"I Hope This Helps!" is a humorous, genre-bending hybrid documentary that invites viewers to ponder the evolving relationship between humanity and technology.
Join us for an event that’s more than just a celebration—it’s a call to action. In alignment with the University of Michigan’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium's 2025 theme of "Restless Dissatisfaction: An Urgent Call for the Pursuit of Justice and Equality," we invite students, staff, faculty and the greater community to a powerful and inspiring gathering.
Please join us for an engaging conversation with New York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hill and Shobita Parthasarathy, Faculty Director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program. Our speakers will explore the intersection of technology and privacy, addressing some of today's most salient issues.Following the talk, Kashmir Hill will be available for a book signing of "Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It".
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
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.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
STPP Lecture Series
Join for a conversation with former New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio. In conversation with STPP Director Professor Shobita Parthasarathy, the discussion will explore how urban tech is shaping social policy in “smart cities” like New York and beyond. How can we ensure that emerging technology serves the public interest, and what role can local, state, national, and even international policy play?
Join Dr. Abdul El-Sayed - physician, epidemiologist, and newly appointed Director of the Wayne County Health, Human & Veterans Services Department, and a Ford School Towsley Policymaker in Residence - for a conversation with policymakers at the intersection of social justice and environmental concerns. Dr. El-Sayed will be joined by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Michigan Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW '14) to reflect on their work to address environmental injustice in Michigan and beyond, and the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Join STPP for a conversation with alum Scott Henry (Masters of Science in Information, Data Science '20, STPP Certificate '20), Senior Data Scientist at Cisco.
Join P3E for an Alumni Experiences discussion with José Lemus (MPP '22), senior advisor for the jobs and economy team with the City of Detroit’s Mayor’s Office, where he facilitates public-private partnerships to support the City of Detroit’s infrastructure and workforce development objectives.
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?
Join P3E for an Alumni Experiences discussion with Jasmine Kaltenbach (BA '22), executive director of Michigan AFL-CIO Advocates. Jasmine is also a community partner on a current P3E research project with Fund MI Future to help identify policy opportunities to tip the State’s fiscal landscape to be more supportive of poor and middle-income communities.
Join P3E for an Alumni Experiences discussion with Nathan Lindfors (BA '20), Policy Director at Engine Advocacy and Foundation, where he leads the organization’s research efforts and competition and trade policy portfolios.
P3E has launched a new initiative, Alumni Experiences, where alums share their experiences, insights, and advice with small groups of current students, followed by a Q&A.
Join P3E for our first Alumni Experiences discussion with Leah Squires (MPP '20), an evaluator and project manager with expertise in international human rights, nonprofit management, and training development and implementation.
P3E has launched a new initiative, Alumni Experiences, where alums share their experiences, insights, and advice with small groups of current students, followed by a Q&A.
Kade Crockford, the director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts, will speak about technology, surveillance, and civil liberties.
STPP hosts a conversation with Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16 and STPP '16). Michelle is Director of Stakeholder Relations at the Energy Impact Center, a DC-based think tank working to spur a nuclear energy revolution to combat climate change.
Join the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program for a virtual information session to learn about the Science, Technology, and Public Policy graduate certificate.
Celebrate your #FordSpirit! Join fellow Fordies for a virtual panel highlighting the work of Ford School alumni during the pandemic and their leadership over the last year in addressing the pandemic and its impacts.
Kelly Gates, Anthony Ryan Hatch, Jorge Nuñez, and chair Heather Thompson comprise the second panel of the Behind Walls, Beyond Discipline: Science, Technology, and the Carceral State webinar series.
Lindsay Smith, Andrea Quinlan, Cristina Mejia Visperas, and Melissa Burch will comprise the first panel of the Behind Walls, Beyond Discipline: Science, Technology, and the Carceral State webinar series.
Keith Breckenridge (University of Witwatersrand) will deliver the opening keynote of the Behind Walls, Beyond Discipline: Science, Technology, and the Carceral State webinar series.
Join us for the Alumni in Residence conversation with Nicole Shepardson (MPP '01), policy team leader and senior protection policy officer in the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration at the U.S. Department of State.
Osagie K. Obasogie is the Haas Distinguished Chair and Professor of Bioethics at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Joint Medical Program and School of Public Health.
Priti Krishtel is a 15-year veteran of the global access to medicines movement. In 2006, she co-founded I-MAK, a nonprofit that works to combat the rising cost of prescription drugs by re-imagining the patent system so that people can get the lifesaving medicine they need.
Layne Scherer is a senior program officer with the Board of Higher Education and Workforce at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Christopher Calabrese, Vice President for Policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology will discuss the pros and cons of facial recognition technology, how it is changing many aspects of our lives, and how policymakers should address it.
