Arundhati Jayarao
Department of Energy
Capitol Hill, Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Virginia – Grades 10-12, Physics
Arundhati Jayarao is a Legislative Fellow at the Office of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, and is the lead staffer on P-20 STEM and higher education issues. Arundhati works on a wide array of issues ranging from student loans, afterschool programs, STEM education, K-12 engineering education and minorities in STEM programs and is a core member of a team organizing Senator Gillibrand’s first New York State College Presidents’ Summit. She advises her office on education funding priorities and recommends appropriation letters that the Senator should sign. In addition to keeping abreast of national and New York State education issues, Arundhati’s day-to-day tasks involve meeting with constituents and lobbyists, researching legislation, writing talking points, narratives and briefings for the senator. She has had the satisfaction of seeing her memos appear in Senator’s statements.
As an educator and female physicist passionate about motivating girls into engineering careers and broadening participation through projects like Rube Goldberg machines and rocketry challenges, it was not surprising that she was instrumental in having her boss introduce engineering education (E2) for innovation act and sponsor the national engineering week resolution. Arundhati wrote floor statements for the Senator, which meant that her work is now incorporated in the Congressional record. She is currently engaged in getting the STEM legislation and other pieces sponsored by Senator Gillibrand included in the ESEA reauthorization and COMPETES act.
Arundhati Jayarao was a Master Teacher at Oakcrest School, Virginia and taught physics and AP Chemistry for seven years. Arundhati worked for fifteen years as a physicist at Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai, India where she earned her PhD in theoretical physics/math while working in the area of quantum optics, and has several publications to her credit. She received her B.S. in Math, Physics, and Chemistry from Nizam College and her M.S. in Physics at Hyderabad Central University.
Arundhati is the 2008 recipient of Governor’s Outstanding Educator Award and the 2007 Coach Award for Regional Winners of NSTA-Toshiba’s Exploravision Competition. She was an invited panelist on STEM education at Society for Women Engineers and at Woodrow Wilson Center.
Arundhati’s experience at the Senate office prepared her to take on a larger role in STEM education policy during her second fellowship year .