Julia McElhinney is a member of the Class of 2014 at Dartmouth College. She is an Environmental Studies Major and a Studio Art Minor studying the intersection of public policy, planning and design as it relates to public placemaking. Julia has a keen strong interest in the role food and agriculture play in the creation of resilient communities. As a Presidential Scholar, Julia researched strategies for comprehensive community planning and design. Julia has a 3.77 GPA.

Julia was funded by the Rockefeller Center for a Summer 2013 internship, with generous support from the Perkins Bass ’34 Public Affairs Internship Fund.

Executive Summary from Julia’s final report: This summer I was pleased to intern with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington DC. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is an independent not-for-profit research group that works tirelessly to ensure governmental policy, corporate practices and consumer choices are informed by thoughtful and engaged scientific research. As an intern in the organization’s Food & Environment Program I performed a variety of scientific and policy research tasks related to the promotion of sustainable agriculture and

thriving communities in the US. Through this research I gained a greater understanding for the crucial role our local and regional food systems can play in the creation of healthier farms and communities across the country. I conducted research for an upcoming report on nutrient cycling in a variety of agricultural systems. I shared my initial research findings in a one-hour

PowerPoint presentation to the Program’s Director, Senior Analyst, Senior Economists and Senior Scientist. As my research became more detailed and focused, I worked one-on-one with

“I look forward to incorporating

what I have learned about the

importance of sustainable, small-

scale food and farm systems into my

academic and professional interests

in community building.”

[PERKINS BASS ‘34 PUBLIC AFFAIRS FUND INTERN PROFILE ]

one of the Senior Scientists to develop an outline for the upcoming report. I also ridentified influential articles to the team for further reading. I worked with our Senior Washington Representative to research a variety of governmental programs currently supporting local and regional food systems across the United States. I then prepared notes on programs within certain congressional districts to be presented to their respective representatives. I also tracked UCS’s policy priorities as the Farm Bill developed on the hill over the course of the summer. I analyzed the different versions of the bills and their amendments and compared the farm and food system frameworks these created to those needed to achieve UCS’s “Healthy Farm Vision”. Lastly, I was involved in the rollout of UCS’s latest report – entitled the $11 Trillion Reward. In this role, I worked with our publicity and policy experts to help make sure that the story of the economic and health benefits of fruits and vegetables this report was telling was heard by key governmental offices and officials. For example, I helped our Policy Associate develop a distribution list tailored to individuals positioned to enact positive change in the American food and health care systems. I look forward to incorporating what I have learned about the importance of sustainable, small-scale food and farm systems into my academic and professional interests in community building. Specifically, I intend to explore the potential of food cultivation and culture to connect individuals to one another within their communities and to tie these communities more closely to the earth.

Julia McElhinney ‘14 poses with UCS's Senior Washington Representative Daniel Brito in front of Senator Udall's office.

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