Jonathan Diaz is a rising second year Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning graduate student and this summer is a Fellow at the United States Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. The mission of the Department of Energy is to utilize technology and science to ensure the security and prosperity of America’s energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges. Jonathan has been working closely with the Office of Environmental Management (EM) and the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity (ED).
EM is charged with the task of completing the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. Jonathan has been writing a youth involvement policy for Site-Specific Advisory Boards, who provide recommendations to the Energy Department on nuclear waste clean-ups. In addition, he has been rewriting a program wide policy for Congressional Notifications regarding contractual awards administered by the Department. Other projects have included reviewing internal communication strategies and procedures, and preparing briefing materials for the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department.
Jonathan has also completed work for ED, which strives to ensure that historically under-represented communities are able to participate in the programs, opportunities, and resources offered by the Department of Energy. Jonathan is a member of a working group aimed to establish a database of minority educational institutions and businesses that can potentially benefit from connecting to the Department of Energy.