Center for International Science and Technology Policy

M.A. Candidates in International Science and Technology Policy

DAVID BELCHER is a first year student at the Space Policy Institute. He graduated from Cleveland State University in 2012 with a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science. His research was primarily centered upon constructing theoretical frameworks for a synthesis between the international relations theories of Neoliberalism and Neorealism, with a focus on investigating the causes of late-twentieth and early twenty-first century conflicts. David is currently working as an intern with the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

JONATHAN BERLINER is a graduate fellow at the Center for International Science and Technology Policy. Previously, he was on the operations and scientific staff at the California Institute of Technology's LIGO Laboratory, serving at LIGO Hanford Observatory in Richland, WA, which is home to the world's most sensitive gravitational wave detector. His work included signal processing, data analysis (Unix, Python, C, MATLAB, etc.), laser and optical metrology, mechanical design (AutoCAD and SolidWorks), and hosting outreach events. He graduated from Columbia University in the City of New York with an A.B. in Economics, Physics, and Mathematics. Besides for science, he enjoys mountaineering and diving.

HOLLY BREVIG received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology in 2010. Her goal is to have a better understanding of science/technology policy and public health policy. Her dream job/internship is to use her research and analytical skills to serve the public needs in relation to health.

MICHELLE CANN is the Senior Budget and Policy Analyst at the Partnership for Global Security where she analyzes the budgets of U.S. international weapons of mass destruction security programs and the evolution of global nuclear security governance. As a Master's Candidate at CISTP, Michelle is building new skill sets and exploring energy security issues. She has conducted in depth research on shale gas development.

CARRIE CHESS is a second year SPI student. In the 111th Congress she
served as Senior Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas
(FL-24), with an issue portfolio including NASA, Defense, Energy,
Environment and Appropriations. Prior to that she served as Senior
Legislative Assistant for former Congressman Nick Lampson (TX-22) in
the 110th Congress and as Press Secretary on his successful 2006
campaign. Ms. Chess graduated from the University of Texas at Austin
in 2004 with a B.A. in Government and minor in History.

JOHN CHUN is a first year student. For his undergraduate degree he attended Syracuse University, and graduated in 2009 with Honors. He has published work on Internet Activism in East Asia.

TRAVIS COTTOM is a second year student at the Space Policy Institute. He graduated from GWU in 2010 with a BA in International Affairs. He previously interned for Congressman David Dreier and the Sportfishing Conservancy in California. He previously served as the staff assistant at the Space Policy Institute and currently interns at the Department of State, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, the Office of Missile Defense and Space Policy.

STEFANIA DI MAURO-NAVAis a second year M.A. candidate in the ISTP program with interests in science diplomacy and high-tech small business development. She is currently an Associate Development Manager at CRDF Global, a nonprofit that promotes international scientific collaboration. In the fall of 2012, Stefania took leave from her position at CRDF Global intern with the U. S. Department of State. In addition to her work and studies, Stefania serves as the 2013 Chair of the STGlobal Conference, an annual meeting for graduate students pursuing or interested in science and technology studies. She received her B.A. in International Studies from American University in 2010 and has held internships at the Atlantic Treaty Association (Brussels) and Susan Davis International (DC).

SCOTT FREESE is a first year student with the Space Policy Institute. He attained a B.S. in Astrophysics from Lehigh University in 2008, after interning at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in summer 2007, and studying at the University of Edinburgh in the Fall 2007 semester. Upon graduation, Mr. Freese returned to Goddard, employed by SGT, Inc., as a Spacecraft Thermal Coatings and Contamination Engineer. In this position, he continues to support multiple spacecraft projects in all phases of development. He performs laboratory space environment simulation, analysis of thermal control coatings, and was also part of the launch site team for the Solar Dynamics Observatory, which successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in February 2010.

EMERSON ELEK FRENCH is a first-year Master's student with interests in the environment, security and science diplomacy. He received a B.A. in chemistry from Oberlin College this past May, where he also studied history and economics. He has completed a variety of internships in politics, policy and the sciences, and is interning this summer at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

LINDA GEORGE is a second-year Master's student. She obtained a BS in Marketing at Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, with a Minor in Fine Arts.

JOEL HICKS is a retired Navy Commander having just completed a 20-year career in nuclear submarines and a member of the Information Professional Community and the Navy Space Cadre. Currently, he works at the Naval Research Laboratory in the Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST). He is a GWU graduate (B.S. Electrical Engineering) as well as a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA (M.S. Electrical Engineering) and the Naval War College (M.A. National Security and Strategic Studies). He has completed assignments at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC), and the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), where he served as Deputy Director. He is currently a member of the Space Policy Institute (SPI). 

KATE HOWELLS is a first year student at the Space Policy Institute. She graduated from McGill University in 2011 with a BA in Psychology. Her research there focused on hypnotic suggestibility, placebo response and the inhibition of the effects of transcranial brain stimulation. Kate is currently working as Program Assistant at the Space Policy Institute.

MICHAEL LAPIDUS is a second year student at the Space Policy Institute. He graduated from Georgetown in May 2011 with a dual degree in Marketing and Management and a minor in Government. He currently works at SpaceX and focuses on a wide array of legislative advocacy issues. Previously, he served as a Legislative Correspondent in Congress.

PHILLIP LARSON is a Research Assistant at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Previously Mr. Larson interned at the Department of Commerce's Office of Space Commercialization and briefly worked space issues on Capitol Hill. In 2006, he participated in the Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station as part of NASA's Spaceward Bound program. Mr. Larson received his B.S. in Aerospace Studies in 2007 from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and after graduating spent time in Jacksonville working for a defense contractor.

KATRINA LAYGO is a first year student at the Space Policy Institute. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2010, receiving her B.A. in Geography and Environmental Studies and minor in Geospatial Information Systems and Technology. Her research at UCLA focused on public remote sensing applications for security monitoring in South Asia. Ms. Laygo served as the Center Lead for NASA's Applied Sciences DEVELOP Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she led Earth science research projects mentored by science advisors, extending results to communities. She currently manages and participates in DEVELOP's research projects at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

SAMANTHA MARQUART is a second year student in the Space Policy Institute at GWU. She joined SPI after graduating from MIT in 2011 with an S.B. in Political Science focusing on science policy. Samantha spent time with the Commercial Spaceflight Federation before joining the Virgin Galactic team in the fall of 2011. She focuses her research on the emerging commercial spaceflight industry as well as space history. She has worked within SPI on projects with both Professors Henry Hertzfeld and John Logsdon.

KOICHI MASUDA is a second year M.A. candidate in the International Science and Technology Policy program with concentration in domestic energy security and international energy policy. He graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011 with B.S. in Political Science and Asian Studies as well as Certificate for Technical Japanese Studies. He currently works for law firm downtown serving as a paralegal/translator.

CHRISTOPHER O'LEARY is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in International Science and Technology Policy with a focus on innovation and international competitiveness. He is professional staff for the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and works primarily on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education issues at the federal level. He also has responsibilities relating to oversight of the National Science Foundation and federal investments in research and innovation. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts in Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs from American University.

DANIEL "OZZIE" OSBORN received his Masters of Science in physics from UC Davis in 2004, and his J.D. (cum laude) from American University in 2007. Along the way, he has interned at Fermilab and at the University of Chicago.

ROSANNA SMITH graduated with a B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2009. She was a Research Assistant collaborating with the Atacama Cosmology Telescope research group based at Princeton University and was a NASA intern in the summer of 2009 assisting with the proposal process for a NASA New Frontiers mission. Currently she is working full time in the Space Department at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory with NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probe (RBSP) mission.

TARA UMBRINO is a joint J.D./M.A. candidate at GW. She graduated in 2010 from Tufts University with a B.A. in History, Spanish, and Economics. Spending a total of 5 summers interning at the National Archives and Records Administration, she spent the summer of 2011 interning with the Controlled Unclassified Information Office of the Information Security Oversight Office developing a new information protection policy. During summer 2012 she spent the first half of the summer at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid with the Department of State in the Consular Section and the second half with P.K. Hammer Enterprises/P.K.H. Legal assisting with small business legal support and programming information protection software with legal language.

CHRISTINA WALROND is a first year student in the International Science and Technology Policy program. She works in the Dean's Office of the Elliott School for Associate Dean Doug Shaw where she administers the Nuclear Policy Talks Series. She also works for the Institute for Science and International Security, where she writes and contributes to ISIS's technical assessments of centrifuge programs in Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea. Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Other students:

Timothy Arnold

Michael Bush

Anthony Campo

Ardian Coku

Andreas Frick

Daniel Janniello

James Kettnehofen

Jeffrey Lin

Yuichi Nakagami

Alexander Pan

Rotsy Razafimananto

Katlyn Scholl

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