Research projects

The Dearborn Department of Public Health (DPH) was formally launched in April 2022, becoming only the second city in Michigan with a public health department, and the first to do so voluntarily. The Department was founded on the principle of “Health in All Policies.” Health in All Policies is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy areas. The goal of Health in All Policies is to ensure that all decision-makers are informed about the health, equity, and sustainability consequences of...

A student assisted Planet Detroit in building an online resource hub to help inform Detroit residents and relevant stakeholders of a wide variety of environmental health risks. Environmental health risk categories included flood, climate, heat, air quality, and lead levels. The resource hub includes a written description of the data and lists the type of data provided. The resource hub also includes relevant information from participating impact partners who provided the research and data. The student helped with data entry and collection to assemble the resource hub and make it discernible...

The team of students continued their work on a project with the Superintendent's Office of the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD). Last semester, they recommended and drafted changes to the District's administrative policies so they better supported the behavioral and physical health of students in the District. The project included a four-phase process: first, the students researched best practices and policies in other school districts in the U.S.; second, they interviewed DPSCD staff and education professionals about existing practices and the feasibility of potential...

The student worked with Engine Advocacy and Research to evaluate the impact of state-by-state privacy laws on startup technology companies. Currently, data privacy laws are on a state level, resulting in varying definitions of compliance. Through interviewing stakeholders of different startups, the student learned about the impact of the current data privacy laws landscape on barriers to scalability, compliance costs (legal, operational, technology, etc.), and any implications of these costs. The student’s findings will ultimately help inform policymakers and ensure a conducive environment...

The team of students worked on a project with the Superintendent's Office of the Detroit Public School and Community District (DPSCD). They recommended and drafted changes to the District's administrative policies, so they better supported the behavioral and physical health of students in the District. The project included a four-phase process: first, the students researched best practices and policies in other school districts in the U.S.; second, they interviewed DPSCD staff and education professionals about existing practices and the feasibility of potential administrative changes; third,...

The Dearborn Department of Public Health was formally launched in April 2022, becoming only the 2nd city in Michigan with a public health department, and the first to do so voluntarily. The Department was founded on the principle of Health in All Policies. Health in All Policies is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decision-making across sectors and policy areas. Health in All Policies aims to ensure that all decision-makers are informed about the health, equity, and sustainability consequences of various policy...

The student worked with Engine Advocacy and Research to evaluate the impact of state-by-state privacy laws on startup technology companies. Currently, data privacy laws are on a state level, resulting in varying definitions of compliance. Through interviewing stakeholders of different startups, the student learned about the impact of the current data privacy laws landscape on barriers to scalability, compliance costs (legal, operational, technology, etc.), and any implications of these costs. The student’s findings will ultimately help inform policymakers and ensure a conducive environment...

The student worked with Fund MI Future to help compile local property tax votes in Michigan to help identify policy opportunities to tip the State’s fiscal landscape to be more supportive of poor and middle-income communities. The research focused on what margin millages and millage renewals from 2012-2022 passed or failed and for what the millage was raising...

Four fellows provided research support for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and the office of State Senator Rosemary Bayer to improve a bill (SB 429 of 2021) that was introduced in the Michigan Senate to update regulations on the mining of aggregate materials (e.g., sand, gravel, stone, clay). The team conducted case studies of nine states, focusing on the relative authorities of state and local governments in the permitting and restoration processes, as well as topical overviews around soil conservation best practices, the use of recycled aggregate materials, and stakeholder...

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Redevelopment Ready Communities Program (RRC) helps Michigan communities build effective zoning ordinances, streamline their development review processes, and design stakeholder engagement practices to incentivize community-driven economic growth. As an RRC fellow, the student helped the City of Lincoln Park obtain RRC certification by updating the city's public participation plan, mapping the city’s development review process, and cultivating a working relationship with Lincoln Park’s Hispanic entrepreneurial community. Through the work,...

The research fellow investigated the likely impacts of adopting a nonpartisan primary with ranked choice voting in Michigan at the request of the Michigan Consensus Policy Project (MCCP). The MCPP is a bipartisan working group of former state officials that seeks to identify nonpartisan solutions to the state's most pressing...

The research fellow worked with Detroit’s Civil Rights’ Inclusion and Opportunity (CRIO) Department to develop an advocacy primer for municipal officials. The primer laid out a framework for action and identified strategies for working at multiple levels of government to improve equity and inclusion in the city of...

The research fellow worked with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters to research “Soil Reclamation Best Practices” as part of a pro-environment legislative proposal to reform the regulation of aggregate (gravel) mining in the state of Michigan. The fellow’s research identified successful industry and government practices from around the world and analyzed the efficacy of those practices within the State of Michigan's regulatory...

The research fellow performed a landscape analysis of curricula aimed at training government officials in the tools at their disposal to affect municipal, state, and federal policy change....

Students worked with the U.S. Department of Energy's Arctic Energy Office to create an “Arctic Research Resource Compendium,” which identified and cataloged university-based Arctic research institutes in the U.S. and Canada. The research resources included a list of Arctic and polar institutes, the focus of each of these institutes, and specific research projects of interest, particularly in the energy, environment and climate space....

The City of Adrian, MI, Active Transportation Pilot Project with the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services regarding non-motorized trails and Complete Streets project.  The internship provided an asset mapping demonstrating where assets are in relationship to the current and planned trail/Complete Streets features locations.  The work may also involve additional surveying of the targeted population over time and designing an evaluation plan to assess the project’s...

Student research assistant is helping with the design of a comprehensive, integrated service delivery system for workforce development by integrating workforce and essential skills programming....

The team of students provided a report for the New Economy Initiative to share with state and local policymakers and key stakeholder that includes a catalog of the resources and services available today to micro-businesses in Detroit and the metro area, and identified local and state policies/ ordinances/rules in peer regions that advance and/or hinder the growth of micro-businesses. ...

The project involved identifying, describing, mapping, and making recommendations about the myriad rules, regulations, and restrictions relating to the usage of coal bottom ash, an industrial byproduct, as well as how to transport the material in an environmentally safe way....

The students worked with Voters Not Politicians (VNP) to create a video to raise awareness of Communities of Interest (COIs) to engage historically underrepresented and marginalized communities in the redistricting process.  The video is being used in VNP’s public engagement...

The team of students developed a strategy and action plan to achieve legislative support for the commercial ports of...

To support Michigan reformers in their consideration of possibly adopting the top-two primary, the P3E student team conducted research and produced a report on the likely benefits and challenges of adopting the top-two primary in Michigan....

The student research assistant created a menu of avenues for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and the Huron Clinton Metro Parks to work together in moving forward with a public-private...

This policy project is focused on displaced workers in Michigan. The students will provide research assistance looking at the effects of technology on middle skill workers, The research findings will be used to inform strategies for re-engaging workers displaced by...

Provided research assistance to INL’s efforts to create nimble data tools to support informed...

This project has supported C2BE’s efforts to research, develop, advocate for, and eventually pass legislation to support the development of employee-owned companies in...

This project focused on researching the framework for approaching and defining food systems in Michigan with the intent of informing future policy recommendations. These recommendations will aid in the creation or revision of educational and technical training programs to fill identified workforce/talent gaps. Student provided assistance with conducting informant interviews and developing a case study example around Michiganders who perform various food systems jobs. The student also helped with secondary data collection and analysis, as well as employer outreach, cataloguing and vacancy...

This project focused on the preparation for the introduction of legalized marijuana into the city of Ann Arbor. It was in partnership with the City of Ann Arbor and Mayor Christopher Taylor. Student was responsible for identifying peer communities in states that have recently legalized marijuana and for conducting research on their experiences. The student was also responsible for utilizing interviews, web searches and surveys and policy research to develop requested...

This project continued to build on the previous project in the same scope and research conducted in Fall 2018 by helping to develop the next stage of legislative strategy in advocating for the development of employee-owned companies.The student research fellow was responsible for supporting C2BE staff by organizing a convening of key stakeholders including business representatives and government officials. The student also aided the leadership team in lobbying efforts and drafting a report summarizing their work....

The City of Adrian, Michigan seeks to become the first community in North America to have fully autonomous electric bus service providing its public transportation. The City intends to launch a fixed route system with Project Rising Tide, a program offering coordinated state resources and technical assistance in Michigan. In addition, the City is working to bring ongoing federal financial assistance towards the service. The student research assistant helped with examining current federal support for transportation, researched sustainable transportation funding, and helped determine how to...