Series: Admissions

Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Graduate Certificate Program

June 5, 2020 0:02:58
Kaltura Video

Learn about the student experience in the University of Michigan's unique graduate certificate program in Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP), based at the Ford School of Public Policy.

Transcript:

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♪♪♪

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Alejandro:
I am a fifth year PhD student

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in the industrial
and operations engineering
department.

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I started focusing on logistics
and supply chains-

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seeing how things got moved in a supply chain. 

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But research doesn’t live in a
bubble.

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It has real-world impact.

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And I kinda wanted to study
that other part as well-

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kinda understand what is the
ramifications of the models
that I build,

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to the people and society.

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♪♪♪

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JOY: Our students come from
almost every unit in the
university.

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They are graduate students who
are interested in and care about
the relationship

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between science, technology,
and public benefit. 

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♪♪

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STEPHANIE: I’m a third year in
the neuroscience
graduate program.

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But I wanted hands on training
in policy

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from people who study policy. 

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Um, and that was really
unique to Michigan.

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To be able to take classes at
Ford is pretty cool. 

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I didn’t have that opportunity
at other schools.

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SHOBITA: Students realize,
especially today, how important 

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science, technology, and science
and technology policy are,

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and they want to be trained
to make better policy

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that benefits society and
serves the public interest 

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and serves social justice goals.

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So our graduate certificate
program is essentially designed
to do those things.

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Policy can’t be created in
isolation just by experts.

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We need a wide array of voices
to create it.

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Everyone brings a unique
perspective,

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some that I would have never
even thought of,

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and I think that’s really the
value in STPP.

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♪♪

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SHOBITA: In the STPP program,
students learn how

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values, politics, and policy
shape science and technology.

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They are trained in how to
write for policy audiences,

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and how to also speak to
policy audiences.

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ROBERT: There’s a great need
now for the people with this
kind of expertise.

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We’re just trying to create a
bigger lane for people to
drive down

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as they move into this
type of work.

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♪♪

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JOY: Our students go out into
the world after completing
their certificates.

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They are working in the
offices of congressional
representatives,

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They are working in Washington.

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SCOTT: I want to work at the
intersection of technology
policy;

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where I am able to do the
important analysis, 

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and then come up with those
strategic policy
recommendations.

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ALEJANDRO:
What I know for sure is that
I want to be able to be
in a position

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where my work can have
direct impact onto society,

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and I think that connection
with public policy
is the right path.

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STEPHANIE: Because of STPP
I have a whole other skill set
that I can tap into.

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I hope to always use policy
in advocacy, specifically.

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Especially for patients,
or for research, for funding,

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for everything related
to science.

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I know that I’ll always have
policy as part of my career.