The Ford School of Public Policy hosted the 19th Annual Gramlich Showcase of Student Work in Weill Hall Friday afternoon, where Ford students presented their policy-based research projects to the University of Michigan community.
Students presented on a variety of political, economic and humanitarian issues, ranging from international affairs to optimization for local businesses. Each group was given a table on which to present their project in the form of a poster board with text and infographics.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Public Policy student Chiante’ Hamilton, who presented her research at the showcase, said students worked independently or in groups throughout the school year to research a topic of their interest.
“It’s a really exciting event,” Hamilton said. “A lot of us, as students, have done different projects throughout the last semester and the last year, and we have an opportunity to present that to the community.”
Participants in the event had to be nominated by Public Policy School staff or professors in order to attend. Public Policy student Holly Holland — one of five students selected from the course Strategic Consulting for Public Policy to exhibit their final project at the showcase — told The Daily she appreciated the opportunity to take part in the event.
“This is a showcase that is meant to be showcasing student work, and it’s nomination invitation only,” Holland said. “So I was really honored that my group was chosen as one of the presenters.”
Holland said her group worked with the city of Highland Park, Illinois to analyze two of the city’s incentive policies — the Food & Beverage Incentive program and the Boutique Incentive Program.
“(The city of Highland Park) tasked us to look at what these incentive programs are doing for the city, how they’re impacting the local economic cycles and if there is justified support (to) continue funding these programs,” Holland said. “So we really just came up with three different main points for the city to use in restructuring their programs, to really unlock their economic potential, and also just to keep improving community needs.”
Hamilton said presenting her research findings about the educational policy system in the city of Detroit was a personally rewarding experience.
“I was the only one in my group that did attend Detroit Public Schools, so (the project) was really like giving back to the community,” Hamilton said. “Right now, they’re in transition with their mayor, so it was an independent project, and we made recommendations to the mayor for what students should do or what community members are asking for when it comes to the city’s education system.”
Students also focused on issues outside of the United States. Public Policy student Ella Foster, who was part of a group that researched the financial state of Turkiye from 2003 to 2012, told The Daily the exhibition was a welcomed change of pace from her usual academic routine.
“A lot of times I’ve been doing projects, and I kind of just submit it, and I get feedback from the professor, and then that’s kind of the end of it,” Foster said. “But it’s been really cool to speak with other students that maybe don’t know exactly what I’ve been doing in my classes, and just to give other students a chance to find out what the course is about.”
Daily Staff Reporter Caleb Obico can be reached at cobico@umich.edu. Daily Staff Reporter Halle Pratt can be reached at hallehap@umich.edu.
