It’s an exciting time to be in Washington, D.C., right now, and if you’re a White House Fellow, you have one of the best seats in the house. Just ask BioE associate professor Dan Fletcher.

On sabbatical this year, Fletcher is one of 14 fellows appointed by President Bush to participate in the highly prestigious program, which started September 1 and runs through August. Each fellow works full time as a paid special assistant to a cabinet member or senior presidential advisor. They also participate in roundtable discussions and travel outside the capital to examine federal policy at work nationally and internationally.

Fletcher works in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which directly advises the president. One of Fletcher’s high points, he says, has been a two-and-a-half hour meeting with President Bush.

“This experience is giving me a much better perspective on how scientists and engineers can — and must — participate in the political process in order to address national problems and support the need for basic research,” Fletcher e-mails from D.C. “If academic researchers can learn how the government works and how to build coalitions that address real problems, we can have a significant and important impact on the way our country runs.”