#SoCaltech: Rupesh Jeyaram

“Until now, most of the times I've had to deal with any government body were getting something like a driver's license. But now as I think about my career as a scientist, I'll be requesting funding from government bodies such as the NSF, so I think it's important to know how these bodies work as well as how they're influenced by the current administration. I had in my head that before a new administration comes in, they set their own priorities, and all of these agencies suddenly change. But it seems that only the regulatory bodies of each agency actually change. For instance, the EPA is a huge regulatory body, so they make a lot of changes depending on what the administration says is important. But that isn't the case for other agencies such as NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]. NOAA Fisheries has a lot of regulatory arms, but the other parts of NOAA remain relatively static in the sense that they don't change with a new administration. I didn't know that. That was very interesting to see.”

Rupesh Jeyaram is a Caltech senior majoring in computer science. He recently visited Washington, D.C., on a trip organized by the Caltech Y to learn more about the role of science in public policy.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.