OSU student selected for prestigious D.C. internship

Oklahoma State University engineering major Harrison Schroeder is one of only a dozen students nationwide who have been selected for a prestigious Washington Internship for Students of Engineering (WISE). The junior from Shawnee, Kan., is the third student from OSU to be selected for the program, which annually attracts more than 600 applicants.

The WISE Internship was founded to give future leaders of the engineering profession practical insight into the public policy process. Schroeder will spend nine weeks in Washington D.C. learning how government officials make decisions and how engineers can contribute to legislative and regulatory policy.  Each student submits a policy proposal during the selection process.

“I’m thankful for this opportunity to gain technical expertise in nuclear engineering while also learning the process required to create legislation,” said Schroeder.  

During the internship, WISE scholars attend meetings, field trips and events to interact with congressional leaders, the administration, federal agencies, industry, and prominent non-governmental organizations.  At the end of the internship, students present their findings and a thesis to sponsoring members and congressional representatives.   

Schroeder wants to advance renewable resources by promoting clean, safe nuclear energy, without the dangers posed by the spread of weapons-grade uranium. “By converting or ‘down-blending’ our own highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium, the United States can establish a new precedent in nuclear policy that decreases the need for foreign dependence and streamlines the waste conversion process,” explained Schroeder. 

“OSU has been a catalyst for my development, and I want to thank my mentor Dr. Dan Fisher, who brought me into his research when I was just a freshman,” said Schroeder.  “I also want to thank Dr. Karl Reid, who has long been a proponent of my academic pursuits, as well as 2013 WISE Scholar Logan Scott, who helped me craft my application at all hours of the night.”  

Outstanding third and fourth year engineering/computer science students, or students in engineering/ computer science graduate programs, are eligible for the scholarship, which is awarded by WISE societies.