Internship helps students learn firsthand about public policy

Irene Berry, who begins her senior year this fall at Virginia Polytechnic University, spent her summer as ASME's 2006 Washington Internship of Students in Engineering (WISE) intern.

The WISE program is an annual internship in which students spend nine weeks on Capitol Hill meeting with government policymakers, attending seminars and meetings, and visiting with Congressional, federal and engineering society staff. The interns then take what they've learned and apply it in writing a public policy-related paper of interest to them and their sponsoring society.

Irene Berry, ASME's WISE intern for 2006

Berry, who hails from Stokesdale, N.C., was one of eight engineering students who participated in the summer program, which began in early June and ends this month. Each WISE intern was sponsored by a professional engineering society. Besides ASME, participating societies include the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Nuclear Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Berry, a member of ASME since 2004, is majoring in mechanical engineering with a focus on hybrid electric vehicles and controls technology. She participates in a variety of activities outside of the classroom, participating in community service projects and the Odyssey of the Mind competition. In addition, Berry has spent time in Poland, where she taught English and co-coached a champion Odyssey of the Mind team there.

Berry (fourth from left) and the rest of the 2006 WISE internship class

For additional information on the WISE internship program, visit www.wise-intern.org, or contact Melissa Murray, ASME Government Relations Representative, at murraym@asme.org.

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