Friday, March 12, 2004

4006 Fleming Building

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Katarina Borer (chair), Steve Ceccio, Mary Haan, Jens Zorn, J. Hunter Waite, Roscoe Warner, Jane Ritter (staff), Susan Shore, Fawwaz Ulaby

MEMBERS ABSENT: Lajos Balogh, Fred Bookstein, Rex Holland, Chris Jensen, Pinaki Mazumder, Jillian Yant, John Younger

GUEST:  Lee Katterman, Assistant to Vice President Ulaby

AGENDA

1.            Approval of the February 13, 2004 RPC meeting minutes

2.            Discussion of the draft of the recommended changes to COI/COC policy

3.            Overview of the report on the Science, Technology and Public Policy (STPP) – Lee Katterman

4.            Discussion of the STPP issues outlined by the task force

5.            Next meeting:  April 9, 2004, 9-11,  4006 Fleming.

ACTIONS

1.            Minutes of February 12, 2004 meeting were approved as presented (with a typographical correction of ‘to’ to ‘with’).

2.            Discussion of the draft of the recommended changes to COI/COC policy.

Minutes approved which included RPC’s recommendations . Members approved the draft of recommendations with change in numbering of the contained principles. Principle 3 that originally consisted of subsections a and b was split into two separately numbered principles, and the remaining three principles were then renumbered 5 through 7.  “Disclose to all relevant parties” was added to principle 4.  RPC committee members approved revised recommendations unanimously.

3.            Overview of Report on Science, Technology and Public Policy (STPP), presented by Lee Katterman.

Vice-President Ulaby stated that  about two years ago,  Homer Neal started teaching a course on Science, Technology, and Public Policy. The Vice President Ulaby assembles  a group consisting of the Provost, deans, and faculty to create a plan for a program on STPP. Next, Lee Katterman used a PowerPoint presentation to describe the steps in the development of the STPP program:

·              Other schools have started developing science policy programs with distinct themes: John Holdren, Harvard—Energy policy, Neal Lane, former Presidential Science Advisor, now at Rice University—Science policy, Frank Von Hippel, Princeton University—Disarmament, congressman Vern Ehlers—Science policy; also Lewis Branscomb, Jack Gibbons and others.

·              UM developed a Jerome Wiesner (who was a UM graduate) lectures on science policy

·              UM assembled an initial task force consisting of faculty from various disciplines that have policy connections: Jim Duderstadt (chair, Engineering), Edie Goldenberg (LSA), Gloria Helfand, Gil Omen (Medicine), Doug Richstone (Astronomy), Rebecca Blank (dean,.Ford School of Public Policy), Rob Groves, Walter Webber , Thom Kinnear, Henry Pollack (Geology), Peter Ward. They were charged to develop the framework for a STPP program, and after a year of work have produced a report. The subsequent task force was appointed and include

·              A factor favoring such a program is existence of Ford School of Public Policy that has a strong quantitative approach based on mathematics and statistics.

The task force recommended for STPP program to make it possible to place graduates of the program in positions where they will be setting policies (e.g., Tauber Institute, joint COE and SOBA). The task force is  currently meeting to develop a final plan before going to the Provost for funding of the program.

         Lee Katterman requested that RPC Provide written feedback based on today’s discussion, to take back to Committee; identify questions and areas of concern; provide suggestions on how to address the questions and concerns.  How should the course/program sequence go? . Preliminary RPC discussion included the following issues:

·              Faculty for STPP program: It would be more successful to identify current UM faculty to lead program rather than bring in someone new who has to be brought up to speed (Jens Zorn)

·              Students for STPP program: How would students integrate STPP program with their main graduate training? Faculty would not want students absent from PhD work (Haan). Students could invest time – between master and PhD programs; explore professional organization fellowship programs; coordinate with national organizations (Waite). We need technical people who know policy; and policy people who know some technical.  This program would be the link to bring different technical specialties together.  Students would receive general training on STPP and then apply it to their technical specialty.

·              Theme for STPP program: UM does not have an issue on selecting a specific theme.  Seminars could be offered with different yearly themes.  Seminars on topical areas; environment, life sciences, etc. A focus could be established by hiring a person who would bring a theme.

4.            Next meeting:  April 9, 2004; 9:00-11:00 am, 4006 Fleming