Policy Topics

Science and technology

Showing 271 - 300 of 640 results

The Conversation: Parthasarathy proposes patent policy for nonprofit, university leaders

Jul 19, 2017

In a July 19 piece for The Conversation, Shobita Parthasarathy encourages research universities and nonprofits to establish “intellectual property governance committees.” These committees--comprised of patent lawyers; ethicists; citizens; and...

New "teach-outs" pay homage to U-M's game-changing, Vietnam-era "teach-ins"

Apr 21, 2017

On March 24th, 1965 at 8:00PM, about 3,500 faculty and students at the University of Michigan launched the first ever “teach in,” despite bomb threats and condemnation by the Michigan state legislature and Governor George Romney. For twelve hours,...

State & Hill

DE&I: Building on the longstanding success of faculty research and policy engagement

Apr 19, 2017

A key pillar of the Ford School’s recently released Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) is to build on the longstanding success of faculty research and policy engagement in this space. Here’s a quick snapshot of just a few of...

Rabe in MLive on Trump's plan to review auto industry fuel economy targets

Mar 17, 2017

An MLive article published on March 15, “University of Michigan professors discuss Trump’s fuel economy review,” discusses President Trump’s plan to challenge the current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) emissions targets that were central to...

News

U.S. News and World Report posts previously-released grad school rankings

Mar 14, 2017

In rankings originally published in March 2016, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is recognized in the top ten of America’s “public affairs” programs. According to the re-released U.S. News and World...

Michigan News release: Axelrod on "the blame game" for measuring cyber attack response

Mar 2, 2017

Whether a nation should retaliate against a cyber attack is a complicated decision, and a new framework guided by game theory could help policymakers determine the best strategy. The "Blame Game" was developed in part by Robert Axelrod, a...

National Academy of Sciences taps Rohde for SBS committee on national security research

Feb 17, 2017

The National Academy of Sciences has appointed Joy Rohde to serve on an 18-member committee tasked with carrying out a two-year study sponsored by the Office of the Directorate of National Intelligence (ODNI). The study, titled “Social and...

Parthasarathy in The Conversation: Obama’s socially engaged science and tech policy

Dec 21, 2016

Shobita Parthasarathy’s December 18 piece for The Conversation is on “Obama administration’s big science and tech innovation: Socially engaged policy.” Parthasarathy says President Obama’s science and technology legacy should include “much more...

State & Hill

Fulfilling the public good: Shobita Parthasarathy on innovation in science and tech

Dec 20, 2016

It seems like a straightforward question. If we produce more innovation, and quickly, then society will benefit. Our economy will grow because there will be markets for new technologies, and citizens will also benefit from access to the technologies...

State & Hill

Entrepreneurial alumni: Ford School alums share winning strategies in social innovation

Dec 18, 2016

Erin Zaikis "Make sure that you're curating people in your life that will have your back and want you to succeed. Being an entrepreneur is the loneliest task, but also the most rewarding." Erin Zaikis (BA...

State & Hill

Hacking for global health: Tackling wicked problems, like avian influenza, with creativity

Dec 17, 2016

Chiang Mai wasn't Annie Maxwell's (MPP '02) first introduction to the EpiHack. As president of the Skoll Global Threats Fund, which pioneered the "epidemiology hackathon" in 2013, Maxwell had heard a good deal about them. They were multi-day events...

Paul Courant to serve as interim U-M provost and EVP for academic affairs

Dec 14, 2016

Yesterday afternoon, Ford School Professor Paul Courant was named interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs of the University of Michigan. This isn’t Courant’s first stint as provost. In 2002 he held the post, and served...

On Mindpop, Rohde pushes for us to "not lose sight of humans" in the big data revolution

Dec 6, 2016

David Sehat, host of the Mindpop podcast, talks with Joy Rohde about big data for the December 4 episode: “Is big data a force for good?” Rohde recounts the history of projects that use large datasets to try to solve policy problems – from the...

Please join us in welcoming International Policy Center visiting scholar Tim Maurer

Sep 21, 2016

“The International Policy Center is pleased to host visiting scholar Tim Maurer, who is conducting cutting-edge research on cybersecurity and writing a book on the roles of non-state actors,” says John Ciorciari, director of the Ford School’s...

Science, Technology, and Public Policy program announces new director, welcomes applications

Sep 20, 2016

We are pleased to announce a new director of the University of Michigan's Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) graduate certificate program and to welcome applications from interested students. Associate Professor Shobita Parthasarathy,...

Internship field report, Tachana Joseph (MPP '17) @ Verizon, Washington, DC

Aug 1, 2016

Tachana Joseph (MPP '17) is submitting this field report from her summer 2016 internship at Verizon in Washington, DC, where she works as a federal regulatory intern.This summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to work for Verizon as a federal...

Internship field report, Molly Welch-Marahar @ Breast Cancer Action, San Francisco

Jul 21, 2016

Maureen (Molly) Welch-Marahar (MPP '17) submits this internship field report from her summer 2016 service with Breast Cancer Action in San Francisco, California. I’m one month into my 10 weeks here at Breast Cancer Action and I already feel at home....

Michigan Radio features Parthasarathy on fostering grassroots innovation in Michigan

May 10, 2016

Shobita Parthasarathy’s research on grassroots innovation in India is featured on this week’s “The Next Idea,” a Michigan Radio series dedicated to game-changing innovations and ideas. Listen here.In “Fostering grassroots innovation: Lessons India...

Axelrod examines dynamic aspects of culture, finds increase in the use of causal language

May 1, 2016

An article by Rumen Iliev (Stanford University) and Bob Axelrod, "Does Causality Matter More Now? Increase in the Proportion of Causal Language in English Texts," was published in Psychological Science in May 2016. Abstract: The vast majority...

News

Catherine Hausman examines economic impacts of nuclear power plant closure

Apr 7, 2016

Catherine Hausman's analysis of the economic impacts that result from a nuclear power plant closure was published in the latest edition of the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. For "Market Impacts of a Nuclear Power Plant...

Parthasarathy discusses cracks in the patent system in The Conversation U.S.

Apr 6, 2016

On April 4th, The Conversation U.S. published Shobita Parthasarathy’s article entitled “CRISPR dispute raises bigger patent issues we’re not talking about.” In the article, Parthasarathy argues that the patent dispute over CRISPR, a potentially...

Greater attention to causality: Science, technology, education changed the way we talk

Mar 18, 2016

ANN ARBOR—As science, education and technology have taken on ever-increasing roles in society during the past two centuries, researchers at the University of Michigan have identified corresponding changes in cognition.Robert Axelrod, U-M professor...

News

U.S. News & World Report releases its latest public affairs graduate program rankings

Mar 16, 2016

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan continues to be recognized nationally in the latest U.S News & World Report rankings of “public affairs” programs. According to the rankings, the Ford School is the #1...

Megan Blair (MPP '16) wins Innovation in Action competition for early learning social enterprise

Mar 14, 2016

On March 9, Megan Blair (MPP ’16) led team "Formativity" to a victory in the U-M School of Public Health’s annual Innovation in Action competition.Innovation in Action is a five-month competition that gives multidisciplinary teams an opportunity to...

Parthasarathy receives IRWG funding to investigate gender, caste and innovation in India

Jan 20, 2016

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy has received a 2016 seed grant from Michigan's Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), which supports individual research activities and collaborative projects in the field of women, gender, and...

News

Catherine Hausman analyzes the challenges faced by nuclear power for IMF publication

Nov 30, 2015

In the International Monetary Fund’s December 2015 issue of Finance and Development, Catherine Hausman co-authors “The Power of the Atom” with Lucas Davis. The article explores how the global presence of nuclear power has changed since its...

Alumni-in-Residence program connects students with alumni in policy careers

Sep 15, 2015

Want to meet with alumni working in government, consulting, education policy and other fields? Join us for this fall’s Alumni-in-Residence program, where students will have the opportunity to engage with Ford School alumni through career...

Introducing Jason Owen-Smith, joining our faculty with a courtesy appointment

Aug 10, 2015

The Ford School is delighted to announce that a number of faculty members will join our community this fall. To introduce them to the Ford School community, we’re running weekly Q&As throughout the summer that touch on their policy and personal...

Rabe speaks with NPR about changing attitudes on climate action and Obama’s Clean Power Plan

Aug 8, 2015

In “Obama's Climate Plan Faces Huge Political Challenges,” which ran on Monday, NPR reporter Scott Horsley outlined the President’s “ambitious new climate regulations” and the political opposition to them. He turned to Barry Rabe to provide insight...

News

Parthasarathy takes aim at 'out of step' patent system, calls for reforms

Jul 31, 2015

Shobita Parthasarathy has called for serious patent system reforms in a July 31 article she authored in The Conversation. Such reforms, she said, could "include increasing opportunities for the public to participate in patent decision-making,...

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom