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News

Jenna Bednar featured in new documentary film

Nov 1, 2021
A new award-winning documentary film, “Solutions,” made its U.S. debut at the United Nations Association Film Festival on October 31. Jenna Bednar, professor of public policy and political science, is one of 20 experts featured to "examine the...
Jenna Bednar
News

Ali comments on Russian cyberattack

Oct 27, 2021
Javed Ali explained what happened in the most recent Russian cyberattack. "What Microsoft disclosed at a threat conference over the weekend is that the Russian security service, known as the FDR, which has been responsible for launching a series...
Headshot of Javed Ali at Weill Hall's 4th floor Whitman Lounge
In the Media

Courant featured in book about library digitization

Oct 13, 2021 The Scholarly Kitchen
Edward M. Gramlich Distinguished University Professor Paul Courant is featured in a new book, Along Came Google: a History of Library Digitization. “Mass digitization is dead," he is quoted as saying in the book. “We are back in that place where...
Paul Courant
In the Media

Axelrod discusses strategy, real-world implications of game theory

Oct 4, 2021 Freakonomics podcast
Robert Axelrod, William D. Hamilton Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, recently broke down game theory strategy on the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast with Freakonomics author Steven Levitt. He explains how game theory and the prisoner's...
Robert Axelrod teaching
In the Media

Parthasarathy on the racial reckoning in science and medicine

Oct 4, 2021 AP News
The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cells have been used to develop numerous scientific and medical innovations, is suing a biotechnology company for selling her cells. Shobita Parthasarathy provided insight into the lawsuit. “We...
Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom
In the Media

Parthasarathy calls for legislative action on privacy

Aug 11, 2021 MLive
As police increasingly use social media for surveillance and monitoring, Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, calls for legislative action to protect citizens' online...
Shobita Parthasarathy
In the Media

Parthasarathy discusses bias of facial recognition technology

Aug 5, 2021 MLive
The ethics surrounding the use of facial recognition technology are under increasing scrutiny as more law enforcement agencies utilize it. Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy...
Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom
News

ViewPoint policy simulation software again a mainstay for PPIA

Aug 2, 2021
The use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement has caused controversy, as authorities balance the benefits of an additional resource with concerns over false accusations and racial profiling. 60 students grappled with the public policy...
On a teal background, two Macbooks shown open displaying the Viewpoint homepage
In the Media

Young describes changing relationship between work and technology

Jul 11, 2021 WDIV Local 4
The pandemic has left many anxious about what the future of work looks like. Alford Young, courtesy faculty at the Ford School, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Sociology and a professor of African and African American studies,...
Al Young
In the Media

Parthasarathy facial recognition study in focus on Detroit Public TV

Jun 24, 2021 DPTV One Detroit
Detroit Public TV's One Detroit program looked at the racial disparities inherent in law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology, making reference to a study published in August 2020 by the Ford School's Shobita Parthasarathy.  "We...
Parthasarathy DPTV Facial Recognition
News

Green takes a look at tech ethics

Jun 15, 2021
Technology companies have been at the center of many public controversies recently—from hacking threats and data security to fake news and manipulating algorithms. Do the ethics of technological advancement—"tech ethics"—have any influence on the...
Ben Green
News

STPP wins grant to explore Large Language Models  

Jun 11, 2021
Large Language Models (LLM) — machine learning algorithms that can recognize, predict, and  generate human languages on the basis of very large text-based data sets — have captured the imagination of scientists, entrepreneurs, and tech-watchers....
Glasses rest on a desktop with various coding windows open on a screen behind
News

Ali comments on Russian cyberattacks

Jun 6, 2021
Russia continues to launch cyberattacks against the U.S., and Javed Ali says it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon. "Russia does not yet seem to be deterred from launching a whole slew of operations against the United States," Ali...
Headshot of Javed Ali at Weill Hall's 4th floor Whitman Lounge, speaking to someone off camera
News

MIDAS grant to assist Stange research on liberal arts education

Jun 4, 2021
A challenge in any analysis looking at multiple higher education institutions is that each institution may have different labels for the same course - ENG101 may be "Composition I" at one institution but "Thinking Like an Engineer" at another. Ford...
Kevin Stange
In the Media

Parthasarathy comments on OTC COVID-19 tests

May 30, 2021 Chemical and Engineering News
Even as the rates of COVID-19 are dropping, the disease remains a threat. A need remains for COVID testing, and over-the-counter COVID-19 tests are being experimented with in the U.S. But, with these tests being taken at home, the question of how to...
Shobita Parthasarathy
In the Media

Parthasarathy discusses patents and vaccines

May 24, 2021 The American Prospect
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, vaccines have allowed some freedom from the virus. But, patents on the vaccines are preventing others around the world from receiving the life saving shot. In turn, the White House has received pressure to waive...
Photo of a person in PPE holding a vile of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
News

Invest in innovation — Owen-Smith

May 23, 2021
In a recent op-ed for The Hill, Jason Owen-Smith, professor of public policy and director of the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science, calls for federal investment in leading research universities in order to promote growth and...
Jason Owen-Smith
In the Media

Harris analyses digital dollars

May 23, 2021 St Louis Post-Dispatch
With technology becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives, the Federal Reserve has started researching the potential of digital dollars. Adrienne Harris, professor of practice at the Ford School, gave some insight on how different...
Adrienne Harris