“Wielding acronyms in conversation makes it easy to speak quickly,” says Maggie Wood, an intern at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), but it’s “nearly impossible for outsiders to enter the conversation.” Fortunately, she got up to speed ASAP.
Summer is almost always a time of transition at Stanford. With commencement behind us, we’d like to take stock of some significant comings and goings in the Bill Lane Center for the American West community.
“Filing a ballot measure petition,” says NCSL intern Eliza Steffen, “Can be a complex and idiosyncratic process.” She’s working with colleagues to create a catalog of referendum systems in 24 states.
A summer day watching kids play, says Victoria Mendez, helps the Trust for Public Land “partner with underserved communities to create beautiful parks with public art that celebrates their identity.”
California’s Department of Water Resources "cannot deliver water to your local water suppliers without energy, and quite a lot of it," writes Barrett Travis. His job at the state agency this summer is to help model the feasibility of proposed hydropower projects.
When only 18% of Americans today say they can trust the government to do what is right, says the intern Hannah Zimmerman, the NCSL "can work to decrease the divide between elected officials and their districts."
