James Maze

The Global Change Center recently awarded an Undergraduate Science Policy Fellowship to James Maze to attend the Washington Semester Program during summer semester 2018.

James is majoring in Water: Resources, Policy, and Management at Virginia Tech. He is interested in integrating engineering-based solutions with government policy to solve problems related to water quality and water scarcity.

During spring semester 2017, James partnered with four graduate students to create an environmental policy addressing climate change. He and his team were finalists in the NYU Policy Case Competition and traveled to New York to present an energy infrastructure policy agenda. The previous summer, James worked at the Knoxville field office of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, where he was involved with land reclamation projects, drought management planning, and inspection of water treatment plants.

James is excited to receive this fellowship and sees his upcoming summer in Washington, DC as an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and a deeper understanding of environmental policy at the national level. After graduation, James intends to go to law school.

 

The School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) at Virginia Tech offers the Washington Semester Program to all undergraduate students, regardless of major. The program provides a unique 11-week immersion into work experience within the nation’s capital. Students work on challenging science policy issues that shape communities locally and nationally while obtaining academic credit.
The Global Change Center (GCC) offers competitive fellowships to undergraduate students to cover the cost of in-state tuition, housing and fees to attend the Washington Semester Program.