Collegiate SWE members, do you want to find ways to get involved with public policy during your time as an engineering undergraduate? Learn more about the ways Marli Bain is planning her journey to success by bridging engineering and policy.
Marli Bain is currently a junior at University of Utah, studying electrical engineering and business economics. As a student interested in bridging her interests in engineering and business, she is involved with and holds leadership positions in her collegiate SWE chapter and Business Economics Society. She is interested in energy policy and interned with the Hinckley Institute of Politics in Washington, D.C., to build her policy experience.
From a young age, Marli knew that she was interested in public policy and engineering. In high school, she became involved with her local Junior States of America chapter and engaged in policy debates and mock congressional conventions. From here, she began to identify policy as a critical part of society and a driver of change.
While pursuing her undergraduate studies, she learned how to juggle her double majors. While many would be daunted to attempt a double major with the engineering workload, Marli emphasized the importance of identifying her limits, but also making sure that she was pushing herself. “You don’t realize how much you can accomplish until you find your limit,” she says. Marli found it important to let her deep technical knowledge inform her policy interests. She was also intentional about building interdisciplinary learning into her studies. She highlights the importance of developing soft skills like public speaking and writing.
Marli sees her experience as an engineer as a strength in understanding policy. “The detailed nature of engineering problem-solving is beneficial for building policy solutions,” she says. She’s participated in numerous university-affiliated policy organizations, including speech and hackathon-style competitions. She also interned in Washington, D.C., through the Hinckley Institute of Politics. She has also participated in community engagement and policy research programs with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis at the University of Utah.
For those new to science policy and unsure where to start, Marli recommends volunteering in local campaigns and policy organizations and keeping up to date with policy research. Even when working in an engineering company or consulting firm, there will likely be policies related to your projects or policy-related arms of the company that you can get involved with and help the firm navigate.
Marli says there are many organizations working on science policy that value technical knowledge and have opportunities for engineers — especially for students on college campuses. She encourages students to not let their engineering coursework discourage them from exploring policy or political science-based internships. For those interested in science policy, there is a space for you, even if you have to carve it yourself!
If you have questions or want to connect with others who are interested in public policy, you can post in SWE’s Public Policy AG Facebook Group or contact the Public Policy AG Leads at publicpolicy.ag@swe.org. You can subscribe to the Public Policy AG’s email updates by logging into the member portal and scrolling to Communication Preferences. Stay tuned for further communications and an opportunity to sign up for SWE’s Congressional Outreach Day in April!
