VIMS Student Pursues Summer Internship at the White House

VIMS graduate student Ike Irby (right) gave his advisor Marjy Friedrichs (center) and VIMS Professor Carl Friedrichs (left) a tour of the White House when they stopped by Washington D.C. this summer.

by Erin Fryer -- Graduate student Isaac (Ike) Irby of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science recently returned from Washington D.C. where he spent his summer working with the nation’s top scientists within the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Irby, a Ph.D. student in William & Mary’s School of Marine Science at VIMS, was selected for the prestigious internship within the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) housed within OSTP. As a federal advisory committee, PCAST consists of leading scientists and engineers who make policy recommendations to President Obama in areas where understanding science, technology, and innovation is key.

“PCAST is constructed as an avenue for President Obama to gain advice from non-governmental scientists,” says Irby. “The group of 20 exemplary scientists helps strategize what the science agenda should be and what issues the President might want to focus on, as well as topics the President himself tasks the Council to examine.”

A graduate of Bowdoin College, Irby came to VIMS in 2012 to pursue his Master’s degree, which he later bypassed to complete his doctorate while simultaneously completing a Master’s of Public Policy at W&M. The joint degree is offered by the College’s Thomas Jefferson Program, which provides students with the intellectual tools needed to improve the quality of policymaking in the United States and abroad.

Irby’s graduate advisor, VIMS Research Associate Professor Marjorie Friedrichs, describes the joint degree program as being extremely demanding, and says Irby has had to juggle a heavy class load on W&M’s campus while keeping up with his classes and modeling research at VIMS. “While the program might not be for everyone, I’m hoping that Ike’s raising awareness at VIMS so that more students will take advantage of this unique opportunity.”

As an intern, Irby helped develop reports to advise President Obama on pertinent issues encompassing all aspects of science and technology. After arriving in the nation’s capitol, Irby put his background in marine science to use right away by helping to put together an oceans panel, which was established to inform PCAST advisors on current pressing issues in ocean science, including ocean acidification, sea-level rise, ocean-observing technologies, and the nation’s dwindling research fleet.

In addition to the oceans panel, Irby says he helped develop reports on issues such as combating antibiotic resistance, enhancing the role of education technology in training the nation’s middle-skill workforce, and the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

Friedrichs says she was thrilled when she first learned Irby had been selected for the internship. “I knew this would be an amazing experience that will help shape his view of government and science policy throughout his future career,” she says.

While he enjoyed his summer in the White House and would jump at the opportunity to work with OSTP again, Irby says his long-term goal is to help developing countries formulate their own ocean policies. “I want to help them realize that the ocean transcends international boundaries, and that we have to work together,” he says.

Irby says he took away several memories—both professionally and personally—from his summer in the White House, including the Fourth of July fireworks display and concert on the White House lawn, and being asked by a secret service officer to fill an empty seat near the front of the room during a Presidential Address.

VIMS graduate student Ike Irby snaps a photo with Bill Nye during the first-ever White House Maker Faire.Professionally speaking, Irby says his favorite project from the summer was getting to take part in the first-ever White House Maker Faire. “This event brought in top innovators—young and old—from across the nation to showcase the great things Americans are making using science and technology,” he says. During the event, Irby even managed to snap a quick “selfie” with Bill Nye the Science Guy.“My time at OSTP reaffirmed my goal of pursuing national and international science advisory after the completion of my degrees,” says Irby. “The opportunity to work at the White House under a President who holds science and technology in such high regard was an incredibly motivating experience that will guide me headlong into future endeavors.”

“Ike’s background in ocean modeling and policy will open so many doors for him after he graduates,” says Friedrichs. “I can’t wait to see what path he chooses.”VIMS graduate student Ike Irby snaps a photo with Bill Nye during the first-ever White House Maker Faire.Professionally speaking, Irby says his favorite project from the summer was getting to take part in the first-ever White House Maker Faire. “This event brought in top innovators—young and old—from across the nation to showcase the great things Americans are making using science and technology,” he says. During the event, Irby even managed to snap a quick “selfie” with Bill Nye the Science Guy.“My time at OSTP reaffirmed my goal of pursuing national and international science advisory after the completion of my degrees,” says Irby. “The opportunity to work at the White House under a President who holds science and technology in such high regard was an incredibly motivating experience that will guide me headlong into future endeavors.”

“Ike’s background in ocean modeling and policy will open so many doors for him after he graduates,” says Friedrichs. “I can’t wait to see what path he chooses.”

Excerpted from: http://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/irby_ostp.php