Policy Topics

Science and technology

Showing 211 - 240 of 636 results

Publication

Government science boards are seen through a political lens - study

Sep 9, 2020

The current debate about federally-funded scientific research reflects an ongoing trend: What people think of the scientists who advise the federal government partially depends on their own political persuasion and where the scientists work. That is...

News

Joy Rohde selected as an Institute for Advanced Study Scholar

Sep 2, 2020

Today’s debates about the use of big data, algorithms and computer models in policy-making have deep historical roots. Historian and Ford School professor Joy Rohde argues that the intersection of computing, social science, and public policy is as...

News

Considering inequities and disparities is essential for innovation in fighting COVID-19

Sep 2, 2020

“Disparities, distrust in health systems and other complexities must be explicitly factored into solutions” to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy writes in the latest issue of Nature. Governments around the world...

News

Students to examine cyber attack threats to elections, infrastructure, national security

Aug 20, 2020

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center highlights an array of threats to Americans that could come from cyberattacks by U.S. adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran. According to the government's experts, these countries and...

Publication

Facial recognition technology in schools presents multiple problems, shows limited efficacy

Aug 10, 2020

Facial recognition (FR) technology should be banned for use in schools, according to a new study by the Science, Technology and Public Policy program (STPP) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. The study...

Dozens of security cameras pointed at one person

News

Meet our new faculty: Ben Green

Aug 10, 2020

Ben Green was selected as one of six University of Michigan Society of Fellows for a three-year appointment. He will be an assistant professor at the Ford School working on a book project and teaching students. His research focuses on the social and...

Detroit students take on robotics challenges with University of Michigan virtual mentoring

Jun 25, 2020

The Ford School and the College of Engineering Michigan Engineering Zone (MEZ) launched a STEM Summer Camp on June 24. Fifty-five Detroit high school students will study robotics and other STEM subjects this summer as part of an expansion of...

Student participants in the Michigan Engineering Zone

Alumni spotlight

Ford School alum partners with Hong Kong government to monitor quarantine compliance while protecting citizen privacy

Jun 18, 2020

During the COVID-19 quarantine, Hong Kong mandated that all local residents and foreigners remain in designated zones at all times. Government officials were faced with a technical challenge to ensure citizen compliance without invading privacy, all...

Alumni spotlight

Meghan Rowley (BA ‘18) assists Latin American governments on technology, fighting corruption during COVID-19

Jun 8, 2020

In many countries, longstanding government practices came to a halt amid COVID-19 restrictions. Ford School alum Meghan Rowley (BA '18), Latin America program associate at the International Republican Institute (IRI), has been helping to implement...

Ethical and logistical problems raise questions about COVID-19 antibody test efficacy

May 29, 2020

As stay-at-home orders expire across the United States, a reliance on antibody testing seems to be a key element of keeping people safe and avoiding a resurgence of COVID-19. Antibody testing is being touted as a way to know whether locked-down...

Alumni spotlight

Eric Rodriguez (MPP ‘19) innovates to reach vulnerable populations in San José with virtual local assistance center

May 29, 2020

Meeting the needs of vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis was Ford School alum Eric Rodriguez’ (MPP ‘19) top priority. As senior executive analyst for the City of San José, Rodriguez launched the first virtual local assistance center...

News

Hampshire receives NSF grant to address food insecurity during the pandemic

May 27, 2020

Ford School professor Robert Hampshire works at the intersection of public policy and engineering, with a specific focus on using better transportation systems to overcome inequities in society. Since early fall 2019, he and his colleagues had been...

Toward a more fair and inclusive financial system

May 22, 2020

New FinTech collaborations boost Ford School’s financial policy offerings The Ford School is expanding its offerings of financial policy courses with FinTech (financial technology) Policy and FinTech Entrepreneurship classes. Taught by professor...

Alumni spotlight

John Guerriero (MPP ‘17) urges governors' cybersecurity response to pandemic-related cyberattacks

May 22, 2020

COVID-19-themed cyberattacks are on the rise due to an exponential increase in telework and an opportunity to exploit fear during the pandemic. Ford School alum John Guerriero (MPP ‘17) and his team at the National Governors Association Center for...

News

Growing civic-minded technologists

May 19, 2020

“This was a game-changer for us,” said Kwaku Osei, the CEO of Farmacy, a food app startup focused on user’s dietary needs. Osei was one of five social entrepreneurs of color in the Detroit metro area matched with Masters students from the Ford...

Public consensus on anti-COVID-19 measures risks being politicized, says Parthasarathy

May 14, 2020

Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy says Americans' consensus belief in the science behind anti-COVID-19 measures is at risk. In an article in Times Higher Education published May 14 entitled "Science ‘risks coronavirus backlash’ as it is...

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom

Fintech can speed recovery payments to businesses and individuals

Apr 22, 2020

Financial technology, commonly known as fintech, is the intersection of financial services and technology. Fintech services that have become popular in recent years include mobile payments, online lending, and digital currency.Adrienne Harris, a...

Parthasarathy’s NSF grant will investigate how politics and public trust drive coronavirus response

Apr 20, 2020

It’s becoming clear that more diagnostic testing is key for the U.S. to stop the spread of COVID-19, re-open the economy, and better manage the next epidemic. Shobita Parthasarathy, director of the Ford School of Public Policy's Science, Technology,...

Intellectual property research needs to take a broader view of how patents affect the public interest

Apr 17, 2020

Intellectual property, and patents, in particular, affect every level of society. Research interest in the area has expanded beyond just the legal community and now involves social scientists and humanists as well. In an article published on...

U.S. scientific advancements lack diversity, equity, and inclusion, says Parthasarathy

Mar 16, 2020

U.S. competitiveness in global research and development (R&D) is hampered by political bias and a lack of diversity, according to Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy. She spoke at a February 25 meeting of the National Academy of Sciences,...

News

Rabe explores taxing methane emissions

Mar 16, 2020

Representing a new line of research, Ford School professor Barry Rabe explores the politics around taxing methane gas releases. Rabe argues that consensus among economists is “the best way to reduce climate risks linked to carbon dioxide emissions...

News

Rabe addresses the feasibility of Democratic electric vehicle proposals

Mar 9, 2020

Throughout the Democratic primary process, candidates have released climate change plans calling for the full electrification of vehicles within the next two decades. Professor Barry Rabe weighed in recently on how these proposals could impact...

James VanSteel (MPP/MURP '21) co-authors electric vehicle report for The Ecology Center

Jan 31, 2020

With research conducted during his summer 2019 internship with The Ecology Center, Ford School student James VanSteel (MPP/MURP '21) co-authored “EV Report: Paying Their Fair Share,” published on January 13, 2020. In the report, VanSteel and his...

New BA minor opens policy education to more U-M students

Dec 10, 2019

Starting fall 2020, the Ford School will offer University of Michigan undergraduates a 16-credit minor in public policy. The minor will have a competitive application process that will go live in April 2020. The school expects to enroll around...

Science, technology, and society… Oh my!

Oct 2, 2019

Professor Shobita Parthasarthy and a colleague have launched “The Received Wisdom”, a new podcast that will explore the potential of science and technology by challenging commonly held wisdom.On Monday, September 23, “The Received Wisdom” launched...

Parthasarathy talks algorithms place in the criminal justice system

Sep 3, 2019

Algorithms are making their way into public systems. They serve to make data-based, automated decisions when applied to public system models, but those computerized decisions don’t come without bias or ethical implications. In the podcast series...

Ali encourages collaboration to protect against AV terror in Detroit News

Jul 22, 2019

Each day tech and automotive companies are making advances in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. With that innovation comes a new threat to our security, warns Javed Ali in a July 21 op-ed in The Detroit News titled “Collaboration key to preventing...

News

Bike sharing research by Hampshire wins EURO Award

Jun 26, 2019

Robert Hampshire was part of the author team that won the EURO Award for the Best EJOR Paper announced today during the annual European Conference on Operational Research in Dublin. Conveyed by EURO, the Association of European Operational Research...

Bias in bail: Parthasarathy cautions against new Public Safety Assessment tools

Apr 19, 2019

Tackling criminal justice reform requires a multi-pronged approach, and one of the most recent avenues gaining traction is an attempt to rework how pretrial decisions are made. The Michigan Supreme Court has its hands in this effort, launching a new...

State & Hill

Robert Hampshire on ride/bike/scooter share options to improve traffic congestion

Apr 8, 2019

With the growing ubiquity of ride-hailing services, passengers have come to expect door-to-door service. The good news? That eliminates a key challenge of mass transit systems: how to move passengers through the first or last mile of a trip. But...