Five students from Materials Engineering accompanied Prof. Bahr and Prof. Howarter to Washington D.C. to participate in annual Congressional Visits Day (CVD).  The CVD event is organized by Material Advantage, a national student professional organization, and the visit is funded through student fundraising efforts.  The students arranged constituent visits with representatives and senators from their home districts to talk to them about the impact that federal funding for science research and education has on their life. The students who attended had recent research experiences related to biomaterials, energy production, communication technology, and structural materials.  Prior to meeting with the congressional offices, the students had discussions with science policy experts from the executive and legislative branches.