With the increasing dependency on extramural funding to define the direction of animal sciences research, changes in policy at the federal level heavily influence the discoveries that will improve animal production. Yet few scientists are familiar with this process. Internship opportunities in governmental affairs or science policy are usually summer or full-year programs, and are typically available to advanced graduate students or post-doctoral scientists. Few opportunities exist for students early in their graduate program to explore governmental agencies or interact with policymakers. To address this limitation, we designed an immersive experience for PhD students supported by a USDA NIFA National Needs Fellowship Grant. Three students spent 4 weeks in Washington, DC in June 2014. Students were housed in a local university dormitory, using week 1 to acclimate to the area including familiarization with local transportation systems and locating destinations for subsequent weeks’ activities. Weeks 2 to 4 were set up on a rotational basis with each student individually pursuing a different weekly activity. Students spent 1 week on Capitol Hill in the office of a US Congressman (a different congressional office for each student). They also spent 1 week visiting various USDA agencies (a different agency each day). For the third week, students shadowed a professional in either an agriculture-related non-governmental organization or a governmental agency, selected to fit with their individual interests. Through these experiences, students interacted with scientists in federal agencies involved with research and/or policy development, and scientists in trade or commodity organizations, as well as attended congressional hearings, briefings and other meetings on agriculture-related topics. This opportunity not only reinforced the interconnectedness of science, industry, and policy, but also exposed students to many unique scientific careers. This immersive experience in public policy, and its impact on the agricultural industry, greatly influenced the students’ professional development.