Notes from the Field: Matthew Brown '19

Matthew Brown '19 interned at the Brookings Institution for the Winter 2018 term. The following is an excerpt from his internship report.

This winter I interned at the Brookings Institution, an American research group in Washington D.C. The organization broadly conducts research and education in the social sciences with the mission of improving the welfare of all Americans, strengthening American democracy, and building a more prosperous and cooperative international system.

At Brookings, I was a research intern in the Center for Technology Innovation, an initiative founded by the Institution’s Governance Studies department. While there, I conducted statistical analyses on the state of the “digital divide” in America, assisted in researching and writing white papers surrounding algorithmic bias and black-box algorithms, and conducted in-depth policy research and analysis on the telecommunications and technology sectors of the economy.

I also helped compile statistics, develop graphics, and edited several blog posts for the Brookings website. This work involved attending and helping conduct presentations at major corporate policy shops such as Alphabet, Comcast, and Facebook, as well as helping present findings to legislators on Capitol Hill.  

By far the most empowering, interesting, and thought-provoking aspect of my internship was simply the environment of Brookings itself. As a student interested in policy, journalism, and advocacy, I could imagine few places better situated at the intersection of my interests than Brookings.

During my time at Brookings, the institution hosted events constantly tailored to issues literally spanning the globe. I was generously allowed to interact with scholars and research assistants from multiple prominent organizations and allowed to interview and converse with preeminent scholars in economics, foreign policy, and public policy. To be in a place so committed to honest and independent scholarship has informed my decision to continue policy research on Dartmouth’s campus, and pursue post-graduate scholarship after my graduation. I would highly recommend The Brookings Institution to any Dartmouth student interested in careers in politics, advocacy, foreign service, journalism, or academia.