Science and technology

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.

The Center for Racial Justice proudly welcomes Chloë Cheyenne for our 2024 Masterclass in Activism event: A Conversation on Social Justice Activism in the Digital Age. This event is free and open to all. 

Underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic workers in STEM fields contributes to racial wage gaps and reduces innovation and economic growth. Billions of dollars a year are spent on "pipeline'' programs to increase diversity in STEM, but there is little rigorous evidence of their efficacy.

The Center on Finance, Law & Policy and the University of Michigan's FinTech Initiative at the Ross School of Business are hosting “The Future of Fintech” conference to consider new business, policy, and regulatory questions raised by recent technological developments.     

Join us as we welcome Dr. Ruha Benjamin to campus to discuss her newest book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want. In this talk, Dr. Benjamin draws on the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and introduces a micro-vision of change—a way of looking at the everyday ways people are working to combat unjust systems and build alternatives to the oppressive status quo. 

Do you want to learn how science and technology policy is made? Are you interested in the social and ethical implications of developments like facial recognition, gene editing, or autonomous vehicles? Are you concerned about the increased politicization of science and research funding?

Dr. Krystal Tsosie will describe community-engaged research and describe paths forward that center Indigenous people as the agents of access for their own genomic and health data. The future of Indigenous genomics is not mere inclusion but through recognition of Indigenous genomic and data sovereignty.

A talk featuring the Ford School's Ben Green, Deborah Hellman (Univ. of Virginia), and Prof. Hima Lakkaraju (Harvard), moderated by Holli Sargeant (Univ. of Cambridge).

Leaders from North America and Europe will explore approaches to industrial heartland economic renewal in order to address one of the root causes of the polarizing politics undermining Western democracies and the transatlantic alliance. 

Paul Lettow will discuss lessons learned from Truman to today in U.S. national security strategy in conversation with Professor John Ciorciari. 

Do you want to learn how science and technology policy is made? Are you interested in the social and ethical implications of developments like facial recognition, gene editing, or autonomous vehicles? Are you concerned about the increased politicization of science and research funding?

Kade Crockford, the director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts, will speak about technology, surveillance, and civil liberties.   

Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College will host a policy simulation at the Ford School this fall. In this exercise, students will learn about the competition in the Arctic region and be tasked with using diplomacy to address a variety of urgent issues.

What are the types of injustices associated with low-carbon transitions? Relatedly, in what ways do low-carbon transitions worsen social risks or vulnerabilities? Lastly, what policies might be deployed to make these transitions more just?

The Community Tech Workers project will pair three local residents with three U-M students to provide free one-on-one technology training and assistance to small business owners in Detroit's East Jefferson corridor.

Join this livestream event on Wednesday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. to learn more about the new Community Teach Worker project.

Do you want to learn how science and technology policy is made? Are you interested in the social and ethical implications of developments like facial recognition, gene editing, or autonomous vehicles?

Join us for a conversation on deploying science, technology, and data for the public good, with Kumar Garg, senior managing director at Schmidt Futures and former assistant director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Professor Shobita Parthasarathy.

Join us for a talk on global vaccine equity and health justice with Fatima Hassan, human rights lawyer, social justice activist, and the founder of the Health Justice Initiative in South Africa; and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Policymaker in Residence at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein participates in a Q&A on topics covered in her book, “The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred.”

Join the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program for a virtual information session to learn about the Science, Technology, and Public Policy graduate certificate.

Jacqueline Patterson, Founder and Executive Director of The Chisholm Legacy Project, and Kyle Whyte, Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan and affiliate of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, discuss environmental and climate justice.

Graduate Career Services and the Weiser Diplomacy Center invite Ford School graduate and undergraduate students to an Alumni-in-Residence conversation with UPS President for International Public Affairs and Sustainability, Penelope Naas. 

Chris Gilliard, Ursula Rao, Carolyn Sufrin, and chair John Carson comprise the third panel of the Behind Walls, Beyond Discipline: Science, Technology, and the Carceral State webinar series.