News | Science, Technology and Public Policy (STPP)

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STPP to establish Michigan science and technology fellowship

Nov 14, 2024

The Ford School of Public Policy’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP) is poised to create a new pathway for early career scientists and engineers to learn about, develop, and aid state-level policy making. A $100,00 planning and...

STPP to establish Michigan science and technology fellowship

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Who owns your face? NYT reporter Kashmir Hill discusses privacy in the era of facial recognition

Oct 10, 2024

How much control should we have over our likeness? Our anonymity?Nearly 200 attendees confronted these questions at a Ford School event with New York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hill, in conversation with Science, Technology, and Public...

Who owns your face? NYT reporter Kashmir Hill discusses privacy in the era of facial recognition

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STPP brings interdisciplinary, historical perspectives to public interest technology issues

Sep 12, 2024

Many of the research projects housed at the Science, Technology and Public Policy program (STPP) in the Ford School focus on climate issues for a simple reason, explains Managing Director Molly Kleinman. "None of this technology operates without...

STPP brings interdisciplinary, historical perspectives to public interest technology issues

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Hassan awarded U-M anti-racism grant

Sep 10, 2024

Ford School assistant professor Yousif Hassan has been chosen for a University of Michigan research grant for his work that explores how AI innovations and data can center social justice and address racial and economic inequalities in African...

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Hassan named Anti-Racism Research & Community Impact Faculty Fellow

Aug 29, 2024

Ford School assistant professor Yousif Hassan is among six faculty members chosen for Anti-Racism Research & Community Impact Faculty Fellowships. The National Center for Institutional Diversity selected faculty from the University of Michigan’s Ann...

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Ford School events highlight policy, civic engagement, and Conversations Across Differences

Aug 28, 2024

The Ford School has an exciting and diverse series of events this fall, designed to encourage policy debate, civic engagement, and Conversations Across Differences in a number of ways for students, faculty, staff, and the wider U-M and general...

Ford School events highlight policy, civic engagement, and Conversations Across Differences

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Takeaways from the joint meeting of EASST and 4S in July

Aug 22, 2024

By Ember McCoy, PhD Candidate, Environmental Policy & JusticeIn July, I attended the joint meeting of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) and the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) in Amsterdam, thanks in...

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STPP weighs the costs of new policing technologies

Aug 20, 2024

Policing technologies are increasingly being used to surveil the public with the stated goal of making communities safer and decreasing crime.New policy briefs from the Ford School of Public Policy’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy program...

STPP weighs the costs of new policing technologies

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Reflections on the quadrennial joint meeting of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) and the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)

Aug 16, 2024

By Margarita Maria Rodriguez Morales, PhD student in Public Policy and SociologyThanks to the support of the STPP student development grant, I could attend the 2024 4S/EASST meeting, that is the quadrennial joint meeting of the European Association...

Photo of Margarita Maria Rodriguez Morales in classroom

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Atmospheric Scientists Storm Capitol Hill: Reflections on the 2024 AMS Summer Policy Colloquium

Aug 16, 2024

By Emily Costa, PhD Candidate, Pratt Research Group, Department of ChemistryThis past June, I was selected to attend the American Meteorological Society’s Summer Policy Colloquium. This annual event brings together graduate students and...

Photo of Emily Kosta in front of capital building in Washington, DC

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Reflection the joint conference of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology and the Society for Social Studies of Science

Aug 16, 2024

By Olivia David, PhD Candidate at SEASIn July, I attended the joint conference of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology and the Society for Social Studies of Science (EASST-4S) in Amsterdam, with support from STPP’s...

Photo of Olivia David presenting in classroom

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STPP awarded MIDAS grant to advance equitable AI research

Jul 23, 2024

A research project from the Ford School’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program was selected by the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society (MIDAS) as part of its 2024 Propelling Original Data Science grants to accelerate...

STPP awarded MIDAS grant to advance equitable AI research

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OVPR awards 3 Ford School staff members for research, leadership

Apr 26, 2024

The Office of the Vice President for Research will recognize three of the Ford School's research center staff—Jasmina Camo-Biogradlija (Education Policy Initiative), Molly Kleinman (Science, Technology and Public Policy program), and Kyle S. Kwaiser...

OVPR awards 3 Ford School staff members for research, leadership

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Bold AI policy proposals awarded at Ford + Munk case competition

Apr 22, 2024

Fifty-one students engaged on pressing AI-related policy questions during this spring’s Ford+Munk case competition. Held annually, the Ford+Munk conference has students from the Ford School and the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global...

Bold AI policy proposals awarded at Ford + Munk case competition

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Highlights from the Dean's Symposium

Apr 21, 2024

Two days of panels, chats, and keynotes focused on examining and seeking solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face in Michigan, in the United States, and across the globe. More than 400 students, faculty, staff, and friends attended in...

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Stacey Abrams, other policymakers and leading scholars to join Ford School symposium

Mar 12, 2024

The Ford School of Public Policy is happy to announce the Dean’s Symposium, which will take place April 11 and 12 at Weill Hall, with the theme, “Policy Innovation for Our Times.” The two days will feature keynote appearances by voting rights...

Stacey Abrams, other policymakers and leading scholars to join Ford School symposium

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Q&A with STPP Certificate student and FAS Policy Entrepreneur Award winner Alexa White

Mar 6, 2024

Alexa White, an STPP Certificate and Ph.D. student in ecology and evolutionary biology, was given the inaugural FAS Policy Entrepreneur Award by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) at a ceremony in Washington, DC on November 16, 2023....

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Reflections on The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT)’s annual Policy Summit

Jan 25, 2024

By Christina Del Greco, PhD Student in Genetics and Genomics The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT)’s annual Policy Summit is a two-day event in Washington, D.C. (September 18-19, 2023) that brings together academic, government,...

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Reflection on the 15th International Conference on Bioethics, Medical Ethics, and Health Law

Jan 25, 2024

By Allison Cale, PhD Candidate in Genetics and Genomics As someone who is interested in a career focused on the ethical, social, and legal implications (ELSI) of advancements in genetics and genomics, I enjoyed the immense privilege of attending...

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Parthasarathy named to prestigious French council

Dec 8, 2023

Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy has been named to the scientific council for ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety. ANSES is a public administrative body reporting to the Ministries of Health,...

Parthasarathy named to prestigious French council

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Parthasarathy comments on one year of ChatGPT

Dec 6, 2023

One year ago, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a chatbot built on the large language model GPT-3. Since then, knowledge workers in all sectors have been grappling with the potential uses of it and similar artificial intelligence models—as well as the...

Parthasarathy comments on one year of ChatGPT

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STPP influence in New York report about facial recognition technology in schools

Oct 30, 2023

The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) has outlined the ethical issues with the state’s use of facial recognition technology (FRT) in schools. The report titled “Use of Biometric Identifying Technology in Schools” found...

STPP influence in New York report about facial recognition technology in schools

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Ford School welcomes Yousif Hassan as faculty

Aug 21, 2023

Yousif Hassan will join the Ford School faculty as an assistant professor in January 2024. Hassan’s work examines the social, economic, and political implications of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and data focusing on...

Ford School welcomes Yousif Hassan as faculty

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Ford School welcomes new faculty that bridge research and policy engagement

Aug 21, 2023

A former foreign minister to Mali, a leading educational economist, a tech entrepreneur who explores indigenous technoscience are among the outstanding new faculty that add depth to the Ford School and connect student education, rigorous academic...

Ford School welcomes new faculty that bridge research and policy engagement

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STPP to explore best practice in community engagement

Aug 1, 2023

As technologists and scientists increasingly engage with communities in order to enhance the societal benefits of their work, and demonstrate its public value, it is important to ensure that such engagements benefit the people they claim to serve....

STPP to explore best practice in community engagement

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Reflections on the ASU Winter School

Jul 26, 2023

Thanks to the STPP career development grant, I was able to attend the 2023 ASU Winter School, hosted by School for the Future of Innovation in Society in Mesa, Arizona. The event spanned one week and was held at the beautiful Saguaro Lake Ranch set...

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Engaged Learning Student Projects Catalog: Preparing Ford School students for leadership

Jun 29, 2023

During the Winter Term 2023, Ford School students were involved in projects with federal, state, county, city, and township governments, school districts, non-profit organizations, and commissions. They worked with the school’s numerous research...

Engaged Learning Student Projects Catalog: Preparing Ford School students for leadership

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Ford School welcomes PPIA 2023 cohort

Jun 19, 2023

The 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) has welcomed 23 students from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This year’s cohort will spend seven weeks taking classes, participating in...

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U-M experts: We need to emphasize AI’s societal impacts over technological advancements

May 12, 2023

Artificial intelligence—AI for short—is all over the news lately. And for good or ill, it has implications for us all. Two University of Michigan professors—Nigel Melville from the Ross School of Business and Shobita Parthasarathy from the Ford...

U-M experts: We need to emphasize AI’s societal impacts over technological advancements

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Pretrial risk assessment tools found to be subjective and biased

May 4, 2023 Read the full brief

In their attempts to reform the cash bail system, jurisdictions across the country are turning to automated pretrial risk assessment tools that ‘predict’ if a defendant will be arrested for a new crime while waiting for trial or will fail to appear...

Pretrial risk assessment tools found to be subjective and biased