Close encounters of the political kind are in store for some UC students.

The UC Center Sacramento welcomed its first group of students this term as part of an innovative program that will provide hands-on learning and research opportunities in Sacramento's public policy arena to UC undergraduates from across the state.

The UC Center Sacramento Fellows Program for Undergraduates is an academic pilot program that combines an intensive course of study in public policy with guided internship and research opportunities within the offices of state elected officials, state agencies and other policy-making organizations in Sacramento.

"Sacramento Center students will form networks of acquaintances with each other, as well as with the people they meet through their political and governmental work," said UC Davis Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith, who helped write the proposal for the center. "This will be an enormous asset to them in later life, as experience with both our own internship program and the Washington D.C. program readily confirms."

Pamela Lu, a UC Davis communications major, signed up for the fellows program because she "wanted something unique" in her educational experience. She is one of four UC Davis students in the program.

"As a new transfer, I was lost in the whirlwind of starting over in college. Instead of the standard go to classes, study, and go home, I wanted to try something that had never been done before. I had faith in the program's management team that they would put together something really special," said Lu.

Gary Dymski, director of the UC Center in Sacramento and a UC Riverside economics professor, said the program will give students a rare opportunity to learn about California's public policy process firsthand -- "not just through their coursework, but through the professional experiences they will build while living, interning and conducting research in the state capital."

Dymski began instructing students Jan. 8 in a research seminar on policy-making and politics in Sacramento, as well as an elective course, "Political Economy of the California Crisis."

Students are required to enroll in classes while working 24-32 hours per week. Internship placements have been made at various offices in Sacramento — including the governor's office. The 17 students in the inaugural class represent all eight of UC's undergraduate campuses.

Lu is not yet placed in an internship, but does have some prospects with the Senate Committee on Health and Human Servces, and the Assembly Committee on Health.

The UC Center Sacramento and the UCCS Fellows Program for Undergraduates were modeled in part on UC's successful academic center and program in Washington, D.C., that combines student internships, class work and faculty research. "This program is an exciting opportunity for students from across the state to learn about California's complex political and policy-making processes up close, and will no doubt help to create our next generation of leaders and policy-makers in Sacramento," said UC President Robert Dynes.

Lu hopes to learn about the process of public policy making at the state level regarding health care for Californians. "I want to take away significant and lifelong friendships with the other members of the class; and an opportunity to say I took a step outside my comfort zone and was fine when it was over."

Eric Dowdy is interning in state senator Sheila Kuehl's office. He signed up for the program because he wanted a close-up view of the "internal dynamics" of the legislative process in California. "I think the program offers an invaluable first-hand look at California politics and offers a forum to explore the relevant policy issues of the day through the academic component," he said.

Like Lu, Dowdy hopes to learn how policy is designed, negotiated and implemented in California. "I also hope to make valuable professional contacts who I can call upon after graduation," he said.

The UCCS was established by the UC Board of Regents in 2003 to expand the university's presence in Sacramento through a variety of public service and educational aims, including: building a systemwide student internship and academic program; increasing opportunities for faculty research on state policy issues; and providing a variety of training programs and seminars on key policy issues for policy-makers, UC students and faculty.

Clifton B. Parker contributed to this article.