- ECE student Jayden Nargen traveled to Washington, D.C., for IEEE-USA’s Congressional Visit Day to advocate for research funding and workforce policies.
- Nargen and his delegation pushed for increased federal research and development funding and support for the Keep STEM Talent Act.
- The experience highlights UF IEEE’s efforts to connect engineering students with public policy, helping them influence decisions that shape the engineering field.
A University of Florida electrical engineering student traded classrooms for congressional offices last month, stepping into conversations that help shape the future of research, innovation and the engineering workforce.
As part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), UF freshman Jayden Nargen traveled to Washington, D.C., for IEEE-USA’s Congressional Visit Day, joining engineers from across the country to meet with lawmakers and advocate for policies impacting research funding and STEM workforce development. The experience aligns with UF’s IEEE chapter’s mission to connect technical expertise with public policy, ensuring student voices are part of national conversations that directly affect their education and careers.
The two-day program began with training sessions on communicating technical issues to nontechnical audiences, followed by a full day of meetings on Capitol Hill. Participants were organized into groups by regions — such as the Florida and Puerto Rico delegation — before heading into congressional offices to discuss key policy priorities.
That meant Nargen had a fast-paced schedule of five meetings in a single day, including one with U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, who represents Florida’s Fifth Congressional District in the Jacksonville area. Moving between offices, he and his group repeatedly advocated for increased federal research funding and support for the Keep STEM Talent Act.
While the setting may be Capitol Hill, Nargen said the conversations covered much national ground.
“I feel like people might think it’s just a bunch of political stuff,” he said. “But it’s pretty relevant to anybody in engineering.”
One of the group’s primary focuses is federal research and development funding, which directly supports the labs, facilities and opportunities students rely on at universities like UF. Agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) help fund research spaces for students.
“These things affect everybody, especially engineers at UF,” he said.
Each conversation centered on two key policy priorities aimed at strengthening the engineering field.
The first focused on increasing federal research and development funding for agencies including NSF, NIST, NASA and the Department of Defense. For students, Nargen said, that funding translates directly into hands-on opportunities in labs, research programs and emerging initiatives at UF.
He pointed to the Florida Semiconductor Institute as an example. Supported in part by NSF funding, the institute represents a growing effort to expand semiconductor research and job opportunities within the state.
The second priority centered on the Keep STEM Talent Act, a bill designed to create a more direct pathway for international STEM graduates to remain in the United States.
“I told them, ‘We are investing heavily in training top-tier international talent, only to export that exact same talent directly back to our global competitors,’” Nargen said. “From both an economic and innovation standpoint, it makes no sense.”
Moments like those reinforced the purpose of the trip for Nargen, bringing technical knowledge into spaces where it is often limited.
That opportunity did not happen by chance.
At UF’s IEEE chapter, a student-led effort is connecting members with public policy. Landon Amaba, a junior electrical engineering major and internal vice president of UF IEEE, launched the chapter’s public policy committee after attending a Congressional Visit Day himself. While he did not attend this year’s trip, Amaba helped select and prepare Nargen to represent UF based on his early involvement and initiative.
“Oftentimes, these congressional offices don’t have engineers on staff,” Amaba said. “So, they’re looking for that perspective.”
Through that effort, Amaba is working to build a pipeline that introduces engineering students across UF to advocacy early in their careers.
“We’ll take you from ground zero all the way to the Hill,” Amaba said.
Beyond the experience itself, both Nargen and Amaba emphasized the long-term impact of these conversations, particularly when it comes to career opportunities for engineering students.
In fields like electrical and computer engineering, many of the largest job markets are concentrated in states such as Texas and California, leaving fewer opportunities within Florida.
“A lot of students would love to stay in the state of Florida,” Amaba said. “But they can’t, because the jobs aren’t here.”
Advocating for research funding and industry investment, he added, is one way to help shift that reality and create pathways for students to build careers closer to home.
The experience marked more than just a trip to Washington for Nargen.
“It’s a defining moment,” he said.
Looking ahead, both Nargen and Amaba hope to expand student involvement in policy through IEEE, building a network of advocates across the College of Engineering.
By bringing more student voices into the conversation, they aim to ensure future engineers not only enter the workforce but help shape the policies that define it.