Jesse Jones Leadership Center Summer in D.C. Policy Research Internship Program
Offering Rice University undergraduates hands-on experience in the world of public policy research and analysis.
The goal of the Jesse Jones Leadership Center Summer in D.C. Policy Research Internship Program is to offer Rice University undergraduate students hands-on experience in the world of public policy research and analysis in our nation’s capital. Initiated in 2004, the program provides stipends sufficient to support a select group of students conducting policymaking research at government agencies, private think tanks and nongovernmental organizations in Washington, D.C., each summer. A committee of Baker Institute researchers and Rice faculty select each summer’s participants. Those selected attend a seminar on public policy and global affairs coterminous with their internships in D.C., write a research report for publication, give a presentation before Rice faculty and researchers, and organize a public education activity for the following academic year. Applicants are individually responsible for selecting and establishing internships and residency in D.C.
The application for the 2012 program is available 
here. The deadline to apply for the 2012 program has passed.
Since 2004, 63 students have worked at the State Department, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Middle East Institute, the Urban Institute, the National Science Foundation, the Center for American Progress, the American Enterprise Institute, the Humane Society and the American Civil Liberties Union, among others. Many have used their research experiences to obtain prestigious scholarships for advanced study, including Rhodes Scholarships, The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, Thomas J. Watson Fellowships, Fulbright Scholarships and Wagoner Scholarships.
The program is led by Steven W. Lewis, C.V. Starr Transnational China Fellow at the Baker Institute and professor of the practice in humanities at Rice. It is sponsored by a grant from the Houston Endowment Inc. Additional support has been provided by: the Mattel Foundation; The Honorable Edward N. Ney; The Honorable Anne L. Armstrong and Mr. Tobin Armstrong; The Honorable Roy M. Huffington; The Honorable Kenneth Franzheim II; the Eason Weinmann Foundation; and The Honorable Peter F. Secchia.
2011 Program Interns
The 2011 cohort of students was jointly constituted by the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy’s Jesse Jones Leadership Center and the George R. Brown School of Engineering’s Center for Engineering Leadership.
Benjamin Brookstone, a senior from Bethesda, Md., interned with Thomas Rindflesch at the National Institute of Health’s Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications. A cognitive science and music performance major, Benjamin is interested in the implications for education policy of recent scientific research on cognitive processing. He was recommended for participation in the program by linguistics professor Michel Achard and is from McMurtry College.
Matthew Carey, a senior from Dallas, Texas, interned with Embry Howell, senior researcher at the Health Policy Center of the Urban Institute, and also worked with 2009 Jesse Jones D.C. summer internship program alumna Fiona Adams. Matthew is majoring in chemistry and economics, with a focus on inequalities in health care provision, and in economically efficient health care services and policy. He was recommended for participation in the program by sociology professor Michael Lindsay and is from McMurtry College.
Benjamin Chou, a junior from Sugar Land, Texas, interned with the White House Council on Environmental Quality. An Asian studies, energy policy studies and political science major, Benjamin is interested in environmental policy and international environmental and energy policy formation, particularly with regard to China. He was recommended for participation in the program by Baker Institute fellow Steven Lewis and is from Martel College.
Rebecca Jaffe, a senior from Houston, Texas, interned with researcher Nicolae Duduta at EMBARQ, the Center for Sustainable Transport of the World Resources Institute. Rebecca is majoring in civil and environmental engineering, and is interested in environmental policy and sustainable transport and infrastructure. She was recommended for participation in the program by political science professor Bob Stein and is from Wiess College.
Tawfik Jarjour, a senior from Sugar Land, Texas, interned as policy/advocacy intern with Mona Bormet of Christian Connections for International Health, and at Habitat for Humanity International's Office of Government Relations and Advocacy. Tawfik is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and minoring in biochemistry and cell biology. He is studying disaster relief and crisis management research and health policy. He was recommended for participation in the program by Baylor College of Medicine pediatrics and psychiatry professor Lane Strathearn and is from McMurtry College.
Ellory Matzner, a senior from Newport Beach, Calif., assisted in research on the Farm Bill with Tim Male, vice president of conservation policy at Defenders of Wildlife. An environmental engineering and policy studies major, Ellory is interested in food sustainability and environmental policy. She was recommended for participation in the program by professor in the practice of civil and environmental engineering James Blackburn and is from Wiess College.
Sailesh Prabhu, a senior from Houston, Texas, researched the comparative economic determinants of successful space programs with Tom Cremins, director of the Studies and Analysis Division at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Sailesh is majoring in computational and applied math and mechanical engineering, and is interested in space policy and science and technology policy. He was recommended for participation in the program by professor of computational and applied mathematics Mark Embree and is from Will Rice College.
Joe Pullano, a junior from Danville, Calif., assisted in research on constitutional law and legal policy for Michael Greve of the Legal Center for the Public Interest of the American Enterprise Institute. Joe is majoring in English and political science, and is interested in federal legal doctrine and criminal justice policy. He was recommended for participation in the program by sociology professor Michael Lindsay and is from Lovett College.
Rahul Rekhi, a junior from Katy, Texas, assisted in research on science and technology policy for Neysa Call of the Congressional Affairs Group of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at the National Science Foundation. Rahul is majoring in bioengineering and economics, and is interested in exploring the nexus between ethics, health, and science and technology. He was recommended for participation in the program by bioengineering professor Amina Qutub and is from Sid Richardson College.
Neeraj Salhotra, a junior from Bellaire, Texas, assisted in research on energy policy with senior fellow Bracken Hendricks and special assistant Lisbeth Kaufman of the Center for American Progress. A classical studies and economics major, Neeraj is interested in public policy and global affairs in general, and energy policy in particular. He was recommended for participation in the program by Baker Institute fellow Amy Myers Jaffe and is from Sid Richardson College.
Mark Seraydarian, a senior from Los Angeles, Calif., assisted in research on demographics and long-term political-economic determinants of domestic politics and international relations with Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute, including working with 2008 Jesse Jones D.C. summer internship program alumnus Dale Swartz. Mark is majoring in history and policy studies, with a focus on foreign policy and conflict resolution. He was recommended for participation in the program by sociology professor Michael Lindsay and is from McMurtry College.
Chajin Wu, a junior from West Lafayette, Ind., assisted in research with Laura Murphy, director of the Washington Legislative Office of the American Civil Liberties Union. A Hispanic studies and political science major, Chajin is interested in civil rights policy at the domestic and international levels. She was recommended for the program by political science professor Paul Brace and is from Martel College.
Program Alumni
Fiona Adams
Ashley Allen
Chris Aresu
David Brown
Diana Cahill
Kara Calhoun
Evan Colton
Kirti Datla
Michael Feldman
Devin Glick
Molly Goldstein
Vivek Gopalan
Sean Graham
Emery Gullickson
Hrishikesh Hari
Keith Henneke
Bhavika Kaul
John Kehoe
Noorain Khan
Christina Lagos
Casey Langwith
Daniel LaSalle
Jason Lee
David Liou
Jingyuan Luo
Cort Malmberg
Mithun Mansinghani
Patrick McAnaney
Jordana Mosten
Janey Myers
Saira Karim Najam
Shireen Nasir
Kelly O'Connor
Payton Odom
Sarah Perelstein
Rachael Petersen
James Prohaska
Sanna Ronkainen
Arthi Satyanarayan
Ariela Schachter
Apoorva Shah
Tara Slough
Rachel Solnick
Dale Swartz
Laura Szarmach
Christina Tran
Joe Vavra
Navin Vij
Andy Wang
Kathryn Wheat
Victoria Zyp
