Remote Policy Internships (Summer 2014) – American Water Works Association

Remote Policy Interns – For the American Water Works Association (AWWA)
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has conducted several of drinking water policy projects through summer interns in its Washington, DC Office over the past several years. AWWA would like to increase its drinking water policy analyses, but physically locating more summer interns in the Washington, DC Office poses some space constraints. AWWA piloted a program for Remote Policy Interns in 2013, intends to continue this program for three Remote Policy Interns in the summer of 2014.

The three AWWA Remote Policy Interns would remain at their home universities for the summer and be paid a stipend of $3,000 for working approximately 10-12 hours per week over the summer on drinking water policy projects. AWWA would contract directly with the Interns. The Interns can either develop a policy analysis project that is based on their ongoing research at their home institution or conduct a separate policy analysis project that is of interest to the applicant and useful to AWWA. The goal of the remote internship to submit a paper on the results of the policy research to the Journal – American Water Works Association. Publication of the results of the policy research would be the successful outcome of the internship. AWWA staff and the Selection Committee would approve the project concept as being timely and relevant to drinking water policy issues.

The schedule for the pilot virtual policy program is below:

  • Early- to mid-January 2014 – Advertise AWWA Remote Policy Intern Program to a wide variety of academic institutions and through the AWWA Young Professionals Committee;
  • Friday, March 7, 2014 – Deadline for submission of short proposals to be sent to remotepolicyinterns@awwa.org
  • Mid-March – April, 2014 – A series of phone interviews with potential applicants to discuss potential proposals;
  • Friday, April 18, 2014- Selection of three Remote Policy Interns by Selection Committee; Mid-April – May 2014 – A series of conference calls with AWWA technical advisors and staff to ensure that the policy research and analysis can be completed during the summer, i.e., to ensure that the scope of the project is not too broad and would take too much time. Additionally, the conference calls will determine any data needs for the selected proposals and start any of the necessary data collection;
  • June – August 2014 – Remote Policy Interns conduct their policy research and analysis;
  • October 1, 2014 – Submission of completed policy analysis in the format of a paper to be submitted to the Journal – American Water Works Association, with the intent for the paper to be published in the March 2015 regulatory issue. An abstract for the AWWA ACE15 would also be submitted ahead of the abstract submission deadline.

Proposals for the policy research and analysis will be limited to 4 pages, not including a resume. Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria (weighted equally): Originality of the policy research and analysis; Potential applicability in EPA’s regulatory development process; Technical and policy qualifications of the applicant.

Each of the AWWA Remote Policy Interns would be paired with one of AWWA’s staff in the Washington, DC Office in order to provide guidance on their policy research. Each Intern will travel once to the Washington, DC Office during the summer to develop a better understanding of how water works in Washington. AWWA will provide travel reimbursement normal business travel expenses for the trip to Washington, DC, a trip to ACE14 in Boston, MA, and potentially for a trip to ACE15 in Anaheim, CA if the abstract is accepted for that conference.
Any questions about the Remote Policy Intern program can be emailed to Alan Roberson, AWWA’s Director of Federal Relations at aroberson@awwa.org.

 

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