INTERN BLOG POST Fourth Week Already? By: Ashley Finger I am nearing the end of my fourth week as an intern for the Committee, and I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by! I ended my last entry with an expression of how excited I was to work on the particle physics hearing, which was on Tuesday, June 10th. Leading up to the hearing prepared binders, read witness testimony, and was even give the opportunity to write potential questions for the subcommittee members. The day of the hearing was one of my favorite (and longest) days so far this summer. I started off my morning with the hearing titled “A Review of the P5: The U.S. Vision for Particle Physics After Discovery of the Higgs Boson” where we heard testimony from particle physicists regarding funding recommendations for projects in particles physics. It was rewarding for me to not only hear testimony from directors of national laboratories, but also experience the enthusiasm of the members of the Committee for particle physics. I spent the rest of my afternoon completing post-hearing tasks such as compiling a Facebook photo album, as well as starting my first additional project for a staff member related to my personal interest in environmental issues. Immediately upon finishing my project, I left to help set up for the National User Facility Organization Exposition—an event in Rayburn where representatives from national laboratories presented their research to members and staff. I was extremely lucky in that not only did I get to speak with scientists about their research as an attendee, but since I was also a volunteer through my affiliation with the American Institute of Physics, I was able to interact with the scientists on a more personal level at a dinner following the event. The next week and a half included improving my video recording skills (everything from capturing the live video feed to compiling a YouTube playlist), learning the ins and outs of sitting at the front desk, and taking the lead on a hearing titled “The Future of Surface Transportation” through which I learned a lot about the technological advances in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication that will become the future of highway transportation. I also transcribed quotations, edited transcripts of past hearings, and worked on a research project for the subcommittee on the environment. I am also very excited to say that my fellow American Institute of Physics interns (who are placed in internship positions that range from NASA to a different congressional office) are becoming engaged with activities on Capitol Hill—several of them even watched the markup of the Department of Energy Research and Development Act of 2014 online!
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 21:00:03 +0000
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