Bailey Wolf, 2026 Mather Policy Intern - NIST

Biography

SPS Chapter: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott
Hi everybody! My name is Bailey Wolf, and I am a graduating senior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. I will be graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Astronomy and Minors in both Mathematics and Data Science. I don’t have any plans for the future yet, but I hope to go to graduate school in the future. I can’t wait for this internship, as it will provide me with experience working in both industry and for a federal agency, which is something that I might want to do in the future. My experience with SPS includes being an officer of my chapter for a year and then stepping back to take on the role of Assistant Zone Councilor for Zone 16 of SPS National. This is where I knew that I wanted to make a difference for people in STEM and other related fields. In my free time I love to explore new places, read science fiction and fantasy books, go on hikes, and play sports and video games. I can’t wait to meet new people and explore Washington DC and the surrounding areas as a Mather Science Policy Intern!

Internship

Host: NIST, Office of Advanced Manufacturing

Internship Blog

Week 1

Hey everyone, welcome to the first week of my life as an SPS Intern working for NIST over the summer! The start was all the way back on May 2^nd, when I graduated from my college, Embry-Riddle in Prescott, Arizona with a degree in Astronomy. I then took the long drive (26 hours to be exact) back to my home in Wisconsin. I said hi to my friends and family there, then said bye to them three days later for my graduation trip to Italy! This was a very fun experience, especially because it was the first time I’ve ever been out of the country before. Even though it was an expensive and tiring trip, I would definitely do it again. I flew straight from Italy to D.C. on Saturday, and my mom picked me up from the airport. We stayed the night in a hotel and then moved in to Shenkman Hall on Sunday. The move-in process was pretty straightforward to me, except that my card was not working to get into the dorm building. After a quick walk over to the science building, IT helped us out and voila; I was fully moved in! I had dinner with my mom and sent her off back home. On Monday I mainly slept in and recuperated from the jet lag. In the afternoon I took a walk with my roommate Ethan around the area, and we met up with some of the other interns at Duke’s Grocery for a couple drinks. We then walked over to the Washington Monument and basked in its glory before heading home and getting ready for our first day tomorrow!
On Tuesday all the interns met up to brave the D.C. metro for the first time. It turned out to be a pretty easy process, except that we commuted with everyone who was going to their 9 to 5s at the same time, which meant that the trains were completely full. We had to wait for the third train to come to squeeze on. But after that, we got to the ACP building and did orientation with AIP and SPS, as well as group photos and headshots. I then went back to the dorms, changed into some more casual wear and took a walk along the Potomac. This was a nice walk, as I managed to get some Geocaches (If you know what this is, props to you) and enjoy the scenery. I went to bed early, as I had a long day at NIST and ACP.
On Wednesday, I woke up at 5:00 (!!) to hop on the metro at 6:00 to get to NIST at 7:00. The metro went a lot more smoothly, especially since were leaving the city instead of going into it. Brad was a sweet soul and picked us up from the metro station to get to the campus. Once we made it to the campus, we registered and got our official cards for the summer. I now am officially a government employee! We took pictures at the original plaque on the campus, and then Brad took us back to the metro, so we could commute back to the ACP building to finish HR onboarding through AIP. It was a long day, so I went to bed early (this is becoming a common theme).
Thursday is the first official day at the NIST office. Once we got there in the morning, our first task was to get our government laptops. This was an easy process, except Microsoft Teams did not decide to work for me for some reason (IT didn’t know either). We then had a picnic for lunch with the whole floor of OAM! This was a great opportunity to meet all of my coworkers in a nice outdoor setting, and it was a great time too. After meeting with my mentor in the afternoon, I headed back home, got changed and took a walk north this time. I got some more Geocaches and enjoyed the beautiful evening before heading to bed.
On Friday, some of the interns and I took a trip to the Folger Shakespeare library to get some work done. After arriving an hour and a half before the place opened (whoops), we stopped at a coffee shop and hung out before going in and doing some work. After coming home and relaxing for a few hours, all of the interns gathered in the dorms for card games, watching tv and having fun for the night. This was a really fun night, and I’m pretty sure this will become a weekly habit!
On Saturday, some of the interns and I went to the Renwick Gallery to look at some cool State Fair historical art, including a gigantic butter statue of a cow! There was also some art from the state fairs of Wisconsin, which was heartwarming to me. Afterwards, we went to a coffee shop before taking the metro over to PorchFest 2026. This was a great place to walk around a normal neighborhood and listen to people play musical instruments from their porches. It was a great time, and I would definitely recommend and do it again myself. I then relaxed in my dorm for a little bit before heading on an ice cream trip with some of the interns.
On Sunday, Brad planned a trip to the Nationals v. Padres baseball game for us to attend with him and some of the others that work at NIST. This was a fun way to hang out with some people at NIST and not be in a work setting, and I always love going to a baseball game!
This was a great week and it made me even more excited for the next nine to come, so stay tuned for that!

Week 2
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another week in the life of me in Washington D.C! This week was all about getting a schedule down and into a workflow for the rest of the summer. Since it was my first full week working at NIST, I also settled in there and started to get to know the office and campus a little better. The commute to work every day was still less than optimal, but I made the most of it by reading the large hoard of books I have bought and haven’t read yet. On Monday my mentor left for a trip to Ireland to celebrate his niece graduating, so we planned out the week and what I should be doing going forward.
On Monday and Tuesday night I did not do anything special, just because the days at work were so long and I lost all the energy I had by the time I got back. Wednesday, however, was the first intern-wide potluck night! The first one was hosted at Amelie and Nicole’s dorm, and it was a great turnout. Every intern except one came, and we all brought a dish. My roommate Ethan and I made a mac and cheese bake, which turned out much better than I expected it to be. We all got to catch up on adjusting to the new work schedule, meeting our mentors, and the new things we’ve all found throughout the last few days. All in all, it was a great time, and we will definitely make this a weekly event going forward.
On Thursday, Maddie, Ethan and I took a tour of the Department of Energy, thanks to Brad. Getting to see the inner workings of one the head departments of the U.S. was a very fun experience, and we learned a lot of very interesting things, including some possible career pathways for myself in the future. We then got some coffee and went to the ACP office for the rest of the day to work. This is the first time I’ve been to the ACP office since orientation, and I got to see some of the other interns during their work hours, which was nice. I took a walk at night with Nora and Jahanvi; we saw the Lincoln Memorial and relaxed at the banks of the Potomac River to cap off a great day.
On Friday, I went with Maddie to the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, which was actually very close to the ACP office. This was a new library that we were trying out, and it was a fun environment. However, it would be a little loud if someone was trying to get some work done. Then, I went back and relaxed a little bit before going to a happy hour event with a bunch of the other interns. This was the perfect way to kick back and relax after a long week of work, and I had a great time too. Even though it was a long walk and it was really hot outside, it was well worth it.
On Saturday I went thrift shopping with Nora and Jahanvi, which turned out to be a really good idea. I needed some more business clothes, and I found a few shirts and a blazer that I really liked. I also tried out the bus portion of the metro system for the first time, which turned out to be a very easy system, so I will be taking advantage of that now as well. Then, I went to the National Orchestral Institute performance at the UMD campus with Faith and Sierra. This was the first orchestral performance I have ever been to, and I was so happy that I went. The performance was unreal, and my jaw was on the floor the entire time. Thanks so much to Jack Hehn and Faith for organizing this event so we can go!
On Sunday, I went on a farmer’s market and bookstore crawl with Faith, Sierra, and Jahanvi. The farmer’s market was so much bigger than the ones that I go to in Wisconsin, and I ended up spending way too much money at the bookstore (but that’s okay 😊). After this, I went home to eat and then most of the interns went to the National Zoo for the afternoon. This was on my bucket list the moment I stepped foot in D.C, so I was glad so many other people wanted to go too. It didn’t disappoint either; there were so many more animals and enclosures than the zoo in Madison, and it was such a fun experience. I then winded down for the night and got ready for the next week.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

- A picture of me, Ethan, Nebiat (works at the DOE), and Maddie at the DOE.

- A picture of the Arlington skyline from the banks of the Potomac River.

• A picture of the Lincoln Memorial at night.

- A picture of Jack Hehn, Sierra, Faith and I at the National Orchestra Institute performance.
Week 3
This is the first week that I truly feel like I am settled in and getting into a normal routine. I finally settled on what I am doing for my project this summer! After a couple of weeks, I decided to do research on the digital twin industry and how smart manufacturing plays a role across the various institutes of Manufacturing USA. My goal is to finish a paper and get it published by the end of the internship.
On Tuesday, some of the interns and I decided to go to Trivia Night at one of the local bars in town. We got there half an hour early, and they were completely full. We were determined to do trivia, however; we walked over to another bar with a trivia night, and they were also completely full. We decided to just go back home after this, and we got on the bus heading home; or so we thought. The bus was going in the wrong direction, further away. We rode on the bus for 15 minutes or so before realizing this, so now we were well over 45 minutes away from Shenkman Hall. We learned a valuable lesson that day: get to trivia night REALLY early!
On Wednesday, all the interns gathered for our weekly potluck. Ethan and I hosted this week, and we made stir fry. We were originally going to make pulled pork sandwiches, but the pork I got was a lot more chunky than stringy, so we decided to make stir fry out of it instead. I love the potlucks, because they bring everybody together during the middle of the week, when most people are on their work schedules and we get to hang out.
On Friday we went on a bar crawl and found a few cool bars. Some of them might become regular places for us, but we’ll have to see how that shakes out. It was a great day to unwind from all of the stuff I did the rest of the week.
On Saturday I went to the National Museum of Natural History with Jahanvi, which was a really fun experience. I had never been there before, but I’ve heard really good things about it. The place was HUGE! We only managed to get through the first floor in three and a half hours, and there is an entire second floor still. I love learning about nature, and if you do too, I highly recommend this place.
That’s all I have for this week. See you next week!

Images 1-3: Various photos of animals at the National Museum of Natural History
Image 4: An image of a yellow sky just after a thunderstorm on Friday
Week 4
What a jam-packed week! I am finally starting to feel accustomed to the city life and being a “local” in DC.
A bunch of the interns and I went to Tonic at Quigley’s to try and do trivia night (for the second time), and failed (yet again). We ended up getting ice cream sundaes and talking a lot, which in my opinion is just as nice.
The dinner cruise with all of AIP and SPS National was this week as well, which was a very fun experience. Thank you to AIP and SPS National for inviting and having us, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The complementary dinner consisted of a crab cake ravioli for an appetizer, a steak with roasted vegetables for dinner, and a chocolate cake for dessert. Everything was splendid! It was great to talk to some new and old friends from SPS National, and see Brad get an award (go Brad!) Floating down the Potomac and seeing some of the DC sights as the sun went down topped off the night nicely.
The day after, all of the interns got a tour of NIST under Brad, Maddie, Ethan and I’s guidance. We started the day off by getting everybody badged in and a walkaround of the OAM office. We then took a picture in front of the clone of Newton’s apple tree. After hearing from some of the people that work at OAM with me, we ate pizza and had a conversation with the AAAS fellows that work in my office. I learned a lot of new information about possible career paths and opportunities. Then, we took tours of the nuclear reactor and ballistics lab on the NIST campus. It was interesting to be in an actual lab space in a government agency. Afterwards, we went back to Shenkman and celebrated Ethan’s 21^st birthday (yay Ethan!)
We had Friday off this week because of Juneteenth, so I spent it at the Museum of Natural History to finish it off. Seeing the Hope Diamond and other gems and minerals ignited the geologist inside of me, but I was disappointed that the butterfly exhibit was closed (maybe next time). That night, Ethan, Daniel, Bo, his friend and I took a trip to the MGM casino. I’ve been in a few casinos before, but nothing quite as big as this one. After losing money (what’s new), we took the bus the wrong direction (won’t be the last time), and then took an Uber to the metro station. We were really hungry at this point, and we found a twenty-four hour diner to go to. They had the best milkshake and burger I have ever had (shoutout Bob & Edith’s Diner), and made my loss at the casino hurt a little less. Taking the metro back at midnight was eerie, since we were the only people on the train.
I spent Saturday with a friend in town, and we went geocaching together. It turns out that there are a lot of nice parks and trails on the Virginia side of the Potomac, and some very fun geocaches. Afterwards, my friend wanted to learn how to use the metro and we were both hungry, so I told him that I knew a place we could go... Bob & Edith’s diner! That’s right, I ate at the same place within a fifteen-hour time span. It turns out that the food is just as good at 2 PM as it is at midnight 😊 I then relaxed for the rest of the day.
Sunday was also a recuperation day, but I did spend the morning with Nora at a flea market. Afterwards, we got coffee and then got groceries for the week at Lidl. I have an exciting week coming up, so stay tuned!

- Maddie and I on our way to work on the long commute.

- The view from the back of the boat on the dinner cruise at sunset.

- A picture of all of the male interns and Jack Hehn (go Jack!)

• A picture of all of the interns at the tour of the NIST campus. This was in front of Newton’s apple tree.

• A picture of a tourmaline (if I remember correctly) at the Natural Museum of Natural History.

- A picture of us after we got out of the casino... if you can’t tell Daniel and I didn’t fare so well today...
Week 5:
I have officially reached the halfway point of the semester, and I honestly can’t believe how fast time flies here. I feel like I haven’t done much, and at the same time want to do so much more.
I went to a comedy show for the first time this week, which ended up being a blast. Shoutout to Room 808, they are amazing! The 45 minute bus ride there and back was worth it in the end 😊
The NIST interns took a tour of the west wing of the White House, thanks to our coworker Mark. We met his colleague, who works in the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) doing AI policy work for the federal agencies. The architecture in the building was amazing to see in person. I highly recommend trying to get a tour of either the East or West wing of the White House; it is definitely worth it.
All of the interns got together for our weekly potluck as well. Ethan and I made meatloaf this week, and then we played a wacky game brought up by Nicole afterwards. It was a great time as always, and I’m looking forward to next week!
To wrap the week up, all the interns took a trip up to Baltimore for a dinner with the AIP Board of Directors. This was a beautiful night on the 29^th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel. It was a night full a great food, atmosphere, and connections made with the board. I was a little nervous at first, but then settled in once I started talking to the board.
I rounded out the weekend by hanging out with one of my friends who visited me from Ohio. We went to the Air & Space Museum, as well as the American History Museum. They are both great places, and I highly recommend them (give yourself a full day for each of them, they are huge!)
That’s all for me, see you next week!

• A picture from my walk with Nora and Jahanvi. One of the best pictures I’ve ever taken in my opinion.

- A picture of the Law Library at the West Wing of the White House.

• A picture of the direction marker used in the series M.A.S.H, one of my favorite television shows.

Week 6:
Fourth of July week!
Amelie was gracious enough to take us on a tour of the NBLA, or Niels Bohr Library & Archives, where she works. It was a great experience learning about the different methods of preserving books and what kinds of physics texts that the library has to offer. It also acts as a normal library to the public, so you can come look at any books you would like if they have them! The tour ended with a presentation on oral history reviews. I was not familiar with them before, but they sound quite interesting. It would be cool to be able to interview my parents or grandparents in this fashion; I bet I would gain a lot of newfound knowledge.
We had our weekly potluck again this week, and I helped Maddie make a stir fry with some vegetables I got from the farmer’s market nearby. My roommate Ethan made shepherd’s pie, which was delicious.
I hung out with my friend Jeremy on the 3^rd. He just moved to D.C. for a new job, so I decided to show him around a little bit. We visited the Postal Museum today, which was a really cool experience that I’d highly recommend. It’s also located next to Union Station, which is a very interesting place to explore in D.C.
The Fourth was spent with a solid amount of the interns who were still in D.C. for the weekend. We played card games, ate breakfast together, got lunch, and just enjoyed each other’s company. It was a great time, and then we rounded it off with a walk down to the Potomac to watch the fireworks. Except they got delayed by 45 minutes, and we ended up walking back to the dorms before they went off (it was hot outside!). So we ended up watching them from the dorms, which was still a great time.
That’s all I have for this week, see you next week!
Week 7:
This was a very relaxing week for me, as I spent a lot of time working through my project and getting all my information in order for my presentation in a few weeks.
A few of the interns and I finally made it to trivia night at a fashionable time, so we actually got to play! It was a seven round affair, and there were many categories spanning every possible nook and cranny of knowledge. By the third round, we were in the middle of the pack. But we started surging after that, and after the seventh and final round ended, we ended up placing third! Not bad for our first time doing it. Something tells me that we will be going back for trivia night next week.
Our weekly potluck this week turned into a BYOD (bring your own dinner), where we just played Mario Kart and Just Dance afterwards. Nothing too fancy, but what do you expect from a bunch of college kids?
We also had a game night, where we played Catan and Werewolf. I love playing Catan, and I had a miraculous comeback with three victory points coming from development cards (it’s pretty rare!). However, I am not the best at Werewolf, and the town faltered on the first game, voting the wrong person out. We got our revenge though, and voted the werewolves correctly the next game.
Over the weekend I went geocaching with my friend Jeremy. We went to the Rockville area, and there is a surprising amount of caches up there. We did one that had a fake bolt lodged in a telephone pole, which was very sneaky; I’ve never seen one like that before.
That’s all I have for this week, see you next week!
Week 8:
I am nearing the end of my time in D.C, and I feel like I still have so much stuff that I want to do!
We tried to go to trivia night again and were met with the same fate as before – we didn’t get there early enough. Oh well, we still sat outside and talked for a while, which was nice. There’s always next week!
On Tuesday, we met with the AIP Foundation team. It was a great time, and I feel like both sides learned a lot from it. They asked us about our respective SPS chapters and how we could possibly improve them. I had a few thoughts on this, being a part of my chapter for four years now, so it was a very engaging conversation. It was great to meet them for sure!
The experience of getting to NIST on the red line is getting very difficult; a two hour commute both ways is not the greatest. So, I’ve been spending more and more of my time at libraries and the ACP office. Because of this, I get to see the other interns more, which is awesome!
I met with one of my coworkers’ sons this week, and we talked about a possible job opportunity in the corrugated box industry. It was too much of an engineering job for me, and I also didn’t like to travel that much, so I probably won’t take it, but it was good to hear about possible jobs for my future. It is approaching rapidly, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. But for now, I still have two weeks left, and I’m absolutely going to make the best of it.
I went to the National Zoo with Ethan this weekend, and we finished seeing some of the exhibits that I missed a few weeks ago. We then went to an Asian fusion restaurant afterwards, which made for a pretty good day. I then relaxed for the rest of the weekend. Presentations are coming up soon, and I need to be ready for that!
See you all next week!