Elka Koehler received her Ph.D. and Masters degrees in optical sciences from the University of Arizona, and her B.S. degree from the University of Rochester. Mrs. Koehler has been with Raytheon for six years during which she designed active and passive optical seekers for various programs including the TOW Fire and Forget, AIM9X, and Cruise Missile Real Time Retargeting programs. Before Raytheon, she designed and developed laser systems for space-based remote sensing applications at NASA Langley Research Center where she worked for ten years. She has recently returned from a year-long Congressional Fellowship in Washington, DC where she served as a science and technology advisor for Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT). Dr. Koehler was competitively selected for the fellowship which was jointly awarded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE).
Lecture Title(s)
Science in Congress Elka Koehler who recently returned from a year-long AAAS Congressional Fellowship in Washington, DC will present her experiences and perspectives of the legislative process from an engineer's point of view. This prestigious fellowship is designed to demonstrate the value of science-government interaction, and to bring technical backgrounds and external perspectives to the decision-making process in the Congress. Working as a special legislative assistant in policy areas requiring scientific and technical input gave her the unique opportunity to learn firsthand how the federal government operates and to help make decisions that result in national public policy.
While serving as a science advisor to Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT) during her leave of absence from Raytheon, Mrs. Koehler performed background research for legislation, drafted bills and amendments, prepared questions for witnesses at Senate hearings, and wrote Senate floor statements, oversight letters to the administration, speeches, and position papers on science and technology related issues. She will briefly discuss some of the science related issues the Congress dealt with during her fellowship, including DOD appropriations, federal R&D funding, and off shoring of high tech jobs.
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