Science, Technology, and Public Policy program | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
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Science, Technology, and Public Policy program

The Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program is a unique research, education, and policy engagement center concerned with cutting-edge questions that arise at the intersection of science, technology, policy, and society.

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Showing 121 - 150 of 372 results
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
State & Hill

Breaking down public trust

Jun 10, 2021
By Rebecca Cohen (MPP '09)Americans’ trust in government institutions to “do the right thing” has steadily eroded since the late 1960s,1 correlated for many analysts with events such as the Vietnam War, Watergate, the ’70s oil embargo, and President...
Illustration of a hand, extended for a handshake, crumbling.
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

Parthasarathy provides insight on vaccine patterns

May 18, 2021 The Hill
As vaccine rates increase across the country, interesting patterns are being noticed. Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy, explained the pattern Michigan is experiencing.  “Michigan is sort of a purple, leaning blue, state and you...
Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom
In the Media

Parthasarathy puts results of vaccine hesitancy study in context

May 12, 2021 WXYZ Detroit
A recent study from researchers at U-M concluded that vaccine hesitancy could impede a goal of herd immunity when it comes to COVID-19. Shobita Parthasarathy, a co-author of the study and director of the Ford School's Science, Technology, and Public...
Photo of a person in PPE holding a vile of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
News

Robert Hampshire appointed chief science officer at USDOT

Apr 23, 2021
Robert Hampshire will serve as the U.S. Department of Transportation's chief science officer, a role that has not been filled in more than 40 years. He was appointed assistant secretary for research and technology for the department, and will advise...
Robert Hampshire
In the Media

Parthasarathy discusses bias in pandemic science

Mar 22, 2021 BBC World
"Science is always going to be viewed through the lens of people through their values, assumptions, biases, and politics," said Shobita Parthasarathy. But, she said, "bias is natural....It's not a bad thing to have bias."  It's necessary for...
Shobita Parthasarathy
In the Media

Rabe comments on immediate use of a debated climate metric

Mar 16, 2021 Bloomberg Law
The Biden administration changed a key climate change metric—the social cost of carbon—to $51 in late February, in a move that will allow regulators to write more stringent carbon emissions rules. Barry Rabe said two of Biden's priorities—cutting...
Headshot of Barry Rabe
Alumni spotlight

Interview with MPP, STPP alum Melvin Washington II

Mar 4, 2021
Melvin Washington is an alumnus of the Ford School’s Master of Public Policy Program and the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. In his role as a Program Associate at the Vera Institute of Justice, he puts this passion...
Melvin Washington
In the Media

Parthasarathy comments on the increasing politicization of science

Jan 25, 2021 Chemical & Engineering News
Noting fierce partisan debates over the science behind COVID-19, Shobita Parthasarathy comments that "These are really values debates masquerading as scientific debates. And putting them into the language of science is bad for science, but it is...
Shobita Parthasarathy
In the Media

Parthasarathy comments on Biden's science strategy

Jan 21, 2021 Axios
Emphasizing a need to pay attention to marginalized communities, Shobita Parthasarathy says "Giving people more involvement in decision-making about what research is prioritized and how it is carried out could help "align government's values with...
Shobita Parthasarathy