How does the creative sector contribute to economic and community development in Michigan? As the director of creative industries at Creative Many, Ford School alum Cézanne Charles (MPA ’15) makes the case using data.
Charles leads the...
In the lead up to the UN Climate Change Conference in December, the U.S. will organize a task force to incorporate climate and security analysis into its foreign policy agenda.
Secretary of State John Kerry announced the new group at a speech in...
Shobita Parthasarathy has called for serious patent system reforms in a July 31 article she authored in The Conversation. Such reforms, she said, could "include increasing opportunities for the public to participate in patent decision-making,...
Former U.S. Congressman Dr. Joe Schwarz (R-7) and former Michigan Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing) pen MLive op-ed, “New energy plan for Michigan is opportunity to find common ground for cleaner water.” Together, Schwarz and...
Andrew Schroeder (MPP ’07) knows disaster relief. As director of research and analysis for Direct Relief International, Schroeder has helped shape responses to dozens of calamities. He recites the biggies. Haiti, Sandy, Nargis, Tohoku, Haiyan, and...
Beehives in a Michigan cherry orchard
Betsy Riley (MPP/SNRE ’14), 2013 Dow Sustainability Fellow
Created a resource guide for farmers and beekeepers trying to cope with the negative effects of honey bee colony collapse disorder. Because...
On August 18, Dr. Dan Kelly published an op-ed in the San Francisco Gate. His friend and colleague, a medical doctor, had died in Sierra Leone after serving an Ebola patient without protective gear. It wasn’t negligence, wrote Kelly, an infectious...
In an August 26 Policy Points video, Carl Simon argues that quarantine is the key to containing and eliminating the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus—the most deadly to date. “The first Ebola outbreak was noted about 40 years ago in small...
When Superstorm Sandy struck the northeast coast last October, it struck with a vengeance. It cascaded over seawalls; knocked a roller coaster into the ocean; yanked out chunks of the Atlantic City boardwalk; felled trees and power lines; flooded...
Shobita Parthasarathy's book on the development and implications of gene testing and patenting has been re-released in paperback by The MIT Press.The book, Building Genetic Medicine: Breast Cancer, Technology and the Comparative Politics of Health...
Join STPP for a webinar about the importance of bringing together technical experts with civil society organizations to produce technology and technology policy that serves the public interest.
Please join the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program for "Making Technology Work For Everyone: Empowering Civil Society and Technologists to Work Together to Shape our Future," a webinar about the importance of bringing together technical experts with civil society organizations.
Please join the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program for a webinar introducing the findings of a new report, "Broadening Horizons: How STEM-in-Society Programs Train Socially Responsible Scientists, Engineers, and Policy Leaders."
The Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program is excited to welcome STPP Alumnus Scott Henry, Data Scientist at Duo Security, for coffee and conversation. Scott will share his experiences around working in the private sector in cybersecurity and responsible tech.
For the first time, two of the most popular apps in the world – TikTok and the A.I. chatbot DeepSeek – are Chinese. American legislative efforts to restrict or outright ban Chinese apps and other technologies on the grounds of national security have dominated recent headlines. During a time of political turmoil, increasing hostility towards trade with other nations, and the rush to maintain U.S. dominance over the tech industry, anti-Chinese sentiment has (re)surfaced in ways that echo earlier American anxieties about Asian labor competition and racial difference. This panel will bring together Asian American media scholars and culture creators to analyze what this climate means for our shifting technological landscape, Asian American communities, and race relations in the U.S.
"I Hope This Helps!" is a humorous, genre-bending hybrid documentary that invites viewers to ponder the evolving relationship between humanity and technology.
Please join us for a virtual information session to learn about the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. More information about the program is available at: http://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/graduate-certificate/. Applications are due March 1st!
Dr. Cesar Barraza-Botet (UM PhD in Mechanical Engineering/STPP 2018), Science and Technology Policy Analyst for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will engage with current STPP students in an informal conversation. Students will gain insight into bridging the science-policy interface to inform governments, industry, and multilateral organizations on international Energy & Climate policymaking, especially in Latin America and The Caribbean.
Join us for an event that’s more than just a celebration—it’s a call to action. In alignment with the University of Michigan’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium's 2025 theme of "Restless Dissatisfaction: An Urgent Call for the Pursuit of Justice and Equality," we invite students, staff, faculty and the greater community to a powerful and inspiring gathering.
Please join us for a virtual information session to learn about the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program.More information about the program is available at: http://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/graduate-certificate/. Applications are due November 1st!
Please join us for an engaging conversation with New York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hill and Shobita Parthasarathy, Faculty Director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program. Our speakers will explore the intersection of technology and privacy, addressing some of today's most salient issues.Following the talk, Kashmir Hill will be available for a book signing of "Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It".
Attorney Vineet Shahani, General Counsel and policy and corporate development lead for Mill, will engage with current STPP students in an informal conversation about his background in technology policy and climate work. Mr. Shahani will provide valuable insight into the daily operations of policy work in a tech company, as well as the pragmatic aspects of seeking policy jobs in Silicon Valley.
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
A wide-ranging discussion with technologist Alondra Nelson, reflecting on her time in the White House, her role as a social scientist involved in shaping science and technology (and particularly AI), her insights into the policy process, and specifically her work on the open access and AI Bill of Rights initiatives.
The Center for Racial Justice and Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) are excited to host Alejandro Mayoral Baños for his talk Beyond the Digital Divide: Unpacking the Complexities of Development and Data Colonialism. Alejandro will be exploring the intricate and multifaceted realm of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), and assessing its promising advantages and its significant downfalls.
Please join the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program and community partners, Detroit Disability Power, Detroit Justice Center, and We the People Michigan for a webinar to discuss the Community Partnerships Playbook, a collaborative guide for creating more equitable partnerships between technical and community experts.
Alex Kate Halvey (PhD, STPP '22) will engage with current STPP students in an informal conversation about the fellowship process and her current work in the field.
Dr. Halvey currently serves as a AAAS STPF Fellow in the Department of Energy’s Office of Policy. She was previously a AAAS/AIP (American Institute of Physics) Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow in the Office of Senator Heinrich (D-NM). Dr. Halvey graduated from the University of Michigan with a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering and a STPP Graduate Certificate.
Brad Weltman (BA '97, MPP '99), Policy Director at Facebook, will engage with current STPP students in an informal conversation about his career trajectory and current work in the field.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
STPP Lecture Series
Join for a conversation with former New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio. In conversation with STPP Director Professor Shobita Parthasarathy, the discussion will explore how urban tech is shaping social policy in “smart cities” like New York and beyond. How can we ensure that emerging technology serves the public interest, and what role can local, state, national, and even international policy play?
