U-M associate professor joins Biden administration to work in Transportation Dept.
ANN ARBOR โ Robert Hampshire, associate professor at the University of Michiganโs Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, has been appointed to work in the U.S. Transportation Department under the Biden administration, it was announced Thursday. He was appointed principal deputy assistant secretary for research and technology at the Transportation Department. The office, which receives an annual investment of $1 billion for transportation research and development, coordinates technology and research programs. He will oversee the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hampshire was a research associate professor at U-Mโs Michigan Institute for Data Science and Transportation Research Instituteโs Human Factors group.
University of Michigan to host free virtual event with Trevor Noah
ANN ARBOR โ The University of Michiganโs University Musical Society and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy will be hosting a free, interactive event with Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, on Tuesday. The event is open to members of the U-M community as well as supporters and event attendees of UMS and the Ford School. The discussion with the outspoken comedian and author will be moderated by Michael Barr, Dean of the Ford School of Public Policy, with questions from U-M students. โU-M and Ford School students care deeply about our democracy and about the urgent work of building a racially just society,โ Dean Barr said in a statement. โIโm excited to host this conversation between our students and the brilliant Trevor Noah, who speaks with such honesty and clarity about racism, social movements, and public policy.
University of Michigan study: Ban facial recognition technology in schools
ANN ARBOR, Mich. Facial recognition technology should not be in schools, according to a new study out of the University of Michigan. Conducted at the University of Michigans Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, authors of the Cameras in the Classroom report recommend that the technology be banned from use in schools. The report states that use of facial recognition in schools would potentially exacerbate existing racial bias as facial recognition algorithms have higher inaccuracy rates with people of color. The study noted the marginalization of nonconforming students, commodifying data and a lack of regulation were additional factors in banning facial recognition in schools. Cameras in the Classroom: Facial Recognition Technology in Schools is a part of the U-M Ford Schools Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program Technology Assessment Project, a think-tank that works to understand the implications of emerging technology and provide evidence-based insight for policy development.
University of Michigan receives $5M gift to help disadvantaged youth in Detroit
ANN ARBOR - The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan has announced a new $5 million gift from Joan and Sanford Weill's Family Foundation to help boost education and introduce disadvantaged and underrepresented youth in Detroit to workforce opportunities. The Youth Fund will support summer camps and activities that provide academic opportunities for NAF and other Detroit-area students in the fields of science and technology. "We look forward to this partnership making a positive difference in the lives of many deserving students in Detroit and the surrounding communities, and supporting the future public policy leaders at the Ford School." "We are also thankful to U-M for using this opportunity to provide transformative experiences for NAF and other students." Previously, the Weills, who have enjoyed a long friendship with President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford, have given to establish Weill Hallhome of the Ford School of Public Policyand its deanship.
Congresswoman Dingell: Head Start in Washtenaw County to receive nearly $4.5 million
Debbie Dingell speaks at the Ford School of Public Policy on April 12, 2017 (Credit: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy / University of Michigan)ANN ARBOR - U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., announced Wednesday that nearly $4.5 million in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grants will go toward Head Start projects in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. The money will provide services in Ann Arbor Public Schools, Whitemore Lake Public Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools, including an early Head Start home-based program for families with infants and toddlers, and training. "Head Start helps prepare children to succeed in school and in life," Dingell said in a statement. Head Start has a stellar track record of providing equal access to quality education that prepares young people for success." WISD Superintendent Scott Menzel said the most important aspect of the grant is that it will provide young children with opportunities they otherwise might not have.