Students in Summer Internships Consider Technology Issues

Big data. Cyber security. Tech. While these may be buzzwords to some, to three SIPA students these phrases represent the next frontier of public policy.

As part of Dean Merit E. Janow’s tech and policy initiative at SIPA—funded in part by the Carnegie Corporation of New York City—second-year students Hila Mehr MPA ’16, Xuchun Lin MPA ’17, and Christina Soto MIA ’16 spent their summers exploring this new frontier.

“We live in a world where technology is assuming increasing importance in society,” Soto said. “It is imperative that we prepare technology, cybersecurity, and Internet governance in a manner to create strategies and polices that will benefit local to global communities.”

In a 10-week internship with the New York Police Department’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Soto used social media and data analytics to enhance criminal investigations. Her experience gave her a firsthand understanding of the benefits, and also the frustrations, of adapting new technologies to existing bureaucracies.

“Law-enforcement agencies globally are already adapting a technology policy framework to equip officers with tools that have the ability to help fight crime and protect us from everyday harm,” Soto said. “There have been obstacles enforcing these policies within agencies, but over time, these technology advancements will improve law-enforcement service delivery and quality for citizens.”

Lin also spent his summer supporting the law-enforcement community. He worked in the New York City Department of Probations, building a social-media platform that would address three key needs of citizens under probation: mental health, education, and employment. This platform would connect probation clients to resources, and allow them to communicate their feelings via a blog.

“Technology like Internet instruments employed in the daily operation of government could widen capacities [otherwise] constrained by financial and human resources and broaden the services in terms of geographical and time dimensions,” Lin said.

During her summer at the Department of Defense, Mehr was part of an “intrapreneurial” team that sought to innovate within the agency.

“Our work this summer was consistent with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter's commitment to stay abreast of technology innovation and the department's ongoing efforts to partner with technology companies in Silicon Valley,” Mehr said. “I'm proud of the efforts of my colleagues in the Office of the Secretary of Defense to transform how the department works.”

All three grant recipients recognized the importance of encouraging policy students to pursue tech-related careers.

“Supporting students will provide them with the opportunity to build knowledge in this field and succeed in this highly technological world, and also encourage innovation,” Soto said.

— Lindsay Fuller MPA ’16