IBEI Academic Internship Report - IEN

Student's personal details

Brianne DelBonifro, Major in International Relations (Part-time track, 2021 - 2023)

Name and location of the organization

Institut d’Estudis Nord-americans (IEN) (cat)/ Institute of North American Studies (eng)
Head office - Via Augusta, 121, 08006 Barcelona, Spain
Hours: 200, Dates: 12/07/2022 - 30/04/2023

Detailed description of the tasks, jobs and departments assigned to

USA & EU Barcelona Meeting

Assist the Executive Director of IEN in execution and preparation for the second annual USA &

EU Barcelona Meeting. This year’s meeting focus was on The Geopolitics of Energy after

Ukraine. Held at Palau Macaya on Thursday, March 9th.

Execution: It was a four hour event where I was responsible for the organization’s social media

pages: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. I had the chance to coordinate with social

media teams from IBEI, the United States Consulate in Barcelona, the European Parliament and

the European Commission as they all served as event partners. To fulfill this task I had to

understand the terms and conditions in which I could use the highly prestigious panelists’

photograph. This required explaining a release agreement to each panelist and ensuring

signatures from each of them.

Preparation: To prepare for the event I was tasked with the job of selecting my top choices of

panelists out of a list provided by IEN Senior Fellow Dr. Jeffrey Michaels that I thought best fit

the event program while still providing diversity of thought. Along with this, I conducted

research of my own to make suggestions for who to invite as this years’ keynote speaker. After

reviewing with my supervisor, I drafted invitation letters to be sent by email. Once the speakers

were confirmed, I was solely responsible for communications between the panelists that IEN had
to secure and instruct. This included Dr. Katja Yafimava, Senior Research Fellow on the Oxford

Institute for Energy Studies and Nicholas Crawford, Research Associate for the Geo-economics

and Strategy Research Programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Travel logistics including flights, hotel accommodations, dinner reservations and an

understanding of what was to be expected of them throughout the event was up to me. I was also

in charge of gathering every panelists’ headshot and biography to be used for promotional

purposes and event pamphlets. Promotion included social media in which I also took the lead on

posts in English. The night before the event I was invited to attend the speakers’ dinner where all

of the panelists gathered to meet one another prior to their presentations the next day. To add, I

also spent time creating a spreadsheet of all Spanish universities that had an international

relations related program to invite their students to the event through corresponding with their

academic coordinator. This email list will remain useful as Dr. Michaels hosts weekly online

seminars in which the organization is looking to increase the number of viewers.

Interview: I was offered the opportunity to interview Dr. Yafimava on the event topic to help

spread the word regarding what would be discussed at the event. To ask relative and meaningful

questions, this required researching and essentially taking a personal crash course understanding

of the intricacies of the most examined modern international relations issues: where to source gas

from the global market if no longer from Russia? The hour long Zoom interview then had to be

transcribed in which I took the role as supervisor when I had an undergraduate intern perform

this task under my supervision. Once transcribed, I had to sort through Dr. Yafimava’s answers to

publish a piece that would be digestible to readers with limited prior knowledge of the crisis and

the potential avenues of crisis responses.

Research Component: SP-US Relations through the Astronautic World

Independent Research: The purpose of my research was to reveal if and how Spain contributed

to the astronautic world in the 1950s and how their fragile relationship with the United States

contributed to it. Through my independent research I gained a wealth of knowledge on the

history of Spain between the onset of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s up until the mid 1960s.

I traced Spain’s domestic and international history and most specifically I traced their evolving

cultural and diplomatic relationship with the United States. I explored these histories’ through

the examination of two prominent Spanish organizations since their inception: Institut d’Estudis

Nord-americans (IEN) (1951) and National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) (1942).

IEN contributed to the Spanish-American dynamic which was essential in establishing a base for

scientific growth under the Francisco Franco regime and in the midst of the Cold War. INTA was

a crucial organization that created the space for discovery and innovation to blossom.

Interviews: I prepared two interviews in order to fulfill my research goals. The first was an

attempted interview with a longstanding member of IEN who had joined the organization by

direct invitation of the organization's founding members. His name is Pere Mateu Sancho. He

dedicated his life to astronautics and gained recognition from IEN, NASA and the U.S.

government for his work. In an attempt to understand the dynamics of the 1950s I created

interview questions, translated them to Spanish and attempted the interview. However, the

language barrier (my Spanish is at a very basic level) and old age created too much of a barrier.

He was unsure of his memory so the interview was cut short. Following the interview with Mr.

Sancho, I prepared for another interview with Lorenzo Delgado Gomez Escalonilla, Senior

Scientific Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid. Initially, I thought

that he too spoke English but this was not the case, but again I moved forward with the interview
and translated my questions to Spanish. The hour and a half Zoom interview then had to be

translated, which was a lengthy but purposeful project as it helped me with my Spanish.

Presentation: While in the midst of my research, American undergraduate students from Baylor

University in Texas that are studying international relations visited the organization. My

supervisor and I hosted a presentation for the students regarding activities that the organization is

involved with. I shared the fundamental ideas of my, at the time, basic research. I also shared my

story of being an American choosing to continue my higher education in Barcelona and

answered their questions to help provide them with an idea of how to take steps towards studying

a masters abroad given that their undergraduate studies are coming to a close in the coming

months.

Assessment of tasks performed with the knowledge and competencies acquired during

university studies

The internship strengthened my research skills, specifically in relation to writing about history,

especially when there is a lack of research available as the topic was incredibly niche. The topic I

researched was almost untouched so I had to look for eclectic and sporadic sources to gain a full

understanding of science in Spain in the 1950s. I used news articles, academic journals, and held

professional interviews. It also strengthened my skills within global governance as this is a

nonpartisan organization that is attempting to initiate stronger cultural ties through hosting events

that initiate important but complex and potentially controversial conversations. To foster an

environment open to multiple political perspectives takes an understanding of global diplomacy,

which was a key course during my studies.

Problems that arose and how they were resolved

As stated above several of the interviews were conducted in another language. This was

extremely challenging but it had to happen this way especially considering Lorenzo was retelling

history. Even though it was possible for him to speak a little English, it made the most sense for

him to continue in Spanish as a means of not losing the essence in what he was communicating.

To remove cultural nuance through the change of language would have been a pity. Therefore,

the only way was to allow him to speak what he needed to and then take the information and

translate it myself hoping that I captured his words as best as possible.

Knowledge and skills that were acquired on the internship

The internship equipped me with skills in diplomatic communications. I had no prior experience

working with and helping represent diplomats prior to this internship. It is an artform truly.

Knowing how to present yourself in these environments and to understand which topics are

appropriate is invaluable experience.

Assessment of internship and suggestions for improvements.

This internship was really valuable in what it added to my experience studying international

relations at IBEI. It helped me gain cultural, political and historical perspectives from several

different Spanish avenues. Meaning, that I was able to gain context of regional issues in Spain, I

gained insight on their relationship within the European Union and their relationship with one of

the world’s superpowers and my home country, the United States. Looking from the lens of

another country and how they play the game of international relations is extremely beneficial. I
really appreciated that my supervisor offered several possible roles to me and I was able to do

what suited my interests best.