Michael Yates, a dual MPP and MBA student, was one of three U-M master's students selected to attend the November 2011 Festival of Thinkers at the United Arab Emirates' Higher Colleges of Technology.
As described by organizers, the Festival of Thinkers provides an opportunity for the Middle East's young scholars to interact formally and informally with Nobel Laureates and the world's leading thinkers in business, science, technology, culture, and economics.
This year the Higher Colleges of Technology's vice chancellor, Tayeb Kamali, invited three Michigan graduate students to attend the event. Through a competitive selection process, Yates was nominated by public policy faculty and endorsed by Rackham Graduate School Dean Janet Weiss.
Yates, along with Patty Liao from Engineering Sustainable Systems and Meghan Reynard from the School of Art and Design, posted an entry about their trip to the UAE on the Rackham Graduate School blog. Read their blog here.