Friday, June 28, 2013
By:
It’s been another eventful week here in the nation’s capital! In the committee office, all of the staff and us interns were working to prepare for two hearings and a markup of the National Windstorm Reduction Act. The two hearings were on Weather Forecasting and an evaluation of Energy Savings Performance Contracts for Green Buildings.
My hearing assignment this week was to assist the staff and photograph the Green Buildings Hearing. It’s amazing how many more details and interactions you can witness through the lens of the camera. I was able to see staff conferring with the Congressmen, capture the emotion coming from the witnesses during their testimonies, and record reactions and topics of interest to the audience.
I also had the opportunity to attend several receptions in the evenings. On Wednesday, I attended a Scientific Research Facility Exhibition, which had hands-on demonstrations of work from different labs. I got to see how a mammography device works, energy-saving roof tiles, the basics of atom-smashing, nuclear physics, and so much more!
Then, at AIP over the next couple evenings, the interns got to meet the AIP Development Board and the SPS Executive Committee. It was great to hear about everyone’s experiences this summer, meet some great professors, and talk to Dr. Mather about my experience so far on the Hill! After Friday’s dinner, we had the opportunity to go with the SPS Executive Committee to a Captiol Steps comedy performance at the Reagan Center. All of the sketches/songs poked fun at recent political events, and it was really entertaining to see a different take on the events that I’d been hearing about on the Hill each week.
Next week is a recess week for Congress, so it’ll be a little slower in the office, but I’m definitely looking forward to all the exciting events going on to celebrate the 4th of July!
Nikki Sanford