Science Technology and Public Policy

Showing 61 - 90 of 140 results

News

Jacob and Parthasarathy receive prestigious University awards

Oct 11, 2021

Brian Jacob and Shobita Parthasarathy have been recognized by the University of Michigan Provost for their scholarly contributions, teaching, and service to the University. They will be honored with other faculty members at a dinner and ceremony on...

Photo of Shobita Parthasarathy and Brian Jacob

In the Media

Human oversight of automated decision-making doesn't work, says Green

Sep 28, 2021 Protocol

Commenting on his recent research, Ben Green told Protocol, “The point is not to say: Let's just allow these algorithms to be used without the human oversight. But if we're only comfortable with these algorithms because we have human oversight, we...

News

Green calls for increased regulation with government use of algorithms

Sep 22, 2021

Do algorithms help or hinder human decision-making? In a recent op-ed for The Hill, Ben Green, an assistant professor and postdoctoral scholar, argues that policymakers need to consider how humans interact with AI when regulating the use of AI in...

Publication

Should complex, high-stakes government decisions be reliant on predictive algorithms?

Aug 27, 2021

Machine learning is increasingly used for government decision-making to predict adverse outcomes. For instance, many cities and states in the U.S. have adopted pretrial risk assessments that inform decisions about whether to release criminal...

News

Ford School research center websites get a fresh new look

Aug 27, 2021

Seven of the Ford School’s dynamic research centers have launched new websites. Building on the Ford School’s own modern web design and technical capabilities, the new websites convey the energy and innovation of each center. Participating research...

Teaser image with screencaps of research center website homepages cascaded artfully across the board, each increasing in scale

Alumni spotlight

STPP alum Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16) works to impact zero-carbon energy

Aug 18, 2021

Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16) interrupted her government service to obtain her Ford School Master of Public Policy and the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. Now in the private sector, at the Energy Impact Center,...

News

Equity considerations must be an integral part of energy research and development, Parthasarathy tells Congressional committee

Jul 16, 2021

"We are not accustomed to thinking about equity in the context of innovation. But in recent years, we have begun to recognize that marginalized communities (including those who are low-income and those who come from historically disadvantaged...

Shobita Parthasarathy delivers testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy

In the Media

Parthasarathy facial recognition study in focus on Detroit Public TV

Jun 24, 2021 DPTV One Detroit

Detroit Public TV's One Detroit program looked at the racial disparities inherent in law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology, making reference to a study published in August 2020 by the Ford School's Shobita Parthasarathy. "We...

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...

Illustration of a hand, extended for a handshake, crumbling.

News

‘Transportation is a form of freedom’: How to make it more equitable

Jun 9, 2021

The routes and schedules of public transit, the presence or absence of sidewalks, the availability of different transportation options, and the design of highways that have divided cities—these are examples of aspects of transportation systems that...

News

Congratulations to Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi, both now associate professors, with tenure

May 21, 2021

Professors Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi have received promotions to associate professor, with tenure, at the Ford School. Their status was approved by the U-M Board of Regents at their meeting on May 20. "Natasha Pilkauskas is deepening...

Headshots of Kaitlin Raimi and Natasha Pilkauskas

In the Media

Science adviser with a social conscience may transform the nation, says Parthasarathy in NYT

Apr 29, 2021 New York Times

“We’re at a moment” where science has the potential to make a difference on issues of social justice and inequality, Shobita Parthasarathy said. “I know my students are increasingly concerned about these questions, and think rank-and-file scientists...

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom

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...

In the Media

Increasing EVs will not be easy, says Rabe

Apr 15, 2021 E&E News

As the Biden administration looks to replace the federal government's fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles, Professor Barry Rabe commented, "This involves the entire supply chain from raw materials, including computer chips, to production...

In the Media

Ayanian on the relationship between high blood pressure and structural racism

Apr 15, 2021 American Heart Association News

John Ayanian commented that "in well-organized health systems, we're doing a better job of monitoring and controlling blood pressure, but the U.S. has a fragmented health care system." In a recent news article, the American Heart Association cited...

In the Media

Despite Biden's ambitious electric vehicle plan, challenges remain, says Rabe

Apr 8, 2021 E&E News

President Biden's infrastructure plan calls for $174 billion in spending for electric vehicles. Despite this ambitious plan, experts, like Barry Rabe, say that Biden's EV plan will nonetheless be difficult to implement: "However much money is in...

News

Anti-racism faculty hiring moves forward, Ford School focus on racial justice in technology

Mar 25, 2021

Eight new University of Michigan faculty positions have been selected for funding in the first round of hires that will be a part of the Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative. One of those new hires will be at the Ford School, with a focus on...

Aerial of U-M central campus including Weill Hall

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...

News

Parthasarathy: AstraZeneca vaccine crisis in Europe about public trust, not science

Mar 17, 2021 Slate

In a recent op-ed, Shobita Parthasarathy shared how the AstraZeneca vaccine crisis in Europe isn’t about science; rather it’s about public trust. “There is a long-standing perception that vaccine hesitancy is the result of public ignorance or a...

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...

In the Media

Rabe on Senator Manchin's climate position

Mar 15, 2021 Automotive News

With a 50-50 split Senate, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), a conservative Democrat, will play a key role in any legislation passed to promote renewable energy because, according to Professor Barry Rabe, West Virginia's economy is heavily dependent on...

In the Media

Experiences of long-term effects of COVID need to be studied - Parthasarathy

Mar 8, 2021 Nature

An article in Nature notes that the National Institutes of Health will invest over $1 billion to research ‘long COVID’ — the long-lasting health effects of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. People who have experienced COVID-19 and its long-term aftermath,...

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...

News

Ford School expert tells lawmakers: Equity needs to go hand-in-hand with innovation in energy, climate

Mar 3, 2021

Pursuing energy and climate innovations grows ever more critical, but must include the involvement and participation of marginalized, vulnerable communities from the beginning. That's the message Ford School professor and director of the Science,...

News

Addressing structural inequity during Black History Month at the Ford School

Mar 1, 2021

The Ford School marked Black History Month by lifting up Black voices with a series of discussions about identifying inequities in society and seeking policy solutions to address them. Research centers, student groups, faculty, staff, and alumni all...

News

Parthasarathy testifies about equity in innovation before key Congressional subcommittee

Feb 25, 2021

On February 25, Shobita Parthasarathy testified before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies. The hearing included four invited experts to speak about energy and climate innovation issues....

Screen cap of Shobita Parthasarathy testimony

In the Media

Incorporating climate policy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission like turning a battleship, says Rabe

Feb 18, 2021 Grist

Barry Rabe comments on the relatively unknown Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which plays a prominent role in overseeing the nation's pipelines, natural gas infrastructure, and more: "I would put FERC in the basket of agencies that have...

News

Parthasarathy on the dangers of facial recognition technology in schools

Jan 29, 2021 Los Angeles Times

As facial recognition technology has become more commonplace in law enforcement, some schools have considered implementing facial recognition technology on their respective campuses. However, after public backlash over privacy concerns, many...

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...