain he wanted to pursue an academic career, but his time as a Mirzayan Fellow has made him question that certainty. In addition to science and science policy, Jason draws pleasure and satisfaction from swimming, long walks in the woods, singing, writing songs, and buying, preparing, and eating food. Contact by email. (Updated 06/07)
		Kirk A. Martin (DEPS/BEES) is pursuing a MS in Mechanical Engineering with a specialty in Thermodynamics (Energy Systems) at Georgia Institute of Technology. He holds a graduate research position with the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Initiative—a newly formed organization whose purpose is to examine energy issues on a nationwide scale and lend Georgia Tech’s “voice” to the setting of energy policy. He received a BA from Purdue University in Communications in 1992 and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000. Professionally, he has worked as a controls engineer at Factory Automation Systems designing control panels for automated industrial processes. He also worked as a consumer advisor for Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics. Kirk is an active member of Georgia Tech’s Engineering Students Without Borders program and is currently working on a project to provide potable water to a small community in Honduras called Los Angeles. Kirk’s interest in working with the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES) comes from his passion for energy, which he considers the focus of his life right now. In particular, he is concerned with the good use of energy, and with responsible production. Because of this, he is seriously considering complementing his Masters in Thermodynamics with a Masters in Energy Policy. Kirk is looking forward to contributing to work that plays some part in the formation and/or implementation of science and technology policy. Contact by email.
		Ashrujit Mohanty (NAE/CASEE) is pursuing his DSc in Computer Engineering at George Washington University. He expects to graduate in December 2008. Ashrujit received his bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the National Institute of Science and Technology at Berhampur University, India in October 2002. He worked as an Assistant System Engineer at Tata Consulting Services (TCS) in Mumbai, India and was an active member of its Learning and Development team and led the systems thinking group at his office. He is one of the youth coordinators and a volunteer at the National Council of Asian Indian Associations (NCAIA)—http://www.merabharatmahan.org—where he helps organize socio-cultural events for the Indian community in the Washington, DC area and works on development initiatives in India. Ashrujit is a research assistant at George Washington University in the High Performance Computing Lab (http://hpcl.gwu.edu) working on parallel distributed computing, parallel languages, and benchmarking of HPC systems. During his fellowship with CASEE, Ashrujit hopes to gain first hand knowledge on the way information is acquired and analyzed to make recommendations on current policy issues. He is also excited about the prospect of getting a sneak peak into future trends in science and technology. Ashrujit either intends to pursue a career in academia or industry research so as to advance computing power capability in an effort to benefit the quality of human life. He loves music, literature, psychology, riding, and traveling. Contact by email.
		Vivek Mohta (PGA/CISAC) will be joining the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) in October. STPI is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center at the Institute for Defense Analyses that supports the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He is currently finishing his term as an American Physical Society Congressional Fellow in the office of Representative Adam Schiff. He works on nuclear non-proliferation and science and technology issues and helps coordinate the Democratic Study Group on National Security. He regularly calls on the people he met while working at CISAC for answers to urgent questions. Vivek earned a PhD in mathematics from Harvard University in 2005. His research focused on the strong force in particle physics. He was an undergraduate at MIT and received degrees in both mathematics and physics. Over the last three years, Vivek has also actively participated in several political campaigns. Contact by email. (Updated 06/07)
		Benjamin A. Novak (PGA/COSEPUP) is currently pursuing his MS in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his BA in Political Science and his BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh where he was a member of the University Honors College. As an undergraduate student, Benjamin has had the unique experience of completing internships in both technical and policy areas working in a variety of places including the United States Congress, House Science Committee, the Vascular Research Center of Dr. David Vorp, and the Artificial Liver Lab of Dr. Jack Patzer. Through these experiences he learned that the interaction of public policy and science is very important, but often overlooked. His internship at the House Committee on Science led him to understand that few people really understood the important relationship between the growth in science and the change in culture. With his two degrees and his masters in public policy and management, Benjamin hopes to possess the knowledge to induce positive transformations in U.S. science policy. He wants to spend his career working with groups like the National Academies that advise the government of scientific and technology issues. He views his fellowship with the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) as an opportunity to work with the leaders of science policy while enabling him to gain invaluable experience in observing the actual making of science policy. Contact by email.
		Christopher J. Ordowich (DEPS/BAST) attends the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California, where he is working towards his PhD in policy analysis.  As a graduate student, his ongoing research has focused on military retention issues. Chris graduated from Emory University with a BA in economics and a BS in physics.  His senior honors thesis studied the process of irradiating a protein containing B-12, with the goal of characterizing its mechanism.  Also as an undergraduate, he founded the Emory Pre-Engineering Society, whose purpose was to provide information to undergraduates about the possibilities of future engineering education and careers.  Chris has had several diverse and prestigious internships, including working at the US Securities and Exchange Commission; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory; and as a finance intern for the company Cvent.  Chris has been interested in becoming a policy fellow at the National Academies ever since he toured the Marian Koshland Science Museum in the summer of 2004, where he came across something familiar—an innovative exhibit that allowed the participant to drag an LCD display across a timeline to see how global temperatures are predicted to change.  This was the exact model he had spent the previous summer working on for NOAA. It was at that moment that the connection between science and policy really began to make sense to him.  Chris plans to pursue a career in science and technology policy and hopes to address issues of scientific funding in his dissertation. Contact by email.
		Raed M. Sharif (PGA/BISO) is a first year Ph.D. student in Information Science and Technology (IST) program at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. He received his BA in Economics and Political Science in 1999 and his MBA in 2002 from Birzeit University, located in Ramallah–West Bank, Palestine. In addition to his 5 years experience in initiating and managing IT projects at Birzeit University and other Palestinian institutions, Raed worked as a local researcher and consultant for United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), European Union (EU), and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on related Information and Communication Technology (ICT) issues and their implications on the Palestinian people and economy. Raed is currently pursuing two main areas of interest: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s) Strategy and Policy Formulation, in particular looking at the role and the influence of Civil Society on this process; and ICT and Diplomacy, studying the use of ICT/Internet in diplomacy processes .Other research interest include Innovation and Development, Knowledge and Technology Transfer, and ICT for Development. Raed hopes to use his work experiences with international organizations and his background as a citizen of Palestine, to help the National Academies strengthen its relationships with developing nations, and to explore new mechanisms of future cooperation and coordination, so as to achieve better understanding of these countries social and cultural issues. Raed believes the fellowship with Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) will help him to better define his future specific area of interest and research within the Science and Technology policy area. Contact by email.
		John B. Slanina (PGA/COSEPUP) is pursuing a MS in public policy with a concentration in science and technology policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he previously received his MS mechanical engineering in May 2002. During the 2000-2001 school year, he studied engineering at the Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Metiers (ENSAM) in Metz, France. John earned his undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics from Youngstown State University in June 2000. He is currently a policy studies intern at the Georgia Electronic Commerce Association, where he assists the organization in researching e-commerce issues and in developing policy initiatives between the Georgia State Legislature and the private sector. In his spare time, he has also volunteered with the “Shantytown Experience", a fundraiser for charities that assist the local homeless population. This project has enlisted hundreds of volunteers to raise funds and awareness regarding homelessness. John believes that the nature of his interdisciplinary graduate research in sensor design and bioengineering, which has been funded by various government agencies, makes him a good fit for the fellowship program at the National Academies. He believes that this experience will further enhance his interaction with the science community and his personal understanding of the development of policy. John’s career goals include working within the federal government to assist programs that will support and develop research and the intellectual capital of communities, in order to orient their economies toward the expansion of innovation-based economic development. Contact by email.
		Devin O. Stewart (NAE/CASEE) expects to earn his MS in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in May 2005. He earned his BS and BA in Aerospace Engineering and Spanish Language & Literature, respectively, from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is currently a graduate research assistant conducting experimental wind tunnel studies of rough wall turbulent boundary layers and is also a lab instructor for upper-level aerospace laboratory courses. During the fall of 2001, Devin worked as an English language teacher in Madrid, Spain, helping business people increase their proficiency skills. His interest in working with the Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education (CASEE) stems from the desire to use his recent experience as an engineering student to address issues related to the continuing improvement of engineering education and student retention, which he believes is vital to continued technological innovation. He feels that this fellowship will be a fantastic opportunity to study how government can create an environment conducive to the improvement of science and engineering education. Although Devin is currently concentrating on a career as an engineer, he is enthusiastic about exploring other areas, and remains open to potential career opportunities outside of more traditional engineering options. Contact by email.
		Jia Xu (DEPS/ASEB) received his B.S. in aerospace engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is now completing his MSc in International Relations at the London School of Economics with a dissertation focus in security. In the fall of 2005 Jia will attend Imperial College in London and undertake a multidisciplinary MSc program in aeronautical engineering with an emphasis on fluid-structure interactions. The Imperial program will lead into a PhD program in high-speed aerodynamics at Caltech under an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship starting in the fall of 2006. While studying at the LSE, Jia worked as a research intern at the Royal United Service Institute (RUSI) in London, where he applied his international relations understanding and technical background to study emerging issues related to the European Union's common defense and space policies and the ongoing NATO force transformation. In the summer of 2004, he was selected to represent the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in the Washington Internship for Scientists and Engineers (WISE) program, where he studied the policy implications of the U.S. Navy's sea basing expeditionary strategy. In the same summer, Jia also worked as a naval architect for the Sea Connector Fleet Architecture Development Program at the Naval Surface Warfare Center to explore platform alternatives to support the Navy's sea basing strategy. Jia plans to pursue a career in public service, where he can synthesize his technology base and international relations framework to advance both national defense and international security. Contact by email.