Science and technology

Showing 61 - 90 of 167 results

In the Media

El-Sayed dives into the evolution of misinformation

Nov 1, 2022 America Dissected

Abdul El-Sayed, America Dissected: "Today, millions of Americans have yet to receive a first dose of a safe, effective vaccine that has saved millions of lives, all because they’ve been victims of the virality of information. And that leaves them...

Photo of Abdul El-Sayed in front of a classroom of Ford School PPIA fellows

News

STPP students awarded second place in science policy writing competition

Oct 30, 2022

A group of Science, Technology, and Public Policy program students recently won second place in the National Science Policy Network's 2022 Science Policy Writing Competition. This year's competition challenged authors to create a policy brief based...

Publication

Green discusses "substantive algorithmic fairness"

Oct 19, 2022

Ford School assistant professor Ben Green, and an affiliate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, says that if algorithms are to improve society, focusing only on whether they’re mathematically “fair” won’t get us...

In the Media

Ali advises on how to react to a data breach

Oct 16, 2022 Governing

Javed Ali, Governing: "You may want to protect, or not completely reveal, either the attack method or even how the attack was detected. Knowing the sources and methods can give adversaries insight and...

Publication

Rabe says U.S. takes significant climate action, though electric car transition in question

Sep 26, 2022

Ford School professor Barry Rabe has saluted the U.S. government’s “pivot from global climate laggard to leader” with the passage, by a 69-to-27 Senate supermajority to formally enter the binding global regime to achieve rapid phase-down of...

In the Media

Khumbah encourages business and industrial sector in Zimbabwe to embrace new opportunities

Sep 20, 2022 Pan African Visions

Nkem Khumbah, faculty associate for the Science, Technology and Public Policy program, recently delivered a keynote speech at the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) Annual Congress. In the speech, he outlined the steps he believed Zimbabwe's...

In the Media

Parthasarathy warns gun safety policy could have chilling impact on privacy

Sep 20, 2022 NPR

Major credit card companies announced this week that they will adopt a new code to flag gun sales. While gun control advocates are celebrating, Shobita Parthasarathy, director of the Science, Technology and Public Policy program, warns the policy...

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom

In the Media

Parthasarathy comments on new ARPA-H director

Sep 13, 2022 Nature

President Joe Biden recently named Renee Wegrzyn as the inaugural director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a new agency tasked with finding innovative solutions to biomedical problems. Nature asked Shobita...

News

The ethical implications of tech, and why it matters for engineers

Sep 2, 2022

Through the Ford School’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program, ECE PhD student Trevor Odelberg is studying how engineers can take better responsibility for the way their research impacts society. As the character Dr. Ian Malcolm...

News

U-M policy brief raises concerns about acoustic gunshot detection systems used by police departments

Sep 1, 2022

Research at the University of Michigan finds law enforcement technology aimed at detecting gunshot sounds and notifying police in close to real time raises serious concerns about accuracy, effectiveness, cost and systemic bias. The policy brief...

News

Ford School events for fall 2022 explore racial justice, international affairs, the state of democracy and more

Aug 30, 2022

The Ford School is pleased to announce an exciting lineup for the fall 2022 Policy Talks @ the Ford School series and other special public events hosted with partners from across campus. We are hosting distinguished policymakers, scholars,...

Ambassador Susan Rice and Michael Barr lead an event at the Ford School

In the Media

Tech groups opposing antitrust act threaten incumbents, says Hall

Aug 7, 2022 Bloomberg

Tech companies have spent almost $120 million on political advertising since the beginning of 2021, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking service, which Bloomberg says is the first time the tech industry has spent more on political ads than the...

News

Parthasarathy and Kleinman speak out against facial recognition technology use at universities

Jul 6, 2022

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) released a preliminary policy recommendation that would allow for the use of facial recognition technology during criminal investigations. According to Public Source, the draft policy is "intended to guide CMU’s use...

Dozens of security cameras pointed at one person

News

STPP research on AI highlighted in Nature Q&A

May 3, 2022

Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy was highlighted in a Q&A with Nature magazine, acknowledging recent research on Large Language Models (LLMs) by the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program's Technology Assessment Project....

Glasses rest on a desktop with various coding windows open on a screen behind

Publication

New language-learning algorithms risk reinforcing inequalities, social fragmentation, per U-M study

Apr 27, 2022

The use of large language models could transform many facets of modern life, including how policymakers assess public sentiment about pending legislation, how patients evaluate their medical care and how scientists could translate research findings...

In the Media

Parthasarathy considers dangers of Beverly Hills's surveillance system

Apr 25, 2022 Los Angeles Times

There is one camera for every 17 people in Beverly Hills, one of the most surveilled cities in the world. Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, discussed the dangers of...

News

Parthasarathy appointed to NASEM advisory committee on tech governance

Apr 22, 2022

Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy has been appointed to an ad-hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) which will help create governance guidelines for emerging technologies related to health...

Alumni spotlight

Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) creates a safer digital world and develops people-focused solutions

Mar 30, 2022

After Katie D’Hondt Brooks (BA ‘12) graduated from the Ford School, she worked at Partnership for Public Service where she managed a set of programs meant to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in public service. She thought she would work...

News

North American Colloquium events highlight environmental collaborations

Mar 7, 2022

Solving the most difficult environmental issues requires international collaboration among researchers, governments, and the private sector. A recent year-long collaboration between universities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada has been addressing...

Close up photo of the flags for Canada, Mexico, and the United States

News

Parthasarathy calls for equitable innovation in science and technology

Mar 4, 2022

Recently, Shobita Parthasarathy appeared on the Issues in Science and Technology podcast, The Ongoing Transformation, to discuss her article, "Innovation as a Force for Equity." "As someone who is dedicated to the project of equity and justice in...

News

Ford School faculty participate in campus-wide Global Vaccine Equity Ideas Lab

Mar 2, 2022

Researchers from 13 units across the University of Michigan, including the Ford School and entities from all three campuses, gathered for three days of learning and collaboration to develop innovative approaches that address vaccine equity in low-...

Photo of Shobita Parthasarathy facing John Ayanian, both standing in front of posters with writing and post-it notes

News

International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Impacting society through technology and innovation research

Feb 11, 2022

Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy, director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, shares her thoughts on International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In an episode of the Michigan Minds podcast, produced by...

Flat-style illustration of three women scientists in a laboratory

News

Prestigious National Academies committee selects Parthasarathy

Feb 7, 2022

Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy has been selected to serve on a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) that will help guide federal judges on questions of science, technology, and medicine in...

Publication

Green explores tech ethics and its boundaries in new paper

Feb 4, 2022

Who gets to define the ethics behind the use of technology in society? The discussion has become more pressing amid controversies related to misinformation, privacy, and algorithmic bias. Ben Green explores this question as editor of a special...

Publication

Pathasarathy calls for systemic change in U.S. innovation policy to promote equity and access

Jan 29, 2022

Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy is calling for a change in innovation policy to center “equity as a public value” as the scientific community ponders “the next 75 years of science policy.” In her essay Innovation as a Force for Equity,...

In the Media

Parthasarathy discusses her career on 'Science, Technology, and Society Shorts'

Jan 26, 2022 Science, Technology, and Society Shorts

Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, recently discussed how she became interested in science and technology policy on Science, Technology, and Society Shorts. “I...

Publication

Green’s paper receives Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award

Jan 13, 2022

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) recently awarded Ben Green, assistant professor and postdoctoral scholar, the Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award. The award is for Green’s paper, “The Flaws of Policies Requiring Human Oversight of Government...

In the Media

El-Sayed hosts Parthasarathy on 'America Dissected'

Jan 12, 2022 America Dissected

How are issues of equity addressed in health care innovation and in particular the patent process? Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, addressed the question on...

Alumni spotlight

Stephanie Sandoval-Pistorius focuses on people-centered medical research

Jan 10, 2022

Stephanie Sandoval-Pistorius is pursuing her PhD in neuroscience at Michigan Medicine, studying the molecular underpinnings of Parkinson’s disease. She will go on to UCSF for her postdoctoral training, where she will investigate pathological brain...

Alumni spotlight

Beza Merid, PhD: STPP gave me insights into how policy can develop justice-based health innovations

Dec 23, 2021

Beza Merid was a faculty affiliate with STPP when he became a research fellow in cardiology at Michigan Medicine. Now at Arizona State University, he appreciates how influencing innovation policy can create better health outcomes for underserved...