The Department of Political Science announces the Summer 2008 Jeffrey L. Pressman Awards for research, travel or internship in US government, politics, law or education. All members of MIT undergraduate classes 2009, 2010 and 2011 are eligible to apply.
Several stipends (maximum $5000 each) will be awarded to MIT undergraduates for use during the summer to undertake a special project or internship in US government, politics or policy. The project should focus on some legal, political, institutional or policy issue.
The deadline to submit an application/proposal is Monday, APRIL 14 at 5:00 pm.
Turn in completed proposals to E53-484. Your letters of recommendation may be turned in with your proposal or sent via email to Tobie Weiner, iguanatw@mit.edu.
1. Describe your project.
2. Include a preliminary budget.
1. List your faculty advisor. This person must be a member of the MIT faculty, but not necessarily a political science professor.
2. Include letters of recommendation from 2 MIT faculty members.
3. A current resume.
I will gather and analyze time series data on U.S. party positioning with the goal of developing a continuous and coherent realignment theory. My motivation stems largely from a frustration with the current moribund state of realignment theory, which I believe a quantitative approach has the potential to improve. The Pressman Award will enable me to devote an entire summer to pursuing this research.
When a new line for the subway is decided upon, what politics are involved? Who is affected the most and why? How is the engineering agreed upon? What are the environmental impacts of the proposed construction? Does this new construction negatively affect the individual rights and freedoms of the members of the community? All of these questions and more go into the decision-making process of policymakers as they construct new legislation that affects the citizens around them. However, what aspects of the decision-making process are most important to policymakers, and how can an individual citizen who is in opposition effectively voice their opinion in order to bring about change? During my summer as an Intern in the office of US Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay, I hope to shed light on the answers to these questions as I create a comprehensive model that investigates the multiple dimensions that affect policymakers' decisions during the creation and execution of public works infrastructure related policy in the city of St. Louis, MO through the compilation of intense research and expert testimony from community leaders in several different pertinent areas of government and academia.
I plan to analyze research done in the fields of cognitive neuroscience and linguistics to explain how the use of certain phrases and words can drastically shape the thought processes of people. I will then apply this phenomenon to explain how historical and current political rhetoric have allowed politicians and government officials to manipulate the perspectives and thought processes of voters for benevolent and malicious reasons. I hope to catalog terms used in campaigns, speeches, and legislation such as "tax relief", "free market", and "war on terror" and measure their impact on current political discourse and how voters today think.
Matt Brooks looked at the efficacy of market-based reforms versus command-and-control regulation in the reduction of solid waste production in the United States. His interest in the topic was motivated by a strong general interest in environmental issues. In his studies at MIT, Brooks frequently come across the theoretical ideas behind the debates between markets versus direct control in regulating the environment. This project allowed him to examine concrete empirical results within the subject.
Samantha Neuwirth spent the summer as an intern at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. The Center is a nonpartisan research organization that works at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low and moderate income families. Neuwirth's research focused on new innovations that are becoming part of the US healthcare system and how they will be funded.
John Velasco interned as a research assistant on the House Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C. Through this internship he was able to gain first hand knowledge of domestic military policy which has been the focus of his political science studies at MIT.
While working at the HASC Velasco used the opportunity to research the committee itself. Through personal observation and interviews he tried to gain a sense of how the committee came to it's policy decisions and what factors influenced them. This is a topic of personal interest to Velasco which he hopes to explore further in his research at MIT after this summer experience.
Jonathan Boysielal worked as an intern with the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MBPC). MBPC aims to provide independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies, and economic issues that affect low and moderate income people in Massachusetts. One of the projects of the MBPC is the publication of the Budget Monitor , a newsletter that offers an overview of the on-going state budget process, along with detailed analyses of relevant spending issues.
Kaitlin Lewis worked as an intern with LEAP Self-Defense, Inc., a non-profit organization with the mission of producing the individual safety of girls and women through focused educational programs. Their programs combine physical self-defense techniques, safety and awareness skills, and confidence building to create safer lives for girls and women. LEAP programs are led by professional women in social work or physical-skills training, and are supported by college women who serve as mentors and teaching assistants, allowing for extensive personal attention to the needs of each girl.
In this project Mary Presley examined how various societies have attempted to come to terms with past injustices, and how long-term reconciliation can be promoted through legal and political means. Presley looked at models of reconciliation endorsed by the United Nation as well as conciliatory actions of other post-slavery societies. She also critiqued current steps towards reconciliation in America and proposed steps, particularly the debate on reparations for slavery. She then produced a written account examining various case studies on reconciliation, the political debates for American reparations and her own ideas of alternate ways to promote reconciliation between black and white America.
For this project Lillie Werner investigated the self-regulation of the legal profession by examining California State Bar Court disciplinary decisions from 1990 to 2002. She assembled complete stories of lawyers who betray their personal and professional ethics, and were consequently held accountable for them by a self-governing body. This project was unique because it focused on disciplinary hearings as an insight to professional deviances and the failure of self-regulation, paying special attention to the circumstances in which lawyers turned on their ethical foundations.
Rumman Chowdhury worked as an intern at the Center for an Urban Future, a New York City based think tank that combines journalistic tactics with policy analysis to create in-depth reports of the city's situation, and workable policy solutions on the issues facing New York City. They also work to clearly and effectively convey these solutions to local advocates, policy makers, academics and the public.
The Center for an Urban Future focuses on many problems in New York City but Chowdhury worked specifically with the September 11th Group. Using her background in political science and management she was able to play a role in the rebuilding of New York City as well as helping to renew the sense of security and community that had been lost.
Rebecca Kurnik worked as an intern in the Washington DC Health office of Senator Kennedy. Kennedy's Health Office works on many issues ranging from social issues such as community health centers and access to medical care to legal issues such as medical record privacy and abortion to scientific and medical issues such as embryonic stem cell research. Biomedical research issues, and in particular, embryonic stem cell research is of specific interest to Kurnik.
As an intern Kurnik assisted in the preparation of press conferences and floor statements and reviewed speeches and press releases. She also worked with legislative fellows to research current issues by referring to previous legislation and looking for other supporting evidence through case studies. In addition she attended press conferences and committee hearings where she took notes and wrote memorandums for the office on the relevant material discussed. This internship gave her the opportunity to learn first hand how scientific, social and legal issues are translated into healthcare policy.
Miranda Priebe spent the summer as an intern at the Center for Defense Information (CDI) in Washington, DC. CDI is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that conducts research on issues of global security. Their research is used to inform citizen groups as well as public policy makers.
As a Physics and Political Science major Priebe was able to combine her interests and apply her technical knowledge to issues in public policy and, especially nuclear proliferation and national missile defense. Working closely with CDI staff she helped to produce published reports, journal articles and op-ed pieces.