Rice student Jing Luo stands near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
More American students are studying abroad than ever before, according to the Institute of International Education, which cites a 60 percent increase in the number of students studying abroad since 2000. This past semester, I joined the ranks of this growing cohort and found myself far beyond the Rice hedges in la Ville Lumière, the City of Light.
Through connections forged by the Baker Institute, I was able to intern for the Environment and Health Program at the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) under head researcher Aline Leboeuf and assistant researcher Emma Broughton. Founded in 1973 by Dr. Thierry de Montbrial, IFRI is the premier think tank in France. Since its inception, the institute has organized more than 2,000 conferences, international symposiums and meetings involving French and foreign prominent figures, including heads of state such as Vladimir Putin and Pervez Musharraf and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
At IFRI, I was able to gain policy research experience and expand my knowledge of international science policy. As an undergraduate, I have taken numerous science-related policy courses on the philosophy of science, energy and climate change, as well as interned at the National Science Foundation as a part of the Baker Institute’s Jesse Jones Leadership Center Summer in D.C. Policy Research Internship Program. While my primary role at IFRI was to conduct a comparative study on the governance of nanotechnology in the European Union, United States and China, I was exposed to a wide array of tasks associated with a think tank. I arrived just in time to participate in the organization of the annual international conference on environmental norms and in the editing of various studies on Japan’s climate change policy, the use of telecommunications to improve and expand health care in Africa, and the European Community’s legislation on chemical legislation: Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances (REACH).
Through various seminars, as well as interviews with members of the European Commission for my project, I was able to meet many individuals in the European research community and see firsthand the different dynamics between the French public and policymakers. With international trade growing faster than the rate of the global economy; greater transborder data flow through improved communications; and the growing role of international agreements and organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development and the World Trade Organization, I realize the importance of being able to function effectively in an international arena and the need to expose myself to the world beyond the U.S. border.
Working at IFRI truly immersed me in Parisian life, and the city itself was one of the highlights of my study abroad experience. Paris is a lovely amalgamation of the historical and modern, a balance between nostalgia for past glories and anticipation of future achievements. The scent of fresh baguettes mixes with the constant traffic and occasional waft from a crêpe stand. I not only studied in the city, sipping coffee and reading in cafes once frequented by Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus and Simone Beauvoir, but also spent my time away from the classroom in a public policy think tank.
I am now not only able to navigate the winding and twisted cobblestone streets of Paris, but also able to navigate my way around the French academic system and workplace. The skills I have acquired, such as adapting to cultural differences and variations in how political systems work, will be invaluable in the future as I look to a career in serving as a liaison between policymakers, scientists and the international community.
Jing Luo is an undergraduate intern for the Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program working under the supervision of Kirstin Matthews. A senior at Rice University majoring in biochemistry and policy studies, she plans to pursue doctorates in biochemistry and law after graduation. In honor of Bastille Day, which is today, July 14, she recommends one of her favorite Parisian treats — a chocolate éclair.