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Mark Wenzel, AGU's 2006–2007 Congressional Science Fellow, joined approximately 35 other congressional fellows from all fields of science and engineering on 5 September to begin a two-week fellow orientation program, sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Following this orientation, Wenzel will seek placement in the office of a senator, representative, or congressional committee, where he will offer advice on a wide range of scientific issues as they pertain to public policy.
Wenzel, who is AGU's 30th Congressional Science Fellow, completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in May 2006. His research focused on the evolution of the Martian interior, and on the physics of magnetite, an iron oxide. Prior to graduate school, he worked with Samson Investment, an oil and gas company in Tulsa, Okla. He received his M.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Michigan in 2002, and his A.B. in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College in 1998.
The selection of a congressional office is made more complicated every other year because of national elections. Fellows will have to weigh several factors in their decision-making this year, including whether the senator or representative may be in the majority next year, or even lose his or her election. Placement is a two-way process. Fellows typically seek an office that works on issues important to them, and where they feel politically and ideologically comfortable. The congressional office, in turn, interviews fellows to determine if they will make a positive contribution over the year and will be a good fit with other staff.
Fellows typically are responsible for a broad range of science and technology issues, which will suit Wenzel. “I am a generalist by temperament,” he said. Wenzel has expressed an interest in energy policy, which could be a hot topic in Congress for years to come.
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