Final Report to the
IEEE-USA Government Fellowship Committee

Emily Sopensky - January 2005

"Life Changing"

This is the final report on my fellowship as the 2004 IEEE-USA Engineering & Diplomacy Fellow to the U.S. Department of State. The fellowship ended December 10, 2004.

Last week, George W. Bush was sworn in at the 55^th Presidential Inauguration, and Secretary Colin S. Powell gave his farewell speech to State Department employees.

For the U.S. intelligence community, of which State is a prominent member, the year 2004 was preempted by the report issued by the bi-partisan 9/11 Commission. As anticipated, the Commission found that a basic flaw of the U.S. system of governance pre-9/11 was that information is rarely shared among foreign and domestic agencies of the U.S. government.

In contrast, Secretary Powell, more than any of his predecessors, has encouraged the pervasive and widespread use of technology, believing that U.S. diplomacy depends on using it in order to be equipped with the best information available. As much from personal conviction as from systemic need, he oversaw a huge improvement in the information technology (IT) infrastructure at State.

Yet, accessing information in an efficient and useful manner is the exception rather than the rule. Tapping into the resident knowledge and expertise of the Department is often reliant on mutable personal networks, expertise and relationships built during the foreign service officers’ careers. This viable knowledge base is sturdy. But like any expert system, hard to duplicate, standardize or access. And, as with any system personal in nature, is subject to attrition.

Since messaging and information exchange are the heart of the Department’s mission-related activities, my portfolio – in State parlance – centered on IT. Updating from my progress report (March 2004), I worked with the Office of eDiplomacy (Mission: To put user needs and business practices in the forefront of State’s information technology.) The SMART project was my other assignment. Of personal interest to Secretary Powell, the project was led by a committee of high-level careerists to replace the existing antiquated legacy and archaic paper-based systems developed for messaging.

In 2003, the IBM Center for the Business of Government reviewed five years of research to identify the following four trends transforming government:

1.      Changing rules

2.      Emphasizing performance

3.      Improving service delivery

4.      Increasing collaboration

The projects I championed during my Fellowship tracked with these trends and the goals of the Department’s IT Strategic Plan. See My Portfolio for details.

In perspective

The economic, social, cultural problems that are incurred halfway around the world reach the U.S. in matter of seconds -- even faster than CNN news. Yet, there is very little formal training at State to respond to S&T issues.

The use of technology makes it easier to keep up with breaking news of volcanoes erupting, monsoons leaving thousands homeless; detecting bird flu infestations creeping across borders. Technology can help fight terrorism and better secure our borders and ports of entry. Technology should also better enable the Department to address global issues.

But for the uninformed or ill-informed, technology can be blamed for the problems. Making policy in a vacuum without considering what the technology can do and cannot do locks the U.S. into decisions that are hard to reverse. Frequently put on the spot to brief an ambassador on a political issue with technical underpinnings, the U.S. FSOs are often at a disadvantage when working with their host country counterparts, who are often better informed on the technologies.

The Department’s strategic goals related to S&T are numerous. With less than 10 percent of those entering the foreign service corps having trained in science or technology, it is imperative that the corps have ongoing access to S&T advice. This is an opportunity for IEEE-USA. Not only does IEEE-USA have the resident experts and access to knowledge, it is also part of a larger world-wide organization.

Continuing a contact inside the State Department and supporting the new FSO S&T website are the minimum. Helping to guide specialty courses at the Foreign Service Institute, including distance learning is another possible avenue. Finally, engaging with the diplomats in residence is another opportunity for IEEE-USA.

Life Changing

For me, the Fellowship has been life-changing. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the State Department’s comprehension of technology and of the value of IEEE-USA. I have met some exceedingly bright, energetic and fascinating people. I have learned a little of the mystery that underlies the State Department. IEEE-USA should be commended on providing this opportunity.

Respectfully submitted,

Emily Sopensky

January 28, 2005

Arlington, VA

My Portfolio

Post Website Inventory – Counting on the Internet

My inventory of the 461 post websites on the Internet, intranet and classified network, and my subsequent report “Counting Apples and Oranges,” was, well, fruitful. Given the organizationally fragmented bureaucracy, assembling this data was novel enough to warrant interest from many quarters. Regional bureaus, which tend to be the closest to embassy matters, finally have a way of comparing websites and content. The inventory also provided firm footing to accelerate the need for an enterprise-wide content management system, especially one that automatically measures site usage. The report provided ammo, too, for those embassies competing for scarce funding to build website metrics into their annual performance plan.

There is great wealth in these sites: They support public diplomacy and administrative efficiencies. Properly conceived, the website is a tool that has a vast range of utility and function But while creative and artistic enthusiasm flourishes at some posts, it languishes at others. Bandwidth and other resources is an issue at some; not at others. Consistency across the sites has been only coincidental and unplanned. My recommendations: 1) Provide comprehensive oversight. 2) Standardize web elements. 3) Educate. 4) Make posts accountable.

Technology can do only so much. Then it is up to the individual posts to design and populate their websites to encourage:

• Repeat visits to public sites for purposes as mundane as passport information and student research.

• Basic administration information to be posted on the intranet sites, thereby providing employees with ready access to the information about the offices and functions of the post.

• Broader availability of intelligence generated or unearthed at a post.

Tools for the Key City Engagement Strategy

In July, assuming the portfolio of a senior FSO rotating out of the office, I supported the Key City Engagement Strategy, which State’s Chief Knowledge Officer advocated. There are over 350 cities in the world with more than one million residents. The U.S. is officially in fewer than half of these cities. Using IT to extend the U.S. presence was key to the strategy.

Virtual Presence Posts. From Milan to Cardiff to Davao, the number of Virtual Presence Posts (VPPs) grew from nine to 15 during my tenure. Cities with strategic resources or location, or those having a large American ex-pat population, are good candidates for establishing a virtual post and to be managed by a junior officer. The cost is minimal but the “presence” is invaluable. I provided the VPPs with the conceptual framework, a Main State point of contact and key resources, and widespread support.

World Cities. In seeking a definitive source of key cities from which VPPs can spring, I developed a tool that lists all cities with a population of one million or more in addition to State’s posts, (embassies, consulates, VPPs, etc.). The results were revealing. For example, of the 45 cities in China with over one million people, the U.S. has a diplomatic presence in exactly five, or just 11 percent. In India, 39 of the 44 largest cities have no apparent official U.S. presence.

Post eMap. Another information tool that I developed links embassy websites to a world map. Another first, the sites are visibly easier to see and link to. Various eDiplomacy initiatives like VPPs are fused to this emap, too. The map was mirrored on the classified network to quickly access the SPIRNet sites.

New Diplomacy Website. To support the FSO  who trumpets the use of technology in the field, I set up a website for the New Diplomat. Based on the assumption that the best cooks like to rifle through recipes to see what works and what doesn’t, collected and posted “recipes” of interest.

MOA with ITA

Responding to an Inspector General report, the State’s Economic Bureau (EB) wanted to use an ecommerce tool created by  the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Affairs (ITA) to support embassies with no DOC support. Working against the clock to use end-of-year funds to fuel a pilot project, EB ran into a slight snag. In the face of notorious reticence to have any “foreign” system touch the State network without months of study and delay, I was able to broker the memorandum of agreement (MOA) before the end of the fiscal year.

Op-Eds

Op-eds are a useful diplomatic tool for raising interest, which I took ample opportunity of in order to encourage adoption of newer technology. Topics included Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Chat Sessions, and Groove peer-to-peer software. 

Diplomats in Residence

Near the end of my fellowship, I learned of the Diplomats in Residence – senior FSOs and ambassadors who are appointed to one of 17 universities to recruit FSOs and lecture on foreign policy. On a trip to my home in Austin, Texas, I met with the DIR there to encourage some cross-fertilization with the engineering and science colleges at the University of Texas. Meeting with the staff at the Office of the Science & Technology Adviser  to the Secretary (STAS) about this led to their presenting to the annual conference of DIRs. I was the only Fellow in attendance. This is ongoing.

FSO S&T Website

An offshoot of the talks with the DIRs was the need for a website for FSOs to turn to for quickly getting up to speed on S&T issues.

IEEE-related issues

Because the State Department culture is unique, I reached out to staff and volunteers as often as possible to provide them with opportunities to learn more about how the Department works.

·         Since State has oversight on foreign affairs activities, the 2003 IEEE-USA Fellow and I were involved peripherally on the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions against IEEE and other professional societies. State brokered a partial victory.

·         To raise the visibility of IEEE-USA and its role at State, I developed an 8-page brochure, Where Diplomacy and Technology Engage, that the Office of the Science & Technology Adviser printed twice, using it as a recruitment tool. [Please link to that brochure on the IEEE-USA brochure]

·         I began a dialogue with State’s 17 Diplomats in Residence (DIRs) to work with colleges of engineering and science. These  ambassador-level foreign service officers spend two years at a university teaching in the public policy schools and recruiting for the foreign service. Since less than 10% of the recruits have any science or technology background, this is an excellent long-term opportunity for IEEE to work with the DIRs in recruiting from the ranks of the engineering schools.

·         Post-Fellowship, I attended the first meeting of societies and FSOs interested in crafting an S&T website. It’s a wonderful opportunity for IEEE-USA’s ongoing presence at the State Department. The Chair of the Technology Policy Council has agreed to be the lead contact cited on the website for IEEE-USA.

General U.S. State Department Strategic Goals Related To Science and Technology

Source: Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary, U.S. Department of State

·         Strengthening regional Stability; Reducing the Threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction; Counter-terrorism; Reducing the flow of illegal drugs; Achieving these strategic goals clearly depends on a multitude of technologies developed for national security purposes, and on the expertise to recognize and analyze S&T related developments in this area. State’s Bureaus of Arms and Control and Verification, Non-Proliferation, Counter-terrorism and International narcotics and law Enforcement are heavily involved and these S&T – intensive issues.

·         Expertise in nuclear or high-energy physics, biology, infectious diseases, genetics, optics or sensor technology would be applicable and of great value to the State Department’s work in these areas. 

·         Managing international travel and immigration is a strategic goal that has received greatly increased attention since 9/11. Expertise in biometrics, information technology and sensor technology would be applicable to this area.

·         In recent years the Department has made treat strides in utilizing information technology to strengthen it capabilities in communications, information exchange, data storage and other applications. Imaginative applications such as E-diplomacy, virtual presence posts, distance learning, global video conferencing and other more advance applications are becoming routine tools for the Department. Information management is an important career specialty within the Department, which is becoming increasingly dependent on IT expertise.

·         Major goals on the economic side include: Opening world markets to increase trade; Expanding U.S. exports; global growth and stability; and economic growth in the developing world. U.S. – developed technologies, from computers and software to aircraft, biomedical equipment, vaccines, nano-technology coatings, petroleum and genetically modified crops figure prominently in these goals.

·         Expertise in genetics, agriculture, biology, infectious disease, food safety/phytosanitary, biotechnology, materials science, intellectual property protection, petroleum engineering, risk assessment, or information technology would be valuable for an officer who wished to work in these areas.

·         Another important State Department Strategic goal is humanitarian assistance, along with disaster prevention and disaster mitigation. Remote sensing, water management, engineering and public health expertise are very applicable to work in these areas.

·         Securing a sustainable global environment is another major strategic goal. Backgrounds in climatology, oceanography, remote sensing, biology, forestry, earth science, water management, geology, chemistry, environmental studies, environmental law, law of the sea, fisheries, and energy would be assets for an office interested in this area.

·         Public health, with a focus on infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria is a strategic goal o increasing importance. Background, in biomedical studies, biotechnology, genetics, virology, immunology, microbiology, public health administration would be useful for work in this area.

·         Achieving a sustainable world population is another strategic objective that could utilize academic sills in demography, fertility and public health administration.

·         The Bureau of Oceans, Environment and International Scientific Affairs (OES) is the Department’s principal locus of S&T issues and expertise. OES handles a broad-ranging portfolio of international S&T issues including climate change, oceans and fisheries, environmental issues such as persistent organic pollutants, forestry, and coastal management.  Sustainable development is another important OES issue.  Other divisions of this bureau cover international scientific cooperation, energy, space issues such as GPS and the international space station, as well as advanced technologies like nano-technology and the international experimental fusion reactor project, ITER. Another division of OES handles public health issues such as HIV/AIDS. OES has a need for scientific and technical expertise in nearly every discipline, and offers many opportunities for those interested in S&T – related work in Washington.

Country Specific U.S. State Department Science and Technology Issues

Russia

§         Exports of missile and nuclear technologies

§         Leveraged knowledge from former weapons experts and computer scientists

§         Emergence of small innovative private firms

§         Infectious diseases; AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis

§         Participation in the International Space Station

§         Protection of nuclear materials and safety of nuclear reactors

§         Military, aviation, and financial computer systems

China

§         Energy systems: coal, nuclear, hydropower; small stand-alone electrical grids

§         Exports of military and dual-use technologies

§         Population growth

§         Development of space program

§         Leveraged knowledge of students studying in the United States

§         Respect for intellectual property rights

§         Adequate and safe food supplies

Nigeria

§         Oil exploration and exploitation

§         Detection of drug trafficking

§         Diseases: AIDS, river blindness, malaria

§         Water and sewage treatment

§         Population growth

§         Nutrition deficiencies

§         Leveraged knowledge of well-educated specialists

Mexico

§         Breeding of wheat and corn varieties

§         Sharing with United States of water resources

§         Cultivation and trafficking of cocaine, marijuana, and synthetic drugs

§         Compliance with pollution reduction requirements of the North American Free Trade Agreement

§         Food safety and contamination of food exports

§         Sewage discharges along Pacific coast

§         Labor standards in high-tech industries

India 

§         Growing computer software capabilities

§         Potential for nuclear weapons testing

§         Population growth

§         Biotechnology for agriculture and pharmaceuticals

§         Adequate and safe food supply

§         Trade with Russia in dual-use technologies

§         $10 million program of U.S. – Indian S&T cooperation

Japan

§         Foreign access to research facilities

§         Emergence of high-tech terrorist groups such as Aum Shinrikyo

§         Earthquake engineering

§         Developing of dual-use aerospace technologies

§         Expansion of nuclear power industry, including use of plutonium

§         Fishing activities: southern, northeastern, and northwestern pacific ocean

§         Competitive industrial technologies

European Union Region 

§         Genetically modified agricultural products

§         Regulation of toxic chemicals

§         Foreign access to research funds

§         Export controls on computers

§         Harmonization of laws on intellectual property rights

§         Reconstruction of infrastructure in Balkans

§         ST&H cooperation with nations of former USSR 

Middle East (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt West Bank, and Gaza) 

§         Use of water resources: efficiency, desalination, recycling

§         Bio-Diversity: flora and fauna

§         Malnutrition: micronutrients, ciliac disease

§         Communicable diseases: hepatitis

§         Terrorism: transportation security, forensic investigations

§         Population growth

§         Waste disposal: water and sewage treatment and burial of hazardous wastes

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers - United States of America